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'Terminator' star Linda Hamilton calls the last three movies in the franchise "very forgettable"
by: Lily Hanson
Before Captain Marvel hit theaters, Linda Hamilton played iconic female action hero Sarah Connor in Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Those movies were instant classics, but the following sequels failed to live up to expectations: Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (the one with Kristanna Loken as the T-X), Terminator: Salvation (the one without Arnold Schwarzenegger, but with Christian Bale), and Terminator: Genisys (the one with Dany from Game of Thrones as Sarah Connor).
But don't worry, Terminator fans - the franchise isn't saying "hasta la vista" just yet. After 25 years away from Skynet, Hamilton is returning to play Sarah Connor in the sixth film, Terminator: Dark Fate. And there's reason to be cautiously optimistic: The story will pick up directly after 1992's Terminator: Judgement, including the previous three entries. Also, it's directed by Deadpool's Chris Miller, and produced by T1 and T2 director James Cameron.
At CinemaCon, Linda Hamilton slammed the three previous Terminator movies. "They’re very forgettable, aren’t they?” she told Variety‘s Marc Malkin. "You start something and you’re invested in the franchise, but somehow the characters that you care about weren’t there. Too many people, too many story points. So I think we’ve done a good job of narrowing down the focus again so it will echo the first two films."
When asked if she was hesitant to return to the franchise, the 62-year-old said, "I gave it probably six weeks of intense thinking and consideration before deciding to do it. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to. I didn’t want it to look like a shameless money grab. I am living this quiet, lovely life that doesn’t involve being a celebrity, and you really have to think, do I really want to trade that in again for another 15 minutes?"
The official synopsis for 'Dark Fates' states: "Linda Hamilton (Sarah Connor) and Arnold Schwarzenegger (T-800) return in their iconic roles in Terminator: Dark Fate, directed by Tim Miller (Deadpool) and produced by visionary filmmaker James Cameron and David Ellison. Following the events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Terminator: Dark Fate also stars Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, Gabriel Luna, and Diego Boneta."
Unfortunately, there's no word on what's going on with John Connor, who was memorably played in Terminator 2 by Edward Furlong. Due to battles with substance abuse and alcoholism, his acting career derailed, although he does continue to book parts, according to his IMDB. It would have been cool to see Furlong return at John, but hey, at least Linda Hamilton is back, right? Here are some images of characters in the film, which were released at CinemaCon.
Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor
Natalie Reyes as 'Dani Ramos'
MacKenzie Davis as 'Grace'
and Arnold Schwarzenegger as 'The Terminator'
Terminator: Dark Fate will be released in theaters on November 1, 2019.
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Paul-Henri Spaak
Belgian politician
Biography Lists
Occupations Politician Diplomat
Countries Belgium
Birth January 25, 1899 (Schaerbeek)
Death July 31, 1972 (Braine-l'Alleud)
Mother: Marie Janson
Father: Paul Spaak
Children: Antoinette Spaak
Education Université libre de Bruxelles
Authority ISNI id Library of congress id Openlibrary id VIAF id
Paul Henri Charles Spaak (25 January 1899 – 31 July 1972) was an influential Belgian politician and statesman also considered as one of the founding fathers of the European Union.
A member of an influential Belgian political family, Spaak, he served briefly in World War I and rose to prominence after the war as a tennis player and lawyer, becoming famous for his high-profile defence of an Italian student accused of attempting to assassinate the Italy's Crown Prince in 1929. A convinced socialist, Spaak entered politics in 1932 for the Belgian Workers' Party (later the Belgian Socialist Party) and gained his first ministerial portfolio in the government of Paul Van Zeeland in 1935. He became Prime Minister of Belgium in 1938 and held the position until 1939. During World War II, he served as Foreign Minister in the Belgian government in exile under Hubert Pierlot, where he negotiated the foundation of the Benelux Customs Union with the governments of the Netherlands and Luxembourg. After the war, he twice regained the position of Prime Minister, first for under a month in March 1946 and again between 1947 and 1949. He held various further Belgian ministerial portfolios until 1966. He was Belgium's Foreign Minister for 18 years between 1939 and 1966.
Spaak, a convinced supporter of multilateralism, became internationally famous for his support of international cooperation. In 1945, he was chosen to chair the first session of the General Assembly of the new United Nations. A long-running supporter of European integration, Spaak had been an early advocate of customs union and had negotiated the Benelux agreement in 1944. He served as the first President of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe between 1949-50 and became the first President of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) between 1952 and 1954. In 1955, he was appointed to the so-called Spaak Committee studying the possibility of a common market within Europe and played an influential role in preparing the 1957 Treaty of Rome which established the European Economic Community (EEC). He received the Charlemagne Prize the same year. Between 1957 and 1961, he served as the second Secretary-General of NATO.
Retiring from Belgian politics in 1966, Spaak died in 1972. He remains an influential figure in European politics and his name is carried, among other things, by a charitable foundation, one of the buildings of the European Parliament, and a method of negotiation.
Personal background and life
Paul-Henri Spaak was born on 25 January 1899 in Schaerbeek, Belgium, to a distinguished Belgian family. The Spaak family originated from Bohuslän in Sweden. His maternal grandfather, Paul Janson was an important member of the Liberal Party. His mother, Marie Janson was a socialist, and the first woman to enter the Belgian Senate, and his father, Paul Spaak was a poet and playwright. Another noted members of his family included his uncle, Paul-Emile Janson, who served as Prime Minister of Belgium from 1937 to 1938 and his niece, Catherine Spaak, a movie star,
Paul-Henri Spaak and his wife Marguerite Malevez had two daughters: Antoinette Spaak, the first Belgian woman to lead a political party, the Democratic Front of Francophones, and a son, the diplomat Fernand Spaak. After death of Marguerite in August 1964, he married Simone Dear in April 1965. His brother was the screenwriter Charles Spaak. His niece was the actress Catherine Spaak, and one of his grandsons is the artist Anthony Palliser.
During the 1940s, during his time in New York with the United Nations, he also had an affair with the American fashion designer Pauline Fairfax Potter (1908–1976).
Early life and formation
During World War I, Spaak attempted to join the Belgian Army but was captured by the Germans and spent the next two years in a German prison camp. At the end of the war, Spaak was released from captivity and entered the Université Libre de Bruxelles, where he studied law. During the same period, Spaak was also a tennis star, and played for the Belgian team in the 1922 Davis Cup.
After receiving his law degree, Spaak practised law in Brussels, where he "excelled in defending Communists charged with conspiring against the security of the realm", including Fernando de Rosa, an Italian student who attempted to kill Crown Prince Umberto of Italy during a state visit by the prince to Brussels.
Belgian politics
He became a member of the Socialist Belgian Labour Party in 1920. He was elected deputy in 1932.
In 1935 he entered the cabinet of Paul Van Zeeland as Minister of Transport. In February 1936 he became Minister of Foreign Affairs, serving first under Zeeland and then under his uncle, Paul-Émile Janson. From May 1938 to February 1939 he was Prime Minister for the first time. In 1938, he allowed Herman Van Breda to smuggle the legacy of Edmund Husserl out of Nazi Germany to Belgium through the Belgian Embassy in Berlin.
Spaak (left) with Paul Van Zeeland in 1937
In social policy, a number of progressive reforms were realised during Spaak's first premiership. An Act of June 1938 “increased the functions of the National Society for Cheap Houses and Dwellings and empowered it, under State guarantee, to contract a loan of 350 million francs,” while a Royal Decree of July 1938 laid down the rules of applying the provisions of a Holidays with Pay Act passed in 1936 to agricultural, horticultural and forestry undertakings. An Act of the 20th of August 1938 amended and supplemented a Holidays with Pay Act previously passed in 1936 by extending its coverage to all undertakings, whatever their number of wage earners, as well as to home workers. The Act also removed a previous requirement in which a wage earner had to work for at least a year with the same employer in order to earn an annual holiday. An Act of the 8th of July 1938 amended the miners' old-age, invalidity and survivors' insurance scheme by increasing the benefits payable to invalids, aged persons and widows already in receipt of a pension, while also significantly widening the conditions for the grant of invalidity pensions. An Order of the 25th of August 1938 prohibited the use of so-called motor spirit “for greasing, cleaning (hands) etc.,” while a Royal Order of the 27th of August 1938 fixed normal weekly hours of actual work in the ship-repairing industry in Antwerp at 42 hours “distributed over the seven days of the week.” A Royal Order of the 27th of December 1938 extended the scope of an eight-hour Act passed in June 1921 to cover technical staff employed in cinemas, and a Royal Order of the 22nd of December 1938 amended the entries in the second column of the schedule (list of occupations) which was now brought into conformity with Convention No.42, and added “in the case of pneumoconiosis, sand-blasting processes in iron and steel foundries.
When he was minister for Foreign Affairs of Belgium, Spaak adhered to political independence of his country. After the German invasion and the defeat of the Belgians and the French armies, he had to leave France to cross the pro-German Spain in the false bottom of a truck along with the Belgian prime minister, Hubert Pierlot, to get in Portugal and London. During World War II, he was minister of Foreign Affairs of the Belgian Government in exile in London. Thanks to this government at the head of the Belgian military reorganised in Britain and the forces of the Belgian Congo, Belgium was recognised by leading free nations, which allowed him to emerge as a military and economic power with the victories of Abyssinia and participation in the liberation of Europe, as well with the Belgian merchant fleet escaped capture by Germany which will supply, during all the war, strategic agricultural and mineral products of Congo. And by the action of Spaak, Belgium was the first nation to recognise, in 1942–43, General de Gaulle and the French Committee as the only justifiable representative of France.
After the war, he was minister of Foreign Affairs under the subsequent ministers Achille Van Acker and Camille Huysmans. He was twice appointed Prime Minister as well, first from 13 to 31 March 1946, the shortest government in Belgian history, and again from March 1947 to August 1949. During his last government, two important pieces of housing legislation were enacted. The De Taeye Act of 1948 organised fiscal rebates, credit facilities, and premiums for social dwellings built either on private or public initiative, while the Brunfaut Act of 1949 established a central budgeting organisation for governmental social housing policy, shifted the financial burden of infrastructural works to the state, and organised the financing of the two National Housing Societies. A bill on war damage, agreed in October 1947, stipulated that owners of homes damaged by the war and took their initiative to restore them were entitled to compensation. In 1948, voting rights for women were introduced. An Act providing for the establishment of works councils was promulgated in September 1948, while a school building fund was set up that same year “to supply the material needs of secondary education.” Also in 1948, the multilateral school was introduced.
Various measures were also introduced to improving working conditions in mines. A decree of September 1947 introduced the compulsory establishment of mine safety services and safety and health committees in all mines, while another Decree issued that same month revised and expanded the provisions related to hygiene installations, medical examination, rescue, and first aid. Automatic indexation of 95% of wages was provided from 1948 onwards, while women were provided with access to the magistracy from 1948 onwards. In December 1948, an Act was passed that replaced the National Society for War Orphans with the National Society for Orphans, Widows and Ascendants of War Victims. Various measures were also introduced to improve working conditions in the mining industry. From June 1947 onwards, all young workers under the age of 18 became entitled to three weeks' annual paid leave, while workers between the ages of 18 and 21 entitled to at least a fortnight. In September 1947, Orders were promulgated providing for the supervision of health and hygiene in mines, surface mines and quarries. In June 1948, legislation was introduced that doubled holiday remuneration for workers, and in August 1948 a law was passed that introduced nonconfessional moral instruction in secondary education.
He was again foreign minister from April 1954 to June 1958 in the cabinet of Achille Van Acker and from April 1961 to March 1966 in the cabinets of Théo Lefèvre and Pierre Harmel.
Spaak gained international prominence in 1945, when he was elected chairman of the first session of the General Assembly of the United Nations. During the third session of the UN General Assembly in Paris, Spaak apostrophised the delegation of the Soviet Union with the famous words: "peur de vous" (afraid of you).
Spaak photographed receiving the Charlemagne Prize in 1957
Spaak became a staunch supporter of regional co-operation and collective security after 1944. While still in exile in London, he promoted the creation of a customs union uniting Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg (see Benelux). In August 1949, he was elected President of the first session of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe. From 1952 to 1953, he presided the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community, and from 1950 to 1955 he presided the European Movement.
In 1955, the Messina Conference of European leaders appointed him as chairman of a preparatory committee (Spaak Committee) charged with the preparation of a report on the creation of a common European market. The so-called "Spaak Report " formed the cornerstone of the Intergovernmental Conference on the Common Market and Euratom at Val Duchesse in 1956 and led to the signature, on 25 March 1957, of the Treaties of Rome establishing a European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom). Paul-Henri Spaak signed the treaty for Belgium, together with Jean Charles Snoy et d'Oppuers. His role in the creation of the EEC earned Spaak a place among the Founding fathers of the European Union.
When, in 1962, France, under de Gaulle, attempted to block both British entry to the European Communities and undermine their supranational foundation with the Fouchet Plan, Spaak working with Joseph Luns of the Netherlands rebuffed the idea. He was a staunch defender of the independence of the European Commission. "Europe of tomorrow must be a supranational Europe," he declared. In honour of his work for Europe, the first building of the European Parliament in Brussels was named after him.
Belgian Africa
During Spaak's final term as Belgium's Foreign Minister he presided over Belgium's granting of independence to Burundi following the assassination of Prince Louis Rwagasore, the country's first elected prime minister. Despite allegations of Belgian involvement in Rwagasore's murder, Spaak appealed to the Belgian King not the grant Rwagasore's convicted murder a pardon.
In 1956, he was chosen by the Council of NATO to succeed Lord Ismay as Secretary General. He held this office from 1957 until 1961, when he was succeeded by Dirk Stikker. Spaak was also instrumental in the choice of Brussels as the new seat of the Alliance's headquarters in 1966.
It was also the year of his last European campaign, when he played an important conciliatory role in resolving the "empty chair crisis" by helping to bring France back into the European fold. In 1957, he received the Charlemagne Award, an award by the German city of Aachen to people who contributed to the European idea and European peace.
On 21 February 1961, Spaak was presented with the Medal of Freedom by US President John Kennedy.
Paul-Henri Spaak retired from politics in 1966. He was member of the Royal Belgian Academy of French Language and Literature. In 1969, he published his memoirs in two volumes titled Combats inachevés ("The Continuing Battle", literally, "unfinished fights"). Spaak died aged 73, on 31 July 1972 in his home in Braine-l'Alleud near Brussels, and was buried at the Foriest graveyard in Braine-l'Alleud.
Paul-Henri Spaak, nicknamed "Mr. Europe", left such a legacy behind, that he was the main motive for one of the most recent and famous gold commemorative coin: the Belgian 3 pioneers of the European unification commemorative coin, minted in 2002. The obverse side shows a portrait with the names Robert Schuman, Paul-Henri Spaak and Konrad Adenauer, the three unifiers of Europe.
In the election for De Grootste Belg (The Greatest Belgian) Spaak ended on the 40th place in the Flemish version and on the 11th place in the Walloon version.
Paul-Henri Spaak conferred the Charlemagne Prize in 1957.
National Honours
Belgium: Minister of state, by Royal Decree.
Belgium: Member of the Royal Academy.
Belgium: Grand Cordon in the Order of Leopold
Belgium: Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Crown.
Holy See: Order of Pope Pius IX
France: Legion of Honour
Germany: Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Italy: Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
United Kingdom: Order of the Companions of Honour
United Kingdom: Order of St Michael and St George
Netherlands: Order of the Netherlands Lion
Portugal: Order of Christ
Czech Republic: Order of the White Lion
Sweden: Order of Vasa
Denmark: Order of the Dannebrog
Norway: Order of St. Olav
Iceland: Order of the Falcon
Luxembourg: Order of the Oak Crown
Greece: Order of George I
Kingdom of Yugoslavia: Order of the Yugoslav Crown
Lebanon: National Order of the Cedar
Venezuela: Order of the Liberator
Iran: Order of the Crown
Japan: Order of the Rising Sun
Thailand: Order of the White Elephant
Central African Republic: Grand Officer of the Order of Merit
Zaire: National Order of the Leopard
Lithuania: Order of Vytautas the Great
Tunisia: Order of the Republic
Brazil: Grand Cross of the Order of the Southern Cross
Finland: Order of the White Rose of Finland
Colombia: Order of San Carlos
Cuba: Order of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes
Ivory Coast: National Order of the Ivory Coast
Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1950)
Charlemagne Prize (1957) by the city of Aachen for his merit in the union and security of Europe
Medal of Freedom in silver with palm by U.S. President John F. Kennedy
Euro gold and silver commemorative coins (2002)
http://www.ars-moriendi.be/spaak.htm
The contents of this page are sourced from Wikipedia article. The contents are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
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Personal background and life Early life and formation Belgian politics UN Europe Belgian Africa NATO Retirement Legacy Distinctions
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<< Previous TITLE 7 / CHAPTER 1 / § 6q Next >>
7 USC 6q: Special procedures to encourage and facilitate bona fide hedging by agricultural producers Text contains those laws in effect on July 17, 2019
Jump To: Source CreditCodificationAmendmentsEffective Date
§6q. Special procedures to encourage and facilitate bona fide hedging by agricultural producers
(a) Authority
The Commission shall consider issuing rules or orders which-
(1) prescribe procedures under which each contract market is to provide for orderly delivery, including temporary storage costs, of any agricultural commodity enumerated in section 1a(9) of this title which is the subject of a contract for purchase or sale for future delivery;
(2) increase the ease with which domestic agricultural producers may participate in contract markets, including by addressing cost and margin requirements, so as to better enable the producers to hedge price risk associated with their production;
(3) provide flexibility in the minimum quantities of such agricultural commodities that may be the subject of a contract for purchase or sale for future delivery that is traded on a contract market, to better allow domestic agricultural producers to hedge such price risk; and
(4) encourage contract markets to provide information and otherwise facilitate the participation of domestic agricultural producers in contract markets.
(b) Report
Within 1 year after December 21, 2000, the Commission shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report on the steps it has taken to implement this section and on the activities of contract markets pursuant to this section.
(Sept. 21, 1922, ch. 369, §4q, formerly §4p, as added Pub. L. 106–554, §1(a)(5) [title I, §121], Dec. 21, 2000, 114 Stat. 2763 , 2763A-404; renumbered §4q, Pub. L. 110–234, title XIII, §13105(d), May 22, 2008, 122 Stat. 1434 , and Pub. L. 110–246, §4(a), title XIII, §13105(d), June 18, 2008, 122 Stat. 1664 , 2196; Pub. L. 111–203, title VII, §721(e)(3), July 21, 2010, 124 Stat. 1671 .)
Pub. L. 110–234 and Pub. L. 110–246 both renumbered this section as section 4q of act Sept. 21, 1922. Pub. L. 110–234 was repealed by section 4(a) of Pub. L. 110–246 effective May 22, 2008, the date of enactment of Pub. L. 110–234.
Section was formerly classified to section 6o–1 of this title.
2010-Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 111–203 substituted "section 1a(9)" for "section 1a(4)".
Amendment by Pub. L. 111–203 effective on the later of 360 days after July 21, 2010, or, to the extent a provision of subtitle A (§§711–754) of title VII of Pub. L. 111–203 requires a rulemaking, not less than 60 days after publication of the final rule or regulation implementing such provision of subtitle A, see section 754 of Pub. L. 111–203, set out as a note under section 1a of this title.
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Tag Archives: Love Locks
Posted on June 30, 2019 by thebohemianfreethinker
Unless you’ve been to Prague, you’ve probably never heard of Saint John of Nepomuk (Jan Nepomucký in Czech), a Bohemian saint, who was drowned in the Vltava River in 1393 by order of the King of Bohemia. His offense you ask? According to legend, he defied the King on two occasions. Once by refusing to divulge the secret confessions of the Queen, (as a priest he was her confessor), and then again by refusing to make an ecclesiastical appointment favored by the King. Historians now believe that these were once two separate stories involving two different Johns, but once a story becomes legend, people aren’t too concerned about historical accuracy.
In any event, what remains well documented is that John of Nepomuk was tortured, bound in chains, and thrown over the famous Charles Bridge that crosses the Vltava River in the heart of Old Town. If you have been to Prague, you will most certainly have walked this bridge and discovered a statue honoring St. John high above you. Erected in 1683, it is easy to spot his statue among the 29 others lining the bridge due to the throngs of tourists around it, and because of the trademark five star halo which he wears. It is said that five stars appeared and hovered over the water the night he was drowned.
John of Nepomuk was canonized by the Catholic Church in 1729, and not surprisingly, he became the Patron Saint of confessors, bridges, and waterways. His feast day is May 16th, and during the Baroque era he was quite the celebrity. Pilgrims travelled to Prague from all across Europe for one of the biggest church celebrations of the year, honoring him with music and a fire show.
In subsequent years, his popularity waned, but it now enjoys a resurgence with a modern makeover. On May 15th, the eve of Saint John’s feast day, the city hosts a no holds barred extravaganza. A mass at St. Vitus’s Cathedral is followed by a procession down the Royal Route and then onto the Charles Bridge, stopping at his famous statue. The celebration continues out on the water with a boat regatta, parachutists, swimmers, and a concert performed on a barge. The final spectacle is of course, fireworks over the river illuminating the ancient city.
The event is now so popular with locals and tourists alike that their throngs make the bridge impassable. Perhaps you have experienced a similar phenomena somewhere in your own travels, or maybe even close to home? Destinations clogged with tourists, and public events that have grown in attendance to the point that they are no longer enjoyable. Like a beautiful river until it swells and floods its banks.
Certainly, the world’s population is growing, and the internet, along with modern conveniences, have made travel more accessible. But there also seem to be a lot of hungry people afoot in the world searching for experiences that “mean something.” Experiences that are rooted in history and are rich in tradition.
Pondering all the hoopla surrounding this little known “martyr of the confessional” reminded me of another legend that has people flocking to bridges these days, eager to make a public confession of their own. In November of 2015, I was walking across the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City when I noticed an odd assortment of padlocks, in every color, size, and shape hanging from the bridge’s cabling. I learned that these were “love locks,” put there by paramours to symbolize their unbreakable love and as a kind of talisman against the dissolution of their relationships. I later learned that the Brooklyn Bridge locks were part of a love lock epidemic spread across the globe.
According to Wikipedia, the love lock tradition dates back about 100 years to a Serbian love story. A young woman named Nada falls in love with, and becomes engaged to a young man named Relja. But Relja proves unfaithful when he goes off to war, falling in love with another woman. Upon hearing the news, Nada dies of a broken heart. As a protection against a similar fate, young women of the town began writing down their names and those of their lovers’ on padlocks, and then attaching the locks to the bridge where Nada and Relja used to meet.
The Original Bridge of Love By AcaSrbin, Panoramio, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org
As a final safe guard, they tossed the key into the river where it could not be retrieved.
What began as a quaint and romantic custom, has now become a public nuisance in many major European cities. Just like coping with hordes of tourists, the proliferation of these locks are creating headaches for city leaders. The local citizenry complain that the locks are eyesores that destroy the architectural heritage and beauty of bridges.
Pont des Arts Bridge covered in love locks By Berlinuno – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org
Besides the aesthetics issue, there is a threat to the structural integrity of a bridge from the added weight. On May 9, 2014, the weight of padlocks on the Pont des Arts Bridge in Paris caused the collapse of part of the parapet. When officials took down all the locks on the bridge, they weighed in at 45 tons.
Some people blame the current craze on a 2006 Italian book turned popular movie called “I Want You” in which a couple put a love lock on a lamppost on Rome’s 2100 year old Ponte Milvio Bridge. Harmless enough when on person does it, but of course not so harmless when thousands do. The poor lamppost finally gave way from the weight of all this love, prompting officials to start imposing a fine of 50 Euros on anyone caught attaching a love lock to any part of the bridge. Indeed, in more and more cities, the locks are considered vandalism and are regularly removed with bolt cutters and hacksaws.
It will come as no surprise to you that love locks have made their way onto the Charles Bridge in Prague. A large majority of these have been attached to the fence like grille work on the parapet that marks the spot where John of Nepomuk was thrown into the water.
This seems a logical place considering love locks would most certainly fall under his jurisdiction as patron saint of both confessors and bridges. Considering the intersection of these two stories made me wonder what secret confessions he took to his watery grave and what he might think about all of these public confessions of love without repercussion. How times change.
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC –
Of course, city workers regularly come and remove the Charles Bridge love locks, and for all I know, they probably end up in a landfill. I wonder what that might mean for the durability of the relationships these locks symbolized. Did someone somewhere in the world feel a twinge of misgiving when the bolt cutter callously snapped their lock’s bond?
Perhaps it is time for a new tradition that might satisfy everyone: lovers, locals, city governments, and the environment. I propose that sweethearts take a lock of each others hair and intertwine them, offer up a prayer of safekeeping to St. John, and then let their locks float down into the water. Hair is weightless, biodegradable, and requires a sacrifice from both parties. Padlocks are here today, gone tomorrow, but John of Nepomuk has staying power. He is still going strong after 500 years. It might just work.
Posted in History, Love, Relationships, Travel | Tagged Bohemia, Bridges, Charles Bridge, Czech Republic, John of Nepomuk, Love Locks, Patron Saints, Pont des Arts, Prague, Vltava River | 6 Replies
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thebravestcanadian 30th anniversary of Canadians in Italy, Borden Cameron, Italian Campaign, Kenneth Gilbert McBride, Kenneth Gilbert McBride; Seaforth Highlanders; Nelson, UBC, Coriano Ridge, Leigh Morgan McBride, Nelson BC, Seaforth Highlanders of Canada, Seaforths, Uncategorized Leave a comment
The first reunion of Canadian veterans who served in the Italian Campaign in World War Two was held in Sicily and mainland Italy between April 22, 1975 and May 4, 1975, commemorating the 30th anniversary.
C over of souvenir album of the reunion. Photo by John Evans is of Canadian veterans beside reflecting pool during ceremony at Cassino War Cemetery. Published by Minister of Supply and Services Canada 1976.
Three hundred veterans joined with the official party led by the Hon. Daniel Joseph MacDonald (1918-1980), minister of veteran affairs, other dignitaries and a selection of young people from across Canada. Participants included three Victoria Cross recipients from the campaign: John K. Mahoney; Brigadier Paul Triquet and E.A. “Smoky” Smith.
itinerary, page 1
itinerary, page 2. Also in the schedule were “Briefings in Ottawa and arrival in Rome, April 20-22, 1975.
Minister MacDonald was a sergeant in the Italian Campaign with the Prince Edward Island Highlanders, and later the Cape Breton Highlanders. He lost an arm and a leg in the bitter fighting December 21, 1944 for Coriano Ridge in the assault on the Gothic Line. Today, the headquarters of Veterans Affairs Canada in Charlottetown is named in his honour: the Daniel J. MacDonald Building.
photos with caption information from Veterans Affairs published in the Nelson, B.C. Daily News in May 1975. Leigh McBride was born and raised in Nelson before moving to nearby Trail, B.C. in 1969.
another photo with caption in the Nelson Daily News, May 1975
It was the first time Canadian vets returned as a group to the scene of the fierce battles of their youth, and paid their respects to fallen comrades in cemeteries from Agira in Sicily to Argentan north of Ravenna on the Adriatic Coast. According to Veterans Affairs information at the time, a total of 91,500 Canadians served in Sicily and Italy, of whom 25,254 were casualties, including 5,900 killed in action.
Seaforth Highlanders Leigh McBride (left) and Borden Cameron (right) with General Bert Hoffmeister (middle) during a side trip to Venice. Family photo.
The tour was described as a “pilgrimage”, and included events in famous names such as Salerno, Naples, Rome, Anzio, Cassino, Ortona, Bari, Reggio, Ragusa, Catania, Florence, Rimini and Ravenna, and 25 cemeteries.
There was some overlap with other ceremonies for a separate commemoration: the country of Italy’s 30th anniversary of the liberation from German rule in 1945.
Welcomed by local residents. Family photo.
I recall that my father, retired Major Leigh Morgan McBride (1917-1995) of the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada, initially did not want to go to the “Canadians in Italy Reunion”. After coming home to Nelson, British Columbia in 1945 he preferred to put the war experience behind him, though he maintained strong friendships with several Seaforth veterans such as his commanding officer Col. Syd Thomson (who was my godfather), Captain D. Borden Cameron and Major John McLean.
Leigh suffered a bullet wound in his shoulder in the Allied invasion of Sicily in August 1943, and then May 23, 1944 at Cassino he suffered shrapnel wounds to his arms, legs and face that resulted in the loss of his right eye. The only survivor of his unit, he was found unconscious by German soldiers, and taken to hospital in Rome for treatment, and then to prisoner of war camps in Germany. He returned to Canada in February 1945 in a prisoner exchange. On September 16, 1944, while Leigh was at the Oflag 7B prison camp, his younger brother, Capt. Kenneth Gilbert McBride (1920-1944) was killed near Rimini when his carrier vehicle ran over a road mine.
Posing for photo with local residents. Family photo.
With strong encouragement from Borden Cameron (the quartermaster who organized the famous Seaforth Christmas 1943 dinner at the Ortona church in the middle of the battle), Leigh decided to attend the reunion. He was particularly looking forward to visiting brother Ken’s grave in Coriano Ridge Cemetery near Riccione for the first time. Paying his respects at Ken’s grave was an extremely moving experience for him, as it was for me when I visited the cemetery as a tourist in 2005. This posting includes a candid photo Borden took of Leigh standing by the gravestone and reflecting of Ken’s death, which was devastating for their parents, particularly mother Winnie who never recovered from the shock. On September 20, 1944 the parents were thrilled to hear the news that Leigh, who had been missing for four months, was alive and in a POW camp. They were still celebrating two days later when a telegram came that said Ken had died six days earlier.
Remembrance ceremony under way. Family photo.
Participants in the tour got from place to place in sleek Fiat buses. Leigh told his family he was extremely impressed with how Italy had recovered from the war, when people were starving and living in dilapidated homes damaged by the warfare. He particularly enjoyed side trips to Venice and Mount Etna. The experience led him to become an aficionado of Italian art and architecture. Unfortunately, by the time he retired from his job with the legal department of Cominco Ltd.
Borden Cameron, Leigh McBride and fellow veterans. Family photo.
In retrospect, the 30th anniversary was probably the best time for the reunion in Italy to be held, as participants were generally still in good health, were advanced enough in their careers to be able to take a couple of weeks off work, and could afford the cost of the flights to and from Italy and other expenses not covered by Veterans Affairs or the local hosts. Leigh would not have been able to attend a 40th anniversary reunion in 1985 because he was suffering from the early stages of Parkinsons Disease. Ten years later he died at age 77 in a care home in Trail on August 12, 1995, a couple of months after the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Italy.
1942 photo of Leigh McBride (left) and his brother Ken, who was killed in action near Rimini in September 1944 and is buried at Coriano Ridge Cemetery. Family photo.
As part of the publicity associated with the reunion, Veterans Affairs distributed photos with identification and caption information to the local newspapers of participants. Both the Nelson Daily News and the Trail Daily Times ran the material in early May 1995, and the Trail paper passed on the photo prints to Leigh for the family album, from which I am very pleased to be able to scan and share images in this posting. Local residents, some of whom lived through the war years, showed their Canadian visitors heartfelt welcomes and appreciation, as shown in several of the photos. A highlight was a parade of the Canadian veterans through Rimini to a response by locals that was described by writer Maurice Western in the May 15, 1975 Saskatoon Star-Phoenix newspaper as “tumultuous”.
Leigh McBride, seeing his brother Ken’s grave for the first time at Coriano Ridge Cemetery. Photo taken by Borden Cameron. Family photo.
ceremony at Coriano Ridge Cemetery. Family photo.
Cemetery ceremony. Family photo.
It is 107 years since my maternal grandparents Mary Helen Peters and E.E.L. “Ted” Dewdney married June 19, 1912 at St. Paul`s Anglican Church in Esquimalt, the municipality immediately north of Victoria, British Columbia.
The reception following the wedding was held at the Peters’ residence on Lampson Street known as “The Firs”. The Victoria Times and Colonist newspapers each ran articles on the wedding based on information provided by the family, but with different leads and commentary.
Ted Dewdney and Helen Peters, shortly before their wedding in June 1912. Family photo.
According to the newspaper reports, the best man was Jack Cambie (who, like Ted, worked for the Bank of Montreal); the bridesmaids were teen-agers Sylvia Luxton, Marjorie Stirling and Helen Stretfield, as well as toddler Rosemary Johnston; and young Geoffrey Morgan served as page.
Studio photo of Helen wearing her wedding dress. Family photo.
Among the guests was Ted`s famous uncle, the Hon. Edgar Dewdney, 77, builder of the Dewdney Trail through the British Columbia interior, and later as a senior minister in the cabinets of Sir John A. Macdonald. He has the distinction of being the only Canadian to serve as Lieutenant Governor in two separate jurisdictions: Northwest Territories in the 1880s and B.C. in the 1890s. After both of Ted’s parents had died when he was age 11, he was legally adopted by his uncle Edgar Dewdney, and lived for several years in the lieutenant governor’s residence in Victoria known as Cary Castle.
Ted’s maternal grandfather William Leigh was Victoria’s city clerk, serving from 1864 until his death in 1884.
Helen and Ted and the wedding party. Family photo.
Helen`s father Frederick Peters (former premier of PEI) was working in Prince Rupert as city solicitor and could not make it to the wedding due to a civic emergency, so the role of father of the bride in the ceremony was taken by his second cousin, Colonel James Peters, who had lived in Victoria off and on since arriving in 1887 in command of the first West Coast defence force. In 1912 Col. Peters had retired from his position as district officer commanding for BC, and was serving as alderman in the new municipality of Esquimalt.
Frederick Peters served as premier of Prince Edward Island from 1891 to 1897, when he resigned to move west. His brother Arthur Peters served as premier from 1901 until his death in 1908. Both men were Liberals and also served as attorney-general.
Helen’s mother Bertha Hamilton Gray was a daughter of Col. John Hamilton Gray and Susan Bartley-Pennefather. Col. Gray was head of the PEI colonial government (equivalent to premier) from 1863 to 1865, and served as host and chairman of the historic Charlottetown Conference of September 1864 that got the ball rolling towards Canada becoming a self-governing nation in 1867.
cutting the wedding cake. Family photo.
Helen was born in Charlottetown in 1887 and came west with her family to Oak Bay in 1898, when her father Fred joined Sir Charles Hibbert Tupper in a law partnership based in Victoria that served clients there as well as Vancouver and Dawson City in the gold-rush Yukon. Fred and Tupper parted ways in about 1902, and the Peters family moved to Esquimalt in 1909 before moving to Prince Rupert a couple of years later. Ted and Helen began their marriage in Vernon, and then moved on to Greenwood, New Denver, Rossland, Trail and finally to Nelson as the bank transferred him from place to place as an accountant and later as branch manager.
Hon. Edgar Dewdney (with his distinctive mutton chop facial hair) with the bride Helen, and his nephew Ted is partially obscured behind him. Family photo.
Ted was born in Victoria in 1880, son of Walter Dewdney and Carrie Leigh. After he became an orphan at age 11, he was legally adopted by his uncle Edgar. I never knew Ted because he died in 1952 when I was a baby, but Helen was an extremely close grandmother because after Ted`s death she came to live with my family in Nelson and was like a second mother to me. She often talked of the old days and wrote down some of her memories in notes and letters, but I wish I had thought to do a tape-recorded interview with her before she died in 1976.
report of the wedding in June 20, 1912 Victoria Times newspaper.
This is the 75th anniversary of the attack of Canadian forces on the Hitler Line southeast of Rome. Sylvia Crooks, author of “Homefront and Battlefront: Nelson, BC in World War 2”, wrote that May 23, 1944 was “Nelson’s Black Day of World War 2”, as two Nelson boys were killed and two others went missing in action, including my dad Leigh.
Ray Hall and Jack Wilson died, and Leigh McBride and Joe Dyck were seriously injured and taken prisoner. The news was a huge hit on the remote community of 7,000 in southeastern British Columbia.
The Dyck family did not learn that Joe was alive and a POW until July 1944, and my McBride grandparents did not find out Leigh was alive and a POW until September 1944.
Leigh was the only survivor of a forward unit, and had suffered shrapnel wounds to his legs, arms and face, causing the loss of his left eye.
He was discovered unconscious by German soldiers and taken to a hospital in Rome. Leigh came back to Canada in a prisoner exchange in February 1945, and Joe came back in July 1945. In 1968 Leigh wrote of the fateful day he was captured in notes for Professor Roy who wrote the Seaforth regimental history. Mark Zuehlke later referenced his comments in his Liri Valley book.
In her 2017 memoirs “Children of the Kootenays”, Shirley Hall Stainton described how the telegraph messenger boy came to their home on Latimer Street in Nelson with the tragic news of her brother’s death, and she watched him go on to the Wilson house just two houses away with similar news. She thought he may have just come down from the McBride house on Hoover Street a couple of blocks away with the telegram that Leigh was missing. The Dyck house was a few blocks up the hill on Delbruck.
All four of them were with the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada regiment. Leigh was 26, and the others about 5 years younger. The announcements were in the Nelson Daily News of June 2nd and 3rd of 1944.
One of Ray Hall`s last letters mentioned that he was serving under Captain Leigh McBride from Nelson. That would have been after Leigh was promoted to Captain in March 1944. At the time of the attack on the Hitler Line on May 23, 1944 Leigh was in command of D Company (aka Dog Company) but it is not clear in the records I have seen if Ray Hall was still in that company or had moved.
Leigh`s parents (my paternal grandparents) R.L. and Winnie McBride were thrilled to hear by telegram on Sept. 20, 1944 that Leigh was alive and recovering from wounds at a prisoner of war camp in Germany. Tragically, after two days of celebrating and receiving congratulatory calls and letters from friends, they received a subsequent telegram on Sept. 22, 1944 advising that their other son, Capt. Kenneth Gilbert McBride, had been killed in action near Rimini, Italy on Sept. 16, 1944.
Ray was the only brother of Shirley Hall Stainton, who described their experiences growing up in the Slocan Valley when their father was a cook at mining camps, in her book “Children of the Kootenays“
One of four clippings in the Nelson Daily News of either June 2, 1944 or June 3, 1944, as it took about a week for war news to get back to Nelson from Italy.
Leigh was able to contact Bud Dyck while they were in different POW camps in Germany. When I was living in Edmonton in 2005 I saw his name mentioned in a Royal Canadian Legion story in an Edmonton newspaper, and contacted him through the Legion. He told me he had served in a unit commanded by my uncle Ken McBride, who regularly gave him the “honour`of being picked for dangerous night raids.
In 2006 Margaret “Bunty” Peterson Camozzi of Trail contacted my uncle Peter Dewdney with recollections of working in the 1930s for his father E.E.L. “Ted” Dewdney as a bank clerk at the Bank of Montreal in Nelson, and also of working as a stenographer for the Wood Vallance Hardware Company in the 1940s, when my other grandfather, Roland Leigh McBride (1881-1959), was manager. My Dewdney cousins recently passed on the fascinating letter to me, knowing of my interest in discovering, and sharing, the family history.
Bunty noted that Ted Dewdney (1880-1952) was a very special person to her, perhaps because she was the first female bank clerk in Nelson, and he appreciated her work.
Her story about a remarkable day at the Wood Vallance store in early February 1945 during World War Two may be a bit of an exaggeration as to driving time between Trail and Nelson, but it illustrates the great sense of excitement about a father getting a long-distance phone call from his son Leigh in Switzerland after his release from a German prison camp in a prisoner exchange.
The last time R.L. McBride saw son Leigh was when he was on leave in his hometown of Nelson in December 1942 before travelling to Britain to join his Seaforth Highlander regiment in training in preparation for war action. Leigh was a 25-year-old lieutenant when he landed on the beaches of the Allied invasion force that attacked Sicily in July 1943. He led troops in battles across the island of Sicily and then through mainland Italy, including the famous Battle of Ortona in Christmas 1943. He was promoted to captain and then major. On May 23, 1944 Leigh was the only survivor of his unit that received a direct shell blasts from German defenders during the attack by Canadian forces on the Hitler Line at Cassino. He was discovered unconscious by German soldiers, who took him to a hospital in Rome and later to Oflag 7B and other prison camps in Germany. He had wounds to his arms, legs and face and initially could not see at all, but eventually recovered sight in one eye but his left eye was lost forever.
As the company headquarters did not know what happened to him, Leigh was listed as “missing in action” for four months until word came back through the Red Cross on Sept. 20, 1944 that he was in a German POW camp. His parents were ecstatic to hear that he was alive and recovering. Tragically, just two days later, on Sept. 22, 1944 they received a telegram from Ottawa that their other son, Capt. Kenneth Gilbert McBride, also with the Seaforths, was killed in action near Rimini, Italy.
The only good news they received in the next few days was that Leigh’s injuries were extensive enough that he might qualify for a prisoner exchange. In early February 1945 he was sent to Constance, Switzerland for the prisoner exchange, and came home via the port of Marseilles on the Swedish repatriation ship Gripsholm, which landed in New York City, where he transferred to train service that took him to Vancouver, where he was greeted by his mother, Win Foote McBride. They returned to Nelson on the Kettle Valley Railway
Some time soon after he was free, arrangements were made that allowed him to phone his father in Nelson. Bunty recalled that word came from authorities on a Thursday at about 9:55 am that the call would come through at 10:30 am at the Wood Vallance store. The problem was that R.L. McBride was about 50 miles away in Trail meeting with his biggest client, the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada Ltd., which he did every Thursday.
scan of memories of Bunty Camozzi written in 2006
R.L. told his driver, Les McEachern, to drive as fast as he could, and somehow they made it to Nelson in time to take the call. Bunty noted that the joy in the office was such that there was not much work accomplished in the store that day. She said it was a rare example of “good news” during the war years when bad news tended to dominate the lives of residents and their loved ones in the military.
As someone who has driven from Trail to Nelson many times over the years, I find it hard to believe the drive could have been done in just 35 minutes. Even today, with major improvements to the highway over that last 75 years, someone would have to have a high-power car and substantially exceed every speed limit to come close to that travel time. But it was obviously a dramatic feat of driving which could easily have ended tragically in a crash, particularly as there was a problem with the car’s brakes.
Bunty Camozzi died in Trail in 2012 at age 94. I am so pleased that she took the time to record her memories of my two grandfathers, Ted Dewdney and R.L. McBride.
On her deathbed Eva Hume McBride encouraged her husband R.L. McBride and her best friend Winnifred Foote to marry
thebravestcanadian B.C.; Foote; Jim Foote; Morristown; Perth, McBride, R.L. McBride, Uncategorized Leave a comment
Many years ago my father Leigh Morgan McBride (1917-1995) showed me the gravestone of his parents Roland Leigh McBride (1881-1959) and Winnifred May Foote (1889-1960) in Nelson Memorial Park in Nelson, British Columbia.
Nelson Daily News article September 1911
He always referred to them as “R.L.” and “Win”. R.L McBride never went by his first name of Roland. He was known in the community by his middle name Leigh. After his son Leigh was born, his father referred to himself by his initials to avoid confusion with his son. I was seven when R.L. died, and a year older when Win died. I remember them well from regular visits to their home at 708 Hoover Street in Nelson.
At the cemetery my dad pointed out the gravestone right next to my grandparents’ stone in memory of Eva Mackay Hume McBride (1885-1912), and Marjory Dawn McBride, a premature baby daughter who died a few days after her mother. He said Eva was R.L.’s first wife, and was a very good friend of Win’s. Tragically, Eva died from childbirth complications in the bedroom of their home at 824 Mill Street in Nelson, a little over a year after the marriage. On her death certificate is notation from her doctor that she died from hemorrhaging from childbirth problems, over a period of approximately four hours.
About 20 years ago, a few years after my dad died, I was beginning to be interested in the family history, and I asked my mother about Eva. She said Leigh had told her that Win and Eva were best friends, and that when Eva knew she was going to die on November 23, 1912 she encouraged her husband R.L. to “get together with Win.” Two years later, on Dec. 22, 1914 R.L. and Win married and moved into their new home at 708 Hoover Street where they lived for the rest of their lives. I tended to be a bit skeptical about the story of Eva, Win and R.L., as it seemed a bit far-fetched.
Recently, though, I was very pleased to receive a letter from Eva’s niece Dawn Bolton Brashear in California, who confirmed the story from the side of the Hume family, except with a twist. Her mother Freeda Hume Bolton (1900-1998) told her years ago that Eva on her deathbed at their home at 824 Mill Street in Nelson whispered “marry Leigh” in Win’s ear.
punch bowls from the McBride-Hume wedding (photo courtesy of Dawn Brashear)
Freeda Bolton had written extensively in the 1970s and 1980s about life at the Hume residence across the lake from Nelson called Killarney-on-the-Lake, including the elaborate wedding of R.L. McBride and Eva on September 6, 1911, which Freeda said was “the social event of the year” in Nelson. Freeda described how she and her siblings and mother Lydia worked for months on decorations and other features in preparation for Eva’s wedding. The Shawn Lamb Archives at the Touchstones Museum in Nelson have about 40 pages of typed memories written by Freeda and her younger brother Jack Hume.
watercolour of Killarney-on-the-Lake by Arthur Lakes, commissioned by Lydia Hume, 1916
Freeda wrote that there was a wonderful array of wedding gifts, as R.L. and Eva were both “immensely popular” in the community. According to Freeda, the newspaper report was wrong in its description of roles in the wedding. She said her older sister Dawn Hume was the Maid of Honour, R.L.’s sister Edith McBride from London, Ontario was Matron of Honour, and she was a bridesmaid — not a flower girl, as was wrongly reported. Other guests from London, Ontario — where R.L. McBride was born in 1881 and lived until moving west in 1900 — included his mother Fanny Morgan and his cousin (once removed) Ina McBride, who was a child of the third and final marriage of R.L.’ s grandfather Samuel McBride, who outlived his first two wives, and died at age 86 in London, Ontario in 1905.
The wedding was long before there was a bridge across the West Arm of Kootenay Lake at Nelson, or even a ferry, so the wedding guests arrived either by rowboat or motor launch, or on one of two water taxis operating at the time. Many of the guests at the wedding would go to the official opening two days later of the the CPR’s new Kootenay Lake Hotel at Balfour. Aside from the ups and downs of the mining industry, times were good in Nelson and optimism abounded in the West Kootenay region.
Eva Mackay Hume McBride (photo courtesy of Dawn Brashear)
Eva was actually a niece of Lydia Hume. She was adopted at age eight by J. Fred and Lydia Hume after both her parents had died in epidemics in their home province of New Brunswick, where J. Fred, Lydia and their eldest children also lived before moving west in the late 1800s. Freeda described Eva as “a dearly loved adopted child.”
Eva’s engraved jewellery boxes (photo courtesy of Dawn Brashear)
Freeda wrote that R.L. McBride`s second wife was Eva`s “dear friend“ Winnifred Foote, and she noted that the Hume family “loved them both.“ Freeda did not write about Eva’s deathbed communications, likely because the memories were so painful and private for her. But she did talk about it to family members, including daughter Dawn.
The Hume name has been a dominant one in Nelson ever since J. Fred Hume (1860-1935) built the Hume Hotel in 1898. Originally from New Brunswick, J. Fred moved west to Revelstoke, B.C. in 1883, where he established a dry goods business and was active in mining ventures. After marrying teacher Lydia Irvine in 1891 they settled in Nelson. He served as representative in the provincial legislature between 1894 and 1900, including the positions of Provincial Secretary and Minister of Mines in the latter two years, where he had a central role in establishing the eight-hour day regulation for miners and other workers.
J. Fred built the Hume Hotel in downtown Nelson 1898 at a cost of $60,000 operated it until selling the hotel in 1907. Freeda wrote that her father earned “three fortunes” in his business career, as he had to recover more than once from devastating fires to his buildings.
The name of the hotel changed to Heritage Inn for about 20 years, but is now once again known as the Hume Hotel. For almost a century the Hume Elementary School in Fairview has also carried his name.
The married couple R.L. and Eva McBride are in the upper left of this view of the 1911 wedding scene, looking back across the lake to Nelson. The young girl next to them is 11-year-old Freeda Hume, who was a bridesmaid.
Prior to her marriage, Eva worked as a stenographer for the Wood Vallance Hardware Company, where R.L. McBride was assistant to the manager. Winnifred Foote worked as a clerk at the Nelson post office. They were all in a circle of young unmarried friends that included Roy Sharp (another Wood Vallance staff member), and the dentist Dr. Wilmot Steed. Sharp retired from Wood Vallance with his close friend (and longtime boss) R.L. McBride in 1950.
A great curling enthusiast, Sharp was president of the B.C. Curling Association in the 1930s and is credited as being the Father of Nelson’s famous Midsummer Curling Bonspiel.
Wilmot Steed was the first of several generations of Steed dentists in Nelson. His children included Dr. Graham Steed (who was my childhood dentist), teacher Jack Steed, and nurse and Welcome Wagon hostess Edna Steed Whiteley, one of Nelson’s best-known and most popular old-timers who is well into her 90s, and has been a great friend of the McBride family and also kept in touch with Freeda, Dawn and other Hume descendants over the years.
Nelson Daily News report of Sept. 6, 1911 McBride-Hume wedding
Nelson Daily News report of McBride-Foote wedding in December 1914
Roland Leigh McBride, c. 1904. Family photo.
Winnifred Foote, c. 1910. Family photo.
Gravestones of Eva Hume McBride and baby Marjory Dawn McBride at left, and R.L. and Win McBride at right. Side by side in the Mason section of Nelson Memorial Park. The memorial stone for J. Fred Hume and other Hume family members is the IOOF (Oddfellows) section of the cemetery beside the Mason burial area.
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The Historic Present
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Archive for December 1st, 2011
The Boston Tea Party: what does it mean today?
Posted on December 1, 2011. Filed under: American history, Colonial America, Revolutionary War, Truth v. Myth | Tags: Boston Tea Party, Tea Party |
Part the last of our series on the Boston Tea Party considers its legacy in U.S. history, memory, and mind. With the rise of the Tea Party political party after the 2008 presidential election, this question of the meaning of the original act of protest is particularly important.
We’ve seen in this series that the original Tea Party (which was not called by that name, incidentally, until decades after the fact) sprang from a complicated and not very appealing tradition of using physical violence to achieve political goals. The governor of Massachusetts himself, Thomas Hutchinson, was forced to flee for his life with his wife and children in 1765 when a mob destroyed his home—literally ripping it to pieces—in protest of the Stamp Act. The men of Boston who supported the Body of the People carried out many attacks on tea commissioner’s homes, families, and persons in the months before the night of the Tea Party, attacks which we cannot approve of today. Using violence to get people to do what you want, especially in the name of justice, is the polar opposite of democracy, the representative democracy the U.S. is founded on. None of us would want to see mobs of people burning down the homes and businesses of people whose policies they didn’t approve of.
But we also see that patriot leaders in Boston realized that mob violence was not a long-term solution to Americans’ problems with British rule, and that it would not work as a political tool. Men like Samuel Adams and John Hancock knew that their goal—democratic self-rule—had to be based on civil political debate, freedom of conscience and speech, and rule of law. A war would have to be fought, perhaps, to gain independence, but after that rule of law must win the day.
That’s why the men who rallied the common people to protest were not the ones who ended up drafting the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution. John Adams, not Samuel Adams; Thomas Jefferson, not Paul Revere: the men who enshrined rule of law through representative democracy were ones untainted by association with violence (except for John Hancock, an exception which proves the rule). So we can think of the Tea Party as the last act of colonial mob violence before the inauguration of the era of American democracy.
Today the Tea Party has become a synonym for “no taxes”, but we have seen that the protest against the tea was not a protest against the principle of taxation. It was a protest against a) taxation without representation, and b) taxes levied simply to fund government, with no benefits accruing to the people being taxed. No one wants to pay taxes that go only to fund the office of tax collection. Taxes are meant to better society, to provide services to those who can’t afford them on their own, not to entrench the government’s power to tax. The men who organized the Tea Party, the men who carried out the destruction of the tea, the women who boycotted tea even when they considered it vital to their families’ health all did so to establish the ideal of taxation for the general welfare. Warping that democratic goal by saying that all of those people actually wanted no taxation, that they didn’t want their money going to anyone else no matter what, is a cynical and unacceptable lie.
Let’s remember the Tea Party as it was: a gauntlet thrown down to set in motion the necessary violence of a war for independence that would, if successful, create a society where violence had no part in politics, and taxation represented a bit of freedom and justice for all.
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By Shubham Sharma
Five days after Gully Boy’s teaser titled ‘Asli Hip Hop’ took the internet by a storm, the first official trailer for Zoya Akhtar’s Gully Boy starring Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt is finally out and boy, it’s SO EFFING WORTH the hype.
The film is loosely based on the life and struggles of Indian rapper Divine; the trailer revolves around his journey from being a boy who lived on the Mumbai streets to becoming one of the most famous rappers in India. While Alia and Kalki play contrasting love interests in his life.
Gully Bully promises to give us a sneak peek into the underground rapping scene in India, which has never been showcased on the big screen before. Lead by one of the most talented people in the Bollywood industry, this movie is sure to be a treat for movie lovers.
Watch the trailer here.
Gully Boy is scheduled to release on 14th February.
Shastri Uncle Says Win In Australia Bigger Than ’83 World Cup; Gets Hilarious Reactions
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Fire in the Lake: The Vietnamese and the Americans in Vietnam
By Frances FitzGerald
Used Price: $2.05
Mentioned in:
Essays, Reviews
Why Are We Still Reading About Vietnam? Kill Anything That Moves by Nick Turse
Bill Morris | 6
Do we need another book about Vietnam? We already have some 30,000 non-fiction books about America’s most horrific foreign misadventure, along with countless novels, histories, biographies, memoirs and movies. So the question must be asked: Do we really need more?
The short answer is: Yes, we will always need to know more about the Vietnam War and other defining moments in our national narrative. It’s an open-ended story that began with the arrival of the first Europeans and their brutal subjugation of the native populace, then continued on through the founding of the Republic, slavery, westward expansion, industrialization, wars (both foreign and domestic, victorious and not), the rise to the pinnacle of world power and, now, the inexorable decline of the American empire. We will always need fresh voices giving us fresh takes on this spectacular, ugly, rich, and ever-evolving story.
So we should welcome Nick Turse’s Kill Anything That Moves: The Real American War in Vietnam, a new work of history that argues, persuasively and chillingly, that the mass rape, torture, mutilation and slaughter of Vietnamese civilians was not an aberration – not a one-off atrocity called My Lai – but rather the systematized policy of the American war machine. These are devastating charges, and they demand answers because Turse has framed his case with deeply researched, relentless authority.
This book’s birth was an accident. Turse, author of The Complex: How the Military Invades Our Everyday Lives, was researching post-traumatic stress disorder in 2001 when he made a serendipitous discovery. One day at the National Archives, a friendly staffer posed a question: Could witnessing war crimes lead to post-traumatic stress disorder? Turse had never considered the possibility, but the archivist led him to the yellowing records of the Vietnam War Crimes Working Group, a secret task force that had been formed after the widely reported massacre of Vietnamese civilians at My Lai in 1968.
The Working Group’s forgotten records were a gold mine, and Turse dug right in. The first thing he learned as he pored through the files was that the task force was not put together to prevent future war crimes; its mission was to make sure that the military was never again caught off-guard by a war crimes scandal. The distinction is important for what it says about the Machiavellian workings of the American war machine. Given those workings, it’s no surprise that hundreds of court-martial records were destroyed or went missing. Turse also learned that the military had succeeded in selling the lie that My Lai was an exception. As his research revealed, My Lai was “an operation, not an aberration,” part of a pattern that contributed to a shocking statistic. During the years of America’s involvement in Vietnam, by the most conservative estimates, more than 3 million people died violent deaths; 2 million of them were Vietnamese civilians.
As Turse writes, “The War Crimes Working Group files alone demonstrated that atrocities were committed by members of every infantry, cavalry, and airborne division, and every separate brigade that deployed without the rest of its division – that is, every major army unit in Vietnam.”
Once he got through the Working Group files, Turse didn’t stop. He scoured other files about war crimes investigations in the National Archives, he interviewed generals and top civilian officials, former war crimes investigators, veterans who had witnessed or committed atrocities. He read widely and deeply. He made several trips to Vietnam to interview survivors of the war.
Like all good histories, the resulting book reads like a detective story, especially if you follow the dense endnotes as you move through the text. The evidence leads Turse to this damning but inescapable conclusion:
The hundreds of reports that I gathered and the hundreds of witnesses that I interviewed in the United States and Southeast Asia made it clear that killings of civilians – whether cold-blooded slaughter like the massacre at My Lai or the routinely indifferent, wanton bloodshed like the lime gatherers’ ambush at Binh Long – were widespread, routine, and directly attributable to U.S. command policies.
Yet only a handful of men were brought to trial or punished for a staggering number of pointless civilian deaths.
In the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you that I was eager to read Turse’s book because I share his fascination with the Vietnam War, and with the almost unfathomable missteps that turned it into the horror it became. My second novel, All Souls’ Day, is built around the C.I.A.-backed coup that led to the assassination of South Vietnam’s President, Ngo Dinh Diem, on Nov. 2, 1963, a day known to Diem and his fellow Catholics as All Souls’ Day, or the Day of the Dead. My reading of history told me that this was a pivotal moment, a chance for America to cut its losses and extricate itself from a deepening quagmire. Three weeks after Diem’s assassination, though, President John F. Kennedy was gunned down in Dallas and hawkish Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as President. Soon the serious killing would begin. The opportunity for withdrawal was lost.
Thirty-three years later, shortly after I’d sold the manuscript and almost a year before All Souls’ Day was published, my fictional enterprise received validation from a most unlikely source. Robert S. McNamara, defense secretary in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations and a prime architect of our Vietnam fiasco, published his long-awaited memoir, In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam. One sentence in McNamara’s book jumped out at me. It was not his maddeningly tepid apology – “We were wrong, terribly wrong.” It was this: “I believe we could and should have withdrawn from South Vietnam either in late 1963 amid the turmoil following Diem’s assassination or in late 1964 or early 1965 in the face of increasing political and military weakness.”
That single sentence gave me the gratifying feeling that my novel had hit on an important but little-noted truth. It was the sort of validation all novelists dream of, but few get to taste. Robert S. McNamara, of all people, had made me proud.
There is no doubt in my mind that Kill Anything That Moves belongs on the very highest shelf of books on the Vietnam War – up there with the non-fiction of Neil Sheehan, David Halberstam, Seymour Hersh, Jonathan Schell, and Frances FitzGerald, the memoirs of Michael Herr and Philip Caputo, the fiction of Bobbie Ann Mason, Robert Stone, Jayne Anne Phillips, Tim O’Brien, Ward Just, and, of course, Graham Greene.
It’s worth noting that in her magisterial history, Fire In the Lake: The Vietnamese and the Americans in Vietnam, FitzGerald made only passing mention of war crimes. “The (Johnson) administration, if it were to pursue its objectives, had very little choice but the strategy of attrition,” she wrote. “And because of the very nature of the war, that strategy meant the attrition not only of enemy troops and military supplies but all Vietnamese. No one in the American government planned a policy of genocide. The American military commanders would have been shocked or angered by such a charge, but in fact their policy had no other military logic, and their course of action was indistinguishable from it.”
(Alas, FitzGerald’s book did not appear until 1972, too late for its contextual lessons to be of any use to Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Robert S. McNamara, Lyndon Johnson, Gen. William Westmoreland, Richard Nixon or any of the hundreds of others who shaped America’s war policy from inside a bubble of nearly immaculate ignorance about the Vietnamese people and their history. FitzGerald has high praise for Turse’s book, calling it “an important piece of history.” So does Seymour Hersh, who calls it a “painful and important book.”)
Philip Caputo was with the first marines to land in Vietnam in 1965, and a decade later, as a war correspondent, he was among the last people evacuated from Saigon as the victorious communists closed in on the panicked city. Caputo wound up facing a court-martial when marines under his command miscarried orders and deliberately shot two suspects. Caputo was acquitted and eventually received an honorable discharge. In his memoir, A Rumor of War, here’s how he described America’s military strategy:
General Westmoreland’s strategy of attrition also had an important effect on our behavior. Our mission was not to win terrain or seize positions, but simply to kill: to kill communists and as many of them as possible. Stack ’em like cordwood. Victory was a high body-count, defeat a low kill-ratio, war a matter of arithmetic. The pressure on unit commanders to produce enemy corpses was intense, and they in turn communicated it to their troops. This led to such practices as counting civilians as Viet Cong. ‘If it’s dead and Vietnamese, it’s VC,’ was our rule of thumb in the bush. It is not surprising, therefore, that some men acquired a contempt for human life and predilection for taking it.
This contempt for the lives of the Vietnamese, as Turse points out, led American soldiers to abide by what was widely known as the Mere-Gook Rule, or MGR. “This,” Turse writes, “held that all Vietnamese – northern and southern, adults and children, armed enemy and innocent civilian – were little more than animals, who could be killed or abused at will.”
Before reading this book, I had believed that the racial epithet “gook” was coined by American soldiers in Vietnam. Turse, in one of many deft touches, cured me of this illusion. He writes that the word originated during the campaign in the Philippines at the turn of the 20th century, when American soldiers disparaged the natives as “goo-goos” and proceeded to slaughter 600 unarmed Moros. Mark Twain called those soldiers “our uniformed assassins,” and he dubbed their proto-My Lai “a long and happy picnic.” In time “goo-goo” morphed to “gook,” and the results became far more deadly.
In the title essay of his collection called The Braindead Megaphone, George Saunders dissected America’s tendency to rush into wars in places it knows little about. He was talking about our current, never-ending war in Iraq, but his words are almost eerily applicable to Vietnam:
A culture capable of imagining complexity is a humble culture. It acts, when it has to act, as late in the game as possible, and as cautiously, because it knows its own girth and the tight confines of the china shop it’s blundering into. And it knows that no matter how well-prepared it is – no matter how ruthlessly it has held its projections up to intelligent scrutiny – the place it is headed for is going to be very different from the place it imagined. The shortfall between the imagined and the real, multiplied by the violence of one’s intent, equals the evil one will do.
Paul Fussell put it more succinctly: “Every war is ironic because every war is worse than expected.”
As Turse has made clear, the Vietnam War was much worse than expected – partly because of the astonishing resolve of America’s enemies, but mainly because of the ignorance and the brute ruthlessness that beat in the heart of America’s war machine. Kill Anything That Moves should be required reading in every school, military academy and governmental office in the land. Not that it will stop us from blundering into the next war. Again, George Saunders summed it up, in an essay called “Mr. Vonnegut in Sumatra.” He was writing about Slaughterhouse Five, but he could have been writing about Kill Anything That Moves:
No, war will not be stopped. But it is a comfort, in the midst of a war, to read an antiwar book this good, and be reminded that just because something keeps happening, doesn’t mean we get to stop regretting it. Massacres are bad, the death of innocents is bad, hate is bad, and there’s something cleansing about hearing it said so purely.
So this is why we’re still reading about Vietnam: because the truth, purely told by writers as gifted as Nick Turse, is the only thing that has the power to cleanse us.
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Directed By: Robert Rodriguez
Written By: Robert Rodriguez
This film has lost its appeal on me. I am a big fan of Robert Rodriguez and everything he does but I have to admit this one doesn’t seem as awesome to me as it did three years ago. I thought Rodriguez’s half of the Grindhouse films was far and away superior in every way to the half that Tarantino did and three years ago I loved that he was taking it a step further. His fake Machete trailer was really cool and I thought he did a great job carrying that style and intentional exaggeration into a full feature length film. My problem now is that Rodriguez simply hasn’t done enough in the years since. I thought this movie was great three years ago but for it to be all this talented filmmaker has worked on since has simply disappointed me.
I thought that Sin City was incredible and loved what Robert Rodriguez did with it, but after eight years of waiting for the sequel my patience is running thin. For me, it has created a bit of resentment towards this franchise because this franchise has continued while that one has done nothing. I have yet to see Machete Kills but haven’t really felt compelled to either because I think this film was enough. I love Danny Trejo and like him getting the opportunity to be an even bigger badass than he already is but I have just wanted more from Rodriguez over the years and haven’t gotten it. The sequel to Sin City has finally been made and is set to come out next year but that will be a nine year gap between movies. I think it’s been too long but I still look forward to it and hope it is worth the wait.
This film was an idea first conceived in 1993 when Rodriguez was making Desperado in Mexico. When he was shooting the movie the locals had no idea what the movie was actually about or who was in it but they all gravitated toward Trejo when he was on set thinking he was the star of the film. Rodriguez told Trejo then that he needed to start working with blades and eventually they would collaborate on this. For the next 15 years Trejo stayed on Rodriguez about the idea to the point that Rodriguez told him he didn’t have to call about it all the time and could simply text him about it. To this Trejo said “Machete don’t text,” a line Rodriguez thought was funny and eventually put into the film. Robert Rodriguez has done many great things throughout his career but something I have always liked specifically about him was his propensity to use Trejo in all his films. Danny Trejo is a badass, and I have loved him in everything from the Johnny 23 to voicing Octavio on King of the Hill. Being credited with over 260 roles the man is a relentless worker and there is really no end to naming the great roles he has played either in bit parts or in larger roles. I do really like him finally getting to play the lead and loved this film at first because it put him in the spotlight. Having lost its appeal on me though I’ll admit he overdoes it quite a bit in this movie. Of course that is the point of the movie, but it doesn’t do anything to make the film endearing when there are now reasons to be frustrated with it. If nothing else there is one thing I do want to mention before I move on from Trejo. He has certainly gotten an awful lot out of one of the coolest tattoos of all time. If you know Danny Trejo at all then you know exactly what I am talking about but if you somehow missed it here is an image:
Trejo is getting older now, approaching the age of 70 if you can believe it. The fact that he is just now getting the spotlight and taking hold of it like a man half his age says a lot about the kind of person he is. This guy never stops working, and while he may make more B-movies than anything else he has still made such a significant impact. Granted this movie and its sequel technically should count as B-movies they were made like that intentionally and both received worldwide distribution like any other big budget movie.
This movie, like most of Rodriguez’s films, has a lengthy and impressive cast. The flawlessly beautiful Jessica Alba has a large part and actually appears naked at one point in the movie. Don’t be fooled however because she has a no nude clause in her acting contract. Rodriguez is a whiz with making movies simple using his computer to do things digitally. In the shower scene where we see a nearly naked Jessica Alba she was covered while shooting and it was digitally removed later. Michelle Rodriguez, no relation to the film’s director, is an actress I usually cannot stand. For years she was constantly playing the exact same role over and over again but of late she has started to impress me. I actually thought she looked smoking hot in this movie and I have never thought so before. I haven’t really seen her play different roles of late but somehow she seems better in them. I’m thinking specifically of this film and of Avatar when I thought she gave a great performance.
I think this was possibly one of the coolest things Steven Seagal has ever done. I have always regarded Steven Seagal as silly and never taken him serious as an actor. I do not think his performance in this movie, while awesome, did anything to change that perception. When Seagal comes up I don’t think of his film career first but of that show I never watched where for some reason he tagged along with police and went on busts. I thought the concept of that show was so bizarre. What the hell is this guy doing right? Who is Steven Seagal to ride around with police and be involved with busts? Did the heart to heart convos he had with perps after they were busted change any of their lives? Did I miss out by not watching this show? If anybody out there watched it I would really like to know about it, leave us a comment and tell us something about it. Somebody out there really must love Seagal and I am always curious why. He regularly gets a specific week dedicated to him and his movies on AMC. I’ll admit I haven’t seen enough of his films but I had seen enough as far as I was concerned. Seagal fans tell me I am wrong. Have I just been missed out all these years and is Seagal really something special? If I have missed something that is worth my time leave me a comment and let know what I should check out.
Chris Cooper was originally offered the part of the corrupt senator but he refused the part because he thought the script was bizarre. When Robert De Niro took the part it suddenly became much easier for Rodriguez to get any other star he wanted in the film. We see a couple of his regulars as well. Cheech Marin reprised his role from the original trailer. Marin appears in most of Rodriguez’s films but has really put together an impressive body of work since simply being half of a popular pothead duo. Tom Savini is also here as an assassin and for the first time in a Rodriguez film he doesn’t die. You can also see Rodriguez’s sisters playing two nurses who are part of “The Network.”
When we sat down to watch this movie last night I was really looking forward to it. It had been a while since we had seen it and I loved it when it came out. To be honest I really just couldn’t get into it and found the whole experience really disappointing. Maybe I wasn’t in the right mood, I don’t know but for whatever reason I just didn’t love or really even like this movie when I watched it last night. I think the action and choreography of the fights are great, both of which are specific talents of Rodriguez. I like most of the actors and still like the campy style of the film but the endearing quality was just lost on me this time. I don’t want to go into the film too much because I can’t bring myself to criticize Rodriguez or Trejo. There is still plenty to like about this movie but when you watch it you just need to understand that it does some things on purpose and take it for what it is worth. It’s meant to be over the top and when that is done on purpose it’s altogether different than the stupid films that do it honestly. This movie didn’t do it for me last night and I don’t think it’s going to be one I regularly revisit but I still think it is worth your time to see at least once.
This movie is okay. I remember really liking it the first time I watched it, but having watched it again, I just don’t know. There are some parts I love and parts I loathe.
This poster kills me. Rodriguez kills me too. He and Tarantino both think they have found this awesome way to stand out-by making their signature that looks like its straight out of the 70s era. This can be fun and a really good idea, but it only works when the movie is set in the same era. I mean seriously guys; move on with the design inspiration. The title sequences included. Their movie ideas are incredible, but the graphic design that goes into their ideas is horrible.
This poster is a montage of the characters. You all should know by now how much that kills me. At least there is a big cheesy explosion in the background. In this case cheesy works, since the whole movie is in fact very cheesy. I don’t like this poster at all. I don’t even like the typography. I have never been a fan of anything looking too much like a WordArt image. I think there was room to make this better and the opportunity was missed here.
NEXT MOVIE: Magnolia (1999)
Posted in Action and tagged Are Michelle rodriguez and robert rodriguez related, Cheech Marin, Chris Cooper turned down machete, Danny Trejo, did jessica alba get nude in machete, how many movies has danny trejo been in, how old is danny trejo, jessica alba, jessica alba nude, machete, Michelle Rodriguez, Robert De Niro, Robert Rodriguez, sin city 2, steven seagal, steven seagal week on amc, Tom Savini on December 8, 2013 by Ryan. 2 Comments
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Real-time visualization of thrombus formation at the interface between connectors and tubes in medical devices by using optical coherence tomography
Yuki Matsuhashi, Kei Sameshima, Yoshiki Yamamoto, Mitsuo Umezu, Kiyotaka Iwasaki
Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering
Background: Blood-contacting devices have contributed to improving the treatment of patients. However, thrombus formation at the interface between a connector and tube is still a potential source of thrombus-related complications that induce stroke or myocardial infarction. We aimed to develop a non-blood-contacting real-time method for visualizing thrombus formation, and to experimentally investigate the time-dependent phenomenon of thrombus formation at the interface between a connector and a tube in a medical device. Methods and findings: An optical coherence tomography device with a center wavelength of 1330 nm was used to visualize thrombus formation during porcine blood circulation for 50 min in a closed 50-mL circulation system isolated from ambient air. The thrombus formation sites at the interface between a tube and connector were visualized. The area of the thrombus formation at the interface between the inlet of the connector and the tube was found to be 0.012 ± 0.011 mm2. Conversely, at the interface between the outlet of the connector and the tube, the area was found to be 0.637 ± 0.306 mm2. Thus, significantly larger amounts of thrombus were formed at the outlet interface (p < 0.01). The thrombus formation area at the outlet interface increased over time. Conversely, the area of thrombus formation showed repeated increasing and decreasing behavior at the inlet interface. Flow visualization with particle image velocimetry showed the presence of a flow separated area in the minimal flow phase at the inlet interface and a large recirculating slow flow region at the outlet interface in the minimal flow phase. These data suggested that the recirculating stagnant flow region contributed to thrombus growth. Conclusions: The method presented here was effective in quantitatively assessing time-dependent phenomena of thrombus formation at the connector-tube interface. The method may contribute to the assessment of thrombogenicity of a novel design of connector.
Published - 2017 Dec 1
Optical tomography
Flow visualization
Velocity measurement
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
Matsuhashi, Y., Sameshima, K., Yamamoto, Y., Umezu, M., & Iwasaki, K. (2017). Real-time visualization of thrombus formation at the interface between connectors and tubes in medical devices by using optical coherence tomography. PLoS One, 12(12), [e0188729]. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0188729
Real-time visualization of thrombus formation at the interface between connectors and tubes in medical devices by using optical coherence tomography. / Matsuhashi, Yuki; Sameshima, Kei; Yamamoto, Yoshiki; Umezu, Mitsuo; Iwasaki, Kiyotaka.
In: PLoS One, Vol. 12, No. 12, e0188729, 01.12.2017.
Matsuhashi, Y, Sameshima, K, Yamamoto, Y, Umezu, M & Iwasaki, K 2017, 'Real-time visualization of thrombus formation at the interface between connectors and tubes in medical devices by using optical coherence tomography', PLoS One, vol. 12, no. 12, e0188729. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0188729
Matsuhashi Y, Sameshima K, Yamamoto Y, Umezu M, Iwasaki K. Real-time visualization of thrombus formation at the interface between connectors and tubes in medical devices by using optical coherence tomography. PLoS One. 2017 Dec 1;12(12). e0188729. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0188729
Matsuhashi, Yuki ; Sameshima, Kei ; Yamamoto, Yoshiki ; Umezu, Mitsuo ; Iwasaki, Kiyotaka. / Real-time visualization of thrombus formation at the interface between connectors and tubes in medical devices by using optical coherence tomography. In: PLoS One. 2017 ; Vol. 12, No. 12.
@article{b2f3e1fe119c43199b8ba001cf34e44e,
title = "Real-time visualization of thrombus formation at the interface between connectors and tubes in medical devices by using optical coherence tomography",
abstract = "Background: Blood-contacting devices have contributed to improving the treatment of patients. However, thrombus formation at the interface between a connector and tube is still a potential source of thrombus-related complications that induce stroke or myocardial infarction. We aimed to develop a non-blood-contacting real-time method for visualizing thrombus formation, and to experimentally investigate the time-dependent phenomenon of thrombus formation at the interface between a connector and a tube in a medical device. Methods and findings: An optical coherence tomography device with a center wavelength of 1330 nm was used to visualize thrombus formation during porcine blood circulation for 50 min in a closed 50-mL circulation system isolated from ambient air. The thrombus formation sites at the interface between a tube and connector were visualized. The area of the thrombus formation at the interface between the inlet of the connector and the tube was found to be 0.012 ± 0.011 mm2. Conversely, at the interface between the outlet of the connector and the tube, the area was found to be 0.637 ± 0.306 mm2. Thus, significantly larger amounts of thrombus were formed at the outlet interface (p < 0.01). The thrombus formation area at the outlet interface increased over time. Conversely, the area of thrombus formation showed repeated increasing and decreasing behavior at the inlet interface. Flow visualization with particle image velocimetry showed the presence of a flow separated area in the minimal flow phase at the inlet interface and a large recirculating slow flow region at the outlet interface in the minimal flow phase. These data suggested that the recirculating stagnant flow region contributed to thrombus growth. Conclusions: The method presented here was effective in quantitatively assessing time-dependent phenomena of thrombus formation at the connector-tube interface. The method may contribute to the assessment of thrombogenicity of a novel design of connector.",
author = "Yuki Matsuhashi and Kei Sameshima and Yoshiki Yamamoto and Mitsuo Umezu and Kiyotaka Iwasaki",
doi = "10.1371/journal.pone.0188729",
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publisher = "Public Library of Science",
T1 - Real-time visualization of thrombus formation at the interface between connectors and tubes in medical devices by using optical coherence tomography
AU - Matsuhashi, Yuki
AU - Sameshima, Kei
AU - Yamamoto, Yoshiki
AU - Umezu, Mitsuo
AU - Iwasaki, Kiyotaka
PY - 2017/12/1
Y1 - 2017/12/1
N2 - Background: Blood-contacting devices have contributed to improving the treatment of patients. However, thrombus formation at the interface between a connector and tube is still a potential source of thrombus-related complications that induce stroke or myocardial infarction. We aimed to develop a non-blood-contacting real-time method for visualizing thrombus formation, and to experimentally investigate the time-dependent phenomenon of thrombus formation at the interface between a connector and a tube in a medical device. Methods and findings: An optical coherence tomography device with a center wavelength of 1330 nm was used to visualize thrombus formation during porcine blood circulation for 50 min in a closed 50-mL circulation system isolated from ambient air. The thrombus formation sites at the interface between a tube and connector were visualized. The area of the thrombus formation at the interface between the inlet of the connector and the tube was found to be 0.012 ± 0.011 mm2. Conversely, at the interface between the outlet of the connector and the tube, the area was found to be 0.637 ± 0.306 mm2. Thus, significantly larger amounts of thrombus were formed at the outlet interface (p < 0.01). The thrombus formation area at the outlet interface increased over time. Conversely, the area of thrombus formation showed repeated increasing and decreasing behavior at the inlet interface. Flow visualization with particle image velocimetry showed the presence of a flow separated area in the minimal flow phase at the inlet interface and a large recirculating slow flow region at the outlet interface in the minimal flow phase. These data suggested that the recirculating stagnant flow region contributed to thrombus growth. Conclusions: The method presented here was effective in quantitatively assessing time-dependent phenomena of thrombus formation at the connector-tube interface. The method may contribute to the assessment of thrombogenicity of a novel design of connector.
AB - Background: Blood-contacting devices have contributed to improving the treatment of patients. However, thrombus formation at the interface between a connector and tube is still a potential source of thrombus-related complications that induce stroke or myocardial infarction. We aimed to develop a non-blood-contacting real-time method for visualizing thrombus formation, and to experimentally investigate the time-dependent phenomenon of thrombus formation at the interface between a connector and a tube in a medical device. Methods and findings: An optical coherence tomography device with a center wavelength of 1330 nm was used to visualize thrombus formation during porcine blood circulation for 50 min in a closed 50-mL circulation system isolated from ambient air. The thrombus formation sites at the interface between a tube and connector were visualized. The area of the thrombus formation at the interface between the inlet of the connector and the tube was found to be 0.012 ± 0.011 mm2. Conversely, at the interface between the outlet of the connector and the tube, the area was found to be 0.637 ± 0.306 mm2. Thus, significantly larger amounts of thrombus were formed at the outlet interface (p < 0.01). The thrombus formation area at the outlet interface increased over time. Conversely, the area of thrombus formation showed repeated increasing and decreasing behavior at the inlet interface. Flow visualization with particle image velocimetry showed the presence of a flow separated area in the minimal flow phase at the inlet interface and a large recirculating slow flow region at the outlet interface in the minimal flow phase. These data suggested that the recirculating stagnant flow region contributed to thrombus growth. Conclusions: The method presented here was effective in quantitatively assessing time-dependent phenomena of thrombus formation at the connector-tube interface. The method may contribute to the assessment of thrombogenicity of a novel design of connector.
U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0188729
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0188729
JO - PLoS One
JF - PLoS One
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M1 - e0188729
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Kawasaki Frontale vs Chelsea Preview: Where to Watch, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News
Chelsea Legend Didier Drogba's 11 Biggest Career Highlights
Nosa Omoigui 22 Nov 2018
Didier Drogba recently announced his retirement from football at the age of 40.
Not only is the Ivorian a bonafide Chelsea legend, but he was also an iconic figure in English and world football as a whole.
Undoubtedly one of the greatest foreign exports the Premier League has ever seen, Drogba enjoyed a glittering career that spanned 20 years for eight different clubs.
Here are 11 highlights from the striker's illustrious career.
11. First FA Cup Final Goal at New Wembley
The history books will always show that the first person to score a goal in an FA Cup at the new Wembley Stadium was Didier Drogba and nobody can take that away from him.
Coming in the 2007 FA Cup final against Manchester United, Drogba struck deep into extra time to win the trophy for Chelsea - their second trophy of the season after their League Cup triumph earlier in the season.
10. Cup Final Specialist
Ever the man for the big occasion, Drogba's record in cup finals is extraordinary. Across his career the Ivorian scored ten goals in ten cup finals. Whether it was the League Cup, FA Cup, Champions League or even the Turkish Cup, Drogba was always deadly when his team needed him the most.
The phrase 'big game player' gets banded about a lot these days, but Drogba certainly earned that moniker over his career. Incidentally, Drogba is also the top scorer in League Cup finals with four goals.
9. African Legacy
There have been many talented African players to grace the Premier League; Yaya Toure, Kanu and Yakubu are just a few that immediately spring to mind, but Drogba was the best of the best. His 104 Premier League goals are the most scored by an African player in the competition's history, with Emmanuel Adebayor being his closest challenger on 97.
8. Arsenal's Tormentor
There are three certainties in life: death, taxes, and Didier Drogba scoring against Arsenal.
Drogba was always in rare form against The Gunners, terrorising whichever back four he came up against and giving Arsenal fans nightmares for weeks on end.
Drogba scored eight goals in 12 Premier League appearances against Arsenal (only Peter Crouch, Robbie Fowler and Wayne Rooney have more), as well as five more in cup competitions. He even netted against Arsenal for the MLS All-Star team in pre-season!
7. Chelsea's Record Signing
Drogba first caught the eye of then Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho after an impressive 2003/04 campaign for Marseille which saw him score 32 goals. That was enough for the Portuguese manager who made Drogba one of his first signings at the club.
At the time, the £24m Chelsea paid for Drogba was a club-record fee, although their current record signing Kepa Arrizabalaga cost almost three times as much.
6. International Pedigree
Over the course of his career, Drogba became an icon in his native Ivory Coast. In a squad that contained the likes of the Toure brothers, Gervinho, and Salomon Kalou, Drogba was always the leader.
He scored 65 goals in 104 international appearances over 12 years, making him Ivory Coast's all time top scorer.
5. Ivory Coast's First World Cup
The Ivory Coast reached the first World Cup finals in their history in 2006, and unsurprisingly Drogba was a big part of the reason why. Drogba scored nine goals during qualification to send the side to Germany in 2006.
Drogba also scored the country's first ever World Cup goal in their 2-1 defeat to Argentina. Although Ivory Coast were knocked out at the group stages, it still meant a lot to the country that they even qualified in the first place.
4. Final Day Hat-Trick Clinches Title
Going into the last day of the 2009/10 season, Chelsea needed a victory to ensure the Premier League would return to Stamford Bridge rather than Old Trafford. Drogba himself went into the game a goal behind Wayne Rooney in the race for the Golden Boot.
Chelsea emphatically dispatched WIgan Athletic 8-0, with Drogba scoring a hat-trick during the match. A Premier League winners' medal and a Golden Boot trophy isn't bad for an afternoon's work.
3. Two Golden Boots
After Drogba settled into life in West London, he became one of the deadliest strikers in Europe.
Drogba was able to secure two Golden Boots during his Premier League career. His first came in 2006/07 where he scored 20 goals, and his second came in 2009/10 after his 29 goal haul.
He was also the first African player to win the award (Mohamed Salah has since joined him in that respect), and he is one of only seven players to win the award more than once, alongside Alan Shearer, Micheal Owen, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Thierry Henry, Robin Van Persie and Harry Kane.
2. Return to Chelsea
After a near perfect Chelsea farewell in 2012, Drogba spent time playing in China and then Turkey for Shanghai Shenhua and Galatasaray respectively. However when Jose Mourinho came calling in 2014, Drogba couldn't resist helping the club he loved one last time.
Drogba received a hero's welcome and ended the season with seven goals and another Premier League winner's medal.
1. Champions League Redemption
Didier Drogba's part in Chelsea's 2012 Champions League triumph was the stuff of fairytales.
Four years earlier he was sent off in the final against Manchester United, meaning he couldn't take the fifth penalty that John Terry went on to miss. After helping drag the team through the semi-final against Barcelona, Drogba made his mark on the final.
He scored the late equaliser to send the game to extra time, then with his last kick for the club he scored the penalty that won them the trophy. He righted his wrong from Moscow, and gave the Chelsea fans a night in Munich they would never forget.
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Jurgen Klopp Reiterates That Liverpool are Unlikely to Spend Big Despite Ongoing Transfer Rumours
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Trea Turner
American baseball player
This article is about the Washington Nationals infielder. For the Washington Nationals pitcher, see Trey Turner. For the Carolina Panthers football player, see Trai Turner.
Turner with the Washington Nationals in 2019
Washington Nationals – No. 7
Born: (1993-06-30) June 30, 1993 (age 26)
Boynton Beach, Florida
Bats: Right Throws: Right
August 21, 2015, for the Washington Nationals
(through July 5, 2019)
Batting average
Home runs
Runs batted in
Stolen bases
Washington Nationals (2015–present)
Career highlights and awards
NL stolen base leader (2018)
Hit for the cycle on April 25, 2017
Trea Vance Turner (born June 30, 1993) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball at NC State. The San Diego Padres selected Turner in the first round of the 2014 MLB Draft, and traded him to the Nationals in 2015. Turner made his MLB debut with the Nationals on August 21, 2015.
Developed by the Padres and Nationals primarily as a shortstop, Turner broke into the major leagues in the 2016 season as Washington's starting center fielder,[1][2] before returning to what he considers his "natural position" as the Nationals shortstop starting in the 2017 season.[3] He has also made a handful of major league appearances at second base. He is considered one of the fastest runners in Major League Baseball, being clocked at a speed of 22.7 miles per hour (36.5 km/h) at least twice in 2016.[1]
1 Amateur career
2 Professional career
2.1 2014: Drafted and traded
2.2 2015: Major league debut
2.3 2016
3 Personal life
4 See also
5 References
6 External links
Amateur career
Turner attended Park Vista Community High School in Lake Worth, Florida, where he played for his school's baseball team.[4] Turner was lightly recruited by college programs, only receiving scholarship offers from NC State and Florida Atlantic University.[5] The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Turner in the 20th round, with the 602nd overall selection, of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft.[6] Turner opted to attend NC State, to play college baseball for the NC State Wolfpack baseball team in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I.[5]
As a freshman in 2012, Turner shifted from the shortstop position to play as a third baseman. That year, he had a .336 batting average, a .432 on-base percentage, and recorded 57 stolen bases while only being caught stealing four times.[7] His 57 steals were more than the team totals of 158 Division I teams,[4] and set an NC State record.[8] He also tied the ACC record for steals in one game with five.[9] Turner was named to the All-Tournament Team in the 2012 ACC Tournament.
In 2013, Turner had a .378 batting average with seven home runs, 41 runs batted in (RBIs), and 27 stolen bases. He was named to the All-ACC first team, and was named a second team All-American by Perfect Game and a third team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and Baseball America. He was named a finalist for the Brooks Wallace Award, given to the best shortstop in NCAA's Division I.[10] That summer, Turner played for the United States national collegiate baseball team.[11] As a junior in 2014, he hit .321 with eight home runs and 26 stolen bases. After the season, he was named the winner of the Brooks Wallace Award.[12]
2014: Drafted and traded
Aaron Fitt of Baseball America considered Turner a likely first round choice in the 2014 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft.[5] The San Diego Padres selected Turner in the first round, with the 13th overall selection.[13] He signed on June 13, receiving a $2.9 million signing bonus.[14] He made his professional debut three days later with the Eugene Emeralds of the Class A-Short Season Northwest League.[15] After he batted .228 in 26 games for Eugene, the Padres promoted him to the Fort Wayne TinCaps of the Class A Midwest League, where he batted .369 in 46 games. The Padres assigned him to play for the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League after the regular season.[16][17]
On December 19, 2014, the Padres reportedly agreed to trade Turner to the Washington Nationals as a player to be named later as part of a three-team trade, in which the Padres traded Jake Bauers, Burch Smith, and René Rivera to the Tampa Bay Rays and Joe Ross to Washington, and Washington traded Steven Souza and Travis Ott to Tampa Bay, and Tampa traded Wil Myers to San Diego.[18] This unusual arrangement was a result of Turner being ineligible to be traded before mid-June because of MLB rules that prevent players to be traded within a year of their being drafted. Turner's agent, Jeff Berry, stated to the media that it was an unfair process to force him to play half the season for a team that traded him and had no further interest in promoting his development. He claimed he would be filing a grievance through the players' union.[19]
2015: Major league debut
Turner reported to spring training with the Padres as a non-roster invitee,[20] and the Padres assigned him to the San Antonio Missions of the Class AA Texas League.[21] He hit .322 with five home runs and 35 RBIs with 11 stolen bases for San Antonio. On June 14, 2015, Turner was sent to the Nationals to complete the trade made in December, and was assigned to the Harrisburg Senators of the Class AA Eastern League.[22] After playing ten games for Harrisburg, the Nationals promoted Turner to the Syracuse Chiefs of the Class AAA International League.[23] Turner represented the Nationals at the 2015 All-Star Futures Game.[24]
On August 21, 2015, the Nationals promoted Turner to the major leagues.[25] He made his major league debut that night.[26] Turner went nine at-bats before collecting his first major league hit on September 3, beating out a ground ball to reach first base safely.[27] He finished the 2015 season with a .225 batting average through 40 at-bats with one home run and one RBI.
In spring training in 2016, Turner competed with Danny Espinosa and Stephen Drew to be the Nationals starting shortstop.[28] The Nationals optioned Turner to Syracuse at the end of spring training.[29] Turner was called up on June 3, 2016, for a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds. He went 3-for-3 with a walk in his first game of the season at the major league level, playing second base and shortstop.[30] He was optioned back to Syracuse at the end of the series, as first baseman Ryan Zimmerman was reactivated from paternity leave.[31]
With Michael A. Taylor and Ben Revere turning in lackluster offensive performances as the Nationals' primary center fielders, and Espinosa performing well as the team's everyday shortstop, Turner began getting starts in center field with the Chiefs midway through the season. He debuted in center field on June 27, his first professional appearance as an outfielder,[32] and after being recalled by the Nationals in July, Turner made his first major league start in center field on July 26.[33]
Turner won the Major League Baseball Rookie of the Month Award in the National League for his performance in August 2016, hitting .357 on the month with five home runs and 11 stolen bases.[34] He finished second in National League Rookie of the Year Award balloting.[35]
In 2017, Turner moved back to his natural position of shortstop, after the club acquired Adam Eaton to play center field and traded starting shortstop Danny Espinosa to the Los Angeles Angels.[36] On April 9, Turner was placed on the 10-day disabled list due to tightness in his hamstring.[37] On April 25, Turner hit for the cycle against the Colorado Rockies.[38] The following night, Turner came a triple shy of back-to-back cycles.[39]
Turner stole four bases against the New York Mets in a June 18 game to set a personal best and tie Marquis Grissom (in 1992 for the Montreal Expos against the San Francisco Giants) for the franchise record.[40] He tied the record again with four steals off the Chicago Cubs in just three innings on June 27, helping the Nationals to a team record of seven stolen bases in the game.[41] Two days later, Turner was hit on the right wrist by a fastball from Cubs reliever Pedro Strop and suffered a non-displaced fracture, sending him to the 10-day disabled list for the second time in the season.[42] Turner told The Washington Post's Thomas Boswell it was the first time since he was 12 that he had broken a bone, though he claimed the injury "didn't feel that bad" after Strop's pitch hit him, and he remained in the game for an inning and a half before being lifted for a defensive substitute.[43] The Nationals purchased the contract of infielder Adrián Sánchez from the Class-AAA Syracuse Chiefs to take Turner's place on the roster.[44] Turner was activated from the disabled list on August 28 and made his return to the lineup the following night against the Miami Marlins.[45]
In 2018, Turner started the year with the big league club. On July 5, Turner had eight RBIs and hit his first career grand slam during a franchise-record 9-run comeback against the Miami Marlins.[46] On July 8, Turner was announced as one of the five candidates in the 2018 All-Star Final Vote.[47]
He finished the season with an NL-leading 43 stolen bases. For the season, he batted .271/.344/.416.[48] He also was 3rd in the league in power-speed number (26.4).[49] He had the fastest baserunning sprint speed of all major league shortstops, at 30.1 feet/second.[50]
Turner was born in Lake Worth, Florida, on June 30, 1993, to parents Mark and Donna. He has an older sister, Teal.[51][52] He met his future wife, Kristen Harabedian, when they both attended North Carolina State, where Harabedian was a gymnast.[53][54] Harabedian had also competed in high school gymnastics,[55] and, on January 18, 2010, was featured on Sports Illustrated's Faces in the Crowd.[56] Turner and Harabedian married in November 2018 at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Washington, D.C.[57]
During the 2018 season, Twitter posts Turner made during college using derogatory language, particularly anti-gay and -mentally disabled slurs, became public.[58] Turner became the third player to have offensive tweets from his past discovered in the month of July 2018, following Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Josh Hader and Atlanta Braves pitcher Sean Newcomb.[59] Turner apologized for the social media postings and said he took full responsibility at a tearful press conference called before the Nationals' next game.[60]
Baseball portal
List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle
^ a b Castillo, Jorge (September 4, 2016). "Trea Turner is faster than you, and probably everyone else in baseball". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
^ Fagerstrom, August (July 19, 2016). "Trea Turner and the Recent History of Outfield Conversions". Fangraphs. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
^ Reddington, Patrick (February 18, 2017). "Trea Turner excited to take over short for Nationals?: "Heck yeah."". Retrieved June 14, 2017.
^ a b Strelow, Bret (June 15, 2013). "N.C. State's Trea Turner combines power with speed". Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
^ a b c "NC State Wolfpack freshman Trea Turner still sneaking up on opposition – NCAA baseball tournament". ESPN.com. ESPN. May 31, 2012. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
^ Price, Karen (June 8, 2011). "Bucs bet on Bell in 2nd round". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
^ Svrluga, Barry (March 30, 2015). "The curious case of Trea Turner". Washington Post. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
^ "Baseball: Park Vista grad Trea Turner sets N.C State record | High School Buzz". The Palm Beach Post. April 12, 2012. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
^ Woodward, Bill (April 23, 2012). "RALEIGH: N.C. State's Trea Turner more than a base-stealing phenom | NC State". The News & Observer. Raleigh, North Carolina. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
^ "NC State's Trea Turner Named Brooks Wallace Award Finalist". WFMY-TV. June 16, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
^ Rupard, Wade (July 24, 2013). "DURHAM: Team USA experience a 'grind' for NC State's Turner | NC State". The News & Observer. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
^ "N.C. State's Trea Turner Wins Brooks Wallace Award". WFMY-TV. June 28, 2014. Archived from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
^ "Shortstop Turner goes to Padres at No. 13". MLB.com. June 6, 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
^ Kring-Schreifels, Jake (June 13, 2014). "First-rounder Turner signs with Padres". MLB.com. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
^ Sanders, Jeff (June 17, 2014). "Minors: Trea Turner debuts for Eugene". U-T San Diego. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
^ Sanders, Jeff (September 19, 2014). "Trea Turner visits Petco Park: Padres' first-rounder just beginning busy offseason". U-T San Diego. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
^ Cahill, Teddy (October 21, 2014). "Turner leads group of Padres prospects in AFL". MLB.com. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
^ Cwick, Chris (December 19, 2014). "Padres, Rays and Nationals complete Wil Myers trade". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
^ Rosenthal, Ken (December 19, 2014). "Free Trea Turner: Age-old rule requires Nats' PTBN to stay with Padres till June". Fox Sports. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
^ Lin, Dennis (February 24, 2015). "Trea Turner, a Nationals player to be named later, arrives in Padres' big-league camp". U-T San Diego. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
^ Lin, Dennis (April 7, 2015). "Trea Turner opening season in Double-A: Nationals PTBNL begins season with Padres' Double-A affiliate". U-T San Diego. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
^ Snyder, Matt (June 14, 2015). "Trea Turner finally heads to Nationals system". cbssports.com. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
^ James Wagner (June 25, 2015). "Trea Turner promoted to Class AAA Syracuse". Washington Post. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
^ James Wagner (June 25, 2015). "Lucas Giolito, Trea Turner selected to Futures Game". Washington Post. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
^ Dybas, Todd (August 21, 2015). "Trea Turner called up by Washington Nationals". The Washington Times. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
^ Quillen, Ian (August 22, 2015). "Nationals SS Trea Turner debuts in 10-3 loss to Brewers". The Washington Times. Associated Press. Retrieved August 27, 2015.
^ "After brief delay, Trea Turner collects first major league hit". MASN Sports. September 4, 2015. Retrieved September 20, 2015.
^ M, Ghost of Steve. "The Mixed Bag of Spring Training Stats for the #Nats". TalkNats.com. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
^ Dykstra, Sam (March 28, 2016). "Nationals send Turner down to Triple-A: Speedy shortstop optioned to Syracuse, shouldn't be down for long". MiLB.com. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
^ "Nationals' Trea Turner: Notches three hits in season debut". CBS Sports. June 3, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
^ "Nationals activate Zimmerman from paternity list, option Turner". WPTZ. June 6, 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
^ Elhardt, Magnus (June 27, 2016). "Washington Nationals to test Trea Turner in center field". Federal Baseball. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
^ Lingebach, Chris (July 26, 2016). "Speedy Trea Turner to Make Center Field Debut for Nationals". CBS DC. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
^ "Trea Turner named NL Rookie of the Month". MASN Sports. September 3, 2016. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
^ Tayler, Jon (May 5, 2017). "Trea Burner: The Nationals' shortstop is blazing a path to success one steal at a time". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
^ "Statistical projections say Mets, not Nats, will win NL East". Retrieved April 26, 2017.
^ "Nats Trea Turner to DL with hamstring strain". Retrieved April 26, 2017.
^ "Nationals Trea Turner hits for cycle". MLB.com. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
^ "Nationals beat Rockies 11-4 behind near cycle from Turner (Apr 26, 2017)". FOX Sports. April 27, 2017. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
^ Foltin, Lindsey (June 18, 2017). "Watch Nationals' Trea Turner steal four bases — in one game". FOX Sports. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
^ Janes, Chelsea (June 28, 2017). "Trea Turner zips around diamond as Nationals set team record with 7 stolen bases". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
^ Janes, Chelsea (June 29, 2017). "Trea Turner suffers non-displaced fracture in his right wrist". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
^ Boswell, Thomas (June 29, 2017). "One inside fastball and Trea Turner's speedy rise is stalled". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
^ "Nationals select infielder Adrian Sanchez". MASN Sports. June 30, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
^ Janes, Chelsea (August 29, 2017). "Nationals activate SS Trea Turner after missing two months with broken wrist". Washington Post. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
^ Castillo, Jorge (July 5, 2018). "Trea Turner's eight RBI help Nationals overcome 9-0 deficit to beat Marlins". Washington Post. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
^ Collier, Jamal (July 11, 2018). "Turner's Final Vote bid gets boost from Bryce". MLB.com. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
^ Trea Turner Stats | Baseball-Reference.com
^ 2018 National League Batting Leaders | Baseball-Reference.com
^ Statcast Sprint Speed Leaderboard | baseballsavant.com
^ Dodson, Aaron (August 22, 2015). "Friends, family, former coaches and teammates make trip for Nationals shortstop Trea Turner's rookie debut". Washington Post. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
^ Matz, Eddie (August 4, 2016). "Not just a folktale: Nationals' Trea Turner really is that fast". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
^ "Washington Nationals - TeamReport". Reuters. August 25, 2015. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
^ Wilson, Daniel (January 27, 2013). "Ham, gymnastics team defeats Mountaineers". Technician. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
^ "High School Top Performer - Week 6: Kristen Harabedian (gymnastics), Hunterdon Central". NJ.com. October 29, 2009. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
^ McGarr, Elizabeth (January 18, 2010). "Faces in the Crowd". Sports Illustrated.
^ Washington Nationals Player Trea Turner and Kristen Harabedian’s Detail-Filled Wedding in D.C. (Brides.com)
^ Young, Ryan (July 29, 2018). "Nationals looking into shortstop Trea Turner's Twitter history after offensive tweets surface". Yahoo.com. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
^ "Nationals' Trea Turner sorry for old tweets, calls them 'insensitive'". ESPN.com. July 30, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
^ Janes, Chelsea (July 31, 2018). "Trea Turner, in a tearful news conference, takes 'full responsibility' for his past tweets". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Trea Turner.
Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
Trea Turner on Twitter
Trea Turner on Instagram
Wil Myers Hitting for the cycle
April 25, 2017 Succeeded by
Carlos Gómez
Brooks Wallace Award
2004: Suzuki
2005: Gordon
2006: Lincoln
2007: Price
2008: Posey
2009: Orloff
2010: Gyorko
2011: Miller
2012: Vincej
2013: Bregman
2014: Turner
2015: Swanson
2016: Neuse
2017: Warmoth
2018: Grenier
2019: Kessinger
2014 College Baseball All-America Team consensus selections
P Jace Fry
P Nathan Kirby
P Aaron Nola
P Ben Wetzler
RP Nick Burdi
C Max Pentecost
1B Casey Gillaspie
2B Jace Conrad
3B None
SS Trea Turner
O Michael Conforto
O Michael Katz
DH None
U A. J. Reed
2014 Major League Baseball Draft First Round Selections
Brady Aiken
Tyler Kolek
Carlos Rodón
Kyle Schwarber
Nick Gordon
Alex Jackson
Aaron Nola
Kyle Freeland
Jeff Hoffman
Michael Conforto
Max Pentecost
Kodi Medeiros
Trea Turner
Tyler Beede
Sean Newcomb
Touki Toussaint
Brandon Finnegan
Erick Fedde
Nick Howard
Casey Gillaspie
Bradley Zimmer
Grant Holmes
Derek Hill
Cole Tucker
Matt Chapman
Michael Chavis
Luke Weaver
Foster Griffin
Alex Blandino
Luis Ortiz
Justus Sheffield
Braxton Davidson
Michael Kopech
Jack Flaherty
San Diego Padres first-round draft picks
1969: Elliott
1970: Ivie
1971: Franklin
1973: Winfield
1974: Almon
1975: Lentz
1976: Owchinko
1977: Greer
1978: Hawkins
1979: Lansford, Geren
1980: Pyburn
1981: McReynolds, Castro
1982: Jones
1983: Hayward
1984: Mack, Green
1985: Cora
1987: Garner
1988: Benes
1990: Beckett, Sanders
1991: Hamilton, Anthony
1993: Lee
1994: Hermanson
1996: Halloran
1997: Nicholson
1998: Burroughs
1999: Faison, Baxter, Ortiz, Burns, Bynum, Trzesniak
2000: Phillips
2001: Gautreau
2002: Greene
2003: Stauffer
2004: Bush
2005: Carrillo, Ramos
2006: Antonelli, Burke
2007: Schmidt, Kulbacki, Cumberland, Canham, Luebke, Payne
2008: Dykstra, Decker, Forsythe
2009: Tate
2010: Whitson
2011: Spangenberg, Ross, Kelly, Austin, Peterson
2012: Fried, Eflin, Jankowski, Weickel
2016: Quantrill, Potts, Lauer
2017: Gore
2018: Weathers
2019: Abrams
National League season stolen base leaders
1886: Andrews
1887: Ward
1888: Hoy
1889: Fogarty
1890: Hamilton
1896: Kelley
1897: Lange
1898: Delahanty
1899: Sheckard
1900: Donovan & Van Haltren
1901: Wagner
1903: Chance & Sheckard
1905: Devlin & Maloney
1909: Bescher
1913: Carey
1914: Burns
1921: Frisch
1926: Cuyler
1932: Klein
1933: Martin
1935: Galan
1938: Hack
1939: Hack & Handley
1940: Frey
1941: Murtaugh
1942: Reiser
1943: Vaughan
1944: Barrett
1945: Schoendienst
1947: Robinson
1948: Ashburn
1950: Jethroe
1952: Reese
1953: Bruton
1956: Mays
1960: Wills
1966: Brock
1970: Tolan
1975: Lopes
1977: F. Taveras
1978: Moreno
1980: LeFlore
1981: Raines
1985: Coleman
1991: Grissom
1993: Carr
1995: Veras
1996: Young, Sr.
1997: Womack
2000: Castillo
2001: Pierre & Rollins
2003: Pierre
2004: Podsednik
2005: Reyes
2008: W. Taveras
2009: Bourn
2012: Cabrera
2013: Young Jr.
2016: Villar
Washington Nationals current roster
2 Adam Eaton
5 Adrián Sánchez
6 Anthony Rendon
7 Trea Turner
9 Brian Dozier
10 Yan Gomes
11 Ryan Zimmerman
15 Matt Adams
16 Víctor Robles
19 Aníbal Sánchez
21 Tanner Rainey
22 Juan Soto
28 Kurt Suzuki
31 Max Scherzer
33 Matt Grace
36 Tony Sipp
37 Stephen Strasburg
39 Jonny Venters
46 Patrick Corbin
47 Howie Kendrick
48 Javy Guerra
51 Wander Suero
56 Fernando Rodney
63 Sean Doolittle
88 Gerardo Parra
Inactive roster
1 Wilmer Difo
3 Michael A. Taylor
8 Carter Kieboom
17 Andrew Stevenson
18 Jake Noll
23 Erick Fedde
27 Spencer Kieboom
41 Joe Ross
50 Austin Voth
61 Kyle McGowin
64 James Bourque
65 Raudy Read
Injured list
20 Kyle Barraclough
30 Koda Glover
53 Austen Williams
58 Jeremy Hellickson
60 Justin Miller
Manager 4 Dave Martinez
Bench 10 Chip Hale
First base 24 Tim Bogar
Third base 13 Bob Henley
Hitting 54 Kevin Long
Assistant Hitting 25 Joe Dillon
Pitching -- Paul Menhart
Bullpen 35 Henry Blanco
This page was last edited on 5 July 2019, at 17:49
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HomeBreaking newsBanks, Fuel Supply Crippled As Labour Strike Begins
Banks, Fuel Supply Crippled As Labour Strike Begins
September 27, 2018 Joy Peace Breaking news
– Essential services in Nigeria are expected to be grounded as workers embark on nationwide strike
– Workers in the petroleum, financial, maritime and other sectors of the economy will be participating in the strike
– The strike is to compel the federal government to announce its figure and ensure completion of work on the new national minimum wage
Following Nigeria labor’s nationwide strike which commences today, Wednesday, September 27, distribution of petroleum products, banking and other essential services are expected to be grounded.
According to Vanguard, the NLC said the strike was called to compel the federal government to announce its figure and ensure completion of work on the new national minimum wage
Associations who will be joining the nationwide strike include: Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), including its Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch, Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE).
Others are: Association of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI), National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), and Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN).
Workers in the aviation, transportation (railway), construction, manufacturing, hospitals, schools, among others, are expected to also stay away from their duty posts.
Also, public workers in government offices, ministries, departments, agencies, (MDAs) educational institutions, and others are expected to stay at home.
Meanwhile, it had been reported that the governors of the 36 states of the federation reportedly said they will not fall for any blackmail or attempt to stampede them into reaching an agreement on the new minimum wage currently threatening peaceful industrial relations in Nigeria.
The statement by the governors came at a period the Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC) and its affiliate unions announced commencement of a nationwide industrial action starting from midnight on Wednesday, September 26 to protest the delay in fixing a new minimum wage for public servants.
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Category: Opinion
Speaking About Charts, Data & the Music Industry
I’ve set myself a goal of becoming a better public speaker. I didn’t do a lot of that in my time at Universal Music, and I used to be pretty good at it. Turns out though, public speaking isn’t like riding a bike. In my efforts to improve I keep saying yes to requests, so late last year I spoke on a panel at the Botswana International Music Conference and did an interview with Kaya FM.
https://wendyverweybekker.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/kaya-fm-95.9.mp3
The South African charts I’m talking about in the interview are here:
Over the last year, they have become really interesting to look at because the time period is the same (Friday – Friday) but the user bases and price points for these services differ. In a society as dynamic and heterogeneous as South Africa, there’s more to music data than just identifying the hits. These different services highlight what is popular for different communities and consumers, and it’s exactly the kind of feedback that aspiring domestic musicians need.
That’s why we joined BASA – because until now, artists haven’t had free access to this data. Music is the most popular of the Arts, yet there are no official or independent music charts. I did a little more speaking at a BASA event and they published a bit of news about Labs.FM. All in all, I’ve got some things to say, and I’ll be doing more of that over the course of the year.
Author WendyPosted on January 23, 2019 Categories Life, Music, OpinionLeave a comment on Speaking About Charts, Data & the Music Industry
5FM Interview: Algorithms, Metadata and Labs.fm
I did a thing on the radio.
(I’m on 23 minutes in)
Author WendyPosted on May 11, 2018 May 10, 2018 Categories Life, OpinionLeave a comment on 5FM Interview: Algorithms, Metadata and Labs.fm
On Rejection and Feist’s New Album
There’s something arresting about Feist’s haunting voice. Her new album Pleasure (with lead single of the same name) was released earlier this year. It’s edgy and raw featuring her signature sweet vocals. Also, it’s like 2007 all over again.
The Reminder was released in 2007. It’s hard to believe that was 10 years ago and we were just getting to know Facebook. I was sitting in an open plan marketing office, listening to the record when I received a notification that my half-brother would like to be Friends. I’d spent my entire late childhood and teenage years daydreaming about him and my half-sister. I’d met him once, a handsome young man studying something important at University, but she’d remained a faceless stranger. I knew that she worked in advertising because my mom once gave me a torn out magazine article. It described her as an independent female Mover and Shaker at a sought after agency, which fanned the flames for storylines over years of only-child daydreaming. And then just like that, there was a friend request from someone I didn’t really know but shared a surname and some DNA with. I didn’t breathe for a minute. Accept.
We made plans to meet up and before I knew it I was on my way to a Wimpy in a small farming town. That month I was listening to Feist a lot. Universal had just released my flavour-of-the-month record, and the fact that I was working on it made it that much better. It’s funny how memories get associated with music. The Reminder was supposed to be that great award-winning Indie record I forgot about and rediscovered one day. But just hearing her voice takes me back.
That day was overwhelming. I spent hours speaking with my brother. We danced around the issue of my dad and tried to find things we had in common. It was good. We both tried. And then around lunchtime, my half-sister showed up. I was ecstatic, so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. And in hindsight, such a fucking n00b. I wore all of the cozy family fantasies on my sleeve, and even though she kicked back skepticism at every opportunity, I soldiered on, trying to build that relationship. I drove the 2 hours back that day a little sedated and misty-eyed. Like a big secret had just been let out.
Over the next few months, I got to know my brother and his lovely wife. I introduced them to my husband and met my nephew. The blossoming romance was beautiful, we had heart-to-hearts about things that mattered in our lives and shared everything from painful experiences to the shape of our fingernails. I put together a pack of CDs for them because sharing music is a privilege that brings people closer together. It’s so personal, and getting a new music recommendation right is the kind of curatorship victory I thrive on. Of course, I added Feist into my sister’s hamper. Because Indie is badass and you know, Fearless Female, etc.
My sister, on the other hand, remained aloof. My Friend Request was met with silence. Her Twitter profile was full of talk about forgiveness and change and empowerment. We Facebook Messaged a bit and there was a phone call or two. I can’t remember how, but she told me that she didn’t like the Feist album. She thought it was too girly, and not upbeat enough. I thought that was weird. It was such a cool record and practically everyone liked it. And just like that, The Reminder became an allegory for my relationship with my estranged siblings.
About a year later at their family farm, my half-sister insulted my husband. To be fair she didn’t insult him directly, but rather our relationship, saying that we’re together because I had father issues (there’s an age gap). I drove home disappointed and hurt, and the road was long. She’d made all sorts of assumptions about my life, from which she’d been absent, but I had done the same. My mind switched between self-doubt (why doesn’t she like me), and self-hate (why do I care). I visited my brother but stopped asking about her. We saw each other at my brother’s birthday party a few years later. It was awkward, but she was friendly. We talked a little after that, and then one day she told me that she didn’t want to know me.
It’s astonishing how you can let one person hurt you so much, without them even knowing. My half-sister doesn’t want to know me because we share the same father, something I literally have no power to change. My father has been trying reach out to them for years, with mixed success. He is a difficult and complex man, but his relationship with them has nothing to do with me.
I still love Feist but can’t listen to The Reminder in one sitting. Her new album Pleasure is superb though. It seems to have gone relatively unnoticed as there aren’t enough reviews for a Metascore rating despite an April 2017 release date. If you’re in a quiet mood you should definitely listen to “A Man Is Not His Song”. This year I’ve been slaying a few dragons in my life. I’m also trying to listen to more Feist.
“Sealion” is track 6 on The Reminder and is a super-classy, catchy AF cover of Nina Simone’s “Sea Lion Woman.”
Author WendyPosted on November 19, 2017 November 20, 2017 Categories Life, Music, OpinionTags Adulthood, Family, Feminism, Life, Opinion, RejectionLeave a comment on On Rejection and Feist’s New Album
Are Playlists The New Radio?
Adapted from a talk at the #futuretuned Radio Days Africa conference (5-7 July 2017).
The music industry has always been at the forefront of disruption in technology and, in some ways, it seems as if there isn’t a corner of it left untouched.
A year ago at Radio Days Africa, a guy from one of the labels told the audience that they didn’t need radio anymore. He justified this by saying that subscription services are now freely available and that people can listen to what they like, without having to listen to radio’s advertising or DJs. Having spent 10 years at a major label, I know for sure is that it’s the other way around — it’s radio that doesn’t need labels.
Over the last 15 years, music consumption has changed dramatically, and the power dynamic has shifted as a result. The music is better, but it’s less valuable because it’s available everywhere (and, often, for free).
Consumers now have direct access to all the new music they could ever want through subscriptions to Streaming Services. Spotify counts more than 30 million tracks, each available anywhere and at any time.
The real shift, however, is in how consumers are listening to music in this environment. Last year, playlists overtook albums in time spent listening; a number which only continues to grow.
It’s these playlists that will be radio’s competition if Radio doesn’t instead see Streaming Services as an opportunity. Radio needs to strategically use playlists as part of a larger brand positioning and marketing strategy. I could throw around the words ‘listener’, ‘user’, and ‘audience’ fairly liberally and, for me at least, they mean similar things. But most commercial stations are only incentivised to increase their listenership. That needs to change.
In addition to music consumption, music discovery has evolved. Music is no longer spread through silos by record companies pushing their priorities, or by stations having exclusive first plays. Radio is no longer determining which songs make it. Many stations know and have adapted to this, but that’s not enough. The real opportunity lies in the curation and discovery of NEW music — something that is already part of what any station does on a daily basis.
Streaming services are addressing the discovery challenge in their own ways. Spotify acquired The Echo Nest to assist with data-driven music discovery & personalisation. Their Discover Weekly playlist is a personalised playlist aimed squarely at promoting new artists and songs. Apple’s Beats 1, on the other hand, dives straight into radio territory by creating live, on-air-like shows. If you’ve ever listened to Beats 1 you’ll have noticed that it’s engaging, on-demand content which has more in common with traditional radio than podcasting.
But South African music radio? Well, it’s complicated. I believe that to grow you have to break new music. Even if you can’t play it on air.
Before Hlaudi dropped the 90% local content bomb, 5FM’s role as a national youth station was to break new tracks. The impact that this mandate had in differentiating 5FM’s and other SABC station’s respective playlists has been substantial (whether you think it’s good or bad).
What I think is being missed, however, is the opportunity that this created. Without a national station that could play new international music, many labels and radio pluggers looked towards the top regional commercial stations to start adding new tracks and, of course, this simply isn’t their mandate.
Station overlap of playlist similarity. Source: Labs.fm
Which brings me to an issue I have with mainstream Top 40 in a world of music streaming — that they don’t offer anything different. Imagine, instead, if these stations made Apple Music and Deezer playlists of songs not on their playlists? Streaming Services are another vehicle where stations can have a brand presence, especially one that promotes music discovery. The benefit is being able to curate a much greater variety of music.
Sometimes I think the way radio treats music in a streaming world is irrelevant. In years past the life of a song may have been determined by radio, but these days a song may burn before a station even starts playing it, because it’s been on the Apple Music or iTunes chart for the last 2 months. There’s too much pressure on humans to make the right playlisting calls.
Radio is an incredible format. Apart from the live music scene, it’s the only pervasive real-time music format that is social, embraces the New and invites every listener to be part of a tribe. It’s exactly the thing that Streaming Services don’t have — a personal and passionate relationship.
Streaming Services emphasize the personalized playlists such as Discover Weekly because the data gets as close to an intimate, unique recommendation as possible. Data is their strength and, even though users are shown to switch between playlists a lot, the engagement is high. For labels, growth in this format is incredible, but it requires curation because, with so much to listen to, how do people know what music to listen to?
Major label playlist curation companies
Cue Curated Playlists. Just like radio plugging, the labels have playlists curation companies that you may have seen. Universal owns Digster, Sony owns Filtr, and Warner owns Topsify. Labels glean insight into streaming track performance, and use those insights to adjust worldwide marketing campaigns. There’s no reason why individual stations or media powerhouses like Kagiso Media or Primedia shouldn’t have their own mood and genre playlists to promote their brands, or research tracks before adding them to the station. Users, listeners or audiences don’t necessarily just want to hear from one label or an artist. They want to hear about everything that there is to offer from someone they trust, and radio listeners trust a station’s music judgment.
Playlist overlap between station and iTunes ZA chart. Source: Labs.fm
Locally, some stations build streaming playlists based on their music strategy or the chart — but if you’re simply publishing the station’s chart, why would someone tune in? Why not test some of the tracks that didn’t make it to the playlist, along with some edgier tracks that may appeal to a smaller niche within your overall market, but not enough to make them suitable for playlisting? The takeaway for radio is that you have to be a little unique on Streaming Services.
At Labs.fm, we’re firm believers that Radio can be better, and already do music recommendation reports as a service, such as which tracks are a good fit for a station to add or which tracks are in danger of burning. But, taken further, we’re able to look at audiences, recommend growing niche tracks, as well as build and manage those playlists. These are the kinds of activities that make sure a music strategy can compete with streaming playlisting, and also serve as extensions of a station’s brand.
It’s interesting to note that while Spotify publicly displays the playlist follower count, Apple music does not. BBC R1, with their over 400 000 followers can’t call those numbers ‘listeners’, but if surveyed, how would a Spotify user interpret the question “Have you listened to BBC Radio 1 over the last 7 days?” Perhaps, then, the greatest threat to radio is the way listeners are counted right now. Because if that Spotify user answers yes, or attended the BBC Big Weekend, I’d call them part of BBC 1’s “AUDIENCE.”
I make the case for Radio playlists because I believe these could not only provide valuable research data for radio but also be another Brand touchpoint. By aggregating many playlists, radio can be made a lot better, and stations can gain wider Audiences. I want radio programmers and compilers to use data and streaming playlists to be adventurous and take more risks. Stations have such a wealth of knowledge and listener trust. If other mediums such as playlists, podcasts and events aren’t prioritised, there’s no incentive for stations to do anything outside of traditional radio, and they’d be missing a massive opportunity.
You can listen to the full, original talk from Radio Days Africa on Iono.
Author WendyPosted on August 18, 2017 August 19, 2017 Categories OpinionTags Metadata, Music, Music Business, Playlist, Radio, South AfricaLeave a comment on Are Playlists The New Radio?
The Joy of Retrenchment
I remember when I was still in high school my dad came home from work one evening and looked like death. Some of his colleagues had been retrenched that day. He didn’t know if he was next in line, and that thought was terrifying to our typical middle-class 1980’s nuclear family.
Fast forward to a few months ago, end February, when I was sitting at the small boardroom table across from my then-MD and the HR consultant. He could barely say the words or look me in the eye, and left most of the talking to the HR hit-man. It was a big shock, especially since my employer was so blatant about getting rid of me (the company wasn’t doing badly – three bros in management just didn’t like my girl power). Looking back on it now though, it was fine. Handling a crisis is one of my finer skill sets, albeit one I prefer to use less frequently.
So much of our occupation is wrapped up in our identity. It’s what we do with our time for 7 days every week if you have a 9-5. But somewhere between growing up (read: paying bills), contributing to Nkandla, and the here and now, the workplace has evolved. Suddenly “The 9-5” isn’t a thing anymore. My dad spent a large chunk of his life at one company, and that was wonderful and respected. When he retired he would get a gold watch and feel satisfied for a job well done.
But by the time I entered the workplace things had changed. I made a good move to Universal Music and started in marketing at the very bottom. 10 years ago this was a solid company with a safe reputation and management ran a tight ship. That all changed when UMG bought EMI. Personally and professionally, you couldn’t have brought together two more different cultures. The integration (or not) of these two groups was the hardest professional task I’ve ever had to work through. No one can be productive in an environment with constant bullying, one-upmanship and back-stabbing (and of course, immunity if you’re part of The Boys Club). It turned me into a person I didn’t like being, and I experienced a personal crisis while trying to deal with work stress. This was at a time when many people described the company as toxic. Thankfully, Sufjan Stevens saved my life.
If I could give anyone advice about working in a poisonous environment it would be: “Don’t.” It’ll tear you apart on the inside, and life’s too short to be unhappy. I’m no longer the Marketing Manager at a leading record label and I wouldn’t want to be that anymore anyway. The worst is over and record labels are back making money again, now from streaming, but the power dynamic has never been more flat. When you’re working at a label it’s difficult to have perspective and see the industry as a whole, partly because of arrogance but also because of the pressure. The competition is fierce and there are hungry, innovative companies out there working in the music industry. I’m working with two of those young companies now.
My husband, parents, and friends have all been extremely supportive. Since getting the boot I’ve also been reminded that one’s reputation follows you. By working hard and working smart you will always be looking after yourself. And change is good. These days I spend more time with my family, and I work with people who want to work with me. The old stigma of retrenchment shouldn’t really exist anymore. It happened to me and it turned out to be no biggie. A growing percentage of people worldwide are contractors who work remotely and virtually everyone has a side gig. If you don’t have one yet then maybe it’s time for you to get one.
Cover art: “Middle Finger in the Air” is by Alexandra Tellez.
Author WendyPosted on June 25, 2017 July 11, 2017 Categories Life, OpinionTags Patriarchy, Retrenchment, South Africa, Universal Music, Work Life BalanceLeave a comment on The Joy of Retrenchment
Drugs with benefits
I’ve just written my marketing exam. It’s the second exam since I was a student squillion years ago. It’ll probably be at least another 5-7 years for the course I’m doing, and this is where I’ll record the sometimes horrible but hugely rewarding experience.
It’s been a little difficult getting back into the swing of studying, but there are a few things that make it more tolerable. These are summer, NRG and Biral.
Herbalife’s NRG is the student’s best friend, made of guarana powder with some other stuff that’s good for you. Drink it and focus for 3 hours solid. Best known as a coffee substitute, it works much better than you’d think a health product would, and it’s also really great for hangovers.
Due to stupid standards of excellence, I stress about the exam a lot, which is where Biral steps in. It allows one to calm the hell down and blurt everything you know out on paper in a coherent and logical fashion. Priceless clarity during an exam.
Summer of course needs no explanation, because everything is just better during an African summer. Braais outside, watermelon and Christmas, summer is always where the fun is at (after the exam). I’m not sure what subject I’ll do next, but summer probably won’t be part of the equasion.
Author WendyPosted on December 10, 2011 August 19, 2017 Categories Life, OpinionTags Health, Medicine, Stress, StudyingLeave a comment on Drugs with benefits
Postmodernism is dead. Let’s dance.
Google Trends tells me that Postmodernism has been in the news again recently. Apparently, on the 24th of September, Postmodernism is officially over. This makes me very happy.
From the 24th of September 2011 to the 15th of January 2012, the Victoria and Albert Museum open “the first comprehensive retrospective” on the movement: “Postmodernism – Style and Subversion 1970-1990.” It’s about time too, Postmodernism has overstayed its welcome. In South Africa it was on its last legs when I finished art school almost 10 year ago. Evidently in the sea of confusion, those in the know assumed we were still in Postmodernism (woops). But regardless of whatever movement we’re in or have been moving towards, does anyone care about defining the beginning and end of Postmodernism?
I do, but only because I studied the bollocks and I want to see the ass end of it. This post is not a lesson on Postmodernism, go read the Wikipedia entry or this article. Postmodernism and its wide definition of art, where anything can be justified, became a self-fulfilling prophecy. If anything can be put forward as art simply by writing a paper with big words in it and making academic references, then nothing is art.
I used to care about art, but Postmodernism killed that for me. As a philosophical movement it was great, teaching us that commentary on society can occur anywhere (and so much more). As a movement associated with artworks I believe it had an unintended, negative influence on artists, the craft and the works produced.
The man in the street doesn’t care. He or she just wants something pretty to put on the wall. The casual art observer wants something that isn’t too offensive and is sure to be an investment. These days I get my fill of social commentary from the internet and Southpark, and I look forward to the next art movement that doesn’t contain the word ‘modernism.’
This comic proudly stolen from Dinosaur Comics
Author WendyPosted on August 28, 2011 August 19, 2017 Categories Art, OpinionTags Art, Opinion, Postmodernism, RantLeave a comment on Postmodernism is dead. Let’s dance.
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Tapped: The Prospect Group Blog
On TAP: Kuttner + Meyerson
Checks: Political Money & Democracy
Eliza Newlin Carney
Gabrielle Gurley
Adele M Stan
Paul Waldman
Sam Wang
Trickle Downers
Inalienable Rights
Alison Parker
The United States, famous as a nation of immigrants, should also be infamous for its bouts of anti-immigrant sentiment. Often our intolerance has been fueled by national-security fears. At other times, Americans have made misguided assumptions about who immigrants are and the rights that protect them.
Foreigners in the United States illegally get a lot of publicity, but a substantial majority of noncitizens in America are here legally. They include permanent residents; people legally admitted for work, education, or tourism; refugees; asylum seekers; and people with temporary protected status. All of these noncitizens -- including those here illegally -- are guaranteed almost all the same rights as citizens. In fact, only three constitutional rights -- voting in elections, holding certain political offices, and the absolute ability to enter and remain in the country -- are denied noncitizens outright. Otherwise, the Constitution grants to “the people” or “persons” -- not just to citizens -- the rights to due process and equal protection of the law, to freedom of speech and assembly, and to freedom from arbitrary detention or cruel and unusual punishments.
International human-rights law uses much the same terminology to recognize these -- and a few additional -- rights of noncitizens. The parallels are no coincidence. When the nations of the world gathered together after the nightmare of Nazism to create the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, they looked to U.S. constitutional principles and the Bill of Rights for inspiration and guidance. The notion that all persons, whatever their legal status, have basic rights was then further elaborated in numerous international treaties.
In other contexts, the United States has a practice of limiting its human-rights obligations in the treaties it ratifies. But there are no such limits on immigrants' rights. None of the reservations and understandings the United States has entered for key treaties -- including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the 1951 Refugee Convention, the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, or the Convention Against Torture and Other, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment -- specifically limit noncitizens' rights.
On paper, constitutionally and internationally, Americans respect the rights of noncitizens. But inspiring words on a statue in New York Harbor notwithstanding, unadulterated welcome has never been our actual stance. From mid-19th-century attacks on Irish and German immigrant workers to legislated xenophobia in the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 to Japanese internment during World War II, the targets and expressions of hostility have shifted with the times. Since September 11, it is the 5.5 million persons of Arab or south Asian descent who are living under a pall of suspicion and resentment. Today the United States, which once motivated the world to take human rights seriously, must turn to the world's human-rights treaties to correct the mistreatment of the immigrants in our midst.
Slandered by “Special Interest”
Immediately after 9-11, the U.S. government questioned thousands of noncitizens of Arab and south Asian descent who were selected for no reason other than their ethnic or religious backgrounds. A full 752 were arrested for routine immigration violations. While none was ever charged with terrorism, the government gave them the slanderous moniker of being of “special interest” to the terrorism investigation.
The special-interest detainees were subjected to secret immigration hearings where even their families were excluded. All endured periods of detention without charge. Thirty-six were held for 28 days or more, 13 were held for more than 40 days, and nine were held for more than 50 days -- all without charge. One Saudi Arabian detainee was held for 119 days.
While detainees at one detention center in Brooklyn waited, correction officers slammed them against walls, causing pain and injuries. Other detainees had their fingers and wrists painfully twisted, or their restraints pulled to harm their legs and arms or to trip them so that they fell to the floor.
But even after they were charged with routine immigration violations (such as overstaying a visa) and ordered deported, the government continued to investigate them and to keep them jailed until it concluded they were not of interest. The government's assumption was that these noncitizens might be somehow linked to the 9-11 attacks. They were not. The special-interest detainees were treated like serious criminals when the worst they were ever charged with were run-of-the mill immigration violations.
Unfair detentions of “witnesses”
Under the U.S. material-witness law, individuals can be detained if a judge decides that they are unlikely to appear at trial and that their testimony is material. But after 9-11, the government used the law to detain at least 60 people, the majority of whom were noncitizens of Arab or south Asian descent, for the 9-11 grand juries while it interrogated and investigated them.
The government used appallingly circular logic when applying the material-witness law to noncitizens. First, the government alleged that noncitizens had some links to terrorism, often based on tenuous facts and assumptions about their religion and national origins. Without the supposition of guilt, these alleged witnesses could simply have been subpoenaed rather than incarcerated. Next, the government convinced judges that the witnesses had to be imprisoned because they were immigrants with relatives abroad and were at risk of fleeing the country. This was argued even when a witness was a legal immigrant, had lived here for several years with a spouse and children, and had voluntarily come forward to give information.
Many of the immigrants were never called to testify as witnesses. Instead, they were detained for months under punitive prison conditions. Some were questioned repeatedly without a lawyer present, and when their testimony changed, the government charged them with perjury.
Human-rights law prohibits detaining someone without charge or without carefully following the law (in this case, the material-witness law). U.S. law says the same, but in the post–9-11 atmosphere in the United States, courts were exceptionally deferential to the government's flawed assumptions.
Draconian deportations
Well before 9-11, assumptions about immigrants tended to harm their rights. It was the 1995 bombing of the U.S. federal building in Oklahoma City -- a crime committed by white U.S. citizens -- that prompted Congress to pass anti-terrorism and death-penalty legislation in 1996, which also contained the most draconian immigration restrictions in our recent history.
While U.S. citizens convicted of crimes pay their debts to society and then return to their lives, under the 1996 laws, noncitizens with identical criminal records are deported after serving their sentences. Previously, legal long-term residents had the chance to tell a judge why they believed deportation would unfairly harm them and their families. But under the 1996 law, it doesn't matter how long noncitizens have lived in the United States, what their contributions to their community have been, or whether they have been rehabilitated. Legal permanent residents, U.S. military veterans, and adults who have been here since childhood and do not even remember their countries of origin have been treated as harshly under U.S. immigration law as undocumented immigrants who have committed violent crimes.
For example, 8-year-old Brazilian Joso Herbert became the adopted son of an American family in 1987. Two months after his graduation from high school in 1997, he sold 7.5 ounces of marijuana to a police informant. Because he was a first-time offender, he was sentenced to probation and community service. But then he was deported to Brazil -- a place where he knows no one and where he no longer understands the language.
Despite their drastic nature, deportations can occur after proceedings in which immigrants have no lawyer to help them; because deportation is considered a civil matter, it does not trigger the Fourth Amendment right to counsel. This is particularly unfortunate because Congress decided to make the laws retroactive, and an immigrant may now face deportation for a crime he or she pleaded guilty to years ago when it carried no such consequence. Moreover, the new laws expanded the crimes that prompt deportation to include even minor misdemeanor offenses, e.g., violations of drug-paraphernalia laws. In the nine years the laws have been in place, 258,112 noncitizens have been deported for crimes.
These deportations are ripping apart American families and violating the human right to family unity. About one in every 10 children in the United States lives in a family that includes citizen and noncitizen members. Today, if a noncitizen parent faces deportation for a crime, he or she may not even have a chance to argue before a judge that removal from the United States equals separation from a U.S. citizen child.
All of the immigrant workers in the United States, whether here legally or not, have the same international labor rights as U.S. citizens. As the Inter-American Court of Human Rights has noted, “If undocumented workers are contracted to work, they immediately are entitled to the same rights as all workers.” As workers, for example, they have the right to organize and to a remedy if illegally fired. U.S. state and federal courts confirmed this view of the rights of workers up until 2002.
But in 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court's Hoffman Plastic Compounds Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board decision told undocumented workers that while their work is accepted, their basic human rights are not. The Hoffman decision stripped some 12 million undocumented workers of their ability to receive back pay for lost wages if they are illegally fired for organizing. The possibility of having to provide back pay has been a significant deterrent to employers seeking to squelch union organizing efforts by firing pro-union workers. But the Court said that immigration policy and labor law were in conflict, and that immigration law trumps laws intended to protect workers' rights.
Before Hoffman, unions could tell all workers that they need not fear employer retaliation for organizing because they would not lose wages due to them if they were illegally thrown off the job. Now, employers can take full advantage of the work of illegally present immigrants and then, if they stand up for their rights, fire them with impunity.
However, other labor rights of noncitizens, such as the right to a safe workplace and to compensation for injuries, are recognized in both international and U.S. law. After Hoffman, these rights remain in force, and U.S. courts and administrative tribunals are open to protect them. The problem is that noncitizens are afraid to vindicate their rights because they fear the immigration consequences of complaining. Legal or illegal, they do not want to end up in an immigration court.
Denied due process
Immigrant workers, indeed all noncitizens, have cause to fear immigration courts. Well before September 11, throughout the 1980s and '90s, U.S. immigration hearings were often marred by procedural failings that violated both constitutional and human-rights law. Immigrants weren't informed of their right to hire an attorney, interpreters were badly prepared or nonexistent, and some noncitizens were never notified of the case or charges against them.
Haitian asylum seekers have been interdicted at sea, where the United States claims it has fewer obligations, and denied their human right to fair and efficient asylum procedures. The Haitians were rushed through cursory hearings, if they received them at all, on board hot and overcrowded ships, without privacy, and with their testimony poorly translated.
The 1996 laws brought a new onslaught of substantive due-process problems. Besides mandating deportation for even minor criminal convictions, they subjected newly arrived refugees fleeing persecution in their home countries to mandatory detention. Asylum seekers were previously granted parole, which made it easier for them to access a lawyer, adjust psychologically, and prepare their cases. Now refugees have a slim chance of leaving prison before their cases are finally decided. They can wait months, sometimes years, before they are released.
A widening net
Three years after al-Qaeda's attacks, the United States is continuing to cast a wide and disparaging net over noncitizens, both at home and abroad. U.S. consular officials abroad have instituted elaborate screening procedures for visa applicants and refugees selected for resettlement in the United States. Instituting security checks on visa applicants may make sense for national security, but refugees who have already had their cases assessed and who are, by definition, fleeing for their lives should be placed in a speedier queue because the United States has a special international obligation to protect them.
At home, the Department of Homeland Security has decided to subject every noncitizen within 160 miles of the Mexican or Canadian borders to “expedited procedures” (meaning less due process) to determine whether they are legally present. If not, they will be immediately deported without a hearing.
The new policy raises questions about the training and capacity of border agents to assess the legal status of noncitizens and to effectively and fairly identify those who risk persecution in their home countries. A United Nations report leaked to The New York Times in August 2004 revealed that similar expedited procedures, in place at U.S. airports since 1997, have resulted in some asylum seekers being harassed and intimidated, discouraged from seeking asylum, and interviewed without translators by airport inspectors who lacked knowledge of asylum law.
No right to enter
All around the world, diverse factors, from conflict to international business, are prompting people to cross borders and start life anew in a country other than their own. As a result, governments are confronted each day with the question of what rights they must guarantee to noncitizens.
As much as they'd rather not admit it, world leaders settled that question long ago. Governments realized early on that the best way to make sure that their citizens were treated well abroad was to sign reciprocal treaties with other governments promising to treat foreigners fairly. Emmerich de Vattel, the most influential international-law scholar in the early days of the United States, wrote that “denial of justice” to aliens would justify their home country's decision to begin a war of reprisal against the United States. This is why international human-rights treaties are almost entirely blind to the citizenship status of the people they protect.
Many politicians fear that respecting immigrants' human rights will require granting them a broad or poorly policed “right to enter.” September 11 has only redoubled those fears. But an absolute right to enter is not what the international human rights of immigrants are about. Rather, they are about treating all human beings fairly and without discrimination. Americans in particular should look toward international human-rights laws because they compel us to strive toward becoming what, as a nation of immigrants united on behalf of freedom and democracy, we claim that we already are.
Alison Parker, a Human Rights Watch senior researcher, has conducted human-rights investigations in several U.S. prisons and refugee settings in west Africa, east Africa, and central Asia. She is the author of the book-length report “Hidden in Plain View: Refugees in Nairobi and Kampala.”
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Where Are the Rational Greedy Bastards?
Now for Some Bad News
Good Medicine
2000, The Sequel
Health Care's Big Choice
Idiot Boxed
Long Division
Who Killed Camp David?
Can't Swallow It Anymore
Vexations of the Heartland
Film: Ernesto Goes to the Movies
Devil in the Details
Prospects: George W. and Human Rights
What We Expect From America
Shame in Our Own House
Economic Security: A Human Right
International Holdout
From the Front Lines
On America's Double Standard
Holding America Accountable
Criminal Justice and the Erosion of Rights
The Partial Rule of Law
A Lawless State
Rights in an Insecure World
Into the Bright Sunshine
The Road to Abu Ghraib
Buckeye Blues
Iraq the Vote
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On TAP with Robert Kuttner and Harold Meyerson
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Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K, unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard, a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Actors: Ana de Armas, Harrison Ford, Jared Leto, Mackenzie Davis, Robin Wright, Ryan Gosling, Sylvia Hoeks
Country: Canada, Hungary, Spain, UK, USA
Super close mother Lyn and daughter Iona (Dafty One and Dafty Two) are excited for their new life in a new town. Determined to make a success of things after…
Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger’s charm and audacity endear him to much of America’s downtrodden public, but he’s also a thorn in the side of J. Edgar Hoover and the…
Genre: Crime, Drama, History
Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, The Monuments Men is an action drama focusing on seven over-the-hill, out-of-shape museum directors, artists, architects, curators, and…
Captain Lightfoot
A boggy swashbuckler of Irish freedom-fighter Michael Martin.
Woodshock
Theresa, a haunted young woman spiraling in the wake of profound loss, is torn between her fractured emotional state and the reality-altering effects of a potent cannabinoid drug.
Young and impulsive Rosetta lives with her alcoholic mother and, moved by despair, she will do anything to maintain a job.
A radical American journalist becomes involved with the Communist revolution in Russia and hopes to bring its spirit and idealism to the United States.
Killing Joan
An enforcer for the mob enacts revenge on those who wronged her.
I Am Wrath
A man is out for justice after a group of corrupt police officers are unable to catch his wife’s killer.
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
The Domino Principle
Tucker is a chronic underachiever and a loser. A Vietnam war veteran who just can’t seem to keep out of trouble, in the years since his discharge. The only thing…
Country: Mexico, UK, USA
101-year-old Rose DeWitt Bukater tells the story of her life aboard the Titanic, 84 years later. A young Rose boards the ship with her mother and fiancé. Meanwhile, Jack Dawson…
In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as “The Basterds” are chosen specifically to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally…
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller, War
Trailer: Blade Runner 2049
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Castle of Illusion Review
Our Review by Carter Dotson on November 25th, 2013
Rating: :: MAGICAL
Castle of Illusion resurrects a gaming classic with modern standards.
Device Reviewed On: iPad Mini Retina, iPhone 5
Controls Rating:
Castle of Illusion, a modern remake of the Sega Genesis platforming hit, has made a surprise landing on iOS after launching on console and PC not long ago. It's certainly a welcome addition to the platform.
This is a 2.5D platformer in that it does contain mostly 3D characters along a 2D plane, but moments where 3D movement is possible do pop up and are parts of some of the game's cooler moments - like a puzzle where players must discover if tiles they're running on are fake or not by looking into a mirror. So no, it's not just a straight-up paint job on the original game. It's been modernized, but it still has enough of that classic flavor to it. This is not just in looks: many of the original enemies and bosses are still here in some form, but the game has the trappings of a kind of late 8-bit and early 16-bit platformer. There's that feeling of rigidity to the way that levels are arranged and laid out that makes it have just enough of an old-school feel while feeling loose and new.
As a game that originated as a console and PC title, the flash and polish really come through. The game looks fantastic on Retina displays, runs smoothly, and is incredibly detailed. This is a fantastic port job. The controls use a virtual joystick which is, well, a virtual joystick - a bit loose but it does an okay job at the proceedings. Having the ability to tap anywhere to jump and to just hit a button to toss projectiles helps to keep things simple and effective. Still, gamepad support would be fantastic.
Castle of Illusion isn't necessarily inordinately difficult, but it does put a bit of resistance to players where they have to take some care in trying to tackle the levels. Its platforming can be challenging, and its boss fights require a bit of patience. Again, it's that great mix between the old ways of doing things and the new that this game just absolutely nails.
I hope to see more games like this on iOS for multiple reasons. One: I like games that mix just enough of retro and modern mechanics and aesthetics to get the best of both worlds. Two: as a game made for consoles and PCs, and selling at a price point that's cheaper than those platforms but more expensive than the going rate for mobile games, this helps to mature the platform as a whole. There's a lot to like about Castle of Illusion, and it's well worth picking up.
Tagged With: Games, Platformer, Sega, Disney, $9.99, Universal App, Mickey Mouse, Castle of Illusion
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Banking & Financial News
Coutts settles with FSA over breach of principle 3
Coutts today announced that it has reached a settlement with the Financial Services Authority (FSA) following an investigation into Coutts & Co's anti-money laundering (AML) systems and controls in relation to high risk clients.
(1888PressRelease) March 27, 2012 - The fine relates to historic activity undertaken between December 2007 and November 2010. Coutts has agreed to pay a fine of £8.75 million as part of the settlement with the FSA.
Coutts has cooperated fully and openly with the FSA throughout the investigation. Coutts accepts the findings contained in the FSA's Final Notice regarding certain failures to meet the relevant regulatory standards between December 2007 and November 2010.
Coutts has found no evidence that money laundering took place during that time.
Since concerns were first identified by the FSA, Coutts & Co has enhanced its client relationship management process which included a review of its AML procedures. As a result of that review, the FSA notes that a number of improvements and recommendations have already been implemented. We are confident that our processes in this area are now robust.
Rory Tapner, Chief Executive of the Wealth division of Royal Bank of Scotland, said: "We are disappointed that Coutts & Co did not meet the FSA’s standards with regard to establishing and maintaining effective AML controls in relation to high risk clients. Since the FSA first raised its concerns, we have implemented a number of improvements to prevent any recurrence of these failings. Regulatory reforms continue apace. We remain committed to ensuring that our systems and controls are robust and counter the risk of financial crime in all the markets in which we operate."
Locations and Dates Set for Novell Tour 2012 by Financial News
Coutts settles with FSA over breach of principle 3 by Financial News
Herbalife conferred with "Industry Recognition Award" at Nutra India Summit 2012 by Gutenberg
Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc
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ACCIONA receives Peter...
ACCIONA receives Peter Cosgrove, Governor-General of Australia
José Manuel Entrecanales, ACCIONA’s Chairman and CEO, presented the company's renewable energy and infrastructure solutions in response to Australia's growth and development policies
Peter Cosgrove, Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia, met with ACCIONA's Chairman & CEO José Manuel Entrecanales during his visit to Spain to discuss the company's presence in the country and the opportunities offered by the significant development of renewable energy and infrastructure in the country.
The Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia heads a delegation of senior business representatives from the European Australian Business Council (EABC) including the Minister for Regional Development, Territory and Local Government, John McVeigh. The delegation was interested in ACCIONA's track record and technology, which can be replicated to meet the needs of Australian government and state energy and infrastructure policies. The Spanish Ambassador, Manuel Cacho, accompanied the Australian as well as members of the Australian Embassy in Spain.
The meeting is part of the official visit to Spain of the Governor General of the Commonwealth and the delegation that accompanies him to close the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Spain and Australia.
One of the key instruments in the development of these bilateral relations is the Australia Spain Council Foundation, of which ACCIONA is a member and whose objective is to promote common interests and collaboration in all areas between the two countries. ACCIONA is also a member of the European Australian Business Council, one of the main Australian business forums whose mission is to boost political, diplomatic and economic relations with the countries of the European Union.
ACCIONA began operating in Australia in 2002 and since then has consolidated a significant presence in the country with emblematic renewable energy, infrastructure and water management projects. The company's commitment to growth in the country was reinforced last year with the acquisition of Geotech, a company specializing in infrastructure and engineering. ACCIONA currently employs more than 1,000 professionals at its headquarters in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth and in the projects currently underway.
The company has just commissioned its fourth wind farm in the country, Mount Gellibrand, a 132 MW facility in the state of Victoria. This wind farm is added to those of Cathedral Rocks (64 MW in South Australia), Waubra (192 MW in Victoria) and Gunning (46.5 MW in New South Wales), bringing the company's installed capacity to 434.5 MW in the country, the fourth largest after Spain, Mexico and the United States.
In the Infrastructure business, ACCIONA has emblematic projects in the country such as Legacy Way in Brisbane (Queensland) and the Pacific Highway (New South Wales) and the reorganization of the railway networks in Victoria. The company also has a strong presence in the management of the integral water cycle, with projects such as the Adelaide (South Australia) desalination plant, the Kawana (Queensland) and Kingborough (Tasmania) wastewater treatment plants and the Mundaring (Western Australia) purification plants.
ACCIONA, a pioneer in the hybridization of solar panels with wind power towers
ACCIONA Infrastructure in NZ attends Uni Career Hub
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Institutes academies and centres
ACU Centre for Liturgy
Associate Professor Stephen Downs
National Head of School, Theology
Stephen Downs joined the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy in 2014. This followed many years teaching in Adelaide at Catholic Theological College of SA, Adelaide College of Divinity and Flinders University, where he also held a number of positions in academic leadership and administration. Much of his teaching has involved ministry candidates in the Catholic and other churches, but also Catholic teachers. He has taught a wide range of subjects, in philosophy and theology. This both reflects and reinforces his broad theological and academic interests. For some years he has developed particular interests in theology and the arts and in interfaith relations. He has been able to further these interests through study leave in New York (Fordham University), Bangalore (Dharmaran College) and London (Heythrop College).
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The Democratic State Committee is the elected body which oversees the New York State Democratic Party. It is composed of State Committee Members, who represent districts from throughout New York State. Adam Roberts represents the 76th District, which includes the Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island.
State Committee Members have a significant amount of influence over New York’s political landscape. They help determine the rules of the New York State Democratic Party, which gives them influence over:
Party Platform: While non-binding, the State Committee passes resolutions which in effect become the party platform for the New York State Democratic Party.
Spending: The State Committee determines what races money is spent. Unfortunately, the State Committee often spend money defending Democratic incumbents in primaries instead of defeating Republicans in general elections.
Endorsements: The State Committee endorses statewide candidates, such as Governor. These endorsements carry a considerable amount of weight, as they provide endorsed candidates with the New York State Democratic Party’s voter data, money, and campaign staff.
Democratic National Committee Members: While representatives to the local and state Democratic Parties are elected, representatives to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) are not. DNC members are selected by the State Committee.
Ethics Code: The State Committee oversees the New York State Democratic Party’s ethics code, as well as the hearing process for violating it. In Albany’s present culture of corruption, cronyism, and sexual harassment, this is an important tool.
Primaries: Currently disputed as to whether the State Committee can amend the primary process, some believe the State Committee can decide who is eligible to vote in primaries, while others believe State law determines this.
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You are here: home » biography » awards
Herbert Crow Memorial Award
In March 2003, Professor McKinnon received the Herbert Crow Memorial Award from the Worshipful Company of Carmen, the City of London livery company responsible for transport. The award is made to an ‘individual who has significantly furthered transport knowledge and development through study, publication, analysis, research, training or systems.’ He was presented with a silver medal and citation by the Lord Mayor of London at the annual banquet of the Company in the Mansion House on the 11th March 2003.
Click to view history of this award
Sir Robert Lawrence Award
In November 2003, Professor McKinnon received the top award of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in recognition of his ‘dedication to the sector, the positive impact his expertise has had on logistics and transport as a whole and within academic, as a leading light, figurehead and spokesperson for the sector and for the support he has offered as a highly-respected Chartered Fellow of the Institute’.
Fellowship of the European Logistics Association
In May 2015 Professor McKinnon was made a fellow of the European Logistics Association, only the fifth person to receive this honour since the Association was founded in 1984. ELA is a ‘federation of 30 national organisations, covering almost every country in Central and Western Europe’. The award of the fellowship was in recognition ‘his contribution in developing the body of logistics knowledge’.
Receiving the award from Jos Marinus (ELA President) and Prof Dr. Hans-Christian Pfohl (Chairman of the ELA Research Committee)
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September 21, 2013 – June 8, 2014
The story of the Albany Mummies centers on two Ancient Egyptian mummies and their coffins, one dating from the 21st Dynasty and the other from the Ptolemaic Period. In 1909, the mummies and coffin bottoms were purchased from the Cairo Museum by Albany Institute board member Samuel Brown, a purveyor of coffees, teas, and spices in Albany.
Plans for a major exhibition began seven years ago with new research. Not long after moving to Albany, Dr. Peter Lacovara, Senior Curator of Ancient Egyptian, Nubian, and Near Eastern Art at the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, began working with Institute staff on the Ancient Egyptian gallery. Lacovara confirmed that the mummy cover belonging to the museums elaborately decorated 21st Dynasty coffin bottom is part of the collections of the British Museum in London, England, and the coffin lid is in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria. According to the hieroglyphs on the coffin parts, the coffin belonged to Ankhefenmut, a priest and sculptor in the Temple of Mut and lived between the years 1069 and 945 BC.
When the two mummies first arrived in Albany in 1909, the 21st Dynasty mummy was identified as a female. In preparation for the exhibition, Dr. Lacovara recommended a thorough re-examination of both mummies. On March 31, 2012, the Albany Medical Center x-rayed and CT scanned both mummies with surprising results.
The exhibition, GE Presents: the Mystery of the Albany Mummies, reunites all the components of Ankhefenmut’s coffin and interprets the world in which he lived and worked. The exhibition features more than 200 objects, with 140 major loans, including loans from: the British Museum, London; Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna; The Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology; the Semitic Museum, Harvard University; the Brooklyn Museum; the American Museum of Natural History; the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University; the University of Pennsylvania; Williams College Museum of Art; the Redwood Library in Newport, Rhode Island; Olana State Historic Site: New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; Albany Masonic Hall Association; and many private collections.
The exhibition addresses specific themes associated with the mummies:
The first explores the 1909 acquisition of the museum’s two mummies and coffins from the Cairo Museum. What were the Albany Institute’s motivations for purchasing the materials, and what were the Cairo Museum’s reasons for selling the pieces to three different museums?
The second section provides insights into mummification and the Ancient Egyptian conception of the afterlife, using the reunited coffin, mummy cover, and coffin lid along with funerary paraphernalia. It also shows the results of new scientific examinations of the mummies, using current medical imaging technology, conducted by Albany Medical Center.
The third theme, featuring objects related to art and daily life, examines the world of Ankhefenmut and his roles as sculptor and priest.
A fourth section looks at the archeological discoveries in Egypt during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. A recent donation to the Albany Institute of Napoleon’s massive publication, Description of Egypt, Giovanni Belzoni’s Egyptian narratives and hand-colored lithographs, and Jean-François Champollion’s account of deciphering the Rosetta Stone will help viewers understand our own fascination with Ancient Egypt today.
The fifth and final section offers a look at the revival of Ancient Egyptian art and design from the eighteenth century to the present, showing examples of Egyptian-styled consumer goods and products.
Educational programs, lectures, and events compliment the exhibition.
A forthcoming book about Albany's Mummies will be published by the Albany Institute and SUNY Press.
GE Presents: The Mystery of the Albany Mummies and its programs have been funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, GE, The Standish Family Foundation, The Bender Family Foundation, Bank of America Foundation, Albany Food and Wine Festival, The Sidney and Beatrice Albert Foundation, Albany County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Albany Medial Center, J.M. Kaplan Fund/Furthermore Foundation, Woodland Hill Montessori School, Northeastern Association of the Blind at Albany, NYSUT, UHY Advisors, Inc., Excelsior College, Tabner, Ryan and Keniry, Inc., The International Center, Archaeological Institute of America, A Better Bit, WMHT, and Times Union. Additional support has been provided by Heinrich Medicus, Christine and George R. Hearst III, Courtney and Victor Oberting III, Paul V. and Bonnie Bruno, Neil and Jane Golub, Ellen Jabbur, Richard Keresy, Peter Lacovara, Patricia Perrella, Steve Ricci, Mr. & Mrs. J. Spencer Standish, and the members of the Albany Institute of History & Art.
IMAGE: Mummy board of Ankhefenmut, from Bab el-Gasus, Thebes, Egypt, Mid-21st Dynasty, around 1000 B.C., EA 24797, Trustees of the British Museum.
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Books Best Sellers New Releases Children's Books Textbooks Australian Authors Kindle Books Audiobooks
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Just After Sunset Audio CD – Audiobook, CD, Unabridged
by Stephen King (Author, Narrator), Jill Eikenberry (Narrator), Holter Graham (Narrator), George Guidall (Narrator) & 1 more
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A collection of short works is comprised of pieces that previously appeared in such publications as The New Yorker, Playboy, and McSweeney's, in a volume that includes such tales as "The Gingerbread Girl" and "N." Simultaneous.
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The Bazaar of Bad Dreams: Stories
Full Dark, No Stars
Different Seasons: Four Novellas
The Outsider: The No.1 Sunday Times Bestseller
The Bachman Books
Start reading Just After Sunset on your Kindle in under a minute.
Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Audio CD: 13 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster; Unabridged edition (11 November 2008)
Product Dimensions: 12.7 x 4.3 x 14.9 cm
Boxed-product Weight: 363 g
"King reminds us again of his power to unhinge with a single line or image. A master of the storytelling craft, he gets his ghastly fingernails right beneath the skin." -- John Marks, Salon.com
"King is as sharp and disgusting as ever... Haunting." -- People magazine
"A master storyteller... Haunting." -- Karen Sandstrom, Cleveland Plain Dealer
"Wonderfully wicked." -- Carol Memmott, USA Today
"King is as sharp and versatile as ever." -- Erica Noonan, Boston Globe
"Quietly dazzling." -- Ted Anthony, Associated Press
"King continues to be dedicated to giving his readers a luxuriant experience, the basic pleasure of getting lost in a book." -- Charles Taylor, New York Times Book Review
"King lets the reader put the book down at night after one story, knowing another horrific treat awaits the next day." -- Amanda St. Amand, St. Louis Post Dispatch
"In these 13 newly collected stories, we see a master craftsman at the top of his game and clearly enjoying himself.... Each story is a treat not just for King fans but for any fan of good fiction." -- Salem Macknee, Charlotte Observer
Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes The Institute, Elevation, The Outsider, Sleeping Beauties (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy, End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel and an AT&T Audience Network original television series). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works The Dark Tower and It are the basis for major motion pictures, with It now the highest grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.
Ron McLarty has appeared on Broadway in That Championship Season, Our Country's Good, and Moonchildren. His film credits include Two Bits, The Postman, and The Flamingo Kid. He has starred on television in Spenser for Hire and Cop Rock. Mr. McLarty is also a novelist and an award-winning playwright.
Mare Winningham has appeared in more than fifty film and television projects, garnering an Academy Award nomination for Georgia and Emmy Awards for the telefilms George Wallace and Amber Waves. She is also an accomplished singer-songwriter.
Thomas M. Dlugosch
5.0 out of 5 starsWhat a treat!
Stephen King's Different Seasons might be his best work but this set of short stories comes close, a series of imaginative lightning strikes.
5.0 out of 5 starsRIVETING! The entire book
I just love the way he writes using the characters' thoughts and the analogies are always perfect! I'd definitely read it again!
Linrob
Love a good Stephen King short story! Classic
3.0 out of 5 starsA fascinating collection.
I found all of Kings tales posed interesting questions. I found myself in the shoes of many of the characters, trying to assess my reactions to the dilemma each found themselves in. I recommend this collection of short stories if you are seeking a diverting read.
Steve V.
4.0 out of 5 starsKing Returns to the Short Story With Vigor and Wit
28 July 2014 - Published on Amazon.com
Just After Sunset was Stephen King's fourth short story collection (not counting his two novella collections that preceded this work), and I would say that this ranks as one of the better ones. While the stories aren't all winners, King covers a lot of different sorts storytelling themes, showing his amazing knack for getting reactions that range from terror, disgust, laughter and--most impressively--an unsettling sense that his tales could really happen. Compared to his earlier works, these stories have an impressive maturity that make them well worth taking in. In my case, I listened to the audio version, which includes all 13 stories across 13 CDs.
Here's the breakdown:
Disc 1: "Introduction" read by Stephen King -- King has an amazing ability to talk to his audience and it's never more evident than in his introductions. Here, he explains what prompted the collection and why the short story is important. Despite his almost nasally voice, King is a good reader of his own work and has a unique folksy way about him.
Disc 1: "Willa" read by Holter Graham -- Stephen King's story of the afterlife and the anxiety of what lies beyond our comprehension. Many of these stories deal with the unknown; unfortunately, "Willa" is one of the weakest stories in the collection. Holter's reading pretty good, though he seems hamstrung with the myriad of voices that are needed. Still, he acquits himself well enough in story that isn't very interesting. 2 stars
Disc 2 & 3: "The Gingerbread Girl" read by Mare Winningham -- here's a great example of two things King does well: building suspense and drawing wonderfully deep and detailed characters. This suspense yarn is bolstered by a great psychological profile of the main character and King's flourishes that lend everything an extra pop. Mare does very well with the story, even modifying her voice to show injury to the main character that impedes her speech. The only drawback is her attempt at vocalizing the killer, which comes off a little histrionic. 4 stars!
Disc 4: "Harvey's Dream" read by Stephen King -- another story that is strong on characterization, yet this brief tale doesn't have much else going for it. It's a fine listen, with King's vocals relaying the same matter-of-fact bristles of late life unhappiness and tragedy. Worth a listen. 3 stars
Disc 4: "Rest Stop" read by Denis O'Hare -- the story, about a writer that relies on his alter ego in a tight spot, is entertaining; however, I don't think it would come off nearly as well without the delivery of O'Hare. A tough, no-nonsense reading helps boost this story from forgettable to solid. 3 stars
Disc 5 & 6: "Stationary Bike" read by Ron McLarty -- Ron's voice took me a while to get used to (he sounds like he's had a lot of radio training and uses flair that remind me of Casey Kasem), but his take on the story of an artist haunted by his creation and addiction smoothed out over time. Another excellent character helps the plot to down easier, even with a some what disappointing ending. 4 stars!
Disc 6: "Graduation Night" read by Jill Eikenberry -- Very brief story about a girl that witnesses a calamity. The story isn't much, though King continues his rash of superlative character building. But the character has nothing to do, so this one is forgettable. The reading is serviceable, yet fails to mesh voice with character. 2 stars
Disc 7: "The Things They Left Behind" read by Ben Shenkman -- perfectly read by Shenkman, this is a great story that, unfortunately, seems to resolve too simply and then drags towards the end. There's a lot of haunting ideas and the main character has some of the most captivating asides. (There's one anecdotal story here that was perfect; King knows how to make us uncomfortable in the most delicious ways!) this is a great listen when you're in the mood to run the gambit of emotions. 4 stars!
Disc 8 & 9: "N." Read by Holter Graham, Denis O'Hare, Ben Shenkman & Karen Ziemba -- whoa, a full blown cast for this story?! What gives? This story, published for the first time in this collection, is another King tip of the hat to Weird fiction and it stands with the best of the lot. King May have been thinking Machen here, but Lovecraft fans will find a lot of tropes perfected by the master himself. The story concerns a man seeking help for OCD and explaining the fantastic reason while he's suddenly developed the condition. The build up of the story, which features the titular character describing his life an experiences is an extraordinarily insightful break down of OCD, only with a supernatural twist. This one is so good, it almost makes you mad that King can still wield the pen with this much precision, insight and creativity. The reading is quite good as well, though I felt it could've been done sufficiently with one less person... Maybe even two less. Still, if one story deserves this grand treatment, "N." Is it! 5 stars!
Disc 10: "The New York Times at Bargain Prices" read by Jill Eikenberry -- much like "Harvey's Dream", this sounds like the piece of a good story that isn't big enough to satisfy. A phone call from beyond effects a recent widow in this one but there's not enough to it. Jill reads the story well, but when the characters spend the entire story sitting to the side, never being proactive, it's hard to get invested. 2 stars
Disc 10: "Mute" read by Skip Sudduh -- another story that seems like a barrel scraper at first, and then turns out to be very good by the end. A strong character buoys a story of betrayal, anger and confusion that takes a bit more toned down view of organized religion than King is known for. Not a scary story, just one that has a strong emotional pull. 4 stars!
Disc 11: "The Cat from Hell" read by Holter Graham -- one of King's gross out stories that really works because it sly combines absurdism and explicit, visceral gore in such a way that you have to take it seriously until the trigger has been pulled and you realize the joke's on you. Doesn't really fit with the rest of the story, but it's nice to see this classic makes its way into an official collection. Holter's reading is solid. 3 stars
Disc 11: "Ayana" read by George Guidall -- a story about miracles... Both the good and the bad sides to them. Good story that is helped immensely by King's ability to craft nearly poetic passages in a narrative. Well read, if not spectacularly emotive. 4 stars!
Disc 12 & 13: "A Very Tight Space" read by Ron McLarty -- another gross out story... But this one's a knock out! The set up had already made me uncomfortable with one character spouting hate speech, but once the story fully unfolds, it becomes a suspenseful story that is well crafted underneath all the nasty stuff. Another story that is superbly read. 4 stars!
King also includes end notes, which I'm sure all his readers appreciate, and and few words from King about writing. I love these inclusions when read by King. This is a collection for those that love King's immaculate ability to build up believable, captivating characters.
16 people found this helpful.
LarryBear
5.0 out of 5 starsMr. King is a Master Story Teller
It goes without saying, though I'm going to say it because it's so obvious from all my King reviews, that I am definitely a fanboy of Mr. King. With the internet and the chance to post reviews ad nauseum, a lot of reviewers rip apart books and even write paragraph after paragraph, ruining the story and the plots. I think a lot of these people fancy themselves "authors" and feel the need to prove it by writing short stories about someone else's work.
My review of this book like all my reviews of Mr. King's books is short and sweet. "Just After Sunset" is a collection of short stories and they all kept me interested from start to finish. I have never read anything from Mr. King that he didn't capture my attention and keep me coming back for more. He's done it from the time I was a teenager and he continues to do it now that I'm 60. I couldn't imagine growing up without being frightened and entertained by The Master.
jonboy
5.0 out of 5 starsAW, STEVE, THE SHORT STORY WILL LIVE ON FOREVER
4 May 2014 - Published on Amazon.com
I somehow missed this collection while waiting for Under the Dome, and I'm so glad I found it just before the release of Mr. Mercedes.
What a romp! Since Mr. King has provided us with a helpful tidbit of information on how each of the stories in this collection came about, I don't need to review each one. What would be the sense? Suffice it to say that all of these stories is a perfect example of his incredible talent.
While he doesn't go quite to the level of horror, he does manage in every one to chill the bones, warm the heart and sometimes scare the bejesus out of the reader.
In his notes, he states that Willa is the weakest, but he nevertheless liked it enough to include it. I disagree. I really enjoyed it as I did all of these. Perhaps, Stationary Bike was my favorite, but they're all great.
And now, comes Mr. Mercedes. And, by the way, I think Lisey's Story is his best novel.
Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Horror
Books > Literature & Fiction > Literary
Books > Literature & Fiction > Short Stories & Anthologies > Short Stories
Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > United States
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Papua New Guinea: Vicious ‘sorcery’ killing leaves two more women at imminent risk
Authorities in Papua New Guinea must urgently step up protection for two women accused of “sorcery” whose lives are at imminent risk, Amnesty International said after a mob threatened them and hacked another woman to death last week.
On 26 May 2015 a group of men in a remote part of Enga province killed a woman identified only by the name Misila, after she had been accused of “sorcery”. The same group targeted two other women during the attack – they were assaulted and briefly held captive in a hut, but released after other villagers heard their screams.
The three women have been threatened since at least the beginning of the year. In January, local police intervened after the three women and their children received death threats and were accused of using “sorcery”. The police convinced members of the community to withdraw the accusations, but this failed to stop last week’s attack.
“The vicious killing of Misila highlights the Papua New Guinean government’s persistent failure to address the wave of attacks against those, mainly women, accused of ‘sorcery’. The government must act immediately to ensure that the perpetrators of such attacks are brought to justice,” said Kate Schuetze, Amnesty International’s Pacific Researcher.
“The fact that two other women who only narrowly escaped death last week are at imminent risk means that the government must act now. These two women must be given protection immediately and police must be given the resources to travel to remote communities so as to ensure the protection of others who are at risk, and to ensure that such attacks are investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice in fair trials, without recourse to the death penalty.”
Attacks against those accused of “sorcery”, who are mainly women, have been common in Papua New Guinea over the past years, and are also often used as a pretext to mask violence against women.
In May 2013, in a positive move, Papua New Guinea’s parliament repealed the 1971 Sorcery Act. The law had provided for a reduced sentence for anyone who committed assault or murder if they said their victim had been committing acts of “sorcery”. However, the harsher penalties have not reduced reported incidents of violence against alleged “sorcerers”.
“Papua New Guinea’s authorities must once and for all bring a halt to attacks against alleged ‘sorcerers’ and systemic violence against women. This should include addressing the root causes of these attacks through education and working closely with civil society, as well as taking immediate measures such as establishing shelters for women escaping violence,” said Kate Schuetze.
For further information contact John Tackaberry, Media Relations
(613)744-7667 #236 jtackaberry@amnesty.ca
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10 July, 2018 - 20:51 Caleb Strom
Is the Universe Only 6,000 years old? Young Earth Creationists Say Yes!
Although most mainstream scientists and most of the developed world now accept the theory of evolution and the scientifically established age of Earth and the universe, there is still a group of people that resist the status quo and insist, based on a particular literal interpretation of Genesis 1-11 in the Hebrew Bible, that the universe is only 6,000 years old and was created in six literal days. As of 2014, 42% of Americans believe that the universe was created about 10,000 years ago and that all life was created more or less in its present form at that time. This has, of course, been a common belief in Christian circles for most of the history of the faith, but the modern Young Earth Creationist movement has relatively recent origins in the Seventh Day Adventist movement. The prevalence of Young Earth Creationism in the United States is also related to the history of Christianity in the United States, from the founding of the Republic to the culture wars which have raged for the past few decades.
‘The Creation of Adam’ (c. 1511) by Michelangelo. ( Public Domain )
Guessing and Dating the Age of the Universe
For the first 1700 years of Christian history, belief in a literal six-day creation and a world that was a few thousand years old was widespread within Christendom. This is because, until the early Modern Period, there was no reason to think otherwise. The early Church Fathers and Medieval theologians did not know about radiometric dating or how rock layers formed, so a few thousand years was a reasonable guess for the age of the universe.
In 1650, the Anglican archbishop James Ussher calculated that the world was created around 4004 BC based on the genealogies recorded in the book of Genesis. In terms of what was known about human history and the history of the universe at the time, this was a perfectly reasonable date. It was compatible with the science of the day.
Portrait of James Ussher by Peter Lely. ( Public Domain )
Problems with this interpretation began to arise in the 18th century, when scientists began to study geological formations and found that they had been laid down slowly over long periods of time rather than rapidly in a great flood as described in the book of Genesis. This concept is today referred to as deep time. Deep time was further popularized by Charles Lyell. By the early 19th century, almost all geologists had embraced deep time, including geologists who were professing Christians. These Christian geologists did not originally see belief in long ages as conflicting with the Bible.
The 130-Million-Year-Old Human Fossil Heist
Mormons’ creation theory: Christian creation with a twist
The Immense Collection of Strange Acambaro Figurines: Evidence of Dinosaurs Living Among Us?
Geological time spiral. ( Public Domain )
Denial of Deep Time Emerges
Between 1910 and 1915, a group of conservative Evangelical Christians published The Fundamentals which laid out what they believed to be the fundamentals of the Protestant Christian faith. This launched the Fundamentalist movement. One thing that might surprise many people considering the modern connotations of the term “fundamentalist” is that the leaders of the Fundamentalist movement did not have a problem with evolution or deep time. One of the original Fundamentalists, Benjamin B. Warfield, a prominent conservative theologian of the day, even talked about how evolution could be the process used by God to create life.
As evolution became widely accepted in the 1870s, caricatures of Charles Darwin with an ape or monkey body symbolized evolution. ( Public Domain )
It was not until the 1960s that denial of deep time and evolution became prevalent in Evangelical circles in the United States. If this is the case, then where did the Young Earth Creationist movement come from? Why did the position of many American Evangelicals shift so dramatically?
Modern Young Earth Creationists
Although most conservative Christians did not reject evolution or deep time in the early 20th century, there was one group that did, the Seventh Day Adventists (SDA). The Seventh Day Adventists are a theologically orthodox sect of Christianity which was founded by the prophetess Ellen White in 1863. One of their more visible beliefs is that church services should be held on Saturday instead of Sunday. Ellen White had a series of visions which her followers took to be divinely inspired. Among these visions were insights into how the world was created. From her visions, she concluded that the universe was created only 6,000 years ago in six literal days and that all the rock layers and fossils within them were laid down in a global deluge based on the flood account recorded in Genesis 6-9.
Ellen G. White in 1899. ( Public Domain )
Seventh Day Adventist scientists, such as the geologist George McCready Price, defended this view with scientific arguments for a young earth and a global flood. These arguments had a significant influence on the writers of the book, The Genesis Flood . That book was written in 1961 by Henry Morris and John C. Whitcomb who both had read the writings of SDA young earth creationists.
This book is most often associated with the beginning of the modern Young Earth Creationist movement. After this book was published, Young Earth Creationism began to become popular in mainstream Evangelical circles. By the 1970s, it was common among conservative Christians in the United States and a few other countries, such as Australia and New Zealand, to reject the mainstream scientific account of cosmic origins in favor of a literal interpretation of Genesis 1-11 which describes the period from creation to right after the flood of Noah.
‘Noah’s ark on the Mount Ararat’ (1570) by Simon de Myle. ( Public Domain )
This movement reached a peak in 1982, when Young Earth Creationists pushed for a creationist science curriculum to be taught in schools. This curriculum would explain natural history from the perspective of a 6,000-year-old earth, a global flood, and the idea that all life was essentially created in its present form. The attempt was ruled as unconstitutional in the famous Mclean vs Arkansas case. Since then, Young Earth Creationism has become less of a force in American cultural life, but a little less than half of Americans still believe in Young Earth Creationism.
Young Earth Creationist Sues the Grand Canyon and Wins
In 2017, a young earth creationist won a legal battl e with the National Park Service over access to test rock samples from the Grand Canyon. Geologist Dr. Andrew Snelling wished to test the samples in order to find evidence to support his belief that the canyon was carved out in a few days by Noah’s flood, but was denied. Dr Snelling filed a lawsite claiming his request was denied due to religious discrimination. The several-year-long battle ended when Dr Snelling was finally granted permits to sample the Grand Canyon.
While Dr Snelling’s beliefs may seem surprising, a 2017 Gallup poll in the US revealed that 38% of Americans still believe that the earth was created by God less than 10,000 years ago.
Why Did Young Earth Creationism Take Root So Strongly?
One question that can be asked is how and why Young Earth Creationism took root so strongly in the United States. There is a sizeable creationist presence in in Britain, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and a few other countries, but Christian Young Earth Creationism remains a predominantly American phenomenon. What is it about the American cultural and religious landscape that makes creationism particularly attractive to Americans? One possible explanation is how religion fits into American political philosophy.
After the Revolutionary War, churches came to be considered by many people, especially conservative Protestant Christians, as central to the development of a healthy republic. This is partly because the Founding Fathers believed that for a republic to flourish, its citizens had to be virtuous. They believed that the best way to instill virtue in citizens was through the moral teachings of religions such as Christianity, though many of the Founding Fathers themselves would have accepted any religion that had satisfactory moral teachings. Since Christianity was overwhelmingly common in the Thirteen Colonies, they believed that it would be best to encourage Christian morality to instill virtue in American citizens.
Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States (1940) by Howard Chandler Christy. ( Public Domain )
Also, as a byproduct of the rise of American republicanism, all sources of authority that came from the state or a state church came to be viewed with suspicion. One source of authority which was not viewed with suspicion was the Bible because it could be read by anyone and was thus believed to belong to the common people and was therefore democratic.
Because of this and the perceived importance of religion in the maintenance of a healthy republic, the Bible came to be considered central to the continuing prosperity and success of the American nation. As a result, anything that threatened Biblical authority was considered a threat to the social and moral fabric of American society by American conservative Christians.
Did the Beginning of Life on Earth Depend on Black Holes?
The Truth Behind the Christ Myth: Ancient Origins of the Often Used Legend – Part I
Scientists debunk fundamentalists claim that humans lived at same time as dinosaurs
How Young Earth Creationism is Maintained
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, liberal theologians and other academics began to question Biblical authority and literal interpretations of the Bible. They advocated non-literal interpretations which, to many conservative Christians, seemed to rob the Bible of its authority and relevance. This was considered a threat to traditional Christianity but probably also to the American republic and to liberty and freedom itself - since a truly free republic was only possible with virtue, and virtue, according to American Christians, came from the Bible.
In response, conservative Christian theologians began to emphasize literal interpretations of the Bible. This preference for a literal interpretation of the Bible gradually led to the acceptance of literal interpretations of Genesis, even ones that conflicted with what was known of human or natural history. Which brings us to today.
Display at the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky, USA. (David Berkowitz/ CC BY 2.0 )
Thus, it could be said that Young Earth Creationism lives on in America because it is intertwined with the history of American religion and political philosophy and things that don’t necessarily have anything to do with orthodox Christianity itself.
Top Image: Detail of ‘God creating the Sun, the Moon and the Stars’ by Jan Brueghel the Younger. Source: Public Domain
By Caleb Strom
“Evangelicals, Creation, and Scripture: An Overview” by Mark Noll (N.D.). BioLogos Foundation. Available at: https://biologos.org/uploads/projects/Noll_scholarly_essay.pdf
“In U.S., 42% Believe Creationist View of Human Origins” by Frank Newport (2014). Gallup. Available at: http://www.gallup.com/poll/170822/believe-creationist-view-human-origins.aspx
Numbers, Ronald L. The creationists: From scientific creationism to intelligent design . No. 33. Harvard University Press, 2006.
young earth
Caleb Strom
I have a bachelor's degree in earth science but I minored in anthropological archaeology and have attended an archaeological field school. I have participated in archaeological excavations in Greece and San Diego. I am especially interested in classical Greek history... Read More
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Bruce N wrote on 28 May, 2017 - 20:00 Permalink
Rita's book did more to open my eyes about the likely truth about the origin of the universe and life on Earth than my entire high school and college tenure combined. She's really worth reading
mr_bellows wrote on 28 May, 2017 - 19:49 Permalink
Hi Bruce: thanks for that information - my intuition tells me you are spot on, in the supposition. I learned more from your brief comment than i did in reading this entire article.
I was about to question, with a rant and rave, the need for A-O dot net to even post an article like this. so thank you for helping me avoid that drama :)
Your comment reminded me that only through discussion and 'knowledge sharing' can a truth emerge which can validate a 'theory' - more than ranting and raving does anyways.
so, thanks Bruce - good comment
The people who believe the Earth was created in 6 literal days ignore the etymology of the word day. Day comes from the PIE word *agh- meaning a span of time (think of phrases like 'back in my day'), and meant as much at the time of the Septuagint. Because of the nature of etymology, people did not realize this when they pinpointed the origin of the universe in the middle ages. Rita Louise in her book ET Chronicles correctly points out if you think of the 'in the beginning' part as 6 eras instead of 24 hour periods it matches closer to the modern origin theories starting with the Big Bang Theory through the time of the dinosaurs etc. all the way until when Adam and Eve show up.
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Hanoch Levin (Israel)
Hanoch Levin, one of Israel's leading dramatists, was born in Tel Aviv and studied philosophy and literature at Tel Aviv University. At first he wrote poetry, but later concentrated on the theater. He became resident playwright of the Cameri Theater in Tel Aviv and also worked with Habimah, Israel's national theater. Levin wrote fifty plays, thirty-four of which have been staged. His work includes comedies, tragedies, and satiric cabarets, most of which he directed himself. In addition, he published five books of short stories and poems, and a book for children. He received numerous theater awards both in Israel and abroad-most notably at the Edinburgh Festival-and his plays have been staged around the world. Levin was awarded the Bialik Prize in 1994.
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13 August 2018 — News Landscape by Thomas Stuart Smith identified as the Sanctuary of Saint Michael the Archangel
Sanctuary of Saint Michael the Archangel, oil on canvas by Thomas Stuart Smith (1813–1869)
Photo credit: : The Stirling Smith Art Gallery & Museum
The Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum opened a discussion as to whether the ambiguous location of this painting could be the Santuario Santa Rosalia in Italy, based on the composition’s resemblance to modern photographs of the interior of the cave system.
Kieran Owens queried this initial suggestion, comparing it with R. Brandard’s 1840 steel engraving Shrine of Santa Rosalia on Monte Pellegrino and concluding that the two bear very little resemblance to one another. This led Owens to propose as an alternative location the Sanctuary of Saint Michael the Archangel in the cave system at the village of Saint Angelo a Fasanella, which is in the mountains about 50 miles south-east of the city of Salerno. This was based on similarities he noticed between the clothing worn by the figures in the image and typical folk costume of the Salerno region, as well as parallels he drew between Smith’s painting and a drawing by Achille Vianelli that depicts an almost identical perspective of the cave system. This interpretation was furthered by Martin Hopkinson, who expanded on Owens’ suggestion that Smith and Vianelli may well have travelled together in Italy alongside fellow artist Giacinto Gigante, by recommending the comparison of Smith’s work to the pencil drawings of the Gigante brothers.
Based on this conclusive evidence, group leader Andrew Greg recommended that Owens’ identification of the location of the painting as the Sanctuary of Saint Michael the Archangel be accepted, with both Art UK and the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum agreeing to amend the title of the work.
Emily Parsons, Art UK volunteer
Could this be the Santuario Santa Rosalia?
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See Jack Die: Paranormal Romance
See Jack Die Series, Book 1
By: Nicholas Black
Narrated by: Christopher Sutton
Series: See Jack Die, Book 1
Are you scared of the dark... ?
You will be.
Jack Pagan might as well be four months old. He awoke in a hospital after suffering a head injury that left him dead for over 67 minutes. All of his long-term memories were destroyed. Now he has to start his life again. His accidental flirt with death left him a special gift. In those few minutes as he fades off to sleep each night, and in those early hours of the morning as he numbly awakens, he sees them.
At first the shadows would just stretch into strange shapes and forms. Jack thought that he was hallucinating. That his medication was playing with his vision. Then the strange shadows began to walk around, moving freely. Jack chalked it up to a brain tumor. Some disease in his cerebral cortex. Schizophrenia, even. Something he could live with.
Now these creatures are haunting not only his nights but his days. And they have a tendency to show themselves around people who are about to die. Seeking help, he turns to a psychic who gives him a very special book. A book that he was destined to find. Jack learns that the only way he will ever know about who he was is to face his worst fears and die... again.
In a series of incredible twists and turns, Jack finds out that the worlds of the living and the dead are much closer than any of us can possibly imagine. And monsters...are real.
A little bit of horror, some suspense, a lot of paranormal, and even a bit of romance...
©2009, 2010, 2012, 2014 Nicholas Black (P)2015 Nicholas Black
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AudioBook Reviewer
this was a pretty entertaining story
This book follows the journey of Jack Pagan (the snazzy alternative to 'John Doe'), a man suffering from amnesia following an accident. Since waking up, Jack now has the ability to cross over into the land of the dead and communicate with the spirits he meets there - he also has the ability to see the dark creatures that follow the living before their demise. I found this story oddly (pun intended) reminiscent of the Odd Thomas series which I have read recently though there are some key differences that stop them from being too alike.
The story takes place in the first person, namely Jack, so that we can see the world as he does from his limited perspective. I found this to be an interesting take at the beginning, however it did begin to get a little tedious by after a little while as the story became more predictable and listening to Jack being used by all the other characters began to tick me off.
This is a very character driven novel, everything we learn about the world we learn through Jack's thoughts and the conversations shared with the people close to him - unfortunately, I found it very difficult to bond with Jack and then struggled to invest myself in the rest of the book. Even though he is mild mannered and pleasant, I found his tendency towards naivety and being easily led by those around him to be really frustrating.
The book covered some interesting and dark concepts such as death, the power of the living and human identity - but the author tries to keep it light with some humour, sometimes it works... sometimes it doesn't. All in all, this was a pretty entertaining story - if you're a fan of the Odd Thomas series or supernatural mysteries, this could be the book for you.
I find it quite difficult to rate the narration of this book as it was told in the first person, and I personally didn't really like the main character. Christopher Sutton's tone was largely introspective and self pitying, which was appropriate to the story and the main character and exactly why I struggled to like Jack, I feel would have been less grating had I read the book for myself and diluted the character. The production quality of this book certainly met my expectations as a listener.
All of this said, I want to make it clear that this book is not badly written or narrated by any stretch of the imagination- it simply didn't do it for me, I like my horror more bloody and less introspective.
Audiobook was provided for review by the author.
Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog
[If this review helped, please press YES. Thanks!]
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Asetek Announces Thirteen Installations on the TOP500 Supercomputer List
Tweet Wednesday, November 14, 2018
Three Systems in the TOP20 and the Fastest Supercomputers in Taiwan and Jap
San Jose, Calif. – November 13, 2018– Asetek, the leader in flexible, reliable and proven liquid cooling for high performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI), announced that its Direct-to-Chip (D2C) liquid cooling technology is cooling thirteen installations on the November 2018 edition of the TOP500 list of the fastest supercomputers in the world. Three of the installations are in the TOP20, including the fastest supercomputers in Taiwan and Japan.
Ranked #7 on the TOP500 list is the fastest supercomputer in Japan, the AI Bridging Cloud Infrastructure system (ABCI) installed at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST). This was installed by Asetek’s OEM partner Fujitsu.
Ranked #14 on the TOP500 list is the Oakforest-PACS system installed at the Joint Center for Advanced High Performance Computing (JCAHPC), also installed by Asetek’s OEM partner Fujitsu.
#20 on the list is Taiwania 2 installed at the National Center for High-Performance Computing (NCHC)by Asetek’s OEM partner QCT.
Other systems in Asia include the ITO subsystem at Kyushu University (#37), the Grand Chariot system at Hokkaido University (#95), Afinity at Tohoku University (#126), Big Waterfall at RIKEN (#193), Taiwania at NCHC (#237), and the NSCC cluster at the National Supercomputing Centre Singapore (#420) – all installed by Asetek’s OEM partner Fujitsu.
Clusters in North America on the list include Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Grizzly (#204) and SandiaNational Laboratories (SNL) Cayenne (#275), Serrano (#276) and Eclipse (#308). These clusters were installed by Asetek’s OEM partner Penguin Computing under the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Commodity Technology Systems-1 (CTS-1) contract.
All thirteen TOP500 clusters were also ranked on the Green500 list, eight of which were in the Green100, led by ABCI installed at AIST ranked at #4. Others included Taiwania 2 (#10), Oakforest-PACS (#29), Taiwania (#45), SNL Cayenne (#82), Serrano (#83) and Eclipse (#93) clusters, as well as the LANL Grizzly (#85) cluster.
“We are pleased that Asetek has seen yet another increase in TOP500 installations – moving from eleven to thirteen installations in the latest edition of the TOP500 list, with three systems in the TOP20,” said John Hamill, Chief Operating Officer at Asetek. “HPC and AI workloads require high performance processors in dense configurations.The TOP500 list is proof positive that Asetek liquid cooling is being recognized as an optimal solution to cool the dramatically higher power densities of the racks deployed for these applications.”
To solve the heat management challenges associated with HPC and AI workloads, Asetek and Intel have recently collaborated to bring warm water liquid cooling to the latest Intel® Compute Modules featuring Intel® Xeon® Scalable Processors and Intel® Xeon® Phi™ Processors with both Asetek’s D2C and Liquid Assisted Air Cooling technologies.
“We look forward to seeing HPC and AI clusters based on liquid-cooled Intel Compute Modules make future TOP500 lists. We are extremely proud to be the only liquid cooling solution validated and factory installed by Intel,” continued Hamill.
For more information on Asetek’s highly flexible liquid cooling platform that is ideal for efficiently cooling the latest server designs, please visit www.asetek.com.
The TOP500 List
The first version of what became today’s TOP500 list started as an exercise for a small conference in Germany in June 1993. Out of curiosity, the authors decided to revisit the list in November 1993 to see how things had changed. About that time, they realized they might be onto something and decided to continue compiling the list, which is now a much-anticipated, much-watched and much-debated twice-yearly event.
The TOP500 list is compiled by Erich Strohmaier and Horst Simon of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Jack Dongarra of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville; and Martin Meuer of ISC Group, Germany. To learn more, visit https://www.top500.org/.
The Green500 List
The Green500 list ranks the top 500 supercomputers in the world by energy efficiency. The focus of performance-at-any-cost computer operations has led to the emergence of supercomputers that consume vast amounts of electrical power and produce so much heat that large cooling facilities must be constructed to ensure proper performance. To address this trend, the Green500 list puts a premium on energy-efficient performance for sustainable supercomputing. To learn more, visit https://www.top500.org/green500/.
Asetek is the global leader in liquid cooling solutions for data centers, servers and PCs. Founded in 2000, Asetek is headquartered in Denmark and has operations in the United States, Germany, China and Taiwan. Asetek is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (ASETEK.OL).
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Don't Tell Her How You Feel Too Fast
Do you think it's okay for a guy to surprise a woman by taking her to a nice restaurant or buying her a gift every once in a while if he's into her?
You mentioned something that I don't bring up very often, but it's important to be "generous" and "thoughtful" with the woman in your life.
Now, before I talk about this, keep in mind that this isn't something to do with a woman you've just met. Save this for later, after you've been out several times.
This is the kind of thing you do with a woman you really like and might be interested in pursuing a relationship with.
If a woman mentions that she wants to go to a particular restaurant, make a mental note, then surprise her and go there a few weeks later.
Remembering things, then acting on them later as a surprise makes a huge impact. It's a very considerate thing to do.
But like I said, this is something you do down the line with a woman that you really like. Not in the beginning!
Why are women attracted to guys who act like jerks?
You know, I'm reminded of the part in the movie The Matrix when Morpheus says, "He's starting to believe."
I know, it's a total and complete freak show that this kind of thing makes women feel attraction.
But remember, it's not what you're saying and doing that creates the feeling, it's what it means about you.
Women are attracted to men who are strong, independent, and even a little cocky. When you do and say the right things, you're communicating a quality about yourself... which is very attractive.
And the proof is in the pudding. The responses you'll get from women tell the story.
"He's starting to believe."
How might you get things to become "playful" if you found yourself alone with two beautiful models in their mid-20s and a bottle of wine?
Okay, now you've done it.
You're starting to ask one of those "all men will hate you and wish you would get a huge boil on your nose" questions.
But I have to allow it because it's so damn juicy.
Two models? Mid-20s? Playful? Vino?
Here's what I'd do if I were you...
I'd suggest a game of "Truth or Dare." Of course, you could suggest "Spin the Bottle," but I think it's better to play while drinking the vino.
Truth: "Have you ever kissed a woman?"
Dare: "Do it."
You didn't hear that from me... I know nothing.
This article is sponsored in part by DoubleYourDating.com (What's this?)
David DeAngelo is the author of the book Double Your Dating: What Every Man Should Know About How To Be Successful With Women, and several other products that can help men become more successful with women and dating. He also publishes a free online Dating Tips newsletter, available at www.DoubleYourDating.com.
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Surviving A Grizzly Attack
How A Grizzly Attack Completely Changed One Man For The Better
Dennis Ryan
To a large degree, we are what we do.
How does a survivor of a bear attack return to the scene of the crime as though nothing had ever happened?
As it turns out, there's a reason race car drivers and skydivers get back to what they do after horrible accidents — it's because, to a large degree, we are what we do. It's no different for a man who grew up fishing all over Canada and Alaska with his father, who's most comfortable and connected to the world when he's floating along the banks of his favorite river. As Bigley puts it, the bear had forcefully taken his sight; being too scared or unwilling to enjoy his beloved pastimes as a result of that would mean the bear had taken not only his vision but a huge part of his personality.
Bigley, back on the river.
Closure also came into play. Scary as it must have been to return that first time, Bigley's successful forays back into the wilderness helped drive home the fact that what happened to him was random. It wasn't because he'd asked for it by going into bear territory or because he hadn't taken precautions. It was just bad luck — like being struck by lightning while walking to your car during a storm.
Not only was Bigley able to keep his promise to Amber the day he went back on the river, but he managed to catch himself a nice 40-pound king.
But despite all his success, Dan's biggest challenge would lie ahead.
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Leadership Lessons From Legendary Alpha Males
Ross Bonander
There’s no question that Wilt the Stilt’s accomplishments are directly related to his incredible size. Yet for much of his life he was regarded as a freak of nature. As a high school freshman, he was already 6’11” and entered the NBA at 7'1" and 250 pounds, an absolute behemoth. Unpopular wherever he went, teams began to triple-team him and commit so many egregious fouls against him that he worried he would endure one too many and kick someone’s ass.
For many years, Wilt Chamberlain carried his team on his back, setting scoring records that have yet to be topped. He failed, however, to win a championship until he changed the focus of his game and began to use his skills not to pad his own stats but to get the most out of his teammates. The result was swift: His first NBA championship.
Lesson: Embrace your skills and use them to elevate those around you
No man is an island, and even the most confident alpha males learn this eventually. Napoleon’s appointed marshals were brilliant military men. More often than not, George Steinbrenner has been wise enough to rely on his executives. The point is that your skills and talents have a greater chance of serving your goals if they aren’t focused directly on your achievements. Redirecting those talents to elevate those around you will almost always better serve your aims.
Hugh Hefner has always been a staunch libertarian and has consistently opposed laws or restrictions on sexuality. These views may or may not have been ahead of their time, but his confidence and arrogance in expressing them in public certainly was. A high school essay of his attacked America’s puritanism, and a grad school term paper praised the recently released Kinsey Report "Sexual Behavior in the Human Male.”
Lesson: Personal convictions don’t mean personal restrictions
Living life according to your own beliefs and convictions is one thing, but putting that to your advantage and using it as a guide to your success, quite another. Personal beliefs are sometimes regarded as restrictive. Hefner’s decision to launch a magazine promoting his beliefs exhibited a capacity for putting them to work and obtaining results, as opposed to passively sitting behind them.
MacArthur had a long association with the Philippines, including three separate tours of duty prior to World War II. In 1941, he was made Allied commander in the Philippines and when the Japanese invaded the islands, he managed to hold them off for only so long, retreating onto the Bataan Peninsula before Roosevelt insisted he flee to Australia. The army surrendered to the Japanese shortly thereafter, suffering horribly as POWs. From Australia, MacArthur vowed, “I came out of Bataan and I shall return.”
He never lost sight of this promise, triumphantly fulfilling it three years later. Not only did he reclaim the entire Commonwealth, he would enjoy the ultimate revenge in 1945, when he personally accepted Japanese surrender aboard the USS Missouri.
Lesson: When you give your word, always deliver on it
There are few more unappealing traits than being all talk and no action. People come to regard people with this habit as unreliable and impotent, and begin to look past them when they need a go-to guy. While you should never promise to deliver the impossible, you should also never fail to deliver on your promises.
The Duke was such an American icon that when Japanese Emperor Hirohito visited the U.S. in the 1970s, he asked to meet him. Despite never technically serving in the military, countless men enlisted for service having been inspired by his rugged tough-guy image. It was a persona Wayne was interested in maintaining as he got older, insisting that his characters never do anything ignoble, such as shoot a man in the back.
The result was a man with a powerful presence, and part of this presence arose from something simple, something many of us take for granted: posture. He never slouched or hung his chin, his back was straight, his shoulders cocked and wide. It wasn’t something he overdid, just something he did. The wider result was an imposing presence that commanded respect.
Lesson: Don’t underestimate the power of presence
Not everyone can be an iconic 6’4” movie star known for his ass-kicking prowess, but you can learn from the manner in which Wayne carried himself. Through body language and demeanor alone, Wayne was always the baddest man in the room. People read body language both consciously and subconsciously, and few unspoken things can make people lose confidence in you quicker than seeing you slouch at a meeting or give a presentation with hunched shoulders. Such displays of indifference breeds more indifference, while the perception of strength breeds respect and power.
the alpha male academy
As I mentioned in the entry for Gordon Ramsay, alpha males aren’t concerned with being liked. This is true in part because they already get enough love from themselves. But they aren’t the only ones who love them; while conducting research for this article, I came across numerous blogs that featured women tangled in a heated discussion concerning the alpha male. Allow me to paraphrase the overarching female opinion on such men, “Alpha Males are jerks. I can’t stand how attracted I am to them.”
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Home » Geology » Billion-Year-Old Water Could Hold Clues to Life on Earth and Mars
Billion-Year-Old Water Could Hold Clues to Life on Earth and Mars
Categories: Geology
By Astrobiology Magazine - May 21, 2013
Primordial soup or sparkling water? Credit: University of Manchester
A UK-Canadian team of scientists has discovered ancient pockets of water, which have been isolated deep underground for billions of years and contain abundant chemicals known to support life.
This water could be some of the oldest on the planet and may even contain life. Not just that, but the similarity between the rocks that trapped it and those on Mars raises the hope that comparable life-sustaining water could lie buried beneath the red planet’s surface.
The findings, published in Nature, may force us to rethink which parts of our planet are fit for life, and could reveal clues about how microbes evolve in isolation.
Researchers from the universities of Manchester, Lancaster, Toronto and McMaster analysed water pouring out of boreholes from a mine 2.4 kilometres beneath Ontario, Canada.
They found that the water is rich in dissolved gases like hydrogen, methane and different forms – called isotopes – of noble gases such as helium, neon, argon and xenon. Indeed, there is as much hydrogen in the water as around hydrothermal vents in the deep ocean, many of which teem with microscopic life.
The hydrogen and methane come from the interaction between the rock and water, as well as natural radioactive elements in the rock reacting with the water. These gases could provide energy for microbes that may not have been exposed to the sun for billions of years.
The crystalline rocks surrounding the water are thought to be around 2.7 billion years old. But no-one thought the water could be the same age, until now.
Using ground-breaking techniques developed at the University of Manchester, the researchers show that the fluid is at least 1.5 billion years old, but could be significantly older.
Dr. Greg Holland of Lancaster University. Credit: Lancaster University
NERC-funded Professor Chris Ballentine of The University of Manchester, co-author of the study, and project director, said: "We’ve found an interconnected fluid system in the deep Canadian crystalline basement that is billions of years old, and capable of supporting life. Our finding is of huge interest to researchers who want to understand how microbes evolve in isolation, and is central to the whole question of the origin of life, the sustainability of life, and life in extreme environments and on other planets."
Before this finding, the only water of this age was found trapped in tiny bubbles in rock and is incapable of supporting life. But the water found in the Canadian mine pours from the rock at a rate of nearly two litres per minute. It has similar characteristics to far younger water flowing from a mine 2.8 kilometres below ground in South Africa that was previously found to support microbes.
Professor Ballentine and his colleagues don’t yet know if the underground system in Canada sustains life, but Dr Greg Holland of Lancaster University, lead author of the study, said: "Our Canadian colleagues are trying to find out if the water contains life right now. What we can be sure of is that we have identified a way in which planets can create and preserve an environment friendly to microbial life for billions of years. This is regardless of how inhospitable the surface might be, opening up the possibility of similar environments in the subsurface of Mars."
Professor Ballentine, based in Manchester’s School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, added: "While the questions about life on Mars raised by our work are incredibly exciting, the ground-breaking techniques we have developed at Manchester to date ancient waters also provide a way to calculate how fast methane gas is produced in ancient rock systems globally. The same new techniques can be applied to characterise old, deep groundwater that may be a safe place to inject carbon dioxide."
David Willetts, Minister for Universities and Science, sais: "This is excellent pioneering research. It gives new insight into our planet. It has also developed new technology for carbon capture and storage projects. These have the potential for growth, job creation and our environment."
This work was funded by NSERC Discovery and CRC grants, a NERC grant and Deep Carbon Observatory (DCO) support.
Collecting water samples 2.4km underground. Credit: University of Manchester
Publication of press-releases or other out-sourced content does not signify endorsement or affiliation of any kind.
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Source: University of Manchester press release
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"I like boring things like loyalty, and I like to have a good time too." — Bono
User Profiles - @U2 Tours
U2 Concerts where E G heard The Electric Co.
05/09/2005: at United Center in Chicago in the Main Set
06/24/2005: at Croke Park in Dublin in the Main Set
10/07/2005: at Madison Square Garden in New York in the Main Set
05/19/2015: at SAP Center at San Jose in San Jose in the Main Set
05/22/2015: at US Airways Center in Phoenix in the Main Set
05/26/2015: at Forum in Inglewood in the Main Set
06/12/2015: at Bell Centre in Montreal in the Main Set
11/23/2015: at 3Arena in Dublin in the Main Set
Return to E G's Profile
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Sydney Craft Beer & Cider Fair returns to The Oak Barrel
By cwhitting on June 6, 2018 in Beer, Beer & Breweries, Breweries, Cider, Craft Beer, Entertaining, Events, New Beers, People, Products, Retail, Tasting Notes, Uncategorised, Venues
The Sydney Craft Beer & Cider Fair is returning to The Oak Barrel, Sydney, on 30 June 2018.
The seventh annual fair will feature 24 breweries and cideries, each pushed to provide something new. The Oak Barrel is a bottleshop that features several tasting rooms, which are cleared for event. The fair has a 70% turnover of exhibitors, as The Oak Barrel’s manager Ian Chainey looks to feature something new at each fair.
“The idea was originally and still is to get the actual producers in front of the customers,” he explains. “It’s about meeting other passionate people. We’ve had more of a focus on local brewers, although this year we have quite a few internationals. Some people bring in kegs for the day. People are bringing growlers of stuff they have on tap which isn’t available here.”
Returning brewers include Pioneer, Shenanigans, Two Metres, Frenchies, while Hop Nation, Prancing Pony, Bridge Road and Wildflower will there for the first time. In addition, international brewers from Sweden (Brekeriet and Dugges), Belgium (Boon) and the USA (Sixpoint) will also be presenting their wares. Ciders will be provided by Pomologist, Small Acres, Flying Brick and The Cheeky Grog.
“We’ve seen the quality of craft beer in Australia grow,” adds Chainey. “The product now is so much improved from where it was seven years ago. They’re been plying their trade for more years, so the quality is really consistent and really good.”
Tickets are available for the afternoon or evening sessions on The Oak Barrel’s website. The Oak Barrel is located on 152 Elizabeth Street, Sydney 2000.
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About Belarus Travel Business Government Press centre
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Lukashenko expresses condolences to Colombia over natural disaster victims
“It is with big pain that people in Belarus have learned the news about human victims and devastations in the south of Colombia, in the town of Mocoa and its neighborhood, as a result of the floods and landslides caused by a heavy rain”...
Belarusian MPs confirm visa-free deal with Argentina
The agreement provides for visa-free entry, exit, transit and temporary stay on the territory of the other state for a period of up to 90 days (from the date of the first entry) for citizens of the two states who have a valid travel document (passport)...
Lukashenko sends greetings to Serbia president-elect Aleksandar Vucic
“This victory testifies to the recognition of your achievements as prime minister by the Serbian people. It shows that they pin hopes for new achievements, further progress and prosperity of the country,” the message of greetings reads...
Putin praises integration cooperation between Belarus, Russia
Vladimir Putin stressed the importance of the Union State for the Russian and Belarusian people and praised the results the two countries reached in integration cooperation in the political, trade, economic, sci-tech, humanitarian and the sectors over more than two last decades...
Lukashenko sends Belarus-Russia Unity Day greetings to Vladimir Putin
“This important holiday symbolizes strong historical ties and the like-mindedness of our peoples. The Union State has a solid foundation relying on the rich spiritual and cultural legacy and on a huge economic potential of cooperation,” the message of greetings reads...
Belarus eager to sign cooperation agreement with European Space Agency
“The roadmap for our preparations for the congress is under development. It will include ideas regarding our plans to sign an agreement with the European Space Agency,” Aleksei Belotserkovsky noted...
Rapota: The date for the Supreme State Council meeting is yet to be decided
The State Secretary mentioned the meeting of the Union State Council of Ministers which was planned for late 2016, but did not take place due to different reasons. The agenda of 27 issues was prepared for the meeting. “Almost all 27 issues have been settled. We have such a form of cooperation which is to adopt decisions as we go. The same is true about the Supreme State Council,” Grigory Rapota said...
Belarusians’, Russians’ travel freedom unaffected by Russian measures at Belarusian-Russian border
Grigory Rapota said: “The absence of borders, freedom of travels for citizens represent some of the key accomplishments of the Union State of Belarus and Russia. None of the actions currently being taken at the border has an effect on the freedom of movement for citizens of Belarus and Russia”...
Belarus to present report on fulfilling Convention on Nuclear Safety in IAEA
Belarus’ seventh report met increased interest, which was on par with the interest in reports of countries with a well-developed nuclear energy industry. The report met 214 questions in accordance with the IAEA procedures. Each question received a substantial answer...
Top Belarusian MPs to partake in conferences of parliamentary speakers in Warsaw, Seoul
The delegation of the Belarusian parliament intends to work hard as part of the Central European Initiative (CEI), over which Belarus presides this year...
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New Concert Venue Opening at Coney Island Art Walls This Summer
4/29/2019 by Taylor Mims
People swim in the water on a hot afternoon at Coney Island Beach on Aug. 29, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
Event producer DEG Presents (formerly known as RPM Presents) is bringing a brand-new concert venue to iconic Coney Island in Brooklyn, N.Y.
The venue, Amuse, will open with 50,000 square feet of space at the Coney Island Art Walls, which is an outdoor museum of street art located off the boardwalk.
“The objective is to create a really immersive environment for the fans to enjoy,” says DEG Presents owner Eddie Dean. “It is a site that is flexible and we’re open to doing all different types of lifestyle and cultural events as well.”
Amuse will be a scalable 20,000 square foot tent with various options for day time and evening events. The structure will be available for private events all the way up to 4,000-capacity concerts. The custom-made cube-shaped structure will have the ability to hang lights, audio and other production features.
The facility will sit among art provided by local and big-name artists, such as Obey’s Shepard Fairey, and will be surrounded by rotating food and beverage options housed in shipping containers.
Rendering of Amuse venue in Coney Island.Courtesy of DEG Presents
“We’re going to be bringing in and curating the food based on the production. So that will vary from show to show,” Dean tells Billboard. “We are working on specialty drink programs. Just taking it up a notch is the best way to put it.”
Working alongside KM Productions, the venue plans to offer events from roughly Memorial Day to Labor Day each summer and expects to host a variety of entertainment, especially dance music and DJs. Coney Island receives about 5 million unique visitors each year and Amuse will work in conjunction with the Art Walls to bring a new generation to the American landmark.
“Coney Island is quintessential Brooklyn. It is such an amazing environment at an amusement park setting. It is right on the beach. It is really a one-of-a-kind opportunity and we’re really excited,” says Dean. “People can make an entire day out of it. You could go to the beach, spend some time on the rides and then come to a nice concert.”
DEG Presents will launch Amuse at the Coney Island Arts Walls in May with the opening events expected to be announced soon.
Check out a rendering of the venue below and head here for more information.
DEG PRESENTS AMUSE CONEY ART WALLS from DEG Presents on Vimeo.
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Reg E. Cathey (1958-2018)
Posted on October 26, 2018 January 26, 2019 by contributed by: Anna Christian
African American History: AAHPeople: African Americans in the West: AAWPeople: African American History: African Americans in the West
Best known for his roles as Norman Wilson, newspaper-man turned-political-operative in The Wire (2006 and 2008), and as Freddy Hayes in House of Cards, owner of the BBQ joint frequented by Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey), both HBO series, Reg E. Cathey was a well-known character actor. Nominated three times, Cathey finally won an Emmy in 2015 for outstanding guest actor in a Dramatic Series.
Reg Cathey, whose legal name was Reginal Eurias Cathey, was born August 18, 1958, in Huntsville, Alabama. His father Red Cathey was an Army colonel; his mother worked for the Department of Defense and was an educator. He had one sister, Donza Cathey. From a military family, Cathey traveled extensively, though he spent his early years on a rural farm in West Germany where he watched American TV dubbed in English. At age nine he became interested in theatre. Also, at the time, he began playing the saxophone.
Upon returning to the U.S., the family moved back to Huntsville, Alabama. Cathey graduated from J.O. Johnson High School, Huntsville, Alabama, where he acted in the play To Kill a Mockingbird. In 1976 at age eighteen, he left Alabama to attend the University of Michigan from which he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts four years later. From there he went on to study acting at the Yale School of Drama, receiving a Masters in Fine Arts in 1982. In New York he realized his lifelong passion in the theatre. Though he spent a decade working in Los Angeles, California, he felt it was “psychically traumatizing,” preferring the city of New York where he honed his craft.
His first film appearance was in the 1984 movie A Doctor’s Story, starring Howard E. Rollins. In 2009, he joined the theatre world, his first love, playing “Red” Redding in the London, UK production of Steven King’s Shawshank Redemption, the film role later played by Morgan Freeman, and in the musical version of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, in which he played Prospero.
Cathey’s acting career spanned three decades. He appeared on stage, screen and television. He played non-stereotypical, diverse characters, and authority figures. In a 2016 article in the British newspaper The Guardian, he said that his career took off after Barack Obama was elected President because people could accept the idea of a well-spoken black man. Among his many TV roles were as Baron Samedi in Grimm (2011); Rutherford Rice in 30 Rock (2010); and Defense Attorney Barry Querns in Law and Order, Special Victims Unit (1999). In Outcast he played Sheriff Giles, and in Oz played Martin Querns (both in 1997). Some of his film roles included Dr. Franklin Storm in Fantastic Four (2015); Don King in Hands of Stone (2016) (uncredited); and in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017).
Cathy was noted for his rich baritone voice and his subtle sense of humor. He died at age 59 of lung cancer in his New York City on February 9, 2018. He is survived by his girlfriend Linda Powell, his sister Donza Cathey Friende, his stepmother Maureen Davis Cathey, and two stepbrothers Jerry Davis and Maureen Davis.
Subjects: AAHPeople, AAWPeople, African American History, African Americans in the West
Christian, A. (2018, October 26) Reg E. Cathey (1958-2018). Retrieved from https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/cathey-reg-e-1958-2018/
“Reg E. Cathey, The World is being Destroyed by Psychopaths,” https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/jun/03/reg-e-cathey-the-world-is-being-destroyed-by-psychopaths; https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/09/obituaries/reg-cathey-dead-actor-house-of-cards.html; https://variety.com/2018/tv/obituaries-people-news/reg-cathey-dead-dies-the-wire-house-of-card-1202694366/; http://www.elitenews24.com/reg-e-cathey-actor-on-house-of-cards-and-the-wire-dies-at-59-entertainment-news-top-stories/; Reg E. Cathey, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0146146/bio.
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Lost Preston in Photos (part two)
Posted on - 9th February, 2014 - 1:00pm | Author - Tony Worrall | Posted in - Nostalgia, Photos
Photos of things and places lost in Preston.
In my last picture gallery featuring relics of Preston I focused mainly on things recently lost. The images certainly stirred up a few lost memories as well. In this new mini-collection we talk about a mixture of the recently lost plus things that disappeared a long time ago, some leaving tantalising reminders of their presence .
First up, If you are ever cycling or walking the Guild Wheel next to the Ribble near the Sea Cadets hut you may notice the remains of a decaying wooden jetty reaching down into the river.
Preston had extensive shipbuilding and breakers yards along the banks of the Ribble. William Allsup and Sons Ltd. Shipbuilders, Engineers and Ironfounders of the Caledonian Works had their shipyard here, established around 1834. Many ships were constructed on the site. The works stretched up towards Broadway but the new Penwortham Bridge cut the shipyard in half. All that industry is long gone, with only rotten remains of the forgotten wooden pier.
Preston was once famous for having as many public houses as days in the year, if not more. These days Preston pubs are closing it seems on a weekly basis. The County Arms Hotel that once stood at 101 Deepdale Road not only closed (after a brief stint as the New County Arms) but demolished. The pub was famous as a drinking hole for visitors to the local prison. Visiting Judges stayed and even Charles Dickens is said to have drunk a pint here. Now just a big empty space.
With the building of Ringway a swathe of housing was demolished along the south side of Marsh Lane leaving Nutter Road as the last row of houses next to the ever expanding Lancashire County Council car park. For some reason Nutter Road residents were turfed out of their properties and the row of buildings became a real eyesore as the boarded up row of perfectly good homes stood vacant for many years. A magnet for vandals. Again it is now a large empty space waiting for redevelopment. Nutter Road was actually located next to Birk Street (also long gone).
The area where old Tulketh Hall stood was the seat of Marmaduke de Tulketh, after who the Tulketh area of Preston was named. It is said that there may have been a Roman settlement on the site. What is known is that a monastery existed here founded by monks from Savigny, in France between 1124 and 1127. They later relocated to the famous Abbey at Furness. The Hesketh family took over the building in the 17th century. Roger Hesketh lived here, who at times was Preston Mayor and High Sheriff of Lancashire. Tulketh Hall had become a school in 1847, The hall was demolished in 1959. The site is now occupied by Star Youth Club and the Mercer James Group at the Tulketh Hall Works. After over 1000 years of history at this spot of a few stones remain that form part of this stone staircase.
A very old dartboard thrown into a skip as the Doctor Syntax pub on Fylde Road closes. Once one of the oldest pubs in Preston the strange name was taken from a legendary racehorse famous for exploits on Moor park horse racing track in the Preston Gold Cup (winning 20 Gold Cups in total). The public house closed a couple of years ago and is now Tang Chinese Restaurant, according to Tripadvisor, the best eating place in Preston. A nearby bus stop still carries the Dr Syntax name.
In the grounds of St Stephen’s C of E Primary School, on South Meadow Lane in Preston, can be found the relics below. We assume they are from a school that stood on the same spot. Does anyone know more about the stones or the meaning of the inscription?
Offices for the Preston Guardian and Lancashire Evening Post newspapers once stood on Fishergate in the centre of town. Also home of the Farmers Guardian. The original Lancashire Daily Post became The Lancashire Evening Post in 1949. The LEP left Fishergate in 1989 to relocate at Olivers Place in Fulwood. The buildings shown here have been demolished and replaced with retail developments. The man in the picture sold the LEP on Fishergate for many years.
An ornate police blue lamp that used to hang from the front of the old Police Headquarters on Lawson Street. The building has since been converted to flats. The only blue lamp with a lamb on top. Blue lamps used to be traditionally hung outside British police stations. This one relocated to a new purpose built station at Lancaster Road North.
One of the few remaining relics of Preston’s historic but short lived docklands. This stone carrying the name of the warehouse on which it was placed can be found outside the Jaguar showrooms at Riversway. Opened in 1845, Victoria warehouse was demolished in 1983 to make way for the new Penwortham bridge. The old building, which stored all manner of ship brought goods, stood very close to the course of the old River before the diversion was cut in 1884.
Hope you find this interesting and the article generates some comment. If have any information on any of the subjects in the photos let us know or if you have any of your own Preston photos add them to the Preston Group on Flickr
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Good News Translation (US Version)
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition)
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1 # Lk 10.38,39 A man named Lazarus, who lived in Bethany, became sick. Bethany was the town where Mary and her sister Martha lived. ( 2#Jn 12.3 This Mary was the one who poured the perfume on the Lord's feet and wiped them with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who was sick.) 3The sisters sent Jesus a message: “Lord, your dear friend is sick.”
4When Jesus heard it, he said, “The final result of this sickness will not be the death of Lazarus; this has happened in order to bring glory to God, and it will be the means by which the Son of God will receive glory.”
5Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6Yet when he received the news that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was for two more days. 7Then he said to the disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
8“Teacher,” the disciples answered, “just a short time ago the people there wanted to stone you; and are you planning to go back?”
9Jesus said, “A day has twelve hours, doesn't it? So those who walk in broad daylight do not stumble, for they see the light of this world. 10But if they walk during the night they stumble, because they have no light.” 11Jesus said this and then added, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I will go and wake him up.”
12The disciples answered, “If he is asleep, Lord, he will get well.”
13Jesus meant that Lazarus had died, but they thought he meant natural sleep. 14So Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15but for your sake I am glad that I was not with him, so that you will believe. Let us go to him.”
16Thomas (called the Twin) said to his fellow disciples, “Let us all go along with the Teacher, so that we may die with him!”
Jesus the Resurrection and the Life
17When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had been buried four days before. 18Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19and many Judeans had come to see Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother's death.
20When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed in the house. 21Martha said to Jesus, “If you had been here, Lord, my brother would not have died! 22But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask him for.”
23“Your brother will rise to life,” Jesus told her.
24 # 2 Macc 7.22,23; 12.44 “I know,” she replied, “that he will rise to life on the last day.”
25Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me will live, even though they die; 26and those who live and believe in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
27“Yes, Lord!” she answered. “I do believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”
Jesus Weeps
28After Martha said this, she went back and called her sister Mary privately. “The Teacher is here,” she told her, “and is asking for you.” 29When Mary heard this, she got up and hurried out to meet him. ( 30Jesus had not yet arrived in the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him.) 31The people who were in the house with Mary comforting her followed her when they saw her get up and hurry out. They thought that she was going to the grave to weep there.
32Mary arrived where Jesus was, and as soon as she saw him, she fell at his feet. “Lord,” she said, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died!”
33Jesus saw her weeping, and he saw how the people with her were weeping also; his heart was touched, and he was deeply moved. 34“Where have you buried him?” he asked them.
“Come and see, Lord,” they answered.
35Jesus wept. 36“See how much he loved him!” the people said.
37But some of them said, “He gave sight to the blind man, didn't he? Could he not have kept Lazarus from dying?”
Lazarus Is Brought to Life
38Deeply moved once more, Jesus went to the tomb, which was a cave with a stone placed at the entrance. 39“Take the stone away!” Jesus ordered.
Martha, the dead man's sister, answered, “There will be a bad smell, Lord. He has been buried four days!”
40Jesus said to her, “Didn't I tell you that you would see God's glory if you believed?” 41They took the stone away. Jesus looked up and said, “I thank you, Father, that you listen to me. 42I know that you always listen to me, but I say this for the sake of the people here, so that they will believe that you sent me.” 43After he had said this, he called out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44He came out, his hands and feet wrapped in grave cloths, and with a cloth around his face. “Untie him,” Jesus told them, “and let him go.”
The Plot against Jesus
(Matthew 26.1-5; Mark 14.1,2; Luke 22.1,2)
45Many of the people who had come to visit Mary saw what Jesus did, and they believed in him. 46But some of them returned to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47So the Pharisees and the chief priests met with the Council and said, “What shall we do? Look at all the miracles this man is performing! 48If we let him go on in this way, everyone will believe in him, and the Roman authorities will take action and destroy our Temple and our nation!”
49One of them, named Caiaphas, who was High Priest that year, said, “What fools you are! 50Don't you realize that it is better for you to have one man die for the people, instead of having the whole nation destroyed?” 51Actually, he did not say this of his own accord; rather, as he was High Priest that year, he was prophesying that Jesus was going to die for the Jewish people, 52and not only for them, but also to bring together into one body all the scattered people of God.
53From that day on the Jewish authorities made plans to kill Jesus. 54So Jesus did not travel openly in Judea, but left and went to a place near the desert, to a town named Ephraim, where he stayed with the disciples.
55The time for the Passover Festival was near, and many people went up from the country to Jerusalem to perform the ritual of purification before the festival. 56They were looking for Jesus, and as they gathered in the Temple, they asked one another, “What do you think? Surely he will not come to the festival, will he?” 57The chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where Jesus was, he must report it, so that they could arrest him.
Explore John 11 by Verse
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New app intended to streamline Carroll County resident concerns, make life easier for county staff
By Mary Grace Keller
| Carroll County Times |
A mobile app that will allow residents to report infrastructure issues such as potholes and overgrown grass to Carroll County is designed to make lives easier for government employees and citizens alike.
The Carroll County Board of Commissioners on Thursday approved the purchase and integration of SeeClickFix software for $82,500. The three-year contract with SeeClickFix Inc., based in Connecticut, is included in the county budget and will not require additional funding, according to county documents. The software can be used as a mobile app and a website tool.
“It’d be very much a public-facing, interactive software,” Department of Public Works project manager Scott Graff said.
Doug Brown, Department of Public Works deputy director, said the software will funnel complaints and questions into one place and ensure they are forwarded to the appropriate person. This would eliminate the middleman and consolidate the emails, phone calls, spreadsheets, sticky notes, and other means of tracking infrastructure and abatement issues, thus eliminating the worry that a concern will get lost in the shuffle, Brown said.
“Our No. 1 priority is customer satisfaction and this is going to help us to do that,” Brown said. “This is going to help us to organize electronically everything we deal with in-house.”
Carroll County Drug Task Force launches app, texting service
By Heather Mongilio
SeeClickFix will start with an internal soft launch in about 90 days, according to Graff. County staff will be the first to try out the new system and will upload active issues. When citizens contact the county with concerns, staff will be able to search the database to find out if someone is already working on the problem and for how long, or to enter a new concern, Brown said. The software is planned to go public about six months after the soft launch, according to Brown.
“When we turn it on to the public we want to make sure we’ve got any and all bugs worked out,” Brown said.
When the software is ready to be launched across the county there will be a “media blitz” and live demonstration showing users how to operate it, according to Brown. The app can also be renamed to make it unique to Carroll, he said.
Although citizens will report issues electronically, Public Works won’t lose its personal touch. Employees will still call citizens to follow up and visit sites in person, according to Brown.
The commissioners voted 4-0 to approve the purchase and integration of SeeClickFix. Commissioner Stephen Wantz, R-District 1, was absent because he was attending an event for Maryland Association of Counties on behalf of the Board of Commissioners.
“I like the fact that you’ll have a central collection data point for the history of any case,” said Commissioner Eric Bouchat, R-District 4.
“It’s an opportunity for quicker responsiveness,” said Commissioner Ed Rothstein, R-District 5.
Anne Arundel, Harford and Howard counties, as well as Baltimore city, also use the system, Graff said.
Other decisions
In other business, the commissioners approved the application and acceptance of a grant to assist the Special Victims Unit of the Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office.
About 750 satchels filled for domestic violence survivors
By Catalina Righter
The domestic violence prosecutor’s salary is supported in part by the Violence Against Women Act grant, according to county documents. The grant itself will provide $55,453, plus the county match of $79,920, totaling $135,373 for the prosecutor’s salary and benefits, according to county documents. The county match is already provided for in the budget.
“Our unit addresses the challenges of prosecuting domestic violence and sexual crimes and working with victims of those crimes,” Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Ashley Pamer said. “We handle between 350 and 450 cases a year.”
The unit includes three prosecutors and a victim advocate, Pamer said.
Latest Carroll County News
Mount Airy woman sentenced to 10 years for embezzling from auto parts company
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The Special Victims Unit has been receiving the grant for more than 20 years and the number has remained stable the past few years, according to Pamer. If the county does not receive the grant, then the commissioners would be asked to fund the domestic violence prosecutor position.
Most Read • Carroll County New
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Current Affairs Quiz for 19 March 2016
Published on Saturday, March 19, 2016
1. _______________ railway station has been named the cleanest in India in the A1 category.
(a) Hyderabad
(b) Nepal
(c) New Delhi
(d) Surat
(e) None of these
2. Haryana government has blocked internet services in ___________ over concerns of a fresh Jat agitation in the state.
(a) Faridabad
(b) Gurgaon
(c) Rohtak
(d) Gohana
3. What is the name of Former Director of Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad who passed away recently ?
(a) Meir Dagan
(b) Yossi Cohn
(c) Shabtai Shavit
(d) Nahum Admoni
4. _____________ allowed use of pictures of Chief Ministers, Governors and Cabinet ministers in the government’s media advertisements.
(a) High Court
(b) Supreme Court
(c) Session Court
(d) Tribunals and Appellate Boards
5. India to set up Rabindranath Tagore Memorial in ____________.
(a) Afghanistan
(b) Bangladesh
(c) Sri Lanka
(d) Germany
6. What is the full form of PPF ?
(a) Power Plant Frame
(b) Persecution Project Foundation
(c) Professional Pilots Federation
(d) Public Provident Fund
7. Interest rate on PPF slashed from ___________to ____________.
(a) 8.7%, 8.1%
(b) 7.6%, 7.2%
(c) 9.9%, 9.5%
(d) 3.7%, 3.1%
8. What is the full form of KVP ?
(a) Kalamazoo Vegetable Parchment
(b) Kingsley Village Pharmacy
(c) Kisan Vikas Patra
(d) Key Value Pair
9. European Union (EU) on Friday finalized a deal with __________ to return migrants.
(a) Japan
(b) Turkey
(c) Canada
(d) America
10. World Sleep Day is observed on ____________.
(a) Friday of the second full week in March
(b) Thursday of the second week in May
(c) Monday of the second week in June
(d) Tuesday of the second week in April
1. Surat
2. Rohtak
3. Meir Dagan
4. Supreme Court
5. Sri Lanka
6. Public Provident Fund
7. 8.7%, 8.1%
8. Kisan Vikas Patra
9. Turkey
10. Friday of the second full week in March
Download sure shot notes from GK Digest App
Labels: GK updates
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Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up to Become Malcolm X
by Ilyasah Shabazz, AG Ford (Illustrator)Ilyasah Shabazz
Malcolm X grew to be one of America’s most influential figures. But first, he was a boy named Malcolm Little. Written by his daughter, this inspiring picture book biography celebrates a vision of freedom and justice.
Bolstered by the love and wisdom of his large, warm family, young Malcolm Little was a natural born leader. But when confronted with intolerance and a series of tragedies, Malcolm’s optimism and faith were threatened. He had to learn how to be strong and how to hold on to his individuality. He had to learn self-reliance.
Together with acclaimed illustrator AG Ford, Ilyasah Shabazz gives us a unique glimpse into the childhood of her father, Malcolm X, with a lyrical story that carries a message that resonates still today—that we must all strive to live to our highest potential.
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Lexile:
NC1190L (what's this?)
Ilyasah Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X, is an activist, motivational speaker, and author of the critically acclaimed Growing Up X. Ilyasah promotes higher education, interfaith dialogue, and building bridges between cultures for young leaders of the world. She produces the WAKE-UP Tour™, her exclusive youth empowerment program, and participates on international humanitarian delegations. She is the founder of Malcolm X Enterprises and is a trustee for the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center as well as the Malcolm X Foundation. Ilyasah serves on the board for the Harlem Symphony Orchestra, is a member of the art committee for the New York City Opera at Lincoln Center, and is a project advisor for the documentary Prince Among Slaves. She holds a master of science in education and human resource development. Ilyasah lives in New Rochelle, NY. For further information, please visit IlyasahShabazz.com.
AG Ford is the illustrator of many books for children, including the New York Times bestseller Barack by Jonah Winter, Michelle by Deborah Hopkinson, and Goal! by Mina Javaherbin. He also contributed to Our Children Can Soar: A Celebration of Rosa, Barack, and the Pioneers of Change by Michelle Cook. He lives in Frisco, Texas with his wife, Brandy. Visit him at AGFordIllustration.com.
Shabazz (Growing Up X) pays affectionate tribute to her father, Malcolm X, and his parents in this account of the activist’s childhood, which relies on family lore to reimagine Malcolm’s conversations and thoughts. The dense narrative mixes down-to-earth observations (Malcolm “was full of questions, a natural leader, and a fun-loving prankster”) with sometimes protracted metaphors; among the lessons Malcolm learned from his mother’s garden was that it “was an entire world of its own, where even the most sluggish of ladybugs and the fastest scurrying ants were all equally treated like esteemed and welcomed guests at a family Sunday brunch.” What Shabazz relays more precisely is Malcolm’s resolve to succeed and remain true to his parents’ values after he loses his father “to the brute force of racism and the narrow-mindedness of the Ku Klux Klan,” and his mother is deemed “no longer fit to care for her children.” Ford’s (My Daddy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) oil paintings render joyous and desolate moments with equal skill. Ages 5–10. Author’s agent: Jason Anthony, Lippincott Massie McQuilkin. Illustrator’s agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Jan.)
"Before he became the black nationalist leader known as Malcolm X , Malcolm Little was a boy who loved fishing and butterflies. His daughter, Ilyasah Shabazz, aided by AG Ford's vivid paintings, outlines a childhood marked by love and tragedy."
February 2014 Usa Today
"The author of this handsome, inspirational offering is Malcolm X’s daughter–an educator, activist, and motivational speaker. . . . Ford’s oil paintings are accomplished and historically accurate."
January 2014 School Library Journal
The childhood of the controversial African-American activist was shaped by parental love and white racism. Writing with the fervor and intensity of a motivational speaker, Shabazz recounts her father's early years, which were filled with the loving support and teachings of his parents as well as the hate and destruction of the Ku Klux Klan. His mother nurtured a love of learning and nature, and his father--a follower of Marcus Garvey--taught him self-pride before being murdered by the KKK. Shabazz concentrates her lengthy text on her father's youth; she writes about his racist English teacher but does not mention his imprisonment, work for Elijah Muhammad's Nation of Islam or conversion to Islam anywhere in the text or in her three-page author's note. With the passion of a preacher, she celebrates love, respect, tolerance and education without restraint, producing an overwritten text laced with an excess of flowery images. In a description of the garden that Malcolm's mother shared with her children, she writes that it "was a testament to true and unconditional brotherhood from the earth on up to the sky, a daily lesson in acceptance and equality." Ford's oil paintings, framed on the page, are lush and filled with detail. A daughter's proud but overwrought tribute to her father and his parents. (Picture book/ biography. 7-10)
book by donna jo napoli
book by judy blume
lets make faces
book by walter dean myers
book by marc aronson
book by cheryl b klein
1001 Inventions and Awesome Facts from Muslim Civilization
We often think that people from a thousand years ago were living in the Dark ...
We often think that people from a thousand years ago were living in the Dark Ages. But from the 7th century onward in Muslim civilization there were amazing advances and inventions that still influence our everyday lives. People living in ...
A Whale in Paris
“Perfect for readers who love a touch of the fantastic and the impossible.” —Booklist A ...
“Perfect for readers who love a touch of the fantastic and the impossible.” —Booklist A hopeful and heroic girl befriends a small, lost whale during World War II and together they embark on a journey to liberate France and find ...
In his eagerly anticipated debut as author-illustrator, Caldecott and Coretta Scott King honoree Christian Robinson ...
In his eagerly anticipated debut as author-illustrator, Caldecott and Coretta Scott King honoree Christian Robinson brings young readers on a playful, imaginative journey into another world.What if you... encountered another perspective? Discovered another world? Met another you? What might you ...
It’s a busy day for baby in this darling, cheeky, charming picture book celebrating the ...
It’s a busy day for baby in this darling, cheeky, charming picture book celebrating the joy and chaos of a baby-filled day!Today is baby’s birthday. Happy baby! Here come baby’s friends. Hello! Shy baby. Friendly baby. Sunny baby. Hat on, ...
This young, lyrical picture book reveals the adventure and natural wonders that Lewis & Clark ...
This young, lyrical picture book reveals the adventure and natural wonders that Lewis & Clark encountered on their Western expedition in the early 1800s. Told from the point of view of Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, the baby on Sacagawea's back, this ...
Freckle Juice
What’s a guy gotta do to get some freckles? This perennial bestselling favorite from Judy ...
What’s a guy gotta do to get some freckles? This perennial bestselling favorite from Judy Blume has a fresh new look!More than anything in the world, Andrew Marcus wants freckles. His classmate Nicky has freckles—they cover his face, his ears, ...
Let it Shine: Three Favorite Spirituals
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. Let it shine, let it ...
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. With a kaleidoscope of color and cut paper, Hans Christian Anderson Award nominee and two-time Coretta Scott King Award winner Ashley ...
Let's Make Faces
Learn how to find faces in unexpected places using everyday objects in this interactive guide ...
Learn how to find faces in unexpected places using everyday objects in this interactive guide to cultivating creativity, from globally acclaimed portrait artist Hanoch Piven.There are so many faces to discover in our world! All you have to do is ...
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The Romantic Period Of British Literature
In British Literature, there are many poets and authors who left a mark in history and helped shaped the time period each one was born and lived in. In all three eras, the Romantic, the Victorian, and The Contemporary or Modern, all the poets visited different themes throughout their work such as religion, spirituality, nature, imagination, and love. A very important and prevalent theme is love, which all poets of each time period express in many different ways. Love in British Literature is much more than just romantic and simple type of love, it is a power and it affects everyone differently. Love is also presented through the poet’s works depending on what their conception of love is. It very rarely was about two individuals loving one another, and much more about what the author loved and how their love was portrayed through that. The first time period is the Romantic Period, which was an explosion of artistic energy and imagination. It lasted from 1790-1820 and began in Germany, but quickly spread to the United States, almost all of Europe, and Latin America. Those in this time period began to turn to self-thought and the idea of individuality. It was an era full of emotion, intense feelings, and intuition, and imagination was a key component to everyday life as well as writing. Romantics also idealized nature and embraced the uncivilized and the wild. Nature was viewed in two ways: calm and peaceful or frightening and awe inspiring. There was a revolt against
The Concept of the Individual in Literature of the Romantic Period
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The Paintings of Romantic Period
The Romantic Period, characterized by new ideas in Western art, literature and music, lasted from the end of the eighteenth century to the mid-nineteenth century. Romantic artists eschewed Neoclassical history painting to focus on imaginary and exotic subjects, as well as nature. The poet and critic Charles Baudelaire wrote in 1846, "Romanticism is precisely situated neither in choice of subject nor in exact truth, but in a way of feeling" (Galitz 2004). The Romantic movement was shaped by political
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DRIVING SCULPTURE.
The design of the BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo.
DRIVING SCULPTURE.The design of the BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo.
With its clear contours, the modern design of the BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo is a true eye-catcher. Concealed behind the flowing design language is comfort concept that is both luxurious and functional. Built to meet the highest aspirations, it is an ideal travelling companion that combines elegance with sporting flair.
BMW 640i xDrive Gran Turismo:
*the model shown may differ from the current model
PRESENCE, WITH CHARISMA.
With their narrow design and the uniquely styled light tubes, the Adaptive LED headlights create a broad and powerful impression for the front of the BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo. The flat L-shaped rear lights trace the outlines of the LED light elements in three dimensions, giving the vehicle a dynamic tail.
More on the light concept.
Start film
AMBIENCE WITH A FEEL-GOOD FACTOR.
The atmosphere of the BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo is an adventure for the senses. Ambient lighting in eleven optional designs offers you the illumination to match every journey. Ensuring a fresh climate for the interior is the Ambient Air Package. And the large Panorama glass roof with an area of almost one square metre creates a particularly open experience of space for the occupants.
ORIGINAL BMW ACCESSORIES.
Whether for a weekend trip or a gran tour, Original BMW Accessories offers the right solution for every requirement – and a unique variety of products for individually equipping the BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo.
Go to the products
The values of fuel consumptions, CO2 emissions and energy consumptions shown were determined according to the European Regulation (EC) 715/2007 in the version applicable at the time of type approval. The figures refer to a vehicle with basic configuration in Germany and the range shown considers optional equipment and the different size of wheels and tires available on the selected model.
The CO2 efficiency specifications are determined according to Directive 1999/94/EC and the European Regulation in its current version applicable. The values shown are based on the fuel consumption, CO2 values and energy consumptions according to the NEDC cycle for the classification.
For further information about the official fuel consumption and the specific CO2 emission of new passenger cars can be taken out of the „handbook of fuel consumption, the CO2 emission and power consumption of new passenger cars“, which is available at all selling points and at https://www.dat.de/angebote/verlagsprodukte/leitfaden-kraftstoffverbrauch.html.
All technical data are indicative only and varies as per market and configuration. For more information, please check with your local dealer for all fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
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Edinburgh – Calton Hill’s Panoramic Views
Edinburgh’s Calton Hill
Standing on top of Edinburgh’s Calton Hill is an exhilarating experience. It’s by far the best place to get a sweeping panoramic view of Scotland’s capital city.
There are fabulous bird’s-eye views of Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns, the Firth of Forth and the city’s docks in the far distance.
Even on a windy day when it’s bracing and blowy, the view of Arthur’s Seat more than makes up for the windswept look which you’ll find yourself sporting!
Views across to Arthur’s Seat
Edinburgh from above
I’ve visited Edinburgh countless times but for some reason I’ve never ventured to the top of its famous hill. In the past, I’ve been put off by the steep climb and zigzagging steps to the top.
But as I discovered this week, the walk to the top of Calton Hill is no big deal, with gentle slopes that an unfit couch potato would manage with ease. If I can make it there, anyone can.
Views to Holyrood Palace and beyond
Calton Hill is a really special place. “Of all places for a view, this Calton Hill is perhaps the best” proclaimed writer Robert Louis Stevenson in his book ‘Picturesque Notes’ in 1889, a sort of early Trip Advisor.
Once you’ve climbed to the top, the views from this World Heritage Site are a revelation. One of my friends just kept on saying ‘wow’ and was shocked that she’d never been up to the top before.
“Wow – is that Holyrood Palace… wow, isn’t that the Scottish Parliament…” – the list was endless. Not only can you see the whole city laid out before you, there are many intriguing historic monuments and follies strewn across the hill-top.
This is Edinburgh as you’ve never seen it before – its architectural glories and landscape are set our before you like a smorgasbord of riches.
Top trip trio – Tammy and friends
Delve deeper and you’ll discover that the hill’s history is as meandering as the walkway to the top, reflecting centuries of heritage.
In the 1450s, King James II granted the land to the people of Edinburgh for tournaments, sports and warlike pursuits. He ordered the locals to practice archery every Sunday, in case of an imminent foreign invasion. Golf and football were banned to make way for ‘military’ sports.
In the 16th Century, Calton Hill was known as ‘Caldtoun’ or ‘Cold Town’, perhaps because of its exposed location? But it was during the 18th Century that the biggest developments took place with the building of Edinburgh’s stylish New Town.
The ‘folly’ of the Scottish National Monument
The grand vision for the New Town was that of Scottish architect William Playfair who saw Edinburgh as ‘the Athens of the North’… a classical city of knowledge and enlightenment.
Playfair was responsible for designing the elegant Georgian streets that surround Calton Hill including Royal Terrace and Calton Terrace.
He was also the driving force behind the monuments on the hill-top, notably the classical style Scottish National Monument which looks like the Parthenon in Athens. It took 12 horses and 70 men to haul the massive stone columns up the hill.
It was designed to commemorate Scottish soldiers who died in the Napeoleonic wars. But the building was never finished because the money ran out, and it has been in ruins ever since.
The pinnacle of Edinburgh
Down the centuries it was nicknamed ‘Scotland’s National Disgrace’ but today it looks more like an archaeological ruin from ancient times.. But it offers a great photo opportunity for anyone who likes taking selfies.
From the nearby pinnacle marker there are fine views across Edinburgh’s lower Calton Hill towards the New Town and beyond to the docks and the Firth of Forth.
Take a pair of binoculars and you’ll be able to pick out specific buildings including the new Scottish Parliament at the foot of Calton Hill.
A hill with a view
Star gazing is a very important part of the history of Calton Hill. It’s no surprise to discover an Observatory sitting on top of the hill… but it is weird to find that there have been three different ones over the centuries.
The earliest was Observatory House which dates from 1776. This early example of Gothic Revival architecture was designed by James Craig, the planning mastermind behind Edinburgh’s New Town.
It sits on a craggy outcrop like a miniature fantasy castle. It was here that Professor Thomas Henderson, the Astronomer Royal for Scotland, discovered how to measure parallax and the distance of the stars in the 1830s… a kind of early Professor Brian Cox.
Observatory House – great views
Astronomy was hugely popular in the 18th and 19th centuries and it wasn’t long before the new and improved Observatory was built in 1818, designed by William Playfair, also in a classical Greek style.
Such was the appetite for astronomy that a third observatory was built in 1827 by Maria Theresa Short with a telescope and camera obscura to appeal to the general public. Sadly, this has not survived.
The City Dome with its domed roof was added in 1895 to complete a visually striking complex of buildings. It was designed by William Playfair in 1818 as a temple to the Enlightenment and scientific innovation. It was the birthplace of timekeeping in Edinburgh.
The new Observatory development c/o courtesy of Malcolm Fraser Architects
The City Dome is currently partly hidden behind a giant screen as work is underway to reinstate the original 19th Century designs, restore the grounds and create public access to the whole site.
The Collective, a visual arts group, is working with Edinburgh Council to redevelop the Observatory complex as its new home. The first phase was recently completed with the restoration of the City Dome where Collective shows the work of established and international artists.
Work is still ongoing but the entire City Observatory walled complex looks incredibly exciting. I’ll be back to visit again once it has been finished.
‘Athens of the North’
Another impressive building on Calton Hill is the Dugald Stewart Monument which offers the iconic view of old Edinburgh. This is the image which features on numerous postcards and Edinburgh tourist brochures.
For the monument, William Playfair drew inspiration from the Lysicrates on the Acropolis in Athens… and it was built in a classical style.
The iconic Dugald Scott Monument
But who was Dugald Stewart?
It turns out that he was one of those Age of Enlightenment figures and a well-respected professor of moral philosophy at Edinburgh University in the early 1800s.
It’s an impressive monument to a man of intellect, showing how important Edinburgh thought it was to be a centre of philosophy, learning and science.
Monumental architecture
Nelson’s ‘Scottish’ Column
One of the oddest buildings on the top of Calton Hill is the Nelson Monument, a sort of alternative ‘Nelson’s Column’ shaped like an upturned telescope.
It was built to commemorate Lord Nelson who died at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The Monument took a decade to complete due to tricky finances… and it wasn’t completed until 1816.
The building was designed by the architect Robert Burn, and the upturned telescope may have been an allusion to Nelson’s naval career. It’s a commanding monument to one of Britain’s most famous naval commanders.
The Nelson Monument
The 30 metre high column was originally designed to house a small number of disabled seamen but today it’s a tourist attraction in its own right with regular trips to the top.
From 1852 a ‘Time Ball’ on the top the monument provided a signal to seamen in Leith by which to set their clocks.
Look out for another naval symbol – the stern of a ship – projecting above the entrance. This is supposed to represent the Spanish ship, the San Joseph, one of the two vessels which Nelson captured during the Battle of Cape Vincent.
The Dark Side – Old Calton Burial Ground
If you descend down the hill to Regent Road, you’ll come across another interesting site close to the lower slopes of Calton Hill, but this isn’t a place for the faint-hearted.
The Old Calton Burial Ground
The Old Calton Burial Ground dates back to 1718 and has a creepy feel with its mausoleums, elaborate graves and burial chambers. It’s the resting place of philosopher David Humes and the site of Scotland’s American Civil War Memorial.
The memorial honours the Scots who fought and died in the American Civil War – it’s easy to spot because it has a statue of Abraham Lincoln and a freed slave.
But the cemetery’s most visible feature is the obelisk which dominates the landscape – the Political Martyrs’ Monument – which was erected to honour the memory of political reformers. It is also highly visible from the top of Calton Hill. It’s a Scottish version of ‘Cleopatra’s Needle’.
It’s a fascinating grave yard with the ghosts of Edinburgh’s past writ large on every grave stone – but it’s not somewhere I’d want to hang around after dark.
On top of the volcano
It’s hard to believe that Calton Hill was once a volcano which is now extinct. Today the hill still packs an explosive punch but for different reasons.
This was one of Scotland’s first public parks created in 1724 and its architectural heritage is truly unique.
It’s hard to think of anywhere outside Athens with so many different monuments overlooking a major city.
Sitting on top of a volcano
Don’t miss a trip to this jewel in the crown of Edinburgh’s World Heritage Site – you’ll be blown away by the views, especially on a windy day!
Tammy’s Travel Guide – Edinburgh’s Calton Hill
The Calton Hill World Heritage Site lies to the east of Edinburgh’s New Town and can be accessed from either Leith Street, Regent Road/Calton Road or from the back of the Royal Mile (via the steps).
The heritage guide provides a useful guide to the walking tour of the Hill. There are also downloadable guides to the Nelson Monument and other features in the area.
Allow an hour or more for your visit to Calton Hill. After completing the walking tour, why not return down the Calton Hill stairs and explore the Royal Mile. Alternatively, head to the New Town where you’ll see the grand architectural vision of Georgian Edinburgh from street level.
Edinburgh Royal Mile
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The worst mistake of authors who use self-publishing companies
Books that bear the name and logo of a "self-publishing company" are subject to immediate derision in the publishing business, even before the cover is opened and pages are turned. Reviewers often assume that the books will be unprofessional (or worse), and a writer must do everything possible to overcome the initial prejudice.
By far, the worst mistake of self-published authors is lack of editing or inadequate editing. Because editing is an option with self-publishing companies, some writers — either out of ego, ignorance, or economic necessity — skip editing.
This can be a fatal mistake.
No writer should be her own editor. Even professional editors who write books should hire other editors. It’s not just a matter of making spelling or grammatical errors. If you write a book, you may have words in your mind that you think are on the page, but are really not there. You may “fall in love” with a word, phrase or chapter that is really unlovable. A fresh set of eyes with a different point of view is critical. You need someone to make corrections and to ask, “Is that really what you meant to say?” and "Do you have to include this?"
I recently read an entertaining and inspirational book, written by a very talented storyteller. Unfortunately, the book was packed with errors. I thought the author had chosen a terrible editor, and I wrote this:
“There are many missing commas, improper capitalizations, and even wrong words (e.g.: laying instead of lying, badly instead of bad, dribble instead of drivel, loosing instead of losing, waving instead of wavy, that instead of who, crouch instead of crotch). There are also style inconsistencies in your use of numbers, and some formatting problems. I can't predict how other reviewers will react, but these errors (coupled with the Outskirts Press label) unfortunately brand the book as an amateur production, despite your professional writing talent. You are competing with a huge number of authors and books, and your book needs to be as good as possible to be successful.”
I was unprepared for the author’s response. The editor wasn’t terrible. The book had no editor.
But sometimes even having a “professional editor” will not lead to a professional quality book. I received this email (slightly shortened) from another author:
“I have had some scathing reviews due to the errors that were left in my book after I paid a small fortune for editing with the Outskirts editing team.
I was so excited when my book was first released, but after a few family members pointed out the mistakes left behind, I can’t describe the restraint it took for me not to explode. The marketing representative simply would not assume any responsibility for mistakes that Outskirts made.
Outskirts made me feel paranoid about not getting their editing service, but when I did it was as if I had no editing at all. The only consolation that I have, is that I have a few fans that were willing to give me a chance as a new author. They loved my book.
I’m sure other writers would hate to be scammed out of their money for a service as unreliable as Outskirts’ editing. I purchased the editing service for peace of mind, not to hold my breath each time a review comes out, only to be criticized for editing I paid for but did not receive.”
C. Pinheiro, EA ABA June 3, 2010 at 2:02 PM
It's a common mistake that self-published authors make. I skipped editing on my books in 2008 and the reviews were terrible. In 2009, I spent thousands on editing and peer review (7K) and the books have great reviews and and are selling double. Reviews can make or break a book, and a review that says "tons of typos" will really hurt sales.
The editing was a great investment and I recovered the cost in the first month of release. It was worth it.
Vegas Linda Lou June 9, 2010 at 9:03 AM
I couldn't agree with you more. I cannot understand how people can consider themselves authors when they're unwilling to invest in professional editing. They tarnish the image for those of us with carefully crafted self-published works.
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The Anatomy Of A Streak
By Glenn M. ParrishDemocrat Editor
Nov 4, 2013 at 7:12 AM Nov 5, 2013 at 10:20 AM
There’s a Toby Keith song in which he insists he is tired of talking about his significant other because "I wanna talk about me … What I think, what I like, what I know, what I want, what I see …"
Given that attitude at the moment, and as I posted/tweeted Friday night from John Needham Stadium, I attended my 300th straight Booneville High School football game.
The streak covers the last 13 games under Doug Scheel, all 208 under Kenneth Rippy and the, to-date, 79 of Scott Hyatt. The last time I didn’t attend a game was Labor Day weekend in 1989 at Prescott.
I still haven’t been to Prescott but the streak has taken me all over this state. There were games in McGehee and Star City, Rivercrest and Osceola, Nashville and Fountain Lake, Gravette and Yelleville, and various points in between, including Little Rock.
With that many road trips there have been threats of an interruption. A fender bender one night caused me to arrive at the last second, as did the weather on occasion. There was also the time my truck broke down and I was picked up by the cheerleader bus.
Because no streak description is complete with a what-the-world-was-like-then reference, back when this streak started in 1989, the first George Bush had moved into the White House just over seven months prior and Mikhail S. Gorbachev had been the Soviet president for less than four months.
Billboard says the top song of 1989 was "Another Day in Paradise" by Phil Collins. I don’t really remember that one much but "We Didn’t Start the Fire" was number 4 and is still Billy Joel’s best song.
Big movies were Cocktail, When Harry Met Sally, Dead Poets Society and Back to the Future 2, but that’s enough of that.
If asked to pick my favorite games of the streak, many would be rather predictable I’m afraid, but what the heck, you have to start with the 2000 title game 29-21 win over Nashville. Like Friday in Pottsvile, six sacks.
If you were a regular reader of the countdown to football posts on my Facebook page, you know I’m partial to the 70-28 beat-down of the University of Shiloh in 2004. Also, who could forget the 2008 playoff game at Malvern when Juan Rios’ field goal with 0.3 seconds to go won it, 30-29.
Another of my all-time favorites is the 56-48 win over that team up north in 1999. I have watched one particular play from that game this year – it’s almost a seasonal ritual. The 27-26 game with Clarksville with all the blocked kicks in 2001 and the blocked field goal in the closing seconds on a frigid night in Gentry in 1991 come to mind as well.
There was the streak of five straight games of scoring 42 points to open the 1998 season, the 23-game winning streak from 2000-2001 was also memorable.
Losses can be memorable, I guess, but I’m only going to mention the 2001 title game. It was a classic. I own a copy, but cannot bring myself to watch it yet because it’s still too vivid.
For the record, Booneville’s record in the last 300 games is 240-60, or exactly an .800 winning percentage. Oddly, while we’re on round numbers, the wife has been with me, at least in part, for 180 of the last 300 games, last missing a 61-point game in Paris in 1999 due to a family illness.
I was tickled that Friday’s 300th straight game was a win but not so much to make all those nice round numbers in the last paragraph, but particularly because that was win number 667 for the program, and I didn’t want the count to stay on the previous number any longer than necessary.
Since the 300th straight game came in Pottsville, I guess it bears mentioning that Pottsville’s football program didn’t even exist when the streak started.
In case you’re wondering, the streak, I assume, is the longest active. Coach David Beckham stopped his after he left the sideline a couple years ago. I counted them once and it was 399 or 400.
Also, in case you’re wondering, I also haven’t missed a junior high game since 1990. One of these days I may figure out how many in a row that is.
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Groundbreaking Gene Therapy Treatment Cures Terminal Cancer Patients
Call it a miracle or a revolution; a groundbreaking gene therapy treatment has cured terminal cancer patients in a clinical trial.
Called CAR-T cell therapy, the treatment radically filters a patient’s blood to remove key immune system cells or T-cells (immune system cells that can be genetically engineered in a lab to identify cancer cells), cuts the brakes, and boosts the patient’s own immune cells so that they are able to attack the cancerous cells more effectively.
Dr. Jeff Wiezorek, senior vice president of clinical development at Kite Pharma, remarked: “These results with axicabtagene ciloleucel are exceptional and suggest that more than a third of patients with refractory aggressive NHL could potentially be cured after a single infusion of axicabtagene ciloleucel.”
In the first six months of its clinical trial sponsored by California-based Kite Pharma (founded less than a decade ago by an Israeli-American oncologist), more than one-third of very sick lymphoma patients confirmed no sign of disease six months after a single CAR-T cell therapy treatment.
Dr. Frederick L. Locke, a blood cancer expert at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa who co-led the study, noted: “The numbers are fantastic. These are heavily treated patients who have no other options. The ZUMA-1 study results suggest that axicabtagene ciloleucel could become a new standard of care for patients with refractory aggressive lymphoma.”
The 101 patients who participated in the trial had one of three types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, had failed all other treatments, and had been given only a few months to live.
However, following the first round of CAR-T cell therapy, which took place nine months after the trial began, half the patients are not only alive, but 36% are in complete remission at six months; while 82% of patients have their cancer shrink by at least half.
Dr. Roy Herbst, cancer medicines chief at the Yale Cancer Center, commented: “This seems extraordinary… extremely encouraging. The worry is how long Kite’s treatment would last and its side effects, which seem manageable in the trials. Follow-up beyond six months is still needed to see if the benefit wanes, but this certainly is something I would want to have available.”
While Kite Pharma is racing Novartis AG to win approval of America’s first approved gene therapy treatment, Marilynn Marchione, chief medical writer at The Associated Press, observed the CAR-T cell therapy is not without risk.
“Of the study participants, 13% developed a dangerous condition where the immune system overreacts in fighting the cancer, but that rate is lower than in some other tests of CAR-T therapy. The rate fell during the study as doctors got better at detecting and treating it sooner.”
Acknowledging the risks, Dr. Locke noted: “Roughly a third of patients developed anemia or other blood-count-related problems, which were easily treated. And 28% had neurological problems such as sleepiness, confusion, tremor or difficulty speaking, but these typically lasted just a few days.”
Full results of the trial will be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research conference in April. Even as Kite Pharma plans to seek approval from European regulators later this year, the National Cancer Institute’s Dr. Steven Rosenberg, pointed out:
“It’s a safe treatment, certainly a lot safer than having progressive lymphoma, and comparable to combination chemotherapy in terms of side effects.”
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Eddie is the founder and owner of www.WorldTruth.TV. This website is dedicated to educating and informing people with articles on powerful and concealed information from around the globe. I have spent the last 38 years researching Bible, History, Alternative Health, Secret Societies, Symbolism and many other topics that are not reported by mainstream media.
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Mom Finds New Job During Unpaid Maternity Leave, Old Boss Bills Her For $3K
posted by Dave Basner - May 15, 2019
Sunday was Emily Manley's first Mother's Day. Three months ago, the Iowa native gave birth to a boy she named Jettson. Manley took time off from her job to raise her son, even though her employer didn't offer maternity leave. Instead, she used the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act, taking three months of unpaid leave to be with her newborn. During that time, she was offered another job and it was too good to pass up, so she gave her boss her two weeks notice and in return, her employer sent her a bill for $2,600, the company's cost of her health care plus reimbursement for the paid time off she used. They wanted immediate payment.
Manley explained to Des Moines WHO-TV, "They had a policy that you had to burn through all of your [paid time off] prior to taking leave, so really you didn’t have a choice, you had to take it all before you could start leave." When she got the invoice, she said, "It was kind of a shock. I wasn’t prepared for it. I wasn’t ready for it, but I knew it was a possibility. I didn't know it would happen that fast and that I would have to pay it back that fast."
The worst part is that the company is allowed to do it. Per Iowa's FMLA policy, employers have the option to recoup those expenses if an employee doesn't return to work because of reasons other than a serious health issue or circumstances beyond the employee's control. Manley stated, "I can understand the company's point of view, but at the same time, to do that to a young family is really difficult to be on the other side of it."
Her old company wants payment by the end of June, noting that it is "an extension of one additional month beyond the original plan offered," and adding how it is, "completely fair given the length of time that has already elapsed since first starting maternity leave that was covered by FMLA on February 11th."
Manley disagrees since she just spent three months unpaid and just began her new job. She said, "It's a lot of money to us. We did our best to save when we got pregnant, knowing that we had bills coming, and did our best for that, but it’s kind of hard to prepare."
She spoke to a lawyer who explained it would cost her more money in legal fees to fight than it will to just pay it.
Manley hopes others learn from her experience. She said, "If there are other women going through this, you’re not alone. I didn’t work for a large corporation that you would expect something like this to happen. It was a smaller owned local company that you wouldn't think would exercise that sort of right that they have."
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Creative Entrepreneurship
Section 1: The Anatomy of a Launch
Welcome to Creative Entrepreneurship! (4:14)
The Story of a Launch (9:34)
The Things I Have and Do For My Launches (9:42)
The "Must Have" Elements of a Launch-- And How I Succeeded Without Them (5:32)
My Business Philosophy (6:26)
Section 2: Your Personal Brand
What is a Personal Brand (8:46)
How to Grow and Sell (10:03)
What Will You Talk About? (8:52)
What Does Your Website Tell Us? (4:04)
Section 3: Getting the Basics in Place
Setting Up Your Website (10:33)
Why You Need a Mailing List (11:18)
Interacting With Your Audience (6:35)
Free Gift for Signing Up (6:21)
Section 4: Building Your Readership
Offer Incentives (16:03)
Multiple Points of Contact (5:01)
Run Contests (6:07)
Guest Blogging (9:31)
Traditional Media (2:30)
Interviews on Podcasts (2:15)
Be Seen as an Expert (5:10)
Be Visible Offline (1:39)
Paid Advertising (4:26)
What Interests You? (4:07)
Section 5: Your Content Strategy
Content that Entertains, Educates, and Inspires (5:18)
The Various Types of Content (14:55)
Promoting Your Content (13:08)
Section 6: Growing Your Business
What to Sell (11:03)
More Opportunities (15:53)
The Things to Have in Place (9:13)
Run Contests
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Tag: Imran Khan
Posted on July 5, 2019 July 5, 2019 by Omar Ali - 12 Comments on Pakistan’s Pseudo-Revolution Marches on..
Pakistan’s Pseudo-Revolution Marches on..
Pakistan is at an interesting (and dangerous) juncture today; in 2018 the military used the many levers it has at its disposal to get Imran Khan elected as Prime Minister and GHQ continues to strengthen its grip on power, but that is not the interesting part. That is just the normal Pakistani cycle of semi-civilian rule followed by a phase of more direct military rule, followed by another attempt at civilian government; what is interesting is that a significant section of the emerging Pakistani middle class (“Mehran Man”) has managed to convince themselves that this time there will be a revolution: the violent overthrow of one social order and its replacement by a very different order.
GHQ probably had no such revolution in mind when they promoted Imran Khan and made him prime minister. Some civilian leaders were to be sidelined and some military leaders planned to acquire more direct power, and in order to do this they activated their vast public relations apparatus and talked of revolution and grand transformations, as one does, but no Bolshevik or Chinese revolution was actually in the works. There was probably some fear that the “war on terror” dividend is over and hard times lie ahead, so the state should be prepared for a period of harsher authoritarian rule (i.e. the opposite of a revolution; not a desire to change things but a desire to harden the existing order to meet anticipated challenges). Of course every time GHQ think tanks notice that Pakistan is facing a crisis, they tend to revert to the old “Chakwal solution” paradigm all officers apparently learn during basic training. This PMA version of “how to fix Pakistan” has not changed since the 1950s and includes ideas such as :
Pakistan needs a firm hand (“shoot 5000 people and the country will become an Asian Tiger”)
Presidential system
22 provinces (to break up existing pre-Pakistani identities such as Pakhtoon, Sindhi, Baloch etc)
Get rid of corrupt politicians (ALL politicians are corrupt, but some join military regimes and are therefore excused)
Technocrat government, etc
So I do not doubt that some of the planners at GHQ did have such “reforms” in mind and just as the cart follows the horse, new policy disasters will no doubt flow from the naive implementation of such “reforms”, but even so, no real revolution was intended, just some “tweaking” of the system.
But while the planners at the top may not have intended more than that, their propaganda seems to have created a number of excited middle class social media warriors who sincerely believe a revolution is in progress. They are cheering every extra-legal step, every fake drug bust and every suppression of dissent. And because the geniuses at GHQ are also human, some of this excitement is filtering back to the bosses and even they may get carried away and imagine they are leading the 1949 Communist revolution in China and not some Sisi-level military coup. Which will be a tragedy because this is not a revolutionary party, this cannot BE a revolutionary regime; the same elite that was ruling the country yesterday is ruling it today. The social media warriors screaming for a revolution and “across the board” cleanup are not interested in seeing Uncle Jimmy or cousin Mithoo go to prison; they expect the revolution to hit other people (preferably “corrupt politicians”, i.e. politicians who have not thrown in their lot with GHQ), they do not expect their own friends and family to face some revolutionary tribunal in D-chowk. The status quo is meant to be improved, not replaced.
But humans can get carried away and this lot may have misunderstood their own position rather comprehensively. They may imagine they really ARE carrying out a revolution: the violent overthrow of one class by another. Some of them are surely sane enough to know this is just one more round of military rule and after it fails (as it inevitably must) they will have to compromise again with “dirty politicians” and restart the merry go round at 1988 or 2008, if not at 1970 (i.e. controlled democracy, with continued military domination of the heights of the state), but some of them do seem to be getting carried away. We may end up with the worst of both worlds.. The viciousness and disruptive destruction of an attempted revolution, without the creative energy and opportunities created by any genuine overthrow of an ossified ruling elite..
And if that is the case, then the corrupt status quo will evolve into something even worse: a corrupt narrowly based authoritarian regime that has destroyed existing politics (corruption ridden, but still somewhat responsive to public pressures) and replaced it with naked military rule over an unhappy population with no political safety valves and a worsening economic crisis. They may then find themselves facing an attempt at real revolution.. and that will not be good for anyone.
There is still time. They can step back and let politics take its course and maybe a slightly more competent regime can come into power once PTI crashes and burns. But just writing this sentence is enough to make one realize that they are not going to allow any such soft landing. This time, we will get the full Monty, the chakwal solution in all its glory. It will fail amidst much pain and suffering; you know this, I know this.. but they don’t know this and they will not learn until things fall apart.
Rana Sanaullah, PMLN Punjab Chief, in prison
By the way, here is Brigadier Ijaz Shah, GHQs main enforcer in the Imran Khan regime, giving his side of the story.
And here is the full ISPR version of recent events:
Posted on May 7, 2019 by Omar Ali - 40 Comments on What is in a Name? Al Qadir University
What is in a Name? Al Qadir University
Dear leader (aka Imran Khan) was in Sohawa laying the foundation stone of “Al-Qadir University” and he gave a speech that is a good summary of his (childish, Aitchison college and Pakistan studies) worldview. The guy introducing him mangles one of Iqbal’s finest urdu poems and then Imran Khan takes it from there.. He manages to mangle Ahle suffa, Roohaniyat, history, sufism and science in this speech.. worth a listen.
But today I am not concerned with his worldview (which at least has a certain childish sincerity about it), I am just concerned about the name “Al Qadir University”. We are told that this university is named after Abdul Qadir Jilani. Supposedly Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Maneka came up with this name. But why? Why the “Al”? Al-Qadir just means “THE Qadir”. If it is named after Abdul Qadir Jilani then there is no reason to call him “THE Qadir”. Why not “Abdul Qadir Jilani University”? or just “Qadir University”?
Al-Qadir is one of the names of Allah. It would make sense if the university was named for Allah, but dear leader himself says it is named for Abdul Qadir Jilani. Hence the confusion.
I suspect that this name is an example of the neo-Punjabi tendency to add “Al” to anything they want to Islamize or make attractive by making it sound Arabic. Hence we have “Al-Bakistan”, Al-Mashhoor Fried Chicken and Al-Sultan Shoes and suchlike. It looks like the name of this university is another example of this (unfortunate) practice.
This short blog post is my personal contribution to improving the naming traditions in neo-Punjab. May Allah bless our efforts with success.
Posted on September 12, 2018 September 13, 2018 by Omar Ali - 24 Comments on Ahmedis and Pakistan. Some background..
Ahmedis and Pakistan. Some background..
Atif Mian
Professor Atif Mian is a prominent Pakistani-American economist and a professor of economics at Princeton university. 2 weeks ago he was nominated to be a member of Imran Khan’s “Economic Advisory Council” (a think tank of sorts that is supposed to generate ideas for the new PTI government; it is not at all clear what influence, if any, this group will have in real life). This set off a controversy in Pakistan because Atif Mian is an Ahmedi and Ahmedis are widely reviled as heretics, apostates and traitors in Pakistan. After an initial attempt to defend his appointment (including the obligatory Jinnah quote and reference to the fact that an Ahmedi, Sir Zafrullah, was one of Jinnah’s closest advisers and Pakistan’s first foreign minister) the Imran Khan government backed down and asked him to leave the council.
Since then his defenders (mostly liberals who believe religion should play no role in such appointments and experts should be judged on their professional skills and not their religion) and opponents (Islamists, PTI-type Islamist-lite folks who believe Ahmedis in particular should not be appointed to any important position because they are fake Muslims and potential traitors, etc etc) have been arguing about this case on social media. This post is an attempt to provide background and clarify some of the issues raised by both sides.. (some of the background material was published earlier in a post I wrote in 2012 for 3quarksdaily.com)
Mirza Ghulam Ahmed
The Ahmediya movement was started in Punjab in 19th century British India, by Mirza Ghulam Ahmed of Qadiyan. He seems to have been a quiet, religious loner who brooded about the challenges faced by his faith and his people. The decisive military and economic superiority of Western civilization over the Islamicate world had produced a variety of efforts at reform and revitalization. They ranged from the Wahabi-influenced puritanical Jihadism of Syed Ahmed Barelvi (who led an extremely fanatical jihadist movement in what is now Khyber Pakhtunkhwah, until he was defeated by superior Sikh firepower and a reaction to his extreme views among the local Muslims) to the anglophile reformism of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan (founder of Aligarh Muslim University). Mirza Ghulam Ahmed’s response was to start a movement of religious revival that was built around his own charismatic claims. Though he contradicted some mainstream Islamist claims about the finality of prophet-hood and the absolute necessity of military Jihad (military jihad as a Muslim duty is now so widely downplayed that it is hard for Westerners and even Westernized Muslims to figure out why his claim was considered so controversial). His movement was socially conservative and even puritanical and he vigorously defended Islam, especially against Christian missionaries and Hindu critics. He found some support among modestly educated middle class Punjabi Muslims (including Islamist icon Allama Mohammed Iqbal, who either flirted with joining the movement or actually joined for a few years, depending on what version you believe). As his movement (and his claims regarding his own status as prophet or messiah) grew, it also drew orthodox opposition, especially from the dominant Sufi-oriented Barelvi Sunni sect. Ironically this branch of local Islam enjoyed some American (and world media) attention as “moderate and tolerant Muslims” in contrast to their Deobandi/Wahhabi brethren in the aftermath of 9-11 (though this attempt to fight Wahabi/Deobandi fire with Sufi-Barelvi water seems to have run into some trouble recently).
This increasingly vocal opposition (complete with fatwas from Mecca declaring the Ahmedis as apostates liable to the death penalty if they did not repent) led to a sharper separation between Ahmedis and other Muslim sects, but the Ahmedis themselves always claimed to be Muslims and made efforts to remain fully engaged in “Muslim causes”. In their own view they were reforming and purifying Islam, not opposing it, so they had a legitimate interest in the cause of oppressed Muslims everywhere (e.g. they took a leading role in supporting Kashmiri Muslims against their Dogra-Hindu ruler). Some Ahmedis played a very prominent role in the Pakistan movement, including Sir Zafrullah Khan, who wrote a Pakistan proposal for the viceroy in Feb 1940 and shared it with Jinnah before the Muslim League passed its Lahore resolution in March 1940. He remained one of Jinnah’s closest associates and was the first foreign minister of Pakistan and Jinnah’s representative on the boundary commission that divided India) and others held prominent positions in the new state and fought for it with distinction (most famously, General Akhtar Malik in the 1965 war with India). It is likely that neither they, nor the relatively Westernized leadership of the Muslim league had a clear idea of what lay in store for them in Pakistan. Even more ironically, the Ahmedis themselves aggressively pursued “blasphemers” (e.g. Pandit Lekh Ram in Punjab in 1897). It is hard to read this Ahmedi polemic against Lekh Ram without thinking about where the Ahmedis themselves now lie in relation to the blasphemy meme. Continue reading “Ahmedis and Pakistan. Some background..”
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Budds' Chev | Budds | 2016 ATS-V Coupe, Sedan, and Racer
2016 ATS-V Coupe, Sedan, and Racer
Budds Dec 2nd, 2014
Blog post by Madison D’Angelo,
Last month was a particularly exciting moment for General Motors and Cadillac alike. At the official 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show, we were all anxiously awaiting the reveal of the 2016 Cadillac ATS-V coupe, and its cousins, the ATS-V sedan and the ATS-V.R racer. With much anticipation, we have waited with only teaser videos and speculation images to keep us going. But the Cadillac did not disappoint.
Originally when the ATS was launched in 2013, it was geared to compete with the BMW 3 Series, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and the Audi A4. When the coupe body style was developed, it was a perfect competitor for the BMW 4 Series. Now that the ATS iix following in the footsteps of its older brother, the CTS, and getting the V treatment, it will be a huge competitor to the BMW M4 and the Audi RS5. Some are calling the ATS-V the new German kryptonite.
Check out some gorgeous photos of the 2016 Cadillac ATS-V coupe:
The Cadillac ATS-V Coupe arrives track-capable from the factory next spring, powered by the first-ever twin-turbocharged engine in a V-Series. Rated at an estimated 455 horsepower (339 kW) and 445 lb-ft of torque (603 Nm), the 3.6L V-6 is the segment’s highest-output six-cylinder and enables 0-60 performance of less than 4 seconds and a top speed of more than 185 mph.
Almost every exterior panel on the 2016 Cadillac ATS-V coupe is unique, from the fascias and fenders, to the hood, rear spoiler and rocker moldings – and every one was designed to support the car’s capability. A lightweight carbon fiber hood, front and fascia designed with larger grille openings to feed more air to the new twin-turbocharged engine. Even the mesh pattern of the signature grille openings is enlarged to allow more air into the radiator and multiple heat exchangers.
The Cadillac ATS-V sedan arrives track-capable from the factory next spring, powered by the first-ever twin-turbocharged engine in a V-Series. Rated at an estimated 455 horsepower (339 kW) and 445 lb-ft of torque (603 Nm), the 3.6L V-6 is the segment’s highest-output six-cylinder and enables 0-60 performance of less than 4 seconds and a top speed of more than 185 mph.
Almost every exterior panel on the 2016 Cadillac ATS-V sedan is unique, from the fascias and fenders, to the hood, rear spoiler and rocker moldings – and every one was designed to support the car’s capability. A lightweight carbon fiber hood, front and fascia designed with larger grille openings to feed more air to the new twin-turbocharged engine. Even the mesh pattern of the signature grille openings is enlarged to allow more air into the radiator and multiple heat exchangers.
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Chairman's Press
Filter Expand
10/06/15 BUDGET BULLETIN: Social Security Replacement Rates
10/02/15 UPDATED BUDGET BULLETIN: Debt-Limit Debate New Budget Committee and Treasury Forecasts
09/30/15 Enzi: Congress Should Pass Annual Spending Bills Instead of Continuing Resolutions
09/29/15 BUDGET BULLETIN: 2016 Continuing Resolution
09/15/15 BUDGET BULLETIN: Fall Debt-Limit Debate
09/10/15 CBO Analysis Shows Senate Committees Adhering to Balanced Budget Resolution
08/25/15 CBO Report Shows Impact of Budget Caps on Overspending
08/24/15 Sen. Ayotte Holds Field Hearing with IRS Commissioner to Examine Tax-Related ID Theft
08/07/15 Senators Pledge to Work Together on Wildfire Funding
08/05/15 New Report Shows Importance of Dynamic Scoring
07/30/15 SENATORS McCAIN & ENZI INTRODUCE THE USA ACT TO SAVE BILLIONS IN TAXPAYER DOLLARS
07/30/15 Enzi: U.S. needs to learn from Greek crisis before it is too late
07/30/15 Highway Funding Bill Contains Key Budget Reform
07/29/15 Chairman Enzi Announces Senate Budget Committee Staff
07/27/15 BUDGET BULLETIN: Appropriations Status Report – FY 2016 Budget and Spending Bills
07/14/15 BUDGET BULLETIN: Enforcing the FY 2016 Balanced Budget Resolution
07/13/15 Enzi Requests CBO Report on Current Impact of Balanced Budget Resolution
07/10/15 Enzi: U.S. Must Learn From Greek Crisis Before It Is Too Late
06/25/15 Enzi statement on the Supreme Court’s King v. Burwell decision
06/24/15 Senate Budget Committee Approves Toomey Bill to Boost Funds for Crime Victims
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South Korean Girls Taste Test Popular American Snacks And They Can't Understand Why We Do This To Ourselves — VIDEO
By Beca Grimm
American snack food, in its oft-needed defense, has definitely made strides recent years toward shedding the "junk" precursor. And there's been some lofty developments from a few of the most major players in the game. On the other hand, we're still allowing some true travesties to occur in our grocer aisles. All of which is to say: American snack food is a mixed bag. There's still a whole lot of room for us to step up our snack game, as demonstrated by a new video showing young South Korean women trying popular American snack foods. Their reactions are silly and super entertaining, and their commentary is refreshingly ruthless.
One young woman marinates over the salty, crispy, poppable goodness of Goldfish crackers. "Baby snack!" she says, "Baby snack!" It's true that Goldfish are a high-ranking favorite of my 2-year-old nephew. But you know what? I'll be damned if I hang with him mid-Goldfish snacking and don't help myself to a few dozen or so. (Hey, he offers! I'm not a monster!) Another woman tries a Pop-Tart and thoughtfully speculates that it "tastes like a toy." Another test subject claims the Pop-Tart "tastes like something that's really bad for your body." One more likened it to a candle. Okay, look. They're not wrong. But I feel like I have to defend Pop-Tarts. It's in my blood. Sure, they "taste like a toy" or a "candle" that's "bad for your body", but are those things necessarily mutually exclusive with "delicious" or "amazing" or "perfect to pack for road trips so you don't get hangry?" Let's just say we're all correct.
Anyway, it's always fun to get a little outsider insight to spark our own meditations on very familiar items. Seriously—why do we eat half this stuff, anyway?
Solfa on YouTube
My favorite is when a participant bites into a salt and vinegar chip and frowns. "What do they make these for?" she says. A valid question for most of the snacks surveyed, to be honest. The interviewer asked what it tastes like. "...like someone is punching my tongue," she says. The suggestion to pair said chips with alcohol, though? I'm 'bout it.
Image: drsigmund/Flickr
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Google Employees Are Organizing To Protest The Company’s Secret, Censored Search Engine For China
Following a series of crises at Google, disparate worker organizing efforts within the company are coalescing, part of a growing workers’ movement in the tech industry.
By Caroline O'Donovan
Caroline O'Donovan BuzzFeed News Reporter
Last updated on August 17, 2018, at 1:02 p.m. ET
Posted on August 16, 2018, at 1:10 p.m. ET
BuzzFeed News; Getty
Google employees are demanding greater transparency from their employer and confronting management with their ethical concerns about a project named Dragonfly, a controversial censored search app for the Chinese market.
Employees are circulating a list of demands for the company in a letter obtained by BuzzFeed News (posted in full, below), calling for an ethics review structure with rank-and-file employee representatives, the appointment of ombudspeople, and an ethical assessment of Google projects including Dragonfly and Maven, Google’s contract with the Pentagon to build AI-assisted drone technology.
“Many of us believe that Dragonfly poses a threat to freedom of expression and political dissent globally, and violates our AI principles," two employees wrote in an email distributing the demand list.
"But this is not about Dragonfly specifically," the email continues. "While we support and will join with concerned Googlers in resisting this effort, we need to be clear: Individual employees organizing against the latest dubious project cannot be our only safeguard against unethical decisions. This amounts to unsustainable ethics whack-a-mole, and assumes employees know about a project to begin with.”
Dragonfly, which the majority of Google employees only learned about when the Intercept reported it earlier this month, marks the second time this year that leaked information about ongoing projects has prompted a backlash within the company’s rank and file. After Google’s contract with the Pentagon’s Project Maven became public in March, over 4,000 employees signed a petition asking the company to cancel it. A dozen engineers resigned in protest, and Google eventually promised not to renew the contract.
Following that uproar, Google published AI ethics guidelines for the company. The letter about Dragonfly that's currently circulating inside the company, which has so far been signed by over a 1,400 Googlers, argues that those guidelines are not enough.
"As a company and as individuals we have a responsibility to use this power to better the world, not to support social control, violence, and oppression," the letter reads. "What is clear is that Ethical Principles on paper are not enough to ensure ethical decision making. We need transparency, oversight, and accountability mechanisms sufficient to allow informed ethical choice and deliberation across the company."
Dragonfly has reignited internal rancor at Google; this letter represents different activist groups within the company coalescing to form a single movement around transparency.
“People were like, ‘What? That’s not how we do things!’ It betrays this culture of openness and transparency they like to pretend we have.”
“People are like, ‘What the hell do we do now?’ This can’t keep happening,” said an anonymous Google developer. “We need something fundamental to change how they do business.”
A debate over ethics
Dragonfly, which Google has been working on for a little over year, would be a search engine for Chinese users that would censor certain terms and sources from search results, including Wikipedia and some news articles, according to the Intercept. Google has already shown the Chinese government a version of the Android app, which could be launched within six to nine months, the report says.
The debate over the ethics of building such a tool has lasted over two weeks and spanned over a thousand comments on internal posts, Google employees told BuzzFeed News.
“The Dragonfly conversations are happening in the same spaces or lists where the Maven conversations happened; they’re being repurposed,” a second anonymous employee said. “There’s a lot of anger and passion.”
Some of that frustration is coming from the fact that Dragonfly seems at odds with Google’s stated purpose. “Google’s mission statement literally says, ‘Organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible.’ Censorship directly contradicts making information accessible,” he said. “It’s like Google capitulating to an oppressive organization … First it was the military industrial complex, now it’s China.”
A few days after the news broke, a Google employee who was born in Beijing and has been with the company over a decade took to an internal forum to warn his colleagues about the potential consequences of the project. In the post, which was shared anonymously with BuzzFeed News, he said that employees who think Google could fight censorship by building a presence in China are being naive.
The employee, who worked for Google in China in 2006, said that China uses technology to surveil and control its citizens, and argued that — given the immense popularity of Chinese search engine Baidu — Chinese companies that would entertain partnering with Google have potentially nefarious reasons.
“A few years ago, it was a place you felt proud to be working at. ... The series of incidents in the last few years have made it much harder to hold on to that feeling.”
“What do they gain by allowing us back in? You can be sure it is not about usability or benefiting to the people,” he wrote. “I am not that optimistic Google as a tech company somehow can facilitate political change in China.”
Allison Day, a program manager at Google who’s been with the company for more than three years. said the news that Google was working on such a project didn’t shock her. “I can see the bottom line for any corporation is growth, and [China] represented a gigantic market,” she said. “The ‘Don’t be Evil’ slogan, you know… It’s not a farce. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that. But it is a giant corporation, and its bottom line is to make money.”
Google CEO Sundar Pichai has repeatedly expressed an interest in the company making a return to China, which it pulled out of for political reasons in 2010. Pichai’s apparent decision to return, which was not addressed companywide before Thursday, has caused some employees to consider leaving the company altogether.
“There are questions about how [Dragonfly] is implemented that could make it less concerning, or much more concerning,” the second anonymous Google employee said. “That will continue to be on my mind, and the mind of other Googlers deciding whether to stay.”
Keeping Dragonfly secret
Much of the current ire toward Google leadership over Dragonfly has just as much to do with the secrecy surrounding the project as with ethics of the project itself. As the second anonymous Google employee put it, “It seems like the lessons we thought had been learned from Maven were not learned in the way we thought.”
Two Google employees who were working on Dragonfly were so disturbed by the secrecy that they quit the team over it. Shortly after the Dragonfly news broke, a Swiss-based engineer working on anti-abuse issues wrote in a post obtained by BuzzFeed News, “People who I’ve worked with closely might have noticed I transferred out of the Abuse/Identity team 2 weeks ago. This is in large part a reason why … I’ve had a meeting with my VP about the project before leaving. This was a short meeting for me, because my VP refused to provide any information without the basically agreeing to a verbal NDA ... That was enough for me to fuck off from that org.”
In a second post also obtained by BuzzFeed News, that employee’s colleague announced that he was planning to leave Google altogether, in part because he had been asked to keep Dragonfly secret — not just from the public, but also from his coworkers.
“The part that affected me the most was not the details of the project themselves, but the secrecy around it. Part of why I joined Google full-time was because of the open culture I had experienced during my internships,” this employee, whose post was shared anonymously, wrote. “But with DragonFly, all of this was gone.”
Google has not responded to specific questions about Dragonfly from the Intercept, nor to Bloomberg, nor to BuzzFeed News, only saying in a statement, “We don’t comment on speculation about future plans.” Two weeks passed before today’s all-hands meeting offered employees a chance to ask questions. Prior to that, employees hadn’t “heard a peep,” according to the anonymous Google developer.
Even more upsetting to some employees is the fact that the company has blocked off internal access to Dragonfly’s code. Managers also shut down access to certain documents pertaining to the project, according to the Intercept. (Google is famous for giving “engineers access to almost our entire code base on day one,” which makes the lockdown more alarming to them.)
“They did the same thing with Maven, and that galvanized a ton of people. People were like ‘What? That’s not how we do things!’ It betrays this culture of openness and transparency they like to pretend we have,” the anonymous Google developer said.
And following the leak, it’s become apparent that some Google employees were unaware that their work was being used for Dragonfly, or that the project even existed.
“That’s a special kind of betrayal and exploitation of an employee,” he said.
Erosion of trust
Compared to their colleagues elsewhere in the tech industry, Google employees have unusually high expectations for transparency, in large part because the company tells them to expect it.
“They talk and act like, ‘Once you’re at Google, you can look up the code anywhere in the code base and see for yourself.’ ‘We pride ourselves on having an open and transparent culture,’” said the anonymous Google developer. “There [are] definitely employees at the company who are very frustrated because that’s clearly not true.”
“Part of why I joined Google full-time was because of the open culture. ... But with DragonFly, all of this was gone.”
The second anonymous employee echoed those thoughts. “Google talks about people being able to bring their whole self to work, and being able to have open and transparent conversations, and a level of respect between rank and file Googlers and decision makers,” she said. “I feel like a lot of that is weaker now than it used to be.”
Internal debates over the ethics of technologies like Maven and Dragonfly are not the only disagreements that have sown discord between Google management and the rank and file in the past few years. Googlers were publicly critical of how the company handled backlash over former Google engineer James Damore’s sexist manifesto that circulated widely throughout the company, in which he claimed there are biological reasons that men are better engineers than women.
Damore was fired, but some Google employees said his supporters targeted them, and that human resources at the company scrutinized and even unfairly penalized them for making anti-racist statements.
The mishandling of the Damore incident, followed by the Project Maven debacle and now Dragonfly, “seems like a pattern,” said the second anonymous Google employee.
“A few years ago, it was a place you felt proud to be working at, proud of coworkers, proud of what we’re contributing to the world. The series of incidents in the last few years have made it much harder to hold on to that feeling.”
A workers’ movement in tech
Google employees aren’t the only tech workers who’ve been grappling with their responsibility for the tools they’re building, and talking about consolidating power in the workplace as a result. Following Google employees’ success with Maven, employees at Microsoft, Amazon, and Salesforce petitioned executives to cancel contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, government agencies some employees are opposed to working with because of the forced separation of immigrant families happening at the US–Mexico border. Together, these efforts comprise a veritable explosion of employee activism among white-collar tech workers.
Liz Fong-Jones, a Google employee who’s been with the company for over a decade and has been a vocal advocate around diversity and inclusion issues, sees Google employees as leading the way. “When people see successful, worker-organized efforts, it makes them more likely to attempt to organize within their own companies,” she said. She also credited organizations like Coworker.org, which has been hosting know-your-rights workshops for Bay Area tech workers, and Tech Workers Coalition, a growing labor advocacy group. (Fong-Jones does not speak on behalf of Google.)
And inside Google, some employees are taking more of an interest in “having structures and ownership around the work of the company,” which the second anonymous employee said would be good for morale and rebuilding trust.
“I’m definitely feeling pushed to take more of an interest in that,” the second anonymous employee said. “I feel like a lot of people in the company are.”
“There's been a common theme in a lot of recent controversies at tech companies: A government contract is taken or considered … and a large swath of the company only finds out about it via leaks,” Miles Brundage, an artificial intelligence policy researcher recently hired by OpenAI, told BuzzFeed News. “If this sort of thing keeps happening often enough (and maybe Maven and Dragonfly is enough), at some point workers are going to want to solve the higher level problem of transparency, instead of constantly reacting to the latest leaked project.”
Google may yet be able to quash future product leaks by making significant concessions to employees, but the actions of Google employees and those at other companies have forever disturbed the illusion of a wholly complacent tech workforce sated by free beer and snacks.
“Tech workers starting to realize what’s going on,” the anonymous Google developer said. “Even though a lot of us have really good jobs, we can see that the difference between us and the leadership is still astronomical. The vision they have for the future is not our vision.”
Read the full Google employee letter below.
Sign this letter
To make ethical choices, Googlers need to know what we’re building. Right now we don't. So we, the undersigned, are calling for a Code Yellow(1) on Ethics & Transparency at Google.
Our industry has entered a new era of ethical responsibility: the choices we make matter on a global scale. Yet most of us only learned about Project Dragonfly through news reports in early August. Dragonfly is reported to be an effort to provide search and personalized mobile news to China, in compliance with Chinese government censorship and surveillance requirements. Eight year ago, after Google Pulled censored websearch out of China, Sergey Brin explained the decision, saying: “In some aspects of [government] policy, particularly with respect to censorship, with respect to surveillance of dissidents, I see some earmarks of totalitarianism.” Dragonfly and Google’s return to China raise urgent moral and ethical issues, the substance of which we are discussing elsewhere.
Here we address an underlying structural problem: currently we do not have the information required to make ethically-informed decisions about our work, our projects, and our employment. That the decision to build dragonfly was made in secret, and progressed even with the AI Principles in place, makes clear that the principles alone are not enough. We urgently need more transparency, a seat at the table, and a commitment to clear and open processes. Google employees need to know what we’re building.
In the face of these significant issues, we, the undersigned, are calling for a Code Yellow addressing Ethics and Transparency, asking leadership to work with employees to implement concrete transparency and oversight process, including the following:
An ethics review structure that includes rank and file employee representatives
The appointment of ombudspeople with meaningful employee input into their selection
A clear plan for transparency sufficient to enable Googlers an individual ethical choice about what they work on; and
The publication of “ethical test cases”; an ethical assessment of Dragonfly, Maven, and Airgap GCP with respect to the AI principles; and regular, official, internally visible communication and assessments regarding any new areas of substantial ethical concern,
(1) A Code Yellow is a standardized process in Engineering for addressing new or long-simmering business-critical problems that span multiple groups. A Code Yellow includes: an executive responsible for the process, an overall owner, a clear list of objectives to be resolved before closing the Code Yellow, and weekly (or more frequent) updates to any interested parties.
Aug. 17, 2018, at 17:02 PM
This story has been updated for clarity.
Topics In This Article
Caroline O'Donovan is a senior technology reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in San Francisco.
Contact Caroline O'Donovan at caroline.odonovan@buzzfeed.com.
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Need creates a hunger that can only be satisfied by the fruits of opportunity.
Grameen America
For people all over the world, Los Angeles is viewed as a place where dreams come true. And every one of our 300,000 women-owned businesses is the product of a hard-working dreamer with innovative ideas and a desire to take control of her own destiny. Yet despite L.A.’s status as one of the world’s largest economies, 40 percent of our female-headed households live in poverty.
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To join in empowering entrepreneurs to lift their families out of poverty, create jobs and transform their communities, visit grameenamerica.org.
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BUS SCHEDULES FROM - TO CITIES
As Cambodia’s road system has improved, buses have quickly become the preferred form of inter-provincial transportation. Several bus companies offer comfortable a/c buses from Phnom Penh to all of the most popular provincial destinations including Siem Reap, Sihanoukville and many other provincial capitals and other towns along the National Routes. There are also a limited number of bus routes between provincial cities (for example Sihanoukville/Kampot, Kampong Cham/Siem Reap, etc.) And there are now direct buses running internationally between Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City. All of the major bus companies use comparatively good quality, a/c buses, and some companies offer deluxe buses - slightly more expensive, usually newer and with tour guide, snacks, on-board toilet and other amenities. Generally speaking, it is easiest to buy bus tickets through your guesthouse or travel agency, though you can buy it directly from the bus company office as well.
Bus Companies and Bus Stations
There is no centralized bus station in Phnom Penh. Buses from different companies depart from different stations. Some buses depart/arrive from the bus company office, others from remote bus stands such as market parking lots. One of the largest bus stations in Phnom Penh - Phnom Penh Sorya Transport - is next to Phsar Thmey (Central Market), near the GST bus station and major taxi stands. Several bus company offices are also concentrated near Street 104 and Sisowath Quay on the riverfront. The rest are scattered around town. In most provincial cities, including Siem Reap and Sihanoukville, there is a centralized bus station from which all buses arrive and depart. The following list is not comprehensive but does include most of the major bus companies.
Capitol Tours
Phnom Penh Office and Station (Departure/arrival):
#14AEo, Street 182 at Capitol Guesthouse.
Tel: +(855) (0)23-217627
GST Express Bus Co.
Opposite the southwest corner of Phsar Thmey, behind the Phnom Penh Sorya Transport bus station
Mailinh Open Tour
Phnom Penh Office:
#391, Sihanouk Blvd., Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh Station (Departure/arrival):
Siem Reap Office: Wat Bo area
Mekong Express
#87 Sisowath Quay at the corner of Street 102 on the riverfront.
Stations located at Phsar Orrusey and at the office.
Siem Reap Office:
#14A, Sivatha Blvd., Siem Reap
Sihanoukville Office:
Sihanoukville Bus Station
Neak Krorhorm
Phnom Penh Station and Office (Departure/arrival):
#127, Street 108 at the corner of Sisowath Quay, at the riverfront near Old Market.
Tel: +(855) (0)23-219496/7,
#003, Old Market area
Tel: +(855) (0)63-964924,
Paramount Angkor Express
#24Eo, Street 102, Phnom Penh
Tel: +(855) (0)23-427567, +(855) (0)23-427568
#618, Vithey Tep Vong, Siem Reap
Sihanoukville Station and Office (Departure/arrival):
Public Bus Station
Phnom Penh Sorya Transport
Opposite the southwest corner of Phsar Thmey, at the corner of Charles de Gaulle and Street 67
Ekareach Street, Downtown
Virak Buntham Express Travel
Street 106, on the riverfront opposite the Night Market.
The following bus schedules are not comprehensive, but do cover all of the major destinations and most of the major bus companies. Check with your travel agent or guesthouse/hotel for more bus schedules.
From/To Phnom Penh (Domestic Routes)
Phnom Penh - Siem Reap
(314 km, 5-6hrs, Nation-al Route #6. In Siem Reap, most buses arrive and depart from the Chong Kov Sou bus station near Phsar Leu 2km from town center.)
To SR: 7:00, 7:45, 8:45, 11:30, 12:45
From SR: 7:00, 7:15, 7:30, 8:30, 12:30
20,000R
Mekong Express To SR: 7:30, 8:30, 12:30, 14:00
From SR: 7:30, 8:30, 12:30 US$10 Deluxe buses
From SR: 6:00, 6:45, 8:00, 10:30, 12:30
Paramount Angkor
To SR: 7:30, 8:30, 10:30, 12:30, 14:30
From SR: 7:30, 8:30, 10:30, 12:30, 14:30
Deluxe buses
(230km, 4hrs, National Route #4. In Sihanouk Ville, all buses arrive/ depart from the Public Bus Station in the center of the downtown.)
To SHV: 7:00, 8:00, 9:00, 11:30, 12:45, 13:45
From SR: 7:10, 8:00, 9:00, 12:15, 13:15,14:15
Mekong Express To SHV: 7:45, 14:30
From SHV: 7:45, 14:30 US$5 Deluxe buses
To SHV: 7:30, 9:30, 12:30, 14:30
From SHV: 7:30, 9:30, 12:30, 14:30
Phnom Penh - Kampot
(148km, 3hrs. In Kampot, all buses arrive/depart at the Public Bus Station)
To KPT: 7:30, 13:15
From KPT: 7:30, 12:30
(5-6hrs. Good road. In Koh Kong, all buses arrive/depart at the Public Bus Station)
To KK: 8:00
From KK: 8:00
Phnom Penh - Battambang
(291km, 5-6hrs, National Route #5)
To BTB: 6:30, 7:45, 8:45, 10:45
From BTB: 6:30, 7:30, 9:30, 10:30, 12:45
To BTB: 6:00, 6:30, 7:30, 10:30, 12:30
Paramount Angkor To BTB: 7:00, 8:00, 10:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:30
From BTB: 7:00, 8:00, 10:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:30 16,000R
Phnom Penh - Kampong Cham
(124km, 2hrs, National Routes #6A and #7)
Sihanoukville - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
(Via Phnom Penh)
Mekong Express To HCMC: 7:00
From HCMC: 7:45 US$18 Deluxe buses. Direct bus. No bus change at border. Cambodian visas available at border. Vietnamese visas are not available at border. See Overland Border Crossings for more.
Siem Reap - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
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Department of Justice Canada
Government of Canada announces judicial appointments in the province of Ontario
From: Department of Justice Canada
The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointments under the new judicial application process announced on October 20, 2016. The new process emphasizes transparency, merit, and diversity, and will continue to ensure the appointment of jurists who meet the highest standards of excellence and integrity.
June 23, 2017 – Ottawa, Ontario – Department of Justice Canada
The Honourable P. Andras Schreck, a judge of the Ontario Court of Justice, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice in and for the Province of Ontario in Toronto. He replaces Madam Justice N.L. Backhouse, who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective April 6, 2017.
Markus Koehnen, a partner at McMillan LLP, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice in and for the Province of Ontario in Toronto. He replaces Mr. Justice F.J.C. Newbould, who resigned effective June 1, 2017.
Darlene L. Summers, a sole practitioner with Thompson Summers Family Law, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice in and for the Province of Ontario and a member of the Family Court in Ottawa. She replaces Madam Justice V.J. MacKinnon, who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective September 5, 2016.
Cynthia Petersen, a partner at Goldblatt Partners LLP, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice in and for the Province of Ontario in Brampton. She replaces Madam Justice M. Donohue, whom the Chief Justice has transferred to Hamilton.
Sally A. Gomery, a senior partner at Norton Rose Fulbright LLP, is appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice in and for the Province of Ontario in Ottawa, effective July 1, 2017. She replaces Mr. Justice R.J. Smith, who will become a supernumerary judge effective July 1, 2017.
Justice P. Andras Schreck graduated from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law in 1994. Prior to his appointment to the Ontario Court of Justice in 2014, he practised law for 18 years and was a partner in the law firms of Schreck Presser LLP and Schreck & Greene, where he acted for clients at all levels of court, primarily in the areas of criminal and constitutional law. He has argued more than 100 appeals in the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada, including a number of significant constitutional cases. Justice Schreck has been an adjunct professor in the law of evidence at both the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and Osgoode Hall Law School. He is a frequent lecturer in continuing legal education programs for lawyers and judges on topics such as criminal and constitutional law and the law of evidence, both in Canada and internationally. He was a Director and Vice-President of the Ontario Criminal Lawyers’ Association.
Justice Schreck has been a member of the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children’s Family-Centred Care Advisory Council, the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network legal strategy committee, and the Board of Directors of the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted. He was also a member of the Ontario Court of Appeal Duty Counsel Program, assisting unrepresented individuals in the Court of Appeal. He is currently a member of the board of trustees of a small independent girls’ school.
Excerpts from Justice Schreck’s judicial application will be available shortly.
Before being appointed to the bench, Justice Markus Koehnen practised complex commercial litigation at McMillan LLP for 29 years, during which he appeared before courts of all levels, securities commissions, and international arbitration tribunals. His practice led him to work with a wide variety of legal and social cultures, including those of China, Iran, and Nigeria. He was active in the International Bar Association, where he served as chair of the Litigation Committee. Justice Koehnen is the author of Oppression and Related Remedies, which has been cited frequently by courts throughout Canada, including the Supreme Court of Canada. In addition, he has contributed to various books dealing with director and officer liability, privilege, and arbitration.
Justice Koehnen was born to immigrant parents and grew up in modest circumstances in Toronto. He was the first of his extended family to attend university, earning a B.A. and LL.B. from the University of Toronto and a diplôme d’études approfondies in international economic law from the Université Paris 1 (Panthéon-Sorbonne). He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a long-time contributor to the director education program run by the Institute of Corporate Directors and the Rotman School of Management. Justice Koehnen’s wife came to Canada as an Ismaili refugee from Uganda. They have two children and live outside Toronto.
Excerpts from Justice Koehnen’s judicial application will be available shortly.
After working in the insurance industry in Ottawa and Edmonton, Justice Darlene L. Summers received her undergraduate degree (1985) and law degree (1988) from Queen’s University in Kingston. From the beginning of her legal career with Burke-Robertson in Ottawa, where she became a managing partner, she practised exclusively family law. In 2002, she joined Steinberg Thompson d’Artios Rockman Summers, and ten years ago, co-founded the firm of Thompson Summers, Family Law. Her practice touched all aspects of family law, and she handled files in Nunavut as well as Ontario.
Justice Summers’ contribution to legal education includes teaching, judging student moot and negotiation competitions, conference presentations, and panel discussions on family law and professionalism issues. In the community, she volunteered for a number of years as a board member and member of the executive committee of Family Services Ottawa (previously the Family Service Centre of Ottawa-Carleton) and worked on a fundraising committee for the Ottawa chapter of Dress for Success, a charitable organization that assists women in their return to paid employment by providing work attire and a network of support.
Born and raised in the small community of Winchester, Ontario, with two sisters, Justice Summers is proud of her rural heritage.
Excerpts from Justice Summers’s judicial application will be available shortly.
Justice Cynthia Petersen was born and raised in a bilingual home in Châteauguay, Quebec. After obtaining an LL.M. from Harvard University (1990), she began her legal career as a professor at the University of Ottawa. Her early scholarship on systemic racism in the jury-selection process was cited in Ontario court decisions that led to changes in the criminal justice system.
After five years in academia, Justice Petersen shifted gears, moved to Toronto and joined Goldblatt Partners LLP, where she practised labour law, human rights law, and Charter litigation for 22 years. Widely regarded as one of the country’s leading constitutional litigators, she appeared before the Supreme Court and numerous courts of appeal in landmark Charter cases that helped to shape Canada’s equality jurisprudence. She is renowned for her work in combating discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and is a prominent figure within Canada’s LGBT communities. She has received numerous honours throughout her career and is an inductee of Canada’s Queer Hall of Fame (2011).
In addition to her advocacy, Justice Petersen has extensive experience in roles that require impartiality. She has conducted investigations into harassment complaints, acted as a mediator, and sat on the Canadian Judicial Council’s Committee of Inquiry into the conduct of Justice Robin Camp (2016). As Discrimination and Harassment Counsel for the Law Society of Upper Canada (2002-2017), she provided dispute resolution services to parties involved in complaints about lawyers’ and paralegals’ conduct. Throughout her career, Justice Petersen has remained committed to education. This has included leading anti-homophobia workshops for the National Judicial Institute, lecturing and teaching in faculties of law, and mentoring young lawyers and articling students.
Excerpts from Justice Petersen’s judicial application will be available shortly.
After receiving degrees in common law and civil law from McGill University, Justice Sally A. Gomery articled at the Supreme Court of Canada, first with the Honourable Frank Iacobucci and then with the Honourable Claire L’Heureux-Dubé. She began her practice at McCarthy Tétrault in Montreal. Moving to Ottawa a few years later, she became a partner at Ogilvy Renault (now Norton Rose Fulbright) in 2000.
Raised within a family that loved to debate, Justice Gomery gravitated naturally to litigation. She was recognized for her exceptional written and oral advocacy skills, representing clients in English and in French before courts in Ontario and Quebec and across Canada. A mentor to many young lawyers and students, she acted as a skills instructor for the Advocates’ Society.
During 26 years as a civil litigator, Justice Gomery handled a wide array of disputes, but was particularly active in the areas of insurance, medical malpractice and health sector regulation, and class action defence. She also advised on procurement and led investigations of potential wrongdoing within organizations and companies. She was the head of her firm’s Business Ethics and Anti-Corruption team.
Justice Gomery has a deep commitment to diversity and inclusion, and led efforts within her firm and the legal profession to promote equality of opportunity for all individuals. As a director on a variety of not-for-profit boards, she advocated for women, persons with disabilities, the homeless, refugees, and youth. She has also served as Vice-Chancellor of the Anglican diocese of Ottawa.
Excerpts from Justice Gomery’s judicial application can be accessed at the following link.
Budget 2017 includes additional funding of $55 million over five years beginning in 2017-2018 and $15.5 million per year thereafter for 28 new federally appointed judges. Of these new positions, 12 will be allotted to Alberta and one to the Yukon, with the remaining 15 being assigned to a pool for needs in other jurisdictions.
To ensure a judiciary that is responsive, ethical and sensitive to the evolving needs of Canadian society, the Canadian Judicial Council will receive $2.7 million over five years and $0.5 million ongoing thereafter. This will support programming on judicial education, ethics and conduct, including in relation to gender and cultural sensitivity.
Federal judicial appointments are made by the Governor General, acting on the advice of the federal Cabinet and recommendations from the Minister of Justice.
The Judicial Advisory Committees across Canada play a key role in evaluating judicial applications. There are 17 Judicial Advisory Committees, with each province and territory represented.
Significant reforms to the role and structure of the Judicial Advisory Committees, aimed at enhancing the independence and transparency of the process, were announced on October 20, 2016.
The Judicial Advisory Committees in ten jurisdictions have been reconstituted. Most recently, Minister Wilson-Raybould announced the composition of three new Judicial Advisory Committees on April 13, 2017.
This process is separate from the Supreme Court of Canada judicial appointment process announced on August 2, 2016. Nominees to the Supreme Court of Canada are selected by the Prime Minister from a thoroughly vetted list of candidates.
For more information, media may contact:
Communications and Parliamentary Affairs Advisor
Office of the Minister of Justice
media@justice.gc.ca
Search for related information by keyword: LW Law | Department of Justice Canada | Canada | Justice | general public | news releases
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Public Affairs Case Study
Non-Profit Groups, Public Affairs
American Red Cross: Standing in the Breach
Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Americans desperately wanted to help victims. Thousands turned to the American Red Cross, which was the most visible agency providing emergency services in New York and Washington, D.C. The response was unprecedented in its scope – and it overwhelmed the Oregon Trail Chapter, which happened to be undergoing a transition in its communications department.
The chapter needed help from communications professionals who could hit the road running – and run fast. The Oregon Trail Chapter called CFM.
CFM immediately assigned one of its own staff members to work full-time on-site. He wrote key messages, set priorities, tracked requests and made staff assignments. Amid the chaos, he developed plans for the chapter to capitalize on its sudden attention. Then the mood turned. National media criticized the Red Cross for its fund distribution program. CFM counseled chapter leaders on the best ways to cope, refocusing the community's attention on the good work and responsible practices of the local chapter.
Today the Red Cross continues to be the first to respond to disasters and provide help for people facing emergencies. The Oregon Trail Chapter is building on its good reputation to promote a message that all Oregon families need to be prepared to deal with a future emergency.
Newer PostTillamook Cheese
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Sex-ed opponents call for student strike
Parents rally outside Queen’s Park following the release of Ontario’s sex-ed curriculum. Some parents plan to take their kids out of school May 4-8 in protest of the curriculum. Photo by Evan Boudreau
By Evan Boudreau, The Catholic Register
TORONTO - A parent group is calling for children to be pulled out of school during Education Week in Ontario to protest the province’s new sexual-education curriculum.
Withdrawing children from the classroom May 4-8 might force the Liberal government to address concerns about the controversial curriculum that will be implemented in September, said Omar Kasmieh, co-organizer of Parents and Students on Strike.
“We want the Ministry (of Education) to know that this is not a small issue. This is a major concern,” Kasmieh said. “It is really important for the ministry to look at these concerns.”
The parent group, a coalition of Catholics and non-Catholics, believes the Liberals are ignoring concerns being expressed across the province and that the revised curriculum disregards the cultural diversity of schools. Kasmieh, a non-Catholic, agreed to speak for the group because other parents fear going public might cause difficult schoolyard situations for their children.
“The curriculum really overlooks the fact that Canada is a multicultural society,” Kasmieh said. “There are a lot of sensitivities (in the new curriculum) and each culture really addresses these topics from different perspectives.
“We think that implementing things in the education curriculum that blends everyone and tries to make everyone think the same way and act the same way is not the way to go. This is what is really concerning all the parents.”
The revised curriculum will introduce elementary school children to concepts such as oral and anal sex, homosexuality and non-traditional families at an earlier age than they are currently being taught. Kasmieh agrees these topics are relevant in modern society but objects to teaching them to young children and to the amount of classroom time that will be allocated to them.
“A lot of parents have issues around the age when this information is being introduced,” he said. “(Also) we feel that the school really doesn’t have the time and the assets to address these issues at an individual basis. In schools, you’ve got 20, 25 kids in each class and I really don’t think teachers will have enough time to address these issues.”
Kasmieh, a parent of two young girls, founded the group with three other parents while discussing ways to respond to the new curriculum. Their cause is promoted on a Facebook page called Parents and Students on Strike, with the slogan “One Week, No School.” At The Register’s press time, the page had more than 4,400 “likes.”
Parents are asked to download a letter to be submitted to their child’s teacher, principal and trustee that explains why the child is being taken out of school for one week. It says the sex-ed curriculum “contains information that we consider age inappropriate” and that it does not align “with the principles and beliefs of our family.”
The letter also says that parents “expect the schools to support parents’ choice and communicate our concerns to the school board and the ministry.”
Representatives from the Toronto and Dufferin-Peel Catholic boards said they were unaware of any plans to withdraw students from classrooms.
“We have not received any information that this is being contemplated by our parents at our board,” said Toronto Catholic’s John Yan in an e-mail.
Campaign Life Coalition is showing its support by promoting the group’s actions despite having no role in the organization.
“If enough parents participate this will be an effective way to send a strong message,” said Jack Fonseca, a Campaign Life spokesperson.
Kasmieh said pulling kids from classrooms is a last resort and that their real hope is to motivate the government to reopen the consultation processes.
“Let’s be clear here, the goal is really not to pull the kids out of school,” he said. “It is really worth it for the ministry to really stop and consider this.”
sexed
Parents and Students on Strike
Group protests outside Baltimore hotel, objects to proposals on abuse
Priest’s bubble zone case given legal boost
Editorial: Rights are wronged
Another setback in conscience fight
‘Devastating’ decision to cut legal aid for refugees
More in this category: « Easter play shows students 'God's love changes everything' TCDSB focused on family »
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Republican Leaders’ Tax Plan Would Deliver Large Tax Cuts to the Wealthiest Americans Even if It Doesn’t Cut the Top Rate
Home / RESEARCH / Federal Tax / Republican Leaders’...
Chuck Marr
Brendan Duke
Chye-Ching Huang
The Trump Administration and Republican congressional leaders have proposed a tax plan that includes cutting the top tax rate from 39.6 percent to 35 percent, but have left open the possibility of an additional top rate on the highest-income earners, purportedly to avoid “shift[ing] the tax burden from high-income to lower- and middle-income taxpayers.”[1] House Speaker Paul Ryan recently stated that the forthcoming version of the plan, expected to be unveiled on November 1, “will have that fourth bracket designed to make sure that we don’t have a big drop in income tax rates for high-income people.”[2]
The plan contains various other key provisions that would disproportionately benefit people at the top of the income spectrum.Yet the plan would still deliver a very large tax cut to the wealthiest households even if the top rate for very high-income individuals remained at its current 39.6 percent level, because the plan contains various other key provisions that would disproportionately benefit people at the top of the income spectrum and give many of them tax-cut windfalls.
Provisions like setting a special 25 percent rate for pass-through income (business income claimed on the owner’s individual income tax return), eviscerating the estate tax, and slashing the corporate tax rate from 35 to 20 percent all would mostly benefit the most well-off. Using Tax Policy Center (TPC) data, we provide a rough estimate of how the GOP tax plan would affect different income groups, even if the top tax rate remained at 39.6 percent applied at current-law thresholds.
The top 1 percent, who make above $733,000 annually, would see average tax cuts of $90,000 in 2018, increasing their after-tax incomes by 5.9 percent. (See Figure 1.) They would receive about 45 percent of the total net tax cut.[3]
The top one-tenth of 1 percent of households — those with annual incomes exceeding $3.4 million — would receive average tax cuts of $507,000 apiece in 2018, raising their after-tax incomes by 7.2 percent in 2018.
This 5.9 percent increase in after-tax income for the top 1 percent is five times larger than the 1.2 percent average increase in after-tax income for those in the middle fifth of the income spectrum, and more than ten times larger than the 0.5 percent income gain for the bottom fifth.
People with annual incomes over $1 million would receive average tax cuts of $138,000 in 2018, compared to average tax cuts of $270 for households making below $75,000. Millionaires’ after-tax incomes would rise 6.4 percent in 2018, compared to a 0.9 percent increase for those making less than $75,000.
President Trump appears to recognize that those at the top of the income scale still would get large tax cuts even with a 39.6 percent top rate. An Administration official recently told a reporter that the President “basically thinks they [rich people] are fine and he believes they don’t care that much about the individual rate so long as they get all the other goodies like the corporate rate and expensing.”[4]
Only if the top rate were set significantly above the current level could it blunt the effects of the other provisions in the GOP tax plan that primarily or exclusively benefit the most well-off. But Speaker Ryan has ruled out raising the top rate above 39.6 percent.[5] And some Republican House members are reportedly considering applying the 39.6 percent rate only to income of above $1 million, more than double the current-law thresholds (whose continuation we assume in this analysis).[6] Such a proposal would do even less to reverse the GOP plan’s tilt to the top than the results we show here.
&nbs;&nbs;
Many Tax Plan Provisions Benefit Wealthy, Not Just Top Rate Cut
The Trump Administration and GOP congressional leaders released their tax framework in September, proposing major changes to the tax code: a new rate structure with a top individual rate of 35 percent, a special rate for pass-through income, a higher standard deduction, the elimination of personal exemptions and many itemized deductions (including the deduction for state and local taxes), a cut in the corporate tax rate, and a transition to a so-called territorial system for taxing U.S. multinational corporations’ foreign profits.
The plan also left open the possibility of a fourth bracket with a rate above 35 percent, apparently in recognition that its benefits were likely skewed to high-income households. It stated: “An additional top rate may apply to the highest-income taxpayers to ensure that the reformed tax code is at least as progressive as the existing tax code and does not shift the tax burden from high-income to lower- and middle-income taxpayers.”[7]
The Tax Policy Center analyzed the plan, assuming a top tax rate of 35 percent. It concluded that the plan would disproportionately benefit households at the top of the income spectrum. The percentage increase in their after-tax incomes would be many times larger than that for low- and middle-income households.[8] For instance, in 2018, the top 1 percent would see an increase in their after-tax income of 8.5 percent, in contrast to a 1.2 percent increase for those in the middle 20 percent of the income spectrum and a 0.5 percent increase for those in the bottom quintile. The distribution of the tax cuts would grow even more skewed to the top by 2027.
Several of the GOP tax plan’s defenders said the findings that the plan favors the wealthy failed to account for pending decisions, such as on the top rate. The possible addition of a fourth, higher tax rate bracket has been a key defense that advocates of the plan have used to disparage the TPC analysis. The Wall Street Journal editorial page lambasted TPC for not assuming “a fourth tax-rate bracket for high earners that the tax plan left as an option.”[9] House Ways and Means Committee Chair Kevin Brady and Senate Finance Committee Chair Orrin Hatch have argued similarly.[10]
Claims of a potential top rate above 35 percent also seem aimed at confirming the Trump Administration’s oft-stated promise that its tax plan would not cut taxes for the rich. President Trump, for example, said in early September that “the rich will not be gaining at all with this plan,”[11] and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin earlier promised that “there will be no absolute tax cut for the upper class.”[12]
But even if GOP tax-writers decide not to cut the top tax rate at all, leaving it at 39.6 percent, the modified plan would still disproportionately benefit the wealthy. The cut in the top rate is not the sole or even the primary driver of why the GOP leaders’ plan unveiled last month would deliver such large benefits to the most well-off. Rather, it’s the plan’s provisions that would:
Create a special 25 percent rate for pass-through income. This is income from businesses such as partnerships, S corporations, and sole proprietorships that business owners claim on their individual tax returns. It is now taxed at the same rates as wages and salaries. This income is highly concentrated among those at the top of the income spectrum, and it represents a significant share of their income. [13] TPC finds that the top 1 percent would receive 88 percent of the benefit of a similar proposed 25 percent tax rate on pass-through income.[14] We also estimate that the 400 households in the country with the highest incomes would receive an average annual tax cut of $3.7 million apiece from this provision alone.[15]
Eliminate the estate tax. The estate tax is the most progressive federal tax. Primarily because the first $11 million of a couple’s estate is exempt and goes untaxed, only the wealthiest 0.2 percent of estates pay any estate tax at all.[16] Repealing this tax thus would provide this very small fraction of estates with tax-cut windfalls averaging more than $3 million apiece. And the roughly 350 estates in a given year that are worth more than $50 million would get tax cuts from this measure averaging more than $20 million apiece.[17] Inheritances account for about 40 percent of all household wealth and are extremely concentrated at the top of the income scale.
Cut the corporate tax rate to 20 percent. The GOP tax plan includes a large cut in the corporate tax rate, from 35 percent to 20 percent. TPC estimates that more than one-third of the benefit of corporate rate cuts would flow to the top 1 percent of Americans, with 70 percent flowing to the top fifth of households.[18]
Treasury Secretary Mnuchin has repeatedly argued that the Administration’s “objective” for corporate tax cuts is boosting workers’ wages. Mnuchin has claimed that “many, many economic studies show that more than 70 percent of the burden of corporate taxes are passed on to the workers.”[19] But the evidence does not support this claim.
TPC estimates that about 20 percent of the value of corporate rate cuts flows to workers. Similarly, Congress’s official non-partisan scorekeepers — the Congressional Budget Office and Joint Committee on Taxation — as well as Treasury’s Office of Tax Analysis have all assessed the empirical research as showing that only about a quarter or less of corporate taxes fall on workers, meaning that they would receive a quarter or less of the benefit of corporate tax cuts.[20]
Further, even the modest part of a corporate rate cut that would flow to workers would likely do so in proportion to their share of total wage and salary income. With labor income concentrated among high earners such as executives and professionals, only a small benefit would ultimately flow to the workers hurt most by the slow wage growth of recent decades.[21]
Tax Plan Would Still Disproportionately Benefit Most Well-Off
If Top Rate Remains at 39.6 Percent
Using TPC data, we provide a rough estimate of the distribution of the GOP tax plan’s tax cuts, assuming the top tax rate would remain at 39.6 percent, with that rate applying to taxable income above $418,400 for singles and $470,700 for couples, as under current law.[22] Leaving the top rate unchanged would somewhat temper the sharp increase in the after-tax incomes of the highest-income households, but the plan would still be significantly skewed to the top. Instead of the after-tax incomes of the top 1 percent rising 8.5 percent in 2018, as under the original plan, their incomes would rise by roughly 5.9 percent if the top rate stayed at 39.6 percent. Similarly, for people with incomes above $3.4 million — which places them in the top one-tenth of 1 percent of the income spectrum — the original 10.2 percent increase in after-tax income would be shaved down to roughly 7.2 percent.
Nevertheless, a 5.9 percent increase for the top 1 percent and 7.2 percent for the top one-tenth of 1 percent would still dwarf the 1.2 percent income gain of the middle quintile and the 0.5 percent gain of the bottom quintile. This means that the tax plan with a 39.6 percent top rate would, like the original plan, exacerbate rising income inequality and do little to address the stagnant wages of low- and moderate-income workers.[23]
Under the original GOP tax plan, 54 percent of the net tax cuts would flow to the top 1 percent even though those earners are currently projected to pay 26 percent of federal taxes in 2018. If the GOP plan is modified to keep the top rate at 39.6 percent, 46 percent of the net tax cuts would still flow to the top 1 percent in 2018.
Similarly, millionaires still would get average tax cuts of $138,000 in 2018 under a top rate of 39.6 percent, compared to $200,000 with a top rate of 35 percent. By contrast, households making less than $75,000 would get average tax cuts of $270. Millionaires’ after-tax incomes would rise 6.4 percent, compared to 0.9 percent for households making below $75,000. (See Figure 2.)
These numbers may, in fact, underestimate the tax cuts for the most well-off, for two reasons. First, our methodology for reducing the tax cut in the GOP tax plan for high-income households by keeping the top rate at 39.6 percent does not take into account a portion of the pass-through tax cut, the reduction in the rate from 39.6 percent to 35 percent, and so our estimates only reflect the effects of reducing the top rate on pass-through income from 35 percent to 25 percent.[24] Yet the full pass-through tax cut would remain in place for high earners. Further, TPC estimates that a large gap between the top rate for ordinary income and the rate for pass-through income would create a strong incentive for tax avoidance, as many high-income households would recharacterize their income as pass-through income to take advantage of the lower rate. TPC’s estimates of the GOP tax plan’s pass-through provision reflect a 10-percentage-point gap between the plan’s top regular tax rate (35 percent) and its lower pass-through rate (25 percent). But that differential would grow to 14.6 percentage points if the top rate were held at 39.6 percent and the incentive for tax avoidance would expand, enlarging the tax cut for high-income households.
The second reason that these numbers may well understate the tax cut that would go to those at the top if the top tax rate remains at 39.6 percent is that the plan may retain the 39.6 percent rate only for income above a level such as $1 million a year. If all of the first $1 million of very wealthy households’ income is taxed at a rate below 39.6 percent, they will get larger tax cuts than we have estimated here.
These estimates show that to make the tax plan GOP leaders released in September meet its stated goal of being “at least as progressive as the existing tax code” will require far more dramatic changes than simply keeping the top individual income tax rate at 39.6 percent.
Federal Tax, Tax Reform, Personal Taxes
[1] U.S. Department of the Treasury, “Unified Framework for Fixing Our Broken Tax Code,” September 27, 2017, https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Documents/Tax-Framework.pdf.
[2] Lindsey McPherson, “Tax Bill Will Include 4th Tax Bracket on High-Income Earners, Ryan Says,” Roll Call, October 20, 2017, https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/tax-bill-will-include-4th-tax-bracket-on-high-income-earners-ryan-says/?utm_source=news-alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletters.
[3] The Tax Policy Center (TPC) estimated the effects of the Republican tax framework for 2018 and 2027. This analysis focuses on 2018 because the method for estimating the effects of the tax framework while holding the top rate at 39.6 percent relies on TPC data that are available for 2018 but not 2027 (see footnote 22 for details). It is important to note that TPC estimated that the GOP tax-cut plan with a 35 percent top rate would be significantly more tilted to the top in 2027 than in 2018: the top 1 percent would receive 53 percent of net tax cuts in 2018 compared to 80 percent in 2027. If the GOP framework plan is modified so the top tax rate remains unchanged, we would expect the share of benefits going to the wealthiest households to be higher in 2027 than the figures that we report here for 2018.
[4] Jonathan Swan, “Million dollar bracket in the works for GOP tax plan,” Axios, October 22, 2017, https://www.axios.com/million-dollar-bracket-in-the-works-for-gop-tax-plan-2499930587.html.
[5] In an interview with CNBC, Ryan stated that “we’re not talking about raising rates. It's already the top statutory rate, 39.6 percent. So, nobody’s talking about going up above that.” See CNBC, “CNBC Transcript: Speaker Paul Ryan on ‘Squawk Box’ Today,” September 28, 2017, https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/28/cnbc-transcript-speaker-paul-ryan-on-squawk-box-today.html.
[6] Swan 2017. For an analysis of this proposal, see Steve Wamhoff, “GOP Tax Plan Will Mainly Benefit Millionaires Even If Top Rate Remains 39.6 Percent,” Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), October 24, 2017, https://itep.org/gop-tax-plan-will-mainly-benefit-millionaires-even-if-top-rate-remains-39-6-percent/. There are some differences between ITEP’s and TPC’s analyses of the original GOP plan for the dollar amount and share of tax cuts going to millionaires, though they are qualitatively similar.
[7]Ibid., U.S. Department of the Treasury.
[8] Tax Policy Center, “A Preliminary Analysis of the Unified Framework,” September 29, 2017, http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/preliminary-analysis-unified-framework.
[9]Wall Street Journal Editorial Board, “Tax Policy Center Propaganda,” October 1, 2017, https://www.wsj.com/articles/tax-policy-center-propaganda-1506889612.
[10] Senate Committee on Finance, “Hatch Opening Statement at Finance Committee Hearing on International Tax Reform,” October 3, 2017, https://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/10.3.17%20Hatch%20Opening%20Statement%20at%20Finance%20Committee%20Hearing%20on%20International%20Tax%20Reform.pdf; Emily Schillinger, September 29, 2017, https://twitter.com/ELSchillinger/status/913853036157693952.
[11] Nolan D. McCaskill, “Trump: Rich people won’t benefit ‘at all’ from tax plan,” Politico, September 13, 2017, www.politico.com/story/2017/09/13/trump-rich-people-tax-plan-242671.
[12] Elizabeth Gurdus, “EXCLUSIVE: Steve Mnuchin says there will be ‘no absolute tax cut for the upper class,’” CNBC, November 30, 2016, https://www.cnbc.com/2016/11/30/exclusive-steve-mnuchin-no-absolute-tax-cut-for-the-upper-class.html
[13] According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), pass-through income amounts to about a quarter (23 percent) of total income of the top 1 percent. See CBO, “The Distribution of Household Income and Federal Taxes, 2013,” June 8, 2016, https://www.cbo.gov/publication/51361.
[14] Tax Policy Center Table T17-0166.
[15] Note that the average annual tax cut for the top 400 households as a result of this provision would rise to $5.5 million if the top rate stayed at 39.6 percent because the value of the pass-through rate cut would rise. These estimates do not account for the increase in tax avoidance by high-income filers that would also occur. Chuck Marr, “Despite President’s Promise, Emerging Details Point to Large Tax Cut for Wealthiest,” CBPP, September 26, 2017, https://www.cbpp.org/blog/despite-presidents-promise-emerging-details-point-to-large-tax-cut-for-wealthiest.
[16] Chye-Ching Huang and Chloe Cho, “Ten Facts You Should Know About the Federal Estate Tax,” CBPP, updated May 5, 2017, https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-tax/ten-facts-you-should-know-about-the-federal-estate-tax.
[17] Joint Committee on Taxation, “Revenue Estimate Request,” March 24, 2015, https://democrats-waysandmeans.house.gov/sites/democrats.waysandmeans.house.gov/files/documents/114-0191.pdf.
[19] Senate Budget Committee hearing, June 13, 2017. Mnuchin has made similar comments on many other occasions: House Appropriations Committee hearing, June 12, 2017; Senate Finance Committee hearing, May 25, 2017; House Ways & Means Committee hearing, May 24, 2017; CNBC interview, May 23, 2017, http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/23/read-the-full-transcript-of-cnbcs-interview-with-treasury-secretary-steve-mnuchin.html; CBS News Interview, April 27, 2017, http://www.cbsnews.com/news/steven-mnuchin-trump-tax-plan-full-transcript/.
[20] Chye-Ching Huang and Brandon DeBot, “Corporate Tax Cuts Skew to Shareholders and CEOs, Not Workers as Administration Claims,” updated August 16, 2017, https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-tax/corporate-tax-cuts-skew-to-shareholders-and-ceos-not-workers-as-administration.
[21]Ibid.
[22] Tax Policy Center Tables T17-0224, T17-0225, T17-058, and T17-0159. Tables T17-058 and T17-059 provide the 2018 distributional impact of reducing individual income-tax rates to 10, 25, and 35 percent without any other changes. To estimate the distributional impact of a GOP tax plan without a reduction in the top rate to 35 percent in the income percentile analysis, we subtract the average tax cut that households in the top 1 percent and the top 0.1 percent would receive as a result of the changes in individual tax rates from the tax cut they would receive under the entire GOP leaders’ tax plan (Table T17-0158)). For the income level analysis, we subtract the average tax cut for households making above $500,000 (Table T17-0159).
[23] Chuck Marr, Brandon DeBot, and Emily Horton, “How Tax Reform Can Raise Working-Class Incomes,” CBPP, updated October 13, 2017, https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-tax/how-tax-reform-can-raise-working-class-incomes.
[24] In its analysis of rate reductions (TPC Tables T17-058, and T17-0159), TPC estimates of reducing the top rate from 39.6 percent to 35 percent includes the effects of this rate reduction on pass-through income. We used this estimate for backing out the effects of the top rate reduction in the GOP plan.
PDF of this report (8 pp.)
Despite President’s Promise, Emerging Details Point to Large Tax Cut for Wealthiest
Ten Facts You Should Know About the Federal Estate Tax
Corporate Tax Cuts Skew to Shareholders and CEOs, Not Workers as Administration Claims
More from the Authors
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Happy Birthday! Dorothy Levy, founder of United Ability turns 107!
by: Erica Pettway
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) – Dorothy Levy, who was instrumental in the founding of Spastic Aid of Alabama, now United Ability, turns 107 years old on Sunday. And Friday there will be a special birthday celebration in her honor.
Dorothy Levy’s son Harry, was born in 1938 and diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. At that time, doctors were not educated about Cerebral Palsy and could not offer much support or guidance. The Levy’s worked with a physician in New York and then began to work with local Birmingham physician, Dr. John Simpson.
In 1948, Ms. Levy, Dr. Simpson, Rabbi Milton Grafman, and other individuals who cared about the quality of life for people with Cerebral Palsy formed the Cerebral Palsy Center, or Spastic Aid of Alabama as it was known then and began serving children of all ages with both day programs and residential services.
Last year, Ms. Levy celebrated her 106th birthday at United Ability and remarked that when she turned 107, she would love return to celebrate and dance with the adults at the LINCPoint Adult Day Program. The celebration is on Friday.
Happy Birthday! Dorothy Levy, the founder of United Ability turns 107!
🎂Happy Birthday! Dorothy Levy, the founder of United Ability turns 107!Posted by CBS 42 on Friday, June 14, 2019
by Hillary Simon / Jul 18, 2019
WALKER COUNTY, Ala (WIAT) -- In January, the Walker County Sheriff's Office started the Mercy Project, a program that helps drug addicts get into rehab. It comes at no cost to the patient or the taxpayers.
TJ Armstrong with the Walker County Sheriff's Office said it isn't a trick. You come to the sheriff's office, surrender your drugs, and simply ask for help. They're able to do this because of their partnerships with local rehabilitation centers who offer scholarships.
by Emma Simmons / Jul 18, 2019
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) -- A Birmingham Police officer was admitted into surgery at UAB following an officer-involved shooting downtown at 6:53 p.m. Wednesday.
Birmingham Police Chief Patrick Smith says a suspect in a convenience store robbery shot a responding officer multiple times. The fleeing suspect further engaged other responding officers, who returned fire, fatally striking the suspect.
The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) released its 2019 consumption advisories for the state's 40 bodies of water.
Due to mercury contamination, ADPH has advised against eating any of the following fish caught in Central Alabama:
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Kate Upton Net Worth 2019
Kate Upton is an American model and actress who was born on June 10, 1992, in St. Joseph, Michigan, United States. Her birth name is Katherine Elizabeth Upton. She was known for her appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. It is remarkable to note that Kate was named Rookie of the year after her first appearance in 2011. Keep reading to know more about Kate Upton’s net worth in 2019.
Kate Upton moved to Melbourne, Florida in 1999 and did her schooling at Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy. Her interest in horse riding made her to compete at a national level with her own horse, and she won 3 APHA Reserve World Championships. She dated the baseball player Justin Verlander in early 2014, and they were engaged in 2016. In 2017 November they two were married in a medieval church in Tuscany, Italy.
Kate Upton started her career in 2008 moving to New York City before which she signed a contract with Elite Model Management by attending a casting call in Miami. She has modeled for Dooney & Bourke, Garage, Beach Bunny Swimwear appearing in Complex and Esquire as ‘The Woman of the Summer.’ Kate Upton gave her debut film ‘Tower Heist’ as Mr. Hightower’s mistress, and the film was released in November 2011.
Upton’s appearance on the cover of the 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue which was released in February 2012 recounted for negative after effects. She has also appeared in editorials for American, Italian, British, German, Spanish and Brazilian. It is notable that she named the ‘New Face’ of Bobbi Brown cosmetics in 2014. Her appearance with Cameron Diaz in the comedy ‘The Other Woman’ gained her fame and recognition adding to the fame which was gained through her appearances in a magazine cover.
Kate Upton is the recipient of Style Awards in 2013 ‘Model of the Year.’ In 2014, she received the People Magazine Awards ‘People’s Sexiest woman.’ Apart from these winnings, the film in which she was starred, ‘The Other Woman,’ was nominated for Teen Choice Awards ‘ Choice Movie: Chemistry and MTV Music Awards ‘Best Shirtless Performance’ in the year 2013.
Net worth of Kate Upton
The estimated net worth of Kate Upton is $24 million which was earned through her modeling and acting career. Besides continuing carrying her career forward with the entertainment industry firstly she started acting in movies and then she participated in a number of high- profile talk shows which gained her more fame and recognition leading her to actin more films with high rated artists. It is remarkable that she was paid $1 million for appearing in super bowl ad for Mercedes Benz in 2013. Her earnings for 2013 and 2014 were $5 million and $7 million respectively. It is also recorded that she is one of the highest paid models in the world.
The charm and ever stunning look and makeover with a dashing attitude being carried by Kate Upton is one of the outstanding factors which made her to reach heights at a very younger age. She was sportive and active at the age of 13 itself when she appeared to be the most classy child in riding her own horse and thereby winning 3 competitions.
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Christian Aid in Egypt
Christian Aid has been working with some of the most vulnerable communities in Egypt for over 25 years.
Today, we work in partnership with four Egyptian organisations to strengthen the resilience of communities, support people to understand how to access services and resources, and support young people to access employment for a more secure and hopeful future.
Our vision is for a just, equitable and peaceful Egyptian society, where diversity is celebrated and where all people can feel empowered and hopeful about their future.
In the spirit of true partnership, our mission is to listen, amplify and respond to local voices, and be ambitious and transformative by supporting innovative approaches.
Strengthen the resilience of Egyptian individuals, communities and institutions to be better prepared and have a greater ability to respond when faced with threats to their lives, land and livelihoods.
Empower young men and women to have greater economic opportunities for a more just and secure future.
A fisherman’s family in Muhatara village, in Minya Governorate in Egypt. Supported by our partner Better Life, the family’s income has increased as has their ability to hold local authorities to account.
In Egypt we work on...
Our work in Egypt is part of the Egypt, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory (IoPt) programme. The following areas of expertise are part of the new EIoPt Programme Strategy (2017-2022), which builds on our long-history of work in Egypt to date:
We support our partners to use participatory and community-led approaches with vulnerable communities in Egypt in order to identify the risks, opportunities and challenges that they face and then plan and implement actions to mitigate these risks. This approach allows communities to take ownership of their own needs and seek solutions that work for them, leading to greater impacts on the ground.
Young people are among the most vulnerable in Egypt. Through our partners, we work with young women and men to develop their education, job, leadership and finance skills to equip them to have greater economic opportunities, and to help create a more secure future for themselves and their communities.
Ongoing insecurity and violence in the region continues to affect the lives of those in Egypt. In the event of an emergency, we respond through our local partners to provide immediate humanitarian support. Our partners on the ground provide support in the weeks, months and even years after an emergency has occurred, enabling communities to recover and rebuild.
Find out more about our work in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory (IoPt)
The majority of Egypt’s population live along the fertile areas of the Nile River, with some of the most vulnerable communities living in Upper Egypt (generally consisting of the Nile River valley south of the delta). Currently, we work in four Governorates in Upper Egypt - Minya Governorate, Fayoum Governorate, Beni Suef Governorate, and Cairo Governorate.
Our partner, the Coptic Orthodox Church (BLESS), runs the Community Integrated Development Programme. They currently work with over 40 communities across Egypt, supporting them to undertake their own initiatives to end poverty, including providing literacy classes, health clinics, children’s programmes, awareness activities, agricultural training and advocacy to their local government.
A three-year women’s economic empowerment project, funded by the J.A. Clark Charitable Trust, has reached 1,800 women in six communities. The project, implemented by our partner Wadi El Nile, supported women and their community through awareness raising sessions for women on their rights and how to claim and protect those rights, public awareness meetings on topics such as violence against women and the importance of including women in decision-making, and training for women in business planning and investment. The project has also supported women to form savings groups, which provide small loans for the women to start their own small businesses.
To date, 29 women’s savings groups have been formed which have self-financed 480 small businesses. In addition to this, 37 women who were previously unemployed have been connected with and obtained jobs in the private sector and civil society.
Our partner, the Coptic Evangelical Organisation for Social Services (CEOSS), works with Egypt’s poorest communities, assisting them through agricultural work around the establishment and development of elected committees and farmers’ cooperatives, building the skills and capacities of farmers and strengthening food security in rural Egypt. Through this work, women have formed the first women’s farmers’ associations, and have set up some 70 small businesses.
Young people are one of the most vulnerable groups in Egypt, with high youth unemployment contributing to increasing frustration and tension in communities. With our partners, Better Life and Wadi El Nile, we are supporting projects which build the employment and entrepreneurship skills of young people, in addition to linking them with available job opportunities in Upper Egypt.
In a joint project with our partners BLESS and CEOSS, we have already supported 1,115 Egyptian returnees from Libya with cash for work opportunities, food vouchers and psychosocial support. These humanitarian interventions will continue in 2018/19 with support from Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe.
The more self-confidence I have, the greater success I can attain– I learned this slogan through being involved in the project, and it has encouraged me to do and be what I want... Now I earn money, feel self-reliant and have purpose in my life. This is genuine success!
Randa, 18
Supported by our partner Wadi El Nile through a women’s economic empowerment project funded by the J.A. Clark Charitable Trust
Women, including Randa, in Minya Governorate in Egypt, meet as part of the savings groups. Through the project, Randa has built her self-confidence to start her own small-business selling vegetables. She has also been involved in a women’s savings group, which supported her with a small loan to start a collective business with another woman making and selling desserts. In a short time, their capital has nearly tripled.
Related news and blogs
Egypt after the 2011 uprising
The popular protests in Egypt did not just materialise out of thin air. For years many Egyptians had felt cut off from the state and disempowered, craving not only political change but an end to the grinding poverty in which they lived.
Sparked by the uprising and subsequent toppling of Tunisia's president, Tuesday January 25, 2011 was to be the turn of ordinary Egyptians. This photo gallery shows the country two years on.
The grind – quarry workers in Egypt
Tens of thousands of Egyptians in the region of El Minya labour in stone quarries, where work is hazardous and badly paid. Workers' rights are routinely abused.
Christian Aid Egypt is part of the Middle East team, which is based in London, United Kingdom. Our team is comprised of individuals with significant programmatic, humanitarian, advocacy and policy expertise. We also draw on the expertise of colleagues from other Christian Aid teams across the world.
Christian Aid Egypt is part of the Middle East team, which is based in London, United Kingdom.
Follow our global work
The latest news, photos and programme updates from around the world. Sharing resources and knowledge with development and humanitarian practitioners.
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3500 People Leave the Church Every Day
CP Current Page: Opinion | Wednesday, May 27, 2015
By Ryan Sheehan, CP Op-Ed Contributor | Wednesday, May 27, 2015
First Baptist Church of Jonesboro, Georgia. | (Photo: FBC Jonesboro)
There is an ongoing silent migration away from the church of an estimated 3,500 individuals each and every day. A 2014 study indicated that over 1.2 million people will leave the church in the next year. Several factors are contributing to this trend, but the majority of individuals who are leaving the church report that they no longer feel connected. Can this be reversed? Can the church connect with these people before it is to late?
This movement away from the church has been ongoing for several decades. The number of churches that are closing their doors every year is leading to an overall decline in church attendance. In 2015, it is estimated that over 10,000 churches will close their doors. This has lead to a growing host of Christians who no longer have a place to connect with other believers. In fact, The Barna Group reports that the average size of a church congregation in America is just 89 adults. That means for each church door that closes, almost 100 people are left without a spiritual home.
When asked about the importance of church in their lives, 80% of 14-33 year olds reported that church was 'not important' to them. Millennials, as they are often called, have very different preferences of what church should look like compared to their parents. Millennials prefer worship spaces that are quiet and decorated in a classic style. They prefer casual dress and a sense of community over privacy. Clint Jenkin with the Barna Group says, "Millennials don't look for a church facility that caters to the whims of pop culture. They want a community that calls them to deeper meaning." In short, churches do not need to create ultra modern worship spaces to connect with young people, but rather create an environment that engages and inspires.
When asked about these shocking statistics, Roger Chasteen of the Kross Radio mentioned a positive trend "67% of US listeners now stream their music online." The Kross – which streams online as well as through Android and Apple apps, can reach the unreachable. "Listeners can tune into the Kross anytime anywhere and connect with a larger Christian family," said Chasteen. "Millennials are getting their news and information on the go it only makes sense that they would want their Christian music on the go as well." In fact, more and more churches are increasing their online presence, from social media to streaming service - young people want to access the church from their own homes, on their own time.
Ultimately, while the trend of young people leaving the church is troubling, there is hope. Churches should continue to reach out to their community and engage with young people. Church leaders who use social media and streaming content will likely see their congregations grow over time. Jenkin with Barna went on to say, "When Millennials visit your faith community, are they welcomed and respected, or harassed and put on the spot? Think about how you can respect and respond, rather than assert and demand. If, at the end of the day, teens and adults can say they met with God in your faith community, getting them to come back won't be much of an issue."
Sourced: The Fuller Institute, Barna Group, The Kross and Pastoral Care Inc.
Ryan Sheehan is the station manager for The Kross.
A personal tribute to Dr. Norman Geisler
We're commanded to pray for presidents but not to give them photo-ops
'The Handmaid's Tale' is more conservative than you think
'Unplanned' movie will cause men to repent for mistreating, abandoning women and shift the culture
Religious freedom is for Muslims too
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https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Harris-County-Sheriff-to-visit-man-who-says-his-12395019.php
Harris County sheriff visits man who says post-Harvey shooting wasn't investigated
Two people injured in roadway shooting
By Cindy George
Updated 5:51 pm CST, Tuesday, December 5, 2017
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez shakes hands with A'Vonta Williams Thursday, November 30, 2017. Williams who was shot in a public roadway shooting the week after Harvey but hasn't been interviewed by law enforcement until this week. On August 30, a man driving a pickup truck shot at the car A'Vonta Williams was riding in, striking him in the legs and his girlfriend's diabetic grandmother in the bladder. Both were airlifted to the hospital. Thursday is three months since the incident and nobody from HCSO has contacted interviewed the victims. A'Vonta, 21, was a security guard and aspiring boxer and state trooper who said responding deputies and constables didn't render aid and peppered him with questions about who he was beefing with and if he was a gang member. Williams was a high school law enforcement explorer who appears to have no criminal record. He can't work and his mother quit her job to care for him. They're most concerned about how the lack of aid intensified the injuries and that the case hasn't been thoroughly investigated, so a public shooter is still on the loose. less
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez shakes hands with A'Vonta Williams Thursday, November 30, 2017. Williams who was shot in a public roadway shooting the week after Harvey but hasn't been interviewed by law ... more
Photo: Steve Gonzales, Houston Chronicle
In the chaotic days after Hurricane Harvey, A'Vonta Williams was hanging out with his girlfriend's family as they tried to get back to normal.
On the way to an uncle's house — where power had been restored — they were ambushed in northeast Harris County by a gunman in a Ford pickup, who fired into the vehicle and struck Williams and his girlfriend's grandmother.
When officers arrived, however, they seemed more interested in grilling Williams, he said, than rendering aid or finding the shooter.
"The police got there and they were just asking: 'Who got shot and who I was beefing with? What did I do? Who did I rob?'' said Williams, a 2015 Klein Collins High School graduate who participated in the school's law enforcement explorers program. "They just kept asking questions, like, making me feel like I had done something bad."
On Thursday — after calls for answers from community activists Deric Muhammad and Gerry Monroe — Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez promised the family at their Aldine-area home that his agency would complete the investigation of the shooting.
"If there is someone out there firing a weapon like that, he could have killed everyone in the car," Gonzalez told the family. "We definitely don't want him out on the streets."
Williams said he was not interviewed by the law-enforcement agencies that responded to the Aug. 30 shooting. Until Thursday, investigators from the Harris County Sheriff's Office had not talked to the 21-year-old during his hospitalization or his three months of recovery.
Gonzalez noted that since he took the agency's helm a year ago, he remains focused on improving the chronic, decades-long problem of understaffed investigation teams.
"We always want our approach to be the most professional and the most accurate," he said. "Obviously, that doesn't always happen and for that reason, I apologize that you were treated less than you needed to be treated, especially as somebody who was injured."
Shooter still at large
Williams said he was riding in a Toyota Camry driven by his girlfriend mid-afternoon on Aug. 30, with his girlfriend's grandmother and teen cousin in the back seat.
According to witnesses, a man driving a Ford F-150 fired at the Camry near the Beltway 8 in the vicinity of C.E. King Parkway and Wallisville Road. The vehicle was described as white, silver or gray.
Williams said his girlfriend continued driving on the Beltway before stopping in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Humble. That's where Precinct 3 constables and Harris County sheriff's deputies showed up, Williams said.
Precinct 3 officials did not respond to requests for comment.
Thomas Gilliland, a Harris County Sheriff's Office spokesman, said in an email Thursday that the incident is under investigation as an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The girlfriend's uncle described the shooter as a white male, about 30 years old, wearing a baseball cap pulled down over his eyes.
Williams was hit in both legs and the grandmother, who is in her mid-60s, was struck in the hip. Both were airlifted to Memorial Hermann in the Texas Medical Center.
"Homicide and assault investigators arrived and interviewed family that remained on scene. Investigators provided the family with [a] case number and a business card," Gilliland wrote. Investigators "made a diligent effort" to contact the grandmother, but haven't had their calls returned, he said.
Williams and his relatives said they reached out to the sheriff's office on multiple occasions. His sister, Amber Williams, said she visited a substation twice but was told to bring her brother in person for information. When his mother, Kisshima Williams, called, she also was told to bring her son for an interview. She said she could not because he was in a wheelchair and in pain.
Making assumptions
In the days after Harvey came ashore in South Texas on Aug. 25, police and other first responders were overwhelmed with calls. They also were challenged by flooding and other impediments to reach even life-and-death situations in a timely manner.
Still, the Williams family members believe the response to the incident was inadequate.
Williams, an amateur boxer and aspiring state trooper, learned in the explorers program about officers rendering aid. He believes the lack of assistance worsened his wounds, making a return to his job as a security guard or the boxing ring far more difficult. The experience also has soured him on a career in law enforcement.
Kisshima Williams and the activists believe that the deputies and constables simply saw a young black man with bullet wounds and made negative assumptions instead of viewing him as a law-abiding citizen who had been attacked.
"I want justice for my son. He was immediately racially profiled," Kisshima Williams. "They did not assist my son when he was shot."
On Thursday, she told the sheriff that she wants to file an official complaint.
Muhammad, a frequent critic of police misconduct who also has worked with police agency leaders, said the incident further fosters distrust between the black community – particularly young black men – and law enforcement. He was joined Thursday at the family's home by Pastor E.A. Deckard.
They both agreed to work with Gonzalez for positive resolutions.
"Where is the humanity?" Muhammad asked. "They blame us, who put the searchlight on the wrongs that police commit. They say we turn young men like this against law enforcement. We don't have to. Nobody is doing more to make young black men not want to be police officers than police officers."
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Good news is the bad news
Pssst! You may not have paid close attention but J. William Gurley has news for you: Like it or not, the tech biz has turned into a cyclical industry.
March 8, 2004 6:25 PM PST
And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me.
--Harry Chapin, "Cats in the Cradle"
The breadth of high-technology companies that either missed fourth-quarter earnings, or have already pre-announced disappointing first-quarter results is quite alarming, and seemingly unprecedented.
Every sector--from Internet to enterprise software to semiconductors and networking and telecom equipment--has been hit. And perhaps even more troubling, the disappointments have not been limited to second-tier players. Market leaders like Intel, Cisco Systems and even optical giant JDS Uniphase, have all encountered softness in demand.
What could lead to such a dramatic and pervasive shift in demand? Certainly, the loss of enthusiasm in all things Internet has played a role. Many of the dollars pouring into technology purchases were coming either directly from Internet-related start-ups or from programs at large corporations aimed at Internet initiatives. However, this alone does not appear to be a plausible explanation for all that has occurred, especially when you consider that some of the companies that have warned are not Internet related at all.
Perhaps the bad news is driven by what has historically been good news. Over the past ten years, many a technology bull has pointed out the rising proportion of large company expenditures that are dedicated to technology. If you believe that we really are shifting to an information economy, then technology becomes the infrastructure on which companies are built. In other words, today's server or router is yesterday's machine tool or stamping press.
The data seems to bear this out.
According to Morgan Stanley, technology spending as a percentage of business equipment spending has risen from 15 percent in 1960 to 25 percent in 1980. This past year, this figure shot past the 50 percent barrier to 53 percent. According to a report from Gartner, technology spending as a percent of all capital expenditures has risen from 5 percent in 1975 to an estimated 30 percent in the year 2000. Gartner goes on to predict that this figure will hit an astonishing 70 percent in the year 2010.
Ordinarily, this data would be perceived as an extremely solid argument for why technology stocks should continue to rise. What may be missed, however, is that now that technology spending is such a large part of a company's overall budget, changes in the business cycle are likely to affect overall demand for information technology products.
Like it or not, our high-flying industry might now be considered "cyclical." We grew so large that we are now highly impacted by shifts in the economy.
Empirical data can be found in today's business headlines. Last week, Citigroup announced that it would seek to remove between one and two billion in expenditures in the current fiscal year. According to The Wall Street Journal, areas likely to be cut include "holding off planned investments in such areas as technology, advertising and personnel." The article went on to note that recent Internet ventures were also likely targets for cutbacks. More support for this theory can be found in recent announcements from market leaders such as Oracle and Intel.
In late February, Oracle announced that it would miss analysts' estimates for its most recent quarter because, "We have a lot of nervous senior executives looking at this economy and being very cautious." The company even implied that deals were receiving sign-off at the VP level, but were then being vetoed by the CFO and CEO who were troubled by the uncertain economy. Intel sounded similar alarms last week, noting, "We are now seeing weakness in the computer industry and the communications industry in all markets."
Too much pessimism about the future of technology companies is unfair and likely inaccurate. The fact remains that a systematic increase in technology's share of the corporate budget is still ongoing. Marginal competitive advantage is driven by the successful implementation of leading information technology systems that allow companies to more accurately serve their customer needs with the most efficient manufacturing processes possible. Companies that fail to lead when it comes to IT systems also fail to lead in the marketplace.
You could even argue that companies are caught in a technology "arms race." Companies are constantly playing catch-up to their competitors when it comes to IT systems. Ironically, the alternative--to fall behind with regards to cutting-edge systems--is more painful than the arms race. Non-evolutionary businesses, like non-evolved species, become extinct. Similar to the notion professed by the Red Queen in ?Alice in Wonderland?, you have to run faster and faster just to stay in place.
As a result of this global corporate dependency for technology products, you should expect to see above-average, long-term growth in technology for many years to come. We are fast becoming a knowledge worker society, and these are indeed the tools of that trade. That said, the industry is now so large that it is no longer immune to standard business contractions associated with recessionary economies. Perhaps economists will soon start peddling their wares in Silicon Valley.
J. William Gurley 2001. All rights reserved. Above the Crowd is a monthly publication focusing on the evolution and economics of high-technology business and strategy. This column can also be found on CNET online and in Fortune magazine. The information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable but is not necessarily complete, and its accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Any opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice. The author is a general partner of Benchmark Capital, a venture capital firm in Menlo Park, Calif. Benchmark Capital and its affiliated companies and/or individuals may, from time to time, have positions in the securities discussed herein. ABOVE THE CROWD is a service mark of J. William Gurley.
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Study: Subscription services to drive digital music
Digital music subscriptions could outpace a la carte downloads of songs, but CDs are expected to stick around, survey shows.
December 1, 2004 2:16 PM PST
Subscription-based music services are becoming popular among young adults and will eventually outgrow a la carte song downloads, a new study predicts.
While 16 percent of online adults currently enjoy downloading 99-cent singles, 17 percent have been wooed by subscription services such as Napster and RealNetworks' Rhapsody--and that number is expected to grow, according to a survey released Wednesday by JupiterResearch.
The survey showed that the number of people interested in subscription services increased with age--19 percent of 13- to 17 year olds used the services, compared with 31 percent of 18- to 24 year olds. That number reached 37 percent for "music addicts," defined by Jupiter as those who have spent more than $45 on music in the past three months.
The study was based on a survey of more than 2,300 online adults. Jupiter also compared the results with a survey of more than 2,100 teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17.
Jupiter said the survey also showed that CDs won't be replaced by digital music in the next five years. Even in 2009, digital music sales will represent just 12 percent of consumer music spending, the research firm said. Nearly 51 percent of online adults think physical music is more valuable than digital.
"CDs offer higher sound fidelity, aren't burdened with awkward copy protection and are compatible with pretty much every way people listen to music," JupiterResearch senior analyst David Card said in a statement. "MP3 players and portable rentals could turn around that value perception, but it will take time."
The survey found that 41 percent of young adults between ages 18 and 24 burn CDs and 31 percent use file sharing. That compares with 14 percent of people over the age of 25 who burn discs and 4 percent who swap files.
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Logan Shannon
Episode 39: Lobbying
When discussing the political power of special interest groups, you can't help but talk about lobbying. But what does a lobbyist actually do? We know they hand over checks (lots of them) but how do they spend the rest of their time? What separates legal lobbying from bribery? And how is the food at all those Washington D.C. fundraising breakfasts anyway? Jimmy Williams, former lobbyist and current host of Decode D.C. spills the beans.
Have a civics question you want answered? Let us know in the form below and we'll try to answer it!
NOTE: This transcript was generated using an automated transcription service, and may contain typographical errors.
Virginia Prescott: [00:00:47] In 2016 Interest groups spent more than three billion dollars lobbying federal agencies and lawmakers. Where does the money come from and where does it go. And is lobbying as shady as people think. Our guide for today is a former Senate staffer and lobbyist former lobbyist that is Jimmy Williams. He now hosts the podcast Decode D.C. Jimmy ready to dish the dirt?
Jimmy Williams: [00:01:10] Let's rock n roll. Thank you.
Virginia Prescott: [00:01:11] So you were a lobbyist for many years. Which interest groups did you represent.
Jimmy Williams: [00:01:17] Well I'm trying to think of which ones I didn't. I represented NASCAR. I represented big banks. I represented the National Association of Realtors, Wine and Spirits distributors. I think I might be missing somebody.
Virginia Prescott: [00:01:32] No, you're covering booze NASCAR.
Jimmy Williams: [00:01:37] Essentially all the essential American things that you could possibly need in your life. Right. I mean that's that's all you need.
Virginia Prescott: [00:01:42] Well give us a sentence what what is lobbying.
Jimmy Williams: [00:01:45] The first definition is sort of a legal definition and that is a lobbyist is basically anyone who spends at least 20 percent of their time influencing the federal government and that includes both the legislative and the executive branches. Why 20 percent? Well that's because Congress has deemed 20 percent to be the number or the threshold that you have to meet in order to register as a lobbyist. Now what's the real answer. Anyone can be a lobbyist. And the reason that is so is because in the First Amendment it is terrifyingly clear you have the right to redress your government for your grievances. It is etched in stone. There it is. And that could be you calling your congressman up and saying Hey where's my Social Security check or I don't like your votes or going to a town hall. That in essence is also lobbying. You're just not beating that 20 percent threshold.
Virginia Prescott: [00:02:42] All right let's explore this a little I mean because there is a vast difference in scale and someone showing up to a town meeting and somebody wining and dining which is which is my impression of a lobbyist. You know lots of expensive dinners and breakfasts gifts. Jack Abramoff you know sort of double breasted suits. So tell me about a typical day for a lobbyist.
Jimmy Williams: [00:03:04] Let me. Can we just go back in time and I can tell you what my typical day would have been like, wake up in the morning use the bathroom take a shower maybe work out.
Virginia Prescott: [00:03:12] Get a little less detail.
Jimmy Williams: [00:03:13] OK. All right. So less details you go to your office and you probably before you go to your office you probably go to a breakfast fundraiser. You have a check, either your own, your trade associations or a client's check and you drop that check off with the fundraiser. You have bad eggs and bad bacon and stale coffee and you talk about policy then you leave and you go to your office and you use your time contacting Hill staffers or administration staffers and then you probably go to a hearing on the House or the Senate side the same people by the way to staffers that you just talked to and the same members that you just had breakfast with then you break for lunch and you go to another fundraiser and you have another check. And that could be for a different member of Congress or a different senator. You do exactly the same thing you hand that check over and you talk about policy and then you leave. You don't get to take a nap. You go back to your office or you take clients up to the hill and you let them meet with members of Congress and senators that you have already prearranged meetings. Then you go to another cocktail party for another member of Congress with another check from another client. And you talk about once again policy.
Virginia Prescott: [00:04:30] Yes. OK so that's a lot of checks. That's a lot of checks being turned over. How is lobbying not bribery?
Jimmy Williams: [00:04:37] It is bribery it's legalized bribery.
Virginia Prescott: [00:04:39] What's the distinction here. What crosses the line maybe is the question.
Jimmy Williams: [00:04:43] So if you say to a member of Congress I'm going to give you this check and you're going to drop a bill or introduce a bill for me a piece of legislation. And they say yes that is illegal under the law. If you give a member of Congress a check and you say this is what I care about or my client cares about. We'd love for you to drop a bill and they don't say yes or no but then they drop a bill that's legal bribery.
Virginia Prescott: [00:05:15] So there's a wink wink nudge nudge factor here.
Jimmy Williams: [00:05:18] Yes but there has to be an implicit quid pro quo in order for it to be illegal.
Virginia Prescott: [00:05:23] So this is just unspoken I mean it's sort of like going to you know a pickup bar. Everybody knows what's happening but nobody says it out loud.
Jimmy Williams: [00:05:34] Well Virginia I'm not sure how to answer that Virginia, that's, that's not true. I have been to bars. Look I mean everybody is there for a reason. There's gambling happening at the casino right. Fairly good metaphor but the bottom line is is that it's all legal OK.
Virginia Prescott: [00:05:49] What are the other rules of got the governing lobbying?
Jimmy Williams: [00:05:52] Well the most of the rules actually fall within the lobbyist camp. And so you have to register as a lobbyist with the clerk of the House of Representatives and with the secretary of the Senate you have to file semiannual reports with them saying Who you've lobbied what issues you've lobbied on who your clients are how much money they are paying you to lobby on their behalf and what specific pieces of legislation that you are working on. All of that as a matter of public record you can go and try to find that just by simply going onto the House and the Senate Web sites.
Jimmy Williams: [00:06:28] What isn't reported is when you fall under that 20 percent threshold that we mentioned earlier and that's where there is a big huge grey area or how do I want to say this the right way. There are a lot of people that are our onto the 20 percent threshold.
[00:06:47] So in essence organizing or preparing a fundraiser or getting ready for constituents or clients to come into town that is not considered lobbying. But if you call and ask for a meeting that is technically considered a part of the 20 percent. So what do you do if you're a former member of Congress or former senior staffer. You just don't do all the dirty work. ie all that stuff I just talked about. Instead you just keep all the real stuff under 20 percent and that's why there's a sort of shadow group of lobbyists out there that no one talks about because if you're not doing the 20 percent. Well guess what. You don't have to register with the federal government.
Virginia Prescott: [00:07:29] Today lobbying is very much tied to money. Is it always been. So what do we know about the history of the lobbyist.
[00:07:36] Well lobbyist have been around for a really long time the term lobbying comes from a bunch of old white stuffy men that used to sit in the lobby of hotels in Washington D.C. waiting for members of Congress who were in those staying in those hotels back then the members of Congress did not live in Washington D.C. And so they would wait for them to come down and they would lobby them and you know by the lapels and this is what my client wants. And yes the money was there still then as well. But the bottom line is money has always been a part of lobbying because again you can give money to a member of Congress and a senator says the question is is how much can you give them and whether or not the Supreme Court thinks it's constitutional.
Virginia Prescott: [00:08:18] OK so you are at one of these fundraisers breakfast dinner lunch whatever you're talking with somebody would put those kind of conversations like.
Virginia Prescott: [00:08:30] For a member of Congress or a senator, you go to the breakfast and you sit down and you have your coffee and the bad eggs and the bad bacon and it's it's fine. And the member says OK can everyone just go around the table and say who you are and who you represent and say Hey my name is Jimmy Williams Thank you Congressman I appreciate you being here. I represent the National Association of Realtors. And they care about mortgage interest deduction and he'd be like I'm with you on that. Awesome. And then the member of Congress sort of says here's what's going on in Congress. Does anyone have any questions and people ask questions. Lobbyists do ask questions of those members. You got to pay to walk in the door. Then you get a chance to speak up and be heard. And so that's kind of how a fund raiser works around food and booze.
Virginia Prescott: [00:09:16] Did you ever feel, Jimmy, like you were promoting interests that you couldn't really get behind.
Nick Capodice: [00:09:22] Well I would never do that when I worked for a a lobbying shop a lobbying firm. The NRA was a client of the firm. I would not work on the NRA because I just fundamentally as a human being disagree with what the NRA purports to advocate on behalf of, which has Gun Owners of which I am one. But I just don't like their tactics. Here's the deal. Even the NRA even gun owners and gun manufacturers and even tobacco companies have the right to redress their government and they have the right to hire lobbyists and have their voices heard. I just chose not to work on those issues.
Virginia Prescott: [00:09:56] Could could you become an elected or one rather become an elected member of national government. You know in the House or the Senate without having taken money from lobbyists.
Jimmy Williams: [00:10:07] No no.
Virginia Prescott: [00:10:08] So every everybody's everybody's got the taint of lobbyists.
Jimmy Williams: [00:10:12] I'm sure they do. Bernie Sanders Senator Bernie Sanders decried lobbyists and Elizabeth Warren decries lobbyists. And if I bet if you checked their their campaign donation rosters with the Federal Election Commission I guarantee you they take tons and tons of money from lobbyists. Now that may be big labor that may be environmental groups that may be you know children's advocates group affordable housing things like that. But by and large every single member of the House and the Senate they take campaign donations from the people and from lobbyists. Does determining whether you like those lobbyist or not that's a matter of discretion.
Virginia Prescott: [00:10:51] How much money do lobbyists make.
[00:10:55] Well if you're really lobbying for a trade association you're gonna make less if you're lobbying for a law firm or a lobbying firm. You're going to make more. Most staffers when they leave the Hill. And that makes it that makes up a super majority of people that become lobbyists when they leave the Hill they're going to make anywhere from you know 150 up 150 thousand dollars up. It is it is not unheard of for a senior Hill staffer to leave Capitol Hill and make a half a million dollars a year. That's a big improvement over being the highest paid personal Capitol Hill as a staffer would be a chief of staff. And I think they can make just over 150000 dollars a year.
Virginia Prescott: [00:11:37] Jimmy what's a real world example of when you were successful or are maybe not so successful as a lobbyist.
Jimmy Williams: [00:11:44] So when I was, can I start in as a staffer and then tell you.
Virginia Prescott: [00:11:48] Sure.
Jimmy Williams: [00:11:48] So when I was a staffer I worked on steel issues. Steel is. That's what cars and planes and trains and automobiles are made of right. And refrigerators for that matter. And then when I got out of the Congress as a staffer and became a lobbyist I had a client that came to me and said look you know are domestic steel maker and there is a problem here we can't we we're being flooded in this country with Russian and Chinese and Brazilian steel that is under undercutting us. And so having gained that knowledge about trade laws what is a section 201 versus a 301 and your listeners are going to go what's he saying. Well that's all part of the trade law and having known that and learned that as a staffer I was able to then say to my client hey here's the best thing that you should do. You should not go down this path. Instead you should go to these members and ask them to help you because they are the key players in this legislation and in this area.
Virginia Prescott: [00:12:48] I don't think a lot of kids grow up thinking mommy daddy I really want to be a lobbyist when I grow up.
Jimmy Williams: [00:12:54] They don't. They don't.
Virginia Prescott: [00:12:55] How does one make, how does one become a good lobbyist?
Jimmy Williams: [00:12:59] If you want to become a lobbyist you've got to go work on Capitol Hill man you've got to learn the ropes you've got to learn what an amendment is and you've got to learn how to get a bill passed and you've got to learn how to compromise. There are plenty of people that sit around watching C-SPAN all day long. That's fine. But until you actually go up to Capitol Hill and deal with these members on a day in and day out basis and learn the ropes then that's what it takes to become a good staffer and a good lobbyist.
Virginia Prescott: [00:13:26] Jimmy, thank you so much. Really appreciate it.
Jimmy Williams: [00:13:28] Absolutely. Anytime.
Subcribe to Civics 101 on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your favorite audio.
This podcast is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio.
Newer PostEpisode 40: Church & State
Older PostEpisode 38: The 25th Amendment
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Bogdan Nesterenko
Born in Ukraine, Bogdan Nesterenko began learning the accordion at the age of seven, and was then taught by masters of the renowned Soviet accordion school (V. Razdovarova, E. Vashchenko, A. Nazarenko). In 1997 he entered the Kharkov Higher Conservatory of Music (Ukraine), where he graduated with advanced accordion, conducting, analysis, writing and chamber music degrees. He also studied piano.
Winner of several International Accordion Competitions, Bogdan Nesterenko has been a soloist at the Kharkov Regional Philharmonic since 2001 and collaborates with various Kharkov and Kiev formations.
Based in Lille since 2006, Bogdan Nesterenko gives a large number of recitals in France and Europe, some of which are entirely dedicated to Baroque music.
He is invited to perform in venues (Le Vivat !, Vichy Opera House, Villa Strauli (Switzerland), Beauvaisis National Theater, Ebersmunster Abbey, ...) and prestigious festivals (Baroque Music Festivals of Strasbourg and Madiran, International Festival of Organ in Flanders, Casella Festival) in Europe, Ukraine or Pakistan ...
He formed a duet with the violinist Stefan Stalanowski (Super Solist of the National Orchestra of Lille). He plays with Micha Tcherkassky (balalaika), duet and with his Baikal Quartet (classical and traditional Russian music).
He plays regularly with Juliette de Massy (soprano). Their recording of Bach's tunes ("Like an air of passion ..." (eds., AR-RE-SE) has received rave reviews, and another noteworthy musical partnership: his collaboration with Marc Hervieux (recorders), including the album "Unusual Dialogue" (RAINBOW CLASSIC) is registered at the end of 2016.
Bogdan Nesterenko multiplies rich and varied musical experiences: with the mezzo-soprano Donatienne Milpied in the show "The Underpaintings of a singer", with the organist Jan Vermeire, with tenor Serguey Stilmachenko, with the Quatuor Annesci or with Alain Raës (piano).
He also performs in contemporary music and participates in the creations of O. Yagoubi ("Concerto of the two worlds" for accordion and symphonic orchestra), M. Bourbon, Ch. Hache and S. Fache (Concerto for accordion and Big band ).
Currently, he prepares, alongside Juliette Massy (voice) and Nina Richardon (actress), a theatrical creation around the works of Piazzolla, Cage, Rachmaninov and Vivaldi. This show will be scheduled in 2017 under the name "Ballade pour un Fou".
Bogdan Nesterenko plays on a "bayan" Russian accordion brand "Jupiter", an instrument that offers, thanks to its rich timbre and its multiple registers, very extensive musical possibilities.
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AboutClover.SuperUser2018-04-05T14:26:14+00:00
THE STORY OF CLOVER MAMA AFRIKA
Dignity is not a privilege to be earned; it is a right we are all born with.
Poverty, hunger, lack of education, and neglect are powerful forces that strip away our self-respect. Yet, in the shanty towns and ghettos of South Africa, where poverty, crime, and desperation is rife, there shines a beacon of hope. Everyone knows her. A woman of incredible grace, whose heart is open to care, nurture, educate, and provide a haven to those who need it. In rundown facilities, she fiercely protects the vulnerable, forgotten children of society from the social ills that poverty and desperation often bring. With meagre resources she feeds the hungry, always placing the needs of others above her own. Her name is Clover Mama Afrika.
It is women like these who make our country a better place, a place which provide hope for a better future to those who have lost all hope.
In 2004, Clover made it their mission to identify these inspirational matriarchs, to help them in their mission to restore dignity to their communities. Our goal was not to provide handouts, but rather something imperishable, that would have a lasting impact in the community and on the future, and so we established the Clover Mama Afrika Trust.
The Clover Mama Afrika project was inspired by these women; our mission statement exemplifies what they stand for: Ukwakha Isizwe (building and nurturing our nation). By assessing their needs, we were able to help renovate their facilities and provide them with skills training, so that they can implement self-help projects at their centres to become self-sustainable. They, in turn, have transferred these skills to the members of their community, creating both employment and income generating opportunities. We are proud to be a part of this transformation, and together with our Clover Mama Afrikas will continue to work towards a sustainable future for all.
EMBRACE THE SPIRIT OF UBUNTU
The principles that the Clover Mama Afrika project was founded on hails from the ancient wisdom of Ubuntu. A uniquely African school of thought, where there is a clear understanding that the true meaning of life lies in the community ties that bind us: “I am because you are.” But Ubuntu is more than that; it is the sharing of natural resources, built on the principle of equity between generations. It is empathy and compassion for others and a mutual respect for human dignity. It is knowing that we belong to a greater whole, creating an interconnected world of mutual support.
We realise that rehabilitative healing can only take place when we live in relationship with one another, building a community of love, respect, and understanding.
By uplifting our Clover Mama Afrikas through skills development training, they share their knowledge with their communities, and we are proud to be a part of this transformation.
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Home BlogWeekly News 10 Bits: the Data News Hotlist
by Joshua New July 13, 2018
This week’s list of data news highlights covers July 7-13, 2018, and includes articles about a machine learning system that can generate molecules that could be use for drugs and an analytics system that can predict employees’ future performance.
1. Managing Traffic Without Traffic Lights
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a method for optimizing traffic flows through intersections using vehicle-to-vehicle communication. Modern vehicles increasingly come equipped with short-range radio systems that can transmit data about their speed, direction, and location, as well as receive this data from other vehicles. The researchers developed a virtual traffic light protocol that gives drivers in different vehicles green or red lights based on this data to inform them whether they have the right of way at an intersection. In a simulation, the system reduced commute times by over 20 percent for unsignaled intersections.
2. Personalizing Fertility Planning
A company called Celmatix has developed algorithms that can create personalized predictions of fertility likelihood for women. Celmatix, which provides this service at 10 fertility clinics in the United States, developed its program, called MyFertility Compass, with the data from nearly 1 million fertility treatment outcomes, and uses a 14-question survey about a person’s physical attributes and lifestyles to predict how likely a woman is to become pregnant within 12 months. Celmatix has also partnered with 23andMe to study how genetic data, combined with clinical, environmental, lifestyle, and other data, influences fertility chances.
3. Automating Drug Design
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a machine learning model that can generate and improve upon simulated molecules that could lead to new drugs. Developing new medicines can be very labor intensive as it can be time consuming to build and adjust new molecules, and these new compounds may not perform as intended. The researchers trained a machine learning system on 250,000 molecular structures and had it generate new molecules based on certain desired properties. In tests, the system could produce molecules that function as intended 100 percent of the time, whereas other automated approaches could only do so 44 percent of the time, and could both generate ideal base molecules and improve upon base molecules more reliably than existing methods.
4. Teaching Robots to Be Less Clumsy
Researchers at Siemens and the University of California, Berkeley have launched a program called Dex-Net as a Service to allow users to help teach an AI system how a robot should best grasp an object. Robotic grasping is challenging, as it requires delicate physical manipulation and an understanding of how to actually pick something up, which comes naturally to humans but is difficult to program. Dex-Net as a Service allows users to upload 3D renderings of objects and it will predict which parts of the object are the most viable to grasp with a robotic hand while giving users the opportunity to provide feedback.
5. Evaluating Medical Devices with EHR Data
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced plans to use electronic health record (EHR) data from 10 million people to improve its post-market monitoring system, which evaluates the efficacy and safety of medical products already in use. The FDA currently relies on healthcare payer claims data for post-market monitoring, which is limited in its usefulness because it is not timely. The FDA hopes its new system could allow it to use de-identified EHR data in near real-time.
6. AI Can Fix Your Grainy Photos
Researchers form Nvidia, Aalto University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed an AI system that can enhance a grainy image without information about what the clear image looks like. AI systems that can remove image grain, common in low-light images, already exist, but require a photo without grain in addition to the original to learn how to enhance it. The researchers’ system can substantially reduce grain in low-light photos and medical imagery in milliseconds.
7. Predicting Employee Performance
IBM has developed an analytics system that can analyze information about an employee’s experiences and progression to help managers make decisions about bonuses, pay, and promotions. The system can assess projects employees have completed as well as analyze IBM’s internal training system to determine how employees are developing different skills and predict how well an employee is likely to perform in the future. After using the system internally to help determine employee advancement, IBM spot-checked its predictions against employee performance and found it to be 96 percent accurate.
8. Studying Fake News on Facebook
Facebook has agreed to share data with an independent research group called Social Science One to help researchers study the spread of misinformation and its impact on elections. Facebook will share an initial one petabyte dataset of public Facebook posts with anonymized information about the demographics of people who interacted with the posts and how they engaged with it. Social Science One will allow researchers to apply for funding and access to the data and will control the approval process.
9. Predicting Patient Mortality
Researchers at the University of Minnesota have developed a machine learning system that can analyze EHR data from seriously ill patients and accurately predict their mortality risk over the course of a year. The system analyzes data such as demographic information, blood work, and other factors to predict mortality risk for up to a year after a patient’s last day in the hospital. This system could allow doctors and patients to make better informed decisions about end-of-life care, such as whether to perform invasive procedures that are not likely to reduce mortality risk.
10. Studying Creative Hot Streaks
Researchers at Northwestern University analyzed data about the careers of 3,480 artists, 6,233 film directors, and 20,040 scientists to determine that a person is most likely to create their most successful works over a four-to five-year period. The researchers used metrics for success for various fields, such as citations garnered for scientific research, auction prices of artwork, and movie review scores and found that 91 percent of artists, 82 percent of directors, and 90 percent of scientists experience at least one hot streak in their careers, in which they produce several high-impact works in a sequence, despite no changes in productivity during these periods.
Image: .Martin.
Joshua New
Joshua New is a senior policy analyst at the Center for Data Innovation. He has a background in government affairs, policy, and communication. Prior to joining the Center for Data Innovation, Joshua graduated from American University with degrees in C.L.E.G. (Communication, Legal Institutions, Economics, and Government) and Public Communication. His research focuses on methods of promoting innovative and emerging technologies as a means of improving the economy and quality of life. Follow Joshua on Twitter @Josh_A_New.
View all posts by Joshua New
Building a Virtual Tour Guide
Comments to NTIA on its International Internet Policy Priorities
10 Bits: The Data News Hot List
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New development planned for Dayton’s south side
Steve Bennish, Staff Writer
First phase will include commercial and residential on Dayton’s Warren Street
The pieces are coming together for a multi-million-dollar commercial and residential development on the site of what was once a public housing project on Warren Street on Dayton’s south side.
Developer Greater Dayton Construction Group is finalizing plans and lining up financing for the initial phase of the project, which is slated to begin this fall.
The project is called The Flats at South Park. Plans were unveiled earlier this week to South Park neighborhood residents.
Bill Hibner, director of construction services for the developer, said the plan is to within five years create an assembly of two-story town homes, single-family cottages, apartments and retail shops on nine acres, beginning with the corner of Burns and Warren streets.
The land, split by Nathan Place, currently is a vacant field with the exception of a community garden, but the development promises hundreds of new residents. At one time the Cliburn Manor public housing project was there. It was demolished in 2008 and the property was cleared.
The land is owned by CityWide Development, the city of Dayton’s economic development arm. CityWide president Steve Budd said the land would be sold in stages as part of a development agreement with Greater Dayton Construction.
Budd said the first phase should start Sept. 1. It would include 13,000 square feet of commercial space for between five and 10 businesses and 50 rental units, costing an estimated $9 million to build.
It could be ready for occupancy by June 2016. Businesses could create up to 40 full-time jobs for the shops. The pace of the development would be driven by demand, Hibner said.
The developer is targeting professionals and graduate students with monthly rents from $800 to $1,200.
South Park residents did express some suggestions for the project, including a desire for a more eclectic look that is consistent with the neighborhood. They also expressed concerns about how much the density of the development would affect traffic.
Jim Gagnet, owner of Coco’s Bistro and a neighborhood resident who is rehabbing nearby homes, is thrilled by the project.
“I love it,” he said while at work on a historic home across Burns Avenue from the where The Flats would be build.
“The way I look at it, five years ago we had a drug-infested, crime-infested apartment complex there. To go from that to this is just a miracle.”
Greater Dayton Construction also is building housing units for the University of Dayton. Its owner, Greg Thompson, also is part of Oberer Thompson Company.
It has been involved in other ventures including the Genesis Project, the redevelopment of the neighborhood adjacent to Miami Valley Hospital.
The project is another step in the Greater Downtown Plan, which aims to create 8,000 jobs and 2,500 housing units by 2020. The project is eligible for property tax abatements. It must undergo approval by the Dayton City Commission, including rezoning.
The area of Patterson, South Main and Warren streets just south of U.S. 35 has experienced a rebirth in the past five years. Goodwill recently finished its new headquarters and the Marvin Gardens apartment complex was renovated with $1.85 million in federal and nonprofit grants. Miami Valley Hospital also expanded and new condos have been built nearby.
Up the street from the proposed Flats, Jimmie Brandell renovated a 120-year-old firehouse, opening a popular restaurant and bar dubbed Jimmie’s Ladder 11.
Main Street currently is being rebuilt and widened and Warren Street improvements are planned.
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DEA Lookup.com News
Return to News Home
High potency pot 'strongly linked' to psychosis: study
High potency cannabis, especially when used daily, is 'strongly linked' to the risk of developing psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia and paranoia, scientists said Wednesday.
Medical Xpress, Mar 20, 2019
In Amsterdam and London-where high-THC marijuana has long been the rule rather than the exception-50 and 30 percent of new psychosis cases, respectively, were associated with potent forms of the drug.
The findings, reported The Lancet, bolster a growing body of research connecting pot to a range of mental health disorders.
With piecemeal legalisation and decriminalisation, consumption in North America and Europe has increased markedly over the last two decades, even as levels of the drug's mind-bending molecule, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), have risen four- or five-fold.
"The use of cannabis with a high concentration of THC has more harmful effects on mental health than the use of weaker forms," said lead author Marta Di Forti, a professor at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London.
"Our findings also indicate for the first time how cannabis use affects the incidence of psychotic disorder at a population level."
Across 11 European cities or regions, and a 12th in Brazil, one in five new cases of psychosis were associated to daily cannabis use, and one in ten to high potency pot, the study found.
Trainwreck, gorilla glue
If high-THC cannabis-including strains such as "trainwreck", "gorilla glue", and "hindu kush"-were no longer available, "12 percent of cases of first-episode psychosis could be prevented across Europe," the researchers calculated.
In Amsterdam, the incidence of first-time psychosis would likely drop from 38 to 19 per 100,000 people per year, while in London, the number of cases would decline from 46 to 32 per 100,000 people.
"As the legal status of cannabis changes in many countries and states, and as we consider the medicinal properties of some types of cannabis, it is of vital public health importance to consider the potential adverse effects that are associated with daily cannabis use, especially high potency varieties," said Di Forti.
The researchers established a baseline by identifying-in the cities and regions examined-all individuals known to have experienced a first episode of psychosis from 2010 to 2015. They found 901 cases.
These were then compared to 1,237 healthy adults to tease out the risk factors associated with psychosis.
All participants provided information about how frequently they had used marijuana and other drugs over a period of years. The scientists also classified the potency of the cannabis consumed as either "high" (over 10 percent THC) or "low" (under 10 percent THC).
In some locations, THC levels are 20 percent or higher, they noted.
Nearly 30 percent of patients who had experienced a first episode of psychosis were daily cannabis users, compared with less than seven percent of those in the control group.
For high potency pot, the corresponding figures were 37 and 19 percent.
Adjusting for social factors and other drug use, the authors found that daily cannabis users were three times more likely to experience psychosis for the first time than people who had never used it.
For daily use of high-potency cannabis, this increased to five times.
While the correlation between marijuana use and mental disorders was strong, a cause-and-effect relationship can only be inferred, the authors cautioned.
However the registrar at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Adrian James, said the findings were to be "taken seriously," and that his institution "is reviewing the mental health effect of cannabis use."
David Nutt, head of the centre for neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London, said it was "important to realise that THC is well known to produce psychosis in healthy volunteers-people without a predisposition to mental illness".
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PEARCE Lieutenant SYDNEY MATTINSON Friday, August 4, 1916 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL View record Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian PEARCE Lieutenant 8/4/1916 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian
Last name PEARCE
First name(s) SYDNEY MATTINSON
PEARCE Private 5069 WILLIAM HENRY Thursday, May 3, 1917 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL View record Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian PEARCE Private 5069 5/3/1917 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian
First name(s) WILLIAM HENRY
PEAT Private 304 HENRY Thursday, July 27, 1916 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL View record Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian PEAT Private 304 7/27/1916 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian
Last name PEAT
Date of death Thursday, July 27, 1916
PEDERSON Private 1793 WILLIAM Saturday, August 19, 1916 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL View record Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian PEDERSON Private 1793 8/19/1916 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian
Last name PEDERSON
PEDRETTI Private 5405 PETER Thursday, August 10, 1916 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL View record Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian PEDRETTI Private 5405 8/10/1916 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian
Last name PEDRETTI
First name(s) PETER
PEARSON Lance Corporal 2663 W Monday, July 24, 1916 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL View record Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian PEARSON Lance Corporal 2663 7/24/1916 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian
Last name PEARSON
HILL Private 5048 ERNEST LUDGATE Tuesday, November 14, 1916 Age 21 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL Addenda panel. View record Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian HILL Private 5048 11/14/1916 21 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian
First name(s) ERNEST LUDGATE
BUCKMASTER Private 957 JOHN RONALD Tuesday, July 25, 1916 Age 21 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL View record Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian BUCKMASTER Private 957 7/25/1916 21 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian
Last name BUCKMASTER
First name(s) JOHN RONALD
SWAN Private 1084 DAVID Sunday, November 5, 1916 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL View record Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian SWAN Private 1084 11/5/1916 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian
Last name SWAN
First name(s) DAVID
GINGER Private 7254 FREDERICK Friday, August 23, 1918 Age 38 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL View record Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian GINGER Private 7254 8/23/1918 38 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian
Last name GINGER
LUBBE Private 3656 PETER VAN DER Friday, April 5, 1918 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL View record Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian LUBBE Private 3656 4/5/1918 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian
Last name LUBBE
First name(s) PETER VAN DER
KUHLMANN Corporal 679 LAWRENCE CHRISTIAN Tuesday, August 15, 1916 Age 32 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL Addenda panel. View record Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian KUHLMANN Corporal 679 8/15/1916 32 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian
Last name KUHLMANN
First name(s) LAWRENCE CHRISTIAN
MESSENGER Private 1756 JOHN THOMAS Sunday, August 6, 1916 Age 29 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL View record Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian MESSENGER Private 1756 8/6/1916 29 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian
Last name MESSENGER
First name(s) JOHN THOMAS
McLEOD Company Sergeant Major 671 JOHN Monday, July 24, 1916 Age 42 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL View record Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian McLEOD Company Sergeant Major 671 7/24/1916 42 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian
Last name McLEOD
Rank Company Sergeant Major
MACLEOD Private 2696 HECTOR Friday, April 6, 1917 Age 51 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL View record Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian MACLEOD Private 2696 4/6/1917 51 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian
Last name MACLEOD
First name(s) HECTOR
MACLEOD Private 2433 JOHN ARCHIBALD CAMPBELL Sunday, July 23, 1916 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL View record Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian MACLEOD Private 2433 7/23/1916 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian
First name(s) JOHN ARCHIBALD CAMPBELL
Date of death Sunday, July 23, 1916
McLEOD Private 3182 KENNETH NORMAN Wednesday, September 18, 1918 Age 24 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL View record Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian McLEOD Private 3182 9/18/1918 24 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian
First name(s) KENNETH NORMAN
Date of death Wednesday, September 18, 1918
McLEOD Lance Corporal 3390 MALCOLM DONALD Sunday, September 3, 1916 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL View record Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian McLEOD Lance Corporal 3390 9/3/1916 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian
First name(s) MALCOLM DONALD
MACLEOD Sergeant 2738 MURDOCK Thursday, May 3, 1917 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL View record Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian MACLEOD Sergeant 2738 5/3/1917 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian
First name(s) MURDOCK
McLEOD Corporal 1960 NEIL MURDOCH Tuesday, November 14, 1916 Age 29 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL View record Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian McLEOD Corporal 1960 11/14/1916 29 VILLERS-BRETONNEUX MEMORIAL Australian Infantry, A.I.F. Australian
First name(s) NEIL MURDOCH
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Justices seem ready to OK asking citizenship on…
Justices seem ready to OK asking citizenship on census
FILE – In this Jan. 24, 2019, file photo, the Supreme Court is seen at sunset in Washington. Vast changes in America and technology have dramatically altered how the census is conducted. But the accuracy of the once-a-decade population count is at the heart of the Supreme Court case over the Trump administration’s effort to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census. The justices hear arguments in the case Tuesday, April 23. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
PUBLISHED: April 23, 2019 at 9:50 am | UPDATED: April 23, 2019 at 10:41 am
By MARK SHERMAN
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court’s conservative majority seemed ready Tuesday to uphold the Trump administration’s plan to ask about citizenship on the 2020 census , despite evidence that millions of Hispanics and immigrants could go uncounted.
There appeared to be a clear divide between the court’s liberal and conservative justices in arguments in a case that could affect how many seats states have in the House of Representatives and their share of federal dollars over the next 10 years. States with a large number of immigrants tend to vote Democratic.
Three lower courts have so far blocked the plan to ask every U.S. resident about citizenship in the census, finding that the question would discourage many immigrants from being counted. Two of the three judges also ruled that asking if people are citizens would violate the provision of the Constitution that calls for a count of the population, regardless of citizenship status, every 10 years. The last time the question was included on the census form sent to every American household was 1950.
But over 80 minutes in a packed courtroom, the conservative justices did not appear to share the concern of the lower court judges.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the court’s newest member and an appointee of President Donald Trump, suggested Congress could change the law if it so concerned that the accuracy of the once-a-decade population count will suffer. “Why doesn’t Congress prohibit the asking of the citizenship question?” Kavanaugh asked near the end of the morning session.
Kavanaugh and the other conservatives were mostly silent when Solicitor General Noel Francisco, the administration’s top Supreme Court lawyer, defended Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross’ decision to add the citizenship question. Ross has said the Justice Department wanted the citizenship data, the detailed information it would produce on where eligible voters live, to improve enforcement of the Voting Rights Act.
Lower courts found that Ross’ explanation was a pretext for adding the question, noting that he had consulted early in his tenure with Stephen Bannon, Trump’s former top political adviser and immigration hardliner Kris Kobach, the former Kansas secretary of state.
The liberal justices peppered Francisco with questions about the administration plan, but they would lack the votes to stop it without support from at least one conservative justice.
“This is a solution in search of a problem,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the court’s lone Hispanic member, said of Ross’ decision.
Justice Elena Kagan chimed in that “you can’t read this record without sensing that this need was a contrived one.”
Chief Justice John Roberts appeared to have a different view of the information the citizenship question would produce.
“You think it wouldn’t help voting rights enforcement?” Roberts asked New York Solicitor General Barbara Underwood, who was representing states and cities that sued over Ross’ decision.
Underwood said the evidence Ross had before him was “that it would not give better citizenship information.”
And, Underwood said, the record is clear that a census that asks people if they are citizens will be less accurate.
Census Bureau experts have concluded that the census would produce a more accurate picture of the U.S. population without a citizenship question because people might be reluctant to say if they or others in their households are not citizens. Federal law requires people to complete the census accurately and fully.
The Supreme Court is hearing the case on a tight timeframe, even though no federal appeals court has yet to weigh in. A decision is expected by late June, in time to print census forms for the April 2020 population count.
The administration argues that the commerce secretary has wide discretion in designing the census questionnaire and that courts should not be second-guessing his action. States, cities and rights groups that sued over the issue don’t even have the right to go into federal court, the administration says. It also says the citizenship question is plainly constitutional because it has been asked on many past censuses and continues to be used on smaller, annual population surveys.
Justice Neil Gorsuch, also a Trump appointee, also noted that many other countries include citizenship questions on their censuses.
Douglas Letter, a lawyer representing the House of Representatives, said the census is critically important to the House, which apportions its seats among the states based on the results. “Anything that undermines the accuracy of the actual enumeration is immediately a problem,” Letter said, quoting from the provision of the Constitution that mandates a decennial census.
Letter also thanked the court on behalf of Speaker Nancy Pelosi for allowing the House to participate in the arguments.
“Tell her she’s welcome,” Roberts replied.
Associated Press writers Jessica Gresko and Darlene Superville contributed to this report.
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News Newport News
Newport News police arrest suspect wanted in connection with attempted carjacking, stolen vehicle
Hampton Police Chief Terry Sult held a news conference Wednesday afternoon to announce the development in the search of 2-year-old Noah Tomlin.
Hampton first responders use an airboat to search the north end of Mill Creek for a missing two year old child Tuesday June 25, 2019.
Newport News police officers investigate the scene of a homicide in the 900 block of 27th Street Tuesday June 25, 2019.
Charlottesville Neo-Nazi Sentenced to Life for Deadly Car Attack James Alex Fields Jr. drove his car into a crowd of counterprotestors during the 2017 "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, VA.
Megan Banton, an administrative assistant for Virginia Beach Public Utilities, describes hearing the shooting unfold at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center on Friday, May 31, 2019. The shooting left twelve dead and four injured.
Update, 1:30 p.m. Saturday:
Police spokesman Brandon Maynard said a suspect was arrested sometime Friday night, but information about who it is will not be released until Monday.
Previously, 8:15 p.m. Friday:
Newport News police are searching for a suspect in connection with a stolen vehicle and attempted carjacking that occurred on Friday morning.
A 73-year-old Newport News woman told police that a male teenager grabbed her and attempted to steal her keys at the Food Lion located in the 300 block of Oyster Point Road. Police said the suspect implied he had a weapon.
When he was unable to take the woman’s keys he ran to the nearby Advanced Auto where, police spokesman Brandon Maynard said, he took a gold vehicle that was unoccupied and running.
Police said the suspect rode a black tricycle to Food Lion. The suspect is described as a black male between 16 to 19 years old. Maynard reported the suspect was last seen wearing a blue shirt and red shorts.
Police have released footage of the suspect entering the grocery store and have asked anyone who is able to identify him to call the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP (1-888-562-5887).
Newport News police are searching for a suspect wanted in connection with an attempted carjacking and a stolen vehicle on Friday morning.
Newport News Police Department
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Saturday, Jan 26, 2019 09:49 AM
Sacco Sez: A blast from the past
Jim Saccomano
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote that I had a strong gut feeling, in a positive way, about the hiring of Vic Fangio as the Denver Broncos' new head coach.
That remains true today, and if anything, my feelings in this regard are even stronger, largely because I really like the coaching staff being assembled by Coach Fangio and the Broncos.
Sometimes the stars align in a really good way.
I think new Defensive Coordinator Ed Donatell is, in a way, symbolic of the new era taking shape here, and he perhaps ties together with the most successful period in team history.
This is Ed's third stint with the Broncos, and in terms of complete transparency, I consider him a really good friend.
But the main thing to me is that he just "fits," as the rest of the staff seems to fit.
Ed's second stint here was as secondary coach rom 2009-10, but most notable was his presence the first time around.
That was from 1995-99, and it was marked by the Broncos winning back-to-back Super Bowls, going undefeated for a calendar year (from December 1997 through the same December week in 1998), and the Broncos produced 46 victories from 1996 through 1999, at that time a National Football League record.
Plus, as we are one week before voting takes place for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, it's worth noting two of the players he coached (one from each of those stints) are finalists for the Class of 2019. Donatell's backfield included Ring of Famer Steve Atwater and future Ring of Famer Champ Bailey.
Both players should be inducted into the Canton Hall, but we can never count our chickens before they hatch, and the voters have a full slate of great players to consider.
Champ was always a great player, but his teams did not always match his greatness.
Atwater, on the other hand, was a member of one of the greatest teams in NFL history, one of the rare ones that went back-to-back.
He and Ed Donatell were key components of that success, as player and coach.
Atwater had one of the greatest games ever by a defensive player in Super Bowl XXXII.
Atwater's play in that victory over the Green Bay Packers, a game in which he totaled six tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and two pass breakups, was instrumental in Denver's winning its first-ever world championship.
He followed that up with another superb season in 1998, when Denver won Super Bowl XXXIII over Atlanta. After calling it a career following the 1999 season, the safety ranks second only to John Elway in career postseason starts by a Bronco, as he started all 14 playoff appearances, including three Super Bowls and four AFC Championship Games.
Meanwhile, Donatell was a part of those seven postseason wins in 1997 and 1998. The Broncos are the only team in NFL history to win seven postseason games in just two seasons, so his coaching and guidance played a major role in Denver's success.
But one of the key components to all that success was the veteran nature of the coaching staff.
It seemed to be comprised largely of men who had been there, done that, and who were not surprised by anything that would be thrown their way.
This is the type of staff that the Broncos seem to be assembling now.
Admittedly, while symbolism is a nice touch, you still have to plan, prepare, coach and play.
Nevertheless, there is a real, positive old-school feel to this coaching staff, which at the same time integrates younger coaches with dynamic ideas.
My guess and the hope of fans is that the foundation is being set for a return to the greatness which has been so much a part of Denver Broncos football.
Helmet decals honoring Pat Bowlen added before start of training camp
The decals will be on team’s helmets for the duration of the season.
HC Vic Fangio on Von Miller: 'I think he's got more to give'
"I haven't won Defensive Player of the Year one time," Miller said. "I haven't led the league in sacks one time."
Chris Harris Jr. embraces dual role, zone coverage
He will have to cross-train at the nickel and cornerback positions, but he's done it before and he knows he can do it again.
On eve of training camp, HC Vic Fangio outlines practice plan, provides injury updates
President of Football Operations/GM John Elway, meanwhile, spoke about some of the Broncos' second-year players and delivered several other updates.
Broncos waive WR Aaron Burbridge
The Broncos' roster sits at 89 players.
Take a closer look at the impact of Futures Football on the kids and coaches who are involved in the program.
Broncos, Briefly: Wednesday, July 17, 2019
A quick look at the recent buzz on the Denver Broncos.
OL Dalton Risner signs rookie contract
Risner, a second-round pick, signed his deal Tuesday.
As training camp nears, Emmanuel Sanders, Jake Butt expect to be eased into practice
Sanders said his goal is “to be ready for Week 1, when it all starts to count.”
Reasons to attend 2019 Broncos training camp
From interactions with players to donating to good causes, there are plenty of reasons to head to Broncos training camp.
10 Burning Questions for Camp: Can Joe Flacco return to his old form?
If Flacco can play like he did in his 2010-14 peak, he can point the Broncos back to the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
Broncos, Briefly: Tuesday, July 16, 2019
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New Mexico State Sued for Gender Bias
August 12, 2016 VICTORIA PRIESKOP
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (CN) — The Department of Justice sued New Mexico State University on Thursday for paying a female track coach $4,000 to $6,000 less than it paid male coaches in the same position.
New Mexico State hired Meaghan Harkins in 2009 as an assistant track and field coach at a salary of $23,998. The college hired a male assistant track and field coach in 2007 at $29,500 and raised it to $30,090 in 2008, and hired another assistant coach, also male, at $28,000 in 2007, the government says in the federal complaint.
When Harkins asked James Hall, NMSU sports administrator for track and field, about receiving equal pay for equal work, she waited three months for an answer, then was told that “her request was still being considered by Human Resources, but that the Athletic Director Dr. Boston McKinley specifically stated that he ‘does not have a problem excepting [sic] [her] letter of resignation.'” (Brackets in complaint.)
Harkins got a $2,000 raise in 2011, and resigned a few months later.
She filed a charge of sex discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which found cause to believe that NMSU discriminated against her, but after unsuccessful conciliation efforts, the EEOC referred the case to the Justice Department.
U.S. Attorney Damon Martinez said in a statement: “This lawsuit reflects the recognition by the Department of Justice of the bedrock principle of equal pay for equal work and that this principle must be applied to all employees within the public sector workforce.”
The United States seeks back pay and lost wages for Harkins, and an injunction against gender discrimination.
Harkins coached at Brown University before moving to Las Cruces to work for New Mexico State.
← Securities
Judge Sees Nothing Original in Hamburger Ad →
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Boss Praise For Coco's Work Ethic
Steve says Ryan has kept his focus despite on-going contract talks.
Crewe Alexandra boss Steve Davis has praised the work ethic of his young forward Ryan Colclough during the close season. Although the 20-year-old is now technically out of contract at the club as of July 1st, he has continued to attend the summer sessions and reported back for full training on Monday.
No decision has been made on the forward’s future but Davis is still hopeful that he will agree to extend his contract and continue his development as a key member of his side next season.
Steve told crewealex.net: “Talks are still on-going between Ryan’s agent and the club and nothing has been decided. No decision has been made either way and Ryan is leaving things in the hands of his agent.
“I must say that he has worked really hard. He is working hard in the group and has been really focussed on getting fit and is focussed on his football.
“He knows my feelings on the situation. I still hope he signs for us. He is a talented boy and we still want to work with him and develop him.”
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What is a honeypot? A trap for catching hackers in the act
On the Offense
10 decisions you'll face when deploying a honeypot
Spread honeypots over your defense plan
All About Honeypots and Honeynets
By Simson Garfinkel
Tired of defending against bad guys? Instead, go on the offensive. At least that's the idea behind so-called honeypots—computer systems that are designed to lure evildoers and then record their every move.
Think of honeypots as intelligence collection systems. Many hackers engage in routine scans of the Internet's address space, looking for poorly defended computers. A honeypot is a deliberately vulnerable target that invites penetration while fully instrumented. So after a hacker penetrates it, you can learn how it was done, keeping you current with the latest attacks and exploits against your company's servers. You can also collect the types of hacker tools they use and, by eavesdropping on their communications, map out their social networks.
Setting up a honeypot isn't hard; all you need is a computer running an unpatched copy of Microsoft Windows or Red Hat Linux on your external Internet. Since hackers are likely to booby-trap the computer's logging and auditing capabilities, you'll want to station a network-monitoring system between the box and your Internet connection so that all the traffic in or out of the box is silently recorded. Then just sit back and wait for the inevitable attack.
Running a honeypot is not without its risks, however. That's because the overwhelming number of compromised systems are used for attacking other systems. If you ignore a vulnerable system, you may be liable if hackers use your system to break into others. It's called downstream liability, and it brings us to the topic of honeynets.
A honeynet is a honeypot with added technology that properly records the hacker's actions while simultaneously minimizing or eliminating the risks to others on the Internet. An example is a honeypot that's set up behind a backward firewall; instead of preventing incoming connections, the firewall prevents the honeypot from initiating outbound connections. Still, while that approach makes the honeypot incapable of damaging other systems, it also makes it pretty easy for bad guys to spot. Realizing they've broken into a presumably booby-trapped system, the typical hacker is likely to wipe the disk clean and never return (which is not tremendously informative for the honeypot watchers).
For the past four years, Lance Spitzer and the others at the Honeynet Project have been working to create, deploy, manage and analyze the results of honeynets. Their technology is clever, but their results incredibly disturbing. To solve the problem of downstream liability, Spitzer and his team developed a range of data control techniquesfor example, an adaptive firewall rule that allows five or 10 outgoing connections every hour: That's high enough to prevent an attacker from getting suspicious, but low enough to prevent serious damage to third-party systems. These rules can be implemented on commercial firewall systems like those from Check Point Software Technologies or on firewalls built from Linux and OpenBSD systems. Of course, no data control technique is perfect. "The more you allow a blackhat to do outbound, the more you can learn, but the greater the risk," according to the project's website.
Data capture is another technical challenge in running a honeypot. By recording every packet in and out of the system, the honeypot watchers can get a good idea of what the bad guys are doing. The log files on the honeypot itself are also a good data source. The log files are easily deleted by the attacker, so it's common to have the honeypot send a copy of its log to a remote syslog server that's on the same network but is better defended. (Be sure to watch the log server as well. If it is penetrated by your attacker using a novel attack, then your honeypot will certainly have shown its worth.)
The task of data capture has been considerably complicated in recent years by the increased use of encryption in the blackhat community. Back in the 1990s, most bad guys logged in to their compromised systems using clear text-protocols such as telnet and rsh. Today they've followed the advice of numerous computer security professionals and have turned to cryptographic protocols like ssh to make their communications immune to network monitoring. Honeynet's response to encryption is to modify the target computer's operating system so that all keystrokes, transferred files and other information are logged to yet another monitoring system. Because the attacker might discover such logs, the project uses steganographic techniqueshiding keystrokes inside NetBIOS broadcast packets, for example. It's a clever idea. (Unfortunately, it's only a matter of time before the bad guys adapt those techniques to their own nefarious ends.)
One of the nice things about honeypot systems is that they do a great job at data reduction. With a typical website or mail server, attacks are usually drowned out by the legitimate traffic. Adding an intrusion detection system rarely helps because of the tendency of these systems to generate false alarms. Honeypots, on the other hand, have little or no legitimate traffic. Most of the data in or out is, by definition, an attack. As a result, it is much easier to look at the data and find out what the attacker actually did.
Since its formation in 1999, the Honeynet Project has gathered a tremendous amount of information that you can find at www.honeynet.org or in Spitzer's 2002 book, Honeypots: Tracking Hackers. Some of the findings: The incidence of attack has doubled in the past year; attackers are increasingly using automated point-and-shoot tools with pluggable exploits (making tools easy to update as new vulnerabilities are discovered); and, despite their bravado, few hackers use novel attacks.
Honeypots are primarily a research tool, but they have genuine business applications as well. Put a honeypot on an IP address adjacent to your company's Web or mail server, and you'll get an idea of the attacks to which it is subject. But don't give the adjacent machine a name with your domain name serverafter all, most attacks are done by IP address. You'll get even better intelligence if the honeypot uses the same operating system, patch level and application suite as the machine you're trying to protect. In fact, make it an exact copy and then monitor all the traffic in and out of this honeypot machine. If it gets compromised, you'll know what to look for on your production machine.
To be sure, honeypots and honeynets are not "fire and forget" security appliances, a point that Spitzer repeatedly stresses. According to the Honeynet Project, it typically takes between 30 hours and 40 hours of analysis to really understand the damage that an attacker can do in just 30 minutes. The systems also require diligent maintenance and testing. With a honeypot, you constantly match your wits against the bad guys'. You get to choose the battlefield, but your opponent gets to choose the time of the battle. As a result, you must stay alert.
One of the most exciting things happening in the world of honeypots is the development of virtual honeynetswhole networks of virtual computers running on a single machine using a "virtualized computer" system like VMware or User-Mode Linux. A virtualized system lets you run a few (typically four to 10) virtual computers on a single host system. Virtual honeynets dramatically cut costs, machine room space and honeypot management complexities. And since the virtual computer's "disks" are actually files on the host system, it's easy to detect any changes the attacker may have performed and, when necessary, wipe them out. What's more, virtual systems typically support "suspend" and "resume" functionalities, allowing you to freeze a compromised computer, examine the attacker's processes, and open TCP/IP connections and anything else that's on the system.
For the CSO of a large organization, one of the best reasons to run a honeynet is to detect hostile insiders. Any company with more than a few hundred employees is bound to have one or two bad apples behind your firewall and probing for internal weaknesses. What better way to find them than with inside honeynets? Cut off from the outside world and set next to systems used by accounting and payroll, they'll tell you if someone is exploring where he shouldn't. A well-monitored system might even point you back to the perpetrator.
Ironically, monitoring your honeypot has its own legal complicationsfor instance, potential violations of wiretapping laws. Although there is currently no case law, most people familiar with this area of the law believe that consent banners are the way to go. That is, give every honeypot a banner that says "Anyone using this system consents to having their activity monitored and disclosed to others, including law enforcement."
Then, to keep your honeypots from sticking out like a sore thumb, every other computer in your organization should have a similar banner. But you've done that already, right?
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World Financial Center in New York City.
The World Financial Center is a complex of buildings across West Street from the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan in New York City, overlooking the Hudson River. This complex is home to offices of companies including Merrill Lynch, Nomura Group, the Wall Street Journal and American Express, as well as Dow Jones among others. The entire complex is owned by Brookfield Properties, except for the space occupied by American Express (which American Express owns). The complex also serves as the corporate headquarters for Brookfield Properties, which has its headquarters in Tower Three. Designed by César Pelli, with Adamson Associates, the complex was built by Olympia and York between 1985 and 1988 on landfill used to build Battery Park City. The fill material came from dirt excavated during the building of the World Trade Center, as well as garbage, dirt and debris. Portions of the complex, especially the Winter Garden, were severely damaged in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, but have since been reopened after significant repairs. The complex has its own zip code, 10281.
zip code,
complex has,
significant repairs,
terrorist attacks,
financial,
across,
adamson,
associates,
build,
center,
express,
garden,
journal,
landfill,
© Breakers
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Tanzania: A Year of Turmoil for Burundian Refugees
View Photo Ikram N'gadi
In the reception center of Kilelema, Ester, a 30-year old woman, who fled from Bujumbura to Tanzania shares her story: "We were at home when some armed group raided our place. They executed my husband. I cried and ran for my life, together with my children. They shot me in the leg and I lost my children while on flight. Only one of them I could find later. Every other family member died. In hospital I spent five months to let the doctors treat my wound before I decided to leave Burundi for good. My family was killed, my house was destroyed, all my neighbours fled. Along the journey we were facing many problems and were mainly hiding to avoid getting hurt. I could hardly walk. We arrived yesterday in Kilelema, without anything, as everything we had on us was stolen.”
Ikram N'gadi
More than one year after the first influx of refugees began, some 1,000 people fleeing political unrest in Burundi continue to cross the border each week to Tanzania. They join thousands of others living in overcrowded and ever-expanding refugee camps. Two of the three existing sites—Nyarugusu and Nduta—have already swelled to capacity. A third camp, Mtendeli, is now receiving refugees transferred from the overcrowded Nyarugusu camp, as well as newly arrived refugees from the border areas. There are now approximately 140,000 Burundians living in Tanzania.
"With the flow of refugees continuing at a steady pace, we expect all three camps will have exceeded their capacity by September," says Dana Krause, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) head of mission in Tanzania. The camps are unable to deal with a sudden influx of refugees, and if the crisis in Burundi sees another flare-up, there is no other site ready. "In Mtendeli, for example, water provision is already below internationally recognized standards," says Krause. "At this stage, the camp is not able to welcome any major influx of Burundian refugees beyond the current numbers."
Fleeing for their Lives
A total of 260,000 Burundian refugees have fled to the surrounding countries of Rwanda, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Tanzania. Fleeing out of fear, they have often witnessed or experienced violence directly. The aid response has received little financial support. "In Tanzania, the humanitarian response one year later in the camps is still lacking, and not enough efforts have been made to increase assistance," says Krause.
Today, on arrival to Tanzania, the refugees face highly congested living conditions. Health facilities are bursting at the seams with malaria patients, while respiratory illnesses and diarrheal diseases linked to the poor sanitary situation are also recurrent. Additionally, mental health needs among this recently traumatized population are significant.
Acute Mental Health Needs
MSF is providing psychological care in Nyarugusu and Nduta camps and, since the beginning of the year, has carried out 13,795 individual consultations and 1,408 group sessions. According to MSF’s psychologists, over 95 percent of refugees attending mental health consultations have reported experiencing significant traumatic events before reaching Tanzania and most now suffer from a combination of depression, anxiety, and sleeping problems.
"The patients we see in our mental health consultations have all suffered enormous trauma, and are experiencing a wide range of emotional difficulties," says George Hunter, an MSF psychologist working in Nduta camp. "They’ve lost everything. Six months ago, they were living a normal life in a city, their kids were going to school. Then they witnessed terrible violence, or lost family members or friends. They were forced to flee, and now they live in a tent, with nothing."
Joseph is a Burundian refugee living in Nduta camp. "When I arrived I could not sleep, as I was thinking about all of the things that I had left behind," he says. "I was thinking that this would be the end of my life. I’m still scared; it doesn’t feel safe yet. I don’t see any future. I hoped to pursue and complete my university studies. But now that I am here, that dream is gone."
Rampant Malaria
Kigoma region, where the camps are located, has one of the highest annual rates of malaria in Tanzania. Pregnant women and children are particularly at risk of developing the severe form of the disease, which can lead to death if not promptly treated. Around half of patients coming to MSF clinics in Nyarugusu and Nduta refugee camps present with malaria. In both camps, MSF has treated around 58,000 malaria patients since the beginning of the year.
MSF scaled up its malaria response in January, when the rains became heavier and the number of cases started increasing. In Nduta camp, MSF provides treatment at its three health posts and the outpatient department, and patients with severe malaria are hospitalized. In Nyarugusu camp, MSF provides treatment in two clinics set up specifically for treatment of the disease.
"While in the last weeks malaria cases have started dropping slightly, we can assume there will be another increase soon," says Krause. "The rains are expected to continue until at least June, making the already damp and overcrowded living conditions even worse, and a breeding ground for mosquitoes. The only solution to avoid this is a rapid and sustained improvement in prevention and treatment measures."
Emergency Medical Care for the Wounded
In Burundi, MSF continues to respond to trauma-related medical emergencies in the capital, Bujumbura. The MSF trauma center has 86 beds and comprises an emergency room, two operating rooms, and an intensive care unit.
MSF began its response to the Burundian refugee crisis in Tanzania in May 2015, when violence flared and the first influx of people arrived. In Nyarugusu camp, MSF runs three malaria clinics. In Nduta Camp, MSF is the only medical provider and has constructed a 110-bed hospital delivering comprehensive inpatient and outpatient care. Teams also run three health posts, providing medical screening for newly arrived refugees and delivering much-needed mental health care. MSF provided 3,500 tents during the camp's set-up and currently provides 250 cubic meters of water per day. In Mtendeli camp, MSF supplies around 428,000 liters of water daily and supports the health sector with community health surveillance. MSF has also distributed some 73,000 thousand mosquito nets in Nyarugusu, Nduta, and Mtendeli camps.
MSF has worked in Burundi for more than 20 years and intensified its activities in Bujumbura when pre-electoral tensions began to mount in May 2015. MSF is one of the few international organizations treating the wounded and responding to medical emergencies in the capital. Its activities in Burundi are financed solely by individual contributions. MSF does not accept funds from any government.
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What a difference straight teeth can make! A great-looking smile can boost your self-confidence and have a positive impact on social and professional opportunities. Orthodontic treatment is the original smile makeover tool — and you will be happy to know that you're never too old to take advantage of it. But it isn't all about looks: Properly aligned teeth help you to bite, chew and even speak more effectively. They are also easier to clean, which helps keep your mouth free of tooth decay and gum disease.
The amazing thing about orthodontics is that it harnesses the body's natural ability to remodel its own tissue. With the application of light, constant force, orthodontic appliances gently reshape bone and move teeth into better positions. Some examples of these appliances are traditional metal braces, inconspicuous clear or tooth-colored braces, and clear aligners, a relatively new option for adults and teens.
Bite Problems and How to Fix Them
Orthodontic treatment can resolve a number of bite problems, which often become evident by around age 7. These include underbite, crossbite or excessive overbite, where upper and lower teeth don't close in the proper position; open bite, where a space remains between top and bottom teeth when the jaws are closed; and crowding or excessive spacing, where teeth are spaced too close together or too far apart.
To correct bite problems, teeth need to be moved — but doing that isn't as hard as you might think! Teeth aren't fixed rigidly in their supporting bone; instead, they're held in place by a hammock-like structure called the periodontal ligament, which is very responsive to forces placed on the teeth. Orthodontic appliances move teeth by careful application of light, constant pressure. This force can be applied via metal wires that run through small brackets attached to the teeth (braces), or via the semi-rigid plastic of clear aligners.
Orthodontics is for Children — and Adults
Having orthodontic treatment in childhood is ideal in order to take advantage of a youngster's natural growth processes to help move the teeth into proper alignment. Like the rest of the body, the teeth and jaws are now changing rapidly. So at this time it's possible (for example) to create more room for teeth in a crowded mouth by using a “palatal expander” to rapidly widen the upper jaw. This phase of growth modification can shorten overall treatment time and ensure the best result if additional orthodontic appliances are needed.
But remember, healthy teeth can be moved at any age, so you've never “missed the boat” for orthodontic treatment. In fact, about one in five of today's orthodontic patients is an adult. Several new technological developments — including tooth-colored ceramic braces, clear aligners and invisible lingual braces — have made orthodontic appliances less evident, and enhanced the treatment experience for grown-ups. Before treatment, adults are carefully examined for signs of periodontal (gum) disease, which will be brought under control before treatment begins.
Types of Orthodontic Appliances
When you imagine someone wearing braces, you probably picture small metal brackets bonded to the front of the teeth, with a thin wire running through them. This time-tested style remains very popular — but it's no longer the only option. Clear braces use brackets made of ceramic or plastic which, except for the slim archwire, are hardly visible. Lingual braces are just like traditional metal braces — except they're bonded to the back of your teeth (the tongue side) so that no one can see them.
Removable clear aligners are an alternative to fixed orthodontic appliances. They consist of a series of clear plastic “trays” that fit over your teeth exactly; each one moves your teeth a little bit, until they are in the proper position. Whether fixed or removable, each type of appliance may have advantages or disadvantages in particular situations. After a complete examination, the best treatment options for you will be discussed.
Retention & Post Orthodontic Care
Once your orthodontic treatment is completed, it's extremely important to wear a retainer as directed. That's because teeth naturally tend to drift back to their original locations — which is the last thing you want after you've gone to the trouble of straightening them! Wearing a retainer holds your teeth in their new position long enough for new bone and ligament to re-form around them, and helps keep your gorgeous new smile looking good for a lifetime.
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Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards' Speech at the DNC
"Make no mistake: Women's health and rights are on the line and on the ballot in this election."
By Kate Storey
Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, took the stage at the Democratic National Convention and laid out exactly what is at stake for women's reproductive rights this election.
"As first lady, Hillary [Clinton] declared to the world that, 'women's rights are human rights,'" Richards began. "She worked with Republicans and Democrats to help create the Children's Health Insurance Program, which now covers 8 million kids. As Secretary of State, was a champion for women and girls around the globe. And she will always stand up for Roe v. Wade and the right of every woman to access a full range of reproductive health care, including abortion, no matter her economic status."
In January, Planned Parenthood Action Fund endorsed Clinton, and it recently gave her vice presidential running mate, Tim Kaine, an 100% rating for his support of equal pay legislation and pro-women's health legislation while in the Senate. (Kaine has said he personally opposes abortion but supports a woman's right to choose.)
For the first time in its history, the Republican platform condemned Planned Parenthood by name, and Republican nominee Donald Trump has promised to support legislation that defunds the organization. Richards told the story of Dayna Farris Fisher, a mom in Dallas who was diagnosed with breast cancer and received treatment from Planned Parenthood.
"When Donald Trump and Mike Pence say they'll defund Planned Parenthood, they're talking about cutting women like Dayna off from life-saving care," Richards said. "Make no mistake: Women's health and rights are on the line and on the ballot in this election.
"Not long ago, the Supreme Court ruled that the Texas laws that forced abortion providers to close their doors are dangerous and unconstitutional," she continued. "But the fight's not over. Donald Trump has pledged to appoint justices who will overturn Roe v. Wade and undo decades of progress."
Richards also recalled Trump's history of calling women "fat pigs" and "dogs," pointed out his stance that women should be punished for having abortions, and described the time he called pregnancy an "inconvenience" for employers.
Richards concluded: "Well, Donald Trump, come November, women are going to be more than an inconvenience. We're going to be the reason you're not elected."
Follow Kate on Twitter.
From: Cosmopolitan US
Kate Storey Senior Staff Writer Kate is a writer for Esquire covering culture, politics, style, and lifestyle.
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Nursing, midwifery and care
The Atlas of Shared Learning
Increasing neonatal palliative care support
11 July 2018 By Leading Change, Adding Value team
A Children’s Nurse at Rainbows Hospice has created a new service to help and support families across the East Midlands region who experience the death of a baby before, during or shortly after birth – forging links across services and raising the awareness of the end-of-life-care services available from Rainbows.
Following a successful pilot project, a Children’s Nurse at Rainbow’s Children’s Hospice, developed the Neonatal Link Nurse role – which has already received 40 referrals in the first 12 months (to December 2017) across the East Midlands. Close collaboration has been established with several of the hospitals across the East Midlands, including University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.
Where to look
Loughborough-based Rainbows is a hospice for children and young people providing care, symptom management and short breaks for children from across the East Midlands with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions.
Rainbows had identified that it was receiving very few neonatal referrals, recognising significant unwarranted variation in the signposting to available resources and support that the hospice can provide to a family.
There were 1,855 neonatal deaths (deaths under 28 days) registered in England during 2016.
What to change
The hospice wanted to inform more families of babies with palliative care needs of the valuable services available, to increase their support options.
How to change
As part of a pilot, a Registered Nurse (RN) was employed to work 15 hours per month as a neonatal link alongside the Paediatric Nurse role. The RN began to visit other hospices, to see how a neonatal service had developed successfully elsewhere in the UK and to identify the liaison and signposting that was done in other places to enhance the information shared with families needing support.
The neonatal link RN also made contact with 11 local neonatal units from which it was identified that referrals to Rainbows were most likely to come. Information was given about the hospice and a request made for any ideas on how the service might develop. Nine units responded and as a result, a detailed presentation was given at a clinical forum, which was then made available with associated materials, to raise awareness about the hospice services and as a referral resource.
Following evidence of an increase in neonatal referrals, the link nursing role has since been made permanent, and has supported an increase in involvement with regional perinatal/new-born networks, working towards a regional pathway for neonates with palliative care needs.
The pathway for the unborn child or neonate with a life-limiting condition is in the final stages of consultation using the evidence of the success of this pilot having been officially launched in April 2018. The pathway will ensure a more equitable service is offered in local hospitals. It will give all families the opportunity to meet a member of the hospice team, and to have options with regards to their care and support.
Better outcomes – Communication with regional services across health and care has improved to make them more aware of what the hospice can offer. There was an almost doubling of referrals from 6 to 11, when comparing an eight month period before and after the start of the link nurse role. From October 2016 to December 2017, Rainbow Hospice has supported 39 babies under six months of age.
Better experience – An increase in neonatal hospice referrals has given families greater choice about place of care, both at Rainbows and at home – notably given the earlier presented figures, this is often out of hospital. Families have more options in how they are supported to care for their baby at the end of their life, and after death. The new care pathway is also expected to bring major benefits in streamlining the experience of the families involved.
Better use of resources – The strengthening of the partnership and joined-up working between the NHS and third sector is creating a more robust and flexible neonatal palliative care system.
Challenges and lessons learnt
A key piece of learning from this project has been that it is possible to achieve significant positive change from comparatively small beginnings. It helps to retain sight of the end goal so that progress can be identified – even when circumstances change.
Always be aware of how any individual service or role is part of a bigger picture. This helps with recognising the importance of valuing the contribution of others and working together to achieve better outcomes.
Natalie Horton
Neonatal Link Nurse
natalie.horton@rainbows.co.uk
End of life/Palliative care
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Insights > 5 Things You Need to Know About Louisiana’s Biggest Utility!
5 Things You Need to Know About Louisiana’s Biggest Utility!
By: Michael Burns
Click on the different sections of the graphic below to get the full story.
Do you know how Entergy Louisiana powers life? Chances are you’ve never really thought about us or how we work to help our state and communities. Well, here are some things you might want to know!
1. Our rates are among the lowest in the U.S.
Our average residential rates were more than 30 percent below the national average, according to 2016 data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
And we’re working hard to keep your costs low. In the first two years since we joined MISO, a regional transmission organization that also operates a power market, our customers have saved more than $200 million. It’s a figure likely to grow in the years ahead. The savings primarily come from the more efficient dispatch of generation and the need to keep fewer power plants in reserve and ready to run if needed.
Louisiana had the lowest residential rates in the nation during 2016, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
2. We are investing to modernize our infrastructure so Louisiana can grow.
We have a prudent, clear-cut plan to upgrade our aging utility infrastructure so we can continue to deliver the clean, affordable and reliable energy you need. Our plan also ensures we will have low-cost power available when companies decide where to locate facilities.
Our focus is on developing new, more efficient sources of power and continuing to build a more resilient power grid throughout the state.
We’re making progress. Construction of our St. Charles Power Station is underway, and the Louisiana Public Service Commission is considering our proposal to build the Lake Charles Power Station, a second highly efficient plant that will save customers between $1.3 billion and $2 billion over its anticipated 30-year life.
Louisiana’s low-cost energy, including electricity, is one of the factors fueling the state’s ongoing industrial expansion. We continue working closely with our local and state economic development partners to attract new jobs to Louisiana. Our efforts have helped create more than 23,000 new jobs in Louisiana since 2005.
Entergy Louisiana serves the recently expanded CF Industries nitrogen facility in Donaldsonville. The plant is now the largest of its kind in North America. It employs some 450 workers in the production of urea, urea-ammonium nitrate and anhydrous ammonia for agricultural and industrial customers.
3. We are developing solutions for a smarter, cleaner energy future.
We’re planning to add new technologies to our transmission and distribution grids so we can meet your expectations for great customer service and deliver new ways of saving energy and money.
It’s not going to happen overnight, but we’re on our way. Work continues on making our grid more resilient. And we have asked regulators to approve a plan to install what is essentially the foundation of a modern energy network – an advanced metering system.
Initially, advanced meters will give us information to help us restore power faster when there are outages and resolve billing issues quicker. But that’s only the beginning. It will allow us to create new tools to help you better understand and manage your energy usage. And beyond that are technologies to create an integrated energy network that will include distributed energy resources such as rooftop solar or plug-in electric vehicles.
In the future, plug-in electric vehicles like the one shown above will be among the distributed energy resources integrated into the grid. An Entergy grant allowed for the purchase and installation of the first 11 electric vehicle charging stations in the downtown area for the Green Park Baton Rouge program.
4. We’re a leader in preserving Louisiana’s environment.
We are increasing our environmental efficiency with each new project. The carbon dioxide emission rate of Entergy Louisiana’s generating fleet is already 35 percent below the EPA standard for new combined-cycle power plants. And it will only get better as we continue developing new, cleaner sources of energy. Combined-cycle plants like the St. Charles Power Station emit, on average, about 40 percent less carbon dioxide compared to our older natural gas-fired units.
But the key driver is the largest source of clean energy in Louisiana – nuclear power. About 25 percent of the energy you use is from nuclear plants, almost all of it produced by our Waterford 3 and River Bend nuclear units. These plants have been reliable sources of emission-free energy in Louisiana for over three decades.
And we’re looking at adding new sources of emission-free energy to our system. We are working to finalize two offers to provide renewable energy selected through a request for proposals issued last year. We hope to make an announcement in the coming weeks. The renewable energy proposals will be subject to approval by the LPSC.
Our performance contributes to the ability of our parent company, Entergy Corporation, to meet its voluntary goal of keeping carbon emissions 20 percent below year 2000 levels through 2020. Today, we are 8 percent BELOW our cumulative goal as outlined in our new integrated report.
At the same time, Entergy has taken a leading role in working to create a more resilient Gulf Coast. The company has funded research, pilot projects and participated in public outreach efforts to build a consensus for action. Our employees are making a difference, too, volunteering to help rebuild wetlands as well as other environmental improvement activities.
Entergy has joined forces with Tierra Resources and others to expand a pilot program aimed at reducing wetlands loss through the aerial seeding of mangroves.
5. We invest millions each year to build stronger communities.
Our future is directly linked to the economic and social health of the communities we serve, so we partner with agencies across the state to help our cities and towns prosper. In 2016 alone, Entergy donated $11.7 million through 973 grants to Louisiana non-profit groups.
Two of our more successful efforts include ongoing support for Teach for America’s work in north and south Louisiana and the creation of the Baton Rouge Achievement Zone. We provided seed funding to create a $30 million school excellence fund. The program is growing successfully thanks to the efforts of our partners:
New Schools for Baton Rouge
Communities in Schools.
We’re also quick to lend a hand to friends and neighbors when disasters strike.
After the historic flood of August 2016, Entergy donated about $500,000 to a variety of organizations.
But the muscle we put into helping those in need may be just as important. More than 400 Entergy employees, friends and family members logged 10,000-plus hours of volunteer service in response to the flooding.
Entergy employee John Miller said it best as a group of co-workers, and their family members, helped clean out his flood-damaged home in the August heat: “People make up a company, and you know we’ve got some good people here at Entergy.”
Entergy funding supports the Baton Rouge Achievement Zone, which is succeeding thanks to the work of partner agencies like City Year, New Schools for Baton Rouge and Teach for America.
Louisiana Corporate LA Community LA Environment
Arnold’s First-Responder Experience Leads to Safety Improvement for Meter Services
Entergy Employees Fuel $3.5M Economic Impact through Volunteerism in 2018
In the News: Kudos for Entergy from DiCaprio, Restore the Earth Foundations
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Franchising: The American Dream?
An author speaks out on the pros and cons of buying a franchise.
Devlin Smith
While doing graduate work at the University of Chicago, Peter Birkeland attempted to conduct a sociology study on a particular corporation. Unfortunately, that company's CEO didn't want to cooperate. Undaunted, Birkeland decided to take another approach, focusing on the franchising side of the company.
Once he began his research, Birkeland discovered very little academic material on franchising existed. For about four years in the early '90s, Birkeland worked with franchisees and franchisors in three companies, attending meetings, going to trade shows and working in the field. Based on these experiences, Birkeland has written Franchising Dreams: The Lure of Entrepreneurship in America (The University of Chicago Press).
Franchise Zone spoke with Birkeland, president of The Birkeland Institute, a Chicago-based network performance consultancy, on his experiences, the current state of franchising in America, the myths and the realities of franchising and what would-be investors should know before joining a franchise.
What was your overriding goal in writing Franchising Dreams?
I just wanted people to be aware of both the pros and cons of franchising. From an academic perspective, franchising is overlooked. People are intrigued with strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and marketing, but no one really pays attention to franchising, and it's a huge part of our economy. All the car dealers, all the hotels, plus all McDonald's, Jiffy Lubes, almost all those companies are franchises. If you look at just the number of people who are employed in franchising, that's about one of every 16 employees. It makes a huge impact on our economy, so I think it's worth knowing something about this segment of the business world.
Secondly, a couple of myths about franchising are perpetuated to the detriment of the person who's going to buy a franchise. One is that it's completely risk-free, that if you buy a franchise, a) you will never fail, and b) you'll make a ton of money. Both of those are myths. It takes a lot of work to make a lot of money, and there are failures in franchising.
As far as the myth that it's almost risk-free to go into franchising, where do you think that came from?
A government report in the early '80s showed that franchisees had a 95 percent success rate. You can't find that statistic anymore, because it's not true. A franchise location could, over a 20-year period, have 20 franchisees--one starts and fails, another starts and fails and so forth, but the company would count it as a successful unit because there was always a franchisee in it. There's the problem--it's very difficult to measure franchise success.
What do you see as the lure of franchising to investors today?
For one, some franchise companies are looking for silent investors, and they may be able to give you 15 or 20 percent returns, which is a phenomenal return in today's market. The other is franchising runs countercyclical to the economy. Basically, the last couple of years, we've had a pull back on a lot of things--well, that hasn't been the case in franchising. If you're 48 and you lose your job and have two kids in college, you look around and say, "What am I going to do with my life?" Franchising is a really good alternative.
One of the things absolutely everybody has missed is that franchising is kind of the safety net of the economy. If you lose your job--you could be a teacher or a pilot, it doesn't matter what you are--you could find a franchise company and say, "Here's my money, teach me how to run a tax business or a beauty salon or muffler shop," and they'll say, "Yeah, we'll help you." That's a really beautiful part of our economy and something that appeals to a lot of people. If you have a lousy job or you lose your job, do you really want to go back to school at 45 and get retrained to do something that could be equally risky, or would you be better off buying a franchise and seeing if you could make it work?
Do people who are leaving the corporate world for franchising have any real grasp of what this is going to take?
I don't think anyone knows what's in store for them until after they get involved--it doesn't matter whether it's going to college or buying a house or trying to run the marathon. Once you start something, you say, "I didn't realize it was going to be this much work."
The problem comes for both the franchisor and the franchisee when either the expectations of the franchisor are not clearly articulated upfront or there's some withholding of information by franchisees. Maybe they don't actually have the skill set they say they have, so there's not quite as good a fit as the franchisor was led to believe. In that case, you could have a bad situation with either being in over your head in terms of the amount of money or the amount of expertise required to start. Or maybe the franchisor didn't disclose the severity of their management problems.
You mentioned in your book that you think people mistakenly believe running a franchising is like being an entrepreneur. Where does that misconception come from?
That's still perpetuated today. Some of these franchises' Web sites or print ads say something like, "Are you tired of working for someone else? Come and own a franchise," and that implies owning a franchise is different from working for someone else. It's not really.
Franchisees are far more entrepreneurial than a lot of people give them credit for, but even so, it's not completely owning your own business. You have to follow a system, you're operating under a brand, you've agreed to operate under a license. You can't really change a lot of those decisions, or you could, but you'd have to negotiate with the franchisor. On the other hand, if you're a franchisee, you pay for this accelerated learning curve. You don't have to reinvent the wheel--they do the marketing, they get the TV spots, they do the creative work, they've already figured out how much inventory you need to carry and the cycles of the business and so forth. There are pros and cons, but if you really want to be independent and not answer to anyone, I don't think a franchise is a good choice.
Some people in franchising have coined the term "frantrepreneur," and I think that's a disservice. I believe it's more difficult to be a franchisee than it is to be an entrepreneur. It's more difficult to follow someone else's system than it is to do it on your own. You follow the lead, the brand and the operating system all that stuff, even though it may not exactly be a good fit your environment, but that's the deal. That's the hard part.
But is there a certain amount of entrepreneurial drive you need to be a franchisee as opposed to just treating this like a job?
Even if you think you're buying the most stable franchise in the world, you still have to make it work. There's risk involved--you have to put up your own money. Franchisees are very different from other people who are just looking for another job--they tend to be more risk-taking and are slightly more entrepreneurial, more driven, more aggressive than the average person. There's a ton of people who are bored with what they're doing and they're just looking for change. Franchising is perfect for them. They don't have to start from scratch--they can use the intellectual capital of the franchisor.
You did a lot of this research in the early '90s. Did you go back and do additional interviews to see how things had changed?
There have been a couple of major changes. When I did the study in 1991, the [International Franchise Association] didn't allow franchisees to join. In the mid '90s, they started to invite franchisees in. They do have a lot of programs aimed at making franchisees successful, whereas 10 years ago it was aimed at making the franchisor more powerful. That's been a huge change in the regulation of franchising internally.
Two other differences have occurred over the last 10 years. One, there's a move toward area development. Say a franchise company sells you the rights to develop all of North Virginia. The franchisee then becomes, in some respects, a trainer for new franchisees. They can build stores themselves, sell the rights to additional stores to other franchisees. A franchise that wants to grow quickly can find a really motivated area developer and max out an entire geographic area much faster than if they had salespeople trying to do the same thing. That wasn't really a big part of franchising when I did the research.
The second trend, and I think it's fairly significant, is there have always been some traditional franchise industries where you'd franchise and others that were off-limits. Fast food has always lent itself to franchising, because typically it's a small footprint. It doesn't take a lot of money to construct and a lot of people want to own restaurants, so franchising is a very good vehicle for expansion. Some other concepts just never really seemed to make sense in franchising, and one of those is consulting. For consulting, you have to be fairly sophisticated in terms of your business education. It's like, "Why would anyone franchise that?" But in the last couple of years, we've seen some consulting companies that franchise. There's been a shift from just product-based franchises to services that sometimes can be very complex.
Do you think these consulting/service segments might become a staple of franchising, like fast food or residential cleaning?
That's hard to say. It wouldn't surprise me if that happened. That kind of business model is very profitable. You feel you're doing something valuable, that your life has purpose. You're helping people achieve their goal or build their business. That appeals to a lot of people, so this might be a big segment in franchising in 10 or 15 years, a lucrative way for people to offer these services.
As far as area developing goes, there are franchises actively looking for people to open several locations rather than just one or two. Is that going to have a lasting impact on the kind of person who is a franchisee?
In fact, that's one of the complaints. I was on a radio show, and a guy called in and said, "I was looking at a franchise. A couple of years ago, they'd sell me a unit and now it costs me $5 million, because they want me to develop an entire area." That kind of shifts a little bit the safety net aspect of franchising. If you need $5 million to get into franchising, that really limits it to people who either have that kind of money or have been successful before. That restricts and changes the dynamics just a bit.
What are some major areas people overlook when researching a franchise?
They could focus too much on either the financial returns or the cost to get in. Some opportunities are good at almost any cost because the returns are so good, and there are others that are not good, no matter what the cost. But a lot of people let their budget drive the process. They think in terms of, "This is going to cost $50,000 and this is going cost $30,000," without looking at the business and the people involved. Take your time. You usually have more bargaining power if you slow down the process. If people say, "You've got to sign today, you've got to get this done," a lot of times you're a lot better holding off. You don't want to have regret.
Do you think franchising will continue to be an important part of not just the economy, but of people's futures?
If you could be somewhat independent, make a nice living, do something interesting and maybe have some positive impact on the community in which you live, for a lot of people in a lot of parts of the world, that's like the greatest thing ever. [It's better] than not doing anything interesting, working in a nameless organization and not being able to see any semblance of output of what you do. As long as franchising gives people a vehicle to be somewhat independent and make a contribution to their lives, to their community, [its strength] will continue.
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Tomorrow's History Today
The story of ESAB is the story of welding. When our founder Oscar Kjellberg developed the world's first coated welding electrode in 1904, he launched a company whose innovation and uncompromising standards have helped create the history of welding itself.
For more than 100 years, ESAB has been powered by the will to continuously seek new and improved ways of serving our customers. This has made ESAB a world leader in welding products and advanced cutting systems.
In 2012, ESAB was acquired by Colfax Corporation, one of the world's leading diversified industrial manufacturing companies. Colfax, like ESAB, is a solidly customer-focused company that places strong emphasis on constant innovation and improvement.
The foundation of ESAB was built early in the last century by an inventive engineer who sought a practical solution to a common problem.
ESAB boasts more than a century of technological innovation. View our timeline.
With 110 years of innovation under our belts, we’re looking to further shape the future of welding and cutting – starting now.
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Constance’s Baby Miracle Network
Secret Org in Southport, by Tessa
Ok, so since this is a gold roll, I’m going to try to do better at backstory than usual.
Be nice, I am not a writer.
The short version: Constance’s Baby Miracle Network is a secret organization for women who can’t have children of their own, but want to experience what it’s like to care for a baby. They are paired with people who are willing to fill that role for a preset amount of time. Anywhere from a week to a year. Magic is involved. Publicly, it is a foster child organization, and the recipients of the babies tell others that they are caring for an abandoned baby until a permanent home can be found. Privately, it is much more complicated, involving a version of Baleful Polymorph that turns a willing person into a baby (of their same type, rather than into an animal). Originally founded by a wizard named Constance who had fertility issues (and is sadly no longer living), it has now served infertile couples in Southport and other regions for over six decades.
Now the longer story.
The story of this secret oranization in Southport started many years ago with a wizard named Vetus. Vetus was a powerful wizard, and not a very kind one. His favorite spell was Baleful Polymorph. Vetus just loved to transform others into little one-hit dice critters. Badgers. Big toads. Cats. Dogs. Eagles. Hawks. Monkeys. Owls. Small vipers. Very large rats. He only did it to his enemies. But he was a spiteful man. So just about anyone who crossed him, he considered an enemy.
Because of his evil tendencies (which he didn’t think of as evil; after all, he only polymorphed his enemies), a mob once attacked his wizard tower. This upset him greatly, because he didn’t have enough spells of Baleful Polymorph to use on all the peasants who tried to burn him out. He had to settle for fireballs and acid blobs, and he couldn’t sleep for days.
So, Vetus did some research, and found that there was an alchemical tree sap that could be used while casting a spell, that would give him a spell-like ability. Vetus felt better than he had in days. He immediately began to plan a quest to obtain some of this sap. Which lead him to a forest two days from Carshune City. He harvested the sap, mixed it with the proper amount of alcohol, and downed the potion.
Aah the pain! Vetus felt like his insides were on fire! He could feel the glass slivers in the mixture tearing through his digestive system. It was excruciating. He waited as long as he could stand, and then used Baleful Polymorph on a captive he had brought with him for the purpose. Immediately the pain intensified. He quickly cast two healing scrolls so he could survive the deadly process. As glass slivers fused to his insides, he felt himself getting weaker, and it seemed as though some of his very life’s experience was being tapped away. But Vetus endured the pain, holding on to the thought of all the villagers and peasants he could turn into little animals. He laughed, taking in the pain, and turning it into delight. It was worth the cost! he told himself. All of this would be worth it.
When the pain finally subsided, Vetus tried out his new power on the next person he met. A traveler he met on the road, of no consequence.
But instead of changing into an animal, the man simply turned into a smaller version of himself–a miniature man, who also seemed strangely more intelligent! Vetus cursed, and quickly destroyed the abomination. What had gone wrong?
Over the next dozen or so weeks, as he made his way back to Southport, Vetus used his new spell-like ability on scores of random peasants. And gauged the results. He found that what he had acquired was a sick twist on Baleful Polymorph. For starters, it couldn’t change anyone to an animal. Instead, it allowed him to change their size and intelligence. He could either make them one size larger and dumber (1d3 Int), or one size smaller and smarter (1d3 Int). Of course, he found this inferior to the results he wanted.
Worse still, the effect was not permanent–it wore off in a number of days equal to his wizard caster level! And if the taret was not happy with the change, they got a +8 bonus to their Will save to reverse it. Because of its weaknesses, the spell only counted as level 4 instead of 5. Vetus was furious. What a waste!
The wizard Vetus, who was not kind, hated the result, but still occasionally took a wicked delight in trying it on someone unsuspecting. Though it rarely worked because anyone with the barest modicum of willpower could overcome the effect. In private, he also found frequent use for it on himself when he needed to be brilliant. As a wizard, that often came in handy.
Vetus had an apprentice named Carmody. Carmody begged Vetus to teach him this unique new spell. But because it was a spell-like ability, Vetus could not scribe it or teach it. Carmody was envious of Vetus, for he also had a wicked imagination, and could think of many uses for the spell. Which Vetus routinely dismissed. He didn’t care for an army of powerful stupid giants. Or a horde of smart munchkins. Vetus disliked relying on others. He preferred to ruin their lives, and if he needed anyone, they could ruin his.
After his master died, Carmody spent years and years (and lots of gold) trying to research a duplicate of the spell.
But he failed.
The closest he ever came was another twist on Baleful Polymorph. This new spell only affected one body part of the target. (Well, two if the part was symmetrically paired with another of the same kind, like arms or ears.) But the new spell was even MORE temporary than his former master’s spell-like ability. It lasted just hours per caster level. The spell caused one point of intelligence gain when making a body part smaller, and 1 point of intelligence loss for making a part larger. It gave a +4 bonus to the target’s Will save to resist the change if they didn’t like it, making it a little more useful than Vetus’s polymorph for targeting someone who wasn’t willing. Because of its many weaknesses, the spell only counted as a third level wizard spell.
Carmody tried the spell a few times to make his arms bigger (wow, greater strength). Or to make his nose smaller when dealing with odiferous materials (hmm, smarter and less able to smell). But for the most part, he found the spell a severe disappointment. Ashamed of his failure, the wizard Carmody never shared the spell with anyone. He was no closer to being able to raise an army of bashing giants or clever munchkins. Actually, he wasn’t that interested anymore in creating an army. At this point he had a near obsession with trying to duplicate Vetus’s ability with a spell.
So he continued his research, and eventually came up with another spell. But he found it even more useless!
Carmody’s second polymorph caused the target person to become a tiny and younger-looking version of themselves – in other words, to become a baby.
Most everything else about Baneful Polymorph was the same. The new shape interfered with the their abiity to speak. And if they remained in the new infant shape for more than 24 hours, they lost their reasoning and other adult abilities, until the spell was dispelled. An important difference was that the spell’s effects would also wear off if the “baby” aged naturally far enough to acquire speach–their first word broke the spell. Of course, the spell didn’t actually make someone younger. If they took a year to learn their first word, that was a year lost from their maximum lifespan. Most disconcerting to Carmody, the person affected had a +8 bonus to their Will save. If they didn’t like the baby transformation effect, they could easily will themselves back to their normal form. They just had to do it before the effect became semi-permanent at 24 hours.
Carmody cursed his poor fortune, having wasted so much time and treasure on a lackluster spell. And one that didn’t even rise above the 3rd level of wizardry because of its weaknesses! He tested it in several situations. But he eventually had to admit it had zero value as an offensive spell. And he had absolutely no interest in babies. He was out of money and gave up on his research.
Disgusted with his fruitless efforts, Carmody filed away this second polymorph spell in his spellbook, and didn’t use it further. It would have been lost forever, forgotten. But then something unexpected happened.
Like Vetus, Carmody also had an apprentice of his own, a young wizard named Kletus. When his master met an untimely death, Kletus went through all of Carmody’s things, delighted as a boy who had found the toy shop was left unlocked at night. He found the two unwanted polymorph spells in Carmody’s spellbook. Two previously unknown spells! He cursed the dead wizard Carmody for keeping them from him, and delighted in his find.
Kletus was not a very honest wizard. Having a bit of an imagination, he scoffed at Carmody’s boring names for them (Useless Polymorph 1 & 2). Kletus called them Kletus’s Resizing and Kletus’s Downsizing, taking credit for his dead master’s research. And began to imagine possible uses for them.
Kletus was a bit of a creep. Okay, he was a big creep. His first thought was to try to use the Resizing spell to enhance his manhood. Initially he was pleased with the results. Until he noticed that it also made him stupider. And it didn’t help him get any girls, because he was still a creepy jerk.
The second thing that the creepy wizard Kletus tried using his Resizing spell on was an unsuspecting woman, to increase her womanly endowments. He found the lady’s reaction so amusing that he did it again the next day to another woman. Fortunately, the wife of the captain of the guard of Southport, who happened to be a wizard, was also walking past Kletus at the same time he tried doing this. The lady wizard immediately identified Kletus as the culprit. He was arrested and locked away in prison, and his spellbook was siezed.
Within a week of Kletus’ incarceration, a brother of his first victim and the father of his second were racing to see who could be the the one to have him assassinated. The father won.
When she heard that Kletus had died in prison, the wife of the captain of the guard, whose name was Constance, asked her husband, Sir Jeffrey Winegaard, what would happen to the creepy wizard’s spellbook. Sir Jeffrey told her he wasn’t sure, and asked if she would like to have a look at it. Indeed she would.
So it happened that the spellbook containing Kletus’s Resizing and Downsizing polymorph spells made its way into the hands of Constance Winegaard, a wizard of some talent. She began to study it, and was surprised by the possibilities it contained.
Constance and Sir Jeffrey had been married for 11 years. And although they loved each other very much and regularly did the things that loving couples do, they had been unable to turn their efforts into a little baby of their own. Both of them dearly wanted to become parents. Their lack of children had especially become a constant source of heartache for Constance. When Constance found Kletus’s Downsizing spell, it gave her a small hope that she might have found a way to experience what it would be like to raise a baby.
She tried it on her husband one night, after explaining it to him and getting his permission.
Sir Jeffrey immediately resisted the spell (as planned), and he turned back into an adult. Encouraged, they tried it again the next night, now that they knew it could easily be resisted. Sir Jeffrey again turned into a little baby version of himself, complete with a fuzzy head of dark hair, and cute little dimples. Constance picked him up and cuddled him, cooed at him, and rocked him. Jeffrey, able to think clearly as if he were still an adult, endured this for as long as he could stand it. He let his wife hold him as a baby for a few hours, before willing himself to change back.
But this time he failed the effort, and Sir Jeffrey started to panic.
He couldn’t talk, he couldn’t explain what was wrong. He felt trapped. Immediately Jeffrey imagined he was going to stay a baby for an entire year!
When “baby” Jeffrey began to wail and fuss, Constance dispelled the spell’s effect. In an instant, Sir Jeffrey was himself again. But the experience had shaken him, and he utterly refused to try it again.
Even though her husband was spooked about using the spell, Constance couldn’t feel more the opposite. It had felt so sweet to hold and care for a little one as if it were her own, and she longed to try it again. She pressed her husband to give it another chance, but Sir Jeffrey again refused. When she kept pestering him, he became angry and threatened to take away the spellbook.
Now it was Constance’s turn to panic! She couldn’t bear the thought of never trying the spell again. She scribed both of Kletus’s polymorph spells into her own spellbook. Then she began to dream up a scheme of how she could get another chance to make a baby.
Two weeks later, Constance returned the spellbook to Sir Jeffrey, and presented a proposal to him.
“My dear,” she said, “After experiencing what it is like for other mothers to care for a baby, I couldn’t bear to never have that again. I know it was a frightening experience for you, but for me it was utter bliss. I want to use it again, if you’ll permit it.”
Sir Jeffrey began to object, but Constance stopped him.
“Please let me finish. I understand, my love, that you would never want to try it again yourself. But what if I could find someone else who was willing? Would you agree?”
Sir Jeffrey gave the idea some thought. He asked for some time to think about it. And his wife agreed. The next day he gave Constance his decision.
“My darling Constance, you know I would do almost anything for you, if it is in my power. My brush with babyhood was more terrifying than facing a dozen enemies. I would not wish to go through that again. But if you can find a willing person, I will allow it.” To forestall Constance’s growing excitement, the captain of the guard raised a hand. “On several conditions.”
“First, I have to interview the test subject first. I have to make sure they know the risks and possible costs.”
“Second, the spell must be immediately dispelled if the baby ever becomes inconsolably upset, or is harmed in any way.”
“Third, it must be dispelled every day, and the person must be interviewed by me to make sure they are still okay with the arrangement.”
Sir Jeffrey raised a skeptical eyebrow, unsure of whether his wife would agree to the conditions.
Constance said nothing. So he finished.
“And if there is any problem, at any point in the process, it’s over. I’m not going to be party to making someone into a baby against their will.”
He looked at Constance closely. It appeared she was HOLDING HER BREATH.
Then she let out a squeal of delight.
Overjoyed, Constance hugged her husband. When she composed herself again, she told him that she already had a willing subject.
“And you’ll never guess who it is,” she said with a breathless grin.
“You’re right, I never will,” Sir Jeffrey said patiently. “Just tell me.”
“Your father!”
“NO!” His face was a mask of total shock. But Constance had expected this, and plowed forward, now so excited that she could hardly contain herself.
“It’s just too perfect, dear. Please don’t look at me like that. I’m not joking, and I’m not insane. I’ve already spoken to him. He is very curious, and also very willing.”
This revelation caught Sir Jeffrey completely off guard. He was horrified to think of his wife feeding, bathing, and rocking his father to sleep. And what about changing his father’s diapers? Their experiment with Sir Jeffrey hadn’t gotten that far, but now he started to put it together. Sooner or later, there would be poop. Lots of poop.
Worse still, Sir Jeffrey recalled that he had been fully aware with an adult’s mind when his wife had held and cuddled him like an infant. How could he agree to let his FATHER go through that? The indignity of it! The shame! What if word ever got out? What if his father publicly denounced him?
Sir Jeffrey’s father, the elderly Sir Tristam Winegaard, was over 70 years old. And nearing the end of his famed and illustrious life. He was one of the most distinguished and revered knights of Southport. How could Sir Jeffrey’s wife Constance even think of doing this – this – BABY THING – to him? Transforming their military hero into a babbling, gurgling infant? Even the thought of it might shock the old man so much as to send him to an early grave.
But as Constance carefully explained to her husband, the old knight was already dealing with the “indignity” Sir Jeffrey spoke of. Only, he was getting it as a well-known adult. He was already at the point where he needed to have constant nursing care. And it was getting increasingly difficult, as he aged, to make that work. When he made a mess, it certainly wasn’t as simple as cleaning, washing, and dressing a baby. This was a hundred and sixty-pound retired knight. It took at least two adults to roll him over in his bed, and usually three or four to lift him.
Sir Jeffrey was thunderstruck. Constance had never spoken to him so candidly about the details of his father’s care. He hadn’t realized Sir Tristam had gotten so dependent on others. He paused, considering these points.
Constance could see she was winning the argument, and she pressed her advantage.
“Making your father smaller would make it easier to care for him,” she explained. “And he could keep his dignity, because no one would need to know that it was Sir Tristam that they were caring for. To everyone but us, he would be a simple, cute, baby.”
“Or a loud and stinky one,” Sir Jeffrey countered gruffly.
“Yes, dear, babies are not pleasant all the time.” Constance smiled. She could see that Sir Jeffrey was already seriously considering the notion of transforming his father. “But most of the time it will be me who will be caring for him. So you needn’t worry yourself about poopy diapers.”
She had already planned with the elderly Sir Tristam that they would change him back at the end of each day, so that he never lost his reasoning ability. Even though the wizard Kletus had been a creep, she felt grateful to him for the painstaking notes he had recorded about what to expect from the spell. Most of the important parts were at the beginning, in the first 24 hours, or at the end, when the baby spoke its first word.
Of course the wizard had left out all the interesting bits. What it would be like to rock the baby to sleep. Cutting its first tooth. Taking its first step. The wonder of exploring the world together through new eyes. She caught her breath, taking in the beauty of what she might finally experience. The miracle of raising a baby!
Constance chided herself for her sentimentality, remembering that she still needed to fully convince her husband.
“I already have a cover story, dear, to tell the servants.”
“Oh?” Sir Jeffrey looked interested.
“Yes, it would make them wonder, if I suddenly started caring for a baby boy. As you and I both know, babies don’t just grow on trees. They have to come from somewhere. You will say that the child had been found abandoned in the city. We both know that has happened before, and unfortunately it will happen again.”
Sir Jeffrey grunted, listening.
“We will tell them that you brought the baby to me to care for, just until the true parents, or an adoptive permanent home, could be found. And since the spell will wear off within a year, we will need them to expect him to only be with us temporarily. This way, they will not be alarmed when we tell them that the baby was eventually sent to another home.” She smiled in satisfaction, pleased with her own cleverness.
This sounded a little too convenient to Sir Jeffrey, and he left the room to go talk it over alone with his father. To his surprise, his father Sir Tristam was indeed happy with the possibility. Jeffrey found that the old man understood fully what his wife was asking. And his father was more than a little bit interested in giving it a try.
Seeing that he was clearly outflanked, Sir Jeffrey accepted the plan, and and gave Constance permission to make the arrangements.
Once again, Constance was already a step ahead of him, and had a nursery already set up in the room ajoining their bedchamber. The servants readily accepted the cover story.
And so Constance Winegaard was able to try the spell on her father-in-law, the elderly knight Sir Tristam, that very night. After checking once more with him that this was truly his desire, Sir Jeffrey watched as Constance intoned the words that began the spell. And he watched as his aged father became, in an instant, a tiny and fragile newborn babe.
At once his heart went out the the little baby, and he stepped forward to wrap his father in the soft receiving blanket that they had ready for him. How tiny he was! How light! And how perfectly formed and precious!
Jeffrey looked into the little baby’s eyes, and saw that a hint of intelligence was still there, as his father unnaturally tracked his face and movements. It did feel weird. But it also felt wonderful. He hadn’t been prepared for the connection he would so quickly feel for his father in this form. He wanted to do everything in his power to protect him and provide for him. He wanted to be the best father this little one could possibly have.
Jeffrey wanted to hold him longer. But his wife reached out her arms for the the baby. For Sir Tristam, Jeffrey reminded himself. He carefully set the little one into his wife’s arms, and watched as her face lit with the glow of concern and focused attention. He watched, transfixed, as she brought the bottle to the baby’s cherubic lips. As she cooed to him gently while he fed. And then helped him get out his air bubbles. And sang him to sleep. He had never seen his wife so happy. And he felt it too.
Jeffrey Winegaard looked around, realizing that at least two hours had passed, but it had hardly seemed like five minutes. He looked at his wife Constance, so motherly, so serene, and knew that this had been a good decision.
The next day, when Constance turned Sir Tristam back to an adult, the old man said that the previous 23 hours had been the most wonderful day of his life.
His only complaint was that it once took too long for his diaper to be changed.
Constance apologized for that mistake, and he readily forgave her.
They agreed that he would continue to try the spell for another day.
The next day also went well, and the day after that. Each time, Constance dispelled the effect before 24 hours had passed. And each time, Sir Tristam reported that he wouldn’t mind if they “forgot” to undo it the next day.
Of course, Constance laughed when he said this. But Sir Jeffrey just nodded, glad that his father was happy, and that his wife was happy. But vigiland about anything that might go wrong.
After two weeks of this, the elderly Sir Tristam, when he was turned back into an adult, asked his son and daughter-in-law for a favor. Of course, they agreed.
“I’m not going to live much longer,” he told them. “And I have never been happier. These last two weeks have been like a glimpse of heaven. And once we got nursing figured out, it has been even better.”
Constance blushed at this. She enjoyed that part too, but it was so embarrassing to talk about it with him!
Lactation had not come easily. It had taken 20 different tries with alchemical ingredients to find a potion that would get her milk to start flowing. But she was very grateful for the results. It made the whole experience that much more complete.
Sir Tristam continued, not minding her embarrassment.
“If it would not be too much to ask, I want this to be the last time I am a man. I have been hinting that I want to stay a baby after you change me. But you don’t seem to understand that I’m serious. Please, just let the change remain permanent tomorrow night. It would be the greatest gift you could give me. Let me slip into the peaceful oblivion of a baby’s simple thoughts. Simple needs. Simple pleasures. I can’t think of a better way to leave this life.”
He squeezed Constance’s hand, smiling at her. “You have been so attentive as a mother, and I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have care for me. If I can repay you a small bit by fulfilling your dream of being a parent, then I couldn’t be more pleased.”
Constance wiped the tears from her eyes, and looked to her husband Jeffrey, who nodded his consent. After a few brief hugs, they said their goodbyes to each other. Then Constance changed the “old man” back, and wrapped the little baby, now a newborn again, into his sanitary napkin and swaddling clothes.
They arranged to have Sir Tristam’s funeral the following week, with Constance using spells to make another man’s corpse appear to be the body of the old knight. It was a lovely funeral, well attended by the nobility, gentility, merchants and tradesmen, and the lower classes as well.
Publicly, Sir Jeffrey and lady Constance mourned the loss of his great and distinguished father.
But privately, they reveled in the joys of caring for a baby of their own, whom they named Tristam after the recently “deceased” old knight.
All the servants adored him, and even Jeffrey took turns bathing and burping the little one, when Constance would let him. She knew that she would have to give him up before long, and she wanted to get the most she could out of it.
As the days became weeks, and then turned to months, Constance and Jeffrey both grew to love and appreciate his father in new and surprising ways, in this new form.
Four months later, baby Tristam passed away during the night while sleeping peacefully.
One thing they didn’t have notes about in Kletus’s spellbook was what to expect when a downsized “baby” died. As it became clear that the “baby” Tristam was nearing the end of his life, they had made preparations.
Just to be safe, they had changed to sleeping with him in their own bed, which also made it easier for Constance to nurse him while she slept. And any change in his breathing rhythm woke her immediately. So she was aware his life was slipping away before the end, and was able to hold his little hand as it slowly became lifeless.
The infant’s body did not return to its adult form. Sir Jeffrey and Constance wept when they found he would not awake. But they were comforted knowing that he had finished his life the way he had wished. And that Tristam had died contented and at well-cared for.
They held a second, more private funeral for the baby Tristam. All their household turned out to mourn for the precious little boy. Their hearts ached for the loss of their little one. But they had known this day would come, and they had been ready for it.
Gradually, their lives returned to some semblance of normalcy. But they had been forever changed by the experience.
The next time they discussed the idea of transforming a person into an baby, several months later, it was actually Sir Jeffrey who brought it up.
“I’ve been thinking, my dear,” he began, wrapping his arms around his wife’s waist.
“Of what?” She had an idea, but she wanted to give him a chance to share what was on his mind.
“About Tristam.” They hadn’t referred to the baby, or his father, with the honorific “Sir” since the baby had passed away. To them, they were one and the same. But they preferred to remember him as he was by his choice, at the end.
She nodded, letting out a sigh and settling against his chest.
“I think about him often too. It was such a remarkable gift that he gave us. I will be forever grateful.”
“As will I.” Sir Jeffrey paused for a long while, and Constance finally pulled back so she could look up at him. She found his eyes moist with emotion. He cleared his throat, and tried to regain his composure.
“Yes, it was a gift. Both for us AND for him,” Sir Jeffrey said, his voice cracking. “And I keep thinking, we can’t be the only three people who would benefit from something like that.” He paused again, and Constance ventured to help out her husband.
“Are you thinking of trying it again?”
“Maybe, sometime in the future. I’m still savoring the memory of it. The loss was poignant, at the end. But there were so many other parts of it that were fulfilling, and even joyful. I don’t want to just repace that right away with another baby.”
Constance dared a small smile. This was the first time her husband had mentioned the idea of doing it again. She was hopeful he would be willing again, and this comforted her more than she wanted to tell him. But she could tell there was something else he was also thinking of, and she wanted to give him time to share it. She wrapped her arms around him, thinking to nudge him forward with her warmth.
He took another deep breath, and hugged her back.
“I keep thinking that there must be other couples who yearn for a child,” he said. And probably other people who would want to be one.” Sir Jeffrey rallied his thoughts, remembering what it was like to be helpless, and having no one who he could trust to help him, except his dear wife. Even knowing her as well as he did. Even knowing that she loved him completely. And that she would never do anything willingly to harm him. Even with all those assurances, he had never felt anything so raw and primal as that sheer panic when he believed, to the core of his being, that he was going to be stuck in that helpless state.
“I don’t know what their motives could be,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to offer it to anyone who would misuse such a position of trust. But perhaps we could reach out, quietly see who might want to give it a try. And then decide if there’s a good enough reason to let them.”
Constance didn’t answer right away. It was so like her husband, to come to the place of considering something long after she had visited it in detail. Should she tell him that she had already talked with four women about the possibility? Or that she already had two dozen other potential adults who wanted to give a second babyhood a chance?
She had rejected two men who seemed to have perverse reasons for wanting to play the part of an infant, and she had wiped their memories of the conversation. One of them, after she had investigated him further, she had needed to deal with harshly.
She had suspected that he had harmed children in the past, and she had found evidence in his home that confirmed her suspicions. Constance had felt no pleasure in killing the man. But it had felt satisfying when she went in disguise to the city guard. She has passed on the anonymous tip that led them to the dead man’s home. There had been an investigation, and the matter was treated appropriately.
But Sir Jeffrey had never spoken of it to her.
She knew he probably believed her feelings about chidren to be too delicate to trouble her with such a case. If only he could have seen her as she crushed the man’s windpipe, strangling him with one of the bits of children’s clothing she had found in his townhome. It hadn’t been easy. But she had been resolute.
Constance didn’t stop herself now as the tears came to her eyes. Her husband held her more tightly, and she let him believe it was for the hopeful words he had spoken.
“Thank you, dear,” she whispered. “I would like that very much.”
And so it was that Constance’s Miracle Baby Network was born. She carefully screened and selected couples for the roles of parents. And others for the roles of babies.
She let Sir Jeffrey do the background investigations.
She didn’t care for vigilante justice, and knew she would kill again if she found another criminal like the one she had executed. She refused to think of it as murder. But still, there was a proper process for such things, and it was better for her not to get involved on that level if she wanted to stay on the right side of the law.
They did have some hiccups in the early years. The most unexpected one was a girl/woman named Ruth. Ruth’s babyhood was dispelled when she began speaking, about a year and a half after her transformation. For those not familiar with infant milestones, that is uncommonly late.
Ruth had begun walking early, at nine months. And it seemed that having acquired a means of getting what she wanted (mobility), the baby girl had put off developing language for an unusually long period.
It was almost as if she was delaying it on purpose.
This was confirmed when Ruth pleaded, with tear-filled eyes, that Constance turn her back again. She had loved her babyhood, when she became self-aware enough to reflect on it. And she was just starting to enjoy toddlerhood. She felt cheated to have it ripped from her.
The couple who had raised her was also distraught. They had not forgottien that “baby” Ruth was really an adult woman inside her infantile likeness. But when she had failed to transform back to adulthood at the year mark, they had begun to hope that the effect might be permanent. They had gotten used to the idea of raising the little girl all the way to adulthood. And now that hope had been taken from them.
Constance insisted that what they asked for was impossible. The most she could do would be to change the Ruth back into a newborn baby, and repeat the process over again.
Ruth agreed to this. But the couple would not.
It had felt like a death for them when their little girl had changed back to an adult. They weren’t sure if they could handle going back again to caring for her as an infant. Only to know that it would be cut short again just as they started to reach the interesting parts.
For they already had experienced together the joys and wonders of the early years. What they wanted most now, having brought the little girl to the point of starting to run, and learning to do some things for herself, was the next stage. The adventure of helping the child explore her growing independence. They regretted they had to let go of that dream, but they didn’t want to keep approaching those milestones and never actually experiencing them, like a yo-yo pulling on their heartstrings.
Constance gave this dilemma much thought and study. And having grown in her abilities as a wizard, she decided to embark on a research project to find a solution.
It took ten years.
After countless hours of exploration, trials, errors, dead-ends, and failures, Constance finally was able to develop a spell of her own, which she called Constance’s Greater Downsizing.
It was much like the original by Kletus. (She never discovered that he was not the true author of the Lesser Downsizing spell.) But instead of only lasting until the target acquired language, the spell was potentially permanent.
The person still had a +8 bonus to a Will save to end the spell. This could be exercised before the spell had been in place for 24 hours. Then the person lost their normal abilities and gained the ones of their infant form. And they began developing normally as an infant (though their true age was not changed).
A new Will save could be repeated each year, beginning when the person started to speak. And each anniversary afterward.
The +8 bonus to their Will save diminished gradually by 1 each year, until the target person reached age 8 and no longer received a bonus. Then the spell would truly become permanent.
All the person’s memories of their former life would return gradually as they grew and developed. So they would feel as though this was not their first life. And eventually, when they were “old enough,” they would understand that they had two childhoods worth of experience, coexisting in their minds. And eventually, around age 8, before their last chance for a Will save to reverse the process, they would known and understand why they were the way they were.
The new spell was an instant success.
With the new Greater Downsizing spell, Constance was able to offer couples and would-be babies the option of experiencing a full childhood together.
For the would-be baby, it was a complete second chance on life. They would not truly be starting over. Because both their former life and new life would cumulatively count against their maximum biological age. So, for their second life, they would seem to die young. And they would eventually get back all their memories and experience of their former life. So they would seem to be unusually wise for their age.
For the would-be parents, Constance’s Miracle Baby Network gave them the chance they had always wanted. To love and care for a baby that they could call their own. They kept well the secret of the network’s true workings, and quietly shared with other couples the source of their joy as parents.
The network steadily grew, taking on other wizards who learned the Downsizing spells (they also kept the Resizing spell, but usually did not use it). And they brought in other staff as necessary.
By the time of Sir Jeffrey’s death, more than 40 years after the inception of the network, it had expanded its operations into two other geographic regions. When Constance passed away another nine years later, the private records of her “foster care” network counted more than 300 “babies” that had been successfully reared to their second adulthood, and another 122 “babies” that had ended their infancy at the time they spoke their first word. There were even several “repeat” babies. The record was one girl who had experienced three full childhoods in her lifetime, and was on her way to completing her fourth when she died.
Constance’s legacy continues to grow, blessing hearts and providing a new lease on life, and a first lease on parenthood, for many for the forseeable future.
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Published: 14:22 November 8, 2018
Home EU MEMBER STATES BULGARIA Bulgarian and Greek plans for a natural gas interconnector in line with...
Bulgarian and Greek plans for a natural gas interconnector in line with EU rules
PHOTO BY: Flickr/Ruth/CC BY 2.0
The European Commission has found Bulgarian and Greek plans to support the construction and operation of a natural gas interconnector to be in line with EU State aid rules. The project will contribute to the security and diversification of EU energy supplies without unduly distorting competition.
“The new gas interconnector between Greece and Bulgaria will increase the security of energy supply and enhance competition, to the benefit of citizens in the region. We have approved the support measures to be granted by Bulgaria and Greece because they are limited to what is necessary to make the project happen and therefore are in line with our State aid rules,” said Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy.
The measures approved today by the Commission will support the construction and operation of a 182 kilometres cross-border gas interconnector (called “IGB”) between Greece (Komotini) and Bulgaria (Stara Zagora). The gas interconnector is designed to transport 3 billion cubic meters/year (bcm/y) of natural gas from Greece to Bulgaria by 2021. A potential later phase of the project could increase this capacity to 5 bcm/y and allow physical reverse flow capacity from Bulgaria to Greece.
IGB will be owned by ICGB AD, a 50-50 joint venture between the IGI Poseidon consortium (which includes Edison of Italy and Greek gas incumbent DEPA) and BEH, the Bulgarian gas incumbent.
The total investment cost for the realisation of the IGB interconnector amounts to €240 million. This will be financed through:
a direct equity contribution of €46 million from the joint venture shareholders;
a contribution of €45 million from the European Energy Programme for Recovery (EEPR), which is centrally managed by the European Commission;
a loan of €110 million granted by the European Investment Bank (EIB) to BEH (and subsequently passed-on to ICGB AD); and
a direct financial contribution of €39 million from the Bulgarian State budget via the Bulgarian Operational Programme “Innovation and Competitiveness” 2014-2020 (OPIC).
Bulgaria and Greece notified the Commission of the following measures to support the investment, which involve State aid within the meaning of EU State aid rules:
An unconditional state guarantee to be granted by the Bulgarian State to BEH to cover the €110 million loan that the company will receive from the EIB. This guarantee will be granted to BEH free of charge.
The €39 million direct financial contribution by Bulgaria via the Bulgarian OPIC programme.
A fixed corporate tax regime that will apply to ICGB AD for 25 years from the start of commercial operations and will be governed by an intergovernmental agreement between Bulgaria and Greece.
The Commission assessed these support measures under EU State aid rules, in particular its 2014 Guidelines on State Aid for Environmental Protection and Energy. The Commission found that:
the project will contribute to further key strategic objectives of the EU, including the diversification of gas supply sources and increase the EU’s security of gas supply;
the aid measures are necessary, in the sense that the project would not be carried out absent the aid. In this respect, a financial analysis of the project carried out by the Commission has shown that recouping the investment costs exclusively from the tariffs charged to use the interconnector would not be feasible
the aid measures are proportionate and therefore limited to the minimum necessary. In particular, the Commission found that the support provided by the OPIC grant, the state guarantee and the fixed corporate tax regime does not go beyond what is necessary to trigger the investment (i.e., they will only cover the “funding gap”);
the aid measures will not unduly distort competition. In this respect, under the rules in place, neither BEH in Bulgaria nor DEPA in Greece are allowed to book more than 40% of the capacity of the new interconnector at the entry points to Bulgaria and Greece, respectively. As a result, at least 60% of the new capacity will be open to competitors that want to sell gas in these markets.
The Commission therefore concluded that the Bulgarian and Greek support measures for the construction and operation of the IGB natural gas interconnector are in line with EU State aid rules and will contribute to the objectives of security of supply, diversification of energy sources and increased competition in EU energy markets.
The IGB has been included in the list of European Projects of Common Interest, given its strategic importance for the diversification of natural gas supplies into Eastern Europe through the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (at present 98% of gas imports in Bulgaria come from a single source). The IGB pipeline will connect the DESFA and TAP gas transmission systems in Greece with the gas transmission system in Bulgaria.
DESFA
energy markets
EU State aid rules
European Projects of Common Interest
gas transmission systems
IGB
natural gas interconnector
strategic importance
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Published: 10:56 January 30, 2019
Home EU MEMBER STATES The state of global corruption
The state of global corruption
PHOTO BY: Flickr/European People's Party/CC BY 2.0
The report notes falls in the scores of Hungary. Country's scores fell sharply in the shadow of the increasingly autocratic tendencies of the government of Viktor Orbán.
A new Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index has revealed less than enthused attitudes toward the state of global corruption.
The conclusion of the latest Corruption Perceptions Index, published by non-profit NGO Transparency International, is that a collective global failure to control corruption is contributing to a crisis of democracy across the world.
“With many democratic institutions under threat across the globe — often by leaders with authoritarian or populist tendencies — we need to do more to strengthen checks and balances and protect citizens’ rights,” said Patricia Moreira, managing director of Transparency International.
As reported by Deutsche Welle (DW), Germany’s international broadcaster, the annual report ranks countries according to perceptions of public sector corruption rather than documented evidence of corruption, and grades countries on a scale from zero to 100, with zero denoting a “highly corrupt” country and 100 meaning a country is “very clean.”
Denmark and New Zealand have consistently topped the list in recent years and the 2018 edition is no different, with Denmark scoring 88 points, one ahead of New Zealand in second place on 87. Finland, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, the Netherlands, Canada, Luxembourg, Germany and Britain make up the rest of the top 10.
The countries perceived as having the highest levels of corruption are the war-ravaged triumvirate of Somalia (score of 10), South Sudan and Syria (both 13).
In terms of regional breakdowns, the top-performing region by far is Western Europe and the European Union, which averages a score of 66. The lowest scoring region is Sub-Saharan Africa, which scores an average of 33. The Asia Pacific average is 44 while the Eastern Europe/Central Asia average is 35. The Americas averages 44.
Two-thirds of the 180 countries assessed score less than 50 out of a possible 100, while the average score of all countries is a relatively paltry 43.
The report also notes falls in the scores of Turkey and Hungary in this respect. Both countries’ scores fell sharply in the shadow of the increasingly autocratic tendencies of their leaders Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Viktor Orbán.
Brazil and the USA are also marked as “countries to watch”, with both experiencing falls in their score.
“The low score comes at a time when the US is experiencing threats to its system of checks and balances as well as an erosion of ethical norms at the highest levels of power,” the report writes.
authoritarian tendencies
democratic institutions
global corruption
Patricia Moreira
populist tendencies
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Bats need your help as numbers decline
Rebecca Murphy
rebecca.murphy@archant.co.uk
@BeckyMurphyEDP
Serotine bat. Pic by Hugh Clark / Bat Conservation Trust
Hugh Clark / Bat Conservation Trust
They come with a fearsome reputation and are synonymous with vampires. But the humble bat is in decline and needs our help.
Bat species in the UK
There are 18 species of bat in the UK, 17 of which are known to be breeding in the country. These include:
Barbastelle (Barbastella barbastellus) - a rare species, there are only an estimated 5,000 of them. The medium-sized bat, which has a distinctive pug-shaped nose, is found mainly in southern and central England and Wales.
Common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) - one of the UK’s the most common bats with an estimated population of 2.43m. The small mammal is found in a wide range of habitats including farmland, woodlands and suburban and urban habitats across the UK.
Noctule (Nyctalus noctula) - one of the UK’s largest bats growing between 37 to 48mm. It often emerges early in the evening, before sunset and can fly at 31mph.
Serotine (Eptesicus serotinus) - this uncommon bat (around 5,000 in population) is mainly found in this region and the South of the country. They roost mainly in buildings with high gables and cavity walls and are often seen feeding around street lamps.
Daubenton’s bat (Myotis daubentonii) - found throughout the country, it flies and forages just above water, using its large feet to trawl for insects from the water surface. And can fly at speeds of up to 15mph.
Due to a wide range of factors including loss of habitat, severing of bat commuting routes by roads and chemical treatments of building materials, the population of the UK bat species has decreased considerably over the last 100 years.
To help conserve the bat species found in this region, the Norfolk Bat Survey are asking for you to help collect information on which bat species are present in areas across Norfolk and Suffolk.
People can volunteer to put out automated bat detectors – available at County Hall, Hethersett Library and the Wheatfen Nature Reserve in Surlingham- to record the presence and activity of bats via sound.
There will be devices situated at 20 other locations across Norfolk and Suffolk.
Dr Stuart Newson, British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) senior research ecologist, said: “It is really exciting to have an opportunity to work in partnership with local bat groups, local and national organisations and local libraries, to improve our understanding of bats in Norfolk and in neighbouring parts of Suffolk.”
The mammals, often seen as blood sucking creatures, play an important role in many environments around the world with more than 500 plant species relying on the creatures to pollinate their flowers, including species of banana and cocoa.
This will be the third year the survey has taken place and over the past two years around 15pc of Norfolk has been surveyed and more than 600,000 recordings of bats taken. It is hoped over time a number of the population of bats in the region can be identified.
For more information on how to take part, visit http://www.batsurvey.org/sign-up/
Have you got a nature story? Email rebecca.murphy@archant.co.uk
Forget Love Island - new Norfolk dating TV show to launch and wants you
UEA defends efforts to curb sexual assault and misconduct
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Toni Duggan signs for FC Barcelona Women
England international joins club for next two seasons
08:13AM Thursday 06 Jul
FC Barcelona Women have completed the signing of England international Toni Duggan on a two-year deal.
The 25 year-old, who joins the club with immediate effect until 30 June 2019, was born in Liverpool and trained by Everton. Toni was at Manchester City for the last four seasons, where she won the Women’s Super League in 2016.
Toni is a forward who can play through the middle or out on the wings. She has a powerful shot, great skill and is strong with both feet. She is currently preparing for the European Championships in Holland this summer with the England national team, with whom she finished third at the 2015 World Cup.
Toni said: “For me, FC Barcelona is the biggest club in the world and naturally I wanted to come here and be part of it. I have had a lot of success in England but I want to have even more. I think I need another trophy in my list and I know that Barça's ambition is to win the Champions League - this is my goal too.
“I am really looking forward to the new season, it’s going to be a new challenge for me but one that I will relish. Obviously, FC Barcelona are known worldwide for playing attractive football and I think it will suit my style. After seeing the facilities and meeting the people here I’m really looking forward to getting started.”
“It was particularly great to meet Fran Sánchez. I have read all about him and his fantastic CV. Coming into the women’s team, playing for Fran and learning from his experiences will be a real honour.
“I am looking to learn as much as I can from the manager, coaching staff and all the team. Fran has been at the club for a long time in the past so he knows the Barça style and the way, it’s something that I have fully bought into.
“Barça have grown a lot in recent years, particularly in women’s football. I am very confident that together we can take it to the next level. The club have made their intentions very clear with their signings over the years.
"On a personal level, I am a striker and I obviously want to score goals. I like to be in the box. But, creating chances is also very important to me, as is working for my team-mates on the pitch and with the whole team generally.
“I like Luis Suárez and his style of play. I’m from Liverpool and grew up as a Liverpool fan so he has obviously been a great role model for me. His style of play is like he’s just playing with his mates in the streets sometimes. I love that style and that’s the way I try to be too. Hopefully I can bring to the women’s team what he’s brought to the men’s team.”
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Has self-care lost its way?
Google searches for "self care" recently hit a 14-year high. Do we define it by what we see in 11 million #selfcare Instagram posts? Marketers hope so.
Has self-care lost its way? Google searches for "self care" recently hit a 14-year high. Do we define it by what we see in 11 million #selfcare Instagram posts? Marketers hope so. Check out this story on fdlreporter.com: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2019/01/25/self-care-how-to-instagram-political-indulgence-psychology-wellness/2606039002/
Alia E. Dastagir, USA TODAY Published 6:22 a.m. CT Jan. 25, 2019 | Updated 2:59 p.m. CT Jan. 25, 2019
According to Apple, self-care and wellness apps topped the most popular apps of the year. Buzz60's Angeli Kakade has the story. Buzz60
If you're resolved to make self-care happen in the new year, you're not alone. And if you're not quite sure what it is, there are 11.5 million #selfcare hashtagged Instagram posts to show you.
But many of them are also trying to sell you. Accompanying the #selfcare hashtag is often #ad or #spon (sponsored), reflecting a billion dollar market that has risen up around the movement. Apple even named self-care its 2018 App Trend of the Year.
Powered by collective stress, bolstered by social media, and commodified by brands eager to exploit people's desire for self-improvement, self-care has evolved from an individual act to a mainstream movement — and market — where the lines between true wellness, social media performance and self-criticism blur.
What are the lines between self-care, self-indulgence and self-hate? (Photo: Teresa Lo, USA TODAY)
"Self-care can sort of blur into self-improvement which can sort of blur into you're not good enough as you are," said Christine Carter, a sociologist and senior fellow at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center. "And when it becomes focused on the body, particularly for women ... that starts to get really tricky."
Self-care: Badass or basic?
Self-care seems to be a concept particular to women.
Google searches for "self care" hit a 14-year high in September, the week of then Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings, when the relentlessness of sexual assault allegations in the news upset many women with similar experiences. It marked a peak in an upward trend in search for self-care that began after President Trump's election. More than six in 10 Americans report the current political climate is a significant stressor, according to a 2018 report from the American Psychological Association (APA).
This would suggest a return to the idea of self-care bolstered by African-American lesbian activist Audre Lorde in 1988, when she called it "self-preservation" and "an act of political warfare.” Lorde saw self-care as something politically useful for people who felt oppressed — care for yourself so that you have energy to advocate for the collective good.
Melissa Perez, 34, of New York, works in child welfare, and says she makes self-care a priority in large part because her job is so draining. For her, self-care means going to the gym, minding her triggers and meditating.
"If you do not have the capacity to care for yourself there is no way you can care for others," she said.
But Carter says self-care's popularity may actually reflect how powerless some people feel to help one another. To escape a feeling of futility in the current political environment, she said, it may be that more people are choosing to focus on what they can control: themselves.
"I do think that there is a fair amount of the hashtag #selfcare that is really a thinly veiled expression of hopelessness," Carter said.
Others see the brand of self-care that's gone mainstream as a bastardized version of Lorde's idea. The current incarnation of self-care — championed in large part by white upperclass women and promoted heavily through social media performance — has been criticized as aspirational in a way most people can never make time for, let alone afford. Some would say it seems to exclude the people who arguably need self-care the most.
In December, New York's newly-elected congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was criticized by some for announcing she was taking a self-care break. She gave a shout-out to some of the people she sees as likely needing one too.
I’m taking a few days to take care of myself before what is sure to be an eventful term.
For working people, immigrants, & the poor, self-care is political - not because we want it to be, but bc of the inevitable shaming of someone doing a face mask while financially stressed./1 https://t.co/EWdWFmPwet
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 17, 2018
Self-identified "anti-guru" Sarah Knight, author of several self-help books including the most recent Calm the F*** Down, says women are especially in need of self-care. Women have a long history of serving as caregivers — often at great expense to themselves.
"Any time men focus on their damn selves that is perfectly natural and the way of the world," Knight said. With men, it's not labeled self-care. "When women do it, it's selfish, and it's bad, and we shouldn't talk about it."
If you're hashtagging #selfcare are you doing it wrong?
Experts say true self-care is about creating health and well-being, though there isn't agreement about what falls under that umbrella. Most people say rest and sleep are self-care. But what about wine with friends? Is buying shoes self-care, too?
"Self-care is about taking care of yourself so that you can be there for other people," said Maria Baratta, a licensed clinical psychologist in New York. "Narcissism is about putting the self first, but not in a way that benefits anyone but the self."
If you're doing something to reduce stress, to ensure your mind and body are functioning optimally, that is self-care, according to psychologists, and lots of things fall into that bucket. But doing it to get likes on a #selfcare photo may not serve that purpose — and could actually backfire.
"We have a fair amount of research now that shows most people who are performing on social media feel less happy, so the fact that you're performing self-care for social media in and of itself is highly likely to make you more insecure and feel worse about yourself," Carter said. "If you're going to take care of yourself, great. If you really feel much more relaxed having a pedicure, great, go do that, but then don't go perform it. That's just my happiness advice."
Self-care that benefits the mind and the body, Carter says, "fosters an authentic positive emotion — like gratitude, contentedness, compassion, elevation or inspiration." These positive emotions reduce stress by bringing the heart rate down, reducing blood pressure and calming the nervous system.
Excess, however, can have a very different physiological impact.
"Indulgence is the extreme end of pleasure — those things activate the reward system [which] can be very gratifying, but in the end it tends to create more stress, because that dopamine hit you got because of the new shoes that you bought yourself ultimately creates craving and desire — it's never enough," Carter said. "Pleasure and luxury can feel good in the moment, but it leaves you wanting more."
Knight warns against limiting definitions of self-care as well as subscribing to what social media says it should be.
"If you follow and like and click on all of these women who are doing yoga retreats or whatever and they have these amazing bodies and they look so calm and you think you should be doing that because it would make you feel better — you know how many people have recommended that I do yoga to relax? You know how much I like yoga? Zero. Zero percent I like yoga," Knight said. "My version of self-care is not yoga."
Self-care can be a quiet exercise that costs nothing. It can be the awe we feel walking in nature, a phone call to a friend, or taking time to reflect on what we're grateful for. Some would say it could also mean buying shoes, especially if you need them. But ultimately self-care means being curious about who you are, and figuring out for yourself what you need — versus what you want — to live well.
"Who are you to say that anything I want to label as caring for myself is not actually that?" Knight asks.
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Stressed out by all the tragedy in recent weeks? Try these self-care tips. USA TODAY
Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2019/01/25/self-care-how-to-instagram-political-indulgence-psychology-wellness/2606039002/
Delicioso: FDL welcomes trendy, traditional Mexican restaurant
Fond du Lac repeat sex offender gets 13 years in prison
FDL caretaker sentenced for stealing $300K from elderly woman
Wisconsinites share special connections to moon landing
Fond du Lac man dies after Marquette County motorcycle crash
Readers share memories of the Apollo 11 moon landing
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Here's Why CASI Pharmaceuticals Rose as Much as 31.6% Today
But it didn't last long.
Shares of CASI Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:CASI) jumped nearly 32% today after the small-cap pharma announced a new contract drug-manufacturing pact in China. The company now will rely on Yiling Wanzhou International Pharmaceuticals for manufacturing two drugs: entecavir and cilostazol.
The manufacturing facility has been expected by the Food and Drug Administrations of both the United States and China, which will allow CASI Pharmaceuticals to sell the products in both markets. The announcement is a good start toward generating revenue for the company, but investors are beginning to realize it's just that -- a start.
As of 3:18 p.m. EDT, the stock had settled to a 1.2% gain.
CASI Pharmaceuticals is focused on developing and marketing drugs in the Chinese market. It's doing that in two ways. First, the $500 million company is developing a drug pipeline of its own, including three late-stage drug candidates in-licensed from Spectrum Pharmaceuticals. Those pipeline inhabitants are being developed specifically for China because marketing rights for other markets are not owned by the company.
The second part of the strategy only came into view in January 2018, when CASI Pharmaceuticals acquired over two dozen generic drugs from Sandoz for $18 million. Of the 29 generics brought into the portfolio, 25 are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. While the company wants to market them in China, as well, it first wants to move manufacturing from the United States to lower-cost facilities in China.
That explains today's news and also why the stock didn't hold it's amazing gains from earlier in the day. Simply, investors are realizing that the agreement only covers two of the 25 approved drugs the company needs to manufacture so it can begin generating revenue.
Now what
CASI Pharmaceuticals stock has been on an incredible run in the last year, having gained 550% in that time. However, the company still doesn't generate any revenue. And considering the basket of generics acquired from Sandoz had a purchase price of only $18 million, investors shouldn't expect them to be accompanied by significant sales potential. CASI had just $50 million in cash at the end of March and plenty of expensive investments ahead of it, so investors may want to question the current $500 million market cap.
CASI Pharmaceuticals
NASDAQ:CASI
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Here's Why CASI Pharmaceuticals Rose as Much as 31.6% Today @themotleyfool #stocks $CASI Next Article
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Can Amazon Create an Efficient Air Operation?
The company has struggled to be as efficient as its rivals, and there’s a shortage of pilots.
Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) has been building up its fleet of airplanes, but it may struggle to find pilots to fly them. That's because there's a shortage of qualified pilots that's only going to get worse in the coming years because of the mandatory retirement age of 65 for pilots. In addition, Amazon has struggled to operate its airplanes as efficiently as FedEx (NYSE:FDX) and UPS (NYSE:UPS).
In this segment of Industry Focus: Energy, host Nick Sciple and Motley Fool contributor Dan Kline talk Amazon and airplanes. To catch full episodes of all The Motley Fool's free podcasts, check out our podcast center. A full transcript follows the video.
This video was recorded on June 20, 2019.
Nick Sciple: That's been one issue with Amazon scaling up. You have to have enough pilots to fly all these planes. Particularly when you're shoving in, becoming a third player in this logistics market, you need to hire some pilots away. Amazon has struggled to build up its cargo airline. You sent me some stats, Amazon can only run 6.6 revenue air hours per day compared to around 18 for UPS and 14.5 for FedEx. That's due to crew efficiencies. Can you talk a little bit about what about bringing new pilots into this market is really causing a bottleneck in the amount of human capital you have to scale up?
Dan Kline: There's a disconnect in how you become a pilot. In order to become a pilot, you have to go to pilot training school. Then you have to put in a certain amount of flight hours working for smaller airlines before you can fly the bigger routes, the bigger planes. While you're going through that period, not only are you spending $100,000 or more on pilot school, your first few years of working, you're making a very low salary. Even though being an airline pilot for Southwest or Delta is a very good job, you make a lot of money, it takes a lot of investment to get there.
The other problem we have is that in most cases, companies want pilots -- I don't know if Amazon requires this or not -- to also have four-year degrees. So, in addition to having to go to pilot school, they also have to go to college. This is causing a huge shortage of pilots, which is going to be exacerbated by the fact that there's a mandatory retirement age for pilots at 65.
Now, honestly, the best way to solve this in the short term is make the mandatory retirement age 70 and have increased testing and licensing procedures in the five years in between there. But if you're Amazon, you're competing against maybe cushier jobs, maybe higher paying jobs, and hitting the wall of, no matter what you pay, there's simply not enough people who know how to do this.
Sciple: Yeah. Something to follow. As we see clear demand for more fulfillment services from companies like Amazon and others, to make that happen, we're going to need humans to fly these planes, at least in the near term. Maybe at some point in time, we'll have a robot that can take off and land. But at least in the near term, we're going to need to have people.
Kline: I think we could automate plane flight. I think there's such public sentiment against it. It's like the automated driving. Let's say, for every hundred accidents that would happen with human drivers, there's only one with automated drivers. It doesn't work, it has to be zero. Even if using automated planes dramatically cuts down on crashes, until they can guarantee zero, the publicity simply isn't going to work.
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Amazon, the first thing they have to do, is get more efficient. You talked about how many fewer working hours they get. That's a practice of time. The more time they do it, the more they're going to refine their process. The bigger they are, the easier it's going to be for them hire experienced people who can smooth those things out. If you look at where they are now, and where the top of the industry is, they can basically get three times more efficient. Amazon has shown with shipping that it will eventually get there.
Sciple: Yeah. Clearly, this is something that Amazon's interested in getting more and more involved with. We're going to continue to follow the story. This is the third or fourth time we've had you on the show to talk about this, Dan. We'll continue to bring this to ground.
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Why the Cost of Spotify and Other Music Streaming Services Must Increase
People love to stream music, but the current setup does not pay the bills for the music industry.
Daniel B. Kline
(TMFDankline)
Jul 15, 2014 at 12:07PM
The music business has taken a beating the past few years as the industry struggles to find a model that works.
Since pirating songs became something anyone with a computer could easily do, album sales have plummeted. That was somewhat mitigated over the last few years by digital downloads, but even those numbers have plateaued and entered a slight decline. The future of music has increasingly seemed to be digital streaming services, and recent data released by Nielsen and Billboard suggest that the future is now.
On-demand streaming, which includes audio and video, was up 42% over last year in the first six months of 2014, with on-demand audio up 50.1%, and on-demand video up 35.2%.
This comes in a period where sales of albums were down 14.9%. Vinyl album sales, the industry loves to point out, were up 40.4%, but vinyl is a tiny niche. Only 4 million LPs sold during the period -- far fewer than the 53.8 million digital album downloads and 62.9 million physical CDs that moved during the six-month period. It's like a supermarket trumpeting that it sold 40% more octopus than the year before, while failing to mention that sales for beef, chicken, pork, and produce all dropped dramatically.
The streaming numbers are a different story. The growth of on-demand streaming is a positive, as it shows that people still have a taste for music. But it's troubling that none of the streaming companies make money and all are struggling to find models that work.
Where does streaming stand?
Streaming has become big, but it may not be fair to say it has become "big business." Artists make more money selling a digital copy of an individual song than they do by having many more people stream it. The top streaming song for the first six months of 2014 was Katy Perry's "Dark Horse," according to Nielsen. That song was streamed more than 65 million times as an audio file. The same song sold just over 4 million digital downloads.
To figure out how much Perry and her record label made on those plays/sales, let's use some rough calculations. All the streaming services have different methods of paying, most of which are secret. But Pandora (NYSE:P) is one of the biggest, so let's use a number that comes from its founder, Tim Westegren, in a June 2013 blog post. Westegren said a million plays of a song on Pandora might be equivalent to a single play of a song on a large FM station. For those million "spins," Pandora would pay the artist/label "about $1,370."
If we use that rate as the average for all the streaming services, Perry would have earned $89,050 for her popular song during the first six months of 2014 from streaming.
Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iTunes is the leading store for digital downloads of music. Apple generally offers a 70/30 split with publishers on digital content, with the publisher/musician getting the 70%. Perry's song sells for $1.29, so she would make roughly $0.91 on each digital download -- with her record label taking the lion's share of that. With more than 4 million copies of "Dark Horse" sold via download, Perry and her label received roughly $3.6 million.
So, despite having roughly 16 times more streams than sales, Perry made a lot more money from selling copies of her song. Radio stations pay similarly tiny sums for spinning songs, but that was always seen as OK because radio play was viewed as a commercial that led to album/single sales. With streaming on its way to replacing actual ownership of songs, artists and labels are left without a way to make money off of their creations.
Streaming, which can be done for free -- or for less than the cost of buying one CD or album -- may be great for consumers, but it's not a sustainable business model for artists or Pandora, Spotify, or any of the other companies that need streaming revenues to outpace expenses. Yes, Amazon(NASDAQ:AMZN) and Apple can afford to use streaming as a loss leader to sell other products, but that does not create a viable future for the music industry.
Is there any hope for music?
The more that people use Pandora and Spotify, the more money those companies lose -- and that's with paying relatively piddling sums to artists. The chart below details the problem.
Consumers clearly like streaming music, as it offers them an unlimited selection at a very low price -- Spotify charges $9.99 for its all-you-can-listen service that allows on-demand access to the millions of songs in its library. The challenge is that if physical and digital sales go away, artists have no reason to keep giving their music to streaming services.
At some point, there will be a standoff. Streaming services will either have to pay more, which will force them to raise prices, or face losing content. If Perry did not sell 4 million copies of her song, then the money she made from streaming would not have supported the cost of creating it. If music is going to continue to exist, the public will have to pay for it -- if not fair value, at least a more fair value.
Like stealing music on Napster back in the day, streaming is only popular because of the price point. Customers may not be willing to pay double or even triple the current going rate of $9.99 a month for unlimited streaming. If artists are forced to charge more and streaming companies raise prices, we may find that people are willing to go back to a model where they pay only for specific music.
Whatever develops going forward, it's clear that streaming in its current guise won't support the music industry. As downloads and physical sales continue to fall, something will have to give -- or a lot of artists will need to find something else to do for a living.
Daniel B. Kline is an accomplished writer and editor who has worked for Microsoft on its Finance app and The Boston Globe, where he wrote for the paper and ran the Boston.com business desk. His latest book, "Worst Ideas Ever," (Skyhorse) can be purchased at bookstores everywhere. Follow @tworstideas
NYSE:P
Why the Cost of Spotify and Other Music Streaming Services Must Increase @themotleyfool #stocks $AMZN $P $AAPL Next Article
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