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China warned of vanishing heritage
Top minister says overzealous development destroying historic sites.
A booming economy has changed China's
cityscapes in the last few decades [AP]
"Some local officials seem to be altering the appearance of cities with the determination of moving the mountain and altering the water course," Qiu said.
Chinese cities have seen rapid transformation in recent years, with old neighbourhoods pulled down to make way for high-rise buildings and highways.
But many historic buildings have also been destroyed in the country's race for progress.
'Blind pursuit'
Qiu said many Chinese cities were
losing their unique identity [AP]
Qiu likened the destruction to events during the Great Leap Forward in the late 1950s and during the Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976 when relics and sites of historical value were destroyed by the Red Guards.
He also attacked some local governments for their "blind pursuit of large, new and exotic" buildings which has seen many of China's cityscapes totally transformed over the last 15 years of spectacular economic growth.
As a result, Qiu said, many of China's cities had become virtually indistinguishable.
"It is like 1,000 cities having the same appearance," he said on the sidelines of an international conference on urban culture and city planning.
'Cheap' fakes
In the same report Tong Mingkang, deputy director of China's State Administration of Cultural Heritage, accused some local governments of pulling down valuable historical sites in need of repair and replacing them with fakes.
"It is like tearing up an invaluable painting and replacing it with a cheap print," Tong was quoted as saying.
He added that a five-year nationwide survey on cultural relics estimated to cost 1bn yuan ($130m) had been launched to get a clearer picture of their status.
China did not even have a law protecting cultural relics until 1982 and during the chaos of the Cultural Revolution many priceless artifacts that were not taken to Taiwan at the end of the civil war in 1949 were destroyed.
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Brown refuses to resign amid crisis
British PM reshuffles government and vows to "fight on" as several ministers quit.
John Hutton, right, on Friday said he was stepping down as defence secretary [AFP]
Alan Fisher, Al Jazeera's correspondent in London, said the prime minister's decision not to resign was not a surprise given how much Brown had craved the job in the first place.
Fisher said Brown faced an uphill battle to win the next election and that "he has a lot of work to do to reconnect with the public".
'Inner circle'
In the latest in a wave of resignations over the past week, Caroline Flint, Europe minister, said Brown had treated her as "female window dressing".
Flint accused the prime minister of operating "a two-tier government: your inner circle and the remainder of the cabinet".
She will be replaced by Glenys Kinnock, a member of the European Parliament who is the wife of Neil Kinnock, the former leader of the Labour party.
John Hutton, defence secretary, and Geoff Hoon, transport secretary, both announced on Friday that they would be stepping down, although both said they would stay loyal to the prime minister.
Their resignations came just hours after James Purnell, work and pensions secretary, quit the cabinet late on Thursday and called on Brown to resign.
'Stand aside'
Brown said he had no plans to step aside as prime minister and said that he would introduce a regulatory body to supervise politicians' expenses.
"I am, therefore, calling on you to stand aside to give our party a fighting chance of winning"
James Purnell MP, in open letter to prime minister
Early results from Thursday's local authority elections showed signs of a swing against the ruling Labour party, with it losing seats to the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.
Labour members of parliament have also been gathering signatures to unseat Brown, increasing the possibility of early elections in the country.
Purnell, who resigned late on Thursday, called in a letter to the Times newspaper for Brown to go.
"I now believe your continued leadership makes a Conservative victory more, not less, likely," he wrote.
"I am, therefore, calling on you to stand aside to give our party a fighting chance of winning."
Brown's government and the country's major political parties have been hit hard by weeks of leaked details about politicians' expense claims.
Darling has repaid some money after he acknowledged mistakes in his expenses claims and has faced criticism over his manipulation of the housing allowance system.
Unity plea
Jacqui Smith, then interior minister, was the first to announce that she was quitting over the scandal. Hazel Blears, another minister, followed suit.
Johnson, tipped as the likeliest replacement for Brown, has urged colleagues to unite behind their leader in the wake of likely poor election results.
"I continue to believe that Gordon Brown is the best man for the job," Johnson said in a statement.
"It is vital now, more than ever, that we unite for the sake of the party and the government."
Brown replaced Tony Blair in June 2007. He has gained praise overseas for his handling of the global economic crisis, but seen his domestic approval ratings tumble.
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Lebanon clashes damage power plant
Power shortages as fighting between the army and Fatah al-Islam continues.
Lebanese army soldiers have been battling
Fatah al-Islam fighters since May 20 [AFP]
The violence, which began on May 20, has caused severe power shortages across the country in recent weeks as ships have been unable to deliver oil to the Deir Ammar plant.
"Unless Lebanese factions put national interests above their factional interests, the country is sleep- walking into a new civil war."
nehad ismail, London, United Kingdom
Eid said one of the rockets struck near one of the reservoirs, causing a fire but it was quickly put out.
A building was hit by another rocket while the other three landed in the grounds of the facility.
The power station was shut down after the attack.
Fierce clashes
Witnesses reported that there were fierce clashes between the military and fighters still holed up inside the camp on Thursday morning.
More than 200 people have been killed, including 124 Lebanese soldiers, since the army began battering the refugee camp with artillery and tank fire more than two months ago.
"The fighting will continue until this [Fatah al-Islam] phenomenon is eliminated," an official said.
The four Fatah al-Islam fighters were killed on Wednesday when they attacked a military unit, the NNA said.
Last week, Lebanese troops stormed a hideout of Fatah Islam fighters in the camp, killing eight of them, according to the news agency.
General Michel Suleiman, Lebanese army commander, has vowed to continue the battle saying it was a "fight against terrorism" and "a battle of dignity and national sovereignty".
In a speech during Wednesday's Army Day, he called the military deaths in the Nahr al-Bared "great sacrifices".
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Learn how and why to consume more responsibly, make informed stewardship choices and find greater harmony with the planet.
Home / Sustainable Living / Nish Dish: Nourishing the Community
"What's the one thing everybody in this world shares? Their food. It brings people together."
BY Syerra Turry
Categories: Activities - Community - First Nations - Food - Greenbelts - Reclamation - Resilience - Traditional Knowledge
Chef Johl in the garden at Ashbridges Estate.
Johl Whiteduck Ringuette is the proprietor of NishDish Marketeria and Catering, an Indigenous restaurant in downtown Toronto centred on reclaiming and sharing traditional Anishinaabe food and knowledge. One of the country’s leading Indigenous food sovereigntists, Johl’s journey led to him to identify, source, learn and reclaim the traditional Anishinaabe diet. His work in the community, however, extends far beyond the walls of the restaurant. He is highly in demand as a public speaker on food sovereignty, social entrepreneurship, and leads food demonstrations and workshops.
Nish Dish
It was in May 2005 that Johl registered Nish Dish as a catering business while he was still working full-time and raising his two kids. Born and raised north of North Bay, Ontario, where forests and lakes were his playground and where his father hunted and fished, Johl is Ojibway on his mother’s side and French-English and part-Mohawk on his dad’s side. He and his five siblings were raised on wild game, fishing, seasonal berry-picks and tapping local maple trees. Part of what inspired the menu for NishDish were his experiences of cooking over the outdoor fire pits at his family’s hunt camps.
When he opened the doors to NishDish Marketeria in April 2017, Johl made GTA restaurant history as the most attended grand opening event; over 800 people filled the 21-seated venue!
The small business is built on serving and promoting traditional Anishinaabe food and Indigenous made products. Beyond simply serving food, the menu itself and restaurant environment provide opportunities for others to learn about Indigenous culture. For example, the restaurant features a 13-moon calendar on the ceiling, which contains important traditional teachings and can be used to direct traditional harvesting practices.
The biggest misconception, says Johl, is the belief that there is no Indigenous cuisine. Among those who do recognize it, many assume it is just game meat. “There are a lot of things to teach about, but that creates the possibility of gaining people’s curiosity because nobody really knows what [Indigenous cuisine] is,” says Johl. It’s an exciting prospect because the food carries teachings with it, so Nish Dish can act as an educational hub of sorts.
“What’s the one thing in this world that everybody shares?” asks Johl, “It’s their food. It brings people together."
Ashbridges estate 3 sisters harvest in 2018, with some of the gardening team (photo: Ontario Heritage Trust)
In terms of the menu itself, much of it is vegan and gluten-free aside from fish, buffalo, deer and elk dishes. The in-house menu will fluctuate depending on what gets ordered for catering that week.
However, serving traditional food is not without its challenges. Johl will drive three hours just to source one ingredient. Items such as wild rice and white corn are not only almost impossible to source but are also very expensive. In addition, Johl initially faced difficulties in terms of serving game meat. He had to comply with the laws against serving wild game to the public and ensuring purchased game meat that is farmed has gone through a federally authorized facility to inspect the meat. “It’s a hard journey, but we have to do this. We know that this food is the food that we need to eat. We know how important it is to the land that those particular plants continue to grow here in Turtle Island and continue to be available to Indigenous people as well as people who want to have healthy diets.”
Food sovereignty, which is the right for people to have access to culturally-appropriate food, is at the core of much of Johl’s work. Considering the detrimental effects of the residential school legacy and intergenerational trauma, First Nations food sovereignty will take generations to achieve. “There’s a lot of healing that has to be done and the only way that can begin is by talking about the truth of what happened and what’s still happening,” says Johl. He said he recognizes that many Canadians want to have a successful, rich and spiritual connection to the land, but that means they must build a respectful relationship with Indigenous people too – “it’s just logical.”
Before re-affirming his relationship with the land through NishDish and his food sovereignty work, Johl spent nearly 10 years working at Gladue courts under the Aboriginal People Services of Toronto. Gladue came out of Canada’s agreement to determine how to remedy the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the criminal justice system. Gladue courts, of which there are four in Toronto, offers the opportunity for judges to look at alternative sentencing measures that don’t include incarceration.
“I was working in this court for a long time and it was really draining and taxing and just spiritually crushing,” said Johl. “Watching dockets of Indigenous people going into the system with the odds stacked against them was an incredibly stressful situation”. Gladue plays an essential role in the community for many Indigenous people who don’t have any help, but according to Johl, “it’s a bit of a bandaid to help these gaping wounds from Canada’s treatment of Indigenous people,” and more needs to be done to address the systemic inequalities that lead to the overincarceration of Indigenous people.
Johl visited his medicine teacher, Mark Thompson, for spiritual guidance about the challenges he faced working at Gladue. Mark told him he had another gift, and that is where his next journey would begin. That gift was related to Anishinaabe food, and Johl was asked to pass over his tools from Gladue court to someone else as soon as he was able, so that he could move towards the goal of bringing back the Anishinaabe diet to the GTA.
Chef Johl at Nish Dish with wild leek harvest.
“By bringing [the Anishinaabe diet] into our focus, we bring back ceremony because all food comes with ceremony. And food comes with taking care of the land. We’re land-based people. We have teachings about taking care of the land.” says Johl, “Our role is to take care of everything that comes with it – that’s the water, skies, animals, insects… Everything that comes with the land we have an accountability and responsibility as Indigenous people to take care of. That is part of our spirituality. It can’t be removed from us. We aren’t one without that.”
The Anishinaabe diet, Johl explains, includes the foods that were here, present and endemic to Turtle Island. That includes game meat, but also different fish that were endemic to this territory, and all the plants, like the Three Sisters – ancestral squash, white corn and beans. Johl underscores that Indigenous food sovereignty is closely related to saving and protecting these endemic species; “We need access to more gardens that will not be cross-contaminated by non-endemic corn. We need access to wild rice. It’s been decimated all over Canada. We need safe waters to bring this important plant back – it’s not just specific and essential to our diets but to the wellbeing of the ecology of Canada.”
“It’s a much larger picture than just Indigenous people having access to their food.” Johl says. “It is all Canadians thinking about the number one teaching: every individual is responsible for the next seven generations. How are we doing that? How are we doing that as a nation? Are we looking at what we’re leaving behind for the next seven generations? In this case, talking about food sovereignty, that’s how it impacts the larger picture of Canada. All those foods were endemic to Canada and [it is] necessary to bring them back.”
Passing on His Knowledge
Beyond Nish Dish, Johl plays an active role in not-for-profit Indigenous education and outreach endeavors within and around the city.
In 2017, he created a 20-week curriculum for his own Ojibiikaan Indigenous Culinary Arts Program, a ceremonial land and food-based program. This led to some of the first traditionally planted Three Sisters gardens in the GTA.
With ancestral seeds he was gifted, Johl has been developing an Indigenous seed bank. Nish Dish planted Indigenous medicine teaching gardens around the city and this laid the groundwork for the founding of a new organization: Ojibiikaan Indigenous Cultural Network. This is the only not-for-profit dedicated to Indigenous food sovereignty in the GTA.
The Ojibiikaan Indigenous Cultural Network supports a number of Indigenous community and youth programs in the GTA, including medicine gardens, traditional food gardens, a three sisters garden, rooftop gardens and workshops. The gardens aim to bring back Indigenous agroecological practices. Elders and knowledge-keepers get involved with the projects and planting ceremonies. “There are so many youth looking to learn more about their culture and for opportunities to become participants and contributors in their community,” says Johl.
In addition, the Toronto Indigenous Business Association was founded through Nish Dish in December, 2017. Comprised of Indigenous social entrepreneurs and business owners from the GTA, the organization works to create a stronger, healthier, vibrant and focused Indigenous community in Toronto. Their vision is to create an Indigenous business district and community in Toronto near Christie Pits. “There’s no Indigenous district in the whole country that has been established officially in any city of the entire nation, so it’s a very ambitious goal, but we have every intention of making that happen by next year.” Johl says he hopes to create a district called ‘Nish Town’, short for Anishinaabe Town, where decisions can be made as a community through a more focused Indigenous voice.
Indigenous made products at Nish Dish Marketeria.
“Without that, we don’t have a focused voice. We don’t have a way to bring the thousands of people who live in the GTA say, we live here, we have a right to a community where we can find access to who we are, we can see representation of ourselves, we can hear our languages in the school. We need a school that’s ours where our languages are taught, so we can slowly bring back the languages into our next generations,” Johl says, adding that he has many other dreams for the district.
The Indigenous Harvester’s Artisan Market is another pilot project created through Nish Dish. A culmination of the journey of First Nations’ food sovereignty, this market brings together Indigenous people who are still growing and harvesting Indigenous food, like white corn, wild rice, fish, maple syrup, the Three Sisters and sunchokes. The first market was held last October and the City enjoyed it so much, it’s supporting another one for this year. On July 20, it will be held across from Christie Pits, in the heart of where the proposed Indigenous district would be. It will offer community members the chance to participate in trying food and learning about Indigenous culture. “It’s so exciting to know that we can generate this interest and inspire people to come and look at this and try it and support the local Indigenous people of your community,” says Johl.
Johl says he’d like Indigenous restaurants and businesses to keep growing and contributing to the culture. There are currently only four restaurants in the city that are Indigenous. Nearly 60 percent of restaurants don’t make it past their first year, and Nish Dish has now passed its second anniversary. “Against all odds, we’ve really held our ground and we’re still here.”
Next time you are in Toronto, make sure you stop by Nish Dish for a delicious meal!
You can find the menu here: https://www.nishdish.com/menu
Becky Big Canoe built her own sustainable house out of straw and now, through her non-profit Environatives Training Initiatives,...
At the Convergence of Climate Change and Art
How one artist and climate scientist is communicating environmental data through watercolour art pieces.
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ICE Ends Controversial Detention Practices by Releasing Immigrant Families
Undocumented immigrants who are caught in the thick of removal proceedings have to deal with a number of challenges. Recently, immigration authorities have had to deal with flak from immigrant supporters. The controversy stems from the practice of detaining immigrant families in detention centers. The family detention centers are located in Berks County, Pa., and Karnes City and Dilly, Texas. Various claims have been made about the treatment that immigrants receive from authorities while they are being detained. Reports involving suicide attempts by immigrants under lockup have added fueled the rising clamor from immigrant supporters pushing for the shutdown of these detention centers.
Now, authorities in the U.S. immigration system have come forward and released a statement addressing the controversial practice of detaining immigrant families. On Monday, immigration officials have officially stated that immigrants held in the South Texas detention centers will be released if they pass the first step in the asylum process. The decision is a victory for undocumented immigrants and their supporters. Weeks prior to the announcement, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said that more than 2,000 immigrant women and children held in the Karnes County and Dilly detention centers were slated for release.
The Department of Homeland Security has gone on the record to state that there is a need to reconsider the practice of detaining immigrant families who have established a credible reason for seeking asylum. Many immigrants come to the United States each year to flee from cases of extreme poverty or persecution from their home countries. The sensitive case of housing these immigrant families has the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement examining each resident that is being housed at the agency’s family detention centers. The final word when it comes to the practice of detaining immigrant families is positive. Authorities of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency have gone on the record to state that they will no longer be detaining immigrant mothers and children who do not pose a clear threat to national security for as long as they are able to establish a credible reason to fear persecution if they were to be removed from U.S. territory. The decision to release these immigrants is also contingent the provision of a verifiable residential address.
It is critical for immigrants to be able to pass the credible and reasonable fear interview in the asylum process before they are released. Legal aid can help resolve immigration issues considerably. Contact aniella Lyttle at Lyttle Law Firm, PLLc by calling 512-215-5225 to begin resolving your legal woes.
Tagged: Undocumented Immigrants
Updated: July 18, 2015 7:40 am
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Immigration Reform Movement Gains Momentum
As a practitioner of immigration law, I have fielded countless questions concerning paths to citizenship. Although there remain considerable challenges for undocumented immigrants from obtaining citizenship, the recent changes in the political landscape should provide renewed hope.
A coalition of Christian groups, law enforcement groups, business people and GOP Congressional leaders voiced strong support for immigration reform this past week as they gathered in Washington D.C. Among the Republican leaders supporting the revived immigration reform movement is former President George W. Bush who enjoyed significant support from the Latino community. He urged national lawmakers to discuss a comprehensive immigration reform deal. In recent weeks, many Republican leaders have made proposals about how to grant legal residency to undocumented immigrants.
In the weeks following the presidential election, in which overwhelming Latino support for President Obama helped him achieve a second term, immigration reform has become a hot topic for politicians. On December 4, 2012, many of these conservative leaders, including Richard Land and noted tax opponent Grover Norquist, gathered at a bipartisan national conference sponsored by the National Immigration Forum. Most importantly, the more than 250 attendees included Land, who is a leader among Southern Baptists, and many evangelical Christian groups that comprise an important segment of the Republican party. Evangelical Christians have been one of the few major groups within the beleaguered party that has historically supported immigration reform, and they were on hand to make their case to lawmakers.
Some of these Christian leaders even supported the adoption of citizenship roadmaps. Rev. Pat Noonan of Concord, CA encouraged congressional leaders to permit undocumented workers the opportunity to gain citizenship. Many Christian figures reinforced the belief that Hispanic communities should be considered ideologically similar to Republicans in terms of social issues. Rev. Samuel Rodriguez of Sacramento, CA stated, “This is not a marginalized portion of our base, this is our base.”
This conference takes advantage of renewed interest in immigration reform on the part of Senate leaders. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Sen. Jon Kyl recently proposed the Achieve Act which would allow undocumented immigrants to obtain legal residency through a combination of collegiate education, military service or employment. This falls short of the possibility of citizenship that the Democratic Dream Act proposal would allow, but it does signify a willingness to compromise from Republican leadership. Unfortunately, this is unlikely to satisfy many Latino immigrants who are steadfastly committed to receiving a path to citizenship rather than any temporary legal status.
These efforts along with renewed dialogue among evangelical Christian groups suggest that the Republican stance on immigration is undergoing serious re-consideration. Although large portions of the Republican Party remain adamantly opposed to granting legal status to individuals who have broken the law, the rest of the party may be willing to make serious concessions to the Latino and Asian communities in return for the party’s continued survival.
Having witnessed similar political discussions in the past and having practiced immigration law for several years, I can provide legal advice if you are considering your options for achieving legal status. If you would like a private consultation with my office, please contact us at (512) 215-5225.
Updated: December 7, 2012 2:09 pm
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Tuesday, July 10, A.D. 2012
Orthodox Immaturity
This past weekend, Metropolitan Jonah, the primate of the Orthodox Church in America (O.C.A.), resigned at the request of his brother bishops. One may read the oddly worded resignation letter on the O.C.A. web site. George Michalopulos and his associates at Monomakhos have been extensively discussing the recent events for the past several days (see “Ineptocracy,” “Jonah the Prophet,” “This Is Far from Over: The Chicago Tribune Weighs in,” “This Is Far from Over: Catholic Online Weighs in,” and “This Is Far from Over: Get Religion Weighs in” and their hundreds of comments so far). Indeed, Michalopulos’ site has been my main source of O.C.A. church political gossip for the last twenty months as the central administration of the O.C.A. has continued to fall apart. While I am not a member of the O.C.A., I feel for my fellow Christians who try to live out the gospel as modern Americans in its jurisdiction. I do not know how much this nonsense will affect the parochial level where the faithful worship and commune, but it is a scandal nonetheless.
I first mentioned Metropolitan Jonah in “Bad Children in Church” when I learnt of his election from my friend Andrew in November, A.D. 2008. That followed a post about the forced resignation of the previous O.C.A. primate, where I thanked God for the boringness of our Church’s politics. In the greater scheme of things, I was correct; the Orthodox Church will not alter its course depending upon its hierarchical elections. On the personal level of the faithful, however, the melodrama of incompetent and ethically dubious actions by religious officials has placed stumbling blocks before God’s people. I do not wish to air my coreligionists’ dirty laundry, but the O.C.A. has had a difficult decade—or two, or three. “Syosset” has a lot to do to put the house back in order. Many people in the O.C.A. hoped that a pious and affable monk like Metropolitan Jonah would manage to do so. It appears that he failed. His detractors blame him for administrative incompetence and worse, while his supporters claim that Metropolitan Jonah’s enemies opposed the reforms that he championed to enliven orthodoxy and orthopraxis in the O.C.A., especially regarding the Church’s moral witness in our society’s “culture war.”
I have praised and criticized Metropolitan Jonah in several posts (“Of Patriarchs and Bishops,” “Christianity’s Odd Place in the World,” “The Human Person Yada Yada Yada,” “The March, A.D. 2010,” and “Thirty-ninth March”). I claim no special insider knowledge of the last three years’ events. However, I am suspicious of the Metropolitan’s critics when they cite his involvement in the prolife movement, his signing the Manhattan Declaration, and his attempt to open monasteries in Washington, D.C. as evidence of his recklessness. Moreover, I have long harbored ill thoughts about the institutional leadership and culture of the O.C.A., as I have noted in “An Illness in Orthodox America,” “O.C.A. Left,” and “R.O.C.O.R. Hosts O.C.A.” The predecessor to the Orthodox Church in America—the Metropolia—was largely constituted of disaffected uniates who rejoined the Church of their ancestors but brought along Latin baggage, and it has been shaped by modernists throughout its independent life, from the Americanist and Anglican sympathizing Metropolitan Platon to the Parisian school theologians that established the intellectual culture of Saint Vladimir’s Seminary to the current renovationists within the O.C.A. who wish for Orthodoxy in America to imitate the Roman Church’s “move into the modern world” after the Second Vatican Council. Partisans within R.O.C.O.R. even claim that the O.C.A. was born in inquity; they hold that the Metropolia’s grant of autocephaly in A.D. 1970 by the then Soviet dominated Moscow Patriarchate was a deal with the Communist devil. Indeed, the financial and leadership crises of the O.C.A. have revealed much institutional rot, regardless of the health and spiritual progress at the local level in parishes and monasteries, where thousands of earnest priests, deacons, monastics, and laymen work out their salvation and manifest the gospel in an age hostile to it. I cast no aspersions on the flock in the O.C.A. Nevertheless, for the reasons mentioned and for personal ones, I do not trust the spiritual maturity or wisdom of that body.
Indeed, the Orthodox Church in America—the experiment in self government among Orthodox Americans—continues to show the folly of those who see jurisdictional independence from the Old World Churches as the most important goal for us in the States. Rebellion and arrogance are in our national character, and it tragically affects our religious sensibilities, as well. Yet, we are clearly not ready, able, or stable enough to rule ourselves. There are too few Orthodox Christians in America, and our religious culture is permeated with alien influences, whether uniate or individual convert baggage or the general Calvinist socio-credal air that we breathe in a decadent, post-Protestant society. Where are our missions, charitable institutions, monasteries, or educational efforts that incarnate the faith in our society and testify to the heterodox? Where are our saints? Of course, they exist, but they remain few, small, limited, or weak. Let us Americans take the holy apostles as our model rather than Thomas Paine. One day, God willing, there will be a truly united, self governing American Church. For now, we require milk, not meat.
Posted by Joseph on Tuesday, July 10, A.D. 2012
However, I am suspicious of the Metropolitan’s critics when they cite his involvement in the prolife movement, his signing the Manhattan Declaration, and his attempt to open monasteries in Washington, D.C. as evidence of his recklessness.
Where do his critics cite that? His “official” critics, that is. Monomakhos says that’s what his critics object to. But Monomakhos’s reporting is not strictly veridical.
Posted by Zachariah on Friday, July 13, A.D. 2012
Zachariah, does Mark Stokoe—one time member of the Metropolitan Council, friend of the synod, Secretary-General of Syndesmos, O.C.A. Youth Director, and the most prominent reporter of Orthodox church politics in America—count as an official critic? Stokoe criticizes Metropolitan Jonah in many places, but allow me one quote to get two of three points:
“And so, too, with his refusal to even visit Syosset during much of 2009 -2010, his plans for moving to DC, his plans for the DC monastery, the unilateral signing of the Manhattan declaration, etc., etc.,etc.”
Michalopulos and his friends accuse Stokoe, Fr. Leonid Kishkovsky, and their supporters among the bishops and central administrators of opposing Metropolitan Jonah for his public support of American conservative causes. Given their own writings (and I link to one such piece by Fr. Leonid in a previously mentioned post), they set themselves against the Metropolitan’s efforts. Michalopulos and company appear to be right.
Posted by Joseph from Arimathea on Saturday, July 14, A.D. 2012
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Next entry (Religion): Fr. Z. on Ecumenical Treachery
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Our solidarity commitments
Going beyond the confines of time and space is an important characteristic of the brotherhood of arms. As an historical partner of the French army for more than a century, Arquus’ constant concern for the welfare of soldiers is not limited to army operations. We are also attentive to their future of our servicemen and that of their families. Our commitment is focused on three basic areas: social action in favour of the families of injured and deceased army personnel, reflections on defense-related issues and civic engagement through the Army Reserve.
Supporting and assisting soldiers and their families
Arquus is active in associations that assist wounded soldiers, widows and orphans through sporting activities, financial contributions, social aids and psychological support.
1-by-1: sponsors to support families of missing servicemen
Scholastic success at the heart of our commitment
Founded in 2015 by the Military Governor General of Paris and the works council of Arquus Versailles, the 1-by-1 association (1-par-1) offers long-term support to bereaved military families. The association provides material and moral support based on a child’s educational and personal growth.
CABAT, which provides assistance to wounded servicemen, and ADO, an association for the development of army support organisations, refers families in need of support and assistance. A sponsor is then proposed by the association, whose role is to create a regular relationship with the child, its family and its environment, with the focus on schooling, in order to identify specific needs.
Human and material support
The 1-by-1 association’s sponsors are trained to evaluate the scope and boundaries of their assistance according to each individual situation. Depending on the case, the association can thus:
give financial help to the child and its family,
pay school fees,
pay for private tuition,
set up a “higher education” savings account,
provide IT equipment,
help to find internships,
provide assistance with administrative, legal and career-related subjects.
Supporting stakeholders involved in social action for military families
We support, assist and finance numerous associations that provide support for servicemen and their families. We are particularly attached to initiatives aimed at assisting wounded soldiers or the families of missing servicemen.
Wounded Servicemen & Sport Events
Each year since 2012, the Wounded Servicemen and Sporting Events programme has brought together some fifty wounded soldiers from the French army, navy and air force to participate in sporting events. With the help of sports coaches and specialised health personnel, servicemen can discover activities that correspond to their state of health and exchange with other soldiers in the same situation.
Terre Fraternité Association
Founded in 2005 by Army General Bernard Thorette, former Chief of Staff for the armed forces, Terre Fraternité provides support for wounded servicemen and their families and the families of soldiers who died in service.
Association des œuvres d'entraide (ADO)
Founded in 1939, ADO, an association for the development of army support organisations, offers financial assistance to servicemen and civil defense employees, whether active, reserve or retired. It develops outreach actions for widows and orphans, the elderly and disabled and people in problematic situations.
Rebuilding a sense of self with sailing
The Rebuilding a Sense of Self with Sailing Association (La Voile pour se reconstruire) organises on-board activities and sailing trips for wounded servicemen and their spouses.
Pure Joy
Pure Joy (Rien que du bonheur) is an association that supports physically and psychologically wounded soldiers through the practice of outdoor sporting activities, the educating of young people and the promotion of sustainable development.
Driving reflection on Defense issues
Tomorrow’s victory is today’s practice
From World War I to operation Barkhane in the Mali desert, we have been supporting the French army for more than a century. Our vehicles have known every conflict and every battlefield. But our inspiration does not stop there. As a partner of the French army, it is our responsibility to reflect with them on the strategic topics and issues that are already shaping future defense policy – because “tomorrow’s victory is today’s practice”.
Chair of Defense Economics created at IHEDN
In 2014, along with three other sponsors, Arquus founded the IHEDN endowment fund’s Chair of Defense Economics. IHEDN is France’s institute of advanced studies in national defense. Arquus is a member of both the steering committee and the scientific committee of the Chair, which has several objectives:
identify defense economics researchers on a national and international level,
disseminate knowledge and encourage exchanges among disciplines and between the academic and professional sectors,
contribute to the production of academic papers on defense economics through articles written by the Chair’s researchers.
The Chair’s research is disseminated in the form of papers, working documents, lectures and presentations in various training programmes.
As a sponsor of the endowment fund, Arquus promotes the enrolment of its own managerial staff in the IHEDN’s national, regional and technical training programmes.
Partnership with the IFRI
Arquus finances research studies at the LRD defense research laboratory run by the IFRI (French institute of international relations) and sits on the steering committee which determines research topics.
Partnership with the Warfare School
We are also a partner of the French Warfare School. Some of our employees - our engineers, for example - are free to attend the school as auditors. We encourage them in this respect in order to inspire the culture and spirit of Defense in our management and high-potential staff.
Encouraging civil engagement through the army reserve
Expression of our solidarity with the military community
In June 2016, Arquus signed an army reserve agreement with the Ministry of Defense. In practical terms, we offer our employees the possibility of spending two weeks a year in the army reserve (the legal duration is 5 days) without forfeiting holiday leave while receiving their normal salary during that period.
For Arquus, this civil engagement is both a contribution to the nation’s effort in the face of security and defense problems and an illustration of our solidarity with the military community.
"My involvement in the Réserve (French national Guard) is beneficial for the company, since I provide with all know-how and levels of requirement I have learnt from the Army. Reporting, asking for a job well done, leading a team, being part of it. It also grants me knowledge on our vehicles’ end users: the soldiers."
C., engineer in training at Arquus and lance-corporal at the Régiment d’Infanterie Chars de Marine de Poitiers (Marine Infantry Tanks Regiment)
A win-win system
At Arquus, we are convinced that having reservists in our Group is a profitable initiative for all parties involved.
We can thus contribute - within the limits of our resources - to strengthening the armed forces (protection of national territory and overseas military operations) and security (patrols, emergencies, etc.) in a tense security context.
For our employees who join the reserve, it is a unique chance to acquire new skills and, for many, to accomplish a particularly rewarding civic engagement.
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School buses first to use newly rebuilt roadway after $25 million repair is completed following 2013 landslide
PHOENIX — At approximately 4:15 p.m. today, US 89 south of Page was reopened to traffic for the first time following a Feb. 20, 2013, landslide that caused catastrophic damage to the roadway, requiring a 23-mile closure between the junction of State Route 98 in Page and US 89A near Bitter Springs.
In order to reopen the US 89 roadway today, the Arizona Department of Transportation completed an extensive $25 million repair, which included removing approximately one million cubic yards of rock material to realign a 1,500-foot section of roadway and construct a downslope rock buttress at the base of the Echo Cliffs to stabilize the area.
School buses from the Page Unified School District were the first vehicles to pass through the newly rebuilt roadway.
For more than two years, community members – including school children – of Bitter Springs, Marble Canyon and Cedar Ridge have used alternate routes, including the Temporary US 89 route that was opened in August 2013, to and from the Page and Lake Powell areas following the US 89 landslide.
“This is great news for those living and working in the area,” said city of Page Mayor Bill Diak. “It will shorten the commute of our school children that live below the closure by some 94 miles a day. For many of the river-related businesses, this means that their days just became more profitable. For the city of Page this means we will get our main access back. Life is good in Page and now even easier to get to. Come and enjoy!”
US 89T, which had served as the primary detour route to connect to the Page and Lake Powell areas following a $35 million project to upgrade Navajo Route 20, is expected to be relinquished to the Navajo Nation on April 17 when the State Transportation Board convenes in Phoenix. The 44-mile route was mostly a dirt road before being paved during a three-month-long project in summer 2013.
Prior to starting the US 89 landslide repair in summer 2014, ADOT had to clear several significant hurdles to keep the project moving forward. After an extensive geotechnical assessment identified the necessary repairs in July 2013, ADOT retained an engineering firm through an innovative construction delivery method (Construction Manager at Risk), which allowed the contractor to work directly with the design team and develop plans for the eventual repair. ADOT and the team also finalized all federally required environmental reviews that included cultural, biological and water quality measures, and completed plans for the required right-of-way easements with the Navajo Nation.
“The damage to the roadway looked like a scene out of a Hollywood movie and unfortunately a quick fix was not possible,” said ADOT Intermodal Transportation Division Director Steve Boschen. “From day one, we were committed to restoring mobility to the area as soon as possible with the paving of N20 (US 89T), but the real fix is now here with today’s opening.
“Reopening US 89 was the last step and with the commitment from our valued partners, including the Navajo Nation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Navajo Division of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, and our contractors FNF Construction and Kleinfelder, we were able to expedite the US 89 repairs and reopen as soon as possible despite many challenges along the way.”
The US 89 landslide repair project is eligible for reimbursement through the Federal Highway Administration’s emergency relief program, which provides funding to state and local agencies for the repair or reconstruction of highways, roads and bridges that are damaged in natural disasters and catastrophic failures.
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News > Provincial midwife group calling for more integrated healthcare
Provincial midwife group calling for more integrated healthcare
Source: Golden Star, Jessica Schwitek, Jan 29 2014
There is a provincial group trying to increase the education, and reduce the misconceptions about the practise of midwifery in British Columbia.
As of now there are no midwives in Golden, and anyone wishing to go that route with her birthing experience must go to a midwife in Invermere, or further. Some local mothers, and interested women and families, even brought in a showing of a midwifery documentary in October of last year to get the topic out in the open.
Expanding the availability of midwifery in B.C. by ensuring registered midwives attend 35 per cent of the births in the province by 2020 would increase access to maternity care in rural communities, improve health outcomes and reduce health care costs, according to a report released last week by the Midwives Association of British Columbia (MABC).
"There is an urgent need to increase midwifery services and ensure they are fully integrated into the health care system to make it easier for women and families to access quality maternity care in their home communities across British Columbia," said Ganga Jolicoeur, Executive Director of MABC.
"Our New Vision for Midwifery and Maternity Care (the report), is intended to bridge the growing gap in maternity care, especially in rural, northern and First Nations communities."
Increasing the number of midwife-assisted births in B.C. to 35 per cent by 2020 and fully integrating midwifery services into B.C.'s health care system, would, according to MABC, lead to:
· Increased access to quality maternity care, especially in rural, northern and First Nations communities
· Improvements in health outcomes for women and newborns
· More options for women to choose their maternity care provider
· Reduced pressure on family physicians working in underserved communities
· Reduced Caesarean rates and obstetrical interventions
· A realistic and achievable solution to close the growing maternity care gap
· Net cost savings of approximately $60 million that can go towards other health care priorities
"Increased access to quality maternity care will lead to healthier babies, healthier moms and healthier families," said Kelly Hayes, registered midwife and Vice President of the MABC. "We believe British Columbians will support our vision because of the real health benefits and cost savings, estimated at $60 million by 2020 and $20 million annually after that. These savings could be used for other priorities in the health care system."
The MABC's vision contains a series of recommendations that involve B.C.'s registered midwives working with the provincial government, regional health authorities, hospitals, and other maternity care providers a to help close the maternity care gap and better serve women and families in rural communities.
These recommendations include increasing the number of midwives by 16 per year above the status quo and funding a credentialing program that enables internationally-trained midwives to practice in B.C.
The recommendations are consistent with the provincial government's approach, which, due to growing demand, is doubling the number of UBC trained graduating midwives from 10 to 20 by 2017.
"The MABC's vision document is timely and needed, particularly when factoring in that the average age of an obstetrician is almost 58, fewer and fewer family physicians are incorporating maternity care into their practices, and we're not training enough midwives," said Dr. Michael Klein, Professor Emeritus of Family Practice and Pediatrics, UBC.
The recommendations would require an investment beginning in 2014/15 of approximately $3 million annually or $225 per birth per year, based on the projected annual number of births per year. The total cumulative cost of the supports would reach approximately $21 million by 2020/21.
"We do not presume to hold all the answers, but we believe we have provided a framework to move forward constructively, professionally and in partnership. The present and future health of B.C.'s women, newborns and families provides a compelling reason to begin this important work now," added Jolicoeur.
The MABC educates the public about midwifery care while supporting the growing number of midwives across the province. Registered Midwives are funded as part of the health care system in B.C. and are experts in low-risk birth.
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Badass + Living
Badass Profiles
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Badass Q and A With: Sara Rosso
October 3, 2016 by Shelley Ruelle
Name: Sara Rosso
Location: Silicon Valley and the world
Title: Director of Marketing at Automattic (WordPress.com & more)
Sara was one of the first freshmen university interns at Hewlett-Packard. She started her career in IT as a trailblazer. She is the founder and co-host (2007-2015) of World Nutella Day and has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, ABC News, TIME, and Businessweek, among many others. Sara is a well-known mentor and advocate for women’s empowerment in her field.
What are the biggest changes (and challenges) for a young woman looking to follow a trajectory similar to yours in her early 20s, compared to when you started about 20 years ago?
I think it’s easier for a young woman (or anyone, really) than it ever was. When I first started, I devoured O’Reilly books on how to code Perl. At that time, using Linux, the command line, reading books or taking a class were really your only hope. Now, with the wealth of information online, the multitude of classes you can take on your own schedule and being able to meet people who do something you’re curious about, you have a lot more opportunities. The technologies change, but the curiosity, asking questions and trying things is the same.
You’ve been living abroad in Italy for over 10 years now. In what ways has that helped your career? And in what ways has it hindered you or held you back?
I think one of the biggest ‘holdbacks’ I had living in Italy was finding mentors or role models in my industry; there were very few of them and the chance to get exposed to them or meet them was rare. After I helped found the Girl Geek Dinners in Italy and encouraged networking amongst women in tech, there were more opportunities. Hopefully that’s changing Italy for the next generation. Internally, we’re working on a mentoring program that’s location-agnostic to help more people find mentors despite where they live.
You’ve been referred to as a “Renaissance Woman” for your widespread expertise in both technical and artistic endeavors. How do you find and keep a balance between all of your various interests and projects?
I’m lucky that I don’t rely on income from many of my projects which gives me more freedom to experiment as well as ignore them when I need to. I’ve been safely able to ignore the “find a niche” mantras and continue to explore both the artistic and techie sides of me.
Who are the people that mentored and inspired you?
There’s a great article I included in my newsletter about how to be mentored by anyone. That’s the approach I’ve taken with a lot of people who I had no way to actually meet but who have inspired me: read everything they’re putting out there. I’ve also enjoyed interview-style podcasts which I think are close to the modern-day biographies. They can be super inspiring.
What advice would you give to someone who has an idea and wants to see it through to something bigger?
Thinking big never hurts, but I think you have to start with others who are just as excited as you are about it and build from there. I wrote about my experience founding communities. It really starts from a tight nucleus of people who are willing to put time and effort into it. Even if you’re doing something on your own, you’ll need your own happy fans or customers who will become part of your “something bigger.”
For a young woman looking to start out in a career in your field, what do you think are the most valuable skills, tools, or essential educational background to have in today’s environment?
Curiosity. I can’t stress this enough. If you hear about a new service/tool/idea, get multiple perspectives and sources to help you understand it. If you see someone doing something which excites or intrigues you, don’t stop with “wow, that’s cool, but I’ll never be able to do this” — try and turn that onto its head and ask, “How can I do that, too?” Delve into it! Be voracious about all the information you can find, all the failures and triumphs, lessons learned, etc. Most of us (myself included) are even documenting it along the way on our websites. The information is there for the taking.
You’ve taken quite a few professional risks in your life and had great success – what gives you the courage to keep trying new things and keep pushing your boundaries?
We are so worried about failure, aren’t we? Most of the worries come from within – that’s why I wrote Stop Sabotaging Your Own Success: A Manifesto, to remind us to take risks and silence that inner critic. In reality, very few risks today require you to mortgage your house or alienate yourself from your network or family to make it work – the risks can be varied and even incremental. For me, changing directions or decisions isn’t a failure, it’s a reaction to the new environment and situation which can be completely valid.
I also think trying new things keeps you ahead of changes. You’re already looking around and getting information ahead of when you need it (for a job change or a move, for example) and it’s much less scary to approach it that way.
What do you think is the biggest misconception about women in tech?
The biggest misconception about women in tech is that there’s just one kind of woman in tech: a programmer. I’ve had a very roundabout career, starting as someone who geeked out about databases and spreadsheets (I still do), to my first job as a network engineer, to later serving as a sysadmin and many different roles and responsibilities along the way, to ending up as Director of Marketing in my current company. I’m still a woman in tech; I still want to understand the underlying technologies and infrastructure that we’re building our products and websites on, though I can choose with each subject how deep I’ll go.
How do you manage to keep your online presence, blogs, and social media platforms updated without becoming overwhelmed or losing sight of your objectives?
I allow myself to have waves and periods where I can focus on something and not be disappointed when I can’t.
Finally, what makes you a badass woman in tech?
Because of the other badass people I know! I have great friends and I’m really proud of them. I firmly believe that success is not a finite or limited thing and that helping others achieve their success will help you, too.
Twitter: @rosso
Instagram: @rossosara
Facebook: Sara.Rosso
http://www.sararosso.com/about
http://whenihavetime.com
http://www.msadventuresinitaly.com/blog
Categories: Badass Profiles, Career & Finance
Shelley Ruelle is the founder of Sparrow Tarot, where she uses her expertise with the art and mystery of tarot to bring self-discovery, choices, and empowerment to life's challenges and questions, both big and small. She is the writer behind Un'Americana a Roma (An American in Rome), a blog about the lighter side of life in the Eternal City, which she started in 2006. And when she isn't indulging in those passions or eating gelato, you can read her work as a journalist translating and rewriting Italian news stories into English for Italy's leading news agency, ANSA. Her ability to see the humor in everything is what makes her badass.
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Domestic cooperation
Member Banks
Idar Kreutzer
Kreutzer has been Managing Director of the Norwegian Banks’ Guarantee Fund since 2012.
Kreutzer holds the position as Managing Director of Finance Norway. He was Chief executive officer of Storebrand from 2000 to 2012. Kreutzer is chairman of Posten (Norway Post) and Aschehoug (publishing company).
Kreutzer holds a degree in Business Economics from the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration.
Sonja Lill Flø Myklebust
Myklebust joined the Norwegian Banks’ Guarantee Fund in 2009 as Director for the Department of Analysis and Audit. She was appointed Executive Director for the Guarantee Fund in 2013. She is a member of Executive Committee of International Association of Deposit Insurers (IADI).
Myklebust was previously Senior Manager in KPMG, where she worked from 1995 to 2009.
Myklebust has BA with Honours degree from Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland. She is a Certified Public Accountant with a degree in Professional Accountancy from the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration.
Per Tjensli
Assistant Director and Secretary of the Board
Tjensli holds the position as assistant director and has been working in the Norwegian Banks’ Guarantee Fund since 2010.
His prior professional experience includes Internal Audit Services in KPMG with emphasis on risk management, internal control, credit risk and portfolio management. Tjensli’s professional experience includess various positions in Bøndernes Bank/Fokus Bank and Danske Bank.
Tjensli holds a Business Economist degree from BI.
Tanja Log
Chief Investment Officer (CIO)
Log was appointed as CIO in 2019 and is a former CRO and fixed income portfolio manager at The Norwegian Banks’ Guarantee Fund.
Log holds an MSc in industrial economics and technology management from Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), and an MBA with specialization in finance and general management from the New York University Stern School of Business. She has also achieved the title NFF Fixed Income Analyst.
Sissel Krossøy
Krossøy is assistant director in the department of Analysis and Audit in the Norwegian Banks’ Guarantee Fund, where she has worked since 2011.
Krossøy held the position as Director in PwC before she joined the Norwegian Banks’ Guarantee Fund. She was employed in PwC from 1987 to 2011, and has mainly worked with external audit.
Tor Runshaug Foss
Foss has been general counsel since August 2018 and is part of the management team.
He came from a position as senior supervisory adviser in Finanstilsynet (Norwegian FSA). Prior to this, he worked 8 years as a business lawyer with focus on banking and transactions, most recently as senior lawyer at Kluge Advokatfirma DA. Foss has also been deputy judge at Stavanger District Court for two years. Foss has been a board member of Sparebank 1 SR-Bank Pensjonskasse and is a deputy member of the board of the Garantiordningen for Skadeforsikring.
Foss holds av law degree from the University of Bergen in 2001, and received his lawyers license in 2004.
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Billy Joel Adds Record-Breaking 63rd Consecutive Show At The Garden
63RD CONSECUTIVE SHOW IN HIS MONTHLY RESIDENCY!
TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7
The Madison Square Garden Company announced today the unprecedented 63rd consecutive show by legendary musician and MSG franchise Billy Joel on Friday, April 12, 2019. The April show is part of Joel’s residency at The World’s Most Famous Arena which began in January 2014 with him playing one show per month at The Garden. The April 2019 show will be Joel’s 109th all-time performance at The Garden.
Citi cardmembers will have first access to presale tickets for the April 12 show from Monday, December 3 at 10:00AM (EST) through Thursday, December 6 at 10:00PM (EST) via www.citiprivatepass.com. Presale ticket access will also be available for the April show through Ticketmaster Verified Fan®. By collaborating with Verified Fan, we can create a safe and reliable shopping experience, and protect the fans from those who are using malicious technology to access tickets. Verified Fan registration opens on Thursday, November 29 at 8:00AM (EST) and continues until Monday, December 3 at 8:00AM (EST). The Verified Fan presale will run from Wednesday, December 5 at 10:00AM (EST) through Thursday, December 6 at 10:00PM (EST). A simple registration is all it takes to participate. For more information and to register, visit https://verifiedfan.ticketmaster.com/billyj0412. Tickets for the April show will be available for purchase by the general public beginning at 10:00AM (EST) on Friday, December 7 via ticketmaster.com and by calling Ticketmaster at 866-858-0008. Tickets will also be available at the Madison Square Garden box office on Saturday, December 8. Prices range from $65.50 to $149.50. The concerts, part of the Montefiore Concert Series, are being promoted by The Madison Square Garden Company in association with AEG Presents and Q104.3 as a media partner.
In December 2013, Billy Joel became Madison Square Garden’s first-ever music franchise, joining the ranks of the storied venue’s other original franchises – the New York Knicks, Rangers and Liberty. Billy Joel is one of the biggest concert draws in the world and continues this achievement with an impressive run of sold-out consecutive stadium shows and concert arenas. Having sold 150 million records over the past quarter century, scoring 33 consecutive Top 40 hits, Billy Joel ranks as one of the most popular recording artists and respected entertainers in history. The singer/songwriter/composer is the sixth best-selling recording artist of all time and the third best-selling solo artist. In 2016, the Library of Congress selected “Piano Man” for preservation in the National Recording Registry for its “cultural, historic, and artistic significance.”
Joel received The Kennedy Center Honors, one of the United States’ top cultural awards, in December 2013. He is also the recipient of six GRAMMY® Awards, including the prestigious Grammy Legend Award. Joel has been inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and has received numerous industry awards including a TONY AWARD for “Movin’ Out,” a Broadway musical based on Joel’s music. For his accomplishments as a musician and as a humanitarian, Joel was honored as the 2002 MusiCares Person Of The Year by the MusiCares Foundation and the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences.
The Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) is a world leader in live sports and entertainment experiences. The company presents or hosts a broad array of premier events in its diverse collection of iconic venues: New York’s Madison Square Garden, The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and Beacon Theatre; the Forum in Inglewood, CA; The Chicago Theatre; and the Wang Theatre in Boston. Other MSG properties include legendary sports franchises: the New York Knicks (NBA), the New York Rangers (NHL) and the New York Liberty (WNBA); two development league teams – the Westchester Knicks (NBAGL) and the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL); and esports teams through Counter Logic Gaming, a leading North American esports organization, and Knicks Gaming, MSG’s NBA 2K League franchise. In addition, the Company features the popular original production – the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes – and through Boston Calling Events, produces New England’s preeminent Boston Calling Music Festival. Also under the MSG umbrella is TAO Group, a world-class hospitality group with globally-recognized entertainment dining and nightlife brands: Tao, Marquee, Lavo, Avenue, The Stanton Social, Beauty & Essex and Vandal. More information is available at www.themadisonsquaregardencompany.com.
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Biogeoscience past and present
Origins of environmental research networks
Contemporary environmental research networks
Biogeoscience and environmental networks
BG | Volume 15, issue 15
Ideas and perspectives 15 Aug 2018
Ideas and perspectives | 15 Aug 2018
Ideas and perspectives: Strengthening the biogeosciences in environmental research networks
Strengthening the biogeosciences in environmental research networks
Ideas and perspectives: Strengthening the biogeosciences in environmental research networks Strengthening the biogeosciences in environmental research networks Daniel D. Richter et al.
Daniel D. Richter1, Sharon A. Billings2, Peter M. Groffman3, Eugene F. Kelly4, Kathleen A. Lohse5, William H. McDowell6, Timothy S. White7, Suzanne Anderson8, Dennis D. Baldocchi9, Steve Banwart10, Susan Brantley11, Jean J. Braun12, Zachary S. Brecheisen1, Charles W. Cook1, Hilairy E. Hartnett13, Sarah E. Hobbie14, Jerome Gaillardet15, Esteban Jobbagy16, Hermann F. Jungkunst17, Clare E. Kazanski18, Jagdish Krishnaswamy19, Daniel Markewitz20, Katherine O'Neill21, Clifford S. Riebe22, Paul Schroeder23, Christina Siebe24, Whendee L. Silver25, Aaron Thompson26, Anne Verhoef27, and Ganlin Zhang28 Daniel D. Richter et al. Daniel D. Richter1, Sharon A. Billings2, Peter M. Groffman3, Eugene F. Kelly4, Kathleen A. Lohse5, William H. McDowell6, Timothy S. White7, Suzanne Anderson8, Dennis D. Baldocchi9, Steve Banwart10, Susan Brantley11, Jean J. Braun12, Zachary S. Brecheisen1, Charles W. Cook1, Hilairy E. Hartnett13, Sarah E. Hobbie14, Jerome Gaillardet15, Esteban Jobbagy16, Hermann F. Jungkunst17, Clare E. Kazanski18, Jagdish Krishnaswamy19, Daniel Markewitz20, Katherine O'Neill21, Clifford S. Riebe22, Paul Schroeder23, Christina Siebe24, Whendee L. Silver25, Aaron Thompson26, Anne Verhoef27, and Ganlin Zhang28
1Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
2Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Kansas Biological Survey, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
3City University of New York, Advanced Science Research Center and Brooklyn College, Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, New York, NY, USA
4Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO, USA
5Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID, USA
6Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA
7Earth and Environmental Systems Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
8Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research and Dept. of Geography, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
9Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California at Berkeley, CA, USA
10School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
11Earth and Environmental Systems Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
12Geosciences Environment Toulouse, Universite de Toulouse, Toulouse, FR and University of Yaounide, LIM DYCOFAC, IRD, Yaounde, Cameroon
13School of Earth and Space Exploration and School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
14Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
15Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
16Grupo de Estudios Ambientales – IMASL, CONICET, and Universidad Nacional de San Luis, Argentina
17Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Koblenz-Landau, Landau, Germany
19Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Bangalore, India
20Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
21Environmental Studies, Roanoke College, Salem, VA, USA
22Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
23Department of Geology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
24Instituto de Geologia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
25Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
26Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
27Department of Geography and Environmental Science, The University of Reading, Reading, UK
28State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
Received: 06 Feb 2018 – Discussion started: 22 Feb 2018 – Revised: 21 Jul 2018 – Accepted: 23 Jul 2018 – Published: 15 Aug 2018
Long-term environmental research networks are one approach to advancing local, regional, and global environmental science and education. A remarkable number and wide variety of environmental research networks operate around the world today. These are diverse in funding, infrastructure, motivating questions, scientific strengths, and the sciences that birthed and maintain the networks. Some networks have individual sites that were selected because they had produced invaluable long-term data, while other networks have new sites selected to span ecological gradients. However, all long-term environmental networks share two challenges. Networks must keep pace with scientific advances and interact with both the scientific community and society at large. If networks fall short of successfully addressing these challenges, they risk becoming irrelevant. The objective of this paper is to assert that the biogeosciences offer environmental research networks a number of opportunities to expand scientific impact and public engagement. We explore some of these opportunities with four networks: the International Long-Term Ecological Research Network programs (ILTERs), critical zone observatories (CZOs), Earth and ecological observatory networks (EONs), and the FLUXNET program of eddy flux sites. While these networks were founded and expanded by interdisciplinary scientists, the preponderance of expertise and funding has gravitated activities of ILTERs and EONs toward ecology and biology, CZOs toward the Earth sciences and geology, and FLUXNET toward ecophysiology and micrometeorology. Our point is not to homogenize networks, nor to diminish disciplinary science. Rather, we argue that by more fully incorporating the integration of biology and geology in long-term environmental research networks, scientists can better leverage network assets, keep pace with the ever-changing science of the environment, and engage with larger scientific and public audiences.
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Richter, D. D., Billings, S. A., Groffman, P. M., Kelly, E. F., Lohse, K. A., McDowell, W. H., White, T. S., Anderson, S., Baldocchi, D. D., Banwart, S., Brantley, S., Braun, J. J., Brecheisen, Z. S., Cook, C. W., Hartnett, H. E., Hobbie, S. E., Gaillardet, J., Jobbagy, E., Jungkunst, H. F., Kazanski, C. E., Krishnaswamy, J., Markewitz, D., O'Neill, K., Riebe, C. S., Schroeder, P., Siebe, C., Silver, W. L., Thompson, A., Verhoef, A., and Zhang, G.: Ideas and perspectives: Strengthening the biogeosciences in environmental research networks, Biogeosciences, 15, 4815-4832, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-4815-2018, 2018.
In this paper, we bring the biogeosciences and environmental research networks together by exploring their origins and by asking a simple question: might ongoing environmental research networks benefit from a perspective that more explicitly includes the biogeosciences? The specific objectives of this paper are to consider the historical development of the biogeosciences and of environmental research networks and to use that history to highlight opportunities for the world's environmental research networks to use the biogeosciences to benefit network science itself and to broaden their impacts on the wider sciences and society.
Growing numbers of biologists and geologists are working together on the biogeoscience of societally important issues (Hedin et al., 2002; Hinckley et al., 2016; Field et al., 2016; O'Neill and Richter, 2016; Wymore et al., 2017; Brantley et al., 2017a). Top-tier, multidisciplinary journals now publish biogeoscience papers, and professional ecological and geological societies have new biogeoscience journals and subdivisions. The highly cited and venerable journal Biogeochemistry has been in publication since 1984. New biogeoscience awards and lectureships are funded. Cambridge University Press recently published a major volume entitled A Biogeoscience Approach to Ecosystems (Johnson and Martin, 2016). We write this paper to assert that there is scientific potential to bringing a biogeoscience-explicit perspective to the world's environmental research networks and that biogeoscience initiatives at individual sites or across networks can increase the value of environmental research networks for science, education, and society at large.
2 Biogeoscience past and present
To consider the origins of biogeoscience and thereby develop a perspective for its further application to environmental research networks, we must mention the incomparable biogeoscientist, Alexander von Humboldt, widely recognized as the founder of biogeography. But we begin with some detail with Darwin, whose evolutionary biology is deeply seated in biogeoscience. For this Darwin owes much to Lyell, whose Principles of Geology opened for the young Darwin the geologic history of the Earth as an ancient, life-filled, and highly dynamic planet. Lyell's three-volume Principles were among Darwin's most important books in the Beagle's 400-book library (Herbert, 2005). After the Beagle's 5-year voyage around the world, Darwin's Voyages and The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs both vigorously embraced geology and biology. Chancellor (2008) described Coral Reefs as “not just a book about reefs, it is a book which sweeps across the ecology and geology of the whole world”. In 1859, Darwin was awarded the Wollaston Medal by the Geological Society of London, the geological society's highest award. Darwin spoke spiritedly about the concert of geology and biology; “My books came half out of Lyell's brains”, he wrote to a colleague (CD Letter to Leonard Horner, 8-29-1844). Darwin's genius sprang from his understanding that the overlap and interaction of biology and geology drove biological evolution.
By the early 20th century, however, biology and geology had subdivided into distinct disciplines. The growing recognition of biological and geological complexities facilitated the division, but so too did scientific reductionism and the departmentalization of university faculties. Many academics welcomed the narrowing of scope and the close-knit academic communities brought about by departments (Stichweh, 1992). Despite exceptions, even today the mainstreams of biology and geology remain formally separated by university departments, professional societies, funding streams, and journals. With the exception of paleontology, geomicrobiology, and evolutionary theory, their vast literatures rarely reference each other.
Figure 1The great biogeoscientist Vladimir Vernadsky gave special attention to solar radiation driving global photosynthesis and subsequently the global biological, geological, and human responses that follow from this remarkable transfer of “cosmic energy”. The false-color composite image displays ocean chlorophyll a concentrations from dark blue at ∼0.05 mg m−3 to green at ∼1 mg m−3 to red at > 30 mg m−3 and land-normalized difference vegetation index from a minimum as brown to a maximum as dark green to blue. (The image of global photoautotroph abundance is integrated over 20 years from 1997 to 2016 and is provided by the SeaWiFS Project, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.)
Despite the formal division, the two sciences have been bridged by a number of remarkable biogeoscientists. Darwin champion Thomas H. Huxley lectured for many decades not only on the veracity of biological evolution but also on the close relations and interactions of biology and geology. In a public lecture Huxley (1897) called “one of the greatest chapters in the history of the world”, he told a story he said was written in a simple piece of chalk. Huxley began by remarking that if a chalk rock is viewed under a microscope, it is seen to be a collection of the most beautiful tiny shells of a fossil organism named Globigerina: “A cubic inch may contain a hundred thousand of their bodies”. After noting that Globigerina was but one of the fossils and how ancient these fossils were, about a 100 million years old, he celebrated the then recent discovery of living Globigerina, a discovery made during the laying of telegraph cable on the ocean bottom between Ireland and Newfoundland. As the cable rested on the bottom of the Atlantic, the ocean's depth had to be measured and the seafloor sampled over several thousand miles. Most of the seafloor, Huxley exclaimed, was discovered to be beds of recently deceased Globigerina and similar creatures that had died and accumulated on the bottom of the ocean and making an ideal surface for the cable. Huxley's story is about life in a rock; it spans the microscopic to the vast ocean and the present with many millions of years. He emphatically claimed that such stories are fundamental to the knowledge of well-educated scholars and the general public.
Any history of biogeoscience must include the Ukrainian–Russian Vladimir Vernadsky (1998, originally for 1926), a mineralogist by training, whose most important book, The Biosphere, introduced the new science of biogeochemistry. Vernadsky saw the Earth as a dynamic planet driven by tightly linked biogeochemical reactions of photosynthesis, decomposition, chemical cycling, and mineral weathering. Figure 1, a recent satellite image of Earth's photosynthetic activity, presents a vision that is Vernadsky's, of Earth as a metabolic system. Not widely known is that one of Vernadsky's most influential teachers was the renowned Vasily Dokuchaev, an inspirational teacher widely recognized to be the founder of the biogeoscience known as pedology (Jenny, 1961).
Vernadsky's Biosphere, though quickly translated into French, went untranslated into English for many decades. Vernadsky's ideas, however, circulated within the English-speaking world in part due to their active promotion by the ecologist G.E Hutchinson. Hutchinson urged his students and fellow scientists to “confront all of the processes that maintain or change ecological systems, whether these processes were biological, physical or geological” (Slobodkin, 1993). Hutchinson immediately made use of Tansley's (1935) coinage of the ecosystem concept, i.e., the indivisible physical system of biota and environment. He was also instrumental in helping the young Ray Lindeman (1942) with his mathematical models of the biogeochemical cycles of a lake ecosystem. Hutchinson famously intervened to advocate for the publication of Lindeman's (1942) paper, in which Lindeman wrote that the “constant organic–inorganic cycle of nutritive substance is so completely integrated that to consider … a lake primarily as a biotic community appears to force a `biological' emphasis upon a more basic functional organization”. Hutchinson and his students brought an expansive sense of space and time to ecosystem science, coring many tens of meters into lake sediments to reconstruct the multimillennial evolution of lakes and of their surrounding catchments (Hutchinson and Wollack, 1940).
Figure 2Throughout the 20th century, precipitation and streamflow were measured in watersheds, for example (a) at Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory in western North Carolina, where in Watershed 17 catchment-hydrologic response to deforestation was quantified (Hursh et al., 1942). Watershed–ecosystem studies continue to quantify hydrologic responses to land uses but with greatly advanced instrumentation as in (b) the Stringer Creek watershed in Montana (available at: http://water.engr.psu.edu/gooseff/web_research/hydroscapes.html, last access: 2 August 2018). At Stringer Creek, within-watershed processes such as water storage, interflow, groundwater recharge, gas exchanges, nutrient flows, evapotranspiration, and other processes are estimated with advanced sensor technologies, often in real time, supported by lidar-generated digital elevation models and eddy covariance fluxes of energy, water, and carbon.
By the time that Hutchinson was writing “The Biosphere” for Scientific American (1970), an essay all but formally dedicated to Vernadsky, the International Biological Program (IBP) was systematically gathering enormous amounts of ecosystem data from tropical forests to the tundra. The IBP represents one of the world's first comprehensive environmental and ecosystem research networks, complete with standardized protocols and data management. Remarkably, IBP research was funded by many nations irrespective of politics, and by the early 1980s, the IBP had assembled a vast collection of new biogeochemistry data from hundreds of sites (e.g., Reichle, 1981). The IBP greatly accelerated our understanding of ecosystems at local to global scale and helped spread the concept of the ecosystem, what some have called the “biogeocenoesis”, worldwide.
Two additional historical developments, those of the watershed ecosystem and the critical zone ecosystem, pertain directly to the relations between biogeoscience and environmental research networks.
First, hydrologists have quantified how streamflow responds to precipitation, how land management alters watershed response, and how evapotranspiration varies as a function of water supply and evaporative demand. Watershed experiments have long been conducted internationally in developed and developing nations (e.g., Hursh et al., 1942; Krishnaswamy, 2017), and watershed monitoring and models have grown ever more sophisticated (Fig. 2). Bormann (1996) described how these watershed studies led directly to the measurement of chemical element inputs and outputs in precipitation and stream water, respectively, and to the birth of the watershed ecosystem concept (Bormann and Likens, 1967). Watersheds not only control hydrologic responses but also rates of weathering, erosion, and the biogeochemical cycling of chemical elements. The science of watershed ecosystems is nothing if not a biogeoscience.
Related to the concept of the watershed ecosystem is the concept of the critical zone ecosystem. In 2001, a group of Earth scientists and ecologists proposed the Earth's critical zone as a concept that integrates the structure and interconnected dynamics of the atmosphere, the vegetation, soils, and underlying regolith down to the deepest groundwater and weathering fronts (National Research Council, 2001). Critical zone science was proposed as a new Earth system science, an explicitly interdisciplinary and integrative science that includes all Earth system sciences. Given the usefulness of the Bormann and Likens concept of the watershed ecosystem, we propose greater use of “critical zone ecosystem” to draw greater attention to all boundaries of Earth's life-support system, but specifically to those that are subsurface and generally considered “geological”. The critical zone ecosystem operates and evolves across timescales from the instantaneous to multimillion years, and like Tansley's ecosystem and the watershed ecosystem, the critical zone ecosystem is spatially scalable (Evans, 1956) from vegetation-clad soil and regolith profiles, to small watersheds and large river basins, to the continental and global terrestrial surface (Richter and Billings, 2015). To date, the critical zone ecosystem has received attention primarily via its components, through researchers have focused on specific parts of the larger system.
3 Origins of environmental research networks
The origins of environmental research networks can be traced to place-based research studies of the 19th century that were motivated by famines and rising concerns that farming might not be able to provide sufficient food for growing human populations (Richter and Markewitz, 2001). Long-term agricultural experiments were initiated, motivated by the prospects that agricultural science might increase and sustain crop yields (Rossiter, 1975). Examples include the Park Grass experiment in England, begun in 1856 to quantify how hayfields respond to soil amendments (an experiment that Tilman et al. (1994) called the world's “most long-term ecological study”), and the Lethbridge and Breton plots in Alberta, Canada (established 1910 and 1930, respectively) to test the conversion of native prairie grasslands to cultivation-based agriculture and rotations (McGill et al., 1986). Long-term agricultural field studies spread to the developing world, for example, to China, India, and Pakistan (Tirol-Padre and Ladha, 2006), where today many dozens of long-term field experiments are used by scientists to test relationships between soil, management, and yields in intensively managed rice, Oryza spp. (Bhandari et al., 2002; Tirol-Padre and Ladha, 2006).
Based on a recent international inventory (http://iscn.fluxdata.org/partner-networks/long-term-soil-experiments/, last access: 2 August 2018), there are many hundreds of long-term agricultural research sites worldwide that are monitoring the sustainability of agricultural production over decadal timescales (Richter and Yaalon, 2012). These experiments study effects of tillage practices, rotations, and long-term amendments of fertilizers and organic materials such as manures and sludges on soils, microbial communities, biochemical and physical fluxes (such as those affecting soil water and heat regimes), and crop productivity. With important exceptions, most long-term agricultural studies, however, are not part of larger networks and operate as place-based studies. These important studies also remain incompletely inventoried (Richter et al., 2007).
Many of the place-based agricultural studies have made major contributions to the environmental sciences in addition to their intended contributions to agronomy. Perhaps the finest example is Rothamsted's Broadbalk wheat experiment, a field experiment known for its agronomic data based on 175 years of continuous cultivation. The Broadbalk wheat experiment may be as valuable for its contributions to the wider environmental sciences as for its contributions to agronomy. Broadbalk publications have been fundamental to quantifying and modeling up to 150 years of changes in soil fertility, soil carbon sequestration, soil acidification, nitrogen cycling, nitrate and phosphate leaching into groundwaters, adverse effects of industrial air pollution, microbial community composition, and persistence of potentially toxic compounds (Leigh and Johnston, 1994). Jenkinson (1991) suggested that Broadbalk's success owed much to the ability of the Broadbalk managers to periodically modify the themes of research to keep the long-term experiment relevant to societal needs, lessons clearly important to contemporary environmental research networks.
4 Contemporary environmental research networks
As geologists debate Earth's transitions over all geological time periods, the time period from the Holocene to the Anthropocene Epoch (Waters et al., 2016) is particularly important, as a variety of environmental research networks are quantifying biogeophysical changes in the planet from local to global scales. A foray online can find environmental networks engaged in monitoring changes in lakes (Sier and Monteith, 2016), soil organic carbon (Smith et al., 2002), wind erosion (Webb et al., 2016), and agricultural ecosystems (Robertson et al., 2008) to name a few. There seems to be growing interest in new environmental networks as demonstrated by the recent launch of a mycorrhizal research network in South America (Bueno et al., 2017), and proposals for an ambitious but yet to be funded long-term ecological observatory network in India (Thaker et al., 2015).
Of the variety of environmental research networks, we focus our attention on four: the International Long-Term Ecological Research Network programs (ILTERs), the Critical Zone Exploration Network and critical zone observatory programs (CZEN and CZOs), Earth and ecological observatory networks (EONs), and FLUXNET (the global network of flux towers that measure land–atmosphere exchanges of energy, water, and carbon). While building networks is never easy, each of these is experiencing remarkable success with regards to infrastructure deployment, scientific output, and in training next-generation scientists. We briefly give an overview of each of these networks and then make suggestions about the scientific and engagement opportunities that the biogeosciences may bring to each.
4.1 ILTERs
By the late 20th century, the accelerating pace of environmental change has made it incumbent on scientists to get the most out of long-term place-based environmental research sites. In 1984, a paper in BioScience by James Callahan was one of several at the time to lay out the case for networking long-term ecological research sites (LTERs). Rallying support for LTER science, what was special about Callahan's paper was that, despite being an NSF program officer, he also sharply criticized the NSF's traditional short-term ecological research programs. Remarkably, Callahan (1984) argued that the NSF's short-term ecological research had been counterproductive to the science of ecology, a science that deals with phenomena occurring over decades or centuries and large spatial scales as well. Today, the USA's robust LTER program, funded from throughout the NSF but mainly by the NSF's Directorate for Biological Sciences, includes 28 long-term research sites, primarily in North America but also at strategically placed international sites. The LTER research is well known to be question driven, experimentally designed environmental research and monitoring. The data collected are meant to answer specific questions and test hypotheses about ecosystem productivity, organic matter recycling, elemental cycling, biological populations, and disturbance. The US LTER sites also function as well-funded focal points for intensive, interdisciplinary, place-based research.
Figure 3Core conceptual models of (a) ecologists' ecosystem (Lindenmayer and Likens 2009, after Bormann and Likens 1967), (b) Earth scientists' critical zone (courtesy of the Southern Sierras Critical Zone Observatory), and (c) an EON design (courtesy of the USA's National Ecological Observatory Network) that includes an eddy covariance flux tower that is the basis for the FLUXNET program. The congruence of the ecosystem and critical zone concepts that guide these networks motivates biogeoscientists to consider how to get the most from these long-term research investments.
LTER science became international with the formation of the International Long-Term Ecological Research (ILTER) program in 1993. Ecologists in many nations saw the opportunity and need for international collaboration among long-term ecological research sites to better quantify ecological change across spatial scales. Today in 40 nations, the independent ILTER Association includes about 800 place-based LTERs and an impressive array of facilities, scientific expertise, and enormous data legacies with time series that span over a century with increasingly standardized metadata (Mirtl et al., 2018). The LTERs are located from the Arctic to Antarctica and study forests, prairies, tundra, deserts, cities, agricultural fields, and a variety of estuarine, near-shore coastal, and coastal ocean sites. All share the common goal to better understand and predict the structure, function, services, and human-altered changes in the Earth's diverse ecosystems. Forty nations are involved today, and there appears to be good potential for future growth, as illustrated by the high quality of long-term research ongoing in nations such as Argentina (Contreras et al., 2012), India (Thaker et al., 2015), and Gabon (Braun et al., 2017). There is also growing interest in LTER research throughout the developing world (e.g., Kim et al., 2018).
4.2 CZEN and CZOs
In 2001, Earth and ecological scientists in the USA's National Research Council (Ashley, 1998; National Research Council, 2001) defined the concept of Earth's critical zone to be the life-supporting, superficial planetary system extending from the near-surface atmospheric layers that exchange energy, water, particles, and gases with the vegetation and ground layers down through the soil to the deepest bedrock weathering fronts, extending in space and time the venerable ecosystem concept (Richter and Billings, 2015). The critical zone concept is entirely congruent not only with the ecosystem but also with Vernadsky's (1998) biosphere (Fig. 3). Critical zone science forces researchers to collaborate on studies of the processes that maintain Earth's life-supporting systems, whether they are experts in climate, weather, glaciers, snow and ice, surface water or groundwater, vegetation, soil, regolith, or underlying bedrock and sediments (Brantley et al., 2007). Given that these systems are being altered intensively and extensively by human activities, critical zone science welcomes scientists and scholars who focus on human forcings.
In 2005, the Critical Zone Exploration Network (http://www.czen.org/, last access: 2 August 2018) was launched by the Earth science community to stimulate a worldwide community of researchers and educators who study the structure and processes of the critical zone (Brantley et al., 2006). The CZEN has helped build an active international community of scientists, many of whom participate in the annual American Geophysical Union (AGU) meetings. A handful of nations or collections of nations have funded CZO networks, including the USA (Brantley et al., 2017b), France (Gaillardet et al., 2018), Germany (Zacharias et al., 2011), the European Union (Banwart et al., 2017), and China (Tahir et al., 2016).
Figure 4Hydrologic stations are currently being installed and upgraded in the vast and understudied central African landscapes. The international French critical zone program, OZCAR, is expanding biogeoscience infrastructure in the Congo River basin and in smaller river basins such as Gabon's Ogooué River. The image is of Gabonese savannas and forests in Lopé National Park (photograph, Jean Jacques Braun).
To date, CZO research designs are wide ranging and united by their shared critical zone concept and the idea that critical zone science must be interdisciplinary and integrative. Beyond this, there is no special protocol for how a CZO is to be designed. This has resulted in a wide latitude in the organization and operation of CZOs. In the USA, nine heavily instrumented CZOs test place-based hypotheses (Brantley et al., 2017b); but because the nine CZOs span climate, geologic, and land use gradients (e.g., Chorover et al., 2011), the research teams have each developed integrated approaches to the study of the dynamic structure and processes of critical zones within and across observatories. In contrast, the new French CZO program called OZCAR is a network of networks whose organizational structure differs greatly from that of the USA's CZOs. The OZCAR program, formally launched in 2015, works on critical zone science within and across networks of river basins, peatlands, glaciers, reservoirs, aquifers, and agricultural systems, with all together many hundreds of sites (Gaillardet et al., 2018). And in China, supported in part by the joint China–UK critical zone science program, long-term ecological stations are being transformed into CZOs by adding more geological observations and opening some of the world's first urban CZOs (Zhu et al., 2017b).
Giardano and Houser (2015) listed 64 CZO projects worldwide; however, additional CZOs can be added to this list that are extremely important, including Mexico City's wastewater irrigation CZO (Siebe et al., 2016), a monsoonal CZO in the Western Ghat Mountains of India (http://www.czen.org/content/international-czo-working-group, last access: 30 June 2018), and the new Ogooué River basin CZO (Fig. 4) in Gabon, central Africa (Braun et al., 2017). What unites all CZOs and CZO networks is the critical zone concept and questions about how to monitor, measure, and model the dynamics of critical zone structures and processes as affected by climate and land use changes.
4.3 EONs
The emergence of Earth and ecological observatory networks (EONs) marks a new approach to environmental research networks. Rather than the hypothesis-driven approach of long-term agricultural experiments, ILTERs, and CZOs, EONs use surveillance-based, distributed approaches to environmental monitoring and research. The USA's National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), Australia's Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), and the Global Earth Observatory System of Systems (GEOSS) are three examples of EONs that use spatially distributed monitoring sites across regional and continental environmental gradients. The instrumentation has tightly controlled protocols and large streams of often real-time data are collected, stored, and shared with a wider audience of scientists and managers. The Group of Earth Observations (GEO), a partnership of over 100 governments and nearly 100 organizations, has promoted biodiversity observatory networks as a societally relevant theme in the formation of these EONs.
With EONs, the emphasis is on collecting biologically and ecologically relevant data across wide spatial areas (Walters and Scholes, 2016), which are made available to the wider research community for analysis. The intent is to identify ecological patterns over time that may not be visible using smaller data streams created from individual research sites. Given the novelty and the growing implementation of EON approaches, Lindenmayer et al. (2018) argue that there is an “urgent need to find an optimal balance between, and the amount of funding dedicated to surveillance versus question-driven research and monitoring”. They urge an integration of hypothesis- and place-based networks such as ILTERs and environmental monitoring networks such as EONs to take advantage of the positive features of both.
4.4 FLUXNET
The study of energy, water, and carbon fluxes within and between ecosystems was developed not only by ecologists such as Hutchinson and Lindeman, but also by physical scientists interested in the fluid dynamics and mass and energy exchange at the Earth's surface. Despite an absence of instrumentation, Reynolds (1895) established the fundamental theoretical framework for the eddy covariance approach to flux measurements, and throughout the 20th century, an international group of physical scientists contributed to the theory and instrumentation of flux measurements (Moncrieff et al., 1997; Baldocchi, 2003). In the late 20th century these scientists contributed to a growing understanding of two major environmental problems: the effects of large-scale air pollution that had spread across Europe and North America and the interactions of fossil-fuel-driven increases in atmospheric CO2 and the ecosystem–atmosphere exchanges of carbon, water, and heat. However, not until the near collapse of what was then called flux-gradient techniques (Raupach, 1979) and major advancements made in anemometer, gas sensor, and computer technologies could eddy fluxes of energy, water, and carbon be measured. Year-round measurements of ecosystem–atmosphere exchange were first made in the early 1990s (Wofsy et al., 1993), and by 2000, over 100 flux sites were measuring energy and mass exchanges of ecosystems throughout the world. While ecosystem metabolism was clearly understood by Hutchinson and Lindeman (1942) and Odum (1956, 1968), it took 100 years for physical scientists to assemble the theory and tools to directly measure fluxes of energy, water, and carbon necessary to estimate whole-ecosystem photosynthesis and respiration.
In 2001, the FLUXNET project was established to promote networking of the science and data management of eddy covariance flux towers (Baldocchi et al., 2001), a network that has grown to over 900 historic and ongoing sites and a network science that has substantially increased our understanding of the dynamics of ecosystems and their interactions with the atmosphere (Baldocchi, 2014). Today towers operate on six continents and their latitudinal distribution ranges from about 40∘ S to 75∘ N. Ecosystems include conifer and broadleaf forests, crops, grasslands, wetlands, and tundra. FLUXNET compiles, archives, and shares flux data via a long-running website (http://fluxnet.fluxdata.org/, last access: 2 August 2018) and has accumulated enormous data sets pertinent to ecosystem primary production, respiration, evapotranspiration, and sensible and latent heat fluxes (Chu et al., 2016). While most flux towers have accumulated continuous data for up to 5 years, a number of towers have accumulated > 20 years of data. The network has promoted instrument calibration, post-processing, and reliable gap-filling techniques and strives to ensure that data among sites are intercomparable. It also supports synthesis, discussion, and communication of ideas and data via its website and workshops. Analyses of these data sets have facilitated the adaptation of machine-learning (Tramontana et al., 2015) and site-level as well as regional gridded products that have helped parameterize and verify biosphere and land surface models (Van den Hoof et al., 2013), as well as the analysis of satellite remote sensing and global atmospheric measurements (Bonan et al., 2011). The flux tower approach is not without its challenges and we discuss its tendency to focus on aboveground vegetation and the atmosphere, but it still contributes mightily to the tools and theory of environmental scientists.
5 Biogeoscience and environmental networks
This paper asserts the potential for biogeoscience to benefit ongoing environmental research networks such as those described above. By this we mean that networks can better keep pace with scientific advances and engage with broader communities by employing an explicit biogeosciences approach. Environmental research networks are major societal investments, and it is incumbent on science and society to get the most from such public outlays of financial and intellectual capital. The gravity and fast pace of environmental and technological change mandates that we bring the best of our disciplinary specialties to defining and resolving environmental problems together, as scientists and scholars. We detail a number of concrete examples to illustrate how an integrative, biogeoscience approach can enhance network value.
Figure 5An example of geohydrological, geochemical, and geohistorical control over lake water chemistry, biology, and ecology. The diagram (slightly redrawn here) was used by Magnuson (1990) as a justification for expanding space and timescales for ecological research. The figure illustrates the relatively slowly operating hydrogeologic processes of groundwater flow through contrasting glacial tills. Dilute water from Crystal Lake (∼10 µmol L−1 HCO3-) arrives at Big Muskellunge Lake with greatly elevated alkalinity (∼350 µmol L−1 HCO3-) due to flow paths of groundwater that extend tens of meters deep through carbonate-rich substrata. The example illustrates the overlapping of biological and geological sciences in space and time.
While these networks were founded and expanded by remarkably interdisciplinary scientists, the preponderance of expertise and funding streams have tended to gravitate to different networks by discipline: ILTERs and EONs toward ecology and biology, CZOs toward the geosciences, and FLUXNET toward ecophysiology and micrometeorology. While our paper's interest and objective is not to homogenize environmental research networks, we do assert that biogeoscience presents special opportunities for integrating diverse disciplines in ways that will benefit the research networks in advancing science and disseminating their science narratives among scientific communities and the public. We use several examples to illustrate this point.
5.1 Biogeoscience and ILTERs
Biogeoscience can potentially enrich ILTERs by bringing advanced geoscience to the otherwise strong ecological focus of ILTERs. With notable exceptions, few ILTER sites characterize the dynamic structures and biogeoscience processes of subsoils, regoliths, groundwater, and weathering rock and sedimentary substrata well. These are the lower components of the rooting zone, the water storage and drainage volumes of ecosystems, and environments that exchange reactive gases produced and consumed by biota and minerals. These are often heterogenous environments undergoing weathering, the biogeochemical reactions that produce solutes and new minerals (Schroeder, 2018). Here, we consider research opportunities related to (1) drilling projects such as that exemplified at the Hubbard Brook ILTER, (2) the research of the critical zone ecosystem in the Mezquital Valley of Mexico, and (3) the Luquillo ILTER–CZO in Puerto Rico. Our intent is that these examples may give environmental network scientists ideas for future studies that draw biological and geological disciplines together.
5.1.1 Deep drilling in ILTERs
Coring and drilling campaigns in ILTERs, down through soil, regolith, and underlying bedrock, can open new opportunities to learn how ecosystems function as watersheds and landscapes across space and time. New geophysical techniques are available to quantify and visualize these understudied subsurface environments (e.g., St. Clair et al., 2015; Riebe et al., 2017). The Hubbard Brook LTER in North America has a drilling program with the US Geological Survey that has gathered physical, chemical, and isotopic data of groundwater from wells up to 100 m in depth (LaBaugh et al., 2013). Especially for ILTERs with watersheds, streams, and lakes, novel geophysics and geohydrologic approaches can not only characterize subsurface architecture (St. Clair et al., 2015), but can also trace water storage and movement through landscapes (Fan, 2015; Evaristo et al., 2015). Drilling projects can thus help quantify linkages of the atmosphere, terrestrial ecosystem, and aquatic systems and reveal how ecosystems have functioned and evolved over Earth's history. For ILTERs with interest in dating landforms, drilling campaigns in conjunction with cosmogenic isotopic analyses can provide chronologies of landscape evolution and provide new understandings of erosion and the biogeochemical cycling of nutrients and trace elements (Bierman and Nichols, 2004).
5.1.2 How deep is an ecosystem?
That the underlying geological components of watersheds are relevant and integral to the concept of ecosystem was the basis for a few early ILTER studies (Fig. 5), but perhaps nowhere more so than in the extremely valuable, underfunded, and decades-long study in Mexico City and the nearby Mezquital Valley. Here the direct connections of land use management and the deep subsurface can serve as motivation for ILTERs and all Earth scientists to deepen their perspective of the ecosystem. The Mezquital Valley has received nearly all of Mexico City's untreated wastewater for a century. The valley has a semiarid climate and is currently irrigated with about 2 m per year of untreated wastewater over nearly 100 000 ha (Siebe et al., 2016). As a consequence, agricultural crops and their human communities have thrived in the valley where today nearly 500 000 people live, entirely dependent on the wastewater and its nutrients supplied by the ever-growing Mexico City. For nearly 25 years a team led by Christina Siebe of the University of Mexico has quantified the transformation of the Mezquital Valley as a critical zone ecosystem, making measurements down to 35 m of depth, including effects on water, nutrients, trace metals, pathogens, and human health (Guédron et al., 2014; Siebe et al., 2016). This CZO also documents the fate of pharmaceuticals and changes in resistance genes during long-term wastewater irrigation (Dalkmann et al., 2012; Jechalke et al., 2015).
5.1.3 Colocating ILTERs and CZOs
The biogeoscience approach to the ecosystem is demonstrated well at the colocated Luquillo ILTER and CZO in Puerto Rico. At Luquillo, ILTER and CZO scientists conduct joint studies of biotic–lithologic controls of surface water chemistry (McDowell et al., 2013), of biogeochemical redox reactions that involve organic matter, redox active metals, and biologically mediated gases (Hall and Silver, 2015; Hall et al., 2016), and of biogeochemical processes that cross wide spatial and temporal scales, i.e., what we are accustomed to calling ecological and geological timescales (e.g., Shanley et al., 2011; Brocard et al., 2015; Dialynas et al., 2016). The research demonstrates how lithologic knickpoints that cross streams and resist downcutting control up-catchment soil formation, plant productivity, and landscape evolution (Wolf et al., 2016). A major contribution to both the biogeosciences and to ecosystem and Earth sciences is a revision of the recent geologic history of the island of Puerto Rico (Brocard et al., 2015, 2016), which has major implications for understanding the current distribution of biota on the island and understanding the processes that have shaped the landscape over the last 5 million years. The work supports the veracity of the argument made by early LTER scientists such as Callahan (1984) and Swanson and Franklin (1988) that there is profound overlap rather than boundaries across the Earth's life-supporting space–time continua (Fig. 6).
Figure 6A space–time diagram of the sort used to justify LTER's emphasis on extending ecosystem research into longer timescales and larger spatial scales (modified from Wu, 1999). Spatial–temporal scales of interest in ecology and Earth sciences overlap from small to large and from instantaneous to many millions of years.
5.2 Biogeoscience and CZOs
The biogeosciences can potentially enrich CZOs by bringing novel and advanced biological and ecological research to the otherwise predominant Earth science focus of CZOs (e.g., Chen et al., 2016; Brantley et al., 2017a). The critical zone is called “critical” because all of Earth's diverse life-forms depend entirely on the structure and function of the critical zone. Thus, while ongoing CZOs characterize plant and microbial composition and quantify biologically mediated processes, relatively few CZOs characterize (1) microbial and microbial genetic responses to environmental cues that drive biogeochemistry, (2) the rate and depth to which vegetation may alter the biogeochemistry of the critical zone, (3) depth distributions of biological signals within the critical zone, and (4) the dynamics of animal–critical zone interactions.
5.2.1 Molecular biology
The ongoing revolution in molecular biology holds particular promise for a better understanding of deep subsurface Earth environments (e.g., 0.5–30 m), which are among the more poorly studied microbiomes on Earth. This revolution affects all environmental research networks, CZOs, ILTERs, EONs, and FLUXNET, as scientists cope with the burgeoning understanding of molecular biology. Gene surveys of microbial communities in previously underexplored environments in aquifers, soils, and what Hug et al. (2016) call the “deep subsurface” continue to indicate the existence of enormous numbers of branches in the tree of life and are prompting fundamental changes in how we understand life's diversity. The new analyses illuminate not only the identity of organisms but their metabolic capacities, with the diversification of bacteria particularly notable (Brown et al., 2015). Nearly all of these ongoing findings are not yet represented in biogeochemical models that simulate microbially mediated processes from local to global scales. More systematic measurements of microbial genetic responses to changing land use and climatic conditions can most certainly enhance our understanding of critical zone biogeochemistry.
The UK–China critical zone program is quantifying flows and transformations of genetic information as an integral, dynamic component of the Earth critical zone. The resistome of microbial antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs), which has emerged and spread globally in the past 50 years, provides a genetic marker of the Anthropocene. The study of ARGs has the potential to link quantitative genomic information to broader critical zone biogeochemical cycles and transformations of mass and energy (Zhu et al., 2017a). In China and other locations, there is major uncertainty about the significance of ARGs in agricultural soils and waters receiving N and P recycled directly from animal and urban human wastewater (Zhu et al., 2018).
5.2.2 Rapid vegetation–critical zone transformations
The rate at which vegetation can drive processes in the critical zone ecosystem is not well quantified, but may well be underestimated. In the Pampas of South America, deep soil and groundwater sampling in tree plantations within the grassland matrix demonstrates how vegetation can rapidly transform soil and groundwater chemistry through altered water and nutrient cycling. In these subhumid flat landscapes dominated by herbaceous vegetation, rapidly growing eucalyptus forests switched the water balance from positive to negative and led to rapid salinization of soil and groundwater within the root zone (Jobbágy and Jackson, 2007). Remarkably, the eucalyptus stands salinize soils below the top meter but substantially acidify the soil's surface horizons due to excess cation uptake and sequestration in woody biomass (Jobbágy and Jackson, 2003). These decades-long studies and others (Markewitz et al., 1998) indicate the intensity and rate at which plants can leave unique and persistent chemical imprints on the critical zone ecosystem.
5.2.3 Depth of biotic signals
While relatively few CZOs have investigated the depth of biotic signals down through the regolith deep into the critical zone, Billings et al. (2018) recently documented land use history as having a strong influences on depth of rooting and biogenic agents of soil development and found that these influences were only partly restored by many decades of forest regeneration. While root density decreased sharply from 0 to 2 m of depth across all soil profiles, below 70 cm root densities averaged 2.1-fold greater under old-growth forests than those in ∼70-year-old forests regenerating after decades of agricultural cultivation (Billings et al., 2018). Differences in rooting were associated with differences in biogeochemical environments in several ways, including microbial community composition that varied with land use throughout 0 to 5 m soil profiles. Relative abundance of root-associated bacteria was also greater in old-growth forest soils than in regenerating forests. Old-growth forest soils also exhibited a greater fraction of soil organic C as extractable down to 5 m, hinting that more root and microbial exudates were present deep in the subsoil compared to regenerating forests. While both forests had higher CO2 and lower O2 at 3 and 5 m compared with cultivated fields, soil CO2 was higher and O2 lower under old-growth hardwoods than under 70-year-old regenerating forests (Brecheisen, 2018). The data suggest that forest conversion to frequently disturbed ecosystems limits deep rooting and the biotic generation of downward-propagating weathering agents. Remarkably, some effects of surficial land use were magnified by soil depth due to positive relations of depth and residence time.
5.2.4 Animals and critical zones
Animals also can leave important imprints on the belowground ecosystem. Despite early recognition by Darwin (1882) and Gilbert (1909) that animals shape soils and the surface of the Earth, there is today relatively little study of the fundamental interactions of biology and soil geomorphology (Paton et al., 1996). Recent work by Winchell et al. (2016) on pocket gophers (Thomomys talpoides) in the Boulder Creek CZO in the USA demonstrates the great potential for this field of biogeoscience. Subalpine meadows are habitats for gophers that are small but fierce diggers whose burrows are complex and up to 100 m in length. The gophers' subterranean habitat provides protection from predators and from winter's cold and provide access to plant roots for food. The digging and excavating resurfaces the meadows in 50 to 100 years, erosion is accelerated depending on slope, and stone lines are created at about 15 cm of depth. Remarkably, at no time do the gophers enter the nearby forests, so this is fundamentally an animal–vegetation–critical zone interaction. Given that the extent of forest and meadow vegetation at these elevations is affected by wildfires and climate, this bioturbation of the soil geomorphology ebbs and flows through time. In spite of some remarkably well-documented studies (e.g., Platt et al., 2016), bioturbation of the upper regolith is a tremendously understudied field of inquiry that could be much more comprehensively studied in all of the environmental research networks.
5.3 Biogeoscience and EONS
Nearly all EONs are being created by ecologists and biologists to quantify changes in organisms and the environment over decadal timescales and at regional to global spatial scales. Motivating these networks is a focus on changes in land use and climate, as well as biotic responses such as species stress and extinctions. The EON data sets that are sometimes compared with those from networks of weather stations can be enormous and composed of multiple time series. Supplementary collections of data are important but the uniqueness of EONs is their common and controlled protocols applied to sites selected to range across environmental gradients.
5.3.1 EONS and the subsurface system
The biogeosciences can enrich EONs by bringing advanced geoscience to the strong ecological focus of these networks. Here, we specifically consider two notable EONs, NEON in the USA and TERN in Australia, both of which have instrumented sites and flux towers arrayed across continental scales collecting data that are conventionally considered to be ecologically and biologically relevant. We advocate for additional sensors in at least some of these sites to produce data sets that broaden perspectives of environmental change to include the biogeosciences. We suggest that the scientific impacts of the work to design, construct, and gather initial data at NEON, TERN, and other EONs can be multiplied with a more biogeoscience perspective of environmental change. The marginal benefits of even selective placement of sensors deep in the subsurface ecosystem could be large.
Considering the USA's NEON, for which observations are currently made no deeper than 2 m, a design modification strategy might expand this EON's scope via installations of sensors and samplers across the biogeochemical weathering profiles down below the water table and into and through the weathering bedrock. Hydrologic measurements can be enhanced, geomorphological investigations conducted, and landform evolution modeled using many novel geoscience tools, including cosmogenic isotopes. We suggest that this could be accomplished at the NEON and TERN core sites via proposals from multidisciplinary scientists to guide sensor installation at > 2 m, conduct deep borehole sampling, and apply the latest geophysical, geochemical, and geobiological approaches.
Engaging the biogeoscience community in EONs will have reciprocal benefits for the ecological research community. Such engagement will strengthen support for and commitment to EONs among researchers today and in the next generation by providing more early career scientists with opportunities for involvement in these powerful research platforms. EONs, in turn, might well achieve higher-quality science as a result of additional intellectual input from scientists, increased flexibility in their operations, and continued strength in their networked instrumentation platform.
5.4 Biogeoscience and FLUXNET
Eddy flux towers have been versatile in addressing a wide variety of scientific questions related to climate, ecological gradients, air pollution, rising CO2, and changes in land use and management. Groups of flux towers have estimated how fluxes of energy, water, carbon, and trace gases are affected by plant functional types, length of growing season, drought stress, and disturbances from fire and insect infestations. Flux towers have quantified effects of agricultural management practices, such as the following: fertilization, irrigation, and cultivation; ecological restoration; deforestation, afforestation, and reforestation; and grazing. Flux tower networks have also provided information on how albedo, temperature, and evaporation vary with climate and ecological dynamics (Baldocchi, 2014). The detailed and continuous records of land–atmosphere exchanges of carbon dioxide have fundamentally contributed to ecosystem and atmospheric sciences, in particular to understanding hydrologic cycling and ecosystem metabolism. For good reason, EONs often have flux towers that are core to their instrumentation, as do many ILTERs and CZOs.
Here, we consider how flux tower science may advance our biogeoscientific understanding of the ecosystem exchanges of water, trace gases, and ecosystem metabolism.
5.4.1 FLUXNET and the water cycle
Generally, flux tower sites that measure soil moisture do so at relatively superficial depths. A few tower sites have measured soil moisture throughout the full depth from which water is taken up for evapotranspiration and partition the origin of transpiration water among specific soil layers in the root zone. While few studies have attempted to fully close the aboveground and belowground water budget, several have and these reveal some important results. Two are reviewed here.
Firstly, soil moisture contents and groundwater dynamics between 7 and 12 m were monitored over 4 years in an oak savanna with trees dominated by blue oak, Quercus douglasii (Miller et al., 2010). The climate was Mediterranean and semiarid and the site was in the Sierra Nevada foothills of California. Soil water storage is small and the rocky A and B horizons only 35 to 60 cm deep over fractured metavolcanic rock. A variety of water storage and flux measurements were collected over 4 years, including deep groundwater levels, soil moisture contents, sap flows to derive transpiration, and evapotranspiration from eddy covariance measurements, all aimed at partitioning the amount of water transpired from deep groundwater. Remarkably, groundwater from deeper than 8 to 11 m accounted for about 80 % of total evapotranspiration during 3 months in the dry season. The study concluded that blue oak is not only deeply rooted but probably an obligate phreatophyte and that groundwater buffers rapid changes in the hydroclimate provided groundwater is not massively depleted by prolonged drought or by human drawdown. Secondly, in the modeling study, Thompson et al. (2011) used the variation in the water cycle at 14 flux towers in contrasting ecosystems to compare a “null model” of the hydrologic cycle that coupled the Penman–Monteith equation for evapotranspiration with changes in soil moisture and explored deviations between the null model and observations of water fluxes from the eddy covariance measurements. While the null model reproduced evapotranspiration reasonably well in arid, shallow-rooted ecosystems, it overestimated the effects of water storage limitation and could not reproduce seasonal variations in evapotranspiration in more humid and more deeply rooted ecosystems. Accounting for root access to deep soil moisture including from groundwater greatly improved prediction of evapotranspiration in the more humid ecosystems across multiple timescales. Both research studies (Miller et al., 2010; Thompson et al., 2011) not only demonstrate the value of eddy flux approaches for ecosystem analysis, but they also remind us that ecosystems extend deep belowground and that hydrologic characterization of the deep subsurface may often be needed to close hydrologic budgets. Remotely sensing soil water has yet to demonstrate an ability to quantify water throughout the root zone.
5.4.2 FLUXNET and trace gases
Continued development of sensor technologies has enabled scientists to measure the net ecosystem fluxes of many trace gases that were below the detection limit in the past. A good example is methane, a gas whose sensors have been able to estimate fluxes for over a decade and a gas long recognized to be an important part of the carbon cycle in peatlands (Gorham, 1991) and particularly influential to the greenhouse gas forcing of the climate. One of the first studies was that of Rinne et al. (2007) in a boreal wetland fen, who made the significant observation that about 20 % of the annual CO2 assimilated by plants was emitted as CH4. Petrescu et al. (2015) used data from a network of wetland flux towers to estimate CO2 and CH4 fluxes and concluded that net radiative forcings from the two gases were much higher in wetlands converted to human uses.
Sensor technologies continue to advance rapidly. Tunable spectrometers simultaneously measure fluxes of many hundreds of volatile organic compounds (Park et al., 2013), tracers of vegetation and microbial reactions such as carbonyl sulfide and nitrous oxide, respectively, and fluxes of stable isotopes (Griffis, 2013). The prospects for future applications of eddy covariance techniques are most certainly bright.
5.4.3 FLUXNET and the metabolism of terrestrial ecosystems
One of the most significant outcomes of eddy flux measurements has been measurements of carbon fluxes in studies of how ecosystem metabolism is affected by disturbance and recovery. In a variety of ecosystems, measurements of carbon fluxes between the ecosystem and the atmosphere have documented how clear-cutting, thinning, grazing, forest regrowth, woody encroachment, and wildfire and prescribed burning alter the ecosystem exchange of carbon (e.g., Law et al., 2003; Amiro et al., 2010). In general, a CO2 pulse from respiration is observed in the years after disturbance, but usually ecosystem photosynthesis matches and exceeds respiration within a decade, depending on the particulars of the ecosystem and disturbance. Maximum carbon uptake often occurs throughout the remainder of the first century of regrowth, but it is highly significant and even surprising that nearly all old-growth forests with flux measurements are carbon sinks (e.g., Knohl, et al., 2003). Although future studies will need to more precisely estimate carbon fluxes over the life of forests under different management and disturbance regimes (Harmon et al., 1990), the likelihood that old-growth forests are typically carbon sinks is a major contribution to discussions over Odum's (1969) concept that post-disturbance succession leads to old-growth forests with photosynthesis in balance with respiration (Christensen, 2014). Flux tower approaches to ecosystem–atmosphere exchange have much to contribute to ecosystem and critical zone science, particularly when accompanied by characterization of the subsurface that defines the lower boundary conditions for ecosystem fluxes of energy, water, carbon, and other gas-phase elements and compounds.
Despite the radical interdisciplinarity of many of the founders of the biological and geological sciences, for over a century these two disciplines have developed with relatively little interaction. More often in parallel than together, biologists and geologists have studied the Earth's diverse landscapes and ecosystems, the circulation of water, energy, gases, and chemical elements, and the temporal and spatial dynamics of the planet's living and nonliving systems.
In the best of all worlds, research agencies will expand open-ended requests for proposals to encourage creativity and excellence from teams of ecologists and Earth scientists, specifically within environmental research networks. Both site- and network-based research proposals might be requested to advance science and engagement with environmental research networks. Proposals for research should be open to postdoctoral fellows and early career scientists, with provisions for small projects and travel grants to develop wider participation across the biology, ecology, and geoscience communities.
Given that ILTERs and EONs have grown through support largely from the biological sciences, CZOs from the geosciences, and FLUXNET from the micrometeorology and ecophysiology communities, we argue that more explicit biogeoscience activities within these research networks can create opportunities to meet G. Evelyn Hutchinson's challenge (Slobodkin, 1993) to “confront all of the processes that maintain or change ecological systems, whether these processes were (sic) biological, physical or geological”.
Data availability.
No data sets were used in this article.
Author contributions.
DDR prepared the paper with contributions from all coauthors. Most coauthors work at environmental network research sites and many participated in the 2015 LTER All-Scientists Meeting in Estes Park, Colorado (proposed by Tim White), in 2017 discussions of a working group on CZO–LTER collaboration, and in 2016 and 2017 international CZO discussions at AGU Annual Meetings.
Competing interests.
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Acknowledgements.
This paper is dedicated to the late Dr. Henry Gholz, who gave and received much joy in his championing of ecosystem science (https://www.nceas.ucsb.edu/news/remembering-henry-gholz, last access: 30 June 2018). The paper was inspired by LTER–CZO meetings at the 2015 LTER All-Scientists Meeting in Estes Park, Colorado, from 30 August to 2 September. An invitation by the LTER Network had been extended to Dr. Tim White of the CZO Program National Office and two CZO principal investigators (McDowell and Richter). Many coauthors work at environmental research network sites and participated in discussions of the working group on CZO–LTER collaboration (http://asm2015.lternet.edu/, last access: 30 June 2018). The lead author thanks Will Cook for paper review, Duke University, and the National Science Foundation (NSF) for funding through the Biological Sciences Directorate and through the Geosciences Directorate's Division of Earth Sciences Critical Zone Observatory program (EAR-1331846).
Edited by: Paul Stoy
Reviewed by: Henry W. Loescher and Jason Beringer
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As knowledge in biology and geology explodes, science becomes increasingly specialized. Given the overlap of the environmental sciences, however, the explosion in knowledge inevitably creates opportunities for interconnecting the biogeosciences. Here, 30 scientists emphasize the opportunities for biogeoscience collaborations across the world’s remarkable long-term environmental research networks that can advance science and engage larger scientific and public audiences.
As knowledge in biology and geology explodes, science becomes increasingly specialized. Given...
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Diary of a Mad Black Woman
film by Perry [2005]
In Tyler Perry
…in a screen version of Diary of a Mad Black Woman. Its feel-good narrative, in which Madea counsels her granddaughter through a failed marriage, helped Perry gain a wider audience. He reprised the role of Madea in subsequent film adaptations of his plays, which he also produced and directed. A…
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Star File
Christopher Sieber
Christopher Sieber has been seen on Broadway in Matilda, Shrek (Tony®, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League nominations), Spamalot (New York and West End, Tony nomination), La Cage Aux Folles, Chicago, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Into the Woods, Beauty and the Beast, Triumph of Love and A Christmas Carol. NYC Opera appearances include Cinderella and Eric Idle’s Not the Messiah, a comic oratorio (Toronto Symphony). He's been seen off-Broadway in The Kid, Avow and The Boys in the Band. Regionally, he's been seen in Hairspray, Company and The Boys From Syracuse (Reprise!). TV/Film credits include The Good Wife, Elementary, Morning Glory, Pushing Daisies, Johnny and the Sprites, See You in September, It’s All Relative, Two of a Kind, Sex and the City, Ed, Guiding Light, All My Children, Another World and Law & Order.
(Christopher Sieber
Photo c/o Boneau/Bryan-Brown)
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Review: Westchester Broadway Theatre: Mary Poppins
Published: Monday, May 19, 2014 By: Michael J. Muldoon Source: More Sugar
Mary Poppins, a magical English, nanny is remarkably chock full of history. First, she is the lead character in no less than eight books, written by an Australian: P. L. Travers, starting in 1934. Second, she is perhaps best known for the 1964 Walt Disney movie starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. The film was nominated for a then record thirteen nominations, including Best Picture, and won five, including Best Actress for Julie Andrews. Third, there is the musical, by Robert B. Sherman, Richard M. Sherman and Julian Fellowes, which started in London in 2004 and ran for three years. Nominated for eight Olivier Awards, it won two. The Broadway production ran from November, 2006 to March 2013, 30th longest of all time, and garnered seven Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical, and won for Scenic Design.
Robert B. and Richard M. Sherman, brothers, winners of Grammy and Oscars for MARY POPPINS, also collaborated on songs for CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, THE JUNGLE BOOK, and THE SLIPPER AND THE ROSE. Detracting from their many accomplishments is the fact they wrote “It’s a Small World After All” for the 1964 World’s Fair, considering by cognoscenti as the worst song to have stuck in your head. Julian Fellowes won the Academy Award for GOSFORD PARK and is the creator of DOWNTOWN ABBEY.
Starting With a dollhouse on stage and outlines of chimneys, this MARY POPPINS is a toy chest of fun. She flys through the air with her signature umbrella. With a magical suitcase filled with a hat stand, plant and telescope, etc. she is every child’s dream of an engaging companion. Lauren Blackman is superb in the title role. With her perfect posture, crisp movements and gorgeous voice, she delights the child in all of us. Leo Ash Evens as Bert, the chimney sweep, is wonderful; singing, dancing and storytelling. Joseph Dellger is quite moving as George Banks and is matched nicely by Leisa Mather as Mrs. Banks. The story belies the depression era roots of the book with the threat of losing a home and being tossed out on the street. Jan Neuberger is outstanding as Miss Andrews. Her character is chilling and her voice range; astonishing. Amongst the excellent work done by this large and capable cast is Laura Cable singing “Feed the Birds” and Karen Murphy as Miss Brill.
You probably know many of the songs, “A Spoonful of Sugar,” “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” “Feed the Birds,” but this WBT show is full of surprises; all of them good. Bring a child and let MARY POPPINS bring out the child in you.
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SKY DOLL Decade 00-10
Recommended. By Alessandro Barbucci and Barbara Canepa, with Claire Wendling et al. In the "Euro-Comics" style, from its suggestive, sexy art to its way-futuristic storyline. "...jaw-dropping" and "Dazzling science fiction." Lush, animation-style comics from two Disney animators, in the vein of Blacksad. When Noa the Sky Doll is liberated from her life of drudgery, it turns out that she is more than just a pretty android built for pleasure. Mature Readers.
In the "Euro-Comics" style, from its suggestive, sexy art to its way-futuristic storyline. "...jaw-dropping" and "Dazzling science fiction." Lush, animation-style comics from two Disney animators, in the vein of Blacksad. When Noa the Sky Doll is liberated from her life of drudgery, it turns out that she is more than just a pretty android built for pleasure.
Plus 33 superlative full page pin-up drawings, "homages," by Claire Wendling (2), Guezav, Pierre-Mony Chan, Lostfish and many others. Many feature nudity.
This hot comic was first published in Italy from 2000 to 2010, created by Disney animators Alessandro Barbucci and Barbara Canepa. This brings together three of the original stories, plus a prequel, "Doll's Factory," as well as a separate story, "Heaven Dolls."
With religion, sensuality and what it means to be human all at stake, Noa must find her true purpose in life.
The series follows the story of Noa, a Sky Doll with an unusual personality who seems connected with the religious Agape. The story takes place in the framework of a large conflict. Agape has been banished, resulting in Lodovica coming into power and controlling the galaxy. Noa, an android who serves the state's desires, becomes entangled on a mission to destabilize the Agape followers. However, as the series progresses, we see that Noa is not just an ordinary Sky Doll.
232 pages of stories and bonus content. This series has become increasingly popular in the 15 years since its creation. Titan Comics is allowing English fans a great jumping on point to the series, with 10 years' worth of Skydoll stories in one collection. The popularity of the series can be seen in the "Homages" section of the collection, which shows artistic tributes to the series.
Parts of this description are taken from the review written by Andrew Musk for Starburstmagazine.com.
SKYH
Adult Rating
Mature Readers
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Roger Debo
Former Associate Professor of Practice
Professor Roger Debo is the CTEC Director at Rutgers. From 2000 – 2015 he served as the Director for the Entrepreneurship Collaborative at NC State University. During his tenure, he was an advisor/consultant for 10 companies, the interim CEO or Board member for 5 startups and is currently the Board Chair for Xanofi, a NC State spin out. In 2002, he founded a non-profit organization and an LLC to promote technology commercialization at NC State. In 2004, Roger was part of a team that launched the COHiTEC program in Portugal, which lead to a country-wide commercialization initiative that has created more than two dozen companies; established a €12MM venture fund and received the 2006 Price Foundation Innovative Entrepreneurship Educators Award from Stanford University. Roger was also primarily responsible for launching and supporting the MBA commercialization program for The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business, which received a 2009 NCIIA Olympus award for innovative thinking in education. In 2008, Roger was a cofounder of TECnet, an international network of entrepreneurship educators, which received an EU-US grant to foster international collaboration for education and commercialization of university technologies.
Idea for generating power from wave becomes a promising startup at Rutgers
CTEC class project takes top prize in Rutgers University's first LaunchR pitch competition
Rutgers class offers graduate students hands-on approach to entrepreneurship
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Who Is Luke S. From 'The Bachelorette'? The Nick Viall Lookalike May Be One Of The Season's Villains
By Caitlin Gallagher
John Fleenor/ABC
The Bachelor franchise generally tends to steer clear of any contentious topics, but Hannah B.'s season is going to get a little political thanks to one Bachelorette contestant: Luke S., a political consultant from Washington D.C. He met Hannah live during the finale of Colton Underwood's Bachelor season, so fans are already well-aware that he looks like Nick Viall, and that he isn't afraid to get a little risqué. (Upon meeting the Alabama-born Bachelorette on live national television, he said, "I don't go down south often, but for you, I'd go down any time.") But there's more to know about him than that rather polarizing first impression.
Just like the Bachelorette was one of two Hannahs during Colton's season of The Bachelor, Luke Stone is one of two Lukes. Out of the two Lukes, Luke P. seems poised to become a villain since he is called an "evil, pathological liar" and a "psychopath" in the trailer for Hannah's Bachelorette season. But Luke S. is no angel. In the trailer, the Nick look-alike says, "I'm here for Hannah and don't you ever f*cking forget it." He's also spotted telling an unseen contestant, "I can take Hannah from you any time that I want." So it seems his time as a political fundraiser on Capitol Hill has taught him how to be a bit aggressive.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Luke has been a fundraising consultant for Fraioli & Associates since November 2018. The company's website notes that it's a "political campaign consulting firm dedicated to electing Democrats." Luke was previously a regulatory and legislative analyst for two years, and before that, he was a staff assistant to California's Congressman Brad Sherman in the House of Representatives. The 29-year-old earned his degrees in political science and art history from George Washington University back in 2013, where he also was in the Sigma Chi fraternity and on the varsity rowing team.
But politics aren't his only passion. He calls himself a "tequila expert and entrepreneur" in his Bachelorette bio and his Instagram shows how he has made his own vodka and tequila. He also knows his way around a bar, since the Washingtonian reported that Luke worked at the D.C. bar Stoney's for four months before he left to go film The Bachelorette. DCist even spoke to one of Luke's bosses at Stoney's, bar manager Reese Edmonds, who said how excited Luke seemed that Hannah would be the Bachelorette. "He said he thought he knew who the girl was: 'I do want it to be this chick from the South, her name is Hannah. She's really cute and goofy.' He really wanted it to be her," Edmonds said. So when he says he's there for Hannah, he apparently really means it.
Edmonds also noted that his "go down" comment when he first met Hannah isn't really indicative of who Luke is. "He's not that type of guy," she told DCist. So maybe there's a chance for Luke to redeem himself ... especially if the other Luke is the "villain" of the season. And if you go to his Instagram page, you'll see he's not all politics and booze, as he shares a decent amount photos of him traveling to places like Bali in Indonesia and hanging out with friends.
You'll have to see if Luke S. can make you forget all about his first first impression when Hannah's Bachelorette season begins in earnest.
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Review Tamron 150-600mm G2 @ APS-C
Ivo Freriks, 26 February 2019
The Tamron 150-600 mm f/5.6-6.3 VC USD G2 is a revised version of the 150-600 mm telephoto zoom from Tamron. With a new design, improved optical design and a lot of extras, the Tamron 150-600 mm f/5.6-6.3 VC USD G2 offers much more for a slightly higher price. If you combine this lens with an APS-C camera, you get a range of no less than 225-900mm (equivalent). You can do fun things with that.
Review Tamron 100-400mm F/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD on APS-C
Jan Paul Mioulet, 02 December 2018
With the Tamron 100-400 mm F/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD, Tamron has the world's lightest 100-400 mm for full-frame and APS-C SLRs. It is available in Canon and Nikon mount, and of course it can also be used in combination with an adapter on mirrorless cameras from Sony. The Tamron 100-400 mm F/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD weighs only 1115 grams thanks to the use of magnesium alloys. That is not much, certainly for a 100-400 mm lens that can also be used on full frame. The low weight ensures that this lens is also a nice combination with APS-C cameras. You then get a range that corresponds to that of a 150-600mm on 35 mm, but much lighter.
Review Tamron 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD on full frame
Ivo Freriks, 27 November 2018
With the Tamron 100-400 mm F/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD, Tamron has the world's lightest 100-400 mm for full frame and APS-C SLRs. It is available in Canon and Nikon mount, and of course it can also be used in combination with an adapter on mirrorless cameras from Sony. The Tamron 100-400 mm F/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD weighs only 1115 grams thanks to the use of magnesium alloys. That is indeed very light for a full-frame lens. Thanks to this low weight, you can work longer with this lens without getting tired.
Review: Tamron 17-35mm
Ivo Freriks, 28 October 2018
For the SLR cameras from Nikon and Canon, Tamron has released a new wide-angle zoom with variable aperture: the Tamron 17-35 mm f/2.8-4.0 DI OSD. The lens is compact and lightweight. This makes it an ideal lens, for example, for travel and landscape photography.
Review Tamron 70-210mm F/4 Di VC USD
Ivo Freriks, 25 September 2018
The new Tamron 70-210mm F/4 Di VC USD is a compact telephoto zoom for Canon and Nikon full frame and APS-C SLRs. The lens is built for high optical performance. The lens contains no fewer than 20 lens elements in 14 groups and has three LD elements with a low refractive index. It is not the lightest zoom in this range, but it does offer many capabilities. The lens is weather-resistant, nicely finished and focuses well close-up. And the price is also very attractive.
Review Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8 Di III RXD (model A036)
Ivo Freriks, 17 July 2018
The Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8 Di III RXD is a new, bright standard zoom for full-frame Sony E-mount cameras. It is the first zoom lens that has been released by a third-party manufacturer especially for the Sony full-frame cameras with an E mount. It is bright, light, compact and very affordable. With that, Tamron offers Sony photographers an option they have never had before.
Review Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 SP Di VC USD @ FX
Jop Steenhof de Jong, 28 March 2018
In 2014, we tested a Tamron f/2.8 70-200 mm in the Canon version. Today, we are describing the latest version of this lens, this time in the version with a Nikon F-mount. The new lens has improved image stabilization and autofocus, and extra attention has been paid to weather resistance. What has remained is the reasonable price, which makes this 70-200 very attractive.
Review Tamron 70-200mm f/2,8 SP Di VC USD @ DX
The Tamron SP 70-200 F/2.8 Di VC USD G2 is a new bright telephoto zoom for Canon and Nikon cameras. Its predecessor has the same name, without the G2 designation. But that addition makes a considerable difference. The lens is suitable as a bright telephoto zoom for both cameras with a full-frame sensor and those with a crop sensor. On the smaller DX and APS-C sensors, the Tamron SP 70-200 naturally offers more range. Especially when you combine it with a 2x teleconverter.
Review Tamron SP 85mm F/1.8 Di VC USD @ APS-C
The Tamron SP 85mm F/1.8 Di VC USD is a bright, short telephoto lens available in Nikon and Canon mounts. On full frame, it is primarily a wonderful portrait lens, but on APS-C and DX cameras, it is a great telephoto lens with a focal length that corresponds with 135mm on 35mm. It is a modern lens with two strong features: it is stabilized and weatherproof.
Review Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II VC HLD
Ivo Freriks, 09 May 2017
The new Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II VC HLD is a wide-angle zoom for APS-C and DX cameras. The range corresponds approximately with a 16-35 mm in 35-mm equivalent. This Tamron 10-24 is not an update of the old 10-24mm, but a completely new lens. You notice that in everything.
Review: Tamron SP 85mm F/1.8 Di VC USD on full frame
Jan Paul Mioulet, 28 October 2016
The Tamron SP 85mm F/1.8 Di VC USD is a bright, short telephoto lens available in Nikon and Canon mounts. It is a modern objective with two strong features beyond high build and image quality: the lens has built-in image stabilization and is weatherproof.
Review Tamron SP AF 70-200 mm F/2,8 Di LD [IF] MACRO (C FF)
Some time ago, we were excited about our review of the Tamron 28-75 mm f/2.8. The Tamron SP 70-200 mm f/2.8 Di VC USD complements this lens well in terms of focal length range. It's a combination with which you're perfectly prepared to go traveling—bright, reasonable compact (for lenses designed for full-frame) and solidly built. The shortest focal distance of less than a meter also makes great close-up shots possible. We reviewed this lens, which was introduced at the end of 2012, on a Canon 5D MK3, a camera with a full-frame sensor.
Review Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di VC USD SP AF (N-FF)
In August 2010, the popular Tamron 70-300 mm Di VC was released. This lens is equipped with Tamron's VC (Vibration Compensation), a 3-axial image stabilization system. It is a fairly compact and lightweight telephoto zoom, which is suitable not only for cameras with an APS-C sensor, but also for use on cameras with a full frame sensor. According to Tamron, this attractively priced lens is a premium, state-of-the-art telephoto zoom lens, whose structure complies with the strict SP (Superior Performance) standards. We tested the Tamron 70-300 mm on a Nikon D800, a 36 megapixel camera with a full frame sensor. Soon we will also publish a review of the Tamron 70-300 mm VC on a camera with an APS-C sensor (Nikon D7100).
In terms of zoom range the Tamron 70-300 mm is a perfect combination with a 24-70 mm or 24-105 mm zoom lens. A more than 4x zoom range really brings your subject to you, while you can remain at a relatively safe distance from your subject.
Review Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD SP (C APS-C)
In May 2012, the Tamron 24-70 mm f/2.8 DI VC USD was introduced as the world's first 24-70 mm with built-in image stabilization (VC; Vibration Compensation). A 24-70 mm f/2.8 with a 70-200 mm f/2.8 zoom lens is probably the most sought-after combination in the photo bags of professional reporting photographers. Both the high brightness and the built-in image stabilization come in handy for these photographers. Tamron's SP, 'Special Performance', series is intended for professional photographers, but I'm sure there are many passionate amateurs who also use these lenses. The appellation 'Di' means that this lens is suitable for (Digital) cameras with a full frame sensor. Currently, the Tamron 24-70 mm VC in terms of image stabilization ha competition from the Canon 24-70 mm f/4. Still, the combination of a constant f/2.8 aperture and the built-in image stabilization of this Tamron lens is unique. The list price of the Tamron 24-70 mm with image stabilization is also significantly lower than the 24-70 mm f/2.8 lenses without image stabilization of other brands.
Review Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di VC USD SP AF (N APS-C)
A few weeks ago, we reviewed the Tamron SP 70-300 mm on a camera with a full frame sensor (Nikon D800E). Although the lens performs well on a camera with a full frame sensor, it will probably be more often used on a camera with an APS-C sensor, such as the Nikon D3200 or the Nikon D5200. Not only because of the high price/quality ratio, but also because you reduce the view angle by using a camera with a smaller sensor, allowing you to bring your subjects 1.5x closer to you. This makes this an ideal lens for nature photography.
The Tamron SP 70-300 mm VC is equipped with Tamron's VC (Vibration Compensation), a 3-axial image stabilization system. It is reasonably compact and – compared to brighter telezooms – reasonably light. It's an ideal candidate for a test with the Nikon D7100.
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Shanthi Sekaran Interview, plus links to author biography, book summaries, excerpts and reviews
Photo: Daniel Grisales
Shanthi Sekaran
Shanthi Sekaran Biography
An interview with Shanthi Sekaran
Author Shanthi Sekaran discusses her novel Lucky Boy and what moved her to shed light on the immigrant experiences across the socio-economic divide.
What inspired you to write this novel and what is the significance of its title?
In 2011, I heard a story on NPR about a Guatemalan mother who was fighting to get her child back from the American couple adopting him. I sat riveted for the few minutes that the story ran, but of course, it left many questions unanswered. Afterward, I couldn't get the story out of my head. I wanted to get inside it and know the thoughts and motivations of everyone involved. I'm a fiction writer, not an investigative journalist, and the best way I know to get inside a story is to write it. The book that resulted takes a very different path from the initial news item, but writing it helped explore some of those early questions. Lucky Boy was perhaps the tenth version of the novel's title. The initial impulse is to see it as an ironic title, but I don't see it that way. I see it as a true statement. Ignacio is a lucky boy. He is wanted and loved.
Lucky Boy focuses on the very different immigrant experiences of two mothers. What made you decide to write about immigration?
I've always written about immigration of one sort or another. Even my mystical, fantastical stories have immigrant figures in them. The first novel I fell in love with, Wuthering Heights, is about an immigrant. Immigration is the ultimate storyit encompasses every basic plot type: rags to riches, overcoming the monster, the quest, rebirth, comedy, tragedy, voyage and return. Migration is a process of transcendence that reaches into so many aspects of our lives; it's not always about passports and visas. Motherhood is a form of migration. So is love, and so is death.
How did you choose each woman's country of origin?
It felt natural, from the outset, to make Kavya Indian-American. I could have made her Anglo-American, but I wouldn't have enjoyed writing that as much. Eventually, it became clear that this book was not just about adoption and detention, but about privileged and unprivileged immigration, and about the dynamics of California's recently established non-white majority. At that point, Kavya's ethnicity became essential. I chose to make Soli Mexican because I'm personally interested in Mexico and in the individual stories of Mexicans in this country. I also knew that I'd have a decent chance of spending some time in Mexico. It felt important to spend some time absorbing the environment in which Soli was raised.
What kind of research did you do for the book, especially on the process of foster care and adoption?
This book took a lot of research. I interviewed immigration lawyers, immigrant advocates, trained with a detention advocacy group, read the testimonies of undocumented immigrants, read countless documents on immigration policy, spoke with a psychologist who works with the undocumented, and read reports on detention and family law. I also interviewed undocumented immigrants who'd crossed the border, as well as women who'd undergone fertility treatments. I spent two weeks in Oaxaca, Mexico, and an afternoon in a sorority kitchen.
Because I'd never fostered or adopted a child myself, my research into the topic was ongoing. I started out by attending a fostering information session at the local social services officethat session gave me the basic facts of what it takes to foster, but it also revealed something about the philosophy of fostering, the child-centered mind-set of the system and the warmth and enthusiasm of many of the parents I encountered there. I also interviewed several Bay Area parents who'd adopted Latino/a children, and read a lot of testimonials and some parenting books on toddler adoption.
How much of Soli's treatment in the immigrant detention center is realistic? What rights do immigrant mothers with children born in the United States have?
Soli's treatment in the detention center is as realistic as humans are fallible. The depiction of the center as a place of incarceration, where detainees are treated like convicted criminals, and often housed in cells adjacent to criminals, is realistic. Some centers are more humane than others, but the vast majority of them don't offer detainees the services (classes, cooperation with family courts, etc.) that prisoners might access. Detainees are often vulnerable to the same abuses of power that affect prisoners. The rights of immigrant mothers are limited by a disconnect between immigration law and the family court system. Immigration law gives them the right to take their children with them when they're deported, but family courts and the nature of the detention system often stand in the way of that right.
Which of the mothers do you most identify with? How did your own experience as a mother inform your writing of the characters?
I think choosing a mother to identify with would bring me too close to choosing a mother with whom to side. I identify with different aspects of both mothers' experiences. Much of the detail from Ignacio's newborn days comes from the notes I jotted down just after my first child was born. I've never had fertility issues, so I had to imagine and research Kavya's struggle with infertility, but aspects of her life with toddler-aged Ignacioher storytelling, for examplecome straight from my own experience.
Without giving anything away, did you always know how the story would end? Or did the ending change as you wrote each character?
The ending to this changed once or twice. Character development influenced the ending, of course, but when I was deciding what was going to happen, I spent a few drafts negotiating reality and drama to come up with a resolution that fit the buildup of the story.
Berkeley is an incredibly special place to both Soli and Kavya. Tell us about the role of the city in Lucky Boy and why you decided to set the story there.
Berkeley has always felt like home to me. I love writing about it. There's always something happening, and it's very much a liberal, highly educated bubble. It was for its bubbledom that I chose it as the setting for Lucky Boy; by placing Soli in a socially conscious, left-leaning place that generally welcomes immigrants, I could show that the loneliness and uncertainty of the undocumented experience can exist even in a hospitable environment.
What influence, if any, did your own heritage and family history play when writing Lucky Boy? My parents came to America from India in the 1960s, when the United States was recruiting physicians from abroad. Being the daughter of immigrants gave me something of a view into Soli's lifethe bravery it took for her to negotiate even the most mundane of tasks, the social isolation, the slow and exhausting process of learning to live in an unfamiliar world. Of course, I identify closely with Kavya's experiences as an Indian-American. As I was writing, I was very aware that I live in America because my parents were given a legal path to residency, and that many immigrants are not given this. This awareness informed the trajectory of Soli's story, as well as Kavya and Rishi's.
What was your process of writing this book? How long did it take you? How is this novel different from your first novel?
This novel was more ambitious and therefore more daunting than my first. I stepped out of my comfort zone as a writer, and took on issues that lay outside of my personal history: living in Mexico, undocumented immigration, detention, fertility, and foster care. I began with Soli's story. As I told her story, my knowledge gaps guided my research. The first draft took about two years to write; I was working and raising my first son at the time. The entire process, over multiple drafts, took four years.
When did you decide to become a writer? Was it something you always aspired to? What writers have inspired or influenced your work?
I started writing as a child, funny little poems, mostly. My older brothers used to talk about me becoming a writer, but I don't think any of us actually thought it would happen. It really wasn't until the end of college that I made prolonged attempts at writing fiction. I started with a journal, then got a little bored of myself and turned myself into a cast of characters. That was my first attempt at a novel. It got me into an MFA program, but then it was laid to rest, thankfully. But those first attempts, in my early twenties, brought me to a point where I felt ready to take a risk and give writing a try. As a writer, I look for books that loosen my own tongue and take me out of the strict confines of what I see as "my voice." When I read writers whose styles are wildly different from mine, I end up copying them. I then go back to what I've written, and it's so obviously a mimicry of someone else's voice that I have no choice but to rewrite it in my own voice. But when I've stepped out of myself for a little while, my voice stretches a little, and I discover what I'm able to do. My favorite authors are the ones with generous voices, who give us character and story and more story: Zadie Smith, Roald Dahl, Mohsin Hamid, Virginia Woolf, Vikram Seth, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Vladimir Nabokov, Emily Bronte, Toni Morrison.
Unless otherwise stated, this interview was conducted at the time the book was first published, and is reproduced with permission of the publisher. This interview may not be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the copyright holder.
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aauthor: Avi
Historical Fiction: 1890s America
HSRL5
Immigrant Experience
TEEN: Real Life Boy Story
City of Orphans by Avi, 350 pp, RL 5
City of Orphans is now in paperback!
While I have read a handful of books by the prolific, Newbery Award winning author Avi, his most recent book, City of Orphans, is the first I have reviewed here! In 1991 Avi won the Newbery Honor for his book The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, a unique work of historical fiction in which the twelve year old Charlotte goes from a proper young girl to a mutinous pirate accused of murder as she sails from England to Rhode Island in 1802. In 1992 he won the Honor again for the the continually timely Nothing But the Truth, the story of a ninth grade student who is suspended for refusing to sing the National Anthem. In 2003 Avi, who has written over seventy books, won the Newbery Award for his work of historical fiction Crispin: The Cross of Lead, his fiftieth book, which is breathtaking. Set in the fourteenth century Crispin, a peasnt who did not know his own name until he was thirteen, is accused of a crime he did not commit, he is declared a "wolf's head" which means he can be killed on sight by anyone. Taking his family's only possession, a cross of lead, he flees his village and the adventure escalates. Avi continues Crispin's story with Crispin at the Edge of the World and Crispin: The End of Time. Avi is also the author of the Dimwood Forest series of six books featuring Poppy (also the title of the second book in the series) a determined deer mouse who befriends Ereth, a grizzled old porcupine. These books are perfect for readers who enjoyed Robert C O'Brien's Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH or readers who are not quite ready for Brian Jacques' Redwall series. And, I would be remiss if I did not mention these other bestselling titles by Avi: The Good Dog, the story of malamute McKinley, leader of the pack of dogs 300 strong in Steamboat Springs, CO, who's loyalty to his owner is threatened when a she-wolf tries to entice the dogs to abandon mankind and join the wolves and help replenish their diminishing pack. Murder at Midnight and companion book Midnight Magic are set in the imaginary kingdom of Pergamontio and throw together the unlikely duo of Magnus the Magician who does not believe in magic and his servant boy, Fabrizio, who does. In the first book the pair have to uncover clues to a murder of be found guilty of the crime themselves. In the second book (which was actually published first but chronologically comes second) the two have to rid the princess of a ghost, whether it is real or not. Finally, The Secret School is a fantastic book about Ida Bidson who, in 1925, wants nothing more than to finish school and become a teacher. Her dreams are jeopardized when her one room school in remote Colorado is shut down. With the help of her classmates she secretly takes over the teaching job and prepares herself, her best friend Tom Khol, and the rest of the students for the exit exams that will allow Ida and Tom to continue on with high school.
City of Orphans caught my eye because of the time period and setting - New York City, 1893. I read and loved Julie Chibbaro's marvelous book deadly that followed the life of Prudence Galewski, a sixteen year old girl with an interest in science who lands the job of secretary to the man assigned with tracking down Typhoid Mary. While the book reads like a medical thriller, the slice of life during this tumultuous period in the history of New York City is equally compelling. In City of Orphans, which is one of the rare works of historical fiction that features a boy main character - for some reason most seem to be girls - we meet thirteen year old Maks Geless, a newsie who hawks The World, one of many papers for sale at the time, for a profit of eight cents a day. A third person narrator tells the story, using the dialect of the day like a dusting of powdered sugar on a piece of gingerbread cake. The "'bouts," "gonnas," "'ems" and admonitions to "listen hard, 'cause this is important" draw you into the story. The third person narrator also serves as the perfect voice to describe the brutal realities of life in the tenements and make the reader aware of just how urgent life was then. Describing Maks's work day, the narrator tells us that he would buy a bundle of papers for seventy-two cents then spend the next five hours selling them for two cents each, making a profit only if he sold all forty papers in one shift. "You're probably thinking, eight pennies - that ain't hardly worth working all them hours. But this is 1893. these are hard times. Factories closing. Workers laid off. Not many jobs. Housing not easy to find. Fact, people are calling these days the 'Great Panic of 1893.' And the thing is, Maks's family's rent is due this week. Fifteen bucks! For them, that's huge." Maks's family, his two older sisters Emma and Agnes, aged sixteen and fourteen, and his three younger brothers, Jacob, Eric and Ryker, their parents and a border, Monsieur Zulot, all live on the fifth floor of a tenement building in a one room apartment. For a time, they even had an uncle, aunt and their children sharing the space. Papa, who was a boat builder back in the Netherlands, and Agnes have jobs at a shoe factory nearby. Mama takes in washing and Emma has just gotten a job as a maid at the newly opened Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The family barely gets by on the five incomes, six if you count the border, and struggles to save money to send Agnes, who is exhibiting the first signs of tuberculosis, to a doctor.
Les Wickes Hine/Library of Congress, Prints & Photograph Division
When we first see Maks, he has just sold all his papers for the day and is trying to make it home with his profit and money to buy another bundle of papers the next day. This, however, has become increasingly difficult since Bruno and his gang, the Plug Uglies, have been jumping the newsies selling for The World, taking their haul and breaking their limbs. The newsies think that Joe Gorker, a corrupt political boss who is frequently featured on the front page of The World (which also means that the newsies should headlines featuring his misdeeds all over the city) is behind these attacks. When Bruno and his gang give chase, Maks finds himself trapped in an alley doing the only thing he can think of, something he knows is useless since most of the police are corrupt and no one cares about kids immigrant kids in this city - he yells for help. Something stirs at his feet and next thing he knows a raggedy girl with a big stick comes out swinging, making contact and chasing the gang away. The girl is Willa, a homeless orphan who lost her mother and presumably her father, to tuberculosis some six months earlier. As a way of thanking her and keeping himself protected through the dark streets on the way home, Maks invites Willa to dinner. However, when they reach home they find the family in distress. A police officer has just been to tell them that Emma has been arrested for stealing a very valuable Breguet watch from the room of a patron.
The Tombs 1890s from New York Looking Back
From this point on, page 42 to be exact, City of Orphans is a non-stop roller coaster ride that is a rich mixture of fascinating characters, suspenseful action, amazing settings and a mystery to unravel. Warily at first, Maks and Willa bond as they realize that they both need each other. Mr and Mrs Geless welcome Willa into their home and eventually their family as they come to rely on her as well. Because his parents are equally distraught, unable to miss work and unsure how to navigate the American penal system, it is Maks and Willa who go to the Tombs to visit Emma and bring her food. Knowing that his parents are too frightened and unaware of how to hire a lawyer to free Emma, Maks takes her fate into his own hands and tracks down a detective living in the tenements who might help him. Mr Bartleby Donck is almost completely deaf, clearly almost dead from tuberculosis and constantly scribbling on the papers that litter his desk and seemingly unwilling to help the children. However, he tells Maks that maybe he can hunt for clues himself and, through a connection with a former fellow Pinkerton agent, Donck gets Maks a job at the Waldorf so he can investigate the crime and find the missing watch. How these story threads - from Willa, to Bruno, to the Waldorf and Donck - all weave together by the end of the book is fantastic! As the narrator says at the start of the final chapter, "So there's the story. Too many coincidences? Or miracles? You decide. The thing is, it's all true." Once again, Avi has written a highly readable story filled with fascinating historical facts and unforgettable characters. Greg Ruth provides a handful of character sketches that only made me want to see more illustrations from the story. I think that City of Orphans, like all of Avi's books, would be a superb read-out loud in a fourth or fifth grade classroom or at bedtime for older listeners. I've included a few pictures that caught me eye here, but Avi, besides an author's note, has an excellent "For Further Reading and Viewing" section at the end of the book. You can also checkout the website for the Tenement Museum or visit it if you are in New York City.
Don't miss Dan Barry's great article for the New York Times, Read All About it! Kids Vex Titans! about the real newsies of New York City and when they went on strike in 1899, as well as the new Broadway musical adaptation of the the 1992 Disney movie musical Newsies.
A brief list of Avi books that are sure to appeal to everyone...
Labels: aauthor: Avi Historical Fiction Historical Fiction: 1890s America HSRL5 Immigrant Experience Mystery New York City Reading Level 5 TEEN: Real Life Boy Story
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Kasich's right: No more freeze on energy progress
Instead of protecting big businesses, Ohio should be helping those who are investing in our renewable energy future.
Kasich's right: No more freeze on energy progress Instead of protecting big businesses, Ohio should be helping those who are investing in our renewable energy future. Check out this story on cincinnati.com: http://cin.ci/1TlBXXJ
Ron DeLyons Published 10:38 a.m. ET May 17, 2016
Large solar panels over the parking area supply power for the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden – the greenest zoo in the United States. The General Assembly needs to get aboard efforts to support renewable energy progress in Ohio, a writer says.(Photo: Enquirer file)Buy Photo
Ron DeLyons is CEO of Creekwood Energy Partners; a Cincinnati-based energy management and advisory firm. He is also a member of the Cincinnati City Manager’s Environmental Advisory Committee.
“Unacceptable.” That's what Gov. John Kasich calls the Ohio Legislature’s push to suspend energy-saving standards.
In 2008, Ohio’s Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) were enacted with overwhelming, bipartisan support from then-Gov. Ted Strickland, a Republican Ohio Senate, and a Democratic House. The 2008 law required Ohio’s energy producers to increase their production of energy from renewable sources such as wind, solar, biomass and other alternatives to fossil fuels. By encouraging the use of solar, wind and other clean energy technologies, the law created new jobs in Ohio’s struggling manufacturing sector and helped ready the state for an inevitable transition.
In 2014, however, pushed by the utility lobby, Ohio imposed a two-year freeze on those standards – making Ohio the first state to backslide on its commitment to clean and renewable energy. The utility First Energy and the American Legislative Exchange Council pushed to suspend or even eliminate the standards while some of Ohio’s largest manufacturers, including Owens-Corning, Whirlpool, Honeywell and Honda, signed a letter urging Kasich to let the requirements stand.
Now, State Sen. Bill Seitz, a Green Township Republican, wants to extend that freeze for three more years.
As Kasich says, extending the freeze is unacceptable.
I applaud the governor’s effort to stand strong against pressure from the utilities.
Even without state support, Ohio ranks second for the most clean-energy jobs in the Midwestern region. Cincinnati is the largest city to use 100 percent green energy (electricity), making the Queen City one of the greenest cities in the country. For more than a decade the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden has been the country's greenest zoo. Cincinnati has programs designed to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency, including the development of an anaerobic digester, which turns waste into clean energy. Mayor John Cranley has even added improvements to his home to reduce his family's environmental impact.
Ohio can and should be a clean and renewable energy leader. We should be encouraging and accelerating the development of clean and renewable energy infrastructure, not pushing it off. Instead of protecting bad bets made by a handful of politically connected big businesses and extending our dependence on coal and oil, this state should be helping those who are investing in Ohio’s energy future. The narrow interests of investor-owned utilities and fossil fuel producers should not trump the public’s interest in high-quality jobs, lower energy prices, and a healthier environment.
We’re already at risk of falling behind our global competitors. Ohio should be encouraging renewables – without delay.
Read or Share this story: http://cin.ci/1TlBXXJ
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Students' hand-made bracelets benefit those with cleft palates, lips
By Kathy Cichon
| Naperville Sun |
Apr 15, 2017 | 4:56 PM
All of the charm bracelets made by Nandini Arakoni and Sanjana Gangadharan for their Side by Side Smiles charity feature a heart, representing love, and a key, which means that everyone holds the key to making a child happy. (Sanjana Gangadharan and Nandini Arakoni / handout)
While every charm bracelet 15-year-olds Nandini Arakoni and Sanjana Gangadharan make is a unique item, there are a few things they all have in common.
"We always use a heart to show love," Arakoni said. "Each one has a key as well. We use that to symbolize how everyone holds the key to a child's happiness."
Through the organization they created, Side by Side Smiles, the high school freshmen sell the bracelets for $5 each. The proceeds are being donated to the international children's charity Smile Train, which assists those born with cleft lips and palates.
"When I was born, I had a cleft lip," said Arakoni, of Naperville, who attends Metea Valley. "Since I was born here, I was able to get a surgery, and I got it fixed. So by the time I was 5, it was pretty unobvious to everybody that I even had a cleft lip.
"And I've been thinking lately of how lucky I am and how not everybody else gets the same opportunity as me," she said. "And I really just wanted to help other people that need the surgeries and make a difference."
After talking with her mother, she decided the money she raised would go to Smile Train.
"She told me when I was little, she looked up the charity because she wanted to be able to donate and help out a little bit," Arakoni said.
When Gangadharan, also of Naperville and a Neuqua Valley student, heard her friend's idea to start the charity, she decided to help. After considering different products to make, they decided to sell bracelets.
"We wanted to do something easy that both of us could do. And we wanted to give people a good product," Arakoni said. "We knew we wanted to involve chains to symbolize unity."
On Jan. 6, they launched their website, www.sidebysidesmiles.weebly.com.
"We started by putting it on our social media. That's how we originally got the word out by putting it on our Snapchat and Instagram," Gangadharan said.
They started selling them at their schools to classmates who were interested and in their neighborhoods.
Through word of mouth, sales took off.
"We actually realized that they were doing a lot better, and we wanted to continue," Arakoni said. "We actually ending up selling bracelets at our temple. That was actually a really big event for us. We ended up selling over 100 there."
The Naperville teens have sold about 300 bracelets and raised $1,000.
"We made a surprising amount of money through donations," Gangadharan said.
Some people who didn't want to buy a bracelet decided to donate money instead. Now, Arakoni and Gangadharan have set a goal of selling 500 bracelets and raising $2,500 to donate to Smile Train.
"We started this off with a lot lower expectations. We just wanted to do something small, and we actually ended up selling a lot more bracelets than we expected, so that was definitely a surprise," Arakoni said. "I think that impacted us and inspired us to keep going."
They've also learned there are people who don't want to buy.
"When we were selling them in the temple, I didn't realize how much rejection you would face. We would ask people, and some people wouldn't even stop," Gangadharan said. "It definitely taught us that it's not easy, and you have to work for it."
In less than a minute, they have to make their pitch — explaining how the funds raised will help those with cleft lips or palates have corrective surgery.
"It's not an easy solution, but it's a fixable problem. But people just don't have the resources," Gangadharan said. "But as soon as they have the money and the trained experts that they need, it's easy for them to fix the cleft lip, and they don't have to suffer the consequences."
Those who want to purchase a bracelet or help Arakoni and Gangadharan can contact them through the Side by Side Smiles website.
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"And we're working on getting our bracelets available online," Gangadharan said. "That's coming soon as well."
In addition to heart and key charms, all bracelets also feature a charm of a feather or feather arrow.
"That shows because feathers are light, it's really easy to make a change." Arakoni said. "You just have to start somewhere."
Kathy Cichon is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
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Donald Palmer, Ohio death-row inmate, used last words to apologize to families of victims
September 20, 2012 / 2:56 PM / CBS News
Donald Palmer was executed by lethal injection in Lucasville, Ohio on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2012. Ohio Department of Corrections
(AP) LUCASVILLE, Ohio - An Ohio death-row inmate, Donald Palmer, used his last words to profusely apologize to the families of the two victims he killed 23 years ago, before he was executed by lethal injection on Wednesday.
"I want you to know I've carried you in my heart for years and years," Palmer told six women in the room who are the widows, daughters and a niece of the men he killed. "I'm so sorry for what I took from you ... I hope your pain and hurt die with me today."
Palmer also told the women that he wished his execution could bring their loved ones back, and that he knows the pain of losing a parent, sibling and child.
"I know it can't," he said. "I pray that you have good lives now. I'm sorry."
Palmer, who was executed at a state prison in Lucasville in southern Ohio, was convicted of aggravated murder on May 8, 1989 for shooting and killing two strangers, Charles Sponhaltz and Steven Vargo, along a country road in Ohio.
Palmer and a friend had been staking out the home of a man who once dated his ex-wife when Sponhaltz rear-ended his truck and was shot, court records read. Vargo was a passing driver who witnessed Sponhaltz's killing and was also shot.
Daughters and widows of the victims spoke with reporters after the execution.
"When you murder somebody, what good is an apology?" said Tiffany Nameth, Sponhaltz's widow. "You don't go out and murder two people and expect to get sympathy. In my eyes, he didn't deserve any sympathy."
Palmer's lawyer, David Stebbins, who also witnessed the execution, said that the state followed its execution procedure to the letter and that Palmer truly was remorseful for the pain he had caused and thought that it was time that his execution move forward.
Also present was Palmer's grown daughter and son, his ex-wife, and spiritual advisers. The prison warden declared his time of death as 10:35 a.m.
More on Crimesider
Sept. 20, 2012 - Ohio executes Donald Palmer for killing two men in 1989
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Katie Couric Interviews Tea Party Leaders
January 25, 2010 / 4:18 PM / CBS News
Watch CBS News Videos Online
For this week's installment of @katiecouric, CBS Evening News Anchor Katie Couric spoke to Tea Party leaders Michael Johns and Kellen Guida about their movement and the frustrations of those who identify with it.
The Tea Party movement, Johns said, was a "visceral reaction" to the idea that "our federal government was growing too large, that too much power was being centralized, and government bureaucracies that the American people were over-taxed, in some ways over-regulated."
"And that the genius of the American dream, the genius of American liberty as enunciated by our founders was always a belief in individual liberty and individual freedoms," he continued.
Johns, a health care executive and former speechwriter for President George H.W. Bush, added that "it's a hugely patriotic movement." He said the direction of the Obama administration is "an antithesis in many respects of what our founding fathers envisioned."
Guida, an unemployed architect who organized a New York City tea party, said his activism grew out of the bank bailouts. He said that while he didn't believe the government should have let the banks fail completely, he was bothered that midlevel banks and small businesses were allowed to fail while big banks were given a bailout.
Small businesses are "not seeing any lending," he said. "They're the ones that do the actual hiring for the economy. So when you have the government saying, 'We need to get lending again so we can create jobs, and we're also gonna give the government some money to create jobs,' at the end of the day, the real economic driver of this country, the small businesses, are standing there with nothing still."
Johns went on to say that central to Tea Party beliefs are "the defense of our country, the defense of our borders."
"It's astonishing to most Americans that we can put a man on the moon, but we can't defend our southern border against illegal immigration, and that's troubling."
He also slammed health care legislation, complaining of a "lavishly expanded" government role, and called for the proposed "Enumerated Powers Act," which would require Congress to show where each new piece of legislation is justified in the Constitution.
He called for "reducing the tax burden on American people," saying because of government intervention it's reached a point "where it's become not a particularly great country to do business in too many cases."
Couric asked Johns whether the Tea Partiers were focused on social issues as well as fiscal ones.
He said that while his pro-life views have been "generally embraced," the movement is decentralized and "the uniting factor is fiscal responsibility."
Watch the full interview above, and check out these individual clips:
Background of Tea Party Movement
Tea Partiers Outraged by Bailouts
Tea Partiers on Health Reform
Tea Partiers on Social Issues
First published on January 25, 2010 / 4:18 PM
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Diwali: Festival of lights 2012
Indians light candles during the festival of Diwali outside a Sikh Gurudwara or temple in New Delhi, India, Nov. 13, 2012. Diwali, the festival of lights dedicated to the Goddess of wealth Lakshmi, is being celebrated across the country.
Credit: AP Photo/Kevin Frayer
An Indian Border Security Force (BSF) soldier lights a candle inside a bunker as part of Diwali celebrations at the India-Bangladesh border on the outskirts of Agartala, India, Nov. 13, 2013.
Credit: AP Photo/Sushanta Das
An Indian plays with firecrackers during Diwali, the festival of lights, in Mumbai, India, Nov. 13, 2012.
Credit: AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool
Widows gather around a tulsi plant and light oil lamps to celebrate Diwali at a rest house run by a devotee in Bhubaneswar, India, Nov. 13, 2012.
Credit: AP Photo/Biswaranjan Rout
Indian children play with firecrackers during Diwali celebrations in New Delhi, India, Nov. 13, 2012.
Credit: AP Photo/Altaf Qadri
Indian children play with firecrackers during Diwali in New Delhi, India, Nov. 13, 2012.
People play with firecrackers during Diwali, the festival of lights, in Mumbai, India, Nov. 13, 2012.
An Indian woman holds a tray filled with earthen lamps during Diwali celebrations in New Delhi, India, Nov. 13, 2012.
A roadside shopkeeper of artificial decorative flowers waits for customers on eve of Hindu festival of lights Diwali, in Jammu, India, Nov. 12, 2012.
Credit: AP Photo/Channi Anand
Indians shop on the eve of Hindu festival of lights, Diwali in Kolkata, India, Nov. 12, 2012.
Credit: AP Photo/Bikas Das
An Indian Sikh boy leaps out of the way of a firecracker as he and friends celebrate the festival of Diwali in New Delhi, India, Nov. 13, 2012.
Candles and lamps are lit across a field ahead of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in Allahabad, India, Nov. 12, 2012.
Credit: AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh
A young Indian boy sells small deities of the goddess Lakshmi and the god Ganesha during the festival of Diwali in New Delhi, India, Nov. 13, 2012.
A firecracker lights up the sky as candles and lamps are seen lit across a field ahead of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in Allahabad, India, Nov. 12, 2012.
An Indian girl lights earthen lamps to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in Allahabad, India, Nov. 13, 2012.
Indian woman shops on eve of Hindu festival of lights Diwali, in Jammu, India, Nov. 12, 2012.
An Indian man dressed as a monkey god Hanuman blesses a bystander as he participates in a religious procession ahead of Diwali festival in Allahabad, India, Nov. 12, 2012.
Commuters drive past a roadside vendor selling water lilies on Diwali in Allahabad, India, Nov. 13, 2012.
A young Indian girl covers her ear as she is assisted by an adult to play with firecrackers during Diwali celebrations in New Delhi, India, Nov. 13, 2012.
Hindu priests perform rituals as devotees gather around an idol of monkey god Hanuman during Hanuman Jayanti festival in Allahabad, India, Nov. 12, 2012.
Indian women shop for Hindu God idol of elephant headed Ganesh for prosperity and Goddess Lakhsmi for wealth on the occasion of Hindu festival of lights, Diwali in Kolkata, India, Nov. 12, 2012.
A girl decorates the entrance of her home with earthen lamps and colored powder during Diwali festival in Kolkata, India, Nov. 13, 2012.
People play with firecrackers during Diwali, the festival of lights, in Allahabad, India, Nov. 13, 2012.
An elderly woman covers her ears as girls play with firecrackers during Diwali in New Delhi, India, Nov. 13, 2012.
A Hindu lady prays, in a temple, in Nairobi, Kenya, Nov. 13, 2012 to mark their religious festival Diwali.
Credit: AP Photo/Sayyid Azim
Indian men light firecrackers at a market place during Diwali celebrations in New Delhi, India, Nov. 13, 2012.
An Indian girl holds an earthen lamp and performs rituals on the banks of the Bindu Sagar to celebrate Diwali in Bhubaneswar, India, Nov. 13, 2012.
An Indian Hindu woman holds a tray filled with earthen lamps during Diwali celebrations in Allahabad, India, Nov. 13, 2012.
A homeless Indian man prepares to sleep on the pavement surrounded by candles lit by a local merchant in front of a shop during the festival of Diwali in New Delhi, India, Nov. 13, 2012.
The child of a roadside flower vendor plays on a bed of marigolds for sale on Diwali in Allahabad, India, Nov. 13, 2012.
Indian Border Security Force soldiers light candles and crackers as part of Diwali celebrations at the India-Bangladesh border post of Lankamura, about 3 miles from Agartala, India, Nov. 13, 2013.
An Indian girl plays with firecrackers during Diwali celebrations in Hyderabad, India, Nov. 13, 2012.
Credit: AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A
Elderly Indian women play with fireworks during Diwali in Mumbai, India, Nov. 13, 2012.
Bollywood star Vivek Oberoi, center wearing red, and his father Suresh Oberoi, seated center, watch trading on Diwali day along with stockbrokers at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in Mumbai, India, Nov. 13, 2012.
An Indian family lights firecrackers during the festival of Diwali in New Delhi, India, Nov. 13, 2012.
Indians light candles ahead of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, in Allahabad, India, Nov. 12, 2012.
Indians light candles during the festival of Diwali outside a Sikh Gurudwara or temple in New Delhi, India, Nov. 13, 2012.
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Paramount Pictures at 100
The Bronson Gate at Paramount Pictures' studio in Los Angeles - one of the most recognizable Hollywood landmarks - is seen under construction in 1926.
The Hollywood studio, which was originally created in 1912, is celebrating a century of classic filmmaking, from the Marx Brothers, Preston Sturges, Billy Wilder, "The Godfather" and "Chinatown," to Indiana Jones, "Star Trek" and "Beverly Hills Cop."
By CBSNews.com senior editor David Morgan
Credit: Paramount Pictures
Paramount was born from a New York-based businessman inspired to film plays for well-heeled audiences. Adolph Zukor had invested in penny arcades and traveling nickelodeons, but in 1912 he invested $40,000 in a French film production of "Queen Elizabeth," starring stage actress Sarah Bernhardt, in return for distribution rights. Zukor showed the film at New York's Lyceum Theater on July 12, 1912 (despite threats from the motion picture trust ruled by Thomas Edison), and then in roadshow screenings across the country. The 40-minute film - the first U.S.-backed feature length movie - was a success.
Zukor formed Famous Players Film Company to produce "famous plays with famous players," and its first production was "The Count of Monte Cristo." Through mergers (and, later, bankruptcy), Famous Players eventually became Paramount Pictures.
Zukor died in 1976 at the age of 103.
Rudolph Valentino, one of the earliest screen sex symbols, in "Son of the Sheik" (1926).
Clara Bow, a.k.a. the "It" girl.
Marlene Dietrich and Gary Cooper in "Morocco" (1930).
Crowds flood the Bronson Gate at Paramount Pictures to attend a casting call for the 1930 Gold Rush drama "The Spoilers," starring Gary Cooper.
A 1930 aerial view of the Paramount Pictures studio backlot in Los Angeles.
A 1934 view of the "New York Street" on the Paramount backlot.
The Marx Brothers made their first five features at Paramount, including "The Cocoanuts," "Animal Crackers," "Monkey Business," "Horse Feathers," and "Duck Soup."
Groucho Marx, demonstrating his way with women, in "Animal Crackers" (1930).
Bing Crosby is pictured in 1936 on the Paramount backlot. Crosby was one of the most popular stars of movies, radio and recordings, and won a Best Actor Oscar for "Going My Way" (1944). But he was probably best remembered as part of the knockabout series of "Road" movies with Bob Hope.
Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake in "Sullivan's Travels" (1941), one of many classic screwball comedies directed by Preston Sturges at Paramount. Others not to be missed: "Christmas in July," "The Lady Eve," "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek" and "Hail the Conquering Hero."
French New Wave director Luc Godard once wrote, "All you need for a movie is a gun and a girl." In Billy Wilder's film noir classic "Double Indemnity" (1944), with a script co-written by Raymond Chandler based on a James M. Cain novel, Fred MacMurray had both (thanks to Barbara Stanwyck) - and both were too hot to handle.
Bob Hope keeps his nose to the books in "Road to Singapore" (1940), co-starring Dorothy Lamour.
While MGM had the reputation for producing the most accomplished musicals, Paramount did have Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, who co-starred in "Holiday Inn" (1942), with music by Irving Berlin. Crosby and Astaire also teamed up for "Blue Skies," and Astaire returned to Paramount for "Funny Face," co-starring Audrey Hepburn.
"I'm ready for my closeup": Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond in Billy Wilder's poison-pen letter to Hollywood, "Sunset Boulevard."
Director Billy Wilder is captured dancing with actress Gloria Swanson on the set of "Sunset Boulevard."
In the 1950s Paramount released several classic science fiction films produced by George Pal, including "Destination Moon," "War of the Worlds" and "When Worlds Collide."
Audrey Hepburn ("Roman Holiday") is seen on the Paramount backlot in 1954.
During the 1950s Paramount was the home of Alfred Hitchcock in what proved to be the director's most fertile period, which included "To Catch a Thief," "Rear Window" (left, with James Stewart), "Vertigo," and "Psycho." He even borrowed Paramount's VistaVision widescreen cameras to shoot "North by Northwest" for MGM.
Alfred Hitchcock directs James Stewart and Grace Kelly on the set of "Rear Window."
Cecil B. DeMille was renowned for spectacle - the bigger, the better - and became synonymous with Biblical epics. In 1923 when he filmed "The Ten Commandments," the story of Moses was only half of the film - the rest took place in the present day. When Hollywood was competing against television in the 1950s, DeMille remade the saga in widescreen, Technicolor and stereophonic sound, starring Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, and a cast of thousands.
Moses speaks with God - in the person of producer-director Cecil B. DeMille - during filming of "The Ten Commandments."
Jerry Lewis is seen directing his comedy "The Errand Boy" on the Paramount studio backlot, 1961.
Audrey Hepburn is photographed on the set of "Breakfast at Tiffany's."
In the 1960s Paramount released films by such notable European directors as Sergio Leone ("Once Upon a Time in the West"), Roman Polanski ("Rosemary's Baby"), and Franco Zefferelli ("Romeo and Juliet," left, featuring Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting).
But the '60s was also a time of financial crisis for Paramount. The film studio was sold to the conglomerate Gulf + Western, which also purchased the Desilu TV studio, joining feature film and television production.
In this 1969 publicity shot Paramount Pictures studio head Robert Evans (front, second from left) is seen with stars of the studio's 1969 slate of films, including Barbra Streisand and Yves Montand ("On a Clear Day You Can See Forever"), John Wayne ("True Grit"), Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood ("Paint Your Wagon"), and Rock Hudson ("Darling Lili"). Also pictured in "Forever" lyricist Alan Jay Lerner.
Left: John Wayne's Oscar-winning performance as Rooster Cogburn in "True Grit" (1969). Right: Jeff Bridges in his Oscar-nominated performance in the Coen Brothers' 2010 remake. Though his portrayal was strikingly different, Bridges said his wearing the eye patch on the opposite eye from Wayne's only came about because it was more comfortable.
James Caan takes a break during filming of the tollbooth assassination scene in which his character, Sonny Corleone, is blasted to smithereens in "The Godfather."
Before video playback, viewing rushes on location was a bit more cumbersome, as seen in this photograph taken during filming of "The Godfather."
Faye Dunaway as Evelyn Mulwray in "Chinatown" (1974), Roman Polanski's classic noir of political corruption in California in the 1930s. Script by Robert Towne.
Director Roman Polanski attends to Jack Nicholson's makeup on the set of "Chinatown."
Credit: Orlando Suero/Paramount Pictures
Jack Nicholson as J.J. Gittes in "Chinatown."
Locusts rise up from the wheat fields in Terrence Malick's "Days of Heaven" (1978). Nestor Almendros won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.
"Star Trek" has lived long and prospered far beyond the original Paramount TV series. After fan demands (and the box office success of "Star Wars") transported the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise to the big screen in "Star Trek: The Motion Picture," the franchise has played out in 11 feature films, from "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" (left) and spinoffs starring a "Next Generation" to the 2009 reboot.
After starring in some of the studio’s biggest hits, including “Barefoot in the Park,” “Downhill Racer,” and “Three Days of the Condor,” Robert Redford directed “Ordinary People” (1980), about the strained relations of a family devastated by the tragic death of a son. Starring Timothy Hutton, Mary Tyler Moore and Donald Sutherland, it won Best Picture and, for Redford, Best Director.
"The Elephant Man" (1980) featured a sterling cast - Anthony Hopkins (left) as a London doctor who discovers a horribly mis-formed human being played by John Hurt - and bore the unmistakable stamp of writer-director David Lynch. But it was also produced by the production company of Mel Brooks, who refused to allow his name on the credits, fearing audiences might assume it was a comedy.
Warren Beatty's epic tale of socialist writer John Reed and his support for - and growing disenchantment with - the Bolshevik Revolution was the unlikely basis for the epic drama "Reds" (1981), co-starring Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson.
Director Steven Spielberg confers with actors Karen Allen and Harrison Ford on the set of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981). A winning recreation of old-fashioned Saturday afternoon movie serials, the film launched yet another franchise for Ford (who'd already starred in two "Star Wars" movies for producer George Lucas).
"Saturday Night Live" alumni have had varied success translating their popularity from a late night sketch show to the big screen, but Eddie Murphy had no trouble hitting the ground running. After the comedy-drama "48 Hrs." in which he co-starred with Nick Nolte, Murphy starred in the fish-out-of-water comedy "Beverly Hills Cop," and returned for three sequels.
Matthew Broderick made truancy forgivable - or at least an opportunity to sing Beatles song in a parade - in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (1986), written and directed by John Hughes.
Kate Winslet in "Titanic" (1997). James Cameron's epic disaster picture/romance won 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
Another Paramount TV classic that was transferred to movie screens was "Mission: Impossible," in which U.S. super-secret agents combat nefarious forces across the world. Tom Cruise starred in the 1996 movie version directed by Brian De Palma, which launched three additional films, including "Mission: Impossible III" (left), directed by J.J. Abrams.
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) works on a prototype of his "Iron Man" armor.
Credit: Paramount Pictures/Marvel; Zade Rosenthal
The mountain logo of Paramount Pictures as seen over the years.
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"Scary Movie 5" premieres in Hollywood
Charlie Sheen, left, and Lindsay Lohan, cast members in "Scary Movie 5," pose together at the Los Angeles premiere of the film at the Cinerama Dome on April 11, 2013, in Hollywood, Calif.
Credit: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
Actress Lindsay Lohan arrives at the "Scary Movie 5" premiere at the ArcLight Cinemas Cinerama Dome on April 11, 2013, in Hollywood, Calif.
Credit: Jason Merritt/Getty Images
Lindsay Lohan, a cast member in "Scary Movie 5," gets a kiss from fellow cast member Charlie Sheen on the red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere of the film at the Cinerama Dome on April 11, 2013, in Hollywood, Calif.
Actor Charlie Sheen arrives at the "Scary Movie 5" premiere at the ArcLight Cinemas Cinerama Dome on April 11, 2013, in Hollywood, Calif.
Lindsay Lohan, right, a cast member in "Scary Movie 5," looks over at fellow cast member Charlie Sheen at the Los Angeles premiere of the film at the Cinerama Dome on April 11, 2013, in Hollywood, Calif.
Mike Tyson, a cast member in "Scary Movie 5," poses with his wife, Lakiha, at the Los Angeles premiere of the film at the Cinerama Dome on April 11, 2013, in Hollywood, Calif.
Heather Locklear, a cast member in "Scary Movie 5," poses with her daughter, Ava Sambora, at the Los Angeles premiere of the film at the Cinerama Dome on April 11, 2013, in Hollywood, Calif.
Ava Sambora arrives at the "Scary Movie 5" premiere at the ArcLight Cinemas Cinerama Dome on April 11, 2013, in Hollywood, Calif.
Actress Kate Walsh arrives at the "Scary Movie 5" premiere at the ArcLight Cinemas Cinerama Dome on April 11, 2013, in Hollywood, Calif.
Actor Andy Dick arrives at the "Scary Movie 5" premiere at the ArcLight Cinemas Cinerama Dome on April 11, 2013, in Hollywood, Calif.
Ashley Tisdale, a cast member in "Scary Movie 5," poses at the Los Angeles premiere of the film at the Cinerama Dome on April 11, 2013, in Hollywood, Calif.
Actors Charlie Sheen and Heather Locklear arrive at the "Scary Movie 5" premiere at the ArcLight Cinemas Cinerama Dome on April 11, 2013, in Hollywood, Calif.
Credit: Michael Buckner/Getty Images
Actors Mike Tyson and Charlie Sheen arrive at the "Scary Movie 5" premiere at the ArcLight Cinemas Cinerama Dome on April 11, 2013, in Hollywood, Calif.
Actor Katt Williams arrives at the "Scary Movie 5" premiere at the ArcLight Cinemas Cinerama Dome on April 11, 2013, in Hollywood, Calif.
Actor Jerry O'Connell arrives at the "Scary Movie 5" premiere at the ArcLight Cinemas Cinerama Dome on April 11, 2013, in Hollywood, Calif.
Actor Wayne Brady arrives at the "Scary Movie 5" premiere at the ArcLight Cinemas Cinerama Dome on April 11, 2013, in Hollywood, Calif.
Actor Jeremy Sisto and wife, Addie Lane, arrive at the "Scary Movie 5" premiere at the ArcLight Cinemas Cinerama Dome on April 11, 2013, in Hollywood, Calif.
Actors Andy Dick and Simon Rex arrive at the "Scary Movie 5" premiere at the ArcLight Cinemas Cinerama Dome on April 11, 2013, in Hollywood, Calif.
Ashley Tisdale, a cast member in "Scary Movie 5," poses with boyfriend Christopher French at the Los Angeles premiere of the film at the Cinerama Dome on April 11, 2013, in Hollywood, Calif.
Charlie Sheen, a cast member in "Scary Movie 5," poses at the Los Angeles premiere of the film at the Cinerama Dome on April 11, 2013, in Hollywood, Calif.
Lindsay Lohan, a cast member in "Scary Movie V," poses at the Los Angeles premiere of the film at the Cinerama Dome on April 11, 2013, in Hollywood, Calif.
Kate Walsh, a cast member in "Scary Movie V," poses at the Los Angeles premiere of the film at the Cinerama Dome on April 11, 2013, in Hollywood, Calif.
Comedian Andy Dick, left, and his son Lucas pose together at the Los Angeles premiere of the film at the Cinerama Dome on April 11, 2013, in Hollywood, Calif.
Lindsay Lohan, a cast member in "Scary Movie V," poses on the red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere of the film at the Cinerama Dome on April 11, 2013, in Hollywood, Calif.
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site: media | arena: nba | pageType: stories | section: | slug: | sport: basketball | route: gametracker | 6-keys: media/spln/nba/reg/free/gamecenter_recaps
TF 4
Wed Nov. 22
NY 4.0, O/U 210.5
Knicks outscore Raptors 41-10 in 3rd, win 108-100
STATS AP
NEW YORK (AP) An eight-minute stretch of the third quarter was all the Knicks needed to turn a double-digit deficit into an insurmountable lead.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored a career-high 38 points, including 12 during a 28-0 run in the third that sent New York to a 108-100 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.
Kristaps Porzingis added 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks, who outscored the Raptors 41-10 in the decisive period.
''At halftime we had some strong words for each other, we talked about stuff we wanted to do better and we came out in the second half looking like a different team,'' Porzingis said.
Kyle Lowry scored 25 points and DeMar DeRozan had 18 for the Raptors, who had their four-game winning streak snapped.
The Raptors shot 0 for 13 from the field during that stretch, which began with Enes Kanter's layup with 10:28 left and didn't end until CJ Miles hit a 3-pointer with 2:23 remaining.
''They came out and overcame our energy, lack of energy, with their energy, and just put us on our heels,'' Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. ''We couldn't make a shot, short-arming it, missed a couple of layups. They're coming out, scored what, five straight baskets, and again, you let a team like that get momentum as hard as they're playing, you put yourself in a hole.''
The Knicks trailed 59-48 at halftime and were down 62-52 after Lowry's two free throws with 10:47 left in the third quarter. Kanter added five more points during the run, while Courtney Lee contributed seven of his 15 points.
New York took its biggest lead at 89-69 on Doug McDermott's jumper with two seconds left in the third quarter.
The Knicks still led by 18 when the Raptors went on a 12-0 run of their own to cut the deficit to 94-88. But Porzingis converted a three-point play with 5:25 left to end the run and also hit the next bucket, and the Knicks put it away soon after when Hardaway made a 3-pointer.
''I'm just taking what the defense gives me,'' Hardaway said. ''If I see a lane I'm just penetrating as hard as I can and trying to make the right play at the basket. I'm just playing off the big fella (Porzingis). You've got to keep him happy.''
Toronto led most of the first half and DeRozan's layup with a second left put the Raptors up by 11 at halftime.
''They came out aggressive in the third quarter. We came out in a funk,'' DeRozan said. ''We couldn't make a basket and couldn't get a stop, and they took advantage of it. It happens. It's the NBA. Some team, some nights, have to go through it.''
Hardaway and Lee each had game highs of seven assists.
TIP-INS:
Raptors: Delon Wright visited the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York on Wednesday and it was decided no surgery is required at this time. His right shoulder was dislocated against New Orleans on Nov. 15. Wright, who missed his third straight game, is averaging 7.6 points in about 21 minutes per game. There is no timetable for his return.
Knicks: The Knicks have now won six games this season in which they've trailed by double digits. ... New York had lost eight straight games to the Raptors. The Knicks' previous win in the series was on Nov. 10, 2015.
CENTURY MARKS
The Knicks are 10-2 when scoring at least 100 points this season. They are 4-0 when holding opponents to less than 100.
DEROZAN DENIED
DeRozan had scored at least 20 points in 10 straight games before falling two points short on Wednesday.
Raptors: Visit Indiana on Friday.
Knicks: Visit Atlanta on Friday.
For more NBA coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball
Copyright 2017 by AP. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of AP is strictly prohibited.
D. DeRozan
K. Porzingis
32.7 Min. Per Game 32.7
27.6 Pts. Per Game 27.6
1.1 Ast. Per Game 1.1
7.1 Reb. Per Game 7.1
48.4 Field Goal % 46.7
48.5 Three Point % 47.0
81.6 Free Throw % 84.3
+ 2 C.J. Miles made dunk 0:15
Offensive rebound by C.J. Miles 0:15
Serge Ibaka missed 3-pt. jump shot 0:18
Defensive rebound by DeMar DeRozan 0:23
Tim Hardaway Jr. missed 3-pt. jump shot 0:26
+ 2 Kyle Lowry made driving layup 0:48
+ 2 Kristaps Porzingis made turnaround jump shot, assist by Tim Hardaway Jr. 0:55
Defensive rebound by Lance Thomas 1:15
Fred VanVleet missed reverse layup, blocked by Kristaps Porzingis 1:16
+ 2 Tim Hardaway Jr. made driving dunk 1:23
Defensive rebound by Jarrett Jack 1:41
Field Goals 37-87 (42.5%) 43-93 (46.2%)
3-Pointers 14-38 (36.8%) 8-24 (33.3%)
Free Throws 12-18 (66.7%) 14-17 (82.4%)
Offensive 12 13
Defensive 30 34
Team 9 11
Fouls 23 19
Technicals 0 0
K. Lowry G 7
25 PTS, 10 REB, 5 AST
T. Hardaway Jr. F 3
38 PTS, 6 REB, 7 AST
Raptors 11-6 34 25 10 31 100
Knicks 10-7 26 22 41 19 108
Madison Square Garden New York, NY
Raptors 11-6 106.6 PPG 42.3 RPG 22.5 APG
Knicks 10-7 PPG RPG APG
K. Lowry G 14.2 PPG 4.8 RPG 8.7 APG 41.1 FG%
T. Hardaway Jr. F PPG RPG APG FG%
K. Lowry G 25 PTS 10 REB 5 AST
T. Hardaway Jr. F 38 PTS 6 REB 7 AST
42.5 FG% 46.2
36.8 3PT FG% 33.3
66.7 FT% 82.4
K. Lowry
S. Ibaka
J. Valanciunas
O. Anunoby
Starters PTS REB AST FG 3PT FT PF MIN STL BLK TO OREB DREB +/- FPTS
K. Lowry 25 10 5 7/15 4/10 7/8 3 35 2 1 5 2 8 -16 43
D. DeRozan 18 6 4 7/15 2/4 2/6 2 31 0 0 0 1 5 -8 32
S. Ibaka 9 2 1 4/14 0/5 1/2 4 29 0 4 0 1 1 +3 17
J. Valanciunas 8 6 1 4/8 0/0 0/0 2 17 0 3 3 3 3 -5 16
O. Anunoby 3 1 1 1/2 1/2 0/0 1 15 0 0 0 0 1 -4 6
N. Powell
C. Miles
P. Siakam
F. VanVleet
L. Nogueira
J. Poeltl
D. Wright
B. Caboclo
M. Miller
A. McKinnie
Bench PTS REB AST FG 3PT FT PF MIN STL BLK TO OREB DREB +/- FPTS
N. Powell 11 4 2 3/6 3/4 2/2 4 23 1 0 2 1 3 +3 18
C. Miles 11 3 1 4/10 3/8 0/0 1 20 0 1 1 2 1 -3 16
P. Siakam 8 8 4 4/8 0/1 0/0 2 28 0 0 1 2 6 -1 23
F. VanVleet 7 1 2 3/8 1/4 0/0 1 19 1 0 1 0 1 +4 12
L. Nogueira 0 0 0 0/0 0/0 0/0 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 +5 0
J. Poeltl 0 1 0 0/1 0/0 0/0 3 10 0 1 2 0 1 -18 0
L. Brown - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
D. Wright - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
B. Caboclo - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
M. Miller - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A. McKinnie - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Total 100 42 21 37/87 14/38 12/18 23 234 4 10 15 12 30 -40 183
T. Hardaway Jr.
C. Lee
E. Kanter
J. Jack
T. Hardaway Jr. 38 6 7 13/27 4/9 8/10 5 36 1 1 2 2 4 +16 58
K. Porzingis 22 12 1 8/21 1/4 5/5 4 35 0 3 1 1 11 +6 38
C. Lee 15 5 7 7/12 1/2 0/1 2 33 3 0 1 2 3 +18 36
E. Kanter 11 4 5 5/9 0/0 1/1 2 31 1 2 1 1 3 +15 27
J. Jack 2 4 2 1/6 0/2 0/0 1 31 2 0 2 0 4 +12 10
D. McDermott
F. Ntilikina
L. Thomas
K. O'Quinn
R. Sessions
M. Beasley
I. Hicks
L. Kornet
W. Hernangomez
R. Baker
D. Dotson
D. McDermott 8 6 1 4/7 0/2 0/0 0 25 0 0 0 4 2 -18 16
F. Ntilikina 7 1 1 3/5 1/3 0/0 2 16 0 0 1 0 1 -4 9
L. Thomas 3 6 0 1/3 1/2 0/0 2 14 1 0 1 2 4 +2 9
K. O'Quinn 2 3 5 1/3 0/0 0/0 1 14 0 1 2 1 2 -7 14
R. Sessions - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
M. Beasley - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I. Hicks - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
L. Kornet - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
W. Hernangomez - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
R. Baker - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
D. Dotson - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Total 108 47 29 43/93 8/24 14/17 19 235 8 7 11 13 34 +40 217
BKN
Final/OT
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Pop Music Of The 1960s
Home / Helpful Blog Posts / Pop Music Of The 1960s
Do you know your 60s pop classics? Can you tell which artist or group released which single? Do you know these British Invasion, Motown and other 60s classic.
Pop Music in the 1950s 60s 70s 80s and 90s
In what may be considered the sequel to 2011’s Hidden Treasures, which chronicled Davies’ solo recordings from the 1960’s, De.
Guitarist Bobby Broom’s love of jazz has never blocked out his affection for the pop music he grew up with. Jordan), draws from Broom’s favorite songs of his childhood in the 1960s and ’70s, runnin.
During the 1960s folk music revival, she made several records with Arhoolie and performed at a number of festivals in the Uni.
Test yourself on pop music questions from 1960-1969. What is your level of expertise for the 60s?
Marina Nad The Diamonds Live Concert Apr 16, 2015. Marina and the Diamonds Delivers a Frootful Performance. The live version rivaled that of the album, especially near the end as she held a. 5, Tilles Center, Post LIU, Brookville; Oct. 3 and 4, Carnegie Hall In the highest-profile symphony orchestra concert in the. Marina And The Diamonds Tour dates 2018. Marina
Pop Music quizzes about instrumentals, causes of death, real names, hair rock, duets, remakes, Eurovision, producers, labels and Grammy Awards. Have fun with these and get a grade for your trivia knowledge
Visit the 1950s and 1960s Music, TV, Pop History, Fashion, Slang, Cars, TV Westerns and so much more. Tons of pics, info and interesting facts, read more.
Hendrix was an electric guitar god to music lovers of the 1960s. His talent transcends his untimely death in September 1970 a.
CARAMANICA Richard Thompson, ‘The Storm Won’t Come’ Richard Thompson has never made a bad album in a career dating back to th.
Much of how we think about contemporary music criticism traces its roots to The Voice, which was a 1960s counterculture bible.
But Aretha’s voice contained a depth and power not heard in pop music. What might have once. success for Atlantic records.
Chubby Checker during the early 1960s popularizes the enduring. duo in pop music, writing numerous number one hits including the first.
Jul 29, 2016. Pop music felt its soul. Jazz felt free. Although we at Paste had previously compiled the 60 Best Albums of the 1960s, we felt that a number of.
Traditional pop (also classic pop or pop standards) is music that was recorded or performed after the Big Band era and before the advent of rock music. The most popular and enduring songs from this style of music are known as pop standards or American standards. The works of these songwriters and composers are usually.
Thai pop history has been largely ignored and neglected by the international musical community for far too long. By the late 20th century, Thai pop music had developed as many faces as localized roots music such as molam or styles like luk thung or luk krung (each with their own respective pop-sectors).
Apr 22, 2015. “The film is a celebration of the incredible music that came from. by Western and European rock and pop during the 1960s, Cambodian.
Popular Music from the 1960s, Genres including The British Invasion, Motown/R& B, Surf Rock and Psychedelic Rock, Roots Rock and Hard Rock, Folk Rock and Protest Music, Acappella and top songs and artists from each year
1960s Music – Oldies Music including Rock and Roll, British Bands, The. Not just rock screamed out change, so did folk music and even pop took up the.
In 1960, a group of young men in California recorded an instrumental single, Moon Dawg, and started what would become known as surf music. Within a few.
If you’re wondering just what on earth was with that "Zou bisou bisou" song from Mad Men on Sunday night, look no further — we’re here to help! The song was a prime example of yé-yé, the.
Play these 1960s Pop Music quizzes in a game show against computer opponents.
Popular Music from the 1960s, Genres including The British Invasion, of time in the early to mid-1960's, during which many British rock bands and pop artists.
Aug 18, 2006. The '60s marked a time when pop music became more than a teenage fad, turning into an important art form in its own right as it soundtracked.
The “Pop Art Photo Show,” a temporary exhibit and sale at Santa Monica’s Barker Hanger, will showcase vintage movie posters,
Oct 27, 2014. Hear the top twenty singles from the 1960s. 1 in two separate runs (in 1960 and again in 1962, due to its revival in its pop culture). for the Beatles, whose music isn't on Spotify — and read on to see when each hit peaked.
People connected with the Texas singer-songwriter’s retro sound and compared him to soul legends from the 1960s like Sam Cook.
View a list of the top 100 hit songs in the US in 1960 and listen to a short countdown. Home Page > Pop Culture > Top 100 Songs of the Year : Current Page.
A starting point as good as any: from the success of Tom Jones ‘n’ Shirley Bassey to beyond. Ah, the 1960s. The time of naked hippies, the lunar landing and cheesecloth trousers. Man’s greatest achi.
British beat music Many British pop groups in the 1960s were heavily influenced by American blues and R&B. These included The Beatles and The Rolling.
British beat music. Many British pop groups in the 1960s were heavily influenced by American blues and R&B. These included The Beatles and The Rolling.
. unforgettable era in time that were heady days of the 1960’s with The Sixties Show. The music is stripped-down to pulsati.
1960s Music – Oldies Music including Rock and Roll, British Bands, The Beatles, Elvis and so many more. read on
Blues Guitarists 21st Century Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer, electric guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. King introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending and shimmering vibrato that influenced many later electric blues guitarists. King was inducted into. If you ask
Jun 20, 2017. Pop music in the 1960s baffled many parents, who expected it to be a passing fad. In this 1967 article, Alfred Aronowitz explained how the rock.
“In the white room with black curtains near the station…” They were pioneers, the psychedelic supergroup that helped introduc.
Both halves of that equation — cultural change and beautiful pop music — are part of "Beehive. As the title indicates, "Beehive" is about the music and voices of women in the 1960s, starting with c.
What Rapper Disses J Cole Last night, J. Cole confirmed the release of his new surprise album, 4 Your Eyez Only, next week with a surprise documentary, Eyez. It’s 40 minutes long and packed with footage of him recording. J. Cole spoke to us about community and temptation. He explained how his album is a warning and that overdosing is
Album of the Year: Button Down Mind, Bob Newhart : Best New Artist: Bob Newhart : Best Pop Duo or Group: ‘We Got Us,’ Eydie Gormé and Steve Lawrence
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form in the United States and United Kingdom during the mid-1950s. The terms "popular music" and "pop music" are often used interchangeably, although the former describes all music that is popular and includes many different styles.
If you were a kid in the pre-cable 1960s and early ’70s. Which is why I thank the pop-culture gods for Leonard Bernstein.
From the jangly folk/pop of the 1960s-infused "Arms & Legs" and the groovy 1970s feel. "runs like a musical time machine t.
Mar 26, 2012. A product of the Brill Building hothouse of pop songwriters, 'We Gotta. 'Dance To The Music' is a day-glo riot of pulsating horns, fuzzed-up.
the North Carolina-based singer-songwriter now dusts off her older music in her first solo U.S. tour in four years, unearthin.
It was pioneered as a method of making music by musician and technologist Reed Ghazala in the 1960s. Ghazala himself was not.
Pop Music Albums With All The Top Hits Rolling Stone called it one of the top five greatest songs of all time. But here’s the thing. the hint of bitterness when Redding performed "Respect" at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. "This lov. The ultimate guide to hits from the UK Top 40 from the 1950s to the present day with a sophisticated
Results 1 – 48 of 3724. Shop from the world's largest selection and best deals for Pop & Beat Music Memorabilia (1960s). Shop with confidence on eBay!
Vol. 2-Siamese Soul: Thai Pop Spectacular 1960s-19 – Siamese Soul: Thai Spectacular 1960s-80s 2 – Amazon.com Music
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JMSN Enlists Snoh Aalegra for "Cruel Intentions" Remix
ByJoyce
Image via JMSN on Facebook
In the event that JMSN’s original wasn’t sensual enough, the official remix of “Cruel Intentions” will certainly do the trick. Tapping Sweden’s Snoh Aalegra for the rework, the two prove to be the perfect duo when it comes to crooning about matters of the heart. Snoh’s soulful, yearning vocals take the single to new heights, reinforcing the overwhelming regret JMSN sings about.
“Cruel Intentions” will appear on JMSN’s upcoming album, It Is, which arrives on May 5. Listen to the remix below.
Pigeons & Planes is all about music discovery, supporting new artists, and delivering the best music curation online and IRL. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
JMSNPigeons And PlanesSnoh
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Saturday Night at the Movies - Saturday 15 March 2014
Howard Goodall enters the world of video games and some of the great symphonic scores that accompany them.
This week, Howard Goodall takes a small excursion away from the world of cinema - and delves into the music of video games.
There's music from Final Fantasy which, perhaps controversially, reached No.3 in the Classic FM Hall of Fame 2013. It's written by Japanese composer Nobuo Uematsu, who is sometimes referred to as the ‘Beethoven of video games music’. His career in the games industry spans 28 years and more than 60 titles, and he now tours the world to give concerts of his music. He's back in the UK in November for a show at the Royal Albert Hall which sold out in less than three hours.
There's also music from Bioshock Infinite, Halo, Super Mario and many more - celebrating the composers and assessing how their music enhances the gaming experience.
So whether you're a committed gamer or a self-confessed technophobe, join Howard for two hours of wonderful and varied scores.
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Saturday Night at the Movies - 18 October 2014, 5pm
This week Howard Goodall returns to the fascinating subject of composer-director partnerships and how these fruitful collaborations can result in effective film scores.
In previous programmes, Howard has examined the working relationships between the likes of John Williams and Steven Spielberg, and Tim Burton and Danny Elfman.
GALLERY: The greatest director-composer partnerships >
Under the spotlight this week are the partnerships between, amongst others, fellow Canadians Howard Shore and David Cronenberg. Shore's first film score was for Cronenberg's first major film The Brood. He has gone on to score all of Cronenberg's subsequent films, with the exception of The Dead Zone. Shore further developed his music for Cronenberg's The Fly into a full-scale opera and most recently they collaborated on Maps to the Stars.
Maurice Jarre and David Lean (pictured) together gave us such classics as Lawrence of Arabia, Dr. Zhivago, Ryan's Daughter and A Passage to India.
George Fenton has scored more feature films for Ken Loach than for any other director. Their collaboration started in 1994 with Ladybird, Ladybird. Their excellent output includes such films as Land and Freedom and The Wind That Shakes the Barley which won the Palme d'Or at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.
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US border official resigns amid uproar over migrant children
John Sanders
The acting head of US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has resigned amid an uproar over the discovery of migrant children being held in pitiful conditions at one of the agency’s stations in Texas.
John Sanders’s departure deepened the sense of crisis and added to the rapid turnover inside the agencies responsible for enforcing President Donald Trump’s immigration priorities as the US deals with record numbers of migrant families coming across the southern border.
In a message to employees, Mr Sanders said he would step down on July 5. He did not give a reason for leaving.
“Although I will leave it to you to determine whether I was successful, I can unequivocally say that helping support the amazing men and women of CBP has been the most fulfilling and satisfying opportunity of my career,” he said.
Hours after Mr Sanders’s departure became public, two officials told The Associated Press that he was being replaced by Mark Morgan, who was named acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement just last month.
In an interview last week, Mr Sanders blamed the problems in detention on a lack of money and called on Congress to pass a 4.5 US billion dollar (£3.55 billion) emergency funding bill to address the crisis.
Congress MUST act to provide additional resources to CBP through supplemental funding. Without additional resources, the safety and well-being of the migrant population in CBP custody, comprised mostly of families & unaccompanied children, are at substantial risk. We need action! pic.twitter.com/EUgBwcHSnb
— Acting Comm. John Sanders (@CBPSanders) June 22, 2019
The House approved the legislation on Tuesday night, setting up a showdown with the Senate where Republican leaders plan approval of a different, bipartisan bill this week that does not offer as many protections and services for migrants.
At the White House, Mr Trump said that he did not ask for Mr Sanders’s resignation — adding that he does not think he has ever spoken to the man — but that he is “moving some people around into different locations” amid the crisis.
While activists welcomed Mr Sanders’s departure, Mr Trump defended US border authorities, saying: “The laws are so bad and the asylum rules and laws are so bad that our Border Patrol people, who are so incredible, aren’t allowed to do their jobs.”
President Donald Trump has defended his immigration policies (Carolyn Kaster/AP)
The unprecedented surge of migrant families has left US immigration detention centres severely overcrowded and taxed the government’s ability to provide medical care and other attention.
Six children have died since September after being detained by border agents.
The human costs of the migrant surge were driven home this week by a searing photo of the bodies of a Salvadoran man and his nearly two-year-old daughter, face down in shallow water along the Mexican side of the Rio Grande.
On Sunday, two babies, a toddler and a woman were found dead on the Texas side, overcome by the sweltering heat.
The Trump administration has faced a barrage of criticism in recent days over conditions inside the Border Patrol facility in Clint, Texas, first reported by The Associated Press: these include inadequate food, lack of medical care, no soap and older children trying to care for toddlers.
Conditions at the Border Patrol station in Clint, Texas, have been criticised (Cedar Attanasio/AP)
An official from Customs and Border Protection said on Tuesday that the majority of the roughly 300 children detained at Clint last week had been moved to facilities operated by the Office of Refugee Resettlement.
But around the same time Mr Sanders announced his resignation, his agency said officials had moved more than 100 children back to the station.
CBP is the agency that apprehends and first detains migrant parents and children crossing the Mexican border.
CBP’s facilities at the border were almost all built when most people crossing into the US illegally were single adults.
Now, the agency is apprehending tens of thousands of parents and children weekly. It recorded 84,500 apprehensions of adults and children travelling together in May.
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Yahoo adds voice to chat
Yahoo steps into chat and finds that the room is crowded.
CNET News staff
Talk is cheap--and chat is free. But that doesn't mean that it can't be a moneymaker.
Yahoo today became the latest online player to launch a chat site in an attempt to beef up its community area.
But Yahoo is entering an increasingly crowded market. A growing field of Web chat companies is competing to become the community where Netizens turn. Why? The promise of fat revenues from advertising. But profits remain elusive for most, including America Online (AOL), which has been a model for online chat sites.
Microsoft Network also is making chat--complete with comic icons--a central part of its newly revamped service.
The Web also is dotted with sources such as Internet Relay Chat, a stand-alone network for online communication. But for newbies and mainstream Net users, Web-based sites that make chat easy and provide hosts that watch over the chats are generally more attractive.
But just providing the technology doesn't cut it anymore. In order to be successful, chat has to part of a larger online community, said Peter Krasilovsky, vice president for Arlen Communications. People need to be given topics of conversation, he added.
That's why Yahoo is providing moderated chat rooms, as well as allowing users to create their own rooms. Some examples: Arts and entertainment, business and economy, computers and the Internet.
That's the same formula other companies are using. Among them is WebChat Broadcasting System, or WBS.
WBS began a year and a half ago as an "edutainment" company and put its chat interface on the Web to test it, said Bayard Winthrop, vice president of sales and marketing. "As time went along, we realized the Web site was where the true value was," he said.
As of March, WBS began focusing solely on the chat site and now boasts nearly a million members and a rapid growth curve.
Winthrop explains the phenomenon: "A community began to form," he said. "Chat is really not about chat," he said. "It is really about community and socialization."
Jeff Mallet, senior vice president of business operations at Yahoo, agrees. He sees chat as one component of Yahoo's community-building effort.
"We felt that the chat service for the Yahoo community is long overdue," Mallet said.
But others warn that chat is not a panacea.
Howard Rheingold, Net celebrity and creator of Electric Minds, agreed that people "always need to communicate with each other."
But, he added, chat is only one way to do it. Electric Minds provides a communication interface through bulletin boards, a form of communication that is a bit more permanent. "Chat is ephemeral," he said.
Maria Wilhelm, president of The WELL, one of the founders of virtual community, added "chat is only one part of the spectrum of communication."
5 tips to keep your data safe on Facebook: Hide your life from Facebook, while still posting about your life on Facebook.
6 ways to delete yourself from the internet: Finally ready to get off the grid? It's not quite as simple as it should be, but here are a few easy-to-follow steps that should point you in the right direction.
Discuss: Yahoo adds voice to chat
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Press Releases-
District 5 Supervisor, Nathan Magsig, named County Board of Supervisors Chairman
Elected County officials sworn into office
FRESNO, CA – Today the Fresno County Board of Supervisors marked their first meeting of 2019 with the designation of Board officers and the swearing in of elected officials.
District 5 Supervisor, Nathan Magsig, was named Chairman through 2019, while District 4 Supervisor, Buddy Mendes, will serve as Vice Chairman. The roles of Chairman and Vice Chairman were held in 2018 by Supervisors Sal Quintero and Andreas Borgeas, respectively.
“I am honored to continue my service to Fresno County as Board Chairman,” says Supervisor Magsig. “I look forward to continued collaboration with County leaders and our communities in our shared efforts to help the County and our citizens thrive.”
The roles of Chairman and Vice Chairman are served in 12-month terms, rotating annually between Supervisors.
In addition to the designations of Chairman and Vice Chairman, several elected officials were sworn into office. Supervisor Mendes joined with fellow Supervisor, Brian Pacheco, and County Clerk/Registrar of Voters, Brandi Orth, in taking the oath of office for their respective positions. All three were re-elected in the June 5, 2018 midterms.
This is the second elected term for each. Supervisors Mendes and Pacheco were first elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2014. Orth was also first elected in 2014, but has served in the role of County Clerk/Registrar of Voters since 2012 when she was appointed to fill the position vacated by her predecessor, Victor Salazar.
District 4 Supervisor/Vice Chairman, Buddy Mendes; District 5 Supervisor/Chairman, Nathan Magsig; Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters, Brandi Orth; District 3 Supervisor, Sal Quintero; District 1 Supervisor, Brian Pacheco
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EnergyCommentary
Some of the Loudest Backers of Paris Climate Accords Are Bucking the Agreement
Nicolas Loris / @NiconomistLoris / Bryan Cosby / June 01, 2018 / 1 comment
Most nations that signed the Paris climate accords will soon fail to meet their agreement-defined deadlines for fossil fuel reduction. (Photo: baona/Getty Images)
Nicolas Loris / @NiconomistLoris
Nicolas Loris, an economist, focuses on energy, environmental and regulatory issues as the Herbert and Joyce Morgan fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Read his research.
Bryan Cosby
Bryan Cosby is a member of the Young Leaders Program at The Heritage Foundation.
June 1 marks the first anniversary of President Donald Trump’s having begun the process of withdrawing the United States from the Paris climate accord.
Foreign leaders immediately criticized the decision. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the decision to leave “extremely regrettable,” while the prime minister of Denmark, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, called the move “a sad day for the world.”
Trump justified the withdrawal by calling the situation “the latest example of Washington entering into an agreement that disadvantages the United States to the exclusive benefit of other countries.”
Trump was wrong. The climate accord is not just a bad deal for the U.S., but for all of the developed countries that have committed to higher energy prices for minimal climate benefit.
It’s a bad deal for the developing world if these countries choose to deny their citizens affordable, reliable energy sources. Sure, some of these countries may receive money to build new renewable-energy generation, but mandating a shift away from natural resources that power 80 percent of the world is going to make them worse off.
Despite arguments to the contrary, Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement is not about prioritizing the economy over the planet. Rather, the administration recognized that the climate accord is a costly non-solution, regardless of one’s position on climate change.
It’s no surprise that many countries are talking the climate talk, but not walking the walk. The true nature of the agreement has been revealed by the contradictory actions of other nations.
The wishful platitudes and ambitious goals of the Paris climate agreement have begun to meet the realities of a complex, energy-dependent world.
The stark reality is that healthier economies mean more energy use, and consequently, rising emissions (though not always). When economies were in a slump, it was easier to commit to emissions reductions. When countries’ economies began to grow, many saw emissions rise.
Overall, global coal demand rose about 1 percent in 2017, largely because of Asian countries building more coal-fired electricity generation.
In fact, the Berlin-based organization Urgewald projects that 1,600 new coal-fired generating plants under construction or planned will result in 840,000 megawatts of new capacity.
Smaller, less developed countries have not been the only countries that have struggled to meet their emissions goals. Some nations, such as Turkey and Indonesia, have even expanded their use of coal power to satisfy growing energy needs.
Pakistan, in its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, quite bluntly stated, “Given the future economic growth and associated growth in the energy sector, the peaking of emissions in Pakistan is expected to take place much beyond the year 2030. An exponential increase of [greenhouse gas] emissions for many decades is likely to occur before any decrease in emissions can be expected.”
Even some of the most climate progressive nations on earth have struggled as well.
Germany, a world leader on climate action, has failed to cut emissions and has actually seen emissions rise during the past two years. Germany may even have to buy its way out of a binding European Union agreement to lower emissions in the coming years.
In Brazil, emissions in most sectors are expected to rise at least until 2030. In Japan, political issues with nuclear energy will likely cause the use of coal for energy to increase by 2030. Poland and South Korea also have plans for coal expansions.
Compliance with the Paris Agreement globally has been nothing short of dismal. In fact, most nations will soon fail to meet their agreement-defined deadlines.
Without enforcement, however, the agreement and any promises made by countries are meaningless. This is not a new revelation. While the Paris talks were first occurring in 2015, former NASA scientist and prominent climate activist James Hansen called the talks “a fraud,” contending: “There is no action, just promises.”
Many argue that Paris is just the first step. It seems as though much of the developed and developing worlds can’t even get the first step right.
The supposition that countries will stick with their respective targets leading up to 2030 and that post-Paris negotiations will lead to deep global de-carbonization of energy is a rather large and very generous assumption, if not purely wishful thinking.
The reality is that the Paris climate agreement is fundamentally flawed. This global commitment is nothing more than broken and empty promises.
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Dayton baseball coach Tony Vittorio during Building Bridges, the Hal McCoy Baseball Camp, at Fifth Third Field in downtown Dayton, Saturday, October 16, 2010.
Longtime Dayton baseball coach stepping down
Tony Vittorio, who has coached the University of Dayton baseball team for 18 seasons, is stepping down, the school announced Thursday.
Athletics Director Neil Sullivan said Vittorio’s resignation takes effect following this weekend’s season-ending series with La Salle.
“I want to thank (former UD Athletics Directors)Ted Kissell, Tim Wabler, and (current UD Associate VP for Athletics) Mike Kelly for taking a chance on a young energetic coach years ago, “Vittorio said. “I would also like to thank the University of Dayton and the Dayton community for making Dayton a special home for my family. Through the years, my assistant coaches and baseball staff, along with several players and myself, took great pride in building a competitive program that became known as a championship program at one time. I wish we could have maintained that championship level the last few years.”
Vittorio departs as the program’s winningest coach with 461 wins. He took the Flyers to the NCAA Tournament in 2012 and was named Atlantic 10 coach of the year in 2009.
“On behalf of the University of Dayton, I want to extend our sincere thanks to Coach Vittorio for his dedication to the University and passion for our baseball program,” Sullivan said. “He has provided the foundation for our baseball future in his 18 years. Everyone in Flyer athletics admires the way he led his team to benefit others in their community service efforts. He made a lasting impact on Dayton baseball and the student-athletes he has served.”
The Flyers are 18-35 this season with two games left. An event to honor Vittorio for his years of service to UD will be held at later date.
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中 文
Faculty&Staff
Collaborative Program
Department of Transportation Management Engineering
Department of Traffic Engineering
Department of Traffic Information Management Engineering
Department of Urban Rail Traffic
Department of Logistics Engineering
Systems Science Institute
Institute of Systems Engineering and Control
The Institute of Systems Engineering and Control was established in 1986, which once was an important component of the Institute of Management Science, Institute of Applied Systems Analysis and Institute of Automation. In the same year, the specialty of system engineering obtained the right to grant master’s degree, and grant doctor’s degree in 1996. The institute currently has twenty-six faculties with six professors, eight associate professors, ten instructors, five doctoral supervisors and nine master supervisors.
The institute is undertaking the teaching and cultivation of post-graduate master and doctoral students spread seven specialties: systems engineering, intelligent transportation systems engineering, transportation and logistics, transportation planning and management, safety technology and engineering, urban traffic engineering, and systems analysis and integration. In recent years, the institute has taken charged of five National 863 Plan project, participated in two National 973 Plan project, fifteen NKTRDPs during the tenth five-year plan period of China, twelve National Natural Science Foundations of China, and many provincial level programs. Besides these the institute faculties have published more than three hundred academic papers, twenty-two monographs or textbooks, six national invention patents and thirty-six computer software copyrights. Moreover, the institute has achieved several scientific and technological progress awards at provincial or ministerial level, and has made remarkable achievements in research and application areas of traffic and transportation systems engineering, intelligent transportation systems engineering, management systems engineering, information and control systems engineering, logistic systems engineering and environment systems engineering.
Copyright@2009 all right reserved School of Traffic and Transportation
E-mail: saad@bjtu.edu.cn
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Home / Blog / Middle East
View by category All categories Africa Asia Europe Medical Tips Middle East Oceania Polar The Americas Travel Tips
Turkey is a holiday paradise
Samuel Turner
Turkey has gotten some harsh criticism recently but it's still a holiday paradise offering up turquoise waters and vibrant culture.
Ancient ruins and ice cream in Amman
When I first booked a tour to Jordan, all I knew about it was the ancient city of Petra. But as I started researching Jordan more – I found the capital Amman had plenty to do to fill a day or two – and I wasn’t disappointed starting my journey here.
No longer just a stopover destination. Why you’ll want to make the most of Dubai
Natalie Hensby
I recently travelled with a friend to Dubai en route to Africa. At the recommendation of another friend and our travel agent we extended our three-hour stopover in Dubai to 40 hours.
Overview of United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates is spread out over desert and coastline and it is comprised of seven emirates. Ranked fourth in the world for oil resources, the UAE has one of the fastest growing economies in the world and one of its cities, Dubai, is one of the hottest tourist destinations in the world. As with many up and coming places, the UAE is a mashup of old traditions and modern culture.
Top 6 Tips When Travelling to Qatar
Before you head off on your Arabic holiday to Qatar, there are a few things to know that will make your trip easier:
Overview of Qatar
Qatar shares its borders with Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf, so this Middle Eastern country is an incredible mix of beautiful water views and sand dunes and desert excursions. Thought to be the newest Dubai for its oil-rich glitz and glamour,
Top 5 Scams in Turkey
In general, it’s worth noting that Turkey is a safe country. There aren’t high levels of petty crime or aggressive attacks. In fact, most Turks are unbelievably honest and would go the extra mile to help you out rather than rip you off. However, in a city like Istanbul where over 12 million people live, there will always be a few with less-honourable intentions. More specifically, there are a few scams that are run in Turkey that can put unaware tourists at the mercy of these aggressors. Note that these scams usually happen in large cities like Istanbul and are more rare in small towns and villages. Read on for more information about the most common scams run in Turkey as well as suggestions on how to avoid them.
10 Turkish Phrases To Know Before You Go
As you may have already figured out, Turkish is the official language of Turkey, where over 72 million people use the language daily. As the language developed over time, different influences came to change the language. Today you can find French, Arabic and even Persian words that have been modified and incorporated into the Turkish language. While these influences may give the impression that Turkish will be difficult to learn, the opposite is actually true. Since 1928, Turkish has used a slightly modified Latin alphabet for its spellings, making it easier for English speakers to pronounce the words phonetically (hotel in English is spelled “otel” in Turkish).
Overview of Istanbul, Turkey
Istanbul is the city that figuratively has a foot in the east and the west: one part of the city sits in Europe and another part of its city in Asia. Where these two vastly different continents come together in Istanbul, you will find a veritable stew of different influences and cultural diversity.
Get to Know Turkey’s Festivals
Turkey knows how to get down and party. How do we know? We just reviewed all the holidays and festivals the country will be celebrating in 2015. Between religious festivities and nation-wide celebrations, the fun will be flowing year-round in Turkey. If you like to party, like to travel and are interested in visiting Turkey, read through our list to see if anything peaks your interest. Then, plan accordingly, and before you know it, you’ll be having a grand old time in Turkey. Before you book tickets around a festival, be sure to double check the dates with a local tourism office.
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The Insta-Famous Barbie Ferreira
Meet the new fearless face of plus-size modeling.
By Ray Siegel
Sloan Laurits
When she was 16, Barbara "Barbie" Ferreira saw that there weren't enough models who looked like her–and she wanted to change that. In a tactical move that would launch her modeling career, the Queens native took what she calls "poorly lit selfies in her bedroom" and e-mailed them off to American Apparel's casting department, who didn't even wait one full day to answer her solicitation.
As one would guess, an American Apparel ad isn't a bad way to boost one's Instagram presence. In a matter of weeks, Ferreira's curves became a trending topic, giving her the platform she'd use to become one of the predominant voices behind the #droptheplus campaign. "People see me and they can relate to me. They support me because my success means that they can someday gain opportunities as well."
What Ferreira's 220K following might be surprised to learn is that she wasn't exactly born with the self-confidence she's become known for. She recalls herself as a "chubby 8-year-old who wore glasses, had a really emo haircut, and had no friends." She wore band shirts that were "three sizes too big for me because I was so insecure about my body," she continues. "People called me 'fat ass' until second grade." She even admits to buying into the world of "thinspo," which at one point was the cause of her drastic 20-pound weight loss that she had hoped would land her an acting gig.
No matter what, you're not enough–you're too skinny or you're too fat.
She claims that her turning point came from an epiphany that can also be attributed to social media. "I gained my confidence the day I realized that people on the Internet are cruel for no reason," she says. "I think it's on purpose that we're all made to feel insecure since birth. No matter what, you're not enough–you're too skinny or you're too fat. You have no boobs or too big boobs. I saw a comment on Candice Swanepoel's Instagram account that said, 'You're so fucking ugly.' I was like, Wow, you cannot win. There's no way that you can be in this world and not feel kind of shitty sometimes."
Ferreira has since vowed to put on a brave face in front of her own "haters," who often remind her that they think she should lay off of the Taco Bell. "For every cruel comment there are 20 positive ones," she says. "I'm doing this so that people get that it's not about being thin."
After making some headway with body-image issues, Ferreira is also planning to speak out against sexism, transphobia, and even Islamophobia. Her loyal following is ready and waiting.
Barbie wears shirt and jacket Prada, shoes Adidas Originals.
Rock Legends Before They Were Famous
Remembering Real-Life Barbie Doll Jayne Mansfield
Karlie Kloss is the Modern Day Barbie
Mani Inspo from the Coolest Nail Artist in Seoul
Marilyn Monroe Before She Was Famous
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Cruise 1323 Adelaide
John Dean
Dom Rinaldo
Mark Elliston
Craig Huggins
You Could Buy This Man’s 1.3 Million Dollar Mansion for $3
A 37-year-old man is doing the hilariously unthinkable by raffling off his £845,000 ($1,300,000 AUD) six-bedroom country mansion for just $3 AUD.
Dunstan Low says he came to the idea after trying to sell the Lancashire home for the past two years and received no interest from buyers.
He has told Manchester Evening News that he spent over $240,000 on renovations after buying the home in 2011 for $719,000.
“We spent about 12 months renovating it as it had fallen into disrepair. We went through the whole house and took it back to how it looked originally,” he said.
He added: “When I first told people I was going to raffle it everyone looked at me saying ‘are you crazy, what are you doing?
“They say that so many people are out there in trouble but are just sat on their behind and it’s great to see someone do something about it.”
Dunstan is hoping to sell 500,000 tickets before the August 1st deadline to which he has promised to donate $40,000 to a Hospital if he reaches the goal.
According to LadBible, more than 186,000 tickets have already been sold.
Birthday Baffler
Big Brain
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Who are China's next leaders?
On Nov. 15, the new Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party – the group that rules China presented itself to the world.
Here are the bios of the seven men (and they are all men) who became the new Standing Committee members.
Alexander F. Yuan/AP
A People's Liberation Army officer walks down stairs with a document holder inside the Great Hall of the People where the closing ceremony for the 18th Communist Party Congress is held in Beijing, Wednesday, Nov. 14.
1. Xi Jinping
Lee Jin-man/AP
Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping attends the closing ceremony for the 18th Communist Party Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Wednesday, Nov. 14.
By Peter Ford Staff Writer
@peterfordcsm
Xi Jinping was regarded as a shoo-in for the top leadership post, replacing Hu Jintao as General Secretary of the party Nov. 15, and as national president in March 2013.
Born into Communist aristocracy – his father was a revolutionary hero – Mr. Xi has also seen another side of life. When his father fell foul of Mao Zedong, the 15-year-old Xi was “sent down” to the countryside, and spent seven years in a remote village. Later, as a young party cadre whose career was already under way, he volunteered to work in a rural backwater rather than in the comfortable corridors of power in Beijing where he might have stayed.
Xi is known to have a personable, confident character that has served him well in a career during which he has not made any really powerful enemies – the best way to the top in consensus-ruled Chinese politics.
He studied chemistry at the prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing, and as he moved up the ladder – from deputy mayor of the industrial port of Xiamen, to deputy governor of Fujian Province to party boss in Zhejiang Province, he built a reputation for attracting investment, being open to private business, and for being an effective leader.
“He’s the kind of guy who knows how to get things over the goal line,” former US Treasury Secretary and Goldman Sachs boss Hank Paulson, who has dealt extensively with Chinese leaders, once commented.
Xi served briefly as party chief in Shanghai, clearing up the aftermath of a corruption scandal, before being put in charge of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, whose success further burnished his reputation. He was named to the Politburo Standing Committee in 2007 and is one of only two members staying on.
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Deadline approaching for local sports awards
The Mayor Alderman Hilary McClintock pictured at the launch of Derry City and Strabane District Council's annual Sports Awards with Seamus McGilloway, Chair of the Sports Forum and Aiden Lynch, Sports Development Officer DCSDC. Nominations have now opened with the presentations being made on Wednesday the 21st of June in the Fir Trees Hotel, Strabane. Picture Martin McKeown. Inpresspics.com.
Local sports clubs have just one week left to nominate their teams, individuals and coaches for the 2017 Derry and Strabane Sports Awards ahead of the closing date of Wednesday May 31.
The awards are being jointly organised by Derry City and Strabane District Council in conjunction with the District Sports Forum and aim to publicly recognise the individuals, teams and clubs that contributed to sport in the Council area over the last year.
The winners of the 15 categories will be announced at a gala presentation night at the Fir Tress Hotel in Strabane on Wednesday June 21 and Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Alderman Hilary McClintock, encouraged the public to nominate now to see their local heroes recognised.
“The Sports Awards are always a big date on the Council calendar and represent an ideal way to acknowledge and reward the hard work and dedication that local people put into sport at all levels across the City and District,” she said.
“For a small area we have remarkably high participation numbers in sport and our sports people have achieved notable success at local, national and international level.
“As well as justifiably highlighting the outstanding sporting achievements of the last 12 months, the awards aim to recognise the many unsung grassroots heroes in our Council area who give up so much of their time and energy to help others.”
Categories in this year’s awards include Sports Star of the Year, Coach of the Year, Team of the Year, and Club of the Year while there will be significant interest in the Hall of Fame award which was introduced last year and awarded posthumously to Derry City FC’s record goal scorer, the late Mark Farren.
Chairman of Derry City and Strabane Sports Forum, Seamus McGilloway, noted there is a significant disabled and underage element to the awards.
“If you are aware of anyone who deserves recognition for their efforts in sport over the last year this is an ideal opportunity to give them something back,” he noted.
“We are keen to recognise success and dedication in sport at all levels in the Council area and the awards for Disability Coach of Year and Sports Star of the Year with a Disability are particularly important to us in promoting inclusivity and encouraging sport for all.
“The Forum are also acutely aware of the importance of underage sport, not only in promoting heathier choices among our young people, but also in nurturing the senior sports stars of tomorrow which is why we have separate awards for Young Male and Female Sports Stars of the Year, as well as Children’s Coach of the Year and School Team of the Year.”
To be eligible for the awards, sports persons must reside in the Council area and all nominees must be involved in an amateur status sport that is recognised by Sport Northern Ireland and the Irish Sports Council.
Organisations, local sports clubs, schools, youth clubs and individuals can make nominations. The nominator, nominee, a team representative and a guest will be invited to the awards ceremony and all nominees will receive a certificate.
Animal abuse register up for debate
The full list of categories is: Coach of the Year, Community Coach of the Year, Children’s Coach of the Year, Young Coach of the Year, Female Coach of the Year, Disability Coach of the Year, Sports Star of the Year, Young Male Sports Star of the Year, Young Female Sports Star of the Year, School Team of the Year, Team of the Year, Sports Star of the Year with a disability, Special Award, Hall of Fame, Club of the Year.
The closing date for nominations is 4pm on Wednesday May 31, forms are available from Derry City and Strabane District Council leisure centres and offices or you can download the nomination form at www.derrystrabane.com/sportsawards.
Attempted abduction in Derry today
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‘Shtisel,’ an Israeli TV show about ultra-Orthodox Jews, is a hit on Netflix
The popular Israeli show “Shtisel,” now streaming on Netflix, where it has become a cult favorite, is a resonant and revealing trip into the sequestered and often stereotyped world of observant Jews.
‘Shtisel,’ an Israeli TV show about ultra-Orthodox Jews, is a hit on Netflix The popular Israeli show “Shtisel,” now streaming on Netflix, where it has become a cult favorite, is a resonant and revealing trip into the sequestered and often stereotyped world of observant Jews. Check out this story on detroitnews.com: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/television/2019/04/25/shtisel-israeli-tv-show-ultra-orthodox-jews-hit-netflix/3563581002/
By Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times Published 9:55 p.m. ET April 24, 2019
Michael Aloni in "Shtisel" on Netflix. The show is about the life of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish family in Jerusalem. (Dori Media/TNS) (Photo: Dori Media, TNS)
Beyond the Old City walls, in a neighborhood where names of the dead echo against stone, the squabbles, loves, joys and doubts of ultra-Orthodox Jews play out — often with piercing humor — in a modern-day drama balanced between devotion to God and the yearnings and imperfections of his creations.
The popular Israeli show “Shtisel,” now streaming on Netflix, where it has become a cult favorite, is a resonant and revealing trip into the sequestered and often stereotyped world of observant Jews. Set in Jerusalem, the series suggests that while a man pores over the Torah to inspire his soul, he must also embrace and wrestle with his passions and humanity, much in the same way secular characters do on shows like “This Is Us.”
The power of “Shtisel” is in demystifying religious orthodoxy as we follow the lives of Shulem Shtisel (Do-val’e Glickman), a bearded, pious yeshiva teacher, and his artistic, disappointing and unwed son, Akiva (Michael Aloni). Theirs is a black-hatted world of matchmakers, holy men, strong women, crowded apartments, prying neighbors, adultery, pride and the sense that the temptations and moral equivocations of the larger world are encroaching.
“I had to push him into it,” Shulem tells a friend about Akiva’s arranged marriage.
“More important, is he happy?” asks the friend.
“What kind of question is that?” responds Shulem. “Are we here to be happy?”
Such scenes are leavened with tenderness, insight and magical realism to soften the strictures of an omnipresent religion in which men’s faces are bordered in ribbon curls and married women, to appear chaste, slip on wigs before they leave the house. Blessings are whispered, countless reverences made in intimate, everyday spiritual acts. Three of the world’s major religions intersect in Jerusalem, and one wonders whether a glimpse into the lives of ultra-conservative Islamists or Christian fundamentalists would more likely be similar or different.
Netflix does not release viewership numbers. But fascination with “Shtisel” has spurred conversations on Facebook and Twitter that explore facets of the show, including a Mahler symphony played in one episode, references to kugel and “Fiddler on the Roof,” and whether Aloni has a girlfriend in real life. Hannah K.S. Canter and her mother, Marta Kauffman, co-creator of Netflix’s “Grace and Frankie,” are adapting an American version of the show for Amazon. It follows several original Israeli series that have been turned into acclaimed U.S. shows, including HBO’s “In Treatment” and Showtime’s “Homeland.”
“Shtisel’s” compressed world of prayer and tradition is ingrained in yet detached from Israel’s larger society. One of the country’s most volatile political issues is the decades-long exemption of yeshiva (seminary) students from compulsory military service. Many in the ultra-Orthodox community, known as Haredi, are poor and rely on government subsidies. Their young men do not have the skills for Israel’s growing tech economy, and their community is seemingly far removed from regional politics, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“As bizarre as it may sound, a show about people governed by strict Jewish law, following ancient customs and living in austere conditions has been my escapist entertainment in recent months,” journalist Renee Ghert-Zand wrote in the Forward, the historic American publication covering Jewish life. “Usually, the fact that the Haredim live a parallel existence to the rest of Israeli society infuriates me. But things are different right now. The opportunity to be carried away to an almost hermetically sealed, non-Zionist world where the Israeli-Palestinian conflict doesn’t seep in is just what I needed to ease my anxiety, if only for one hour a week.”
When “Shtisel” first aired in Israel in 2013, the headline of the review in the Israeli news outlet Haaretz began: “Move over, ‘Downton Abbey’ … ” The show’s appeal is its sprawling, yet meticulously drawn cast, as if Charles Dickens were writing in Jerusalem’s Geula neighborhood instead of 19th century London. Life here is messy, raw, poignant and at times poetic, as when Shu-lem opens his late wife’s closet to breathe in her scent from a row of dresses.
The authenticity of the two-season, 24-episode series stems from the memories of Yehonatan Indursky. “Shtisel’s” co-creator was raised in an ultra-Orthodox family and, before becoming a filmmaker, attended the Ponevezh Yeshiva, the subject of a doc he made in 2012. “Shtisel” won 11 Israeli TV awards, including best drama, in its first season. Fans have been clamoring for a third season; no announcement has been made.
Reflecting on drawing from his upbringing to explore a hermetic world in “Shtisel,” Indursky told the Times of Israel: “You’re carrying these characters on your back and you want it to be good for them, and for others to meet them. When it comes out, you want people to see it and understand it. … Their religious practice is not an issue at all. There are other issues for them; they fall in love, they live their lives.”
The show, named after a restaurant, tracks the antagonistic but moving relationship between Shulem and Akiva. The father worries his son is adrift, an artist without a wife who is finding his own path toward identity and faith. Shulem can be gruff, demanding, egocentric, but he has moments of unexpected compassion even as he views life through rigid religious texts that have endured — like the hewn stones of his apartment building and the holy mezuzah nailed to his door jamb — for millenniums.
“It’s not voyeurism that makes the show so compelling,” Lior Zaltzman wrote in Kveller, a Jewish parenting website. “I think what makes ‘Shtisel’ such a successful, addictive show is that the drama is not about the challenges of religiosity. None of the characters see their religious observance as an oppressor — it is a routine and, even at times of peril, a comfort.”
As Shulem plots with matchmakers to find Akiva a wife, his daughter Giti (Neta Riskin) confronts the infidelity of her husband, Lippe (Zohar Strauss). Prideful and protective of her family, Giti struggles with questions of divorce and forgiveness and contemplates the demands of a society that even in heaven segregates men and women. This travail unfolds while Giti’s daughter Ruchami (Shira Haas) — in some of show’s most moving scenes — falls in love with a yeshiva student.
The images in “Shtisel” are reminiscent of Jewish ghettos in Eastern Europe at the turn of the last century: echoes of Yiddish; scholars bent over the Torah; the pasting of names of the dead on alley walls; a smiling father, in a veiled threat, telling his would-be future son-in-law how much he loves his daughter; and men walking through streets in a sea of black hats, long coats and pants broken only by flashes of white tallits (prayer shawls).
“The more I watched,” wrote Rabbi Sharon G. Forman on ReformJudaism.org, “the less the clothing mattered as characters’ struggles with universal issues took center stage: professional and marital satisfaction; the constant push-pull between tradition and individual expression; the indignities of aging; and the way emotional and financial responsibilities of raising a family occasionally paralyzed them.”
But there are moments, as in every life, when who we are, or at least what we want to be, is distilled deep within. Giti has one of those when — in a flashback — she meets Lippe for the first time in a hotel lobby. They have been sent there by a matchmaker to speak the first clumsy words of courtship. Giti is taken with Lippe. She calls her mother, excited, but Lippe does not pass Shulem’s righteous muster.
Giti obeys for a while. But Lippe wins her over. There is something about him. He is from her world, but he offers the possibility of a glance beyond the proscribed ways, not to forsake them, but to show her that we are each divine in our own right.
Read or Share this story: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/television/2019/04/25/shtisel-israeli-tv-show-ultra-orthodox-jews-hit-netflix/3563581002/
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The Oil Cartel’s Goal: Toppling the Obama Government
President Obama, Wake Up America!
Wake Up, America! Prevent Dictatorship And War!
Published by Dr. Rath Health Foundation at September 13, 2010
Oil Cartel
Public Information for the People of America and the Governments of the World
Ending the ‘Tyranny of Oil’
Download Open Letter (PDF, 238 kB)
New technologies like hydrogen, solar and other renewable forms of energy, promise to replace mankind’s dependency from oil for public and private transport, utilities and all other areas of energy.
What will bring annual savings of thousands of dollars for every family, millions in savings for businesses and billions for national economies around the world will, on the other hand, lead to losses amounting to trillions of dollars for the Oil Cartel – and ultimately to its demise.
In this desperate situation, the Oil Cartel is ready to use all means conceivable to prevent its meltdown – even at the risk of drawing the whole of mankind into the abyss. On April 23, 2010, I warned in this newspaper about the risk of a nuclear war launched in the interest of this Cartel. This warning has since been echoed by leading politicians and discussed in parliaments.
On July 16, 2010, I exposed here the historical parallels between the political climate in Germany in the 1930s and that of the US today. In both cases, the Cartel financed the political destabilization of democracy, with the goal of replacing it with a corporate dictatorship as a stepping stone towards a world war.
In Germany, then, the Cartel succeeded in seizing power and launching WWII because people and politicians around the world ignored the early warning signs.
In the USA, today, the Cartel has launched an all-out psychological war. Organizations like the ‘Tea Party’ are polarizing and radicalizing society. The fierce reactions of those trying to protect democracy are already factored into this ‘strategy of provocation’. The only way to stop this calculated escalation of destructive political culture is to expose the motives and the roots of these forces. This time, they will not succeed!
The publication date of these facts coincides with the 2010 UN General Assembly and the election campaign for US Congress – and no one can say: We did not know.
The Dimension of the Threat
Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of State and corporate power.
Benito Mussolini, Fascist dictator of Italy
The precarious nature of the current situation can be analyzed with almost mathematical precision:
The ubiquitous availability of new forms of energy from sun, wind and water, including hydrogen energy, will no longer allow the monopolization of energy by corporate Cartels. The global implementation of these energies will ultimately provide “free energy for all.”
Thus, the continuation of the Oil Cartel’s business is no longer compatible with democracy. It requires the establishment of global dictatorships with the goal to impose by force the artificial prolongation of mankinds dependency from oil.
But even that will not be enough so long as the ‘know-how’ about the technologies for providing ‘free energy’ from natural resources are a common heritage of mankind. The only way to extinguish this know-how is to set mankind back several decades.
The most effective way to achieve this would be an all-out nuclear war. In the aftermath of such an event, any residual knowledge about these technologies would no longer pose a threat to the Cartel – in face of the insurmountable problems of those who survive.
Towards this end, the stakeholders of the Cartel are trying to escalate current regional crises – e.g. in the Middle-East – into a global military conflict.
The biggest threat for a nuclear war in the 21st Century arises from the growing discrepancy between the Oil Cartel’s current economic and political influence and mankind’s rapidly decreasing dependency on its merchandise.
The Strategic Role of the USA
The key country in the Cartel’s ‘survival strategy’ is the USA. Not only is the US the home base of most Cartel corporations, it also commands the world’s largest arsenal of nuclear weapons. Thus, for its strategy to prepare for a nuclear war, the Cartel must control the White House.
A major setback for the Cartel was the fact that in 2008 the American people elected a President on a platform of ending the ‘tyranny of oil’ and of comprehensive nuclear disarmament. Had Americans chosen the candidate of the Cartel – who publicly advocated nuclear first strikes – we may already have been living in a post-nuclear war world today.
Thus, the Cartel must not only regain control of the US government but must try to fundamentally ‘reprogram’ the American people towards accepting aggression and war as primary tools of US politics. Towards this end, the Cartel has been mobilizing an army of stakeholders in the media and politics.
The blueprint for this strategy of radicalizing society in preparation for war was pre-WWII Germany. The unobstructed implementation of this strategy then led to the overthrow of democracy, the installation of a dictatorship on behalf of the Oil and Drug Cartel – and, eventually, to a military attempt to expand its global markets during WWII.
The Oil Cartel’s Strategic Goals in the US Are Modelled After 1933 Germany
Transforming the democratic society into a fascist one under the cloak of ‘restoring honor’ and other pseudopatriotic slogans.
Replacing the democratic government with a corporate dictatorship providing the Oil Cartel with direct access to executive power.
Cementing the global rule of the Oil Cartel under global martial laws by launching a nuclear war.
Lessons of History: From 1933 to 2010
The records of the Nuremberg War Crimes Tribunal and of US Congress unequivocally document that WWII was launched in the interest – and with the financial as well as technical support – of the German-based Oil and Drug Cartel (Bayer, BASF, Hoechst). Its goal was to seize control of the multi-trillion dollar global markets of oil, patented chemicals and drugs.
The psychological preparation of German society for this military conquest was the launch of a ‘racial war’ against Jewish and other non-Aryan people. Towards this end, the Nazi/ Cartel coalition financed a ‘grassroot’ movement – the ‘brownshirts’ several years prior to WWII.
The systematic instigation of hate, rage, aggression, racism and other forms of psychological terror by the ‘brown shirts’ in pre-war Germany was the precondition for the next stage: the mass murder across the globe by the SS and German Wehrmacht in the Cartel’s attempt to control the world.
After WWII, the German Oil and Drug Cartel was dismantled and its shares transferred to US and UK-based multinational oil and drug corporations. The Cartel’s criminal past was deliberately hidden from the public for one main reason: to allow it yet another attempt at world control.
Lessons of History: From the 16th to the 21st Century
Today’s process of transition in the field of energy has a historic parallel: the transition from Medieval to Modern Times that started in 16th Century Europe. This historic advance of mankind was triggered by the invention of the printing press. This innovation enabled the mass production of books and led to an explosion of knowledge, the foundation of schools and universities and to the elimination of illiteracy at large.
The feudal rulers and the Medieval church had held the ‘monopoly of knowledge’ for centuries. Despite their fierce resistance, this monopoly was broken. Not even a ‘30 Year War’ – launched by the ‘Status Quo’ then to retain its privileges – was able to halt the liberation of the human mind.
In analogy, today, mankind has broken the ‘monopoly on energy’ – until now closely held by the Oil Cartel. As it did then, the ‘Status Quo’ today is trying to protect its multi-trillion-dollar privileges – even at the price of dragging mankind into the abyss of the Cartel’s own demise.
Knowing that today an all-out war will not be fought with muskets and pitchforks but with nuclear weapons, mankind has only one option: Learning the lessons of history – so that they do not repeat itself.
‘Energy for All’ – A New Era Begins
The peaceful transition from the ‘Age of Oil’ to the ‘Age of Free Energy’ will propel mankind forward by a quantum leap – similar to the transition from the ‘Dark Ages’ to Modern Times.
Every family in the US will save thousands of dollars each year in energy costs. National economies around the world will recover billions of dollars. These vast amounts can be redirected to meet the biggest challenges of mankind, including hunger, poverty, malnutrition, diseases – and above all, closing the gap between rich and poor countries, forever!
Then And Now: The Cartel Stakeholders Are ‘Masters of Deception’
The slogan of ‘Honor’ and ‘Restoring Honor’ was a key term in the preparation for the Nazi/Cartel world conquest, WWII. One of the first laws imposed in the conquered countries was the law of ‘Blood (Race) and Honor’ establishing the Nazis as the dictatorial stakeholders of the Cartel.
NSDAP – the Nazi Party – stood for National Sozialistische Deutsche Arbeiter Partei or National Socialist German Worker’s Party. Amazingly, in a move of ultimate deception, the political stakeholders of the Oil and Drug Cartel destroyed democracy, established a dictatorship and prepared Germany for the conquest of WWII on behalf of the Cartel – all of that under the banner of ‘socialist’ and ‘worker’s party’.
The Oil Cartel and their Nazi accomplices dressed millions of German soldiers in a uniform that carried the allegedly devine blessing for the Nazi/Cartel Crusade. Harnessed with a belt buckle showing the Swastika and the slogan ’God With Us’ (Gott mit uns) the Nazi/Cartel Wehrmacht inflicted death on millions of people. In the course of history, no name has been more systematically abused to mask the greed of special interests than the name of ‘God’.
The Consequences Of This Publication
It diffuses the plans of the Cartel to launch a nuclear war.
It derails the plans of the Cartel to establish a fascist dictatorship in the USA.
It exposes the ‘Tea Party’ and other organizers of ‘cultural wars’ as agents of the Oil Cartel.
It alerts the people of America and the world that these groups are replicating the strategies of the Nazi storm troopers, the ‘brownshirts’.
It reveals as the strategic aim of these groups the destabilization of the democratically elected government by instigating civil unrest – under the pretext of ‘defending’ human rights, ‘protecting’ democracy and carrying out the ‘will of God’.
It blocks the attacks of these groups against the US government from now on – turning them against the Cartel itself by heralding one simple message: ‘They’ve done it before!’
It gives the American people a clear choice for the coming elections: vote for war – or for peace and prosperity.
It gives the Republican party a choice to stay committed to democracy – or go into oblivion as political puppets of the Cartel’s plan of fascist rule.
It will inspire schools, universities and other educational institutions around the world to expand their WWII history lessons by pointing at the Oil and Drug Cartel as the driving economic force behind this war.
It allows journalists, students and the public at large to study the historic records by which the Cartel ‘inthronized’ the Nazis to prepare for WWII – and the striking parallels to the radicalization of political culture in the US today.
It allows the people and governments of the world to focus their resources on development and the construction of a more just world based on renewable and affordable forms of energy – rather than facing the doom of a nuclear holocaust.
The global dissemination of this message is a precondition for lasting world peace!
With These Facts Stated – Mankind Can Build Its Future!
Stop Outlawing Natural Health!
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The Hip and Pelvic Deformities in Cerebral Palsy
뇌성마비 환아의 고관절과 골반의 변형
DOI : https://doi.org/
J Korean Acad Rehabil Med Search
Journal of the Korean Academy of Rehabilitation Medicine 1994;18(1):12.
Hee Sang Kim, M.D. , Kyung Hoi Ahn, M.D.
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Kyunghee University College of Medicine
김희상, 안경회
경희대학교 의과대학 재활의학교실
Deformities of the hip in cerebral palsy were second most common deformities encountered. They were caused by an imbalance of muscle power, retained primitive reflexes, habitually faulty posture, an absence of weight bearing stimulation on the bones, and growth.
During the period of March 1990 through June 1993, we evaluated 123 cerebral palsied children about their neuromotor type, topography, severity, and hip and pelvic deformities by physical examination and pelvic X-ray study in an institutionalized center for severely disabled children.
The results were as follows:
1) The neuromotor type distribution was spastic in 54.5% (67/123), athetoid in 26.0% (32/123), mixed in 14.6% (18/123), and hypotonia in 4.9% (6/123). The severity was to a mild degree in 3.3% (4/123), a moderate degree in 21.1% (26/123), and a severe degree in 75.6% (93/123). The topographic distribution of spastic type was hemiplegia in 16.4% (11/67), triplegia in 4.5% (3/67), quadriplegia in 58.2% (39/67), and diplegia in 20.9% (14/67).
2) Among 246 hips of 123 children, the frequencies of hip and pelvic deformities were; hip subluxation or dislocation in 27.6% (34/123) with 28 hip subluxation (13 right, 15 left, & 5 bilateral) and with 13 hip dislocations (9 right & 4 left); acetabular dysplasia in 36.6% (45/123) with 59 hips (30 right, 29 left, & 14 bilateral); pelvic obliquity in 16.3% (20/123) with 20 pelvis (11 right & 9 left); and increased femoral anteversion in 46.3% (57/123) with 95 femurs (45 right, 50 left, & 38 bilateral).
3) The mean of acetabular indexes were 18.8±7.7o in right and 19.5±8.3o in left.
4) Among 45 children (36.6%) with acetabular dysplasia, right hips were 30 cases and left hips were 29 cases, 30 right acetabular dysplasias were normal in 8.9% (9/101), had subluxation in 100.0% (13/13), and had dislocation in 89.9% (8/9), with 29 left acetabular dysplasias were normal in 9.6% (10/104), had subluxation in 100.0% (15/15), and had dislocation in 100.0% (4/4). Then, a high frequency of hip subluxation or dislocation in cerebral palsy with acetabular dysplasia was significant, when compared to cerebral palsy without acetabular dysplasia (p=0.000).
5) Among 34 children with hip subluxation or dislocation, the frequencies of neuromotor type in cerebral palsy were spastic (include mixed) in 82.4% (28/34) and nonspastic (include athetoid & hypotonia) in 17.6% (6/34). The frequency of spastic types in cerebral palsy with acetabular dysplasia was significantly high, when compared with nonspastic types (p=0.04938).
6) The incidence of hip subluxation or dislocation among 45 children with acetabular dysplasia was 71.1% (32/45). They were spastic in 65.6% (21/32), athetoid in 15.6% (5/32), mixed in 18.8% (6/32), and hypotonia in 0%. Then, a high frequency of hip subluxation or dislocation in cerebral palsy with acetabular dysplasia was more significant in spastic types than with other types (p=0.005).
7) The children with increased femoral anteversion were 59.7% (40/67) in spastic, 31.3% (10/32) in athetoid, 22.2% (4/18) in mixed, and 50.0% (3/6) in hypotonia. Then, a high frequency of increased femoral anteversion was more significant in spastic & hypotonia than in other types (p=0.00744).
8) The 19 children (15.4%) with above 26o of right acetabular indexes were 66.7% (6/9) in dislocation, 53.8% (7/13) in subluxation, 15.6% (6/101) in normal hips, and the 24 children (19.5%) with above 26o of left acetabular indexes were 100.0% (4/4) in dislocation, 60.0% (10/15) in subluxation, 20.3% (10/104) in normal hips. Then, a high frequency of dislocation or subluxation was more significant in above 26o of acetabular index than in below 25o of acetabular index (p=0.000).
We recommand regular physical examination and pelvic X-ray study every 3-6 months for early detection and treatment of the hip and pelvic problems in cerebral palsy.
Key Words: Cerebral palsy, Hip dislocation, Acetabular dysplasia, Pelvic obliquity, Femoral anteversion
Related articles in ARM
The Role of Regular Physical Therapy on Spasticity in Children With Cerebral Palsy2019 June;43(3)
A Study of Hip Deformity in Cerebral Palsy1996 December;20(4)
Magnetic Resonance Findings in Cerebral Palsy1995 December;19(4)
Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Vojta for Cerebral Palsy1982 June;6(1)
Treatment of Cerebral Palsy1977 April;1(1)
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Can you fill the Hellesdon hole? Hunt for contractor to end soakaway saga
David Hannant: Local democracy reporter
Mountfield Park in Hellesdon, which is currently closed. Picture: David Hannant
The wait for a park with a 30ft deep hole in it to re-open could soon be over, with the saga's end on the horizon.
Mountfield Park, in Hellesdon, has been closed to the public since October, after a small but deep hole was discovered by the parish council’s groundskeeper.
Originally cordoned off, Hellesdon Parish Council later took the decision to close the park completely, after warning signs and the barriers surrounding it were stolen.
Since then, families, dog walkers and others have faced a waiting game for the park’s eventual re-opening, as council staff worked to find out not only what caused the hole, but whether there were further risks.
It was established that the hole was a former soakaway, which was put in place to keep water away from electric boxes when the park was owned by the electricity board.
Shelagh Gurney, county, district and parish councillor for Hellesdon Photo: Shelagh Gurney
Rather than fill the hole, the parish council instead decided to investigate whether further holes existed under the park, which could pose an equal, or greater, risk to public.
Shelagh Gurney, a district and county councillor for Hellesdon, said public safety was paramount in the decision to close the park.
She said: “We could just not risk anybody falling into the hole and seriously injuring themselves. Safety had to be our main priority.”
Mrs Gurney said it had now been established that further holes had not been discovered and that the council was in the process of appointing a contractor to fix the soakaway.
She said: “The problem we are having at the moment is finding a contractor that doesn’t have significant waiting periods to carry out the work.
“However, our hope is that the work can be done in the next few weeks and we can get the park back open.”
The small park, which is off Mountfield Avenue in the parish, does not contain any children’s play equipment, but is popular with dog walkers and provides a pedestrian cut-through to nearby B&Q.
Earlier this month, the matter was discussed at a full meeting of Hellesdon Parish Council, at which the council was criticised for the length of the park’s closure.
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An Afternoon With Jane
Tribeca Film Festival co-founder Jane Rosenthal sits down with Embodied's Editor-in-Chief to discuss women in film, funding for the arts, and fifteen years at the helm of Manhattan's greatest movie-going extravaganza.
By Jake Nevins
When I walk into Jane Rosenthal’s offices on Greenwich Street, I am greeted by a wall of movie posters, from Orson Welles’ classics (Chimes at Midnight, Citizen Kane) to Martin Scorsese’s seminal Manhattan masterpieces. Even more appropriately, Jane is eating a bag of popcorn. Coffee tables are adorned with film paraphernalia. Portraits of movie stars, past and present, line the hallways. There is a quiet calm that belies impending pandemonium. The Tribeca Film Festival is just weeks away.
Ms. Rosenthal – the walking film encyclopedia, the spunky businesswoman, the big-budget movie producer, the co-founder of Tribeca Film Festival and the mother of two — offers me some Skinny Pop. Though I decline, it delights me to see that her unabashed love of film – from oldies to newbies, from conventional cinema to nonlinear to experimental and beyond — has infiltrated even her afternoon snack choices. The festival, in its 15th year, has grown meteorically since 2002, when Rosenthal and longtime friend and business-partner Robert De Niro joined forces to revive a neighborhood feeling the devastating reverberations of the 9/11 attacks. “When you start a festival because of an act of war in your backyard, you come to it with a certain sense of fierce determination about survival and a new perception of the world.” Rosenthal continues, “It was very much about how the arts can heal and how having a film festival could create a new memory for people.”
When I ask Rosenthal how she sees Tribeca in relation to other North American film festivals like Sundance, Toronto, and South by Southwest, it’s clear that the festival’s origins have been a driving force; it is a vehicle for communal assemblage, a sort of revivalist effort, more than it is a two-week succession of cinema. Another major distinguishing factor between TFF and its counterparts is that the former proudly carries the formidable weight of its host city; Manhattan’s diverse citizenry and its unremitting commitment to originality presupposes a lineup that reflects the island’s hodgepodge of religious, linguistic and ethnic cohorts. An event in NYC, especially one of Tribeca’s scope and ambition, means NYC expectations.
“Because we’re in New York, we’re held up to a higher standard than anybody else. If you’re doing a festival in the middle of a mountain or a resort town, everything looks good. There are over 232 languages spoken in New York and we can tap into communities that nobody else can tap into.” Rosenthal, a charming raconteur, goes on to tell me some of her fondest festival memories (Nelson Mandela’s 2002 appearance ranks high). “When we had an Israeli film here a number of years ago. The grand Rabbi in Williamsburg blessed the movie and I got up to introduce it and I look down at the crowd and it was all Hasidic men with the hats (Shtreimels). Another time we had a film about Liberia, called Pray the Devil Back to Hell and I got up to introduce the movie. We were in a theater on 2nd Avenue right on campus, and there was this piece of paper and I introduced the movie and I say, ‘And I’d like to welcome President of Liberia Madame Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.’ There was a whole Liberian community that was there.”
Rosenthal recalls, as if it were yesterday, her initial discussions about the festival with De Niro and Scorsese. “When we announced the festival in November of 2001, we honestly didn’t know what we were programming. Scorsese was there with us at the beginning and I remember him saying, ‘We’re going to have panel discussions!’ And then he said, ‘and we’re going to have restored and rediscovered films!’ And I looked at him and said, ‘sounds good!’” The debris from the fallen towers still cloaked Tribeca streets. The stench in the Manhattan air was some peculiar, discouraging alloy of bodies and embers. But Rosenthal and De Niro, buoyed by the impenetrable spirit of New York, endeavored to unite a broken community.
Scorsese’s suggestions stuck and, fifteen years later, it’s his own film, the classic Taxi Driver, being honored at this year’s festival, 40 years after its release. Though Tribeca has always been a champion of new, undiscovered filmmakers, curating a lineup that reflects the diversity of the neighborhood in which it takes place, Rosenthal also sees an obligation to honor the filmic canon, to introduce the classics to a fresh, younger audience and, therein, make them new again. This is a preoccupation that shapes not only the festival, but also Rosenthal’s own activism. A fervent advocate for arts funding, a topic she speaks about with insight and alacrity, Rosenthal is quick to point out how vital an arts education is. Tribeca’s struggle to procure adequate funding from New York State is a well-documented one, but it’s only a microcosmic example of nationwide negligence towards the arts in schools and elsewhere.
“We don’t fund the arts in this country,” Rosenthal tells me. “If you look at Toronto and the Toronto Film Festival, they get an enormous amount of funding from the Canadian Government. We just don’t, as a country, fund arts unless you have big boards that are going to donate…you’re always in a fundraising mode unless you figure out the right business model for the arts.”
Rosenthal, with a sort of seasoned, improvisational candor, jumps back and forth between discussing business and the arts, two decidedly adversarial sides of the same coin. Except, oddly, the more we talk, the union of art and commerce seems less fraught than symbiotic. There exists a genuine appreciation for the craft of filmmaking, a keen understanding, too, of both the mercenary and creative forces at play. Rosenthal is both restlessly pragmatic and youthfully free-spirited, Manhattan incarnate. She tells me about Tribeca Studios’ teaching initiatives, which aim to bring the art of filmmaking to underprivileged students, and the exhaustive crystallization of skills that is the making of a movie. In case it gets lost in her laundry list of achievements, she’s produced quite a few: Marvin’s Room, Wag the Dog, Meet the Parents, About a Boy, and Rent, to sell it short.
“We have a program at Tribeca Film Institute called Tribeca Teaches and we go and teach filmmaking courses in the most underserved populations, where English is a second language, where some of the kids are homeless, where some of the kids could be easily radicalized, where every kid at a certain age questions identity. If you are a young immigrant here in the U.S and going to a strange school and speaking strange languages, you question where you belong.” She continues, “The arts are a place, and filmmaking very specifically, where everyone has to come together for it to work. You have to have teamwork, you have to have leadership. There are those that have to lead as the director and the producer and there are those who just have to do and be brilliant at what they do as an actor, as a writer, as a composer…To come together and create something, it gives you a sense of belonging, it gives you that sense that you can tell a story with a picture and that’s pretty powerful. It’s crucial to have funding for the arts. It’s a way we express our most creative selves. It makes you feel like you belong to this world of creative people and you’re not alone.”
As a woman in the world of entertainment, Rosenthal knows a thing or two about going it alone. After graduating from Gallatin, where a professor told her she had “verve and gumption,” she got a job as a production assistant at CBS Sports, what she considers her first exposure to the overwhelmingly patriarchal world of film and television. “There were very few women at the time. I didn’t realize that I was actually breaking ground by being a production assistant. There were maybe 4 other women, whether it was on-air talent or behind the scenes. But I didn’t take that necessarily as gender. I always believed that if you did a good job you would always get there no matter your gender.” Rosenthal’s moxie is symptomatic of her feminist upbringing in Providence, Rhode Island. “My mother was a feminist and said you can do and be anything you want to be. And I believed it. I believed it and just did it.”
Rosenthal explains that, early on, she felt the industry’s sexism less personally and more institutionally; though women had progressed more in television than in film, thanks to the likes of Linda Bloodworth Thomason, Marlo Thomas, Lucille Ball and Mary Tyler Moore, the grossly disproportionate gender ratios seen in the workforce and on film sets manifested itself as a sort of axiomatic principle, one Rosenthal was determined to overcome. “I didn’t face sexism until later, when I was actually producing a movie and had some independent financing and had old school financiers that kept calling me, you know, ‘honey’ and ‘sweetie’ and said, ‘well, you don’t know that much, you’re just a girl.’” She goes on, “that was a very traditional form of discrimination and, really, at that point one would have thought I had established myself enough in my career that I wouldn’t have to face that.”
In the last 88 years, just four women have been nominated in the Best Director category at the Academy Awards: Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker), Sofia Coppola, (Lost in Translation), Jane Campion (The Piano), and Lina Wertmüller (Seven Beauties). Bigelow is the only woman to ever win the award. In the last two years, 40 white actors have been nominated for individual acting awards and, as you might have heard, zero actors of color. Whether or not one chooses to believe the Oscars are an adequate barometer of cinematic value (this becomes more uncertain each year), the numbers, in any case, are staggering. And in the wake of such disproportion, many misplace blame, forsake the real etiology of these imbalances, for it is less about an Academy comprised of crusty, old myopic men than it is the dearth of female directors being hired by big-budget production companies and a shortage of actors of color being cast in films that generate Oscar fodder.
One notable exception, where a throng of female directors and diverse casts can be found, is Rosenthal’s festival, where, in 2016, women directed a record-setting 33% of the films shown, works that come, rather impressively, from 42 different countries. There’s Elvis & Nixon, a film by Liza Johnson, chronicling a stranger-than-fiction historical encounter between The King and the former president. There’s Abortion: Stories Women Tell, a documentary by Tracy Droz Tragos. First-time director Jenny Gage debuted her film All This Panic, a coming-of-age story set in New York City. Kristi Jacobson directed Solitary, a subversive, deeply affecting portrait of life in solitary confinement. Children of the Mountain, directed, written and produced by Priscilla Anany, is an aesthetic marvel about a Ghanaian mother’s experience with her son’s birth deformities. Rosenthal speaks highly of two women-helmed features in particular, Rachel Tunnard’s Adult Life Skills and Ingrid Jungerman’s mordant comedy Women Who Kill. She goes on, “There’s a lot of great shorts celebrating New York, a lot of shorts celebrating gender identity and the LGBT community, both shorts and narratives. There seem to be a lot of films this year about prison systems and prison reform, which is becoming more topical, as it should.”
To put this in proper context, the University of Southern California conducted a study in 2013, called “Gender Inequality in 500 Popular Films,” which found that, in 2012, women accounted for 4.1% of all directors, 12.2% of writers and 20% of producers in that year’s 100 highest-grossing films. In another study carried out by the New York Film Academy, white actors constituted 75.8% of speaking parts in the top 500 grossing films from 2007-2012. Tribeca’s numbers, then, are nothing to scoff at. “As a producer, I try to enable and support women filmmakers. We are a festival of diversity.” Rosenthal says. “When I look at the company that we started, Bob and I were always supportive of women writers, of all women… Jenni (Konner, producer and writer of HBO’s Girls) was a story editor for us; she will admit in an interview that she didn’t really know what she was doing, but I don’t really remember that part. My company is almost 75% women. I think that’s part of my job.”
Rosenthal may not remember Konner as a flummoxed ingénue, but Jenni certainly does. In an interview with Refinery29, she reminisced on her experience working under Rosenthal: "Well, before I was writing, I worked as an assistant at Tribeca Productions. Watching Jane Rosenthal do her thing — even though I was so young and dumb and probably couldn’t absorb all she was doing — just working for a very strong woman in charge of a company that was growing every minute was so exciting."
Konner’s Girls, as well as the Shonda Rhimes’ Thursday-night triumvirate and the chronically under-appreciated catalogues of women filmmakers like Bigelow, Campion, Diablo Cody, and Ava Duvernay, is proof of the remarkable things that can happen when women are given the creative, financial autonomy that male directors are so often and arbitrarily afforded. The effects of a patriarchal Hollywood supplant the aforementioned inequities behind the camera and in the writer’s room; rather, it results in an intense narrative dissonance, a scarcity of stories that illuminate and cinematize the lives of women from their own perspectives. When we talk about the domineering primacy of the male gaze, we are really talking about something systematic, something that starts well before filming; female actors are too often asked to take their clothes off and actors of color are reduced to archetypes, made into one-dimensional caricatures that perpetuate regressive ideas about race and ethnicity. Jane, and her meticulous programming team at Tribeca, the members of which spend twelve months watching and vetting films around the globe, are leaps and bounds ahead of the competition, assembling a cinematic smorgasbord that’s as heterogeneous as it is judiciously curated. At Tribeca, there’s room for anything – virtual reality films, six-second vines, films shot on mobile phones, vlogumentaries, and animated shorts (curated, this year, by Whoopi Goldberg) – and this is what gets Rosenthal most enthused, the idea that film is not a structurally hermetic vehicle for storytelling but something that changes, evolves, and diversifies with the spasmodic currents of culture.
“If you want to tell a story, you can take your phone, you can write it, you can find actors, you can cast it, you can shoot it, you can distribute it, you can have your own channel for your own friends or you can figure out if you’re going to get it to a broader audience. You can do everything and that’s really powerful. If I want to tell a story and I think it warrants a series, I have more options and more places I can go. If you’re an artist you say, ‘Today I want to paint with oils, today I want to paint with water colors, today I want to sculpt.’ You can now choose all these different kinds of stories you want to tell and that’s really fun.” I ask Rosenthal what this means for the future of film as both a creative and pecuniary venture; do movie theaters become extinct, or do they become more specialized, a place only for spectacle?
“Does it mean people stop going to the movies? No. I think we’ll always go to the movies. The theaters themselves and the types of movies you will see in a movie theater may change. When you go to a movie theater you’re going to expect and demand a certain quality. You’re going to demand a pristine screen and proper sound and you certainly want something better than what you have in your home.” I nod in agreement and tell Rosenthal that I had to see Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight, shot in 70 millimeter, in a theater. “I had to go see Star Wars in Imax, too,” she tells me. “I didn’t want to sit at home and see Star Wars. I want to see it in Imax!”
Though the looming festival has wholly consumed the past several months of her life, I am sure to ask Rosenthal if there’s anything she’s binge watching these days. “I haven’t watched any new shows recently,” she tells me, “but I’m pretty fascinated by the number of apps that are out there and what we use them for. I have been trying to just play League of Legends without getting…it actually sounds so incongruous that we’d be talking about that. But, really, the gaming world as it concerns storytelling is fascinating. I like that we did something with League of Legends last November, the story and the craft and the art behind the game. So I’m always looking at how you’re telling stories on all these different platforms, whether it’s non-linear platforms or not.” She continues, “And, really, a film festival is sort of the ultimate binge watch if you think about it.”
A Gender, Divided
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Die höchsten Gebäude in Paris
1 Tour Montparnasse 689 ft
2 Tribunal de Paris 525 ft
3 Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile 449 ft
4 Tour Prélude 404 ft
5 Hotel Pullman Paris Montparnasse 381 ft
exterior-front-of-building-from-across-the-river https://www.emporis.com/images/show/434925-Medium-exterior-front-of-building-from-across-the-river.jpg https://www.emporis.com/images/show/434925-Large-exterior-front-of-building-from-across-the-river.jpg Steven Henry interiorphoto-main-gallery https://www.emporis.com/images/show/435457-Medium-interiorphoto-main-gallery.jpg https://www.emporis.com/images/show/435457-Large-interiorphoto-main-gallery.jpg Steven Henry interiorphoto-looking-up-with-artwork-in-the-foreground https://www.emporis.com/images/show/435463-Medium-interiorphoto-looking-up-with-artwork-in-the-foreground.jpg https://www.emporis.com/images/show/435463-Large-interiorphoto-looking-up-with-artwork-in-the-foreground.jpg Steven Henry
Alle 4 Bilder ansehen Daten als PDF
Direkter Download der öffentlichen Daten für Musée d'Orsay
Direkter Download der vollständigen Daten für Musée d'Orsay
Alle verfügbaren Gebäudedaten
Musee d'Orsay, Gare d'Orsay
Flachbau
Fassadensystem
Beaux-Arts / Historismus
Einzelhandel Restaurant
The great hall of this structure measures 32 meters in height, 40 meters in width, and 130 meters in length.
The Gare d'Orsay was the head of the southwestern French railroad network from 1900 to 1939, but became obsolete as the shorter platforms were no longer able to fit new longer trains.
The structure was finally shuttered, completely, on New Year's Day 1973 when the hotel within the station was closed.
By 1975, the Direction des Musées de France was considering converting the station to a museum to showcase French art from the mid-1800s to today. In 1977, President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing took the official initiative to redevelop the station.
The museum was inaugurated December 1, 1986 by President François Mitterrand, and opened to the public on the 9th of December.
After 1939, the station had many uses including mail center, film set, and also for the transportation of World War II prisoners of war.
The rail station was also built with an adjoining hotel that was meant to blend in seamlessly with the rest of the station.
The station was built in anticipation of the 1900 World's Fair to showcase Paris to the world. It was supposed to be the world's first station able to run electric trains.
The current structure lies on the site of the Palais d'Orsay, which was burned to the ground during the Commune Revolt of 1871.
62 Rue de Lille
7ème arrondissement
ParisParis
Île-de-FranceÎle-de-France
FrankreichFrankreich
Länge (oberste Etage)
Etagen unterirdisch
Rolltreppe
Eines der bekannten Bauwerke dieser Stadt
31-43 Rue Belgrand
77 Rue de la Convention
Siège du Parti Communiste Français
105 Rue Bobillot
21 Rue du Bourg Tibourg
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Distracted Driving Research & Statistics
The following is not intended to be a comprehensive listing of all of the research and statistics on distracted driving and traffic safety but rather, an overview. Proceed to our Distracted Driving Resources page for links to sources for further information.
1) Traffic Safety Facts
2) Driver Attitudes & Behaviors
3) Teens & Young Drivers
3 A) GDL – Graduated Driver Licensing
4) Parents & Adults
5) Cognitive Distractions: Hands Free vs. Hand Held & Voice to Text
6) Cell Phone Conversation vs. Talking With Passenger
7) Cell Phone Driver vs. Drunk Driver
8) Text Messaging
9) Effectiveness of Bans on Texting and Hand-held Use of Cell Phones
10) Drowsy Driving
11) Seat Belts
12) Pedestrians & Bicyclists
13) Evaluating the Effectiveness of Distracted Driving Initiatives
National Safety Council (NSC), Motor Vehicle Fatality Estimates 2017, Dec. 2017 – Preliminary estimates indicate motor vehicle deaths dipped 1% in 2017, but, still 6% higher than the number of deaths in 2015. If the estimate holds, it will be the second consecutive year that motor vehicle deaths topped 40,000. The estimated cost of motor-vehicle deaths, injuries, and property damage in 2017 was $413.8 billion.
NHTSA 2016 Fatal Traffic Crash Data (Oct. 2017) – 37,461 lives were lost on U.S. roads in 2016, an increase of 5.6 percent from 2015. Distracted driving fatalities declined by 2.2% , drowsy driving fatalities declined by 3.5%, while deaths related to other reckless behaviors – including speeding, alcohol impairment, and not wearing seat belts – continued to increase. Pedestrian deaths increased 9% to 5,987 (the highest number since 1990) and bicyclist deaths increased by 1.3% to 840 (the highest number since 1991).
University of Iowa, Why talking on cell phones adversely affects driving performance, June 2017 – Researchers used computerized experiments that tracked eye movements while asking subjects to answer true or false questions to mimic having a cell phone conversation or even a conversation with a passenger. Doing so caused participants to take about twice as long to direct their eyes to a new object than those who were not asked to respond. This phenomenon is referred to as “attentional disengagement.” And, the more the brain was distracted the worse participants performance became, a “snowball effect.”
NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts, Distracted Driving 2015, DOT HS 812 381, March 2017 – In 2015, there were 3,477 people killed and an estimated additional 391,000 injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers; 10% fatal crashes, 15% of injury crashes, and 14% of all police-reported traffic crashes were reported as distraction-affected; 9% of all drivers 15 to 19 years old involved in fatal crashes were distracted at the time of the crashes. This age group has the largest proportion of drivers who were distracted at the time of the fatal crashes; there were 551 nonoccupants (pedestrians, bicyclists, and others) killed in distraction-affected crashes.
NHTSA 2015 Motor Vehicle Crashes Overview, NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts, DOT HS 812 318, August 2016. The nation lost 35,092 people in traffic crashes in 2015, ending a 5-decade trend of declining fatalities with a 7.2% increase in deaths from 2014. The final data released by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed traffic deaths rising across nearly every segment of the population. The last single-year increase of this magnitude was in 1966, when fatalities rose 8.1% from the previous year. Distracted driving fatalities rose at a greater percentage than those for drunk or drowsy driving, speeding and failing to wear a seatbelt.
Motor vehicle crash fatalities in the U.S. could drop by half with proven strategies according to a July 2016 CDC report comparing fatality rates between US and other high-income countries. The US had quadruple the fatality rate of Sweden and the UK and is about double that of France, Germany and Canada. Speeding, using seat belts and booster seats, drunk and distracted driving were all areas where the UCS could improve and save lives. Average seat belt use for the countries in the survey was 94% while the US is still under 90% seatbelt compliance.
NJ State Police Year to Date Statewide Fatal Crash Statistics for December 31, 2014 – 3.9% increase in highway fatalities in 2013 by 21 victims, bringing the total to 563, up from 542 in 2013; driver, passenger and pedacyclists fatalities all decreased from 2013; # of pedestrians killed spiked by 28%; in 2013, 132 pedestrians were killed and in 2014, 170
Traffic Safety Facts 2013 NHTSA, 2014 (DOT HS 812 101) – A compilation of motor vehicle crash data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System and the General Estimates System – data shows a 3.1% decrease from 2012 and a nearly 25% decline in overall highway deaths since 2004; in 2013, 32,719 people died in traffic crashes; estimated number of people injured in crashes also declined by 2.1%.
“The Economic and Societal Impact Of Motor Vehicle Crashes, 2010”, NHTSA, 2014 (DOT HS 812 013) – Distracted driving crashes responsible for $129 billion in societal costs in 2010
“Traffic Safety Facts 2012”, NHTSA (DOT HS 812 032) – A compilation of motor vehicle crash data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System and the General Estimates System
“Traffic Safety Facts 2011”, NHTSA (DOT HS 811 754) – A compilation of motor vehicle crash data from the Fatality Aanalysis Reporting System and the General Estimates System
“Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes as a Leading Cause Of Death in the United States, 2008 and 2009”, NHTSA, 2012 (DOT HS 811 620) – Fatalities in motor vehicle crashes have declined by 25% since 2005, yet remained the leading cause of death for 8 to 34 year-olds in 2008 and for 8 to 24 year- olds in 2009; 2nd leading causes of death for 25 to 34 year- olds in 2009
“Crashes Involving Cell Phones: Challenges of Collecting and Reporting Reliable Crash Data”, NSC, 2013 – cell phone distracted driving crashes “vastly under-reported”; review of 180 fatal crashes from 2009 to 2011, where evidence indicated driver cell phone use – in 2011 only 52% were coded in the national data as involving cell phone use; in 2012, highway fatalities increased for the first time in seven years; estimate that 25% of all crashes involve cell phone use
“Distracted Driving 2011”, NHTSA, 2013 (DOT HS 811 737) – In 2011: 3,331 people killed in crashes involving distracted drivers and 387,000 injured, representing 10% of all fatal crashes and 17% of all accidents that caused injuries; 12% of fatalities involved the use of a cell phone (talking/listening to a cell phone, dialing/texting or other cell-phone-related activities); 5% of those injured involved a cell-phone; for 15 – 19 yr.old drivers involved in fatal crashes, 21% were distracted by the use of a cell phone
“An Evaluation of the Visual Demands of Portable Telematics Technologies Among Young Adult Drivers”, Mehler, et al., (MIT Age Lab White Paper) 2012 – Study examines NHTSA’s 2012 proposal limiting glances away from the road to use electronic devices to no more than 2 seconds for any single glance and 12 seconds total to complete the task. Studied were times to dial a flip phone, input phone number using a touch screen, using a portable navigation device and for comparison purposes manual interaction with radio at three levels of complexity. All three radio tasks and flip phone dialing came closest to meeting the proposed standard, while touch phone entry and using navigation system did not.
“Distracted Driving 2009", NHTSA, 2010 (DOT HS 811 379) – over 5,000 people killed and over 440,000 injured in motor vehicle accidents connected to distracted driving, representing 16% of all fatal crashes and 20% of all accidents that caused injuries
“Driver Distraction in Commercial Motor Vehicle Operations”, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 2009 – Increase likelihood of crashing while engaged in specific tasks: text messaging – 23 X, rummaging through grocery bag – 10 X, writing on pad or notebook – 9 X, using calculator – 8 X, looking at a map – 7 X, dialing a cell phone – 6 X, personal grooming – 4 X, reaching for object in vehicle – 3 X
“The 100-Car Naturalistic Driving Study – Results of the 100-Car Field Experiment," NHTSA 2006 – Observations recorded by in-vehicle instrumentation show that almost 80% of all crashes and 65% of all near-crashes involved the driver looking away from the roadway just prior to the event
“Distracted Driving and Risk of Road Crashes among Novice and Experienced Drivers”, Klauer, SG, Viurginia Tech Transportation Institute (N Engl J Med) 2014 – Data collected from recording devices installed in participants’ vehicles from 2003-04 (experienced drivers – average age 36.2 ) and 2006-08 (novice drivers – average age 16.4 ); actual crashes and near-crashes measured and related to performance of secondary tasks including reaching for cell phone, dialing cell phone, talking on cell phone, texting, reaching for other objects, eating or drinking and adjusting vehicle controls – secondary tasks requiring drivers to look away from the road ahead, are significant risk factors for crashes and near-crashes, particularly among novice drivers
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety 2017 Traffic Safety Culture Index, March, 2018 – Reveals that drivers have a “do as I say, not as I do" attitude. Most drivers (87.5%) perceive that distracted drivers are a bigger problem today than in past years. Moreover, distracted driving outpaced all other issues as a growing concern. It was followed by traffic congestion at 74.5%, aggressive drivers at 68.1%, drivers using drugs at 54.9% and drunk driving at 43.4%. Despite those feelings, 45% read a text and 34% sent a text in the 30 days prior to the survey.
Travelers Insurance Company poll, Sept. 2017 – Of those who drive to or for work, 43% will answer or make work-related communications while driving, including texting, emailing and calling. The reasons those drivers gave for doing so were 38% felt they needed to always be available, 37% feared missing out on something important at work and 17% did not want to upset the boss. By age groups, 18-34 and 35-44 year olds were tied at 54% for the largest percentage of drivers engaged in work-related communications while driving.
State Farm Distracted Driving Survey 2016, March, 2017 – revealed that after several years of steady increases in self-reported distracting cellphone activities, only two distracted driving behaviors involving cell phones (taking pictures and recording video) increased this year. Drivers continued to engage in various cellphone activities while driving despite finding these activities distracting and despite thinking that those behaviors increased the likelihood of a crash. The most cited reasons why drivers engaged in these risky behaviors were as follows: text messaging (habit, staying in touch, efficiency), accessing the internet (search for answer, habit, boredom), updating social media (habit, boredom, staying in touch).
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety 2016 Traffic Safety Culture Index, February, 2017 – While texting while driving remained about the same for 16-18 year olds at 34%, it skyrocketed to 60 % for 19-24 year olds and remained at 50% for 25-39 year olds. 88% of young millennials engaged in at least one risky behavior behind the wheel in the past 30 days, earning the top spot of worst behaved U.S. drivers. These behaviors included texting while driving, red-light running and speeding.
DISTRACTED DRIVING TRENDS: USE OF HAND-HELD CELLPHONES FOR TALKING DECREASING, INCREASING FOR INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA, State Farm Insurance, Dec. 2015 (Full report here) – 7th annual online survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers ages 18+. Accessing the internet while driving has more than doubled since 2009; texting has stayed nearly the same and talking on a hand-held cell phone has decreased
“Smartphone Use Behind the Wheel Survey“, AT&T, April 2015 – Telephone survey of 2,000 + respondents aged 16 to 62: 62% keep phone within easy reach while driving; texting ranks the highest of all smartphone activities behind the wheel; Facebook tops the list of social platforms used while driving; 30% of people who post to Twitter while driving do it “all the time”; habit, the perception of being able to safely do 2 things at once and fear of missing something important are the primary reasons for smartphone activities behind the wheel
“2014 Traffic Safety Culture Index,” AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2014 – An attitude of “Do as I say, not as I do” continues to persist among drivers. 85% of respondents stated that distracted drivers were a safety concern. While 78.6% say texting and e-mailing are a very serious threat and 84.4% say it is completely unacceptable, more than one-third read a text or e-mail while driving, with 27% admitting to typing one. Two-thirds say hand-held cell phone use is unacceptable, while two-thirds also say hands-free phone is acceptable. Nearly half (46.6%) who use speech-based in-vehicle systems do not believe they are distracting. Support for bans is as follows – Texting at 89.3%, hand-held mobile devices at 67.8% and bans of both hand-held and hands-free devices is 40.2%.
“Driver Electronic Use in 2012“, NHTSA, 2014 (DOT HS 811 884) – The percentage of drivers text-messaging or visibly manipulating hand-held devices increased from 1.3 percent in 2011 to 1.5 percent in 2012; held cell phone use continued to be higher among females, highest among 16 to 24 year-olds and lowest among drivers 70 and older
“2012 Traffic Safety Culture Index”, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2013 – More than 2 in 3 drivers report talking on their cell phone while driving at least once in the past month, and nearly 1 in 3 say they did so fairly often or regularly; more than 26.6% admit to typing or sending a text message or email while driving in the past month and 34.7%, reading a text message or email
“Driver Electronic Device Use in 2011", NHTSA, 2013 (DOT HS 811 719) – % of drivers text-messaging or visibly manipulating hand-held devices increased significantly for a second year in a row from 0.9% in 2010 to 1.3% in 2011; 660,000 vehicles driven by people using hand-held cell phones at a typical daylight moment in 2011; higher among females and higher among 16-24 year- olds than older drivers
“Self-reported and Observed Risky Driving Behaviors Among Frequent and Infrequent Cell Phone Users”, Zhao, N., et al, (Accident Analysis & Prevention) 2012 – 2013 – Study results revealed that those who use cell phones while driving more frequently are also likely to engage in other driving behaviors that increase overall crash risk, including driving faster, changing lanes more frequently and hard braking
“Stuck in the 70s: the Role of Social Norms in Distracted Driving” , Atchley, P.et al., Accident Analysis Prevention 2012 – Participants were asked to rate responsibility for crash scenarios and to levy fines and jail time – When social norms, laws against texting were provided, texting drivers were found more responsible than when the social norms were not provided; the author believes that in order to reduce texting while driving our social norms about distracted driving must change, similar to what occurred with respect to drunk driving
“National Phone Survey on Distracted Driving Attitudes and Behaviors”, NHTSA, 2011 (DOT HS 811 55) – Survey of 6,002 drivers 18 and older from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Most commonly performed potentially distracting behaviors while driving: talking to passengers in the vehicle (80%), adjusting the car radio (65%), eating/drinking (45%), making/accepting phone calls (40%), interacting with children in the back seat (27%), and using a portable music player (30%); men more likely than women to use navigation systems (55% of men, 46% of women), use smartphones for driving directions (30% men, 21% women), and use portable music players with headphones (4% men, 1% women); women more likely than men to interact with children in the back seat (23% men, 31% women) and do personal grooming (3% men, 8% women); men and women equally likely to make or accept phone calls (42% men, 39% women), read incoming e-mail or text messages (10% men, 9% women), and send messages (both 6%); drivers younger than 25 are 2 to 3 times more likely than older drivers to read or send text messages or e-mails
“The Choice to Text and Drive in Younger Drivers: Behavior May Shape Attitude”, Atchley, P., et al., Transportation Research Board of the National Academies 2011. Study suggests that if we choose to engage in risky behaviors, i.e. texting while driving, we may change our attitudes, minimizing the risk because we engage in that behavior; attitudes may not shape behaviors but our behaviors may actually shape our attitudes
NTSB Safety Alert, “Drowsy Driving Among Young Drivers", Feb. 2017 – 1 in 5 fatal crashes involve a drowsy driver and drivers aged 16 to 24 are most at risk. The problem is outlined, a related crash analyzed and tips provided for teens and parents
Teenagers Fatality Facts 2016, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Highway Loss Data Institute – A total of 2,820 teenagers ages 13-19 died in motor vehicle crashes in 2016. This is 68% fewer than in 1975 and 3% more than in 2015. About 2 of every 3 teenagers killed in crashes in 2016 were males. Teenagers accounted for 8% of motor vehicle crash deaths, comprised 9% of passenger vehicle (cars, pickups, SUVs, and vans) occupant deaths among all ages, 5% of pedestrian deaths, 3% of motorcyclist deaths, 8% of bicyclist deaths and 15% of all-terrain vehicle rider death. (Data collected and comparisons made in easy to read charts back to 1975).
“Distraction and Teen Crashes: Even Worse Than We Thought,” AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2015 – University of Iowa researchers studied the extent to which teen driver distraction was involved in crashes by viewing videos from 1,691 in-vehicle cameras taken for the 6 seconds leading up to the crash . The results indicated that some form of distraction was involved in 58% of the crashes studied, with speaking to passengers and cell phone use as the two most frequent causes. The frequency of distraction-involved crashes was found go be about 4 times that previously reported by NHTSA (14%). Some of the videos are available for viewing.
“Distracted & Dangerous – Helping States Keep Teens Focused on the Road,” GHSA, Aug. 2014 – Comprehensive summary of nationwide efforts to date to combat teen distracted driving; highlights teen distracted driving research and the extent of the teen distracted driving problem; summarizes applicable legislative and enforcement efforts; describes innovative programs from across the country that are showing promise in reducing distracted driving crashes
“Is that Mom on the Phone? Teen Drivers and Distraction“, LaVoie, et al, American Psycological Association, Aug. 2014 – Interview and survey of over 400 teen drivers from 31 states ages 15 to 18 – more than 1/2 of teens talk on cell phone to mom or dad while driving with teens reporting that parents expect to be able to reach them; teens more likely to send text messages to friends than parents
“Fatality Facts, Teeneagers", IIHS 2014- Fatal crash rate per mile driven for 16-19 year-olds nearly 3 times the rate for drivers ages 20 and over and nearly twice as high for 16-17 year-olds as for 18-19 year-olds
“Teens and Technology 2013", Pew Research Internet Project – Survey of teens ages 12-17 and their parents – 78% of teens have a cell phone, 47% of those own smartphones – up 14% from 2011; 1 in 4 teens are “cell-mostly” internet users
“Special Considerations in Distracted Driving With Teens”, Durbin, D, et al, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) 2014 (Annals of Advances in Automotive Medicine) – Reviews a number of factors contributing to increased crash risk for teens, including use of mobile devices, inexperience, parental influences on attitudes and behaviors pertinent to distracted driving
“Are We Doing Enough to Prevent the Perfect Storm?: Novice Drivers, ADHD, and Distracted Driving”, Winston, FK, McDonald,CC. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) 2013 Journal of the American Medical Association -Pediatrics. Recognizing that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens, but that the GDL laws have been the only really effective intervention to reduce deaths, the authors urge more effective interventions to reduce teen deaths
“Don’t Txt n Drive: Teens Not Getting Msg“, American Academy of Pediatrics, 2013 – 43% of youths admit to texting while driving; prevalence higher among males, older teens
“Bridgestone Young Driver Survey Results 2014”, – More than half of teens admit they will occasionally text and drive; 70% likely to do so at a red light; 60% said they have texted while driving alone compared to 37% with a friend; 70% have asked a friend or parent to stop texting while driving
“Bridgestone Young Driver Survey Results 2013”, – Comprehensive survey of teen attitudes and behaviors, including participation in distracted driving behaviors, broken down by daytime versus nighttime – 97% have texted while driving during daytime and 47% at night; 92% when driving alone and 32% when driving with friends (suggesting perhaps social pressure may be reducing texting); teens observed parents’ driving distractions including hand held cell phone use 60%, hands-free cell phone use 46%, using navigation 40%, reading texts 29%, sending texts 25%; nearly 2/3 of teens viewed texting as unacceptable but 45% admitted to reading and 37% to sending texts
“Distracted driving Among Newly Licensed Teens“, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2012 – Electronic device use and other distracted driving behaviors strongly associated with teens looking away from the roadway; females twice as likely as males to be using an electronic device
“Young Drivers Report the Highest Level of Phone Involvement in Crash or Near-Crash Incidences”, NHTSA, 2012 – 68% of drivers 18 to 20 are willing to answer incoming phone calls on driving trips; drivers 18 to 20 have the highest incidence of self- reported crash or near-crash experiences and the highest incidence of phone involvement at the time of the crash or near-crash; most do not think that talking on a phone while driving affects their driving performance
“Prevalence of Teen Driver Errors Leading to Serious Motor Vehicle Crashes“, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) & State Farm Insurance Companies (Accident Analysis & Prevention) 2011 – Analysis from federal database of more than 800 crashes involving teen drivers – 75% of crashes due a critical teen driver error, with 3 common errors accounting for nearly 1/2 of all serious crashes: 21% ue to lack of scanning that is needed to detect and respond to hazards; 21% due to going too fast for road conditions and 21% due to being distracted by something inside or outside the vehicle
Teen Driver Distraction Study – University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute and Toyota, 2012 – Significant correlation between parent and teen distractions. Teens whose parents drive distracted are 2 to 4 times likely to also drive distracted.
“U.S. High School Students Improve Motor Vehicle-related Health Behaviors", CDC 2012 – Students showed improvement in seat belt usage, alcohol usage and driving, and not being driven by an impaired driver; the challenge – 1 in 3 high school students had texted or e-mailed while driving during the past 30 days
“Cause for Concern for Summer Drivers: Speeding, Texting, and Distracted Driving Prevalent in a High Percentage of Teens’ “Near Misses” According to Liberty Mutual/SADD Study”, 2011 – National study of 2,294 high school students, 68% of teens admit to have narrowly avoided a crash – more than half of those reporting multiple instances — more apt to blame external causes such as other drivers or the weather; yet, as to what they were doing at the time of the incident, speeding: 30%, texting while driving: 21%, talking to passengers: 20%, changing songs on MP3 player: 17%
A) GDL – Graduated Driver Licensing
“Long-Term Changes in Crash Rates After Introduction of a Graduated Driver Licensing Decal Provision“, Curry, Elliot, et al., (American Journal of Preventive Medicine) 2014 – NJ’s Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) decal provision is associated with a sustained two-year decline in crash rates among intermediate (i.e., probationary) teen drivers. Crash rates decreased 1.8% per year before the provision and 7.9% per year in the post-decal period. For several crash types, effects appeared to be particularly strong for 18- and 19-year-olds. Crash involvement of an estimated 3,197 intermediate drivers was prevented in the first two years after the decal’s implementation.
“Graduated Driver Licensing Programs and Fatal Crashes of 16-year-old Drivers: A National Evaluation”, Baker, et al., (John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health) 2006 – Analysis of data collected from 1994 to 2004; as much as a 21% reduction in fatal crash rates attributed to GDL laws; “The most comprehensive graduated driver licensing programs result in the best reduction of fatal crashes of 16-year-old drivers.”
“Many parents multi-task while driving kids", University of Michigan, 2014 published in American Journal of Pediatrics – Almost 90 percent of drivers reported engaging in at least one technology-based distraction while driving their child in the prior month, and most drivers reported engaging in 4 of the 10 distractions asked about in the study.
“Exclusive Survey from American Baby and Safe Kids Worldwide: Moms Make the Same Risky Driving Choices as Teens“, 2013 – 78% admit to talking on the phone while driving with their baby; 64% of moms have turned around to tend to their child’s needs while driving; 26% text or check email
“Nearly Half of Commuters Admit to Texting While Driving", AT&T survey, 2013 – 49% of adults admitted to texting while driving (43% for teens) – 40% call it a habit; 6 in 10 did not do it 3 years prior
Parent/Teen Correlation in Distracted Driving – University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute and Toyota, 2012 -Parents who talk on cell phones, send texts or eat and drink while driving have teenagers who are 2 to 4 times more likely to do the same.
“Adults and Cell Phone Distractions," Pew Research Center, 2010 – Adults are just as likely as teens to have texted while driving and are substantially more likely to have talked on the phone while driving.
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, “Visual and Cognitive Demands of Using In-Vehicle Infotainment Systems”, Sept 2017 – Thirty 2017 vehicles tested with not a single vehicle infotainment system resulting in a low user demand, only 7 a moderate demand and 23 high demand or very high demand. Visual and cognitive demand were tested, as well as the time it took drivers to complete a task .Study participants were required to use voice command, touch screen and other interactive technologies to make a call, send a text message, tune the radio or program navigation, all while driving down the road. Programming navigation was the most distracting task, taking an average of 40 seconds for drivers to complete.
SPIDER: A Framework for Understanding Driver Distraction, Strayer, et al, University of Utah, 2016 describes how cognitive distraction adversely affects our ability to scan, predict, identify, decide whether action is necessary and execute appropriate driving responses. Understanding these concepts puts defensive driving in a new light.
The Smartphone and the Driver’s Cognitive Workload: A Comparison of Apple, Google, and Microsoft’s Intelligent Personal Assistants, Strayer, et al /AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Oct. 2015 – 3 studies; drivers who used voice-activated features on their phones had significantly increased reaction times for detecting potential hazards for up to 18 seconds after stopping the smart phone use; use of hands-free voice commands on smart phones found to be highly distracting to drivers; voice-dialing, voice-contact calling and music selection using in-vehicle “infotainment” systems were examined in 10 model-year 2015 vehicles – 3 were rated as moderately distracting, 6 as highly distracting and the system in the 2015 Mazda 6 as very highly distracting
“Mental Workload of Common Voice-Based Vehicle Interactions across Six Different Vehicle Systems“, Strayer, et al/ AAAFoundation for Traffic Safety, 2014 – Evaluation of the two most common voice-based interactions in which drivers engage – changing radio stations and voice dialing – with the actual voice-activated systems found in six different automakers’ vehicles. The accuracy of voice recognition software significantly influences the rate of distraction. Systems with low accuracy and reliability generated a high level (category 3) of distraction. Composing text messages and emails using in-vehicle technologies (category 3) was more distracting than using these systems to listen to messages (category 2). Toyota’s Entune® system – lowest cognitive distraction ranking (at 1.7), which is similar to listening to an audio book. The Chevrolet MyLink® resulted in the highest level of cognitive distraction (rating of 3.7) Separate assessment of Apple’s Siri (version iOS 7). Hands- and eyes-free use of Apple’s Siri generated a relatively high category 4 level of mental distraction.
“Understanding the distracted brain – Why driving while using hands-free cell phones is risky behavior", NSC 2012 – Hands-free devices offer no safety benefit when driving; multitasking is a myth; cell phone use while driving impairs driving performance and also weakens the brain’s ability to capture driving cues; drivers who use cell phones experience inattention blindness ( “look at” but not “see” up to 50 percent of the info in their driving environment) – references to more than 30 scientific studies and reports
“Voice-To-Text Apps Offer No Driving Safety Benefit; As With Manual Texting, Reaction Times Double”, Texas A & M Transportation Institute, 2013 – Voice-to-text technologies found no safer than manual texting; all texting, manual or voice to text, took drivers eyes away from the road and resulted in doubling reaction times; even voice-to- text features resulted in drivers looking away from the road; voice to text took longer than manual texting
“Measuring Cognitive Distraction in the Automobile”, Strayer, et al/ AAAFoundation for Traffic Safety, 2013 – created a scientifically-based 5 point rating scale to determine relative levels of cognitive distractions for specific tasks – listening to the radio was a category “1”, or minimal risk distraction, talking on a cell phone, hands free or handheld a category “2”, or moderate risk and listening to and responding to in-vehicle, voice activated e-mail features a category “3”, or extensive risk
“A decrease in brain activation associated with driving when listening to someone speak”, Just, et al., Carnegie Mellon, Brain Research, 2008 – Functional MRI used to investigate the impact of language comprehension (spoken sentences requiring a true/ false answer) on the brain activity associated with a simulated driving task – significant deterioration in driving accuracy; brain activity previously devoted to the task of driving was reduced by 37% ; “Language comprehension performed concurrently with driving draws mental resources away from the driving and produces deterioration in driving performance, even when it does not require holding a phone."
“Conversation limits the functional field of view”, Atchley, P, Dressel, J. (Human Factors) 2004 – Subjects performed a task designed to measure the functional field of view in isolation and while performing a hands-free conversational task – In both experiments, the addition of the conversational task led to large reductions in the functional field of view; because similar reductions have been shown to increase crash risk, reductions in the functional field of view by conversation may be an important mechanism involved in increased risk for crashes with in-car phone use
“Passenger and Cell-Phone Conversations in Simulated Driving", Strayer, et al, (Human Factors and Ergonomics Society) 2004 – passenger conversations differ from cell phone conversations because the surrounding traffic becomes a topic of the conversation, helping driver and passenger to share situation awareness, and mitigating the potential effects of conversation on driving
“Driving while conversing: Cell phones that distract and passengers who react“, Charlton (Accident Analysis and Prevention) 2008 – research compared the driving performance and conversational patterns of drivers speaking with in-car passengers, hands-free cell phones, and remote passengers who could see the driver’s current driving situation (via a window into a driving simulator). Driving performance suffered during cell phone and remote passenger conversations as compared with in-car passenger conversations
“A comparison of the cell phone driver and the drunk driver", Strayer, D., et al, 2006 (Human Factors) 2006 – When drivers were conversing on either a handheld or hands-free cell phone, braking reactions were delayed and they were involved in more traffic accidents than when they were not conversing on a cell phone; by contrast, when drivers were intoxicated from ethanol they exhibited a more aggressive driving style, following closer to the vehicle immediately in front of them and applying more force while braking; when controlling for driving conditions and time on task, cell-phone drivers exhibited greater impairment than intoxicated drivers
“The effects of texting on driving performance in a driving simulator: The influence of driver age", Rumschlag and Palumbo, et al, Wayne State University, (Accident Analysis and Prevention) Dec. 2014 – older drivers are more adversely affected by texting while driving than younger drivers while using a driving simulator to measure lane excursions
“Driver Electronic Use in 2012“, NHTSA, 2014 (DOT HS 811 884) – The percentage of drivers text-messaging or visibly manipulating hand-held devices increased from 1.3 percent in 2011 to 1.5 percent in 2012; hand held cell phone use continued to be higher among females, highest among 16 to 24 year-olds and lowest among drivers 70 and older
“Distraction Effects of In-Vehicle Tasks Requiring Number and Text Entry Using Auto Alliance’s Principle 2.1B Verification Procedure“, NTHSA, 2012 (DOT HS 811 571) – Text messaging associated with the highest levels of driving performance degradation and more distracting than all other tasks due to its higher level of task demand, followed by destination entry; radio tuning – lowest levels of driving performance degradation; the two phone dialing tasks (contact selection and 10 digit number dialing) equivalent in their effects on driving performance and were intermediate relative to the two extremes
“Distraction Effects of Manual and Text Entry While Driving“, NHTSA, 2011 (DOT HS 811 510) – text messaging associated with the highest level of distraction potential, ten-digit dialing was the second most distracting task; radio tuning had the lowest level
Americans and Text Messaging," Pew Research Center 2011 , Cell owners between the ages of 18 and 24 exchange an average of 109.5 messages on a normal day; text messaging and phone calling on cell phones have leveled off for the adult population as a whole
“Driver Distraction in Commercial Motor Vehicle Operations”, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 2009 – Text messaging creates a crash risk 23 times greater than driving without distraction (See Table 3 and page xx)
“Text Messaging During Simulated Driving”, Drews and Strayer, et al., (Human Factors) 2009 – Sixfold increase in crashes by drivers texting while driving
“Impact of Texting Laws on Motor Vehicular Fatalities in the United States“, Ferdinand, et al, (American Journal of Public Health), August 2014 – Analysis of data from 48 states, 2000-2010 to determine within-state changes in fatalities from crashes after enactment of texting bans using data from Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and controlling for a number of variables, including economic and legal (seat belt laws, speed limits, BAC and GDL laws) – concluded that primarily enforced laws banning all drivers (teens and adults) from texting associated with reduction in traffic fatalities in all age groups (19 people per state per yr); laws that are only secondarily enforced were not effective in reducing traffic fatalities; states banning only young drivers from texting with primary enforcement had the greatest impact on reducing deaths among those aged 15 to 21 years; handheld bans appeared to be most effective for adults.
“Did California’s hand-held cell phone ban reduce accidents?” Burger, et al., Transportation Research Part A 66, 162-172, June 2014 – Study examined the number of CA accidents for 2008, the 6 month period before enactment of a cell phone ban on July 1st and the 6 month period after enactment of the ban – No evidence that the ban had reduced traffic accidents. Authors suggested possible explanations for the “unexpected result”, including that substitution of hands-free use for hand-held use would not reduce crashes if, hands-free use was equally dangerous; that some drivers may be naturally more prone to taking risks and that those drivers could include those who would likely use cell phones while driving; that drivers are not complying with the law and that the law is not being enforced.
“Driver cell phone and texting bans in the United States: Evidence of Effectiveness” McCartt, et al., Engaged Driving Symposium, (Annals of Advances in Automotive Medicine), March 31, 2014. The authors analyzed a number of peer reviewed papers and technical reports and concluded that all-driver (adults and teens) bans on hand-held cell phone use reduced hand-held cell phone use, increased hands-free cell phone use and reduced the overall use of phones while driving compared to states that did not have bans. Bans on all phone use by teens were not shown to reduce their phone use. As to the effect of bans on crashes, the studies varied widely and produced mixed results. Lack of controls and other variables were cited.
“Texting Bans and Fatal Accidents on Roadways: Do They Work? Or Do Drivers Just React to Announcements of Bans?" Abouk and Adams, University of Wisconsin – Madison, (American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 5(2): 179-99), 2013 – Studied all states in which texting bans were applicable to all drivers, adults and teens, and in which enforcement was primary. Authors studied fatalities and restricted their study to only crashes involving single-occupants, theorizing that drivers are less likely to text with passengers in the car. Results indicated that texting bans with primary enforcement reduced traffic fatalities in one-occupant crashes, but that the decreases were short-lived, only up to four months.
“Prevalence of Drowsy-Driving Crashes: Estimates from a Large-Scale Naturalistic Driving Study“, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Feb. 2018 – Largest scale naturalistic study to date examined the prevalence of driver drowsiness immediately prior to crashes in which the driving of more than 3,500 people was monitored continuously for a period of several months using in-vehicle cameras and other data collection equipment. Drowsiness was assessed using a validated measure that is based on the percentage of time that a person’s eyes are closed. Using this measure, drowsiness was identified in 8.8%–9.5% of all crashes examined and 10.6%–10.8% of crashes that resulted in significant property damage, airbag deployment, or injury.
NHTSA 2016 Fatal Traffic Crash Data (Oct. 2017) – Drowsy driving fatalities declined by 3.5% from 2015 to 2016
NHTSA’S Drowsy Driving Research and Program Plan, NHTSA DOT HS 812 252, March 2016. This is the first time that NHTSA has developed an initiative directed at curtailing drowsy driving. The plan includes Background and Overview sections and it addresses six broad focus areas: Measurement and Problem Identification, Public Awareness and Education, Policy Development, High-Risk Populations, Vehicle Technology, and Infrastructure
“Prevalence of Motor Vehicle Crashes Involving Drowsy Drivers, United States, 2009-2013", Teft/AAAFoundation for Traffic Safety, 2014 – More than one-in-five (21 percent) fatal crashes involve driver fatigue. Prevalence much greater than official statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) currently indicate.
“Drowsy Driving — 19 States and the District of Columbia, 2009–2010", CDC, 2013 – 1 in 25 fall asleep at the wheel; figure under-reported; estimate that 15% to 33% of fatal crashes due to driver falling asleep
“2012 Traffic Safety Culture Index”, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2013 – 45.9% of drivers reported having fallen asleep or nodded off while driving at least once in their lives; 2.6% of all drivers reported having fallen asleep or nodded off while driving in the past month, 7% within the past six months, and 9.7% within the past 12 months
“Driving Drowsy Also Worsens Driver Distraction“, Anderson C, et al., (Sleep Med.) 2013 – Following restricted sleep, drivers had an increased propensity to become distracted, which was associated with an increased likelihood of poor driving performance as evidenced by the car leaving the driving lane
National Sleep Foundation Facts and Stats, 2005 – Summarizes facts and statistics about drowsy driving, including that about 37% of us have reported falling asleep while driving and NHTSA’s estimate of 100,000 police-reported crashes due to fatigue, with an estimate of 1,550 deaths and 71,000 injuries per year. But, these statistics likely are vastly underreported as fatigue as the cause of a crash is difficult to prove
“Characteristics of crashes attributed to the driver having fallen asleep”, Pack, et al., Accid Anal Prev 1995 – Study utilized database at the Highway Safety Research Center at the University of North Carolina based on the uniform crash reporting system in that state over the years 1990-1992, 4333 crashes in which the driver was judged to be asleep but not intoxicated – crashes primarily drive-off-the-road (78%) and took place at higher speeds (62% in excess of 50 mph); fatality rate was of similar magnitude to that in alcohol-related crashes; crashes occurred primarily during the nighttime period of increased sleepiness (midnight to 7.00 a.m.) and during the mid-afternoon “siesta" time of increased sleepiness (3.00 p.m.); crashes occurred predominately in young people – 55% were below 25 years old, with a peak age of occurrence at age 20 years; sleepiness may play a role in crashes other than those attributed by the police to the driver being asleep
“Seat Belts Fact Sheet“, CDC 2010 – Seat belts reduce serious crash-related injuries and deaths by about 50%; adults age 18-34 are less likely to wear seat belts than adults 35 or older; states with primary enforcement of seat belt laws have 87% seat belt use as compared to states with secondary enforcement or no seat belt laws – 79%
Spotlight on Highway Safety – Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities by State: 2017 Preliminary Data (Feb. 2018) – nearly 6,000 pedestrians were killed in motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. in 2017, marking the second year in a row at numbers not seen in 25 years. Pedestrians now account for approximately 16% of all motor vehicle deaths, compared with 11% just a few years ago. Pedestrian fatalities have increased 27% from 2007. Report suggests the correlation between growth in smartphone use nationally and the legalization of recreational marijuana in several states.
NHTSA 2016 Fatal Traffic Crash Data (Oct. 2017) – In 2016 pedestrian deaths increased 9% to 5,987 (the highest number since 1990) and bicyclist deaths increased by 1.3% to 840 (the highest number since 1991).
Spotlight on Highway Safety – Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities by State: 2016 Preliminary Data, March 2017, GHSA – Based on preliminary data provided by all 50 states, The Governors Highway Safety Association projects an 11% increase in the number of pedestrians killed on U.S. roadways in 2016, compared to 2015 and a 25% increase since 2010. This would represent the steepest year-to-year increase since record-keeping began, both in terms of number of deaths and percent increase. Pedestrians now account for the largest proportion of traffic fatalities recorded in the past 25 years.
Spotlight on Highway Safety – Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities by State: 2014 Preliminary Data, Feb. 2015, GHSA – estimate that 2,125 pedestrians were killed in the first half of 2014, essentially unchanged when compared with the 2,141 pedestrian fatalities during the same period in 2013; pedestrian fatalities were up in 21 states, down in 24 states and D.C and remained the same in 5 states; 4 states, California, Florida, Texas, and New York – accounted for 43% of all pedestrians deaths in 2013; in 36% of the fatalities, the pedestrians aged 16 & older had a BAC of .08 or higher; 28% surge in deaths involving pedestrians ages 20 to 69 over this same period
Spotlight on Highway Safety – Bicyclists Safety, Oct. 2014, GHSA – yearly bicyclist deaths increased 16% between 2010 and 2012, while overall motor vehicle fatalities increased just 1% during the same time period; adults 20 and older represented 84% of bicyclist fatalities in 2012, compared to only 21% in 1975; adult males comprised 74% of bicyclists killed in 2012; urban areas accounted for 69% percent of bicycle fatalities in 2012, compared with 50% in 1975; bicyclists killed in motor vehicle crashes increased in 22 states between 2010 and 2012 with 6 states comprising 54% of all fatalities
NJ State Police Year to Date Statewide Fatal Crash Statistics for December 31, 2014 – 3.9% increase in highway fatalities in 2013 by 21 victims, bringing the total to 563 up from 542 in 2013; driver, passenger and pedacyclists fatalities all decreased from 2013; pedestrians killed spiked by 28%; in 2013, 132 pedestrians were killed and in 2014, a total of 170
“Technology-related distracted walking behaviors in Manhattan’s most dangerous intersections", Basch, et al., Department of Public Health, William Paterson University, (Injury Prevention), 2014 – Data was gathered by direct observations at 10 intersections in Manhattan with the highest frequency of pedestrian–motor vehicle collisions. More than 1 in 4 of the >3500 pedestrians observed were distracted by mobile electronic devices while crossing during the ‘walk’ (28.8%) and ‘don’t walk’ (26.3%) signals
“Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities by State, 2013 Preliminary Data“, GHTSA – Pedestrian fatalities in the U.S. decreased in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009, but increased in 2010, 2011 and 2012; 15% increase in pedestrian deaths from 2009 to 2012 compares with a 3% decrease in all other motor vehicle deaths during the same time period; overall decrease in first 1/2 of 2013 – decreased in 25 states, increased in 20 states and D.C., stayed the same in 5; uneven distribution of pedestrian deaths among states, with CA, TX & FL accounting for 1/3 of the 4,743 deaths in 2012
Traffic Safety Facts 2011 Data, “Pedestrians", DOT HS 811 748, Aug 2013 – In 2011, 4,432 pedestrians were killed and 69,000 injured in traffic crashes in the U.S.; a pedestrian was killed every 2 hrs. and injured every 8 minutes; increase of 3% from 2010, but a decrease of 7% from 2002; in 2011, pedestrian deaths accounted for 14% of all traffic fatalities, and 3% of injuries (pedestrian defined as a person on foot, not bicycling, skateboarding, etc.)
“TEENS AND DISTRACTION: An In-Depth Look at Teens’ Walking Behaviors”, Safe Kids Worldwide, 2013 – pedestrian injuries among teenagers in particular on the rise, up 25% in the last five years in the 16-19 year-old age group; 49% use a cell phone while walking to school and 40% admitted to listening to music while walking; 20% of high school students and 12% of middle school students cross the street while using a digital device
“Fatalities of Pedestrians, Bicycle Riders, and Motorists Due to Distracted Driving Motor Vehicle Crashes in the U.S., 2005–2010”, University of Nebraska Med. Ctr, Dept. of Health Services Research and Admin., 2013 – Distracted drivers are the cause of an increasing share of fatalities found among pedestrians and bicycle riders.
“Pedestrian Injuries Due to Mobile Phone Use in Public Places”, Ohio State University and DOT, 2013 – Study of emergency room injuries, 2004-2010, nationwide – Injuries to pedestrians using mobile phones increased in numbers and as a percentage of total pedestrian injuries from 2004 to 2010; for cell-phone related injuries, the increase for pedestrians parallels that for drivers
“New Study Shows Three out of Five Pedestrians Prioritize Smartphones over Safety When Crossing Streets”, Liberty Mutual Ins. Co., 2013 – 60% of pedestrians walk while texting, emailing, talking on the phone, or listening to music; yet, 70% percent consider those behaviors to be dangerous
“TeenDrivingPlan Effectiveness: The Effect of Quantity and Diversity of Supervised Practice on Teens’ Driving Performance“, Mirman, et al., Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) 2014 – Evaluation of a web-based intervention, the TeenDrivingPlan (TDP), on teens’ driving performance – Exposure to TDP increased teen-perceived social support, parent engagement, and practice diversity. Both greater practice quantity and diversity were associated with better driving performance
“Evaluation of EndDD.org’s Student Awareness Initiative: Effectiveness of a Program to Prevent Teen Distracted Driving”, Jacobsohn and Winston, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Research Institute 2014 – in some areas the EndDD program was being effective- teen to parent conversations, reduced frequency of parents observed to text following presentation, and in other areas changes were necessary to increase effectiveness, teen to teen conversation and teen driving behaviors
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Week in the Caucasus: review of main events of July 24-30
Death of three Russian citizens in a wreck of a light aircraft in Abkhazia; kidnapping of Dagestani minister with the aim of claiming ransom; Deprivation of former Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili of Ukrainian citizenship – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of July 24-30, 2017, prepared by the "Caucasian Knot".
Three Russian citizens perish at wreck of a light aircraft in Abkhazia
On July 27, at a crash of a light aircraft in the city of Pitsunda, three Russian citizens perished: a pilot from Samara and two passengers, including a six-year-old girl. According to the preliminary version, the aircraft fell down for the pilot’s error. President of Abkhazia Raul Khajimba ordered to suspend air tours in the republic until security measures are strengthened. Air tours are in demand in Abkhazia, Anna Kalyagina, the president of the Abkhaz Tourism Union, told the "Caucasian Knot".
Dagestani minister was kidnapped for ransom
On July 24, in Dagestan, investigators reported the disappearance of Ibragim Kazibekov, the Dagestani Minister of Construction, Architecture, Housing and Utilities, who was kidnapped on July 20 in Makhachkala. On July 21, during the transfer of a part of the ransom claimed for Kazibekov in the amount of 30 million roubles, two local residents were detained, and the minister was released. On July 25, the suspects, who turned to be brothers, Zalkip and Yakhya Aliskantov, were arrested. According to investigators, at kidnapping, Kazibekov was threatened with firearms. On July 28, it was reported that Magomed Omarov, the head of security of the building of the Dagestani government of, was detained within the kidnapping case. On July 30, the administration of the republic’s head and the government refuted the information that Omarov is a relative of the Dagestani leader Ramazan Abdulatipov.
Former Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili is stateless
He has been deprived of the Ukrainian citizenship received in 2015. The reason was declared to be the presentation by Saakashvili, who until November 2016 headed the Odessa Regional Administration, of false information when obtaining his Ukrainian passport. Saakashvili intends to return to Ukraine from the United States. In the opinion of Sergey Leschenko, a Ukrainian MP, if he does it, Saakashvili may be extradited to Georgia. His advocates intend to appeal against the decision of deprivation. The fact of Saakashvili’s deprivation of Ukrainian citizenship became known a week after the visit of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to Georgia. The Georgian experts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" did not exclude that the deprivation decision became the result of the agreement reached during the informal negotiations held during the visit. Saakashvili has become an apatride – a stateless person, as he was deprived of the Georgian citizenship back in December 2015.
Rostov-on-Don: verdict passed on one of terror act plotting cases
On July 26, in Rostov-on-Don, the North-Caucasian District Military Court pronounced a verdict on one of the cases on preparing a terror act in this city and sentenced Victoria Semyonova, a native of the Stavropol Territory, to three years in a general-security colony. She was detained together with two other young women, Tatiana Karpenko and Natalia Grishina. According to investigators, Semyonova was to become the perpetrator of the terror act; now, she concluded a pre-trial agreement with investigators, pleaded guilty and testified against Karpenko and Grishina.
The above court is considering other cases relating to terror act plotting, in particular, the case of Ukrainian citizen Arthur Panov, accused of preparing a terror act. On July 28, Panov stated inconsistencies in the indictment and asked to return the case to the prosecutor's office, but the court refused to grant his petition. On the same day, the second session on the case of the Ukrainian citizen Alexei Sizonovich took place; according to investigators, he had collected data on the transport infrastructure for the planned terror acts, and manufactured explosive devices. Sizonovich has pleaded guilty. The state prosecutor asked for 12 years in a high-security colony for him.
Prosecution of Valentina Cherevatenko, rights defender from Novocherkassk, stopped
The case against Valentina Cherevatenko, a Novocherkassk rights defender and the head of the "Women of the Don" Fund for the Promotion of Civil Society and Human Rights, on malicious default of the law on foreign agents, was terminated for absence of corpus delicti. On July 24, this was reported by Pavel Chikov, the head of the "Agora" international human rights group. The document received from the Branch for the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD) of the Russian General Prosecutor’s Office reads that the case was stopped on June 19. Earlier, the European Union condemned Ms Cherevatenko’s criminal prosecution; and the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" called it politically motivated.
Week in the Caucasus: review of main events of July 17-23, Week in the Caucasus: review of main events of July 10-16, Week in the Caucasus: review of main events of July 3-9.
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Сhronicles; Incidents; Human rights; Politics; Society; Tourism; Terror acts in Moscow and Caucasus; Crime; Russia; Dagestan; North-Caucasian Federal District; Georgia; South Caucasus; Abkhazia; Rostov Region
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Louis Legendre
Sorbonne University (Villefranche Oceanography Laboratory)
Summary CV
Representative publications
Professor Louis Legendre - Summary Curriculum Vitae Professor emeritus, Sorbonne University (Paris, France) Professor emeritus, Laval University (Québec City, Canada) Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (Academy of Science) Villefranche Oceanography Laboratory (LOV) 181 Chemin du Lazaret, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France Phone: +33 4 93 76 38 36 or +33 6 73 39 76 30 (cell) Fax: +33 4 93 76 38 34 e-mail : legendre@obs-vlfr.fr Present. Louis Legendre is Professor emeritus at Sorbonne University (Paris, France), whose main campus is located in Paris, and which operates three marine stations including that located in Villefranche-sur-Mer where he works. He is also Professor emeritus at Laval University (Québec City, Canada) and a fellow of both the European Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society of Canada (Academy of Science). Degrees. After obtaining his first university degrees in liberal arts (B.A.) and sciences (B.Sc., zoology) at the University of Montreal in 1964 and 1967, respectively, Louis Legendre completed a doctorate in oceanography (Ph.D.) at Dalhousie University (Halifax, Canada) in 1971. Career. After two years of postdoctoral research at the Villefranche-sur-Mer Marine Station, France (1971-1973), Louis Legendre was hired as Faculty member by Laval University in 1973 (Full Professor in 1981). In 2000, he left Laval University to join the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), and was director of the Villefranche Oceanography Laboratory (Laboratoire d’océanographie de Villefranche, LOV) from 2001 through 2010. He joined the Pierre and Marie Curie University Paris 6 (now Sorbonne University) as professor in 2009. Research. Professor Legendre's fields and topics of research are biological oceanography and marine biogeochemistry, numerical ecology, and philosophy of science. His work is a blend of theoretical studies, laboratory research, and fieldwork. Over the course of his career, he conducted research in tropical, temperate and polar waters. He presented more than 550 public lectures and seminars, including 115 keynote and invited lectures, in more than 30 countries. Awards. Professor Legendre has received numerous prizes and honours, which include Sustaining Fellow of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO), Knight in the Order of Saint Charles (Principality of Monaco), the International Ecology Institute Prize, the G. Evelyn Hutchinson Award (American Society of Limnology and Oceanography), Honorary Doctorate from the University of Liège (Belgium), the Québec Prize in Pure and Applied Sciences, and two awards from the Association canadienne-française pour l'avancement des sciences (Acfas) for Biological and Medical Sciences and for Environmental Sciences (the latter with Prof. Pierre Legendre), respectively. Mentoring. Professor Legendre has supervised 39 graduate students (22 Ph. D., 13 M. Sc.) and 22 postdoctoral fellows and Research associates, from 9 countries. Publications. Professor Louis Legendre has published 263 refereed papers, 7 full books, and 12 other book chapters. Examples of his publications follow. His h-index is 47. The different editions of his book Numerical Ecology (written with Prof. Pierre Legendre) have been cited more than 18,000 times.
Representative publications Refereed papers and chapters (10 out of 263) Legendre, Louis, Richard B. Rivkin & Nianzhi Jiao. 2017. Advanced experimental approaches to marine water-column biogeochemical processes. ICES J. Mar Sci. 75: 30–42, doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsx146. Legendre, Louis, Richard B. Rivkin, Markus G. Weinbauer, Lionel Guidi & Julia Uitz. 2015. The microbial carbon pump concept: potential biogeochemical significance in the globally changing ocean. Progr. Oceanogr. 134: 432-450 doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2015.01.008 Legendre, Louis & Nathalie Niquil. 2013. Large-scale regional comparisons of ecosystem processes: methods and approaches. J. Mar. Syst. 109-110: 4-21. Beaugrand, Gregory, Martin Edwards & Louis Legendre. 2010. Marine biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and carbon cycles. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U S A. 107: 10120-10124. Legendre, Louis & Richard B. Rivkin. 2005. Integrating functional biodiversity, food-web processes and biogeochemical carbon fluxes into a conceptual approach for modeling the upper ocean in a high-CO2 world. J. Geophys. Res., 110, C09S17, doi:10.1029/2004JC002530. Rivkin, Richard & Louis Legendre. 2001. Biogenic carbon cycling in the upper ocean: effects of microbial respiration. Science 291: 2398-2400. Rivkin, Richard B., Louis Legendre, et al. 1996. Vertical flux of biogenic carbon in the ocean: is there food web control? Science 272: 1163-1166. Legendre, Louis 1990. The significance of microalgal blooms for fisheries and for the export of particulate organic carbon in oceans. J. Plankton Res. 12: 681-699. Legendre, Louis & Serge Demers. 1984. Towards dynamic biological oceanography and limnology. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 41: 2-19. Legendre, Louis. 1981. Hydrodynamic control of marine phytoplankton production: the paradox of stability, 191-207. In: Ecohydrodynamics (J.C.J. Nihoul, Ed.), Elsevier, Amsterdam, xii + 359 p. Books (3 out of 7) Legendre, Pierre & Louis Legendre. 2012. Numerical Ecology, 3rd Ed. Elsevier, Amsterdam, xvi + 990 p. Legendre, Louis. 2008. Scientific Research and Discovery: Process, Consequences and Practice. Electronic edition. In: Excellence in Ecology. Book 16 (Kinne, O., Ed.), International Ecology Institute, Oldendorf-Luhe, xv + 157 p. http://www.int-res.com/book-series/excellence-in-ecology/ee16/ Legendre, Louis. 2004. Scientific Research and Discovery: Process, Consequences and Practice. In: Excellence in Ecology. Book 16 (Kinne, O., Ed.), International Ecology Institute, Oldendorf-Luhe, xxix + 235 p.
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38 Facts about Islam
Islam is the second-largest and the fastest-growing religion in the world.
The Quran, Islam's most sacred book, means “recitation” in Arabic.
Islam believes to be the complete and universal version of a primordial faith revealed many times before through prophets like Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus.
Islam view heaven as a place of physical pleasures to come.
There are two main denominations in Islam:
Sunni (75 – 90%) and Shia (10 – 20%).
Every adult Muslim must go on a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime if he is physically and financially capable.
Muslims use only the right hand for eating and drinking.
During Islam's Golden Age, scientists were paid the equivalent of what pro athletes are paid today.
The Quran emphasizes bodily resurrection, a break from the pre-Islamic Arabian understanding of death.
Muslims cannot consume pork products, blood, carrion, and alcohol.
There's a Barbie-like Islamic doll called "Fulla".
A large number of Muslims sacrificed themselves to save Jews and fight Nazis in World War II.
Islam allows abortion if the pregnancy is a threat to the woman's life or if it's the result of a rape and is less than 4 months old.
Indonesia is home to the world's
largest Islamic population.
of people surveyed in Egypt are in favor of the death penalty as a punishment for abandoning Islam.
Vladimir The Great, Prince of Kiev, considered converting to Christianity or Islam. He sent envoys to study both religions, but upon hearing that Islam forbade alcohol, he got baptized.
There is a pilgrimage site in Sri Lanka that is holy to four religions for a "sacred footprint": Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism and Christianity.
In 1492, the Catholic monarchs of Spain issued a decree banning all Jews from Spain. Sultan Bayezid, a Muslim, sent the Ottoman navy to Spain to rescue the Jews from Spanish persecution.
A Burkini is a type of swimsuit for Muslim women, which covers the whole body except the face, the hands and the feet.
In 2001, Pope John Paul II entered and prayed in a mosque and even kissed the Qur'an to improve relations with Islam.
In Islam, a man may divorce his wife three times, taking her back up after the first two times.
Iran sentences its citizens to the death penalty if they decide to change their religion from Islam.
In Islam, the Bible is considered a revelation from God which had been corrupted by men. The Qur'an from Muhammad came to correct this deviation.
Islam will equal Christianity in size by 2050.
The Mosque of Paris helped Jews escape the Nazis by giving them Muslim IDs during WW2.
Mary is mentioned more in Islam's Quran than in the entire New Testament.
Cats are revered animals in Islam because Prophet Muhammad loved them.
In Saudi Arabia, UAE, Sudan, Brunei, Qatar and others, people who abandon Islam and convert to another religion may face the death penalty.
Belief in angels is fundamental to the faith of Islam.
In 2006, The FBI planted an informant pretending to be a radical Muslim in a mosque, and the Muslims in the mosque reported him to the FBI.
There's an empty place
next to Muhammad's Tomb,
Islam's main Prophet,
reserved for Jesus.
Amputation of hands or feet is the Islamic punishment for theft and highway robbery without homicide.
Suicide is a crime in Islam. Suicide attempts may lead to prosecution.
Is Islamic law, money isn't allowed to generate more money by being put into a bank account or lent to someone else. Banks make their money by sharing the risk of their investments with investors, operating on a profit-loss basis.
The Burj Khalifa is so tall that residents above the 80th floor have to wait 2 to 3 minutes longer to end Ramadan.
From 2000 to 2010, some 100,000 British people converted to Islam.
Islam is the world's most common state-endorsed religion, with 27 countries.
1.75 million worshippers went to the holy city of Mecca in 2017.
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NASA releases thousands of new images of Mars
By Michael Grothaus 1 minute Read
The space agency just did a massive data dump of thousands of new photos of Mars that were taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s HiRise camera, reports Engadget. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has been circling and sending back pics of the planet for over 10 years now, but the reason this photos release is notable is because of the sheer volume of pictures. It all has to do with where in space Mars and the Earth are in relation to each other. Their most recent alignment meant the MRO had a relatively unobstructed connection to the Earth-based ground team, allowing huge amounts of data to be sent back. You can check out the thousands of new pics of Mars for yourself at the official HiRise website.
[Image: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona]
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The making of Barça Women's Christmas greetings
The players from the Barça Women's first team take part in the personalised greetings from all the professional teams
08:37AM Thursday 22 Dec
FC Barcelona’s professional teams each launched a festive video and the women’s team were no exceptions.
In groups, the players sent messages to the fans which included plenty of laughs and other fun moments. Take a look at the ‘making of’ the FC Barcelona women’s Christmas video.
Create a personalised video greeting alongside your favorite players and send it to your loved ones.
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Presidential Declaration Amendment of a Major Disaster for the State of South Dakota
A Notice by the Small Business Administration on 07/03/2019
Issued on 06/07/2019.
Disaster Declaration #15980 and #15981
South Dakota Disaster Number SD-00092
U.S. Small Business Administration.
Amendment 1.
This is an amendment of the Presidential declaration of a major disaster for the State of South Dakota (FEMA-4440-DR), dated 06/07/2019.
Incident: Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding.
Incident Period: 03/13/2019 through 04/26/2019.
Physical Loan Application Deadline Date: 08/06/2019.
Economic Injury (EIDL) Loan Application Deadline Date: 03/09/2020.
Submit completed loan applications to: U.S. Small Business Start Printed Page 31972Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.
A. Escobar, Office of Disaster Assistance, U.S. Small Business Administration, 409 3rd Street SW, Suite 6050, Washington, DC 20416, (202) 205-6734.
The notice of the President's major disaster declaration for the State of South Dakota, dated 06/07/2019, is hereby amended to include the following areas as adversely affected by the disaster:
Primary Counties (Physical Damage and Economic Injury Loans): Turner
Contiguous Counties (Economic Injury Loans Only): None
All other information in the original declaration remains unchanged.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 59008)
James Rivera,
Associate Administrator for Disaster Assistance.
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The buck stops where?
David Wright discusses the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill and how it may indicate the future of the Fire and Rescue Service
The introduction of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill (PRSRB) onto the parliamentary conveyor belt will fundamentally reorganise the way the Police Service is controlled in the United Kingdom. In a wide ranging bill, the headline grabbing item is the introduction of a "police commissioner", who will take responsibility for the democratic control of the police service, usurping the current arrangement of police authorities. Having seen what had happened to attempted government enforced mergers in the last decade, the Bill, however avoids the issue and steers clear of making a decision, preferring police services to deliver mergers at their own volition. For the most part, however, given the history of 'read across' between the police and fire and rescue services (FRS), the implications for the FRS of the PRSRB could be both wide ranging and tectonic.
The Bill itself has a range of measures outlined which purports to have the objective of strengthening democratic control, fitting in nicely with the 'localism agenda' and bringing about a complete overhaul of the police service political leadership. The Police and Crime Commissioner will be directly elected by the community, one for each of the 43 services. The strategic role of the Commissioner is to provide a police and crime plan which will set out crime reduction and management intentions and then subsequently set the budget to meet the requirements of the plan. The setting of the precept will also be responsibility of the commissioner and collected through local authorities.
The Commissioner is responsible for the appointment of the Chief Constable and also has the ability to dismiss the incumbent. The Chief Constable, however, will retain operational control of the service and is responsible for the appointment of all other officers. The police authorities, currently responsible for the political steerage and oversight of the Service will be removed upon enactment. If all goes to plan, by May 2012 the first police commissioners will be appointed. Interestingly, and for no particular reason, the Commissioners will only be allowed to serve a maximum of two terms. Perhaps this is a move that should be considered with other political leadership positions including that of Local Authority Leaders, Prime Ministers etc - if it's good enough for the Russian and American President.
Providing oversight on the activities of the Commissioner will be a new body called the 'Policing and Crime Panel'. This committee is made up from local authority elected members, magistrates and other independent individuals. They will not be responsible for the monitoring the activities of the Police Service or of the Chief Constable but of the Commissioner and his or her plans.
For the Fire and Rescue Service, the issue is whether or not there is sufficient reason to consider such a move and the creation of the Fire Commissioner across the Service? There are many reasons to suppose that if it is good enough for the police then there is no reason why the FRS should be any different. But are there too many difficulties to implement such a move? No doubt there will be many more naysayers than those who are for it, including existing Chief Fire Officers, elected members of the fire authorities and representative bodies. The arguments that will undoubtedly be raised will include governance structures, role confusion, and the democratic representation of the community and others, most of which will be a rehash of the current arguments against police commissioners. Needless to say there are many who would wish to take up such a role including many in the ranks of the flood of soon to be retired Chiefs and senior Fire Officers!
Fire and Rescue Authorities as a structural device, unlike their police counterparts are a bit of a hodge-podge. Metropolitans, County and Combined Fire Authorities each have their own culture as well as governance. And let's not forget the devolved assemblies plus London and the Isles of Scilly! The imposition of a separately elected Fire Commissioner over the current governance structure - full authority or portfolio cabinet member - would undoubtedly be resisted by the present incumbents who represent the communities' interests. That said, however, the working arrangements in some County Council FRSs enjoyed by cabinet member (portfolio holder) and the Chief Fire Officer could be very similar to a Commissioner/CFO relationship. The very obvious caveats are that the portfolio holder is nominated by the authority and not the community and they have no power to appoint or dismiss without the backing of the full cabinet or authority. The current arrangements in London with a Mayor, Fire Authority and Commissioner would be expected to lie outside any new arrangements (as is the case with the proposals for the Police Commissioner within the Bill) unless a universal structure for a FRS could be agreed. This would be a first for the UK FRS!
Critics of the new arrangements point out that the changes are not going to be cost free. There will be a bureaucracy/secretariat function associated with any new level of governance. A commissioner will have support staff to enable the efficient management of the service. And there will also be the need for an oversight function to be provided, again with an associated cost. The process for an election will not be cost-free but could be merged into other local or national election sequences: preferably synchronised with a national election schedule as local elections are not always synchronised over an FRA's area.
Aside from the role of setting budgets, there are a number of areas in which the Commissioner of a fire and rescue service could influence or affect operational policy. Manifesto commitments, as seen in national elections, do not always get carried through into policy following election for a variety of reasons. Promises made during an election campaign may fly in the face of the logic derived from integrated risk management planning and create a difficulty for both the Commissioner and Chief Fire Officer, trying to provide a single approach to planning.
The ability to hire and fire chief fire officers also creates a potential issue. As was demonstrated with the enforced resignation of Sir Ian Blair, the Police Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service, controversy follows such moves and results in charges of political interference in the functioning of the police. Where candidate Commissioners are selected by political parties there will inevitably be claims and counter claims of the impartiality of the successful candidate which could detract from focus on policy issues and be laid open to accusations of the politicising of the service. Furthermore, American-style elections for Sheriffs and Marshalls etc could lead to manifestos based upon a 'Jerry Springer Show' popularity approach to issues, intended to bring in the votes and not necessarily taking a considered approach to the management of serious concerns of the community and service.
The way the CFO/CC and the Commissioner work together that has the potential to cause conflict. The fight for popular recognition and credit in the massive reduction in crime in New York City in the 1990s led to an equally massive fallout between the Mayor, Rudolph Giuliani and his Police Commissioner (The system in New York allows the Mayor to appoint the commissioner), Bill Bratton, which ended when Bratton resigned over a relatively minor issue. Such are the tensions that can occur at the political/executive interface.
Senior levels of the Service have not yet made comments upon the read across for fire commissioners in the UK. Judging from the comments from senior police officers, there has not been a favourable reception to the bill and the issues above have been raised by Bobbies on the Bleat! In terms of improving local democracy and being attuned to the needs of the community, for the first time the public will be able to identify a single individual responsible for their fire and rescue service and how it operates.
So who will be vying for such a role - soon to be ex-chiefs, local politicians desiring autonomy? All could be possible. Watching what happens in the police over the next few years will be interesting. As in the past, where the police service goes, others will surely follow.
Date posted: 5.01.11
May’s Hubris
Fire Congress 2017: Concluding comments
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Nine dead as plane crashes in Hawaii, believed during skydiving trip
World Reuters Jun 23, 2019 00:06:13 IST
(Reuters) - Nine passengers and crew were killed on Friday evening when their plane crashed near an airfield in Hawaii, authorities said, during what broadcaster CNN said was a skydiving trip.
The twin-engine King Air plane went down near the Dillingham Airfield, the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) said. The fire service said the aircraft was engulfed in flames when fire crews arrived and there appeared to be no survivors.
"We are still gathering information as to the intent of the flight and what they were doing," Honolulu Fire Department Chief Manuel Neves told a news conference.
CNN said the plane was on a skydiving excursion and that Federal Aviation Administration would investigate the crash.
Dillingham is a joint-use airfield operated by the HDOT under a 25-year lease from the U.S. army, according to its website.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; editing by John Stonestreet)
1Nine dead as plane crashes in Hawaii, believed during skydiving trip
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Vinales valley
Viñales is a beautiful and lush valley in Pinar del Río province of Cuba, with a population of around 10,000. It's about 26 kilometers north of the city of Pinar del Río, and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Following the emergence and considerable expansion of tobacco cultivation, the village of Viñales was founded in 1875, along the road leading from Pinar del Rio, the capital of the province, to Puerto Esperanza, the main outlet to the sea. The Western Railroad (Ferrocarril del Oeste), of which only a few vestiges are left, was built in 1882. Viñales Valley was the scene of several military operations during the War of Independence and also during the Cuban Revolution.
Viñales Valley is an outstanding karst landscape in which traditional methods of agriculture (notably tobacco-growing) have survived unchanged for several centuries. The region also preserves a rich vernacular tradition in its architecture, crafts and music.
Most of the buildings scattered over the plain are simple. They are built using local and natural materials, and are used as homes or family farms. The village of Viñales, strung out along its main street, has retained its original layout, and there are many interesting examples of colonial architecture. The valley is home to an original culture, a synthesis of contributions from indigenous peoples, Spanish conquerors and black slaves.
Cuba was once covered by limestone ("karst"). Much of this limestone has eroded away, leaving mountains with steep sides and rounded, jungly tops. The mountains are called mogotes, which means "haystacks" rising to a height of up to 300 m. These bizarre hillocks were formed by erosion during the Jurassic period, some 160 million years ago.Many mogotes have caves. Several caves are developed for tourists to visit
Viñales is said to be Fidel Castro's favorite place in Cuba. The mountains are beautiful, the farmers grow the best tobacco in the world, and tourists—who come every day by the busload—are allowed to mingle with the Cubans and spread money in a nice even sugar-coating.
Viñales Valley
mogotesvalleyCubafidel castroPinar del Rio
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February 6, 2019 Review, Theatrical, This Week Leave a Comment
…somehow manages to be simultaneously moving, cynical and facetious… a must-see.
Mark Demetrius
Rating: MA
Director: Brady Corbet
Natalie Portman, Raffey Cassidy, Jude Law, Willem Dafoe, Stacy Martin
Distributor: Madman
Worth: $18.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
The ‘Prelude’ – as it’s called onscreen – to this film is memorable and jarring, to put it mildly. It’s 1999, and fourteen-year-old Celeste (Raffey Cassidy) and her classmates have just assembled in their schoolroom for the first lesson of term when – SPOILER ALERT! – one of their number bursts in and proceeds to go on a shooting rampage. Celeste is shot, but survives, and goes on to write a song which catapults her to teen pop stardom.
The plot thickens considerably from there on in. We jump a few years from scene to scene, and over time Celeste (now played by Natalie Portman) has become a musical megastar of an immeasurably more flamboyant and ‘decadent’ variety. She’s also a mother, and her daughter Albertine is played by – as you may have guessed – Raffey Cassidy. There are further tumultuous events, violent and otherwise, but it would be best to reveal no more.
There are a couple of flaws in this movie: the (grand) finale is cheesy and predictable, and Celeste’s sister Eleanor (Stacy Martin) hardly seems to age a day. But it seems almost churlish to mention them in view of the film’s many strengths: the naturalistic acting, especially the virtuoso performance by an almost unrecognisable Portman (who actually both looks and sounds more like Fran Drescher)… the glorious thunderous soundtrack by Scott Walker… the droll and literate script, with its often savagely witty dialogue… the plethora of ideas… the moments of heart-stopping drama… the striking visual images…
Vox Lux somehow manages to be simultaneously moving, cynical and facetious. It’s definitely a must-see.
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Hamilton ‘honoured’ after congratulations from Schumacher family
Lewis Hamilton said Michael Schumacher will remain ‘one of the greatest of all time’ after he matched the seven-time champion’s all-time pole position record at Spa-Francorchamps on Saturday.
Hamilton’s fourth Belgian pole was the 68th of the Mercedes star’s career, and after delivering it his (and Schumacher’s) former team boss Ross Brawn was on hand to share in the historic moment.
“I’m here to deliver a very special message from Corinna Schumacher and the Schumacher family, who want to congratulate you on equalling Michael’s record,” said Brawn.
“As they said, Michael always said that records are there to be broken, so they want to send their very special thanks.”
This tweet has been removed from Twitter
Hamilton reached the qualifying landmark on the circuit where Schumacher made his F1 debut in 1991, where he sealed his record seventh world title, and where he scored his maiden win 25 years ago – an anniversary which will be marked on Sunday by his son Mick demonstrating one of Michael’s title-winning cars.
“To hear the message that Ross just gave, I have to say a big thank you,” said an emotional Hamilton. “I pray for Michael and his family all the time.
“I’ve had the privilege of racing with him, from karting days in Kerpen to on the (F1) track and I’ve always admired him – and still do today – so I’m just honoured to be up there with him now in the poles, but he will still be one of the greatest of all time.”
Hamilton will start his 200th Grand Prix on Sunday, chasing his 58th career victory. Only Schumacher is above him on the all-time list, but the Briton will need over 30 more if he is to match the great German’s record of 91.
‘High voltage’ power unit problem meant Albon couldn’t pit on safety grounds
Gasly disappointed to miss out on podium after ‘best Sunday of the year’
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Basil A. Valdivia
Contact Card
Biography Overview
Basil Valdivia began his Legal career with the City of Orlando in 1992, when he was appointed Special Assistant Police Legal Advisor/City Prosecutor. In 1993 Mr. Valdivia accepted a position to serve as an Assistant State attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit serving Orange and Osceola County. During the six years with the State Attorney’s Office Mr. Valdivia served in many capacities from Osceola County Juvenile Division Prosecutor; Orange County Felony Trial Division; and Sex Crimes Unit Prosecutor. As a prosecutor, Mr. Valdivia successfully prosecuted hundreds of cases and had over one hundred trials.
In 1999 Mr. Valdivia was appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush to serve on the Capital Punishment Commission. The Commission’s task was to look at the Death Penalty as it was applied in Florida and to make recommendations. The Commission after many meetings and hours of testimony made recommendations some of which were enacted by the Florida legislature in the following legislative session.
Mr. Valdivia Joined the firm of Morgan and Morgan in 1999, where he has been able to help hundreds of clients who have been injured. Mr. Valdivia currently heads the Workers’ Compensation Department for the Orlando office. Mr. Valdivia has continued to be involved in public service by being a member of and serving on the boards of non-profits agencies. Mr. Valdivia lives in Windermere, Florida with his wife Emily Raleen Huhne and their two children Isabella, and Henry.
Florida Bar
Florida Citrus Sports Association
Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida, Inc. (Board of Directors)
Legal Advocacy Center of Central Florida (Board of Directors)
University of Florida, B.A., 1989
Mississippi College School of Law, J.D., 1992
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RAYTHEON GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION
Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Water Management in South Florida show data of Groundwater Contamination in areas surrounding the Raytheon Plant in St. Petersburg, Fl. It’s been reported that some of the groundwater may contain toxic substances like Trichloroethylene, Vinyl Chloride and 1,4-Dioxane.
The legal team, headed by Mike Papantonio and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. of Levin, Papantonio, Thomas, Mitchell, Echsner & Proctor, P.A., as well as Keith Carter, Clay Townsend, Michael Goetz, and Armando Lauritano, of Morgan & Morgan, P.A. have extensive experience in environmental class action litigation in the state of Florida as well as nationwide. They, along with their team of lawyers and litigation support personnel, closely monitored this situation in preparation to protect the rights of those affected by Raytheon’s alleged misconduct.
The first class action lawsuit was filed Friday April 11, 2008 on behalf of property owners living in the vicinity of the Raytheon facility in St. Petersburg, Florida. The class action suit was filed by the Levin Papantonio firm, the law firm of Kennedy & Madonna, and the Morgan & Morgan firm. The complaint alleges that for decades Raytheon and its predecessors have known their operations and waste management practices were environmentally unsound. It also alleges that Raytheon engaged in a concerted effort to misrepresent and withhold information from the public regarding the extent of the contamination.
The complaint seeks damages on behalf of the class action for the loss of use and enjoyment of their property, the loss of use of the groundwater, diminished property values, restoration costs, consequential and incidental damages, disgorgement of profits and unjust enrichment.
Our lawsuit against Raytheon was not our only one filed against a company alleged to have contaminated nearby waters. Currently, our lawyers are not taking claims for this class action case.
We are no longer accepting any claims for this case.
See Other Class Actions
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The Many Myths of Warren Buffett
https://www.futureofcapitalism.com/2010/02/the-many-myths-of-warren-buffett
Warren Buffett "is a hedge fund manager" who built his fortune in part by charging early investors 25% of profits above 6% in his fund, the Pragmatic Capitalist writes. The fee structure is interesting in light of Mr. Buffett's October 6, 2008 letter to then-Treasury secretary Henry Paulson offering to invest $500 million of Berkshire Hathaway's money and $100 million of his own money (which he described as "about 20% of my net worth outside of my Berkshire holdings, which as you know are promised to charity) in a partnership with the government to buy up distressed assets. In the letter, Mr. Buffett proposed to "bar hedge funds or other vehicles in which management receives an override of profits" from investing in the deal, arguing, "you would want to have investors receiving all of the profits available instead of splitting them with managers taking fat overrides." The letter, which addresses the Treasury secretary as "Hank," says that "Bill, Mohamed, Lloyd and I -- and I'm sure a myriad of others -- are ready to help." The references are to Bill Gross and Mohamed El-Erian of Pimco and to Lloyd Blankfein of Goldman Sachs. Now Mr. Buffett is helping Mr. Paulson promote his book. Mr. Gross and Mr. Buffett also gave Mr. Paulson cover for seizing Fannie Mae -- Mr. Gross, in particular, was cheering it on, but so was Mr. Buffett. Had "Hank" accepted Mr. Buffett's proposed deal, Mr. Buffett might have ended up with the 72% return the Credit Suisse guys got on their "toxic" assets. What an operator! One is torn between admiring it and being disgusted by it.
by Ira Stoll | Feb 24, 2010 at 5:14 pm Related Topics: Bill Gross, Compensation, Goldman Sachs, Warren Buffett receive the latest by email: subscribe to the free futureofcapitalism.com mailing list
i'm not quite sure what you're upset about [125 words] Ralph Segall Feb 25, 2010 17:57
Buffett is not a hedge fund operator who made his fortune reaping 20% of the profits [119 words] bob lenzner Feb 25, 2010 17:12
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Home » Alumni Spotlight: Geneva West
Alumni Spotlight: Geneva West
Fine Arts, Humanities, and Mass Communications
For the month of August, Fort Valley State University is honoring Geneva West, a Wildcat alum who is helping young girls accomplish their dreams of pursuing careers in S.T.E.M (science, technology, engineering, and math) while building their self-esteem.
West is the founder and executive director of the Real I.M.P.A.C.T. Center, Inc. The acronym stands for Intelligent and Motivated People Actively Changing the Times. The organization seeks to identify the causes of poor academics and low interest in STEM areas, and seeks to offer solutions by providing STEM workshops to positively impact the lives of our young girls and community today.
West is a native of Pineview, Ga. She is the youngest child of four sisters and three brothers. Her father worked making air conditioners for the Marvair Corporation, and her mother is a homemaker.
“I had a very fun childhood, and I was very involved in the community. I enjoyed working with my father and brothers in the yard and in the garden. I am somewhat of a girly-girly with a splash of tomboy,” West said.
During high school, West excelled as a student leader and scholar at Wilcox County High School. She served as student government president, participated in the Spanish Club, FHA (Future Homemakers of America,) Lady Patriots basketball team and helped build homes for Habitat for Humanity. Her spiritual foundation is strong; she attended church every Sunday at Mount Beulah Baptist Church in Pineview, Ga. West’s good grades, extracurricular activities, and community involvement earned her a Scholarship to FVSU.
“I originally didn’t want to come to Fort Valley,” West said. “Ms. Quantina Johnson who attended our church educated our family about FVSU. She told me that if I didn’t want to come to FVSU, then I could transfer if I didn’t like, but she believed that I would so I decided to go. I thought that I would leave after my first semester; but, once I arrived, I knew I could never walk away from FVSU. It was amazing, and the family culture was a very big surprise. I met some life-long friends upon my first visit to Davison Hall.” West stayed in Watson Hall during her first year on campus.
“I immediately met such wonderful, well-brought-up girls who were raised similar to myself,” West said. “Many of the girls had good backgrounds. I could tell that they were of good quality. I have remained friends with many of them to date.”
West became highly involved on campus, getting involved in many student organizations. West served as the managing editor for the school newspaper, The Peachite, co-hosted her own radio show, and was a member of the NAACP. The alum also pledged and was inducted into her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She also sang with the Baptist Student Union and FVSU Concert choirs on campus.
“I had a mentor, Shonda Lewis (FVSU’s Marketing Coordinator) that I was so fascinated with,” West said. “She taught me so much about marketing. I interned with her office while at FVSU and I didn’t know that it was on that scale, until I watched her produce such quality work. Just to watch her do her job, with such diligence, made me realize even today, to ensure everything that I do in marketing and beyond is streamlined and of good quality.”
During her sophomore year, West traveled abroad. She lived in the West African Country of Ghana, where she participated in student exchange program. She attended the University of Cape Coast, and stayed with an African family for almost two months.
“It definitely changed my worldview and to be more appreciative of where I came from and what I had,” West said. “The family I lived with was so caring and community oriented, it gave me an opportunity to be more appreciative of where I came from in America and encouraged me to take advantage opportunities that I had on campus.”
West graduated from FVSU in 2003 with a B.A. in Mass Communications. She later received her M.B.A. in Human Resources at Keller Graduate School, while working in the technology industry for nine years.
She began Real I.M.P.A.C.T Center, Inc. in 2013, to impact all youth in the area of STEM. However, the organization’s primary program is to provide an opportunity for youth girls to excel in life through exposure to STEM by inspiring girls to consider an interest in science, technology, engineering, and math careers, increase the number of women pursuing STEM careers, and create a network that helps women in STEM thrive with confidence. The organization is currently seeking interns and volunteers to help carry out its mission.
“Mrs. West has become a very independent woman who is not afraid to go after her dreams,” said Quantina Johnson, an administrative assistant for FVSU’s Office of Student Success, who initially encouraged West to go to FVSU. “Her experiences at FVSU caused her to grow into a mature young woman. I’m proud that the university has provided her the skills that she needed to succeed in the real world.”
West is a mother with two daughters, and currently hosts international exchange students. She has served as a host mother to two young women from the Czech Republic and one from Thailand.
“The exchange students are like my daughters,” she said.
She wanted to leave these words to FVSU students, “It doesn’t matter how or why you made it to FVSU! What matters most is that you make it out! Take advantage of the support that you have around you. Don’t let an opportunity slip through your hands,” said West.
She ended by saying, “You have to be thirsty enough to make FVSU the foundation that sets off a bombshell of pride inside of you that will carry you on to other successful victories in life! Don’t walk away from FVSU without taking advantage of the experience and gaining the degree!”
You may find out more about West’s organization at www.realimpactcenter.org or call (478) 714-6039.
Christina D. Milton,writer/Social Media Specialist
(478) 822-7589, miltonc@fvsu.edu
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Arizona Diamondbacks 6:40 PM
San Francisco Giants 6:45 PM
Boxing, auto racing fans, bettors converge on Las Vegas
by Robert Mann
Boxing and auto racing fans and bettors, too, are converging on Las Vegas this weekend in anticipation of the long-awaited rematch of Gennady Golovkin (-135) and Canelo Álvarez (+115) Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena plus the DC Solar 300 (Xfinity Series) Saturday and South Point 400 (NASCAR Playoffs) Sunday at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The two middleweights, called by experts as “the best of their generation", meet for a second time on Saturday, in the same ring, with the unified world middleweight championship on the line, once more. Golovkin will put up the WBC and WBA belts, as well as the lesser IBO title, while Álvarez will climb in as the Ring magazine and lineal middleweight champion by virtue of a 2015 win over Miguel Cotto.
A year ago, the two fought to a controversial draw.
At Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the flag drops Saturday at 2:10 p.m. local time for the DC Solar 300. The South Point 400 starts at 12:10 p.m. local time on Sunday. Friday morning, Christopher Bell remained the 9/4 favorite in the Xfinity race and Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick were 11/4 co-favorites in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs race.
Robert Mann has a Northwestern journalism degree, is a former reporter for the Chicago Tribune and National Enquirer. He was in news management... more
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Considerations when operating as a company.
If you run your business as a company you may save a considerable amount of tax. However there may be disadvantages and a sole trade or partnership structure may be better. If your business is in the Gloucester area we, at Griffiths Marshall, can show you the potential tax savings currently available to you from operating as a company.
The issue of whether to run your business as a company or a sole trader or partnership is an important one. In this factsheet, we summarise the potential tax savings available from operating as a company.
Is trading as a limited company the best option?
In our view it is generally beneficial, in tax terms, to trade as a limited company as there are annual tax savings.
Is it better to take a dividend rather than an increase in salary?
In our view there is generally a benefit for a director-shareholder to take a dividend rather than further salary.
The examples below give an indication of the 2019/20 tax savings that may be achievable for a husband and wife who are currently in partnership.
Tax and NI payable: £ £ £
As partners 2,458 8,258 22,758
As company 2,420 7,328 19,866
Potential saving 38 930 2,892
The extent of the savings is dependent on the precise circumstances of the couple's tax position and may be more or less than the above figures. The examples are computed on the basis that the couple:
share profits equally
have no other sources of income
both take a salary of £8,632 from the company with the balance (after corporation tax) paid out as a dividend.
When might a company be considered?
A company can be used as a vehicle for:
a profitable trade
buy-to-let properties.
Summary of relevant tax and national insurance (NI) rates 2019/20
Rate of corporation tax
Profits are taxed at 19%.
Taxation of dividends
The cash dividend received is the gross amount potentially subject to tax.
The rates of tax on dividend income are 7.5% for basic rate taxpayers, 32.5% for higher rate taxpayers and 38.1% for additional rate taxpayers.
A Dividend Tax Allowance taxes the first £2,000 of dividends received in a tax year at 0%.
The rate of employees' national insurance contributions (NICs) is 12%. In addition, a 2% charge applies to all earnings over the NIC upper earnings limit (£50,000 for 2019/20). The rate of NICs for the self-employed is 9%, and 2% on profits above £50,000 for 2019/20.
All NI contributions can be avoided by incorporating, taking a small salary up to the threshold at which NI is payable and then taking the balance of post-tax profits as dividends.
Pension provision
As an employee/ director of the company, it should be possible for the company to make pension contributions (subject to limits) to a registered fund irrespective of the salary level, provided it is justifiable under the 'wholly and exclusively' rule. Pension contributions are deemed to be a private expense for sole traders or partners.
Other tax issues
In addition we consider other relevant factors including potential disadvantages. It is all too easy to focus exclusively on the potential annual tax savings available by operating as a company. However, other tax issues may be significant and should not be underestimated.
Incorporating your existing business will involve transferring at least some of your assets (most significantly goodwill) from your sole trade or partnership into your new company. The transfer of goodwill may create a significant capital gain although there is a mechanism for deferring the gain until any later sale of the company if the business is transferred in exchange for shares in the company.
Relief for goodwill
Generally where goodwill is sold to the company for cash or debt on or after 3 December 2014, individuals are prevented from claiming Entrepreneurs' Relief (ER), and capital gains tax (CGT) arises on the gain. The exceptions to this rule are that a claim to ER is allowed :
for partners in a firm who do not hold or acquire any stake in the successor company
where the individual claiming relief holds less than 5% of the shares and the voting power of the acquiring company
where an individual holds 5% or more of the shares or voting power if the transfer of the business to the company is part of arrangements for the company to be sold to a new, independent owner.
Depending on where the property is situated there will be Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT), Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) or Land Transaction Tax (LTT) charges to consider when assets are transferred to a company. Goodwill and debtors do not give rise to a charge, but land and buildings may do so.
The precise effects of ceasing business in an unincorporated form, including ‘overlap relief' need to be considered.
Once again the position needs to be carefully considered.
Other advantages
There may be other non-tax advantages of incorporation and these are summarised below.
A company normally provides limited liability. If a shareholder's shares are fully paid he cannot normally be required to invest any more in the company. However, banks often require personal guarantees from the directors for borrowings. The advantage of limited liability will generally apply in respect of liabilities to other creditors.
Legal continuity
A company will enjoy legal continuity as it is a legal entity in its own right, separate from its owners (the shareholders). It can own property, sue and be sued.
Effective ownership of the business may be more readily transferred, in comparison to a business which is not trading as a limited company.
Normally a bank is able to take extra security by means of a ‘floating charge' over the assets of the company and this will increase the extent to which monies may be borrowed against the assets of the business.
The existence of corporate status is sometimes deemed to add to the credibility or commercial respectability of the business.
The company could establish an approved pension scheme which may provide greater benefits than self-employed schemes.
Staff incentives
Employees may, with adequate safeguards, be offered an opportunity to acquire an interest in the business, reflecting their position in the company.
No analysis of the position would be complete without highlighting potential disadvantages.
The annual compliance requirements for a company in terms of administration and accounting tend to result in costs being higher for a company than for a sole trader or partnership. Annual accounts need to be prepared in a format dictated by the Companies Act and, in certain circumstances, the accounts need to be audited by a registered auditor.
Details of the directors and shareholders are filed on the public register held by the Registrar of Companies.
The annual accounts have to be made available on public record - although these can be modified to minimise the information disclosed.
PAYE/benefits
If you do not have any employees at present, you do not have to be concerned with Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and returns of benefits forms (P11Ds). As a company, you will need to complete PAYE records for salary payments and submit details of salary payments on a timely basis under PAYE Real Time Information (RTI). You will also need to keep records of expenses reimbursed to you by the company. Forms P11D may have to be completed.
If you will require regular payments from your company, we will need to set up a system for you to correctly pay dividends.
Transactions with the business owner
A business owner may introduce funds to and withdraw funds from an unincorporated business without tax implications. When a company is involved there may be tax implications on these transactions.
Director's responsibilities
A company director may be at risk of criminal or civil penalty proceedings e.g. for the late filing of accounts or for breaking the insolvency rules.
There may be a number of good reasons for considering use of a company as part of a tax planning strategy. However as you can see, there are many factors to consider. We would welcome the opportunity to talk to you about incorporation and your own specific circumstances in the Gloucester area. Please do not hesitate to contact us at Griffiths Marshall.
A mission statement Allowable expenses An introduction to the tax system for the self employed Building a brand Choosing a year end Choosing your accounting date Incorporation Insuring your business Limited liability partnerships Names, trademarks, patents and other registrations Premises and location Raising finance Should you buy a franchise? Which business structure? Working from home Writing a business plan Your business vision
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Min Fami
Laila Ait-Bouchiba, 'Self Portrait, Prohibited,'
installation, 2008, from Min Fami
The Western media shapes the world’s perceptions about different regions and cultures. By focusing on conflict, and being ideologically partisan in its coverage of events, it creates stereotypes that it nurtures by ad nauseam repetition.
In case of the Middle East (a wholly inaccurate and inappropriate geographical description coined by the West), the region has always been depicted as “dangerous” place.
The depiction of Arabs has changed over the years, but continues to remain largely negative.
Arabs were oil rich in the past, then turned fanatic some time ago, and these days are rebellious, especially in the spring (and that, the Western media has decided, is a good thing).
Arab women were and are backward, and perennially voiceless.
Recently, I attended the launch of Min Fami – a book that comprehensively shatters these myths, about the region, the language, the people and especially the women.
Published by Inanna Publications and Education Inc. Min Fami– Arab Femnist Reflections on Identity, Space and Resistance is edited by Ghadeer Malek and Ghaida Moussa.
Min Fami means from my mouth in Arabic. It is a book is about finding a voice and giving voice; it is an anthology of poetry, creative non-fiction, searing fiction, academic and political essays, and visual art by Arab women.
Arab Woman, a poem in the collection by Montreal-based Ghada Chehade eloquently frames the issue identity:
Orientalized through colonial eyes
I AM AN ARAB WOMAN
Understood out of context, like a tale from an ignorant mind
I have selected some of the passages that I enjoyed from the book and posted them here: Select Passages from Min Fami
These passages give a glimpse of the exquisite creativity that has been collected and compiled in this volume.
If there can ever be one book that can serve as an introduction to contemporary Arab world (and not just contemporary Arab feminism), it is clearly this book because even if the essays, the poems and the art represent an individual’s worldview, collectively, they are draw an accurate portrait of the Arab world today.
And even though the creations in the collection are pronouncedly feminist (or perhaps because of it), the anthology succeeds in transcending ideological parameters and has an innately universal appeal.
Image: From Min Fami.
Labels: Ghadeer Malek, Ghaida Moussa, Inanna Publications, Min Fami Arab Feminist Reflections on Identity, Space and Resistance
Moments in Dance
Dance is about a series of movements. Photography is about a moment. And art is born when moment meets movement.
Avinash Pasricha, the renowned Delhi-based photographer has an oeuvre of over 30,000 photographs – a historic personal archive – of India’s most iconic performing artists.
Ali Adil Khan, art connoisseur nonpareil, and Asma Arshad Mahmood, artist and art promoter par excellence, have curated a small but significant piece of that oeuvre. Ali Adil’s South Asian Art Gallery and Asma’s Promenade Gallery have come together to host an exhibition of Pasricha’s photographs titled Moments in Dance.
Effortlessly breaking the shackles of form and frame, the photographs on exhibit are alive to the poetry of splendour of motion and resplendence of rhythm. The exhibit is an ensemble of some of the most venerated names of Indian dance – right from Vyjayanthimala to Kelucharan Mohapatra, and Saswati Sen and Birju Maharaj, to name just a few.
Ali Adil and Asma introduced Pasricha’s work and then invited Akhilesh Mishra, India’s Consul General in Toronto to speak, who emphasized the universality of art. Renowned danseuse, choreographer and legendary performing artist Lata Pada then gave intricate insights into Pasricha’s work, revealing that he has an equally large and elaborate oeuvre of photographs of Indian classical singers, and an exquisite collection of photographs of MS Subbulakshmi.
In a short introduction to the exhibition Ali Adil writes, “Twenty-seven matt bromide prints of the legendary Indian dancers, vocalists and musicians are exhibited in various rhythmic forms, postures and moods. These prints have been selected from Pasricha’s large personal collection of rare ad enduring images of India’s greatest performing artists.”
Pasricha was the photo editor of SPAN magazine (published by the USIS) for over three decades, till he retired in 1997.
The exhibition runs from May 27 to June 10.
The gallery’s Facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/PromenadeGallery
The group page is: https://www.facebook.com/groups/promenadeart/?fref=ts
Labels: Ali Adil Khan, Asma Arshad Mahmood, Avinash Pasricha, Lata Pada
Gandhi Before India
Gandhi & Tolstoy
“Gandhi and Tolstoy were akin in good ways and bad. Both were indifferent fathers and less than solicitous husbands.” - Ramchandra Guha
Ramchandra Guha was in Toronto recently to launch his latest offering – Gandhi Before India – the first part of a two part biography of the Mahatma. The volume deals with Gandhi’s life from birth to 1915 – the year he returned from South Africa. It is a chronicle of his transformation from a failed lawyer to a leader of people.
Guha is an erudite scholar who speaks as well as he writes. He had his audience spellbound for the better part of an hour as he narrated the highlights of the Mahatma’s life in South Africa.
Guha spoke about Leo Tolstoy’s influence on Gandhi. In the book Guha says, “Leo Tolstoy (at this time) was certainly the most famous writer in the world. (He was) admired for his novels and stories, and in some quarters, even for his attempts at simplifying his life. In his early fifties he had a conversion experience, following which he gave up alcohol, tobacco and meat. His vegetarianism became so well known that he was asked to write an introduction to a book of Henry Salt’s. He took up working in the fields, and splitting wood and making shoes in a bid to empathize with his serfs. From a martial background, he now began to preach the virtues of pacifism. Although born and raised in the Russian Orthodox Church, he developed a deep interest in Hinduism and Buddhism.
“Of the many transitions, the most painful was his embrace of celibacy. In his youth he had been (in his own words), a ‘radical chaser after women.’ His wife went through more than a dozen pregnancies. He had affairs with peasant women on his estate. A man of ‘wild passion,’ he sought in middle age to give up sex along with the other pleasures he had forsaken.”
The Russian writer was Gandhi’s intellectual mentor. His was the most decisive intellectual and philosophical influence on Gandhi. Although Gandhi hadn’t read War and Peace, and Anna Karenina, he had minutely read and re-read Tolstoy’s religious and philosophical texts.
He read Tolstoy’s The Kingdom of God is Within You in 1893 in Johannesburg. The title of the book is a line from the Bible and Tolstoy used it to make an eloquent case for interfaith dialogue and for individuals to reach their personal, conscience-driven path to God.
Tolstoy claims in the book that the spiritual truth or the essence of Christianity is not what the archbishop or the pope says; the essence of Islam is not what the grand mufti tells you what it is; and the meaning of Hinduism is not what the Shankaracharya tells you. You must find your own path to God.
Tolstoy’s The First Step (translated into English in 1906) also influenced Gandhi immensely. In this book, Tolstoy says that any person who wants to contribute socially and politically to the society’s transformation, and who wants to devote his life to the service of society must abstain from idleness, gluttony and carnal desire – the three cardinal sins of the Russian aristocrats.
In Gandhi’s case, idleness and gluttony were not a problem. He was always hardworking, and he was a vegetarian. The real problem was carnal desire and he adopted a vow of celibacy, detached himself from his family and his children to simplify his life.
Tolstoy’s pacifism has played a significant role in formulating Gandhi’s ideas for non-violent struggle in Transvaal in South Africa. After reading, understanding and interpreting Tolstoy nearly two decades, Gandhi finally is inspired to write directly to Tolstoy in 1909 – a year before Tolstoy died.
Gandhi wrote to Tolstoy about what he was doing in South Africa, and Tolstoy was delighted to find an Indian disciple in South Africa. He replied immediately. During the course of this correspondence Gandhi in an extraordinary display of self-confidence tells Tolstoy that what he and his group is doing in Transvaal (which is partly inspired by Tolstoy’s ideas of pacifism) is going to have a positive impact on the whole world. Guha observed, “It is an extraordinary confident claim to make of a nebulous movement that involves just a few thousand people – that it is going to transform the whole world.”
Labels: Gandhi Before India, Leo Tolstoy, Mahatma Gandhi, Ramchandra Guha, The First Step, The Kingdom of God is Within You
(2014) Salman Rusdie: India and Questions of Religious Freedom
Salman Rushdie spoke on India: Religious Freedom and Personal Safety on April 28, 2014 at the 2014 PEN World Voices Festival.
Let me talk a bit about my country of origin, about India.
There is a general election under way in India right now.
Because of the immense size of the country, it takes six weeks for everyone to vote.
The election is largely fair, largely free. Voting is peaceful, incidents are few, and the results will be a trustworthy expression of this gigantic electorate.
On this electoral process rests India's claim to be the world's largest democracy. A proud claim, for it is harder for a poor country to be a free country.
And the long civil uncertainties and frequent unfreedoms of the citizens of all India's neighbours—the north, east, west and south—make the Indian boast all the prouder.
This, we can all agree, is good.
But a democratic society is not simply one in which such a ballot takes place every four or five years.
Democracy is more than mere majoritarianism.
In a truly free democratic society, all citizens must feel free all the time, whether they end up on the winning or losing side in an election—free to express themselves as they choose, free to worship or not worship as they please, free from danger and fear.
If freedom of expression is under attack, if religious freedom is threatened, and if substantial parts of society live in physical fear for their safety, then such a society cannot be said to be a true democracy.
In contemporary India all these problems exist and they are getting worse.
The attack on literary, scholarly and artistic freedom has gathered force ever since the banning of my novel, The Satanic Verses in 1988.
Rohinton Mistry's acclaimed novel Such a Long Journey was attacked recently by members of the Hindu extremist party the Shiv Sena in Bombay and Bombay University caved in and removed the book from the syllabus.
A.K. Ramanujan's classic essay, The 300 Ramayanas, for decades, the foundational text of Ramayan studies in Delhi University, was similarly attacked and similarly the authorities cravenly succumbed and removed it from the syllabus.
Not only was James Laine's study of the Maratha warrior king Shivaji, an icon of the Shiv Sena Party, attacked and banned, but the great library of ancient texts in Poona, where Laine had done some of his research was attacked and many ancient manuscripts destroyed.
And most recently, the same fanatical Hindu—a person called Batra— who attacked Ramanujan's essay, brought an action against Wendy Doniger's important scholarly work, The Hindus, accusing her ludicrously and ungrammatically, of being a "woman hungry of sex" and instead of being laughed out of court, he succeeded in scaring the mighty Penguin Books of withdrawing the work.
A gay artist, Balbir Krishan, was first threatened and then physically attacked in India's capital New Delhi, accused of spreading homosexuality.
The grand old man of Indian painting, Maqbool Fida Husain, was driven out of India because of threats from Hindu goon squads who disliked his nude portraits of Hindu goddess Saraswati in spite the long sculptural and artistic tradition from the most ancient times of depicting Indian goddesses heavily adorned in jewellery but very scantily clad. The wardrobe of the goddess Saraswati wouldn't take up much room.
Episodes of this sort are multiplying it seems by the month, by the week, by the day almost, and the authorities have failed lamentably in their duty to protect free speech rights.
In fact, politicians and police officials alike have repeatedly blamed the victims for being the trouble makers.
The climate of fear that has consequently been created is such that, as some of the examples I have given show, hooligans and censors' work is now done for them by the collapse of those who ought to be free speech's defenders.
Penguin Books, whose merger with Random House, has created the world's largest and most powerful publisher, and who were prepared to defend my work back in 1988, this time gave in to Doniger's critics without so much as a fight.
This already lamentable state of affairs looks likely to become worse if, as seems likely, as seems probable, the election results bring to power the Hindu nationalist BJP so that the highly divisive figure of Mr Narendra Modi, accused of being responsible for an ant-Muslim pogrom in 2002 in the state of Gujarat, whose chief minister he was then and still is, a hardliner's hardliner, becomes India's next Prime Minister.
Films dealing with the pogrom have been banned in Gujarat ever since the attacks. Already, the threats to free expression have begun to spread beyond the state of Gujarat.
Siddharth Varadarajan, the editor of the distinguished English language daily, the Hindu, was forced to resign recently because the paper's owner's felt he wasn't pro-Modi enough. Soon afterwards, the caretaker of his apartment was beaten up in a Delhi street, by thugs who told him, 'Tell your boss to watch what he says on Television.'
Sagarika Ghose, a leading anchor of CNN's Indian affiliate, IBN, was ordered by her bosses to stop posting tweets critical of Mr Modi. In response, she tweeted what many journalists are thinking: 'There is an evil out there, an evil which is stamping out all free speech and silencing independent journalists: journalists unite!'
Nor are the threats limited to free expression. Modi's campaign manager Amit Shah delivered a speech in early April in the northern town of Muzaffarnagar, the site of sectarian strife last year. He described the elections as an opportunity to seek revenge against the Muslim minorities.
Giriraj Singh, a senior leader of the BJP, said in an election rally in the northern state of Bihar, that those opposing Mr Modi would have no place in India—they will only find a place in Pakistan, he shouted.
Praveen Togadia, one of the most senior of what I have come to think of as Modi's Toadies, told his supporters to prevent Muslims from buying property in Hindu majority neighbourhoods in Gujarat.
The writing is on the wall.
A couple of weeks ago, the sculptor Anish Kapoor and I, along with several other Indian artists, academics and intellectuals, signed an open letter, worrying about Mr Modi's rise to power.
Since then, the attack on us in Indian social media has been relentless and, paradoxically, has validated our fears.
We worried about the arrival of a bullying, intolerant new regime and here are its early outriders: menacing, nasty, bile-spewing, vengeful, substituting ad-hominem attacks for any real debate. There will not be less of this after a Modi victory.
Mr Modi's supporters hark back to the ballot box. He will win, they say, because he is popular. And they are right.
A disturbingly high percentage of the Indian electorate wants a strong man leader, is willing to turn a blind eye to his past misdeeds, even if those include genocide, believes that dissenting intellectuals should be put in their place, critical journalists should be muzzled, and artists should behave themselves.
This willingness to bet the house on Modi's alleged economic genius, on which many commentators have doubts, and to risk everything that's beautiful about a free society, may indeed provide the wave which sweeps Mr Modi to victory.
It would be easy to say: then India will get the government it deserves. For all those who value what is being lost, all those who want a country free of fear, an open society not a stifled one, all those Indians will get an India they don't deserve.
Those who value the India for which Rabindranath Tagore yearned in his great poem, 'My country awake!' will get an India that would have horrified the poet.
Where the mind is without fear and the head held high,
where knowledge is free,
Tagore wrote, in part:
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
India is in danger of betraying the legacy of its founding fathers and greatest artists like Rabindranath Tagore.
Taken from: http://blogs.outlookindia.com/default.aspx?ddm=10&pid=3262&eid=31
Labels: Narendra Modi, Salman Rushdie
(2014) Salman Rusdie: India and Questions of Relig...
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Kentucky Quilt Shops, Fabric Stores and Sewing Machine Dealers
45 Kentucky quilt stores for you to choose from!
Our current list of Kentucky quilt shops is below, shown in alphabetical order by town.
If you notice that I've missed a shop or something is out-of-date, please let me know using the 'Add or correct a quilt shop listing' form.
Thank you for your assistance in keeping these listings current!
A lot of things can alter a shop's business hours—bad weather, holidays...even a good sale!—do call ahead to confirm their hours before making the trip.
Your time is much too valuable to make the trip only to find the store closed!
Little Red Hen Quilt & Fabric Shop
1653 Greenup Ave
http://www.littleredhenquiltandfabricshop.com/
https://m.facebook.com/Little-Red-Hen-192501890802512/
The Kentucky Quilt Company
Inside the Sewing & Vacuum Center
1575 Campbell Lane
http://www.kentuckyquiltco.com/
https://www.facebook.com/The-Kentucky-Quilt-Company-325811767453225/
Cabin Arts Quilt Shop
http://www.cabinarts.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cabin-Arts-Quilt-Shop/334532803311942
Clarkson
Sew Much More Sewing Center
https://www.sewmuchmoresewingcenter.webs.com/
https://www.facebook.com/sewmuchmore
Fabric World and Quilting
33 Prestige Ln
S U.S. Hwy 25
https://fabricworld.mycloveronline.com
https://www.facebook.com/fabricworld58/
Tay's Cloth Peddler
121 E Pike St
https://www.taysclothpeddler.com/
https://www.facebook.com/taysclothpeddler
The Quilt Box
490 E Flynn Rd
http://thequiltboxky.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Quilt-Box/178105938893049
East Bearnstadt
Paula's Quilting Pantry
833 West Hwy 3094
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Paulas-Quilting-Pantry/162185947454023
Uniquely Yours Quilt Shop
2973 Rineyville Road
https://www.uniquequilts.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Uniquely-Yours-Quilts-and-Crafts-744689142244140/
Elsmere
Luke's Sewing Centers
4005 Dixie Hwy
https://www.lukessewingcenters.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lukes-Sewing-Centers/506006812784614
Froggy's Fabric Pad
http://www.froggysfabricpad.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Froggys-Quilts-Simple-Treasures-1096237207063814/
Birdsong Quilting & Crafts
https://www.birdsongquilting.com/
https://www.facebook.com/BirdsongQC
Quilt Heaven
5306 S State Hwy 7
https://www.qheaven.com/
Butternut Barn
2197 W Hollow Rd
https://www.facebook.com/Butternut-Barn-169265803161445
Blue Bee Quilting and Fabric Shop
228 Church Rd
http://www.bluebeequiltfabric.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Textile-Company/Blue-Bee-Quilting-Fabric-Gift-Shop-518724324825186/
Quilts-R-Jewel's
483 Livermore Rd
https://www.quiltsrjewels.com/
https://www.facebook.com/QuiltsRJewels/
Vintage Rose Fabrics & Gifts
https://www.facebook.com/Vintage-Rose-Fabrics-199345840084652/
Quilters Square
3301 Keithshire Way, #109
http://www.quilterssquareky.com/
http://siterepository.s3.amazonaws.com/3747/fb.png
Sandy's Sewing Center
436 Southland Dr
http://www.sandyshusqvarna.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sandys-Sewing-Center/133596890016199
Sew-a-Lot
Pfaff dealer
2160 Sir Barton Way
http://www.sewalotonline.com/
The Quilter's Trunk Sewing Center
690 S Fork Ridge Rd
http://www.quilterstrunk.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Quilters-Trunk-Sewing-Center/1559942764303149
Sexton's Fabrics
2435 N Laurel Rd
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sextons-Fabric/134759783242991
Among Friends Quilt Shop
9537 Taylorsville Rd.
https://www.amongfriendsquiltshop.com/
https://www.facebook.com/amongfriendsquiltshop
Quilted Joy
Long arm machines and tools only
10302 Bluegress Pkwy
https://www.quiltedjoy.com
https://www.facebook.com/quiltedjoy
https://www.thecozyquilter.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TheCozyQuilterInc
The Smocking Shop
3829 Staebler Ave
https://www.smockingshop.com/
https://www.facebook.com/smockingshop
Jewell Box Fabric & Upholstery
10075 N Jackson Hwy
https://www.facebook.com/THEJEWELLBOXfabricshop/
Backyard Fabrics
421 State Rt 893
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Backyard-Fabric/108097565892514
Apron Strings Quilt Shop
52 W 2nd St
https://www.apronstringsquiltshop.com
https://www.facebook.com/ApronStringsQuiltShop
Linda's Quilt Shop
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lindas-Quilt-Shop-Etc/157396430957828
Calico Patch
155 Bluebank Road
http://www.calicopatch.net/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Calico-Patch-Quilt-Shop/302574249754330
Quilters Candy Shop
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Quilters-Candy-Shop/575873335765670
Busy Lady Quilt Shop
223 Delania Dr, #B
http://www.busyladyquiltshop.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Busy-Lady-Quilt-Shop/143258052431963
Murray Sewing Center
https://www.facebook.com/Murray-Sewing-Center-269345197334/
Simple Stitches
102 W Byers Ave
http://simplestitchesky.com/
https://www.facebook.com/simplestitchesky/
Stychee Woman Studio
219 Williamsburg Sq
https://www.stycheewoman.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stychee-Woman-Studio/114818371960829
Calico Country
http://www.calicocountry.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/West-Frankfort-IL-Carbondale-IL/Calico-Country-Sew-Vac/113393238261
English's Sew & Vac
https://www.englishsewvac.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Englishs-Sew-Vac/110554962296315
Hancock's of Paducah
3841 Hinkleville
https://www.hancocks-paducah.com/
https://www.facebook.com/HancocksPaducah
Must Stitch Emporium
109 Market House Sq
https://muststitchemporium.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Must-Stitch-Emporium-109508269394996/
Sue's Quilting and Fabric
223 Arndell Rd
https://www.facebook.com/Sues-Quilting-and-Fabric-162824863728446/
Valerie's Quilt Corner
104 S Court St
https://www.facebook.com/ValeriesQuiltCorner
Psycho Granny's Quilt Shop and More
https://www.facebook.com/PSYCHOGRANNYQUILT
Whittle's Fabrics
3858 Chalybeate Rd
https://www.whittlesfabrics.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Whittles-Fabrics/271684532971112
Quilt and Sew at Golden Threads
http://www.quiltandsewatgoldenthreads.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Quilt-and-Sew-at-Golden-Threads/162550443787328
Find a Kentucky Quilt Guild or add one to our online database. Is your Guild listed here?
Learn how to make your own homemade version of Best Press
Just for Kentucky Fabric Lovers!
Kentucky Shops
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Philip Simon Doughty 1937 2013
Distinguished geologist, museologist and trenchant communicator of science
Philip Simon Doughty was a geologist and museologist of distinction. He graduated in Geology and completed a Master’s degree at Nottingham University. While writing his dissertation on Joint directions in the Great Scar Limestone, he married Janet and taught in Keighley.
After a period at Scunthorpe Museum, in 1965 he joined the Ulster Museum’s Department of Natural History in Belfast. As the first geology curator, it was an exciting time to be at the Museum. Phil’s priority was to rescue the existing geology collections from the effects of decades of neglect.
In 1970 the Museum established a new Department of Geology, with Phil as Keeper. Through the 1970s, innovative and award-winning geology galleries were opened and remained popular with visitors for three decades. The geology collections were developed by astute purchases and systematic field collecting. The Museum’s research reputation was enhanced by collaborative projects such as the Bovedy meteorite in 1969, the 1972 Pollnagollum cave excavations in Fermanagh, and the 1986 Aghnadarragh mammoth discoveries near Lough Neagh.
Phil’s personal mission to raise the profile of geology, geology collections and museums took him beyond Northern Ireland. He was prominent in the Museum Assistants Group and helped to found the Geological Curators’ Group in 1974. After his ground-breaking survey of museums (The State and Status of Geology in UK Museums, GCG 1981), he served as GCG chairman in the mid-1980s and was awarded its Brighton Medal in 2010. As a Council member of the Museums Association, he became involved with their Information Retrieval Group and helped to pioneer new methods of managing information about museum objects in the 1970s and 1980s.
Phil was a master communicator. This talent was evident in his many radio and TV broadcasts, and in his writings – most notably his words to UNESCO which helped the Giant’s Causeway to achieve World Heritage Site status in 1986. The Dinosaurs Alive! exhibition in 1992 brought giant, robotic dinosaurs to Ireland for the first time – attracting nearly 200,000 paying visitors to the normally free-admission Ulster Museum.
His love of fieldwork meant that site conservation and interpretation were constant career threads. He was a founder and chairman of the Geological Society’s GeoConservation Commission. In retirement, he wrote hundreds of ‘plain-language’ site summaries for Northern Ireland’s Earth Science Conservation Review (www.habitas.org.uk/escr).
Phil had a holistic understanding of the natural world. From the early 1990s, by then Head of the Museum’s Sciences Division, he helped to nurture an infant environmental records centre that later became Northern Ireland’s Centre for Environmental Data and Recording. He was a member of the Northern Ireland Biodiversity Group which, in 2002, published the national Biodiversity Strategy.
He also supported the work of local and regional voluntary groups, such as the Belfast Geologists’ Society, the Belfast Naturalists’ Field Club and Earth Science Ireland – all three of which he led as president or chairman at different times.
Phil was born in Wombwell, Yorkshire on 5 March 1937, died in Belfast on 14 January 2013 and is survived by three children, James, Sarah and Peter.
By Peter Crowther
Read a longer version of this obituary here
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Finalists dominate 2014 Golden Ball nominees
Seven players from the FIFA World Cup finalists are among the 10 nominees for the Golden Ball award.
FIFA announced the shortlist on Friday, together with the three nominees for the respective Golden Glove and Young Player gongs.
Four Germany stars are in contention for the Golden Ball, with Thomas Muller - scorer of five goals in Brazil - joined by Toni Kroos, Mats Hummels and captain Philipp Lahm.
Argentina are represented by Lionel Messi, Angel di Maria and Javier Mascherano, while the remaining three nominees come from teams whose tournament hopes have been dashed.
Brazil talisman Neymar, who suffered a high-profile back injury that ruled him out of his nation's 7-1 drubbing at the hands of Germany in the last four, and Arjen Robben of the Netherlands make the list, together with Colombia playmaker James Rodriguez, currently the tournament's leading scorer with six goals.
Germany and Argentina also have candidates for the Golden Glove prize, to be awarded to the World Cup's best goalkeeper, in the form of Manuel Neuer and Sergio Romero.
Keylor Navas, the Costa Rica keeper who played a major role in his side's surprise run to the quarter-finals, is the other nominee.
The Young Player Award is given to the best player born on or after January 1, 1993.
Two France players - Paul Pogba and Raphael Varane - are in contention for the prize alongside Netherlands winger Memphis Depay.
World Cup 2014, Philipp Lahm, Arjen Robben, Javier Mascherano, Barcelona, Manuel Neuer, Mats Hummels, Borussia Dortmund, Toni Kroos, Sergio Romero, Monaco, Thomas Müller, Keylor Navas, Levante, James Rodríguez, Neymar, Raphael Varane, Real Madrid, Memphis Depay, PSV, Paul Pogba, Juventus, Angel Di Maria, Lionel Messi, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Netherlands, FIFA World Cup
Ranked! The 10 best players of World Cup 2014
Navas hopes experience will aid Costa Rica
Conejo backs Costa Rica's Navas to shine
Navas praises team-mates after historic win
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Everything you need to know about… Leon Goretzka
Adam Woods provides the lowdown on Schalke's highly rated future Germany star...
Adam Woods
The 60-second story
Goretzka first came to attention with his eye-catching displays for Bochum’s U17 and U19 sides. In his second season with the former, an impressive run of six goals in seven games was enough for the 17-year-old to be promoted to the next age group ahead of time. But even at a higher level he continued to excel, netting 11 goals in 15 appearances for the U19s despite often being deployed in a deeper midfield role.
His impressive performances for Bochum's youngsters soon resulted in a call-up for Germany, and he featured in 17 games for Die Mannschaft's U17s. After consistent rave reviews for club and country, Goretzka made his Bochum first-team debut at 17 in the 2.Bundesliga. The youngster started his local side's opening game of the season at home to Dynamo Dresden, helping himself to a debut goal with a headed equaliser.
From there he was a regular for the struggling second division side, starting 36 games. That was all he needed. Bundesliga side Schalke 04 snapped him up for an undisclosed fee (reportedly just under €3m) last summer, and since then he's netted two Bundesliga goals and stepped up to Germany's U21s.
Date of birth: February 6, 1995
Place of birth: Bochum, Germany
Club: Schalke; 22 apps (5 starts), 3 goals
Country: Germany U21s; 3 apps, 0 goals
Why you need to know him
He's captained his country in a European Championship final, featured in the Champions League against Real Madrid, and been previously scouted by the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. Not bad by the age of 19, right? In an era where Germany are producing some of the best talent the country has ever seen, it seems only a matter of time before Goretzka follows the likes of Mario Götze, Julian Draxler and Marco Reus into the bigtime.
The maturity he's displayed so far demonstrates his readiness for the top flight, despite only making his Bundesliga debut last August. Schalke are easing him in - only five of his 15 appearances have come from the start so far this season - which seems like a smart approach.
Schalke were delighted to land their man in the summer, with General Manager Horst Heldt proclaiming: "he was on the wanted list of lots of clubs."
Goretzka has all the attributes of a fine holding midfielder. Standing at 6ft 2in, the youngster is a strong, calming presence in the heart of the midfield. He’s been compared to Real Madrid and Germany star Sami Kherdira thanks to his ability to shield the defence and help break up play. He's not just a defensive head, though, and also links up with his side's more creative players to help build attacks.
The 19-year-old may not be much of a goalscorer, but his composure and work-rate in midfield are pivotal. He constantly hassles opposition attackers for possession of the ball, giving them no time or room to manoeuvre. It would, however, be unfair to pigeonhole him into being just a defensive midfielder - the youngster is also accustomed to driving from midfield and bursting into the final third (not surprising given his goals record at youth level), which goes some way to explaining his reasonable goal haul despite a lack of regular playing time this season.
Perhaps his biggest weakness is a lack of flair (although just try saying that after you've watched the finish for his goal against Bayer Leverkusen above). Even though his passing is good, he perhaps doesn’t have the ability to play the killer ball like Götze and Mesut Özil. It's difficult to brand the youngster a match winner like his slightly older countrymen, which isn't ideal when his side are chasing a game. They do, however, have the likes of fellow youngsters Draxler and Max Meyer for that.
They said…
Darius Wosz, former Germany international and now youth coach at Bochum, said: "He is an exceptional player, I've not seen anyone like him at youth level. He has a clear head, he's mature, and nothing can distract him."
Bochum's former boss Karsten Neitzel, meanwhile, hailed his former charge (before he was sacked in April last year). "I have never seen an 18-year-old with so much class and desire," he declared: "The boy will find his way into the world’s best [team]."
Goretzka not only captained Germany's U17s to the 2012 Under-17 European Championship Final, but also netted in the 1-1 draw against the Netherlands which took the game to extra-time. Under his lead the Germans only lost in a shoot-out against the Dutch. The midfielder finished the tournament as second top scorer with two goals (behind Schalke team-mate Meyer on three), one of which being the only strike in Germany's semi-final win over Poland.
Having now moved from the second tier into the Bundesliga with Schalke, the platform is there to showcase his abilities at the highest level. Having already featured in over 20 games in his debut season for Schalke so far - including four times in the Champions League - the next step is establishing a regular place in the heart of Schalke's midfield, and after that, Germany.
Talentspotter ratings
Shooting 5 • Heading 7 • Passing 8 • Tackling 8 • Pace 6 • Dribbling 4 • Creativity 5 • Work-rate 9 • Crossing 5
Talentspotter, Schalke 04, Germany, Bundesliga
Leroy Sane: Schalke’s dazzling game changer attracting serious English interest
Meet the defence-cracking German maestro who Chelsea will need to wait for
Everything you need to know about... Kevin Volland
Everything you need to know about... Davie Selke
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Clinical Trials in Older Persons
Evolution of Age-Related Conditions
The Horse-Racing Effect
How to Take into Account the Horse-Racing Effect in Clinical Trials
Opinion ARTICLE
Front. Aging Neurosci., 16 July 2014 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2014.00175
Horse-racing effect and clinical trials in older persons
Matteo Cesari1,2* and Marco Canevelli3
1Gérontopôle, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
2INSERM UMR1027, Université de Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
3Dipartimento di Neurologia e Psichiatria, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
The standard methodologies for the design and conduction of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are often difficult to be directly applied when older persons compose the target population (Pahor and Cesari, 2012). In fact, specific methodological adaptations are often required to guarantee the feasibility of the trial, ensure the participants’ adherence/compliance to the protocol, and allow the unbiased/proper interpretation of the findings. In this paper, we present the case of a frequently ignored issue potentially affecting the interpretation of results generated by RCTs. In particular, we describe how the health status fluctuations of older persons (especially in the presence of frailty) may bias the randomization procedures. Possible solutions to such phenomenon are also offered.
Randomized controlled trials represent the gold standard for the assessment of efficacy and effectiveness of interventions. Given the socio-demographic trends of our societies, the conduction of trials in older persons is growingly becoming pivotal. However, old age often implies special challenges in the design of intervention studies from methodological, clinical, and social viewpoints (Pahor and Cesari, 2012). In particular, the representativeness of the study sample (and, consequently, the possible future generalization of the study findings) is often affected by the complexity of this population.
The definition of eligibility criteria in the design of RCTs always represents a crucial and delicate step. The choices done at this time can drastically change the results of the study and concur at determining the success of the project. Such step becomes even more difficult when the trial is aimed at exploring age-related conditions. In fact, the (sub)clinical accumulation of deficits occurring with aging leads to pathophysiological modifications potentially mining the “purity” of diseases (Cesari et al., 2013). The age-related reduction of homeostatic mechanisms against entropic forces (or frailty) (Morley et al., 2013) exposes the older organism at multiple and interacting conditions whose clinical manifestations might often be masked or altered (Studenski, 2009). This issue is at the basis of the well-known “evidence based medicine” problem severely affecting the applicability of clinical recommendations and guidelines to elders (Scott and Guyatt, 2010). On one side, we cannot ignore the need of extending as much as possible the study of interventions to the most fastly growing subgroup of our societies (both in absolute as well as relative terms). On the other hand, we also need to acknowledge a certain inadequacy of traditional standards adopted in clinical trials for judging the efficacy of interventions in the most advanced phases of the aging process (Pahor and Cesari, 2012).
If time plays a major and evident role in the determination of clinical phenotypes, ignoring its importance in the design of the study and the definition of eligibility criteria may severely affect the conduction of the trial and potentially bias its conclusions. This is particularly true for evolving clinical processes characterized by non-linear trajectories, such as the age-related disabling cascade commonly depicted as a sigmoidal decline of physical function or a self-feeding and accelerating vicious cycle (Ferrucci et al., 2002). If the development of a clinical condition does not follow a linear pattern (as frequently happening among older persons) a single-point or mono-dimensional evaluation may not be sufficient to adequately appreciate the health status of the individual. In other words, the history of the condition of interest imposes to take into account the often ignored “horse-racing effect” when designing an ad hoc RCT.
The horse-racing effect has been originally advocated to explain observational studies exploring the increase of clinical parameters (e.g., blood-pressure) with aging (Anonymous, 1981). It postulates the existence of a close correlation between the aging process and the health status as the speed of the horse is related to its position in the race. Nevertheless, a superficial observation of results may lead to arguable conclusions. Thus, for example, the interpretation of results showing that blood-pressure increases with advancing age might meaningfully shift from “the higher they start, the faster they rise” to “the faster they rise, the higher they are” (Peto, 1981). Such contradicting interpretation does not only affect the analysis of results coming from observational studies. The same risk can easily endanger the correct decoding of findings from RCTs.
In Figure 1, a graphical description of the relevance of the horse-racing effect in RCTs is provided. Figure 1A depicts the characteristic and schematic overview of results from a RCT. At the time 0 visit (V0), participants are randomized according to a major clinical characteristic rendering the intervention groups as much homogeneous as possible in relationship with the study outcome. Let’s say, for example, a Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) score ≥24 to explore the risk of incident dementia. After two or more interventions are conducted for a certain period of time, we can judge the effects of the different trial arms by comparing the difference of the key variable of interest between V1 (end of the trial visit) and V0 (baseline visit). Such approach is legitimate and frequently adopted, but presents a high risk of biased results due to: (1) the limited observation of the phenomenon of interest, and (2) the fluctuating value of the variable of interest. In fact, the randomization procedure according to a specific and single criterion may not adequately take into account what happened before the observation began in the three groups. It is like looking at a picture shot at the photo-finish during a horse race: we get the idea about the winner, but our conclusion is justified only because we are sure that horses indeed began running together and from the same stating-point at the gunshot. Translating such concept into the reality of RCTs, it becomes evident that the observation period (i.e., trial follow-up) is infinitesimally shorter compared to the race already covered before the baseline visit (i.e., participant’s life-course), especially if the subject is an older person. In other words, Figure 1A becomes arguable and misleading if what happened before the baseline visit is not adequately considered. In fact, the positive effect of an intervention (x) compared to the others (y and z) might be simply be explained by the less steep decline that participants in that group were already experiencing before the randomization phase. If the observation could be left-extended to any previous time-point V− n (Figure 1B), the interpretation of the x, y, and z trajectories will lead to completely different conclusions (i.e., lack of relevant effects). After all, since between two points only one line can be drawn, the identification of a third point (e.g., V− n) in the appreciation of results will allow to determine possible knots of flection and provide a more accurate evaluation of results.
Figure 1. Graphical description of the “horse-racing effect” in randomized clinical trials. V0 and V1 indicate the assessments conducted at the baseline and follow-up visits of the trial, respectively. V− n represents a hypothetical assessment conducted some time before V0. x, y, and z describe the trajectories of the variable of interest for the three randomization groups of the trial. Although the three groups (x, y, and z) seem to be correctly randomized and starting at a similar level at the baseline visit (A), they are indeed characterized by pre-existing differences in their trajectories (B). Such differences significantly affect the interpretation of trial results.
Just to give an example, a cluster-randomized trial was conducted to explore the effectiveness of a specific care plan in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease (Nourhashemi et al., 2010). The main eligibility criteria of the trial were the possible or probable diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, and MMSE score between 12 and 26. As also mentioned by the Authors among the study limitations, the selection of participants (largely relying on the MMSE results for judging the cognitive status) might have been biased the entry criteria, and potentially affected the homogeneity of the sample.
In order to allow the correct interpretation of RCTs (especially for age-related conditions), the clinical, behavioral, biological, and social experiences occurred before the study start cannot be overlooked. The definition of the entry criteria based on a multiple-point observation (for example, a test administered twice at the distance of some time to guarantee the stability of the condition) might represent a solid method for limiting the “horse-racing effect.” As an alternative, it might be chosen to combine a double evaluation of potential participants using the variable of interest (e.g., MMSE score) in conjunction with a more global measure of disease severity (e.g., Clinical Dementia Rating), with this latter somehow serving as surrogate of exposure time to the risk condition. It should not even be underestimated the role that specific measures estimating the aging status of the individual may play in this context. For example, the Frailty Index proposed by Rockwood and colleagues (measuring the age-related deficit accumulation of the individual) (Rockwood et al., 2005) or the usual gait speed (intended as an additional vital sign) (Cesari, 2011) may support the results of the measured phenomenon by providing additional information about the global health status of the participant.
It might be thought that the randomization of participants in the different arms of the clinical trial might be sufficient to take into account the horse-racing effect. In fact, it is likely that the random allocation of participants to the study interventions might also equally distribute their characteristics and underlying conditions, and consequently the “abnormal” trajectories. This is not completely true. The randomization procedures may reduce the risk of an unequal distribution of participants’ characteristics, but cannot be considered foolproof, especially for those variables that are not object of specific stratification. Moreover, the randomization does not act on the clear and optimal definition of the sample population, but is simply aimed at guaranteeing the fair comparison across groups. Thus, if the horse-racing effect is not adequately addressed in the eligibility criteria of the trial participants, the resulting groups might be similar (thanks to the randomization), but still potentially include completely different conditions (e.g., MMSE = 25 may indicate a persons with early signs of neurodegenerative disorder as well as a person with poor education).
Last but not least, it is important to raise awareness about the inadequacy of the standard methodology adopted in traditional RCTs (targeting adults) when this is applied to studies recruiting older participants (Pahor and Cesari, 2012). The complexity of the older person (especially in the presence of geriatric conditions) indeed requires special adaptations capable to taking into account his/her extreme vulnerability to stressors. In particular, researchers should understand the necessity of shifting from a disease-oriented approach (typical of RCTs in adults) to a holistic and function-oriented one in order to design informative and robust RCTs in older persons (Studenski, 2009).
The “horse-racing effect” described in the context of observational studies of aging represents a major source of confounding in RCTs, too. Researchers should become more aware about the risks of conducting one-point and mono-dimensional assessments at the recruitment phase of intervention studies targeting age-related conditions.
Anonymous. (1981). Why does blood-pressure rise with age? Lancet 318, 289–290. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(81)90532-8
Cesari, M. (2011). Role of gait speed in the assessment of older patients. JAMA 305, 93–94. doi:10.1001/jama.2010.1970
Cesari, M., Vellas, B., and Gambassi, G. (2013). The stress of aging. Exp. Gerontol. 48, 451–456. doi:10.1016/j.exger.2012.10.004
Ferrucci, L., Cavazzini, C., Corsi, A., Bartali, B., Russo, C. R., Lauretani, F., et al. (2002). Biomarkers of frailty in older persons. J. Endocrinol. Invest. 25, 10–15.
Morley, J. E., Vellas, B., van Kan, G. A., Anker, S. D., Bauer, J. M., Bernabei, R., et al. (2013). Frailty consensus: a call to action. J. Am. Med. Dir. Assoc. 14, 392–397. doi:10.1016/j.jamda.2013.02.020
Nourhashemi, F., Andrieu, S., Gillette-Guyonnet, S., Giraudeau, B., Cantet, C., Coley, N., et al. (2010). Effectiveness of a specific care plan in patients with Alzheimer’s disease: cluster randomised trial (PLASA study). BMJ 340, c2466. doi:10.1136/bmj.c2466
Pahor, M., and Cesari, M. (2012). “Study design: randomized controlled trials,” in The Epidemiology of Aging, eds A. B. Newman and J. A. Cauley (New York, NY: Springer), 27–47.
Peto, R. (1981). The horse-racing effect. Lancet 2, 467–468. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(81)90791-1
Rockwood, K., Song, X., MacKnight, C., Bergman, H., Hogan, D. B., McDowell, I., et al. (2005). A global clinical measure of fitness and frailty in elderly people. CMAJ 173, 489–495. doi:10.1503/cmaj.050051
Scott, I. A., and Guyatt, G. H. (2010). Cautionary tales in the interpretation of clinical studies involving older persons. Arch. Intern. Med. 170, 587–595. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2010.18
Studenski, S. (2009). Target population for clinical trials. J. Nutr. Health Aging 13, 729–732. doi:10.1007/s12603-009-0205-8
Keywords: clinical trials, study design, elderly, frailty, randomization, horse-racing effect, clinical research, methodology
Citation: Cesari M and Canevelli M (2014) Horse-racing effect and clinical trials in older persons. Front. Aging Neurosci. 6:175. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2014.00175
Received: 08 February 2014; Accepted: 01 July 2014;
Published online: 16 July 2014.
Rodrigo Orlando Kuljiš, Zdrav Mozak Limitada, Chile
Mario Ulises Pérez-Zepeda, Instituto Nacional de Geriatría, Mexico
Copyright: © 2014 Cesari and Canevelli. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: macesari@gmail.com
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Tony Ndege
Tony Ndege (the ending of his last name sounds a lot like reggae), presently also serves as Co-chair of North Carolina Green Party. For over two decades, Tony has organized from the local to international level for social justice, labor justice, the rights of immigrants and the undocumented, against war and military intervention, against the US embargo on Cuba, and against water contamination from coal ash and pollution. He has worked as a lead organizer for a wide range of major movements and events locally and nationally: from organizing #BlackLivesMatter actions events to Occupy Wall Street, from co-organizing the largest-ever protests against Duke Energy (one of the largest polluters in the nation), to uplifting the demand to make energy publicly owned, and from organizing protests and events standing up to Bank of America and Wells Fargo's criminal malfeasance to the largest statewide and national actions against the second Iraq War.
Tony has led or co-organized several hundred events including rallies, marches, teach-ins, debates, films, concerts, speaker tours, campaigns, immigration defense, political theater, etc. Just a few organizations he has collaborated with include FLOC (Farm Labor Organizing Committee), NC Against Corporate Power, Industrial Workers of the World, NCWARN, NC NAACP, Rainforest Action Network, Campus Antiwar Network, Black Alliance for Peace, Healthcare for All NC, UE150, and Southern Workers Assembly among others. Professionally and artistically, Tony has organized, assisted with, and performed in hundreds of events including auditions, interviews, concerts, plays, short films, operas, etc.
Tony's experience with the Green Party US began as an Occupy Wall Street activist and co-organizer of the DNC protests in Charlotte in 2012, where he first met 2012 Presidential candidate Jill Stein. Subsequently, he participated in Global Climate Convergence as a lead co-organizer for two events in his state. In fall 2015, in cooperation with Bruce Dixon and the North Carolina GP leadership, he co-organized a four-city cross-state tour for Dr. Jill Stein. Tony eventually became the North Carolina Ballot Access Coordinator and later the State Volunteer Coordinator for the Stein/Baraka campaign. Later, he had the honor to serve as Mid-Atlantic regional coordinator for the Stein/Baraka campaign, where he had the opportunity to meet and collaborate with thousands of Greens and supporters across the region. Subsequently in 2016, Tony was elected co-chair of the NC Green Party. Tony also serves on the GPUS Ballot Access Committee as the Southeast Regional coordinator, and he is a member of the Green Party Black Caucus and Lavender Caucus.
When serving as North Carolina Volunteer Coordinator for Jill 2016, NC Greens achieves historic election results for Stein/Baraka as write-in candidates, including the highest number of write-in votes for a Presidential candidate in North Carolina history. They accomplished this success via meetings with supporters in every major city in NC, and thanks to fantastic volunteer organization and personal motivation of so many NC supporters! This write-in campaign results were a major factor in passing legislation in fall 2017 that dramatically lowered our ballot access signature requirements from over 94,000 to about 12,000 signatures. As a result of these new laws, the North Carolina Green Party was able to achieve ballot access for the first time ever. It has become the first progressive or left party to achieve North Carolina ballot access in over 37 years! In less than three months after winning ballot access, NCGP interviewed several prospects and successfully recruited 4 strong candidates for the 2018 Elections ranging from US Congress to Soil and Water Supervisor and intends to build upon this success next year.
During Tony's tenure as state co-chair, NCGP has grown from one functioning local to five region-wide locals, with plans to add more over the next year. NCGP has successfully restructured the state party into a dues-paying organization while significantly increasing membership. NCGP has co-organized several events, such as helping coordinate a statewide tour of Dr. Margaret Flowers and a presentation by Ajamu Baraka for its 2017 Spring Gathering. As a founding member of his new regional local, Triad Area Greens, Tony worked on its first electoral campaign, (CJ Brinson for Greensboro City Council), where he served as a fundraiser and assistant campaign coordinator
Tony presently resides in Winston-Salem NC, works in the public school system and will be heading back into the IT field. He also has experience in music, film production, and directing. Tony holds degrees and diplomas from UNC Greensboro and North Carolina School of the Arts conservatory.
Tony is extremely humbled to serve on the GP US Steering Committee where he hopes to increase the party's profile to new communities, improve workflow and volunteer participation, improve state ballot access retention, and foster radical political education for the public.
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Image by Guerretto on Flickr under Creative Commons License.
Graz Museums Walking Tour, Graz (Self Guided)
The city of Graz hosts many wonderful museums. Perhaps your interest will be caught by one of the exhibitions at the City Museum, or maybe the Hans Gross Criminological Museum is more your style. Whatever your interests, you will find something to engage them on this self-guided tour exploring the fascinating museums of Graz.
Graz Museums Walking Tour Map
Create Your Own Self-Guided Walks in Graz
Guide Name: Graz Museums Walking Tour
Guide Location: Austria » Graz (See other walking tours in Graz)
Author: ashley
1) Kunsthaus (must see)
The Kunsthaus was built as part of the European Capital of Culture celebrations in 2003 and has since become an architectural landmark in Graz. Its exhibition program specializes in contemporary art of the last four decades. Its unusual form differs radically from conventional exhibition contexts, many of which maintain the traditions of the modernist "White Cube". The team of architects used an innovative stylistic idiom, known as blob architecture within the historical ambiance of the Murvorstadt. Thus, the gigantic building affectionately called the "Friendly Alien" by its creators Peter Cook and Colin Fournier, in form and material, stands out consciously against the surrounding baroque roof landscape with its red clay roofing tiles but nevertheless integrates the façade of the 1847 iron house.
"(The above description is based on Wikipedia under Creative Common License)"
Operation Hours: Tuesday - Sunday: 10 am - 5 pm;
Image by Kamahele on Wikimedia under Creative Commons License.
Sight description based on wikipedia
2) City Museum
Situated on Sackstrasse, the City Museum is one of the most famous museums of Graz. It chronicles the city's history, as well as features photo exhibitions by such talented artists as Marcel Reich-Ranicki, Theodore Kollek, Erich Fried and Sir Karl Popper.
Operation hours: Thursday - Tuesday: 10.00-18.00; Wednesday: 10.00-20.00.
Image by athopy on Flickr under Creative Commons License.
3) The Styrian Folklore Museum
Established in 1913 by Viktor von Geramb, the Styrian Folklore Museum is situated in a former Capuchin monastery on Paulustorgasse. The museum possesses large collections of household objects, farm equipment, traditional clothing, and exhibits on rural living. The Styrian Folklore Museum is also the location of the famous "Rauchstube."
Operation Hours: March to November: Wednesday – Friday: 4 pm – 8 pm; Saturday - Sunday and public holidays: 2 pm – 6 pm; December to March 19 2015: closed; March 20 - January 6 2016: Wednesday – Sunday: 2 pm – 6 pm
Image by Sten Porse on Wikimedia under Creative Commons License.
4) Diocese Museum
The Diocese Museum invites its visitors to explore the history of and the present situation in Christianity. This museum's permanent collections contain many beautiful sacred artifacts. The Diocese Museum also organizes special education programs for children on regular basis.
Operation hours: Tuesday - Saturday: 9 am - 5 pm.
Image by Jan Polack on Wikimedia under Creative Commons License.
5) Landeszeughaus (must see)
The Landeszeughaus is the largest existing original armoury in the whole world and attracts visitors from all over the world. It holds approximately 32,000 pieces of weaponry, tools, suits of armour for battle and ones for parades. The Landeszeughaus was built from 1642-1645 by a tyrolean architect called Antonio Solar.
Styria desperately needed such a large armoury to host a massive amount of weaponry and armour for the defence of Styria against the invading Ottoman Empire. There was a defensive perimeter, 100 km south of Graz in nowadays Croatia/Hungary to defend Styria against the Turks. The weapons stored in the Landeszeughaus were needed in order to equip the soldiers at this perimeter.
After about 100 years in use, Austrian empress Maria Theresia wanted to close down the armoury, because she centralised the defence of Austria. She wanted to bring all the weapons and armour to Vienna. Nevertheless the Styrian Estates managed to plead for the ongoing existence of the Styrian Armoury and if not for active use at least as a symbol for their struggle against the Turks and also for their achievements in defending not only Styria but Austria alike.
Operation Hours: Monday; Wednesday - Sunday: 10 am - 5 pm; November - March: admission only with guided tour: Monday and Wednesday – Sunday: 1pm
Image by Andreas Praefcke on Wikimedia under Creative Commons License.
Walking Tours in Graz, Austria
Create Your Own Walk in Graz
Creating your own self-guided walk in Graz is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Graz Modern Architecture Walking Tour
Named the Cultural Capital of Europe for 2003, Graz is well known for a number of new buildings, including the Civic Exhibition Hall (Stadthalle), the Museum of Contemporary Art (Kunstmuseum), the Island in the Mur, and the Children's Museum. These and many other buildings are among the city's highlights. Take this self-guided tour to explore the impressive modern architecture of Graz.
The Old Town in Graz is one of the best preserved city districts in Central Europe. Recently, in 1999, Old Graz was added to the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List. The main landmarks and most notable monuments in Graz are situated in this part of the city. Take this walk to learn more about beautiful Old Graz.
Graz Nightlife Walking Tour
Nightlife in Graz is a great experience. The city is a paradise for party goers and those who like to listen to different kinds of music, such as hip-hop, drum & bass, R&B, and house. You can choose from a great variety of nightclubs to suit your musical tastes. The following walking tour will guide you through the best nightlife spots in Graz.
Religious Buildings Tour in Graz
Graz is the home of a great number of beautiful churches, cathedrals, and other religious buildings. The churches of Graz combine many different architectural styles, including Neorenaissance, Gothic, and Baroque, and are of great interest to students and lovers of European architecture. Take this tour to explore the beautiful and historic churches and synagogues of Graz.
Graz Art Galleries Tour
Graz, named the European Capital of Culture for 2003, offers a great selection of different art galleries that are definitely worth visiting. Exhibits of modern art and the works of medieval masters can be found just a few footsteps apart. Take this self-guided tour to explore wonderful art galleries of Graz.
Places of Worship Walking Tour in Graz
The city of Graz contains many beautiful historic churches and cathedrals. Built over many centuries, they are true gems that should not be missed. Most of the churches in Graz are architecturally and/or historically significant and are well worth visiting. Take this self-guided tour to learn more about the churches of Graz.
View all walking tours in Graz, Austria
Whether you are in Graz for a quick stopover or have a few days to see the city in more detail, exploring it on foot, at your own pace, is definitely the way to go. Here are some tips for you to save money, see the best Graz has to offer, take good care of your feet while walking, and keep your mobile device – your ultimate "work horse" on this trip - well fed and safe.
To ensure ultimate satisfaction from a day of walking around the city as big as Graz, it is imperative to take good care of your feet so as to avoid unpleasant things like blisters, cold or overheated soles, itchy, irritated or otherwise damaged (cracked) skin, etc. Luckily, these days there is no shortage of remedies to address (and, ideally, to prevent) these and other potential problems with feet. Among them: Compression Socks, Rechargeable Battery-Powered Thermo Socks for Cold Weather, Foot Repair Cream, Deodorant Powder, Shoes UV Sterilizer, and many more that you may wish to find a place in your travel kit for.
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Medieval »
High and Late Medieval »
The Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry
Key facts about the Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings took place on 14 October 1066
It was fought between the Normans and the English
William of Normandy ('the Conqueror') defeated Harold Godwinsson
As a result of the battle, William became King of England
Edgar Ætheling - son of Edward the Exile and great-nephew of Edward the Confessor.
Edward the Confessor - King of England between 1042 and 1066 who died childless. Read our article on him here.
Harold Godwinsson - powerful politician who was named ruler of England in 1066.
Tostig Godwinsson - former Earl of Northumbria and brother of Harold Godwinsson, who was exiled under Harold's advice in 1065.
Harald Hardrada - King of Norway from 1046 until 1066.
Hereward the Wake - a Fenland leader of resistance against the Norman conquest who was probably of noble birth.
Edwin, Earl of Mercia - brother to the man who replaced Tostig Godwinsson as the Earl of Northumbria
William of Normandy - illegitimateIn terms of children, those born out of wedlock (to unmarried parents). son of Robert I, Duke of Normandy, and Duke of Normandy from 1035.
The Battle of Hastings is considered to be one of the most important battles of England's history. It signalled the end of Anglo-Saxon England, and started a new era of Norman rule.
Background to the battle
Edward the Confessor died childless on 5 January 1066, and Harold Godwinsson, an exceptionally wealthy and powerful noble who had no royal blood, declared he had been named as heir on Edward's deathbed. The WitenagemotAn Anglo-Saxon council of elders which helped to rule the country., the leading men in the country, agreed and Harold was hastily consecrated as king just one day after. This was exceptionally fast for an Anglo-Saxon king, and must have raised a few eyebrows at the time, as it has done since. By being consecrated, Harold was showing that he was God's anointed, which would quiet any murmurings or dissentAn opinion or belief that goes against official teaching or commonly held views. and prevent people from questioning the convenience of Edward dying without a named heir and behind closed doors. In so doing, Harold angered William of Normandy, who had a distant claim to the throne, His aunt, Emma of Normandy, had been the wife of two previous kings of England: Æthelred II ('the Unready') and Cnut. and who had perhaps already been named as Edward's heir. Whether or not he had will be debated by historians for a long time yet. Some, such as Marc Morris, think it likely, as they shared a common cultural background and were kinsmen. It has been suggested that the throne was offered to William just to spite his father-in-law and possible enemy, Earl Godwin. Others argue against this as Edward the Confessor knew it was the Witenagemot who decided succession and he had been attempting to help his own exiled nephew return to England.
Furthermore, Godwinsson and William had a history: when Harold narrowly avoided shipwreck off the coast of Normandy in 1064 and was taken hostageA person seized or held as security for the fulfilment of a condition by the Count of Ponthieu, William came to his aid. It is not known what Harold was doing in the English Channel in 1064. Norman sources have it that he was on his way to pay homage to Edward's heir. Many historians think that it might have been to help family members who had been taken hostage, or that it was simply a fishing trip. It is clear that he boarded a boat at Bosham, but beyond that we don't know. It is likely that a storm caused it to founder near Ponthieu. They spent some time fighting together against the Duke of Brittany, after which William knighted Harold. But more importantly, Harold swore an oath on holy relicsParts of a deceased holy person's body or belongings kept as an object of reverence, or something from an earlier time. that he would support William's claim to the throne and 'that he would strive to the utmost with his counsel and with his wealth to ensure that the English monarchyThe king/queen and royal family of a country, or a form of government with a king/queen at the head. should be pledged to [William] after Edward's death'. William of Poitiers, The Gesta Guillelmi, quoted in Marc Morris, The Norman Conquest, London: Windmill (2012) p.142 Both Norman and later English sources agree this happened, but the English ones state it was done under duress, as the only way Harold could return home safely. The Norman ones, however, say the oath was willingly given. According to the Normans therefore, William had a sacred duty to invade England and rid it of an oath-breaker. As a result of this alleged oath-breaking and also because England was seen as a haven for sinners, Pope Alexander II even blessed William’s banner before the invasion, turning the invasion into a war approved of by the Christian God. This meant that those who perpetrated atrocities during the invasion would not be punished as severely as those in other wars.
Harold at his coronationThe ceremony of crowning a king or queen (and their consort)., according to the Bayeux Tapestry
Harold was expecting trouble in 1066, He had sent spies over to Normandy and the immense ship-building programme underway there must have been a big clue. The Ship List - the first written account we have of formal Norman feudalOf, or relating to, a Medieval social structure where, in theory, the nobility would protect everyone, the peasants would pay for this protection by working the land, and the clergy would pray for everyone. In the secular world, the monarch was at the top of the pyramid, with each layer of nobility… obligations - lists 14 names and the number of ships they were required to provide for the invasion fleet, with some being obliged to provide over 100 each. Even without this, a terrible omen appeared in the sky in April 1066, forewarning of imminent disaster: Halley's Comet. and kept his army on the south coast of England for much of the summer, awaiting an invasion force that couldn't sail due to unfavourable winds. This would have been a logistical nightmare for both armies. Morris suggests that around 25 tons of grain and 30,000 gallons of water would be needed every day to keep the Norman army of 7,000 men and 2,000 horse alive on basic rations. To keep moraleThe confidence, enthusiasm, and discipline of a person or group at a particular time. high, meat, fish, wine and ale would also have been required. In addition, the waste all these people and animals produced needed to have been dealt with to avoid disease. Morris, The Norman Conquest p.153. He got his figures from an earlier paper by Bernard Bachrach in Anglo-Norman Studies called 'Some Observations on the Military Administration of the Norman Conquest', 8 (1989). The Norman army coped well with the delay: they stayed at the coast waiting patiently and, according to William of Poitiers, behaving remarkably well. An army such as this would tend to 'live off the land', which basically means plundering the goods, food, and anything else belonging to peasantry living around them. That the Norman army didn't says a lot for their discipline and organisation. But on 8 September 1066, Harold dismissed his army, no longer able to feed them, hoping the approaching autumn would delay William until the next year.
Battle of Stamford Bridge by Peter Nicolai Arbo (1870), depicting Harald hit in the neck by an arrow
Unknown to Harold, there was an imminent threat from another quarter. Harald Hardrada, King of Norway (and with an exceedingly tenuous claim to the English throne), had decided to invade the north of England to claim the crown for himself. Harthacnut, who had briefly been King of England between 1040 and 1042, had made a pact with Hardrada's father, Magnus I of Norway, that whoever died first would pass on their lands to the other. By this reckoning, when Harthacnut died, England should have passed to Magnus I. Magnus, however, never had opportunity - or inclination - to pursue the claim. The sudden appearance of an invading army in the north of the country forced Harold to march his just-disbanded army to York, where he defeated Hardrada at the Battle of Stamford Bridge on 25 September. It is said that the Norwegians fought honourably: the English are said to have been held back at the bridge for a considerable while by a single Norwegian. Others stories recount how Hardrada died having gone beserk, with no armour and using both hands on his sword. His army was so badly defeated that of the 200-300 boats needed to bring the force to England, only 24 were required for the return journey.
The Norman landings
After a month of waiting, the winds changed and William was able to set sail on either 27 or 28 September. He landed his fleet of perhaps 700-800 vessels of all kinds Although William of Jumièges wrote that it contained 3,000 ships, which must have been a grossly exaggerated figure. on the south coast at Pevensey just one or two days later. Lately, some historians have questioned Pevensey as the landing spot, due to irregularities between the current terrain and that described in the sources. It is said that on disembarking William tripped and got a mouthful of sand. Turning it to his advantage, just as Caesar had done over 1100 years previously, he said he already had the soil of England in his grasp. Of course, William of Poitiers, who recorded this incident, was much inspired by classical writers, and so the story probably was more inspired by the classics than it was by the truth.
Interestingly, William probably had no idea at this point who he would be fighting: news would have reached him of the Viking attack in the north, but not of its victor. This news, we are told, reached him at the start of October, and wasn't taken as a good sign. Edward the Confessor's Norman adviser and friend, Robert the Steward, delivered the message and warned William to 'stay behind his fortifications'. As reported by William of Poitiers.
William of Normandy
News of William's invasion reached Harold probably on 1 October, at roughly the same time that William received word of Harold's victory, while he was resting his army at York. He therefore had to return to the south coast, via London probably to arrange new levies to fill his army, arriving on 13 October. In the meantime the two sides communicated through messages. William offered Harold the earldom of WessexAn Anglo-Saxon kingdom in the south of England, and a noble house. After Anglo-Saxon times, the term has been used to refer to the south west of England (excluding Cornwall). if he were to step down as king; 'Harold, rather less generously, promised to let William return to Normandy unmolested if he made reparations for the damage he caused.' Morris The Norman Conquest, p.174
Unsurprisingly, neither backed down and the stage was set for a second battle, at least for Harold. Having travelled the length of the country twice in a month (and fought a battle in between), Harold was forced to meet William, and with an ill-prepared army. Perhaps Harold should have waited longer in London for reinforcements: his family and the medieval chroniclers, as well as most historians, all thought so. But every day he delayed gave the Normans more time to pillage the countryside around Hastings, and to kill and maim the local peasantry. It is also possible that Harold attempted to take the enemy by surprise by attacking sooner than expected, rather like he did at Stamford Bridge.
Whether Harold intended to surprise William or not, on 14 October 1066, it was Harold who was surprised and taken unprepared by the approach of the Norman army. The army was actually made up of more than Normans, for Duke William had undertaken a recruitment drive across the whole of northern France. Many Frenchmen swelled the ranks of his army, probably thanks to the promises of bootyValuable stolen goods, especially those seized in war. and inspired by the Pope's endorsement of the venture. William, forewarned of Harold's approach, and having kept his army up all night in readiness, set out at sunrise to find him. The two forces met at Senlac, about six miles inland from Hastings, Orderic Vitalis, who wrote fifty years after the battle, provided us with the name 'Senlac', but the D version of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle described it as the place of the 'grey apple tree'. After the battle, the place simply became known as Battle. at roughly nine o-clock in the morning. A sudden rush to arms followed, with William reportedly in such a hurry that he put his mail shirt on back-to-front. Not a good omen.
Norman cavalryPeople fighting on horseback, who were therefore more mobile than foot soldiers. In modern warfare, the cavalry are those fighting in armoured vehicles. attacking the English shield wall, from the Bayeux Tapestry
We don't know who had the larger army, as both sides insisted theirs was the smallest. The English used it as an excuse, the Normans to show their better skills and valourShowing great courage in the face of danger.. Harold had the better ground (he was uphill), but William the better tactics, considerably more archers, and cavalry. The English tended to use horses only for travelling and not for fighting, relying instead upon the shield wall. It would seem that Harold, in his haste to reach the invading army, hadn't recruited enough: the Bayeux Tapestry shows just one English archer, compared with dozens on the Norman side. The Tapestry is, in fact, an embroidery, and was made in Canterbury.
Despite these discrepancies, the battle was hard-fought and lasted all day. While the English held the higher ground and didn't break rank they stood a chance of winning, even against the cavalry, who couldn't charge up such difficult ground. The shield wall served them well, as contemporarySomeone or something living or occurring at the same time. chronicler and chaplain to William, William of Poitiers, wrote: 'It was an unheard-of kind of combat, with one side launching ceaseless attacks and manoeuvres, the other standing firmly as though rooted to the ground.' William of Poitiers, Gesta Guillelmi II ducis Normannorum, 2.21. Historians have questioned some of William of Poitiers' writing for accuracy. There was one Norman though, who according to the Carmen de Hastingae Proelio ('Song of the Battle of Hastings') eventually convinced an English warrior to leave the shield wall. Taillefer rode in front of the Norman army encouraging them to fight by juggling his sword. One Englishman was so irritated he went forward to cut the Norman knight down, but failed. He was run through with the knight's lance before being decapitated and having his head displayed as a trophy.
After a hard morning and afternoon of fighting, the Normans turned tail and seemed to flee the battlefield. There are differing accounts of why this happened: maybe a rumour spread that William of Normandy had been killed, or perhaps it was a ruse that turned into a real panic. Whatever the cause, all sources state that William had to take off his helmet and assure his troops that he was alive before they calmed. But importantly, it encouraged the English to break rank, leaving the safety of their shield wall and hilltop position to pursue the Normans down the hill. By the time the Normans were finished with them there weren't enough English left to form an effective shield wall. Still they might have fought on, but for the news that Harold had fallen.
Tapisserie de Bayeux - Scène 57 : La mort d'Harold
Popular myth says that Harold was shot in the eye with an arrow, but this is based on a misreading of the Bayeux Tapestry and the reports of later writers. ContemporarySomeone or something living or occurring at the same time. chroniclers tend not to mention an arrow, but the Carmen states he was hacked to death by William and his knights. There could also be a pleasanter - although much less likely - end to Harold's tale: the rumour goes that he was rescued after the battle and somehow survived his wounds to live out his days as a monk, either in Essex or at a local abbey. Some reports state that William refused to allow Harold a proper burial, or that the body, which was too broken to be identifiable, was not returned to the family. This, of course, gives a bit more credence to the story.
Once the English king was killed, there seemed little point for the remains of the exhausted and defeated army to continue the fight. Instead, those who could turned and fled. Most did not get very far: they were chased by the victors on horseback and were cut down. According to William of Poitiers, 'Far and wide the earth was covered with the flower of the English nobilityThe highest hereditary stratum of the aristocracy, sitting immediately below the monarch in terms of blood and title; or the quality of being noble (virtuous, honourable, etc.) in character. and youth, drenched in gore.' William of Poitiers, Gesta Guillelmi, 2.25. In 1070, the Pope Alexander II ordered William to do penance for the bloodshed caused during the invasion, who built Battle Abbey on the exact place Harold fell. However, as they were participating in a holy war, the penances were not as hard as they could have been and tended to be framed in loose terms. But not only the English suffered: as the Normans pursued the English into the night, many were killed when they rushed unawares into an old rampart.
Battle Abbey, built by William the Conqueror on the supposed site where Harold fell. Photo by Vince.
After the battle, William waited in Hastings for the Saxon nobles to pay him homage. Although William of Poitiers reported that 'the forces of Normandy had subjugated all the cities of the English in a single day', Quoted in Morris, The Norman Conquest, p.191 the Normans had in fact just taken a tiny part of Sussex. It was therefore a far safer strategy to wait in Norman-controlled territory for the Anglo-Saxons to come to him than it was to march on London.
Many of the English, however, had other ideas. No-one came to Hastings to surrender and instead the 13-year-old great-nephew of Edward the Confessor, Edgar Ætheling, was declared king. Edgar Ætheling actually had a better claim to the throne than Harold. After two weeks of waiting, William left Hastings and went further along the coast, first to Romney, Which was burnt in response to its inhabitants attacking some of the Norman invading force which went off course. and then on to Dover. Here they burnt the town, although perhaps accidentally, and, due to drinking water and eating freshly-killed meat, came down with dysentery. Those well enough continued with William to London, with many towns along the way (including Winchester, the home of the treasury) surrendering to them. London was less easy to subdue. After a skirmishSmall and unplanned bouts of fighting. perhaps on the bridge between the Londoners and the Normans, they both retreated and William set about harrying the surrounding countryside, a standard technique used to bully the enemy into surrender. William's persistence, and his crossing of the Thames at Wallingford to harry the land around London, gradually wore down Edgar's supporters. By December, London's resistance had collapsed, and Edgar with his remaining nobles went to Berkhamstead to pay homage to William.
William was crowned in Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1066, When confusion arose over the speaking of oaths in different languages, Norman soldiers stationed outside the abbey turned on the bystanders, killing them and burning the surrounding buildings, thinking rebellion had started. At least this is the excuse given by William of Poitiers for the destruction that day. Others think they were just 'over-exuberant'. Whatever the cause, it wasn't a particularly auspicious beginning to the reign. but the conquest had only just begun. It would be another five years before William could say he was master of all England. Pockets of resistance continued across the country: Chester didn’t fall to the Normans until 1070 and Hereward the Wake resisted from the Isle of Ely, in the middle of the Lincolnshire Fens, until 1071. The Isle fell when local monks were bribed into revealing the secret route to the island through the bogs. It is said that Hereward escaped and, according to the account, was either pardoned by William or lived as an outlaw in the Fens.
Did William of Normandy have a legitimate claim to the English throne?
What had Harold Godwinsson been doing to get shipwrecked in Normandy in the first place?
How did Harold Godwinsson die?
Could the Anglo-Saxons under Harold Godwinsson have won the Battle of Hastings?
How easy was it for William to subdue the Anglo-Saxons after the Battle of Hastings?
Visit Battle Abbey, the battlefield and visitor centre, owned by English Heritage. If possible, time it right and see one of their living history or re-enactment events. You can find out more information about visiting here.
What would be a more accurate version of the Bayeux Tapestry? Draw your own version of it!
There tends to be a split in the thinking of historians, between pro-Normans and pro-Anglo-Saxons. Two books that reflect this split are Marc Morris' The Norman Conquest - The Battle of Hastings and the Fall of Anglo-Saxon England and Ian Walker's Harold: The Last Anglo-Saxon King.
Henry VI: the Weak King?
The Peasants' Revolt of 1381
James I punished one person who had been unwilling to extend him credit by ordering the offender to attend on him - by walking behind the royal procession as they progressed from London to Carlisle (a distance of about three hundred miles).
"A French bastard arriving with armed banditti and establishing himself the King of England against the consent of the natives is in plain terms a very paltry rascally original and certainly has no divinity in it. "
~ Thomas Paine, 1776
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July 8, 2019 | Trevor Williams
FleetCor acquired Sao Paulo, Brazil-based STP and its Sem Parar brand in 2016 to deepen its presence in toll payments.
FleetCor’s efforts to expand its payment offerings in Brazil have been key to honors stacking up for the growing Atlanta-based financial technology company.
The continental South American nation has been a proving ground for new technologies acquired into the FleetCor portfolio, which is aiming in Brazil and beyond to diversify beyond its core product: commercial fuel cards.
A $1.23 billion acquisition in 2016 of Sao Paulo-based STP, which operates under the Sem Parar brand, gave the company access to RFID technology processing cardless payments at toll booths, gas stations and parking facilities.
Last year, STP landed a deal with parking provider Estapar to process payments at 600 parking lots for users of the RFID-enabled stickers, scoring a win for an initiative aimed at allowing 1.5 million toll users buy gas and other products with them.
In a new experiment, more than 200 Brazilian McDonald’s restaurants have since processed 65,000 food transactions using the voice-activated technology. That move dovetails with the Beyond Fuel pilot project in the U.S., where the company has opened up fuel cards to other authorized business purchases for 5,000 users, expanding revenue per transaction. Plans call for expanding the program to 100,000 users in the coming years.
Brazil is just one major arena of the globe for FleetCor, one of metro Atlanta’s largest public companies. With revenues of some $2.4 billion and market capitalization of about $25 billion, it sits at No. 872 on the Fortune 1000 list and No. 1249 on the Fortune Global 2000 list. On the international list, FleetCor last year was honored as a Global Growth Champion, reflecting its position as one of the 250 fastest-growing public firms globally.
The company is aggressively expanding into many of the 20 or so markets covering the majority of global GDP, but 88 percent of its revenues still come from the U.S., Brazil and the United Kingdom. Brazil alone represents 16 percent of sales, according to its 2018 annual report.
Acquisition has been the main strategy (more than 30 deals just since its 2010 initial public offering) in becoming a broader B2B payments provider. Recent purchases include NvoicePay, which offered automated accounts payable software, and Cambridge Global Payments, a cross-border payments platform. FleetCor in 2016 acquired a fuel card processor in Russia.
So far, investors have rewarded the strategy, which has seen the stock price grow to $290 per share as of July 8. Net income grew to $811.5 million in 2018; that’s despite the need to service a higher level of debt that comes with buying up other companies.
Locally, the company has been lauded for its rapid growth. Chief Financial Officer Eric Dey won CFO of the Year at the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s annual award ceremony of that name. Crystal Williams, chief human resources officer, was also a finalist for the newspaper’s HR Excellence Award.
The company has also made moves to raise its relatively low profile, including plans to physically relocate about 150 employees in key executive, human resources, legal, finance and IT roles to Buckhead.
To aid in recruiting, the company leased 46,000 square feet at the Terminus building at the corner of Peachtree Street and Piedmont Avenue, though it will retain the offices in Peachtree Corners which currently serve as its headquarters.
Fleetcor has about 7,600 employees globally, about 2,600 of them in the U.S. Learn more here, and stay tuned for a broader Global Atlanta profile of the company.
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Selected Articles: Martin Luther King’s Struggle: 50 Years Later
By Global Research News
Global Research, April 04, 2018
We should carefully reflect on Martin Luther King’s message to the World.
MLK understood the relationship between America’s war agenda and social justice and civil rights in America. “No one who has any concern for the integrity and life of America today can ignore the present war [Vietnam]”.
One cannot be a civil rights leader without taking a stance against U.S. led wars.
In the words of Martin Luther King: “Silence is Betrayal”.
Today with war hawks in the White House and the U.S. State department, America is leading a military adventure which in the real sense of the word threatens the future of humanity.
But this is not a talking point on network TV. Nor is it a concern of the “antiwar” movement. Meanwhile, the media is “killing the truth” either through distortion or omission.
Today we commemorate the passing of Martin Luther King who was assassinated in a high level conspiracy on the orders of key agencies of the US government (see text of Judgment).
Very few Americans are aware of the historical 1999 civil law suit of the King Family against the US Government. (Shelby County Court), Tennessee.
“After four weeks of testimony and over 70 witnesses in a civil trial in Memphis, Tennessee, twelve jurors reached a unanimous verdict on December 8, 1999 after about an hour of deliberations thatDr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated as a result of a conspiracy. In a press statement held the following day in Atlanta, Mrs. Coretta Scott King welcomed the verdict, saying, “There is abundant evidence of a major high level conspiracy in the assassination of my husband, Martin Luther King, Jr. And the civil court’s unanimous verdict has validated our belief.”
“Making Money on War” is what motivated the killing of Martin Luther King on April 4, 1968. In the words of William Pepper (King Family Press Conference):
Because he took on those forces, powerful economic forces that dominated politics in this land, they killed him. He was killed because he could not be stopped. He was killed because they feared that half a million people would rise in revolution in the capitol of this country, and do what Mr. Jefferson said needed to be done every 20 years, to cleanse this land. This land has not been cleansed. This nation has not faced the problems that Martin Luther King, Jr. died trying to face and confront. They still exist today, the forces of evil, the powerful economic forces that dominate the government of this land and make money on war and deprive the poor of what is their right, their birthright. They still abound and they rule.
Decision of the Jury
“Do you also find that others, including governmental agencies, were parties to this conspiracy as alleged by
the defendant? Your answer to that one is also yes.”
Here is the full transcript of the Court Hearings
Below is a selection of articles on Martin Luther King Jr, commemorating his passing on April 4, 1968, assassinated on the orders of agencies of the US government. His important legacy will live forever in our minds and our hearts.
Michel Chossudovsky, Global Research, April 4, 2018
More than ever we need the support of our readers. Click image below to donate to Global Research
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 50 Years Later: The Struggle Against Racism, War & Poverty Continues
By Abayomi Azikiwe, April 04, 2018
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his life for the elimination of national oppression, the war policy of the Pentagon and the necessity for the lifting the masses of people out of poverty. His assassination was a by-product of a system built on forced removals of the Indigenous people, the enslavement of Africans and the super-exploitation of workers in general.
Martin Luther King, Lesson for Today: Militarism and Economic Exploitation, Blatant Racism at Home and Imperialism Abroad
By Peter Ford, April 03, 2018
Martin Luther King was not deceived: American militarism and ‘the evils that are rooted deeply in the whole structure of our society’ are closely connected. That is why he came out bravely to express his opposition to the war in Vietnam. It is not fanciful to imagine that were he alive today he would be expressing similar opposition to America’s war against Syria.
Martin Luther King was Killed 50 Years Ago, April 4, 1968, Memphis, Tenn. Court Decision, U.S. “Government Agencies” Found Guilty in Martin Luther King’s Assassination
By Carl Herman, April 03, 2018
After four weeks of testimony and over 70 witnesses in a civil trial in Memphis, Tennessee, twelve jurors reached a unanimous verdict on December 8, 1999 after about an hour of deliberations that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated as a result of a conspiracy.
Nonviolence or Nonexistence? The Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
By Robert J. Burrowes, April 02, 2018
Despite the vastly more perilous state of our planet, many people and organizations around the world are following in the footsteps of Gandhi, King and other nonviolent luminaries like Silo, and are engaged in what is effectively a last ditch stand to end the violence and put humanity on a path to peace, justice and sustainability.
“Beyond Vietnam”, Silence is Betrayal: Martin Luther King’s Historic 1967 Speech
By Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., April 04, 2018
Martin Luther King Jr. 4 April 1967 Speech at Riverside Church, Upper Manhattan, New York. The speech was delivered on the same day (April 4, 1967) one year before MLK was killed on April 4, 1968.
We Need a Martin Luther King Day of Truth
By Edward Curtin, January 15, 2018
As Martin Luther King’s birthday is celebrated with a national holiday, his death day disappears down the memory hole. Across the country – in response to the King Holiday and Service Act passed by Congress and signed by Bill Clinton in 1994 – people will be encouraged to make the day one of service. Such service does not include King’s commitment to protest a decadent system of racial and economic injustice or non-violently resist the U.S. warfare state that he called “the greatest purveyor of violence on earth.”
Copyright © Global Research News, Global Research, 2018
Articles by: Global Research News
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April 6th, 2015 | Written by Haylle Sok
As Freight-Rail Rates Rise, Overhauls Proposed
BEHIND SCHEDULE: According to new trade group Rail Customer Coalition, Congress has not reviewed freight-rail policy since adopting the Surface Transportation Board.
Manufacturers, farmers, energy producers form new trade group, Rail Customer Coalition.
American Farm Bureau Federation: Review rail policy and adopt improvements for rail carriers, shippers and public.
Steel Manufacturers Association: Lack of competitive rail service having serious impact on American businesses.
A large group of national trade associations representing manufacturers, farmers and energy producers have joined together to form a new group—the Rail Customer Coalition (RCC)—in an effort to highlight what they see as the need to overhaul the nation’s freight rail operations and infrastructure.
“Our groups believe it is time to review key aspects of rail policy and adopt common-sense improvements to ensure that the U.S. is on course to meet the needs of rail carriers, shippers and the public,” says Bob Stallman, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation.
Specifically, the Coalition is calling on Congress to pass the Surface Transportation Board Reauthorization Act of 2015. The RCC says it would increase rail-to-rail competition by initiating reform at a time when “rising rail rates are taking a growing toll on American businesses.”
“The reasonable reforms in this bill will make many important changes, such as streamlining the STB’s [Surface Transportation Board] overly burdensome rate-review standards, providing reasonable arbitration procedures to resolve rate disputes, and allowing the STB to be more proactive in resolving freight rail issues,” says Cal Dooley, president and CEO of the American Chemistry Council.
Moreover, he says, “the legislation will allow both railroads and shippers to thrive, while encouraging the growth of the U.S. economy.”
The group is also calling for a “modernization” of the federal government’s STB, which maintains regulatory oversight of the nation’s rail network and is criticized by the new coalition for its “slow and burdensome processes [which] leave many shippers with no competitive options and no feasible way to challenge unreasonable rates.”
“We’ve reached a tipping point where the lack of competitive rail service is having a serious impact on American businesses,” says Philip K. Bell, president of the Steel Manufacturers Association.
“[Congress] has not revisited the nations’ freight rail policies since it created the STB,” according to the RCC. “It’s clear the Board’s current policies have not been able to keep up with the massive changes in the freight-rail industry or achieve the goals that Congress established in 1980 when it passed the Staggers Rail Act.”
The Surface Transportation Board Reauthorization Act of 2015, the RCC adds, “would reauthorize and make substantial changes to the STB, the only government entity responsible for handling commercial freight-rail issues, and would modernize the Board for the first time since its creation. In addition to streamlining how the STB operates, the legislation would help improve how the Board handles rate and service issues.”
AAPA urges dedicated funding for port infrastructure
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George Washington gives first presidential inaugural address
On this day in 1789, George Washington is sworn in as the first American president and delivers the first inaugural speech at Federal Hall in New York City. Elements of the ceremony set tradition; presidential inaugurations have deviated little in the two centuries since Washington’s inauguration.
In front of 10,000 spectators, Washington appeared in a plain brown broadcloth suit holding a ceremonial army sword. At 6′ 3, Washington presented an impressive and solemn figure as he took the oath of office standing on the second balcony of Federal Hall. With Vice President John Adams standing beside him, Washington repeated the words prompted by Chancellor Robert R. Livingston, kissed the bible and then went to the Senate chamber to deliver his inaugural address.
Observers noted that Washington appeared as if he would have preferred facing cannon and musket fire to taking the political helm of the country. He fidgeted, with his hand in one pocket, and spoke in a low, sometimes inaudible voice while he reiterated the mixed emotions of anxiety and honor he felt in assuming the role of president. For the most part, his address consisted of generalities, but he directly addressed the need for a strong Constitution and Bill of Rights and frequently emphasized the public good. He told the House of Representatives that he declined to be paid beyond such actual expenditures as the public good may be thought to require. In deference to the power of Congress, Washington promised to give way to my entire confidence in your discernment and pursuit of the public good.
After delivering his address, Washington walked up Broadway with a group of legislators and local political leaders to pray at St. Paul’s Chapel. Later, he made the humble and astute observation that his presidency, and the nation itself, was an experiment.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/george-washington-gives-first-presidential-inaugural-address
New York World’s Fair opens
On April 30, 1939, the New York World’s Fair opens in New York City. The opening ceremony, which featured speeches by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and New York Governor Herbert Lehman, ushered in the first day of television broadcasting in New York. Spanning 1,200 acres at ...read more
United States and France conclude the Louisiana Purchase
On April 30, 1803, representatives of the United States and Napoleonic France conclude negotiations for the Louisiana Purchase, a massive land sale that doubles the size of the young American republic. What was known as Louisiana Territory comprised most of modern-day United ...read more
Adolf Hitler commits suicide in his underground bunker
On this day in 1945, holed up in a bunker under his headquarters in Berlin, Adolf Hitler commits suicide by swallowing a cyanide capsule and shooting himself in the head. Soon after, Germany unconditionally surrendered to the Allied forces, ending Hitler’s dreams of a ...read more
South Vietnam surrenders
By dawn, communist forces move into Saigon, where they meet only sporadic resistance. The South Vietnamese forces had collapsed under the rapid advancement of the North Vietnamese. The most recent fighting had begun in December 1974, when the North Vietnamese had launched a major ...read more
Tennis star Monica Seles stabbed
Top women’s tennis player Monica Seles is stabbed by a deranged German man during a match in Hamburg. The assailant, a fan of German tennis star Steffi Graf, apparently hoped that by injuring Seles his idol Graf would be able to regain her No. 1 ranking. Seles became the youngest ...read more
Controversial “coming out” episode of “Ellen” airs
On this day in 1997, in a widely publicized episode of the ABC sitcom Ellen, TV character Ellen Morgan (played by Ellen DeGeneres) announces that she is gay. DeGeneres, a former stand-up comedian who was born on January 26, 1958, became part of the ensemble cast of the ABC series ...read more
The first federal prison for women opens in West Virginia
The Federal Industrial Institution for Women, the first women’s federal prison, opens in Alderson, West Virginia. All women serving federal sentences of more than a year were to be brought here. Run by Dr. Mary B. Harris, the prison’s buildings, each named after social reformers, ...read more
Original Land Rover debuts at auto show
The Land Rover, a British-made all-terrain vehicle that will earn a reputation for its use in exotic locales, debuts at an auto show in Amsterdam on April 30, 1948. The first Land Rover, known as the Series 1, was the brainchild of Maurice Wilks, the head designer for the British ...read more
Der Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler, dictator of Germany, burrowed away in a refurbished air-raid shelter, consumes a cyanide capsule, then shoots himself with a pistol, on this day in 1945, as his “1,000-year” Reich collapses above him. Hitler had repaired to his bunker on January 16, ...read more
Battle of the Boot takes place between Anglo-Indian and Turkish forces
On this day in 1917, the so-called Battle of the Boot marks the end of the British army’s Samarrah Offensive, launched the previous month by Anglo-Indian forces under the regional commander in chief, Sir Frederick Stanley Maude, against the important Turkish railroad at Samarra, ...read more
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Eliza McCardle Johnson
Born: Leesburg, TN
Married: Andrew Johnson, 1827
Children: Martha, Charles, Robert, Mary, Andrew Jr.
First Lady: 1865-1869
Eliza Johnson was at home in Tennessee when word came of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Eliza was a tubercular semi-invalid, ill-equipped to perform the tasks of the First Lady. Nevertheless, she traveled to Washington D.C., where her daughter, Martha Patterson, acted as hostess in her stead. Eliza was known as a staunch supporter of her husband. It was she who taught him to read and write (he had never been to school, while she was a teacher). During the Civil War, the Johnson home, Greeneville, was seized because of Johnson's anti-secessionist views (he was a border-state senator). Eliza was forced to travel through enemy lines to reach her husband. The experience cost her her health. Although she had ample cause to wish for vengeance, she supported Andrew Johnson's Reconstruction policies. Unfortunately, radical Republicans did not. Impeachment hearings were held. Johnson was ultimately acquitted and his devoted wife insisted that she had known all along that her husband would be proven innocent.
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Newton-John’s skin-tight Grease trousers up for auction
Written by Hit Music Radio News on 19/06/2019
The skin-tight trousers and jacket worn by Olivia Newton-John in the finale of Grease are to go under the hammer.
In the scene, Newton-John’s character Sandy dances to You’re The One That I Want at a funfair with Danny Zuko, played by John Travolta.
The couple are finally back together following the classic will they/won’t they storyline.
Image: The jacket worn in that famous scene
The jacket and trousers – which the actress had to be sewn into – are among more than 200 costumes, gowns, accessories and personal items owned and used by her to be auctioned for the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre.
Newton-John, 70, revealed earlier this year that she had been diagnosed with cancer for the third time.
The items are expected to fetch between $100,000 and $200,000 (£79,000 and £158,000).
Image: The trousers going under the hammer. Pic: Paramount/Rso/Kobal/Shutterstock
Other items that Grease lovers may want to get their hands on include Newton-John’s original script from the film, and a custom Pink Ladies jacket presented to her by the cast and crew.
More from Ents & Arts
There is also a the 1950s-inspired pink lace gown she wore to the movie’s premiere in Los Angeles.
From the film Xanadu, there will be some custom-made cream thigh-high suede western boots.
Image: The skin-tight trousers worn by Newton-John
Martin Nolan, executive director of Julien’s Auctions, described Newton-John as a “pop culture phenomenon”.
He added that her “extraordinary career – that includes her starring role in Grease, one of the most successful Hollywood films and soundtracks of all time – and her recordings of some of the biggest pop singles of the 20th century make her more than just a star.”
Before the auction on 1 and 2 November, the items will be on display at The Museum of Style Icons in Newbridge, Ireland, and The Standard Oil building in Los Angeles.
© Sky News 2019
Tagged as Celebrity Entertainment
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The Best Hair Salons Near You
Salon Spotlight: Bella Rinova In Houston, TX
Jelani Addams Rosa
Lynnette Davis had never styled a head of hair when she decided to open up Bella Rinova Salon almost 20 years ago. Now, she’s the owner of one of the most sought after hair salons in Houston, Texas. As Bella Rinova nears its 20th anniversary, we sat down with Davis to reflect on her booming business and what she hopes for the future of the salon. Whether you’re looking for a place to get flawless dark brown hair, a relaxing pedicure, or a flawless facial, Bella Rinova is a one-stop shop for all of your beauty needs.
After years of working at the same company, Davis realized she wouldn’t be able to continue to move up without moving out of state. Not wanting to part with her beloved city, Davis began to look into possible businesses she could open. She wasn’t quite sure what kind of business she wanted to start but she knew she wanted it to be a service based business.
“I like it when people come back. It gives you that sense of not just purpose, but it’s that feeling of wow, they like this place, they come back all of the time,” she says.
When Davis shared her idea of started a customer service based business with her hairstylist at the time, he offered to jump on board. With her business acumen and his knowledge of all things hair, the two began to hire staff and set up shop and in 1999 Bella Rinova was officially open for business.
After being in the same location for 17 years, Bella Rinova was given the opportunity to move two years ago and its current location is by far the most impressive one yet. While most salons pay prime dollar to have a storefront on the ground level, creating easy access for walk-in customers, Bella Rinova is located on the second floor of a luxury shopping center. Complete with floor-to-ceiling windows and situated next to establishments like Hermès and Tom Ford, it’s easy to think the salon can feel intimidating but Davis says it’s become the ultimate hangout for her clients.
“We have an outdoor patio that overlooks the entire shopping center. We have it set up with patio furniture so when clients want to process their color they can go out and sit,” Davis explains. “Sometimes we have little get togethers or parties taking place on the patio that the client's host themselves with their friends.”
The sprawling location boasts 5200 square feet, 29 hair stations, as well as a makeup, manicure, pedicure, and med spa amenities.
From day one, Bella Rinova has been the definition of a full service salon, offering everything from a basic blow dry ($65+) to customized facials ($175+) to Botox. The large location allows the salon is staffed with the absolute best of the best, some of whom have been with Davis and Bella Rinova since the grand opening in 1999. Which means no matter what you’re looking for whether it’s multicolored balayage or a keratin treatment, there is a master stylist on staff ready to make your hair dreams come true.
“We’re all about beauty, we’re in Texas after all,” Davis says.
Davis stocks her salon with only the finest hair products including Kérastase, Shu Uemura, and L’Orèal Professionnel. Bella Rinova was actually the fifth salon in the entire United States to carry Kérastase products when the brand first launched in the U.S. back in 2000.
“We didn’t even try the products before bringing them in salon, I just has a gut feeling and we’re so glad because we’ve never got rid of Kèrastase,” Davis says.
Bella Rinova is going further than just carrying their favorite brands in salon, later this year the salon will launch a L’Oréal pro academy where stylists from all over the country can come to teach and learn from other professionals. Davis hopes the academy will help put Texas on the map, so when you think about great hair you don’t just think about places like New York and Los Angeles.
“There are so many great salons in Texas,” she says. “I mean, it’s Texas—we’re all about beauty.”
Bella Rinova is located at 4444 Westheimer Road, Suite H200, in Houston, Texas. To book an appointment call 713-572-0022. You can also book online by visiting www.bellarinova.com. Follow the salon on Instagram and Facebook for more information.
You may also like: One To Watch: Sarah Crews, Kérastase Artist And Educator
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One To Watch: Carly Quist, Kérastase Artist
If you’re looking for a stylist who is as dedicated to creative styles as she is to healthy hair, Kérastase artist Carly Quist is the one for you.
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Hands on a Hardbody: For People Who Want to Drive Away to a Better Place
Margaret Downing
Margaret Downing | May 28, 2014 | 10:00am
A group of people stand around a truck. They're in Longview, Texas and the summer sun is burning. There are rules.
"You can't lean on the truck. You have to keep one hand on it at all times. Each person in the competition has to wear a glove on their hand so you don't mess up the truck," says Betty Marie Muessig who plays one of the contestants, Kelli.
Based on a documentary film, the musical Hands on a Hardbody is the final inaugural season offering for TUTS Underground. It tells the story of people competing to win a truck, sure that by doing so, they'll have a way out of their circumstances (by either driving it away or selling it.)
Kelli Mangrum is a 22-year-old UPS employee who dreams of leaving Texas and figures this is her ticket out. One of her competitors won two years before and she doesn't think it's fair that he's in the competition again, says Muessig.
Muessig, a graduate of Houston's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and now a rising senior and musical theater major at Texas State University in San Marcos, says she can relate to a) her character's determination and b) desire to leave Texas (Muessig plans to move to New York City after college) but that she doubts that she would last very long in a competition like this. Complete with music by Phish's Trey Anastasio, the two-act show also features a Nissan pick-up truck center stage
Performances of Hand on a Hardbody run June 12 through 22. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 8:30 p.m. Saturdays and 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Zilkha Hall at the Hobby Center, 800 Bagby. For information call 713-558-8887 or visti tutsunderground.com. $35-$39.
Margaret Downing is the editor-in-chief who oversees the Houston Press newsroom and its online publication. She frequently writes on a wide range of subjects.
Facebook: Margaret Downing
Twitter: @HoustonPress
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Hudgell Solicitors™ | Latest News | Abolishing ‘same roof rule’ gives abuse survivors deserved access to justice
Abolishing ‘same roof rule’ gives abuse survivors deserved access to justice
When someone is abused by a family member or a person living in the same household, they’ve often been through the most traumatic of experiences.
These haunting memories can cause long-term suffering and abuse survivors often do not disclose what happened to them until many years later.
Thankfully, those who have been affected in this way can now seek the justice they deserve after the Government abolished the controversial ‘same roof rule’ which had been in place since 1979.
At Hudgell Solicitors, we have strongly campaigned for this outdated law to be scrapped because it unfairly discriminated against blameless victims of violent crime. When the ‘same-roof rule’ first came under scrutiny in July 2018, because the Court of Appeal declared that it was incompatible with human rights laws, we were enthused that justice finally looked to be on the horizon.
Prior to this, anyone abused by a perpetrator who lived in their household before 1st October 1979 was not entitled to compensation for the suffering they endured as victims of child sexual abuse under UK law.
Now that the Government has confirmed that this archaic rule will be abolished, thousands of survivors of sexual abuse will finally be able to get the justice and compensation they deserve without prejudice.
What was the same roof rule?
The ‘same-roof rule’ prevented anyone from make a claim to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) if they were abused prior to 1st October 1979 and lived in the same household as the perpetrator.
The CICA is a Government-run scheme which was set up to help innocent victims receive the compensation and support they need to get their life back on track.
The original intention behind this clause, which dates back to part of the very first CICA Scheme in 1964, was to prevent assailants who may still be living with the victim benefiting from a CICA award.
The rule was finally abolished on 1 October 1979 as the CICA had other clauses which prevented an abuser from getting their hands on a victim’s money. However, for some peculiar reason, the revision was not retrospective – and meant that people who were abused by someone living within their own household prior to 1st October 1979 could not bring a claim.
In the years which have followed, the CICA introduced successive schemes – all of which kept the same unjust rule – until it was finally abolished by the Justice Secretary, David Gauke, in September 2018.
Prior to this decision, it meant that a child abused by a mother or father, step-parent, grand-parent or family member who was living with them before this date, could not obtain compensation from the CICA – even if there is a subsequent conviction and they no longer live together.
How was the campaign won?
The successful campaign to change the law and transform the CICA Scheme, led by Ekklesia, proves what can be accomplished when people work together to eradicate discriminatory and unfair rules.
Ekklesia, an independent thinktank which tries to highlight issues which arise because of the changing role of beliefs and values in modern public life, worked in conjunction with well-known charities Liberty, Barnardo’s, Victim Support, Rape Crisis and the National Working Group to demand an urgent overhaul of the Scheme.
They worked hard to get the Justice Secretary to relax the ‘same roof’ rule and the decision to bring forward secondary legislation to abolish the rule was welcomed by the charities involved.
In a joint statement, they said: “As a coalition, we have long campaigned to get justice for victims of child sexual abuse who have lost out due to illogical rules governing the scheme.
“We are glad the Ministry of Justice has listened to our concerns, so victims will at long last get the compensation they so rightly deserve.”
What will happen now?
Since 2015, at least 180 survivors of abuse have been refused compensation under the ‘same roof rule’ imposed by the CICA. In some cases, siblings who suffered abuse at the hands of their father received different compensation outcomes because some of the abuse took place before the 1979 cut-off date and some after.
As part of the new review, applications for compensation which have previously failed will be reconsidered. This means we are now legally able to deliver justice to hundreds of people who were previously denied compensation.
Other possible changes to the post-1979 same-roof rule will now be considered – including:
The scheme’s time limit – applications must currently be made by a person over 18 no later than two years after the date of the incident.
Changing the rule which automatically excludes applicants if they have an unspent conviction that resulted in a specified sentence.
Broadening the definition of a “crime of violence” to include sexual exploitation and grooming.
Review the suitability of support provided to victims of terrorism.
The sustainability of the scheme and the affordability of any changes.
As a specialist abuse solicitor with more than three decades of experience to call upon, I am of the opinion that this decision by the Government has finally eradicated a law which was wholly and morally wrong. Hopefully, for the sake of those who have suffered unimaginable pain, justice can now be served.
Malcolm Johnson
Senior Solicitor
mj@hudgellsolicitors.co.uk
*Type of claimPersonal InjuryMedical NegligenceDental NegligenceCriminal InjuryClaims against the PoliceAbuseAccidents AbroadOther
Or call us FREE on:
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How long does a CICA claim take to pay out?
Before explaining how long a criminal injuries compensation claim takes, it is important to understand…
Posted by Paul Cain, Senior Solicitor, CICA Manager
Survivors of abuse must be helped through Criminal Injuries Compensation process following scrapping of 'Same Roof Rule'
Today’s announcement from the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) confirming the long-awaited abolishment of the ‘Same…
Posted by Malcolm Johnson, Senior Solicitor
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Iraq shuts Al Jazeera's operations for inciting 'violence and sectarianism'
Al Jazeera has expressed "shock" at the Iraqi Communications and Media Commission's (CMC) action.
By : Asmita Sarkar
Al Jazeera's Baghdad office has been shut for a year and its operating licence revoked on Wednesday by Iraqi authorities citing "continuing violations and offences and persistent media discourse instigating violence and sectarianism," according to Agence France Presse. The network has expressed "shock" at the Iraqi Communications and Media Commission's (CMC) action.
"Al Jazeera is committed to its editorial principles in the coverage of current affairs in Iraq. It abides by its code of ethics in its coverage and programming, and by the highest global standards of professionalism, and has been doing so since its launch," the network said in a statement.
The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and media rights groups have condemned the Iraq government's clampdown on the news network.
"While fully respecting the prerogatives of the commission, at times of crisis a free media — even if opinions are contested, rejected or disliked — becomes even more essential to safeguard the public interest and protect democracy. UNAMI expresses its expectation that the amendment of this decision will be made possible at the earliest convenience," the U.N. organisation said in a statement.
"Using the Iraqi 'war on terror' media guidelines to shut down Al Jazeera is a blatant attempt to put pressure on the network to report only one side of a story in a country that struggles to provide any protection to journalists on the ground," said International Federation of Journalists President Jim Boumelha in a statement. "The CMC decision is biased and deeply prejudicial in a country that badly needs a free press. We call for the reopening of the station's operation right away."
In 2014, the CMC had issued guidelines that mandated reporting that put government forces in favourable light.
Al Jazeera has been pulled up by the CMC repeatedly for showing the government in a negative light and favouring ISIS, according to AFP. The news network started by the Royal family of Qatar and the country has been criticised by Iraqi leaders for supporting dissent in Iraq, Reuters reported.
The news network in its statement said the latest move "contradicts the promises of the Iraqi government to protect freedom of speech," while adding that it was hopeful the operations in the Baghdad office would resume soon.
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Sreekaram opening ceremony: Sukumar launches Sharwanand's film
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Powerful photo emerges of girl scout standing up to neo-Nazi in Czech Republic
'People from all walks of life came to the streets during an extreme-right march to express their support for diversity.'
By Ewan Palmer
Updated May 3, 2017 15:32 BST
The image was taken at a neo-Nazi rally in the city of Brno Facebook/Vladimír Čičmanec
A powerful image has emerged showing a young girl scout standing up to a member of an extreme-far-right group in the Czech Republic.
The image shows the teen, believed to be named Lucie, face-to-face with a full-grown man taking part in the neo-Nazi rally held in the city of Brno on 1 May.
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According to Czech new site, Romea, residents of Brno were asked not to block the planned march by the far-right group as they have done in previous years, but instead to prepare dance, music and theatre performances and march alongside them.
A Facebook post by anti-fascist initiative Brno Blocks read: "We want to dedicate our energy and time to more important matters than mobilizing thousands of people because of a couple dozen Nazis.
"We want to enjoy 1 May, but also draw attention to the fact that today, ultra-right ideas are not just being shouted by groups of people marching through the streets of Brno. Fascist opinions are becoming a dangerous part of mainstream society."
The suggestion seems to have been taken to heart by the young girl scout, a member of Junák český skaut – the organisation of Scouts and Guides of the Czech Republic.
The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) was one of those that shared the striking photograph taken by Vladimír Čičmanec, describing it as showing Lucie "in discussion with a supporter of extreme right movements".
A spokesperson added: "People from all walks of life, and scouts among them, came to the streets during an extreme-right march yesterday, to express their support for values of diversity, peace and understanding. Creating a better world!"
A young Girl Scout protesting against a neo-Nazi march in Brno, Czech republic. pic.twitter.com/nE4TXoy2pa
— ð¨ðº Rob (@R0BERTeM) May 2, 2017
The image is reminiscent of a photo of Saffiyah Khan smiling as she faces off with a member of the English Defence League (EDL).
Photos of Khan, which went viral across the world, were taken at an EDL rally in Birmingham in April.
Who looks like they have power here, the real Brummy on the left or the EDL who migrated for the day to our city and failed to assimilate pic.twitter.com/bu96ALQsOL
— Jess Phillips (@jessphillips) April 8, 2017
Discussing the picture in Brno, Čičmanec told IB Times UK: "The photo was taken after a friend of mine made me aware of the exchange taking place. It was heated, the neo-Nazi was clearly angry with her, but she stood her ground. I turned around, quickly paced the few meters I was away from them, started shooting and suddenly the bubbles started arriving.
"I was thinking about the Saffiyah Khan photo when I started shooting, the situation looked similar, and the bubbles were just a sweet coincidence. I thought 'this will be a nice photo', but in the sense 'when my friends see it on facebook, they'll probably like it'.
"I initially shared it with limited privacy not thinking much about it. And then people wanted me to make it public and it exploded."
The image of Lucia is also comparable to the moment when Ieshia Evans was arrested by heavily protected policeman during a Black Lives Matter rally in Baton Rouge, which many saw as one of the defining photographs of 2016.
Ieshia Evans is detained by law enforcement as she protests the shooting death of Alton Sterling near the headquarters of the Baton Rouge Police Department in Louisiana on 9. July 2016 Jonathan Bachman/ Reuters
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Crowne Plaza Atlanta Perimeter at Ravinia
4355 Ashford Dunwoody Road | Atlanta, Georgia 30346
We are pleased to welcome ICED delegates to the beautiful city of Atlanta.
Atlanta is THE metropolis in the South East of the United States, rich in multicultural history and modernity, and globally connected by the busiest airport in the world. The theme for ICED 2018 is “Institutional Change: Voices, Identities, Power, and Outcomes,” and Atlanta is home to many institutions, landmarks, and businesses that have participated globally in this vital dialogue. Many delegates will want to extend their stay over the weekend to take full advantage of all the opportunities the city has to offer.
Atlanta is one of the cradles of the Civil Rights movement.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change is a national historic site where nearly one million people each year visit to learn and be inspired.
The Center for Civil and Human Rights is a museum dedicated to the achievements of both the civil rights movement in the United States and the broader worldwide human rights movement.
Atlanta is also home to the AIDS Memorial Quilt, an enormous quilt that celebrates the lives of people who have died of AIDS-related causes, and cultivates awareness, support and healing for those affected.
The Jimmy Carter Library and Museum houses the former president’s papers and administrative material, as well as his Nobel Peace Prize and a replica of the Oval Office.
Atlanta is also home to a rich artistic and cultural scene.
The High Museum of Art is home to more than 14 thousand works in its permanent collection, along with partnerships with the Louvre and the Smithsonian.
The Fernbank Museum of Natural History, which stands on 65 acres of the largest old-growth urban forest in the country, presents exhibitions and programming about natural history in its mission to encourage a greater appreciation of the planet and its people.
The Fox Theatre is a national landmark that frequently hosts touring Broadway acts.
In downtown Atlanta, you can visit Centennial Olympic Park, a 21 acre public space built for the 1996 Summer Olympics. The park is surrounded by many major Atlanta landmarks, including the Georgia World Congress Center, Georgia Dome, College Football Hall of Fame, and the Georgia Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the western hemisphere, home to several thousand species, where the conference banquet will be held.
The Atlanta metro area is the 8th-largest economy in the United States, with the 3rd-largest concentration of Fortune 500 companies. Some of the world’s largest companies call Atlanta home, such as The Coca-Cola Company, CNN, and The Weather Channel. Atlanta is also host to some of the most thriving young companies, like Mailchimp and Yik Yak.
With more than 30 colleges and universities in the metro area, Atlanta is a prominent center for excellence in education, with top research universities such as the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, as well as the largest consortium of historically Black colleges. The multiplicity of perspectives is sure to make every exchange at the conference stimulating and insightful.
The Georgia Aquarium (largest aquarium in the western hemisphere, including beluga whales and whale sharks as well as penguins and local Georgia sea life, http://www.georgiaaquarium.org)
The tourable headquarters of Cable News Network (CNN, http://www.cnn.com/tour/)
Margaret Mitchell’s house/museum (author of Gone with the Wind, http://www.atlantahistorycenter.com/mmh)
The King Center (the Martin Luther King Center and Memorial for Non-Violent Social Change, http://www.thekingcenter.org)
Centennial Olympics Park (commemorating the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, http://www.centennialpark.com)
The AIDS Quilt (moved here from San Francisco when it became too voluminous to host there, http://www.aidsquilt.org/view-the-quilt)
The World of Coca-Cola Museum (Coca-Cola is headquartered in Atlanta, https://www.worldofcoca-cola.com)
The Carter Center (President Jimmy Carter’s Presidential Library and Educational Center, http://www.cartercenter.org/index.html)
The SkyView Ferris Wheel (http://www.skyviewatlanta.com)
The brand-new Center for Civil and Human Rights (https://www.civilandhumanrights.org)
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Uncovering the Genetics of Prostate Cancer
10:57 January 20, 2011
Joint Press Release of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE)
Prostate cancer is known to occur typically in older men. Yet some patients are younger than 50 years at the time of diagnosis. Scientists assume that these cases might be the key to understanding the biology of this disease. Early prostate cancer might be a subtype which is characterized by a relatively small number of genetic modifications. Cancer researchers believe it is likely that these include a number of what are called ‘driver mutations’ which extremely promote the development and growth of prostate cancer. Moreover, researchers assume that prostate cancer with hereditary background, which is not yet entirely understood, is more likely to occur in men under age 50.
In a research network funded by the German Ministry of Research and Education with € 7.5 million, physicians and scientists are now planning to uncover the genetics of early prostate cancer. This is the aim of a collaborative effort involving scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ), the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) in Heidelberg and colleagues from the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) and Martini-Klinik in Hamburg-Eppendorf. The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg and the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Genetics in Berlin will also participate in the project.
The project is part of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC). This consortium globally captures characteristic genetic modifications of the most important types of cancer. By now, more than 20 countries have joined the endeavor.
After the project was officially approved in December, work will start in January to decipher the tumor cell genome of 250 prostate cancer patients aged 50 or younger and to compare it with the gene sequences from healthy cells of the same men. This will help to discover those gene mutations that cause and promote prostate cancer. With this giant project, the researchers aim to produce a complete map of all genetic modifications involved in prostate cancer.
“We have high hopes for the project to find new markers for diagnosis and new treatment approaches for prostate cancer,” said Associate Professor (PD) Dr. Holger Sültmann of DKFZ, coordinator of the network. “Focusing our project on young patients is also very likely to produce findings about the causes of hereditary prostate cancer,” says Professor Guido Sauter, Director of UKE’s Institute of Pathology and co-coordinator of the research project. “Our long-standing collaborations with the project partners, which have been established primarily with the support of the Research Ministry, have created excellent conditions for this project,” Sültmann confirms.
With more than 60,000 cases newly diagnosed each year just in Germany, prostate cancer is the most common tumor affecting men; each year, 10,000 men die from prostate cancer. As life expectancy is rising, these figures will dramatically increase over the years to come. Therefore, we urgently need new and better diagnostic methods for prostate cancer. Early detection of aggressive tumors and their discrimination from benign diseases of the prostate is crucial for determining the best possible treatment for each individual patient. Study participants were recruited from more than 2,000 prostate cancer patients undergoing surgery at UKE’s Martini-Klinik every year. Martini-Klinik is the only hospital in Germany which specializes exclusively on prostate cancer. “More than 150 patients each year belong to the group of patients aged 50 or younger,” says Dr. Thorsten Schlomm, Scientific Director of Martini-Klinik.
The molecular analysis of prostate cancer is not the only project participation of DKFZ in the International Cancer Genome Consortium. Coordinated by DKFZ, researchers from Heidelberg, Dusseldorf and Berlin have been working together in the “PedBrain” network since January 2010 to analyze the genome of childhood brain tumors. Furthermore, scientists from DKFZ are partners in the German ICGC network for the analysis of malignant lymphomas.
Tasks distributed: Gathering, Sequencing, Analyzing
The various tasks of the ICGC project on early prostate cancer are headed by internationally acclaimed experts. The common goal is a comprehensive molecular analysis of prostate tumors. Using various methods, the researchers will capture the sequence of DNA building blocks in the cell nucleus. The sequence of DNA segments containing a blueprint for proteins will be analyzed separately. Another subproject will investigate DNA areas which are silenced by chemical labels known as epigenetic mutations. Yet another research group will study the small RNA molecules that regulate the activity of individual genes.
An extraordinary challenge is the analysis and storage of the unimaginable masses of data which are produced in the course of the International Cancer Genome Project. The genome of a cell is composed of about three billion building blocks, which are captured up to 30 times in various analyses in order to assure the quality of results. All data of the German ICGC projects will be joined together by Professor Roland Eils, who is head of the Theoretical Bioinformatics Division of DKFZ. To this end, Eils has built one of the world’s largest data storage units for life sciences at the BioQuant Center of Heidelberg University. It will have a storage capacity of several petabytes – a petabyte is equal to one million gigabytes, or a one followed by 15 zeroes!
Subprojects and Project Heads
Patient selection, tissue preparation, histopathological and clinical classification of tumors, preparation of nucleic acids and clinical validation of genetic modifications: Guido Sauter (project co-coordinator), Institute of Pathology of the University Medical Center Hamburg- Eppendorf; Thorsten Schlomm, Hartwig Huland, Martini-Klinik Eppendorf
Paired-end sequencing: Jan Korbel, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)
Sequencing of genomic DNA: Hans Lehrach, Marie-Laure Yaspo, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Stefan Wolf, German Cancer Research Center
Methylome sequencing: Christoph Plass, German Cancer Research Center
Transcriptome and miRNA sequencing: Holger Sültmann (project coordinator), Christof von Kalle, German Cancer Research Center and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg
Data management and bioinformatics: Roland Eils, Benedikt Brors, German Cancer Research Center and University of Heidelberg
The German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ), employing over 2,500 staff members, is the largest biomedical research institute in Germany. More than 1,000 scientists are working to investigate the mechanisms of cancer development, identify cancer risk factors and develop new strategies for better cancer prevention, more precise diagnosis and effective treatment of cancer patients. In addition, the staff of the Cancer Information Service (KID) provides information about this widespread disease for patients, their families, and the general public. DKFZ is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (90%) and the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg (10%) and is a member of the Helmholtz Association of National Research Centers.
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Opinion | In Karnataka, it is now advantage BJP
The battle between the Congress and the JD (S) has meant that the BJP is on the cusp of coming to power
analysis Updated: Jul 10, 2019 23:16 IST
Vasanthi Hariprakash
The root of the rebellion is the old mega feud between two political titans: Congress’s Siddaramaiah (left) and JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda.(AFP file photo)
It was in May 2018 that the people of Karnataka voted for a new assembly. But if the current political crisis in the important southern state continues unabated, Karnataka could well be voting for a new government.
Here’s why: On July 6, 10 MLAs of the Congress and three of the Janata Dal (Secular) ---- the two parties run a coalition government in the state ---- submitted their resignations to the Speaker, Ramesh Kumar, who was on leave. The rebel MLAs also met Governor Vajubhai Vala and then flew to Mumbai and have been holed up in a hotel ever since. On July 8, independent MLAs Nagesh and R Shankar followed suit, taking the number to 15. The resignations were meant to coincide with the return of Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy from the United States, who has blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for engineering the dissent drama. Meanwhile, other ministers of the Cabinet resigned, saying that they want to give a free hand to the chief minister to accommodate the rebels in plum ministries. Two more Congress MLAs quit on Wednesday amidst high drama at the Vidhana Soudha. The Congress’s crisis manager, DK Shivakumar, who left for Mumbai on Wednesday morning to placate the rebels, was refused entry into the hotel all day, detained by the Mumbai police and later in the evening sent back to Bangalore.
The Karnataka assembly has 224 seats, of which the BJP has 105 and the coalition had 119 until this drama ensued. If the resignations are accepted by the Speaker (he has ruled that some of them cannot be accepted as they are not in the prescribed format and so have to be resubmitted), and more resignations happen, the coalition will be reduced to a minority. The rebel MLAs have moved the Supreme Court against the rejection of their resignation; the apex court is expected to hear the case on Thursday. It is most likely that when the Karnataka Assembly reopens on July 12, the BJP that has numbers on its side will move a no-confidence motion against the Congress-JDS government; and if the resignations are not accepted by even that time, the rebels can abstain from voting, an outcome that would still be advantage BJP. This is what the saffron party would also prefer, instead of going for an election.
The key question is what lies at the root of such a drama in the state?
On the surface, there are many reasons: veteran Congressman and former state home minister Ramalinga Reddy is upset over being sidelined by Kumaraswamy, state Congress president G Parameshwara and young leaders such as Dinesh Gundu Rao and Krishna Byre Gowda. Then there are loyalists of former chief minister Siddaramaiah, such as actor BC Patil and Bangalore MLA and controversial real estate baron Muniratna Naidu, who feel that they were sidelined by the CM. On the JD (S) side, party president AH Vishwanath resigned for more or less the same reason.
But the root of the rebellion is the old mega feud between two political titans: Congress’s Siddaramaiah and JD(S)’s Deve Gowda. The latter won the last round in May 2018 with the ouster of Siddaramaiah and installing his son, Kumaraswamy, in the CM’s seat. But a year later, Deve Gowda faced a humiliating defeat in the general elections. He felt that his grandson Nikhil Kumaraswamy’s defeat in the party bastion, Mandya, was engineered by the Siddaramaiah camp.
Now the resignation of Siddaramaiah’s loyalists indicates that this round has gone to their leader. According to reports, Siddaramaiah had complained to Rahul Gandhi about growing discontent in the coalition ranks. Deve Gowda, in turn, also complained to Gandhi that all this was Siddaramaiah’s manipulation.
There is a saying in Kannada ‘Ibbara jhagala, moornevana laabha’ (When two men fight, the third man gains.) This is exactly what has happened in the state. The BJP has been nursing its grouse after the closely-fought assembly election and has now found the perfect time to strike.
If there is indeed a change in government, the BJP will add another feather to its cap after winning 25 out of 28 Lok Sabha seats. While B S Yeddyurappa, a Lingayat strongman and former CM, who ensured the saffron party’s victory for the first time in 2008, does not command the same authority anymore, there seems no alternative as of now. But as neighbouring states Tamil Nadu and Kerala get ready for assembly polls next year, coming to power is what matters most to the BJP in its gateway to the South, not the man on the throne.
Vasanthi Hariprakash is a Bengaluru-based journalist
The views expressed are personal
HD Kumaraswamy
Janata Dal
more from analysis
Karnataka suspense lingers as speaker sends back resignations of 8 MLAs
Congress must take a call on leadership, urgently
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I have not walked out of Shekhar Kapur's Paani: Sushant Singh Rajput
Actor Sushant Singh Rajput has denied reports that he had dropped out of Paani, Shekhar Kapur's ambitious project. "We were very amused to read speculations that Sushant Singh Rajput is not in Paani due to a variety of absurd reasons. There is absolutely NO truth to it," his spokesperson said.
entertainment Updated: Sep 25, 2014 11:14 IST
Sushant-Singh-Rajput-One-of-the-most-promising-debuts-of-the-year-is-Sushant-Singh-Rajput-source-facebook-sushantsingh-rajput
Actor Sushant Singh Rajput has denied reports that he had dropped out of Shekhar Kapur's ambitious project. "We were very amused to read speculations that Sushant Singh Rajput is not in Paani due to a variety of absurd reasons. There is absolutely NO truth to it. Sushant keeps a low profile and let's his work speak for itself.
Also read: First look: Sushant Singh Rajput as Detective Byomkesh Bakshy
"He has recently completed Detective Byomkesh Bakshi and is deep in preparations for Paani given the scale of the film," said his spokesperson. Rajput started his acting journey as a TV star with Pavitra Rishta before moving to Bollywood with films like Shuddh Desi Romance and Kai Po Che.
Kapur's long-gestating project is set in a futuristic world where water is controlled by multinational companies. Two lovers spark a war in their bid to bring water back to people. The film is being produced by Yash Raj Films for a 2015 release. Black actor Ayesha Kapoor has reportedly been finalised as the female lead.
Also read: Ranbir Kapoor, Sushant Singh, John Abraham give 2014 a miss
First Published: Sep 24, 2014 20:15 IST
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An elderly woman has died after being attacked by her own dog in Wilton Thursday afternoon. Rosemary O'Reilly, 72, suffered significant bite wounds and lacerations to her arms, legs and body when she was attacked by the large Staffordshire terrier-Rhodesian ridgeback cross at her home. Mrs O'Reilly's 74-year-old husband was also injured in the attack. Both were treated at the scene by paramedics and taken to Liverpool Hospital where the condition of the woman deteriorated and she passed away. Chief Inspector Michael Bright, from Camden police, said the dog involved in the attack belonged to the couple. "They've had it for three-and-a-half years and for some reason it attacked the two of them," he said. Wollondilly Shire Council rangers have taken the dog, which is expected to be destroyed. A council spokesperson said the fatal attack was "extremely upsetting to us and our community". "Our thoughts are with the family and all of the first responders that had to manage this very distressing incident," the spokesperson said. Read more: Illawarra UFC star Alex Volkanovski 'responding well' to hospital treatment
https://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/rdPnbxNSt95RbDXSGgzrdz/f530b2ee-60fe-4a2e-9907-5c27dd9a919c.PNG/r3_2_1005_568_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg
Elderly woman dies after pet dog attacks couple at Wilton
Rosemary O'Reilly and her husband owned the dog for about three years before it turned on them.
An elderly woman has died after being attacked by her own dog in Wilton Thursday afternoon.
Rosemary O'Reilly, 72, suffered significant bite wounds and lacerations to her arms, legs and body when she was attacked by the large Staffordshire terrier-Rhodesian ridgeback cross at her home.
Mrs O'Reilly's 74-year-old husband was also injured in the attack.
Both were treated at the scene by paramedics and taken to Liverpool Hospital where the condition of the woman deteriorated and she passed away.
Chief Inspector Michael Bright, from Camden police, said the dog involved in the attack belonged to the couple.
"They've had it for three-and-a-half years and for some reason it attacked the two of them," he said.
Wollondilly Shire Council rangers have taken the dog, which is expected to be destroyed.
A council spokesperson said the fatal attack was "extremely upsetting to us and our community".
"Our thoughts are with the family and all of the first responders that had to manage this very distressing incident," the spokesperson said.
Read more: Illawarra UFC star Alex Volkanovski 'responding well' to hospital treatment
Discuss "Elderly woman dies after pet dog attacks couple at Wilton"
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Set the Tone at the Top
Finance & Development, December 2016, Vol. 53, No. 4
Ashraf Khan
Central bank boards benefit from the same critical reviews as company boards
Governor Bashir looks surprised and slightly amused when asked about the strengths of his central bank’s board. The septuagenarian, a seasoned Somali public official, had never been asked that before. “Well,” he says, pointing to his colleagues, “they want to rebuild the central bank. So they all wanted to join this session.”
The session in question is an orientation course the IMF organized for the board of the Central Bank of Somalia in May 2016. The central bank in this war-torn country is struggling to set up its core functions. Among the extreme challenges it faces is a domestic currency that is nearly all counterfeit. Some might consider an introspective board session the least of the central bank’s concerns. But all seven board members, the governor included, eagerly participated in an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the bank and its board. It helped: clarifying roles and responsibilities of executive and nonexecutive members, brainstorming about strategy, and outlining internal reporting requirements (who gets what information when) rooted out inefficiencies. This allowed the board to devote the little time it has to matters requiring its full attention.
Somalia may seem to be an exception, but central banks all over the world are coming to see that change starts at home, and at the top. Central bank board members call some of the key shots in any country, and effective decision making depends on the strength of those members. It is hardly surprising that their recruitment and selection are closely monitored.
Many will remember the Bank of England’s bold step in September 2012, when it advertised the vacancy for its governor in The Economist. The desired applicant, the ad said, must be “a strong communicator, have good interpersonal skills and will be a person of undisputed integrity and standing.” The quality of board members is a well-established and important component of effective board decision making, but it is hardly the only one. Since the global financial crisis, bank regulators have pushed for mandatory assessments of commercial bank boards in addition to existing requirements regarding work experience, background, and skills (so-called fit and proper requirements). Assessments often include a regular (say, annual) exercise, independently or with the assistance of external experts. These usually cover the board as a whole, its committees, and individual board members. The main goal is to improve the effectiveness and quality of actions by key decision makers. The global standard setter for commercial banks, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, published its revamped Corporate Governance Principles for Banks in 2015, including a section dedicated to board assessments. Similarly, central banks can also engage in board assessments—including of their policy, management, and supervisory boards—to improve the effectiveness of their decision making.
There are four good reasons for central bank boards to conduct assessments, just as their commercial colleagues do. First, the fields of psychology and sociology teach us that every group is made up of people—regardless of their institution or background—subject to the dangers of groupthink, hubris, dominance, and other such pressure. Behavioral economists, such as Daniel Kahneman, Cass Sunstein, Dan Ariely, George Akerlof, and Rachel Kranton, examined the effects of these psychological and sociological concepts in, for instance, the context of monetary policy decision making. In the past two decades, collective monetary policy decision making—for example, in the form of monetary policy committees—has overtaken singlehanded decisions by bank governors. A 2006 IMF study concluded that a properly designed committee is likely to improve performance when due attention is paid to greater diversity and a greater variety of viewpoints (Vandenbussche, 2006). The Bank for International Settlements noted that “Boards or committees for decision-making… are now very prevalent and have become the focus of a mushrooming field of research.” (BIS, 2009)
But there is room for improvement. Though perhaps not as extreme as in the classic Hollywood movie Twelve Angry Men (which captured the complexities of consensus building in the context of U.S. jury deliberations), when people are pressed for time and must deal with complex problems whose consequences are far reaching, fair and balanced decision making can suffer. In 2014, the Central Bank of the Netherlands conducted one of the first central bank board assessments in the world. The governor and the executive board set up an independent assessment of their interaction and performance. They hired two external experts with backgrounds in sociology, group dynamics, and more traditional corporate governance. Using interviews and questionnaires, these facilitators helped the board think about its strategy and vision, as well as practical ways to make board meetings more efficient. One concrete outcome was replacement of top managers’ general board meetings with topic-specific strategy sessions.
A second reason for assessments is the complexity of central banks. They implement a wide variety of mandates, including price and financial stability, but also financial integrity—sometimes consumer protection, and in many emerging market economies the all-encompassing yet vague “development objective.” Because central banks operate in a rapidly changing environment, it makes sense especially for these kinds of institutions to focus on continuous assessment and strengthening of their top decision makers.
Third, central banks should lead by example. Central banks request commercial banks to follow the highest corporate governance standards, including annual assessments of their boards. Central banks should be bound by the same standards. In Seychelles, for instance, the central bank is undertaking efforts to ensure it can lead by example, including in the area of board assessments.
Finally, board assessments can also help to promote diversity more than simply setting quotas, and thus improve Board decision making. On gender diversity, for example, recent studies found associations between women board members and higher risk aversion (see, for example, Masciandaro, Profeta, and Romelli, 2016). Board assessments focus on a board’s strengths and weaknesses and can define areas of competency or background requirements for board members, qualifications that fit the bank’s vision, policies, and risk profile—rather than setting quotas. Boards must decide how much risk is acceptable and must ensure its members mesh with the central bank’s strategy, policies, and risk appetite. What matters is the best people for the job.
Tips, tricks, and traps
Board assessments can backfire, though. Group dynamics, and human interaction in general, are sensitive. Forcing a board to assess itself can bring to light personal preferences, ideas, and even biases that can make people uncomfortable. If there is tension between the governor and another board member, they might be reluctant to have this discussed in an assessment, even though these are typically not disclosed outside the board. Moreover, a central bank board could include representatives from various groups and regions, which underscores the importance of the sociopolitical context and how it can strongly influence group dynamics and hinder proper assessment. Board members responsible for internal audit, the chair of the audit committee, or a lead nonexecutive director are good candidates for the role of facilitator. The head of the internal audit department, given his or her independent position, could also be suitable, as could a board secretary—but much depends on their personal standing and status vis-à-vis the board members. An internal facilitator must not be seen or treated as a subordinate.
Boards can also choose an external facilitator. Board members would still have to prepare and follow up on the assessment, but the actual facilitation (and pre-assessment analysis) would be conducted by the external expert. This person needs to be trusted by all board members and enjoy a certain amount of independence, as well as having the skills needed to truly facilitate—for example, a retired politician, a renowned academic, a senior staff member of an international organization, or even a peer from another central bank.
Some central bank board members say that they already have internal oversight. Central banks often have nonexecutive board members or a separate oversight body, and most have internal and external auditors. Some are subject to other forms of external oversight, either by an institution such as the auditor general or an independent evaluation office. But formal oversight is always different from an assessment with and by the board. Formal oversight ensures that the bank’s executive management conducts its business properly, and guarantees accountability to the bank’s stakeholders (government, the financial sector, international institutions). A board assessment, however, is a moment of introspection, of strengthening the ties between board members and boosting the effectiveness of collective decision making. Formal oversight can provide input, but a board assessment puts the board members themselves in charge (see chart).
In some countries assessments have clearly improved board decision making by clarifying roles and responsibilities (for example, Somalia) or by enhancing internal organization (for example, the Netherlands). In other countries board assessments have been a role model for the financial sector (for example, Seychelles). Central banks that have already conducted board assessments should share their experiences with their colleagues on other central bank boards, in particular their close peers. International institutions and standard setters should see central bank board assessments as an additional corporate governance tool. Fit and proper criteria for board members and transparency and disclosure arrangements will all benefit.
Board assessments call for awareness among central bankers—that assessments are not a mindless check-off-the-box exercise, window dressing, or the governance equivalent of the board’s annual outing and dinner. They are a powerful tool that, used correctly, can strengthen the decision making of one of the most respected public institutions. As Peter Drucker (Drucker, 1973) said, “Long-range planning does not deal with future decisions, but with the future of present decisions.” Central bank board assessments can ensure that central bank decision making is, and stays, on point. ■
Ashraf Khan is a Financial Sector Expert in the IMF’s Monetary and Capital Markets Department.
Bank for International Settlements (BIS), 2009, “Issues in the Governance of Central Bank” (Basel).
Drucker, Peter F., 1973, Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices (New York: Truman Talley Books/E.P. Dutton).
Ingley, Coral, and Nick van der Walt, 2002, “Board Dynamics and the Politics of Appraisal,” Corporate Governance, Vol. 10, No. 3, pp. 163–74.
Masciandaro, Donato, Paola Profeta, and Davide Romelli, 2016, “Gender and Monetary Policymaking: Trends, Drivers and Effects,” BAFFI CAREFIN Centre Research Paper 2015–12 (Milan).
Vandenbussche, Jérôme, 2006, “Elements of Optimal Monetary Policy Committee Design,” IMF Working Paper 06/277 (Washington: International Monetary Fund).
Opinions expressed in articles and other materials are those of the authors; they do not necessarily reflect IMF policy.
Photography: Ezra Bailey/Getty Images.
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Hong Kong has strong framework and effective system for combating money laundering and terrorist financing
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The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has commended Hong Kong for its strong legal foundation and effective system for combating money laundering (ML) and terrorist financing (TF) following a mutual evaluation undertaken by member jurisdictions.
The Mutual Evaluation Report of Hong Kong was examined at the FATF Plenary on June 20 in the United States (US). The Report assesses the compliance and effectiveness of Hong Kong's anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CTF) regime against the international standards. Hong Kong's system has been assessed to be compliant and effective overall, making it the first jurisdiction in the Asia-Pacific region to have achieved an overall compliant result. So far only five out of 23 assessed jurisdictions have been rated overall compliant by the FATF.
The Report finds that Hong Kong has a strong legal and institutional framework for combating ML and TF, and is particularly effective in the areas of risk identification, law enforcement, asset recovery, counter-terrorist financing and international co-operation.
The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, said, "The Government welcomes the FATF's recognition of the compliance and effectiveness of Hong Kong's AML/CTF system. It is a proud testament to Hong Kong's commitment to upholding the integrity of the financial system and its reputation as an international financial centre that is safe and clean for doing business."
The Hong Kong delegation attending the FATF scrutiny of the Report was led by the Permanent Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury (Financial Services), Mr Andrew Wong. "I would like to thank all agencies from the public and private sectors which have contributed to the success of this challenging evaluation process. The assessment result is an affirmation of our community's concerted efforts in safeguarding a robust AML/CTF regime," Mr Wong said.
The FATF is an inter-governmental organisation which sets global standards for combating ML and TF. Comprising 39 major economies of the world, the FATF conducts peer reviews of member jurisdictions regularly to assess their compliance with the international AML/CTF standards under a mutual evaluation process. Hong Kong has been a member of the FATF since 1991. Lasting for over a year, the mutual evaluation was undertaken by an assessment team comprising 10 experts from the FATF and the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering. The Mutual Evaluation Report of Hong Kong was examined by the full FATF membership at its June Plenary held in Orlando, the US. The Report is expected to be published by the FATF in September 2019.
Ends/Wednesday, June 26, 2019
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A Closer Look at Atlantic's End Game—And Where It's Putting the Biggest Money
August 20, 2014 / David Callahan
Atlantic Philanthropies is going out with a bang, not a whimper, and it's pretty darn interesting to watch—far more interesting than you think.
Why? Because the story of Atlantic's end game is not about a multi-billion-dollar foundation that is spending down its assets on a methodical schedule set in stone years ago. Instead, this is more like a fireworks display, and we're only now witnessing the finale—one that's being invented on the fly, no less.
If you're not paying attention, you're missing the best part.
Atlantic is starting to make a series of "culminating grants" that will shower a handful of organizations with big money, the kind that rarely comes from foundations. What's more, these funds aren't being shoveled out in rote exit grants so Atlantic can meet its deadline of emptying its endowment by 2016. Rather, the foundation has been thinking new thoughts and setting new goals as part of its last phase.
Fewer and Bigger Bets
In an interview last week, Atlantic CEO Christopher G. Oechsli made it clear to me that even now, with the end looming, Atlantic is still considering fresh gambits and debating where to direct the largest grants.
Oechsli knows how to create suspense. Back in April, Atlantic blasted out a tantalizing message from Oechsli saying that big things were coming—that the foundation would make "fewer and bigger" bets as it wound down. But he wouldn't say on what.
"Stay tuned," Oechsli wrote. "The symphony is building and there are key movements to come."
A few weeks ago, the picture became clearer when the foundation announced that it was making three mega grants: one to foster peace and human rights in Northern Ireland, another to help fund a national dementia strategy in Ireland, and a third to expand the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, the Washington-based liberal think tank. (See my take on the CBPP grant.)
The foundation also revealed more about its end-game strategy, including its intention to invest in a small number of what Oechsli calls "champion organizations" like CBPP that can carry forward Atlantic's goals over the long term.
"Transformative, Systemic Change"
I spoke with Oechsli to learn more about the deeper thinking behind Atlantic's strategy, along with where big money is going next.
The first thing to understand is that Atlantic sees this culminating phase as distinct from its longstanding program funding. "We're moving beyond that approach to grantmaking," Oechsli says. In plotting its final moves, the foundation decided to "pull back and look at the bigger picture."
At the end of 2012, the foundation created a pot of money for a new phase of work it would call Global Opportunity and Leverage, or GOAL, and further refined its thinking through 2013. Tony Proscio, a Duke scholar who's been writing about the foundation, has said of GOAL that it's "meant not to be solely a final burst of activity, but a new way of thinking about the Foundation's ultimate purpose and how it would conclude."
Atlantic's aim is to build on its previous grantmaking with the hope of "catalyzing transformative, systemic change" in the fields and countries where it has worked.
Good luck getting over that bar, you might say. On the other hand, this is foundation that still has hundreds of millions of dollars to move out the door.
Investing in champion organizations is one track. Investing in human capital is another approach that Oechsli says will guide Atlantic's final grantmaking, with a focus on "developing future leaders who are grappling with multidisciplinary challenges and networked approaches." Long after the foundation goes out of business, Oechsli says, those leaders can still be advancing its values.
The Core Focus: Equity
And what, exactly, are Atlantic's values? Oechsli acknowledges that Atlantic's mission has been interpreted in different ways over time (and with some fuss, we might add), but the enduring core, especially in this final phase, is a focus on equity.
“The basic value is the need to enhance opportunity for people who have unfairly been denied that opportunity," Oechsli says.
(A quick aside: After my recent deep dive into Hewlett, it's refreshing to hear a foundation president state an overarching normative goal clearly and without equivocation. And no, it's not because I share that goal. I also admire funders on the right who are crystal clear about the societal change they seek.)
As for the means to advance that goal, Oechsli argues that it's important to focus on both "hearts and minds." The foundation places great stock in evidence-based policy, but also wants to back work that connects with people at the gut level through story telling.
Whatever the approach, "government is a primary audience," says Oechsli, since it has such huge resources and systems in place. In making its big give for dementia work in Ireland, Atlantic is partnering directly with that country's national healtcare system.
The major grant to CBPP certainly makes sense in the context of Atlantic's thinking: It's an outfit that's hyper-focused on shaping government policy with evidence-based policy analysis on behalf of Americans who've historically been screwed.
Shaping the Narrative
Atlantic will be announcing more big grants this year, including to additional "champion organizations." This is nice money if you can get it, with Oechsli saying that most of those grants will range from $10 to $20 million.
So who's going to pull in the big money? Atlantic is figuring that out right now.
"There are more champions than we can possibly support," Oechsli sighs. “But we’re trying really hard to identify those institutions that can make a lasting impact, reflecting the issues we’ve been involved with and the issues underlying our work.”
One area where Oechsli says that Atlantic will make a significant investment is in shaping "the narrative" around issues of equity. This goes to the foundation's desire to influence people's "hearts," as well as their "minds."
The grant to the wonky Center for Budget, with its endless stream of sober policy briefs, was all about the "minds," but Oechsli says that Atlantic is also interested in "retelling the story about what's unfair and biased."
In another indication that Atlantic's end game is a work in progress, Oechsli said that the foundation was still grappling with how to fund narrative work and was looking at multiple approaches.
Race Looms Large
Atlantic has been closely involved in My Brother's Keeper, the big initiative on race launched by the White House in February, and Oechsli says that the idea of funding around narrative came from listening to President Obama talk about how boys and young men of color are seen in American society.
So it wouldn't be surprising if Atlantic did something big to shape how Americans talk about race and equity when it starts writing big checks for storytelling.
In fact, the foundation is already involved in narrative work on race, as part of My Brother's Keeper, through a collaborative effort with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the California Endowment, Ford, Knight, and the Open Society Foundations. This push engages the media, research, and young people of color themselves.
And long before My Brother's Keeper began, the foundation invested millions of dollars to challenge Draconian school discipline policies, backing grantees that have highlighted the racially biased ways that such policies reinforce a "school-to-prison pipeline.
That work has had enormous traction, with policy change happening at the federal, state, and local levels—all against the broader backdrop of a rethinking of drug laws and the over-incarceration of young people of color.
Going back further, Atlantic has invested over $100 million in a network of schools and school-based health centers to improve opportunities for low-income middle school kids of color. Also, when Gara LaMarche led Atlantic, the foundation devoted considerable thought to how structural racism played out in its main program areas, including ageing, both in the United State and some of the other countries where it operated. LaMarche gave an important speech on race and philanthropy in 2008 that remains compelling reading six years later.
The question now is how Atlantic is going to pull together its linked interests in equity, race, and narrative through major culminating grants. I imagine there's more than a few NGOs—would-be "champion organizations"—that are keeping their fingers crossed in a big way.
Healthcare and Education
Health is another area where Atlantic has a stake, given the many millions it has spent not just to help enact the Affordable Care Act but also to implement the law. Oechsli says that the foundation thinks in terms of "health equity" and, in the wake of the successful fight over coverage, has shifted its attention to challenges around healthcare delivery and cost.
One keen interest of the foundation is building a cadre of healthcare professionals who are drawn from the community, and it's learned a lot about this area from its funding of school-based health clinics. Here again, the foundation is poised to make some major grants. Oechsli says the foundation will give big money to at least one champion organization in the healthcare field, and that significant funding for human capital is also likely.
Likewise, Atlantic is zeroing in on a big give in the education sector that Oechsli says will be considered by Atlantic's board in September.
"It's Not an Easy Job"
You might think that shoveling out piles of money to advance longstanding passions would be great fun. But Oechsli says that it's much harder than it looks and that "it's complicated and stressful."
Among other things, it's hard to say no to groups. "To do this well is not an easy job," says Oechsli, although he also describes the process as "very satisfying."
And what's Atlantic's CEO going to do when this is all over?
Oechsli says he hasn't given that much thought amid the intense pressures of closing up shop. But whatever he does, it's hard to imagine that it could be nearly as interesting as managing the biggest philanthropic spend down in history.
David Callahan is founder and editor of Inside Philanthropy. He can be reached at davidc@insidephilanthropy.com
August 20, 2014 / David Callahan/
Editor's Picks, Philanthrosphere
David Callahan
David Callahan is founder and editor of Inside Philanthropy and author of The Givers: Wealth, Power, and Philanthropy in a New Gilded Age.
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Shalom lashes out at Olmert gov't
Claims meetings with officials of every Arab country except Saudi Arabia.
silvan shalom 248 88 aj. (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski [file])
Likud MK Silvan Shalom met with representatives of every Muslim country except Saudi Arabia in his three years as foreign minister, Shalom told a crowd of Likud activists in his annual holiday toast on Monday night in Ramat Gan. Shalom did not elaborate on meetings with representatives of Muslim countries like Iran, Iraq or Sudan. But he mocked Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for the headlines in the Hebrew press about a purported meeting with Saudi King Abdullah that Olmert denied. "If he really met the king of Saudi Arabia, it's a great accomplishment," Shalom said sarcastically. "But such meetings have to be behind the scenes. They wanted headlines to show that they are doing something. To run to tell their friends to get a headline on Rosh Hashana is not serious." Shalom lashed out at the government for its inexperience and for not appointing a state commission of inquiry to investigate the war in Lebanon. He said the Quartet's willingness to endorse a Palestinian national unity government was a significant diplomatic failure on the part of the government. The Likud leadership candidate also did not spare criticism for incumbent Likud chairman Binyamin Netanyahu. Without mentioning him by name, he said the party would have to replace Netanyahu to return to power. "We have to understand why a million people left us and decided not to vote Likud," Shalom said. "They left because they thought we lost our way. The public didn't buy our message in the 2006 election. We can't run with a socioeconomic flag flown at half-mast or not at all." Shalom said that polls indicating that Likud would return to power if elections were held today must be taken with proportion. He said the polls showed that two-thirds of the party's voters had not returned, so Likudniks should not get excited by the polls. Likud MKs Reuven Rivlin, Yisrael Katz, Dan Naveh, Yuval Steinitz and Moshe Kahlon addressed the event and praised Shalom without criticizing Netanyahu. In an interview with The Jerusalem Post, Olmert slammed Netanyahu for predicting Kadima's imminent demise. "If I have to compare the solidity of my party with the solidity of the Likud and what some of the Likud members are telling me about how they are trying to maneuver in order to outsmart their own leaders, they should be worried about themselves before they try to change the structure of Kadima," Olmert said. David Horovitz and Herb Keinon contributed to this report.
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Julia Rochester’s first novel, The House at the Edge of the World, is on the long lists for the Baileys Prize for Fiction and the Desmond Elliott Prize.
The House at the Edge of the World, published by Viking (Penguin) is now available in paperback.
The House at the Edge of the World shortlisted for Desmond Elliott Prize
The House at the Edge of the World has been placed on the short list for the Desmond Elliott Prize for Fiction 2016, which showcases debut novelists in the UK and Ireland. Here’s an extract from a Q&A with Julia. To read the full version visit the Desmond Elliott Prize website. Q&A WITH JULIA ROCHESTER Meet…
The House at the Edge of the World longlisted for Baileys Prize
The House at the Edge of the World makes the Baileys Prize long list, just in time for the paperback edition – due out 7 April. http://www.womensprizeforfiction.co.uk
Hexham 2016
Hexham is in the land of my Rochester forebears, so I’m looking forward to talking to Lynn Curtis about The House at the Edge of the World at the Hexham Book Festival on 28 April. Further details
© 2018 Julia Rochester. All Rights Reserved.
Website by The Curved House.
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