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Clarkstown cops intercepted $2.4M massive haul of heroin, fentanyl and cocaine in September
WEST NYACK – The Clarkstown Detective Bureau has announced that a joint law enforcement operation with the New York City Police Department and Queens District Attorney’s Office in the month of September netted over 15 kilos of controlled substances – worth an estimated street value of $2.4 million – leading to the arrest of a 47-year-old Massachusetts man.
The Clarkstown Police Street Crime Unit worked in conjunction with the NYPD Intel Unit and Queens Major Case Squad on the large-scale narcotics trafficking investigation. Police said that acting on credible information, street crime officers from Clarkstown PD conducted a traffic stop of a tractor trailer in West Nyack.
During the stop officers discovered 1 kilogram of fentanyl, 1 kilogram of heroin, 13 kilograms of cocaine and 1,551 imitation oxycodone pills containing fentanyl – an estimated value of $2.4 million. Officers were assisted by a Clarsktown Police K-9 unit to search the truck.
The driver of the truck, Alexis Victorero, 47, of Milford, Massachusetts was taken into custody and transported to police headquarters for processing. Victorero was indicted by a Rockland County Grand Jury for three counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first degree and one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree.
Clarkstown PD noted that fentanyl is 100 times more powerful than morphine and in its unadulterated form, one kilogram has the potential to fatally overdose 500,000 individuals.
The Queens District Attorney Office, which led the investigation, announced a total of 11 arrests, including three Whites Plains men, Giovanny Arias, Victor Salazar and Hector Maren. Arias is believed to be the head of the operation, which also trafficking carfentanil, ketamine and tramadol throughout the United States.
alexis victorero, cocaine, Drug bust clarkstown, fentanyl, heroin, rockland county
Clarkstown cops intercepted $2.4M massive haul of heroin, fentanyl and cocaine in September added by rctadmin on November 13, 2019
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Home What we do Our medals and awards Metge Medal How to nominate
Learn how to nominate someone for the Dame Joan Metge Medal.
Nominations may be made by any person. The Royal Society Te Apārangi’s Academy Executive Committee reserves the right to decline any nomination.
An online Nomination must be completed.
Please email the Academy (academy@royalsociety.org.nz) if you wish to submit a new nomination and you will be provided with a URL to access the web portal.
Please also review general criteria that apply to all Royal Society Te Apārangi medals and awards.
Nominations are to include one set of the following:
Bibliography;
Nomination summary of not more than 300 words, which may be used for publicity purposes;
Nomination statement of not more than 500 words, outlining the candidate’s contribution to capacity building etc.;
Brief citation of not more than 40 words, which may be used for publicity purposes;
Two references (to be arranged by the nominator), at least one from outside the nominee’s institution.
Publications should include the names of all authors (Initials and Surname) and the full title of the journal in which a paper is published. Abbreviations should not be used.
“Working within New Zealand” includes all those who were employed in New Zealand for more than 50% of the time during which they performed the work that is being considered in making the award; and/or all those who were resident in New Zealand during that time.
Metge Medal
About the medal
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ScienceBuzz Symposium
2018 STEM Symposium
Arsenic Contamination from Water
The results demonstrate that the uncoated, or bare, magnetite nanoparticles were the most effective in the removal of arsenic from the water, when compared to the results of the nanoparticles with the humic acid and oleic acid surfactants.
Kushal Kadakia
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Water contamination is a global problem that can result in illness and death. Consumption of contaminated drinking water is particularly problematic in third world countries where inadequate purification processes, coupled with rapidly increasing population growth and industrialization pose serious health risks. One of the most common and deadly contaminants found in water is arsenic (As). Arsenic, a heavy metal, is a key toxic contaminant in the drinking water supply of third world countries, often exceeding 10 µg/L maximum limit set by World Health Organization (WHO) regulations (World Health Organization, 2006). As contamination of drinking water is also found domestically, where 13 million people in the United States are affected by exposure; these numbers dramatically increase where drinking water restrictions are less rigid. For example, 45-57 million people in Bangladesh have been exposed to 10 µg/L or more of arsenic in water (Yang, 2010). The necessity of an effective system to remove arsenic from water is all too great. Current methods employed in some countries lack sensitivity, and are only effective in dealing with large concentrations of arsenic in water, such as 100 µg/L. These systems often leave residual As concentrations above the 10 µg/L restriction set by WHO, (Pittman, 2007). System enhancements are possible, but the cost of improvements remains prohibitive for many areas. However, recent studies have demonstrated that iron oxides have a high affinity for heavy metals such as arsenic and have opened the door as a cost-effective way to remove pollutants from water (Yavuz et al. 2009). Ferrofluids, which are suspensions of nanoparticles of magnetite (a ferrous-ferric oxide), are magnetic, stable, colloidal, and homogenous. (Maity, 2006). Such particles are typically suspended in a carrier and can respond to a magnetic field but retain no residual magnetism once the field is lifted. Magnetite nanoparticles in a liquid carrier can be manipulated by a magnetic field, retain no residual magnetic properties, and have demonstrated the general iron oxide affinity for heavy metals (Yavuz et al 2009).
In the current investigation, the adsorption of arsenic by magnetite nanoparticles was evaluated.
Additionally, methods and conditions that facilitate the removal of As by nanoparticles was evaluated. Results of optimized conditions were compared to WHO standards and data from previous studies to accurately gauge the accuracy of results and applications thereon. Due to the small particle size, easy manipulation, and cost effectiveness of production, use of magnetite nanoparticles to remove arsenic from water could prove to be very feasible, particularly in less industrialized countries. Altered conditions in this investigation were pH and the surfactant type. Three types of nanoparticles were tested- bare (uncoated), oleic acid coated, and humic acid coated. Different methods regarding nanoparticle generation and coating were attempted before the final particles were generated, and were then coated with oleic acid (Yavuz et al. 2009) and humic acid (Liu et al. 2008) respectively.
Materials and Procedures:
Various methods for the production of ferrofluids were investigated. Ultimately a precipitation method was optimized and used for the generation of the particles (Berger, 1999). Five milliliters of iron (III) chloride were mixed with 1 milliliter of iron (II) chloride in a flask. The solution was stirred through nanoparticle production using a small magnetic stir bar and a magnetic stirrer. Ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH) (50 ml) was slowly added to the flask in a drop-wise fashion over the course of 5 minutes. The ammonium hydroxide acted as a stabilizer in the synthesis of the iron chlorides. The black magnetic precipitate was removed and placed into a stock flask. Repeated batches of nanoparticles were generated and pooled to insure a uniform stock for subsequent experiments. Prior to coating with surfactants, the nanoparticles were separated into three aliquots, with two of the aliquots used to produce oleic and humic acid coated nanoparticles.
The oleic acid was generated using a modified kitchen method as described by D’Couto, 2008. Reagent grade sodium hydroxide (NaOH) was dissolved in 30 milliliters water, and 100 mL of olive oil was added to the mixture. The mixture was stirred vigorously until a thick, homogeneous liquid (soap) was formed. The soap was left in a ventilated area to dry, cure, and harden. The hardened soap (60 grams) was minced into small chunks and then was mixed with acetic acid (9% acidity). The solution was heated to approximately 100° Celsius, with vigorous stirring for 45 minutes The resulting mixture had two distinct layers; a large syringe was used to remove the top, yellow, organic layer, which was primarily oleic acid (Yavuz et al. 2009).
Oleic acid coated nanoparticles were produced in triplicate. Three beakers containing equal concentrations of magnetite nanoparticles were heated to 80°Celsius. Simultaneously, a solution containing 5 milliliters of acetone and 100 µL of oleic acid was prepared. This solution was added to each beaker containing nanoparticles. Additional 200 µL of oleic acid were added to the heated solution at 5 minute intervals to achieve a total of 1 mL of oleic acid in the nanoparticle solution. The beakers remained on the hot plate for 30 minutes at 80° Celsius, before being removed to cool to room temperature. Beakers were then placed on magnets, suspending the particles. The particles were flocculated with acetone, washed with an ethanolacetone mixture five times (Maity, 2006) and collected using a magnet. Humic acid coated nanoparticles were also generated in triplicate using a method described by (Liu et al 2008). Briefly, humic acid (0.5 grams) was dissolved in 50 milliliters of water. This solution was added to the three beakers (flasks) containing nanoparticles and stirred within flasks for 30 minutes at 90° Celsius. The humic acid coated nanoparticles were removed from each flask using magnetic facilitated decanting.
Adsorption of Arsenic
To quantify nanoparticle concentration, one milliliter of each of the 9 nanoparticle aliquots (three oleic acid coated, humic acid coated and bare nanoparticles) was placed into an incubator overnight to evaporate all liquid. After 24 hours, the samples were removed from the incubator, cooled and weighed. Calculated concentrations were used to ensure an equal number of nanoparticles per test. Stock arsenic solution was prepared by diluting 1 µg/L of the arsenic stock with 1000 mL of distilled water. This stock was used to determine standard of deviation and to perform subsequent tests. The 4 contaminated (test) solutions were 50 ppb (parts per billion of As), 100 ppb, 500 ppb, and 1000 ppb. Using these solutions, 1 mg of nanoparticles were placed in a beaker containing arsenic contaminated solution and allowed to incubate at room temperature for 30 minutes (based on optimal time for As removal in previous studies done at Rice University). The test solution was then removed from the nanoparticles, which was facilitated by magnetic aggregation of the nanoparticles. The test solutions were then used to deter mine As concentration using a colorimetric method (Hach, Low Level Arsenic Test Kit).
The results demonstrate that the uncoated, or bare, magnetite nanoparticles were the most effective in the removal of arsenic from the water, when compared to the results of the nanoparticles with the humic acid and oleic acid surfactants. There are several possible explanations that could serve as plausible reasons for the results. First, the generation of the nanoparticles for the current study differed from those reporting that As removal was greater for surfactant-coated nanoparticles. This investigation utilized ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH) and two different types of iron chloride (FeCl2 and FeCl3), while the studies of surfactant coated nanoparticles utilized only one type of an iron base. Because iron chloride was utilized, the resulting iron oxide base is coated with both ammonium hydroxide and chloride. The exact chemical formula is 2FeCl3 +FeCl2+8NH3+4H2O –> Fe3O4 +8NH4Cl. When adding the ammonium hydroxide to the iron chloride mixture, the solution’s color change was palpable, indicating the formation of the ferrofluid as the color transitioned from rusty red to a dark liquid with a black, gelatinous substance at the bottom of the flask. It was found that the slow addition of the ammonium hydroxide proved to be key to the nanoparticle generation. A possible explanation is the contaminant (As). Unlike other types of heavy metals such as lead, arsenic is able to form both mono and bidentate linkages in the presence of iron oxides. Bidentate linkages are a type of ligand binding in which an ion or molecule binds to the central atom (Fe) to form a coordination complex. In the context of this investigation, bidentate linkages refer to a ligand that binds to two sites; in this case, arsenic. The presence of iron (II) and iron (III), present due to the different types of iron chlorides used in the generation of the nanoparticles in this experiment, leads to the generation of a larger number of potential bonding sites. The increasing prevalence of iron on the nanoparticle could be made inaccessible (i.e., steric hindrance) with the addition of a surfactant (oleic acid or humic acid) to the nanoparticle. It is also common for ligands to be derived from anionic precursors, which include chlorides, increasing the possibility for the arsenic molecules to bond to the iron (II) and iron (III) chloride based oxide sites. While iron chloride was used to synthesize the magnetite, the result is actually iron oxide. The chemical change occurs because of the addition of ammonium hydroxide, creating an iron oxide particle. However, because chloride was a part of the original iron in the reaction, bonding sites on the particle themselves still retain traces of the chloride, creating anionic precursors for ligands.
The results did indicate great aptitude for utilizing magnetite nanoparticles in terms of arsenic remediation. Curiously, all of the different types of magnetite nanoparticles performed their best when placed in the 500 ppb and 1000 ppb (or 1 µg/L) solutions of arsenic, remediating well over 90% of the heavy metal. The most effective nanoparticles were uncoated, averaging a removal rate of 93%, with a remarkable 98% removal rate of arsenic in the 500 ppb and 1000 ppb solutions respectively, meeting the stringent United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation of 95%, demonstrating the potential applicability of the surfactant free particles for usage in arsenic remediation.
The humic acid particles averaged a removal rate of 81%, with an excellent average removal rate of 95% and 97% for the 500 ppb and the 1000 ppb contaminated solutions respectively. Humic acid itself is an acid based on organic material that is able to form metal ions and bind with metal based atomic complexes. The particles performed best in solutions containing higher concentrations of arsenic contamination, indicating perhaps that the strength of the bond and attraction of the humic acid to both the iron (II) and iron (III) oxides in the magnetite nanoparticle as well as to the arsenic molecules in the self-contaminated solution (Liu 2008).
The oleic acid particles performed the worst out of the tested surfactant types, averaging an arsenic removal rate of 60%. Notably, the oleic acid particles were still able to perform admirably removing 89% and 94% of the arsenic in the 500 ppb and 1000 ppb solutions respectively. However, the main purpose of the oleic acid surfactant was to aid the aggregation of the particles (Maity 2006), as opposed to directly aid with remediation given the current standard that doesn’t show any affinity between oleic acid to heavy metals However, the As removal percentage of the oleic acid nanoparticles in the 1000 ppb solutions was just under the mandated EPA parameter, demonstrating that the particles could have the potential to remediate arsenic at higher As levels. It should be noted that removal values were as low as 14% (100 ppb solution) for the oleic acid nanoparticles, and that the standard of deviation and the percentage of error was highest in the tests utilizing the oleic acid surfactant.
A plausible explanation for the greater effectiveness in the uncoated particles but a lower level of efficiency in the particles with surfactants is due to the agglomeration of the particle. Agglomeration refers to how the particle came together. A ferrofluid is a stable colloidal homogeneous suspension of magnetic nanoparticles (Maity, 2006). Several methodologies have been used to generate nanoparticles in previous studies; results may differ based on the technique used for nanoparticle generation. This investigation utilized a combination of iron (II) chloride and iron (III) chloride with ammonium hydroxide, and generated a ferrofluid that was largely homogeneous before the addition of the surfactants. Upon placing a flask containing the ferrofluids on a magnet, the particles would disperse and stand rigid due to the magnetic field, but would fall and clump together once the magnetic field was removed. This demonstrates the super paramagnetic (SPM) property of the particles, indicating that it was a ferrofluid as it exhibited a magnetic attraction but failed to retain residual magnetism following the removal of the field (Maity, 2006). It is to be noted that a different method involving rust as the iron oxide base was attempted (D’Couto, 2008) but the resultant material, while magnetic (Yavuz et al. 2009) was a definite, black, granular substance that lacked the SPM property to define the particle as a colloidal homogenous structure in a carrier liquid. The primary purpose behind a surfactant is to aggregate the particles to help create the ferrofluid and stabilize the nanoparticles. Furthermore, a ferrofluid retains no residual magnetism, and is only able to attract particles based on the affinity for another molecule (through the iron oxides) and the number of available sites for the bonding of particles to the surface of the magnetite nanoparticle. It is possible that the addition of a surfactant may have lowered the number of available sites on the surface of the particles, as well as had an effect on whether the particles were aggregated. Regarding the coating of the humic acid nanoparticles, the primary ingredient of humic acid is there to serve as a polyanionic organic coating on the metal oxide particles, thereby affecting the surface properties of the particles (Liu et al. 2008).(The findings in this investigation are supported by a previous study concerning arsenic (V), lead (II), and cadmium (III) that showed increased arsenic adsorption by particles without a surfactant (D’Couto 2006), but the surfactants tested previously were different from the ones used in this study. However, the current data does demonstrate the feasibility and affinity of uncoated magnetite nanoparticles for the removal of arsenic (and possibly other types of heavy metals and water pollutants), and that magnetite nanoparticles with surfactants do have the potential ability to perform at stipulated standards.
Regardless, the results of this investigation affirm the usage of magnetite nanoparticles to remove arsenic from contaminated water. Arsenic is one of the most malignant pollutants in humanity’s most precious commodity, and the size, cost, and efficiency of the processes utilizing ferrofluids to remove heavy metals make it the ideal methodology to combat arsenic contamination. The effects of the nanoparticles themselves in the environment has yet to be explored, and serves as an extension to this investigation. While the surfactant free nanoparticles are demonstrated to be the optimal type of magnetite nanoparticles, investigation into surfactants (the humic acid in particular due to its proven performance, as well as others) could prove to be beneficial. Further extensions include the usage of magnetite nanoparticles for the removal of other heavy metals; while arsenic is the most common and dangerous, the results from this investigation could prove to draw parallels when pitted against similar contaminants. The knowledge gained is a testament to the feasibility and the aptitude of magnetite nanoparticles for the removal of arsenic from water, and can be used to save hundreds of millions of lives from exposure to such a dangerous and hazardous threat.
I would like to sincerely thank Dr. Michele Marquette of the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) Office of Educational Outreach for all of her input and help for this project. I truly appreciate all of her time and effort, and can never thank her enough. Furthermore, I would like to thank my parents for their faith and encouragement throughout the course of this experiment.
1) Berger, Patricia. “Preparation and Properties of an Aqueous Ferrofluid.” Journal of Chemical Educations. 76.7 (1999): 943-948. Print.
2) D’Couto, Helen. “Development of a Low Cost Sustainable Water Filter: A Study of the Removal of Water Pollutants As (V) and Pb (II) Using Magnetite Nanoparticles.” Journal of the Us SJWP. (2008): 32-45.
3)”EXPERIMENT 10: PREPARATION AND PROPERTIES OF AN AQUEOUS FERROFLUID.” . N.p., n.d.Web. 11 Nov 2011. <http://www.usask.ca/chemistry/courses/231/pdf/Ferrofluid.pdf>.
4) Hach Company, . “Arsenic Test Kit.” (2000): n. page. Print.
5) Liu, Jing-Fu, Zong-Shan Zhao, and Gui-Bin Jiang. “Coating Fe3 O4 Magnetic Nanoparticles with Humic Acid for the High Efficient Removal of Heavy Metals from Water”. Environmental Science Technology. Vol. 42, No. 18. (2008): 6949-6954. Print.
6) Maity, D., and Agrawal D.C. “Synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles under oxidizing environment and their stabilization in aqueous and non-aqueous media.” Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials. (2006): 46-55. Print.
7) Nassar, Nashaat. “Rapid removal and recovery of Pb(II) from wastewater by magnetic nanoadsorbents.” Journal of Hazardous Materials. 184. (2010): 538-546. Print.
8) Pan, Bingjun, Hui Qiu, Bingcai Pan, Guangze Nie, et al. “Highly efficient removal of heavy metals by polymer-supported nanosized hydrated Fe(III) oxides: Behavior and XPS study.” Water Research. 44. (2010): 815-824. Print.
9) Yang, Weichun, Amy T. Kan, Wei Chan, Mason B. Tomson. “pH Dependent Effect on Zinc on the Arsenic Adsorption to Magnetite Nanoparticles”. Water Research. Volume 44. (2010): 5693-5701. Print.
10) Yavuz, Cafer, J. Mayo, Carmen Suchecki, Jennifer Wang, Adam Ellsworth, Helen D’Couto, Elizabeth Quevodo, and Arjun Prakash. “Pollution Magnet: Nano-Magnetite for Arsenic Removal from Drinking Water”. Environmental Geochemistry Hearth. 2009: Print.
11) Yu, William, Joshua Falkner, Cafer Yavuz, and Vicki Colvin. “Synthesis of monodisperse iron oxide nanocrystals by thermal decomposition of iron carboxylate salts.” Royal Society of Chemistry. (2004): 2306-2307. Print.
12) “Water-Related Diseases”. Water Sanitation and Health. World Health Organization, 2011. Web, 4 Oct. 2011. <http://www.who.int.water-sanitation_health/diseases/lead/en/>.
13) Mohan, D., & Pittman, C. U. (2007). Arsenic removal from water/wastewater using adsorbents—A critical review. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 142(1–2), 1–53.
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Talk Less, Listen More
By Michael Hawton
LIST PRICE: AU$ 14.99
As children grow in this world, we need to provide them with tools and methods to ensure that they are the best human beings that they can be. Talk Less, Listen More provides parents with strategies and ideas on how to ensure children take responsibility for their actions and are able to determine what is appropriate behaviour
Michael Hawton provides examples, illustrations, maps diagrams and practical information for parents to help them through this sometimes turbulent time. Throughout the book, and through the learning of these new strategies, parents will work out what to do in the most difficult moments and to stop these times morphing into train wrecks. Written in simply everyday language, using simple strategies, the end result will be that children will be able to assume better self-control of their actions, and be able to monitor their behavior in any given situations.
Suitable for today's modern family, you will learn to parent your children more gracefully with basic and simple strategies. That will in turn, will reduce stress levels and increase the level of harmony in your family life.
Michael Hawton
Michael Hawton is a psychologist, teacher, author and father of two. He studied teaching and went to Melbourne University and Victoria University where he trained to be a psychologist. For most of his twenty-five-year career he has worked in the area of child and family therapy. His career has also included working as an expert witness in the NSW Children’s Court and for the Family Court of Australia, where he has prepared over 1,000 Child Welfare Reports. Michael has trained over 6,500 family services professionals, nationally and internationally, in how to manage children’s and teenager’s difficult behaviour. Michael currently travels around Australia to present professional development to family service professionals. His passion is to make a difference to the lives of children and their parents. As a child he played rugby league and now enjoys ocean swimming. He lives in Byron Bay where he has raised two children with his wife Simone. Together they run the online parent resource company—Parentshop.
Publisher: Ventura Press (July 1, 2013)
Book Cover Image (jpg): Talk Less, Listen More
eBook 9781922190703
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Protein shake seller BellRing raises US$480m in low-end IPO
[SAN FRANCISCO] BellRing Brands, a spinoff of Post Holdings' active nutrition unit selling protein shakes, bars, and powders, raised US$480 million in an initial public offering (IPO), meeting the low end of its listing expectations by increasing the number of shares sold while lowering their price below the marketed range.
In what might still be the biggest IPO of the fourth quarter, the Post spinoff sold about 34.3 million shares for US$14 each on Wednesday, according to a statement confirming a report by Bloomberg. The company had earlier offered 30 million shares for US$16 to US$19 each.
BellRing's IPO still fell short of the US$570 million it was seeking to raise at the top end of that range. That could portend deepening skepticism among investors, even for companies with strong consumer brands and without aspirations for tech-level valuations.
This year's swell of tech and tech-related IPOs peaked with Uber Technologies' US$8.1 billion listing in May. Dismal performances by two offerings topping US$1 billion in September - SmileDirectClub and Peloton Interactive - combined with the collapse of WeWork's plans to go public have led to a clearing of the listing decks.
The same day as Peloton's shares began trading and fell 13 per cent, entertainment company Endeavor Group first scaled back its planned US$619 million share sale and then cancelled it. On Wednesday, Endeavor officially withdrew its application for an IPO.
POSHMARK, POSTMATES
Companies including fashion resale platform Poshmark and food delivery service Postmates could delay offerings until next year, people familiar with their plans have said.
The only other pending US listing in BellRing's league based on current filings and data compiled by Bloomberg is China-based CloudMinds. It filed in July for a listing of US$500 million, a placeholder that will likely change if it decides to move ahead with an IPO.
BellRing markets and distributes ready-to-drink protein shakes and other athlete-focused products like powders, nutrition bars and supplements. That's a fast-growing category as US consumers increasingly embrace keto diets and lower-carb food choices, triggering rapid growth in an otherwise laggard packaged-food sector.
CEO, PROFIT
Darcy Horn Davenport, who was president of the active nutrition division under Post, will be chief executive officer of the new company, according to the company's regulatory filings.
BellRing had a profit of US$96 million profit on net sales of US$640 million during the nine months ended June 30, up 5.3 per cent from US$608 million during the same period the previous year, according to its filings. The St Louis-based company said its gross profit margin rose to 37 per cent for the same period, up from 34 per cent a year ago.
The Class A shares offered in the IPO will carry one vote each. Class B shares, which will be owned by Post, will give it 67 per cent of the total voting power as long as Post or its affiliates own more than half of BellRing.
The offering was led by Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase & Co and Goldman Sachs Group, according to the filing. The company's share are expected to begin trading on Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol BRBR.
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Redskins won't begin coaching search until season ends, report says
Getty Images https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/omnisport/7f/36/jaygruden-cropped_9dmbbhzbpgtq1s98h9j0hfr83.jpg?t=-1478748611&w=500&quality=80
Dolphins v Redskins
Jay Gruden may be gone, but Washington doesn't plan on finding his long-term replacement until 2020.
According to ESPN, which cited an unidentified source close to the situation, the Redskins have no intention of beginning their head-coaching search until after this season ends.
The report noted the team wants to give interim head coach Bill Callahan and the rest of his staff the chance to prove themselves before moving in a different direction. Similarly, the Browns hired Freddie Kitchens last year as an interim coach to replace Hue Jackson before making the position full-time.
Gruden's firing came after the Redskins lost their first five games of the season for the first time since 2001. Gruden took over as Redskins coach in 2014 and held a 35-49-1 record, leading Washington to just one playoff appearance that came in 2015.
Chiefs injury updates: Tyreek Hill (shoulder) will play; Sammy Watkins (hamstring) doubtful
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Panthers QB Kyle Allen will keep starting until he loses, report says
"At the end of the day, if you're not the GM, you have to accept the fact that you don't get everything you want," Gruden told ESPN last week. "You accept the players given to you. I had input in some areas, but there are some major issues there. It's that way with most coaches. You don't have that total say. It's something you have to overcome and work with the guys you have."
Rumors began to circulate that Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is being considered for the job, though he quickly brushed off the reports of Redskins owner Daniel Snyder considering him on a short wish list of candidates to replace Gruden.
"I’m not worried about that," Tomlin told reporters last Tuesday. "I’m the head coach of a 1-4 football team that’s going on the road to play a Hall of Fame quarterback with a third-string quarterback. Do you think I’m worried about anything other than that?"
The Redskins will have a chance to get their first victory when they face another winless team, the Dolphins, at 1 p.m. ET Sunday.
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Cryptic Instagram post inspires concern about DeMar DeRozan
DeMar DeRozan earlier this year exhibited tremendous courage by opening up about struggles with depression and mental health issues. And now a cryptic Instagram story posted by the Toronto Raptors superstar has inspired some concern among the team’s fans.
The Toronto Raptors star, who features in the NBA’s mental health PSA, posted on his Instagram story “Dark days, darker nights . . .” early Tuesday morning, via the Toronto Star.
The words, set in type so tiny it was almost unreadable, against a black background, are also the title of a 2014 song by American hip-hop artist Tedashii.
DeRozan first disclosed his struggles with depression in a February tweet.
This depression get the best of me…
— DeMar DeRozan (@DeMar_DeRozan) February 17, 2018
DeRozan, along with Cleveland Cavaliers superstar Kevin Love — who acknowledged mental health issues of his own earlier this season — star in a PSA for the NBA that has been airing in the postseason.
The Raptors superstar continued to discuss his personal experiences with depression during the postseason in the hope it might help someone out there struggling on their own.
“When we get to speak out against something that’s bigger than basketball — something outside of the conversation of basketball — it’s important, man,” DeRozan said. “A lot of people suffer from a lot of things. They’re afraid to share, they’re afraid to bring to the light and be better. It starts very young. It goes a long way. So anything that’s beneficial to (bringing) this to light and being happier, that’s what it’s all about.”
Despite DeRozan’s openness on the issue, his cryptic Instagram story left some fans worried.
“Could this be a reference to his mental health, or is this just something completely unrelated,” a Raptors fan wrote on Reddit. “I hope he’s just enjoying a song but man, hope it’s not him going through something.”
DeMar DeRozan, News Ticker, Toronto Raptors
Carlos Gomez blasts MLB drug testing policy: 'It’s not random'
Aaron Judge passing on Home Run Derby: 'There is no need to do it'
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A.J. Green ‘prepared for anything’ as trade rumors swirl
The Cincinnati Bengals may be on the cusp of a fire sale due to an 0-5 start, and A.J. Green has acknowledged that his time with the organization may be running short.
A report this week from Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports suggested the Bengals are expected to “begin fielding calls for a core group of key players” as early as this week. Green obviously would be part of that group.
The veteran wide receiver, in his ninth season with the organization since being taken with the No. 4 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, addressed the percolating trade rumors this week, which were shared on the Bengals’ official site.
“I tell everybody I haven’t heard anything,” Green says. “I don’t fantasize about anything like that. I’m just trying to get healthy and go from there.”
He also knows it’s a business: “I’m prepared for anything. A trade’s not going to change who I am. I’m still going to play. I’m still going to be A.J.”
Green, in the final year of his contract, has yet to play this season as he continues to recover from ankle surgery. While Green has been declared week-to-week, he has been ruled out of Sunday’s Week 6 showdown with the Baltimore Ravens.
Injuries have derailed Green’s last two seasons, which contributed to contract talks stalling this summer. Still, the 31-year-old wideout at least is publicly expressing a desire to remain with the Bengals as he eyes breaking Chad Johnson’s franchise records for receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns, which would be obtainable should he stay in Cincinnati.
“I want the team records. I want more Pro Bowls. I want all that,” Green says, “so when I leave there is going to be a standard. I still want the yardage, I still want the touchdowns.”
Remaining with the only organization he has known will not be up to Green, however. Whether he survives the impending roster purge remains to be seen, but Green certainly has left his mark on the Bengals if not.
A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals, News Ticker
Stephen Curry takes issue with NBA's 'precise' height mandate
Gardner Minshew not on any roster in his own fantasy league
Tom Brady ’embarrassed’ by salary, plans to move out of New England
Kawhi Leonard used Drake’s L.A. home to recruit Paul George to Clippers
LeBron James posts tribute to son Bronny in wake of fan incident
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The Unbearable Lightness of Being
The Unbearable Lightness of Being Summary
Before we start, you should know that The Unbearable Lightness of Being covers several intersecting plotlines and is told in a non-chronological, non-linear fashion. Additionally, there are frequent breaks in the plot in which the narrator discusses the novel's philosophical themes. We'll try to get the general gist across to you in this brief summary, but there's really no substitute for reading this remarkable and incredibly interesting novel.
The novel begins with a discussion of Friedrich Nietzsche's idea of eternal return. Nietzsche theorized that everything we experience happens an infinite number of times. But if the opposite is true, argues the narrator of The Unbearable Lightness of Being, and if our lives happen only once, then they aren't that significant. They are meaningless and carry no weight. The narrator also considers the question of which is better – lightness or weight? Which do we want?
Now we launch into the story, which takes place in Prague in the late 1960s. We meet Tomas, a 40-year-old doctor who lives in Prague. Tomas is an epic womanizer who is with a new woman every day. He meets, falls in love with, and marries a young woman named Tereza, but doesn't stop sleeping around. He feels that sex and love are two different things, and that he is emotionally faithful to his wife. Tereza is entirely dependent on Tomas; she hates his womanizing but considers herself too weak to leave him. She forms a close relationship with the female dog Tomas buys her, whom she names Karenin (ironically, a male name) after a character in Anna Karenina.
When the Russian army invades Prague in 1968, Tomas and Tereza leave for Zurich. Shortly after the move, however, Tereza breaks down at the thought that Tomas is still cheating on her even in a new city. She returns to Prague. Tomas decides to follow her home, even though Prague is in political turmoil. The narrator breaks from the story to discuss the notion of "es muss sein!," which is taken from a Beethoven motif and translates to "It must be!" Tomas believes that Tereza is a part of his es muss sein, and that he has to be with her. Shortly after returning to Prague, however, he realizes that she is in his life by mere chance. Tomas decides that Tereza was born of fortuity (of a lucky event), and not of some kind of destiny or es muss sein.
Another plotline revolves around Sabina, a painter and one of Tomas's many mistresses. Sabina's sexual prowess rivals that of Tomas. We learn early on that she is a sexual force to be reckoned with. After the Russian invasion, Sabina immigrates to Geneva and takes a lover named Franz, a professor who is married to a not-so-likeable woman. Sabina and Franz's relationship is characterized by hopeless misunderstandings and miscommunication, yet they are happy. Eventually, Franz decides he only wants Sabina and tells his wife about the affair. Sabina quickly leaves Franz, but he ends up happy without her. It turns out that he liked the idea of Sabina more than Sabina herself, so he can worship her from afar now that she is gone. He gets into a serious relationship with a student of his.
The narrator then pauses to explore Sabina's actions. He reasons that her whole life has been a string of betrayals. He wonders if perhaps she is pursuing lightness through the act of betrayal. The narrative then jumps years ahead, to a time when Sabina is living alone in Paris. She learns of the death of Tomas and Tereza and mourns their passing.
The narrative jumps back in time to Tereza and Tomas in Prague after their return from Zurich. Tomas writes an anti-communist article and loses his job at the hospital as a result. He ends up a window washer for two years. Tereza ends up working at a bar. Tomas's womanizing gets worse than ever, and Tereza is haunted by it day and night. At one point, she tries to have meaningless sex with another man to live as Tomas does, but is unable to enjoy it. The narrator explorers Tereza's childhood and the consequences that her relationship with her mother have on her body image. In particular, Tereza resents her body and believes that her "I" (her sense of herself) rests in her hidden soul.
We see the two years in Prague a second time, now with a focus on Tomas's experiences. We learn more about Tomas's refusal to retract his anti-political article, as well as the rationale behind his lifestyle. The narrator claims that both medicine and womanizing are part of Tomas's es muss sein, whereas Tereza was his voluntary choice. Some time after he loses his job, Tomas's adult son from his first marriage contacts him. They have never met before, since Tomas cut off contact with his first wife after their divorce. The son is a political rebel and wants to enlist Tomas's help. After some deliberation, Tomas decides to decline amiably. As time passes, Tomas is aware of the toll his womanizing is taking on Tereza, and he's had just about enough of washing windows. The two of them decide to move to the countryside.
The narrator breaks from the narrative to discuss kitsch, a German term for an aesthetic ideal that denies the existence of the ugly side of life. (The word is German in origin, but has become a part of the American vernacular as well.) We jump for a moment to Sabina ten years later, living in America. Sabina hates communism, the narrator explains, because it is, like all political platforms, a form of kitsch.
Then we jump to Franz and his student-mistress some years after Sabina left him. He is invited to a political protest march, and decides to go because he feels Sabina would have wanted him to. While there, he is mugged and ends up paralyzed in a hospital, unable to move or speak. His old wife, Marie-Claude, takes care of him, though Franz hates her and wants desperately to see his student-lover. When he dies, Marie-Claude makes it seem as though Franz simply had a mid-life crisis, but loved her all along.
We learn that Tomas and Tereza died when they were crushed in a car accident. Tomas's son, who is now given the name Simon, takes care of the funeral. Because Simon has become religious, he puts a religious phrase on Tomas's gravestone, though Tomas never would have wanted that. We learn that Simon writes letters to Sabina, as she is the only person that he knew was close to his father. In America, Sabina writes into her will that she wants to be cremated and scattered to the winds after she dies. Interestingly, she recognizes that Tereza and Tomas died under weight, and she wants to die under lightness.
The narrative again goes back in time to when Tereza and Tomas move to the country. They both work for the community farm; Tomas drives a pick-up truck and Tereza herds cows. The relationship between Tereza and her dog Karenin is explored in great depth, with much philosophizing on the soul of an animal, the nature of happiness, and the passing of time. Karenin ends up getting cancer and is eventually put down. The novel ends when Tereza and Tomas go out dancing with some friends and retire to a hotel room for the night.
Part 1, Chapter 1
The narrator begins by talking about Nietzsche's idea of "eternal return," the theory that everything we experience has happened an infinite number of times already and will continue to repeat itself infinitely.
From this perspective, a life that happens only once and then disappears is meaningless and without weight.
When something is transitory, we can't take it seriously, and so we can't judge it as though it matters.
This makes for a pretty cynical world, where everything is permitted because it happens only once and therefore cannot be judged. The narrator cites Hitler as an example of this sort of "moral perversity."
On the other hand, if our lives are repeated an infinite number of times, everything we do carries with it a great significance, a great weight of responsibility.
For this reason, Nietzsche calls the notion of eternal return "the heaviest of all burdens" (in German, of course).
If heaviness is such a drag, then it's wonderful that we live our lives only once – we get to be nice and light and responsibility-free.
But wait a second…is it really better to be light and responsibility-free?
Maybe not. Take sex, for example – women long to be pinned down by the weight of a man. Weight might mean responsibility, but it also means pleasure and fulfillment and meaning.
So which one is better – lightness or weight?
Parmenides, a philosopher in the sixth century BC, considered this question and decided that lightness was better.
But whether he was right or not remains to be seen.
The first-person narrator reveals that he has been thinking about Tomas for years. But it is only now that he sees him clearly, in the light of these reflections (namely, the novel you're reading about lightness and weight).
He sees Tomas standing in the window of his flat and looking across the courtyard, not knowing what to do.
Tomas met Tereza three weeks prior. They spent an hour together. Ten days later, she visited him, they made love, she got the flu that night, and she stayed at his place for the next week.
Tomas has come to feel love for Tereza. He feels as though she was a child placed in a basket and sent down the river to him.
Now that Tereza has recovered from the flu, Tomas is left unsure of what to do.
Should he invite her to come back to Prague to see him again? He's afraid that if he does, she will offer up her life to him.
He remembers taking care of her while she had the flu; he's pretty sure the way he felt at the time was something akin to love. Unless he was only pretending that the hysteria he felt was love.
He doesn't know what he wants.
"We can never know what we want," interjects the narrator, "because, living only one life, we can neither compare it with our previous lives nor perfect it in our lives to come" (1.3.15).
Instead, "we live everything as it comes, without warning, like an actor going on cold" (1.3.17).
"Einmal ist keinmal," Tomas says to himself – what happens once might as well not happen at all (1.3.18).
And then we come to the intense conclusion: to live life only once, we might as well not have lived at all.
Tomas is a doctor.
Two days after his standing-at-the-window crisis, Tereza calls his hospital and tells him she is at the train station. He is overjoyed.
They make plans to meet the next day.
When they meet, Tereza is carrying a copy of Anna Karenina and has left her suitcase at the train station. She says she's come to Prague to find a job.
Tomas quickly realizes that Tereza's life is in her suitcase, and that she's there to offer up her life to him. He finds the suitcase to be very heavy.
To Tomas's surprise, he takes Tereza home with him. This is against his principles.
Since he divorced his wife ten years ago, he's been the ultimate bachelor. He's designed his entire life in such a way that no woman could ever move in with him. And though he has sex with many women, he refuses to sleep next to them afterwards.
Yet he and Tereza sleep together side by side, holding hands all night long.
Again Tomas thinks of her as a child placed in a basket and sent down the river to him. He feels as though it's his responsibility to take care of her, just as the Pharaoh's daughter took care of Moses.
"Tomas did not realize," says the narrator, "that metaphors are dangerous. Metaphors are not to be trifled with. A single metaphor can give birth to love" (1.4.12).
Tomas had been married for two years and had a son.
His wife got custody in their divorce and always tried to prevent Tomas from seeing his son. Tomas's reaction was to cut both his son and his ex-wife out of his life completely.
Tomas's parents didn't approve, so they cut Tomas out of their life in response.
As a result, Tomas is a fairly isolated guy.
The experience left him with both a fear of and desire for women.
His solution was to create a series of "erotic friendships," in which he could have sex with women but no real romantic relationships.
"The only relationship that can make both partners happy," he believed, "is one in which sentimentality has no place and neither partner makes any claim on the life and freedom of the other" (1.5.5).
To make sure he didn't overstep these bounds with any women, he employed a simple rule of threes. Either you see a woman three times in quick succession and then never again, or you maintain a sexual relationship over many years with each meeting spaced at least three weeks apart.
The women who best understands Tomas is Sabina, a painter.
She likes Tomas, she says, because he is the opposite of kitsch. (There's lots more on kitsch later, so hold that thought.)
In fact, Sabina was such a great mistress, she even found Tereza a job as a favor to Tomas, without jealousy or possessiveness.
The rule in Tomas's sex life is that he can't be in love with anyone.
If he chose one woman to love, then all his mistresses would be jealous, because they were no longer all on an equal plane.
So Tomas's solution is to get Tereza her own apartment, so that none of his other mistresses would know that a woman was spending nights with him ("spending the night together was the corpus delicti of love" (1.6.2)).
Since his divorce Tomas has never fallen asleep with another woman. After sex he always wants to be alone.
That's why he was so surprised at himself for falling asleep with Tereza.
He was even more surprised to find that this made him happy. From then on, the point of making love was more about getting to fall asleep together after. Tereza always held on to some part of Tomas as she slept (like his hand, ankle, pajamas, etc.).
One night he tries to get out of bed while she was half-asleep. She followed him down the stairs of his apartment, took him by the hand, and led him back to bed.
Tomas then concludes that sex and sleeping together are completely different. And love is known only in the latter.
Tomas wakes Tereza up in the middle of the night because she's moaning in her sleep.
She tells him about her dream; she was with him and Sabina in a room with a large bed in the middle, like a platform in a theatre. Tomas made her stand in the corner while he made love to Sabina. Tereza, to distract herself, shoved needles under her fingernails.
The next day, Tomas realizes that Sabina wrote about a similar fantasy (making love to him on a bed on a platform like in a theater, while others watched) in a letter. He realizes that Tereza went through his stuff and confronts her about it.
She admits it, but is still angry at him for cheating.
Tomas's incessant womanizing becomes a major issue. He insists that having sex with other women in no way compromises his love for Tereza.
Tereza is a nervous wreck; the infidelities are taking their toll on her.
Tomas also recognizes that their relationship is totally unequal; he would never let her sleep with another man. He even gets jealous when she dances with another man while they're out one night, as he realizes that she might just as easily have given herself to another man instead of to him (Tomas).
Tereza continues to be haunted by dreams that symbolize her jealousy.
One night she dreams of being clawed by cats, and we're told that in Czech slang the word for "cat" means "pretty woman."
In another dream she and dozens of other naked women are marching around a swimming pool. Tomas stands in a basket hanging from the ceiling shooting orders at them to march and sing. When a woman doesn't obey his orders, he shoots her and she falls into the swimming pool.
In yet another dream, Tereza is dead in a hearse, surrounded by other dead women who talk to her as though they are good friends.
In languages that come from Latin (i.e., the romance languages), the narrator begins, the word "compassion" is formed from the prefix meaning "with" and the word "suffering."
In other languages, like Czech, the main root means "feeling."
According to the romance languages, to love someone out of compassion or pity is a second-rate emotion.
But in the second family of languages, this is not the case. To love someone out of compassion is the greatest kind of love, because it signifies "emotional telepathy."
Had any other women gone through Tomas's letters, as Tereza did, he would have thrown her out.
But Tomas did not throw Tereza out. Instead, he felt the pain of needles under her fingernails that she had felt in her dream.
Part 1, Chapter 10
Tomas is incapable of giving up his erotic friendships and being faithful to Tereza. He also sees no reason to do so, because he doesn't think that they threaten his love for her.
And yet, when he goes out to meet other women, he feels it is distasteful. He can't even bring himself to cheat on her unless he drinks alcohol first.
Unfortunately, Tereza then knows he's cheated every time she smells alcohol on his breath.
Sabina still makes Tomas happy, because he knows she is discreet, and she is a symbol of his bachelor past.
One day, while Tomas and Sabina are having sex, she catches him looking at his watch (he's obviously worried about getting home in time for Tereza).
Afterwards, as he gets dressed, he cannot find his sock.
Sabina lazily tells him that he's becoming the focus of her paintings – the meeting of two different worlds. In Tomas's case, he is part Libertine and lover, and part Tristan, always thinking of his Tereza.
Tomas never finds his sock. He knows that Sabina hid it to get back at him for looking at his watch during sex, so that he would have to go home one sock short.
He realizes that Sabina resents his love for Tereza as much as Tereza resents his lust for Sabina.
"To assuage Tereza's sufferings, [Tomas] married her […] and gave her a puppy" (1.11.1). The female puppy was half Saint Bernard and half German shepherd.
Tomas wants to give the puppy a name that will indicate it belongs to Tereza, not to both of them. Tereza chooses to call it Karenin (a male character from Tolstoy's Anna Karenina) even though the puppy is a girl.
The puppy quickly falls in love with Tereza. Tomas is pleased, as he got the dog to share some of the responsibility to love her.
Yet, in the long run, Tomas would still fail to make Tereza happy. He realizes this years later, in August of 1968, ten days after his country is occupied by Russia, when the director of a hospital in Zurich kept offering Tomas a job.
Tomas knows that if he turns down the job offer, it is for Tereza's sake.
During the first week of the occupation, she had gone around the streets taking pictures of the Russian tanks and giving the film to foreign journalists. She seems almost happy.
But she tells Tomas that she would be fine with leaving the country with him. The "general euphoria" of the first week of occupation quickly turns to "drunken a carnival of hate" (1.12.9). Alexander Dubcek, the temporary leader of Czechoslovakia, has returned to Prague from Moscow, having been put under the thumb of the Russians.
It's clear to Tereza that her country has to submit to Russian forces.
Tomas asks if Tereza is bothered by the fact that Sabina has also immigrated to Switzerland. Tereza responds that they will be in Zurich while Sabina is in Geneva, so she will be less trouble than she was when they all lived in Prague.
And so the couple moves to Zurich.
Tomas is soon in touch with Sabina. She had a show for her paintings a week after she moved to Geneva that sold out completely. Because Tomas can't get away to see her, she comes to Zurich to see him.
Tomas goes to see her in her hotel room after work. She opens the door wearing lingerie and a black bowler hat. Without saying a word, he takes the hat off her head and the two of them make love.
Going home that night, Tomas realizes that Tereza and Sabina "represent the two poles of his life, separate and irreconcilable, yet equally appealing" (1.13.5).
Tereza continues to be haunted by nightmares. One night Tomas comes home for work to find her gone. She left a note saying that she went back to Prague, that she was silly for thinking she could make it living abroad. She realized she was weighing Tomas down and didn't want to any longer. She took Karenin with her.
Tomas realizes that at this point, the borders to Czechoslovakia are closed; Tereza's departure is definite because there's no way she can come back to Switzerland.
Tomas goes out to lunch to think things over. He decides that this was the best way for their relationship to end. She came into his life seven years earlier, uninvited, with a heavy suitcase, and she left of her own accord, with her heavy suitcase.
His love for Tereza was a beautiful thing, he knows, but also exhausting. He hated having to hide things from her and apologize all the time.
She did in fact weigh him down; now that she is gone, he is free, he is light, he is in "Parmenides' magic field" and enjoying "the sweet lightness of being" (1.14.8).
And yet, he does not call Sabina, or find another woman to celebrate his bachelor freedom. "Perhaps," surmises the narrator, "he sensed that any woman would make his memory of Tereza unbearably painful" (1.14.8).
Tomas keeps up this perspective for about two days. Then he sees Tereza everywhere. He can't stop thinking about her. He feels as though she's infected with compassion and he cannot be rid of it.
So for two days Tomas enjoys lightness; but after that he is "hit by a weight the likes of which he has never known […], for there is nothing heavier than compassion." (1.15.4). On the fifth day after Tereza's departure, Tomas quits his job at the hospital in order to return to Prague to find Tereza.
The director of the hospital is offended, but Tomas just tells him, "Es muss sein."
The line is from Beethoven's last quartet, and means, "It must be." The narrator points out that this is Tomas's first step back to Tereza, because she is the one who introduced him to Beethoven's music.
Unlike Parmenides, Beethoven thought that weight was something positive. Necessity, weight, and value were all bound together for him. If something has no weight, it is not important or valuable. A hero, in Beethoven's mind, was a man who bore his fate the way Atlas bore the weight of the world on his shoulders.
When Tomas crosses the Czech borders he has to wait for a stream of Russian tanks to go by before he can pass.
He wonders for how long he will be tortured by his compassion for Tereza. He can't even decide whether or not to follow his compassion, since he has only one life to live and cannot test different hypotheses.
When he gets to their old place, he no longer feels the urge to fall into Tereza's arms. Instead, "he fancie[s] himself standing opposite her in the midst of a snowy plain, the two of them shivering from the cold" (1.16.10).
Tomas has trouble sleeping in Prague because Russian military planes fly overhead during the night.
Instead, he spends his nights thinking. He remembers when Tereza told him that, had she not fallen in love with him (with Tomas), she would have fallen in love instead with Tomas's friend Z.
Tomas realizes that it is only by chance that Tereza fell in love with him and not his friend. In fact, there are any number of other men she could have fallen in love with.
We all like to think that our love has weight, and that it belongs to the realm of Beethoven's "Es muss sein!"
But in fact, Tomas and Tereza's love isn't so much an "It must be!" as an "It could just as well be otherwise."
Tomas thinks back to all the random events that had to occur seven years earlier to bring him and Tereza together. It had taken six chance happenings, all combined together just right.
He sees Tereza as "the personification of absolute fortuity" (1.17.7). (You can think of a "fortuity" as a lucky or chance happening.)
As Tereza lies snoring beside him, Tomas feels no compassion. Instead, he feels "pressure in his stomach and the despair of having returned" (1.17.9).
"It would be senseless of the author to try to convince the reader that his characters once actually lived," begins the narrator.
Characters are born of "a stimulating phrase or two from a basic situation" (2.1.1). Tomas, for example, was born of the "Es muss sein!", whereas Tereza was born from the rumbling of a stomach.
When Tereza went up to Tomas's apartment for the first time, she was embarrassed that her stomach was rumbling.
Tereza's stomach rumbling reveals "the irreconcilable duality of body and soul" (2.2.1).
Before we understood the body scientifically, man could not identify himself with so foreign an object.
But now that we understand the body, we can't simply imagine it as a cage, and can't pretend that our real self is the soul buried inside. The soul and the body are mixed up together.
Except not in Tereza's case. She had just fallen in love with Tomas, and then her stomach rumbled.
The contrast between something so spiritual and something so physical wrenched a divide between her soul and her body.
Tereza tries to see herself through her body. Ever since she was a little girl, she's been standing in front of the mirror, experiencing "amazement at seeing her own 'I.'" She thinks she can see her soul shining through her body.
Sometimes, however, Tereza is upset to see her mother's features staring back at her in the mirror. She tries to wish them away.
The narrator admits that he sometimes has the feeling that Tereza's life is a mere of her mother's.
When Tereza's mother was four, her father (Tereza's grandfather) said that she was as beautiful as Raphael's Madonna. Tereza's mother, from then on, sat around and thought about which paintings she was like.
When it was time for her to marry, she had to choose from nine suitors. Each one had a different strong suit (the strongest, the richest, the handsomest, etc.). Tereza's mother went with the most manly of the nine, not because he was manly, but because he had gotten her pregnant. Of course, at that point, all other eight suitors looked like better choices.
Tereza's mother was distraught to find herself getting older and less attractive. To make herself feel better, she began an affair with an unmanly man who as far as we can tell was not such a great guy.
This left Tereza and her manly father pretty much to their own devices. Tereza's father was brash and arrested by the Communist police for his outspoken political opinions. He ended up in prison and then died, which left Tereza alone with her mother.
At this point, Tereza's mother was widowed, old, unattractive, and unhappy. She took it out on her daughter, on whom she blamed her whole mess of a life.
Tereza soon learned that to be a mother was to make a sacrifice, and to be a daughter was to personify guilt.
When Tereza was fifteen, her mother took her out of school. She went to work as a waitress and gave all her money to her mother, eager to do anything she could to earn her mother's love. She basically ran their household as well.
Her mother used to walk around the house naked. She had no shame.
Tereza did, and it used to bother her that her stepfather would walk in to the bathroom all the time when she was bathing. Tereza's shame made her mother angry; who did Tereza think she was? Why did she feel the need to safeguard her beauty?
Tereza's mother used to make fun of her publicly for her shame at the human body.
Tereza's mother used to flaunt her lack of shame. The narrator interprets this as "a single grand gesture, a casting off of youth and beauty" (2.7.1). She used "her new immodesty to draw a dividing line through her life and proclaim that youth and beauty were overrated and worthless" (2.7.2).
Tereza's life seems to the narrator to be a continuation of her mother's gesture of casting off her youth and beauty.
Because Tereza's mother blamed Tereza for the way her life turned out, she insisted on keeping Tereza trapped with her in a world of immodesty, "a vast concentration camp of bodies," as punishment.
This is why Tereza looks in the mirror as she does; she longs to be "a body unlike other bodies," to find within her body her "sad, timid, self-effacing soul" (2.8.2).
Consider the day that she met Tomas. She was working as a waitress, her body was tired, and her soul lay somewhere in the pit of her stomach.
And then she saw Tomas. He seemed special to her because he had an open book on the table.
Books are special to Tereza; in her eyes, they are "emblematic of a secret brotherhood" (2.8.4). When she was a child, they were a way of escaping from the world of her mother. Reading them made her different from others.
The narrator notes that the books indeed made Tereza different, but they also made her old-fashioned.
Anyway, when Tomas appeared to Tereza, her soul rose from the pit of her stomach to show itself to him.
Now we return to Tomas after he's come back to Prague from Zurich to be with Tereza again. Remember that he feels uneasy about the fact that he and Tereza are only together as the result of "six improbable fortuities" (2.9.1). But, the narrator asks, isn't an event more significant, the greater number of fortuities it takes to bring it about?
Indeed, it is chance that has a real message for us. Things that happen out of necessity are mute, but chance can speak to us.
When Tereza came over to Tomas's table at the restaurant, he asked for a drink, and she heard Beethoven come on the radio. Beethoven had long been a symbol to her of that secret world she longed to be a part of.
If love is to be unforgettable, argues the narrator, "fortuities must immediately start fluttering down to it like birds to Francis of Assisi's shoulders" (2.9.7).
After his drink Tomas asked Tereza to charge it to his room at the hotel, room number six.
Tereza remembered that she used to live in a house numbered six, and she told Tomas that this is a coincidence, since her shift ends at six.
He responded that his train leaves at seven.
After her shift, Tereza found Tomas sitting on a park bench (her favorite one) across the restaurant.
She took this to be another sign, and believes that this man is her fate.
He calls to her; "the crew of her soul rushed up to the deck of her body," and he gave her his card should she ever find herself in Prague (2.10.11).
All these fortuities combined to give Tereza the courage to go to Prague to see Tomas.
We are daily bombarded with coincidences, explains the narrator, and we don't notice most of them. But for Tereza, love "inflamed her sense of beauty," making everything around her take on a sense of beauty.
In the book, Anna Karenina, which Tereza carried with her to Prague, Anna and Vronsky meet in a train station, where someone is run over by a train. At the end of the novel, Anna throws herself under a train. This is a very symmetrical composition, says the narrator, and it probably seems very "novelistic" to you.
The narrator is willing to agree that it is very literary, but warns you against calling it contrived or fabricated. "Human lives," he argues, "are composed in precisely such a fashion" (2.11.3).
In fact, human lives are composed like music.
A given motif takes up a permanent place in a person's life (Beethoven is Tereza's motif) and without knowing it, "the individual composes his life according to the laws of beauty" (2.11.4).
Therefore we shouldn't criticize novels for being contrived when such coincidences occur; we can only criticize man for being blind to such coincidences in real life.
When you ignores these kinds of coincidences, you deprive your life of beauty.
Soon after her fortuitous meeting with Tomas, Tereza takes a week off from waitressing and goes to Prague to find him.
During the train ride, she looks at herself in the mirror and begs her soul not to retreat from the surface of her body.
She started to feel sick and hoped she wasn't coming down with something.
When Tomas opened the door to her, her stomach began rumbling. She was terribly embarrassed, but Tomas kissed her and they ended up making love.
Tereza had a fever and quickly showed symptoms of the flu.
The second time she came to Prague, Tereza brought with her a heavy suitcase. She brought all her stuff, determined never to return to her small home-town.
She kept Anna Karenina under her arm as she traveled. She considered the novel her ticket into Tomas's world.
Again, she went over to his place and they made love.
Tereza screamed while she and Tomas made love. It was not an expression of sensuality, explains the narrator, rather it was aimed at "crippling the senses, preventing all seeing and hearing" (2.13.1).
She was trying to banish all contradictions, including the duality of her body and soul.
She fell asleep clutching Tomas's hand. Ever since she was a girl, she fell asleep by pretending she was holding the hand of the man she loved.
As a young woman, because she was running her household and waitressing, Tereza "stored up great reserves of vitality" (2.14.1). She learned a lot about life though she was not a formal student.
As a result, she threw herself into life in Prague with great energy, though she worried someone would know she didn't belong there.
Tereza quickly got a job developing photographs, though she really wanted to take photographs. Sabina helped her develop an artistic sense, and she started taking photos on her own.
One night, Tomas admitted to being jealous watching Tereza dance with his friend. Tereza was pleased with his jealousy. But later, when Tereza became jealous herself, Tomas saw it as a burden.
The narrator returns to Tereza's dream of marching around the pool while Tomas shouted orders and shot those who disobeyed.
For Tereza, the horror of the dream was the naked marching part. This stems from her childhood, when her mother never let her have her shame.
She was also horrified that the women were all singing in unison, rejoicing that they had no individuality.
Why was Tomas the one shooting them? Because Tereza came to him to make her and her body unique. But by cheating on her, Tomas does to other women the same things he does to Tereza's body. In this way, he sends her to march naked with the other women.
Teresa's dreams are clearly an accusation against Tomas.
Dreams don't just exist for communication, however – they are also beautiful in and of themselves.
Tomas laments that Tereza dreams of death so often. She responds that there's nothing she can do about it, though she knows Tomas loves her and that his infidelities are "no great tragedy" (2.16.5).
"Anyone whose goal is something higher," begins the narrator, "must expect someday to suffer vertigo" (2.17.1). Vertigo, he explains, is not the fear of falling, but rather the desire to fall.
Tereza experiences this – a longing to "renounce her fate and soul," to "dismiss the crew of her soul from the deck of her body," to march naked around the pool singing with other women (2.17.2).
Tereza would have done anything for her mother's love.
Now that she was with Tomas, she got letters from her mother regularly, and they made her want to return home. This is her vertigo, her desire to fall.
When Tereza finds out that her mother has cancer, she is even more angry at Tomas; she feels as though she's abandoned her mother for a man who doesn't even love her enough to be faithful. She prepares to take a trip to see her mother.
But Tomas, being a doctor, does some hunting around and discovers that Tereza's mother does not have cancer. He stops her from going on the trip.
Tereza begins accidentally hurting herself by tripping or falling; this is a manifestation of her vertigo. But Tomas always picks her up.
Tereza remembers the fantasy Sabina outlined to Tomas in the letter she discovered (in which Sabina and Tomas make love on a stage). Tereza is now excited by the thought and repeats Sabina's words to Tomas while they make love.
She considers that, if Tomas took her along on his affairs, she would no longer feel betrayed.
She and Tomas would be one, and other women would merely be their playthings.
So Tereza takes a first step in befriending Sabina. She offers to take photographs of Sabina in Sabina's studio.
Sabina shows her some of her paintings from a series she calls "Behind the Scenes."
On the surface they depict a realistic world, and underneath something mysterious or abstract.
Tereza admires the artwork and the artist.
Next to Sabina's head is a wig-stand bearing a bowler hat.
Sabina explains to Tereza that the hat used to belong to her grandfather. The women decide that Sabina should wear it while Tereza takes photographs of her.
After a few shots, Tereza suggests that Sabina undress for some nude photos. Sabina has a drink, talks about her grandfather and his bowler hat, and then undresses.
Tereza's camera serves as "both a mechanical eye through which to observe Tomas's mistress and a veil by which to conceal her face from her" (2.22.1).
After Sabina has posed for nude photos, she takes the camera from Teresa and tells her that it's her turn to strip.
Tereza notes that Sabina uses the same command ("Strip!") that Tomas uses on women.
Tereza obeys, "intoxicated" by the "beauty" of submitting completely to another person's commands (2.22.4).
After a few photos, Tereza bursts out laughing, and the two women get dressed.
Before the 1968 Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia, the narrator tells us, Russian crimes were masked, hidden. But in 1968, there were photographers everywhere documenting the Russians' actions.
Tereza was one of these photographers. Many of her pictures ended up published.
Tereza took her photographs with her to Switzerland, looking to get them published.
The editor was kind but refused them on the grounds that they were out of date. Tereza was still in his office when a female employee dropped off an article on nudist beaches.
The editor nearly apologized to Tereza for publishing something so trivial (nude beaches) and refusing her serious photos.
But Tereza says, without explanation, that the nude beach photos are the same as her photos of the tanks invading Prague.
The editor doesn't understand what she means.
Tereza thinks about her mother walking around naked when she was a little girl, and how she used to try to close the curtains to their apartment to hide her.
The woman photographer who had dropped off the nude beach article took Tereza out to coffee and told her that, from what she'd seen of Tereza's photographs, she would be an excellent fashion photographer.
But Tereza isn't interested. She knows her enthusiasm for photography is just an excuse to get at something higher, to be part of Tomas's world.
The pictures of the Russian invasion are different, however.
She did not take them for Tomas. She took them out of hatred. And no one wanted to publish them because they were out of date, and the situation (the invasion) would never recur.
Tereza explains to the woman that she doesn't want a trivial job taking photographs, and that she's fine staying at home because her husband can support her.
The other woman calls her anachronistic (i.e., out-of-date, belonging to another time) in response.
So Tereza ended up staying at home with Karenin.
She thought a lot about Dubcek, the leader of her country, and how he was taken away by the Russians and sounded so defeated when he returned. Everyone felt humiliated by his defeat.
But in Zurich Tereza no longer felt shame at her leader's weakness. "She realized that she belonged among the weak, in the camp of the weak, in the country of the weak, and that she had to be faithful to them" (2.26.4).
When she was upset one night, Tomas tried to comfort her. She told him she wanted him to be twenty years older. She meant that she wanted him to be weak like her.
Karenin did not like the move to Switzerland. Dogs don't like change, because time for them is circular, not linear.
Karenin helped Tereza to hold on, because the dog was weaker than she, and she felt she needed to take care of him.
One day, a woman calls their flat looking or Tomas, while he is at work. Tereza doesn't know who the woman is. She realizes it could just be a secretary or something insignificant, but it's too much for her. She can't bear being in a foreign country, dependent totally on Tomas, having nowhere to turn should he abandon her.
She decides that she is too weak to live with Tomas, and so that's why she returns to Prague.
On the train on the way back to Prague, Tereza thinks about the cook at the restaurant where she used to work. He used to sexually harass her all the time at work. She thought of showing up and offering herself to him, because that would mean that she no longer belonged to Tomas.
This was vertigo; her longing to destroy her past.
In this sense, explains the narrator, vertigo is an intoxication of the weak.
But five days after she returns to Prague, Tomas shows up again. She's been waiting for him, but cannot bring herself to tell him this.
We return to the present time, when Tomas and Tereza are together again in Prague.
Tereza wakes up in the middle of the night and realizes that she is now responsible for Tomas, because he came back to Prague for her. She's not sure she has to strength to shoulder this responsibility.
But then she remembers the fortuities on the day they met. Her sense of beauty cures her depression and "imbue[s] her with a new will to live" (2.29.5).
Franz is a professor at a University in Geneva. On his way home from a lecture, he stops to see his mistress in her studio.
He never makes love to her in Geneva, however, because he feels it would be disrespectful to go from her bed to his wife's bed in the same day.
Franz fell in love with his mistress several months ago. He tries to carve out a space for her that is separate from the rest of his life. Whenever he travels to give lectures or attend conferences, he brings his mistress with him.
Today, he asks her if she'll go to Palermo with him. She responds that she prefers Geneva. He interprets this to mean that she doesn't want him anymore.
He wonders how he can be so insecure with his mistress when he is so secure in all other aspects of his life.
The narrator offers an explanation: for Franz, love is the opposite of his public life.
It means offering yourself up to your lover and constantly expecting a blow.
Franz's painter-mistress pours them a drink and Franz realized that she does want him, just at home and not abroad.
He sees that she's violating the zone of purity he set up around her.
His lover takes off her shirt and fixes Franz with a gaze. This confuses him. She seems to be asking him something, but he doesn't know what. She puts on a bowler hat and stares at herself in the mirror.
Finally he takes the hat off her head, kisses her, and gets her to agree to go to Palermo with him.
Then he leaves and goes home.
The mistress, a.k.a. Sabina, now alone, puts the hat back on her head and returns to staring at herself in the mirror.
She remembers once standing next to Tomas, wearing the hat and lingerie, and staring at the mirror. They were both excited by what they saw.
Tomas was fully dressed. The hat symbolized violence against Sabina, because she was nearly naked and her femininity was ridiculed by its masculinity.
The narrator wants to talk some more about the hat. It reminds Sabina of her grandfather and her father. It is a sexual prop with Tomas and marks her individuality. It also has sentimental value for her and Tomas, as it is a testament to their shared past together.
Consider Sabina's life a musical composition; the hat is a motif. Each time it reappears, it does so with a new meaning.
When people meet when they are young, says the narrator, their musical compositions are still developing, and they can exchange motifs, as Sabina and Tomas did.
But if they meet when they are older, as Sabina and Franz, every motif means something different to them. That is why Franz was so confused by Sabina's actions.
And it was not the first time. The narrator has composed an entire lexicon of their misunderstandings.
The first word is "Woman." Sabina didn't choose to be a woman; to her it is just a fact of being female. For Franz, it is a value. Not every woman is a woman. Once he told Sabina, "You are a woman," and this meant nothing to her and everything to him.
Franz's wife is named Marie-Claude. Early in their relationship she threatened to kill herself if he ever left her. This fascinated him, though he didn't like her that much.
In Franz's mind, the value of woman is based on his mother, who was abandoned by his father. He stays with Marie-Claude because he wants to respect the woman in her.
The next entry in the lexicon is "Fidelity and Betrayal."
Franz was all about fidelity; he felt it gave meaning to a life. He prides his faithfulness on his mother.
Sabina is more taken with the idea of betrayal. Fidelity reminds her of her father, a small-town Puritan who was very strict. She reveled in the idea of finally being able to betray him when she was old enough. When she got older, Communism became another father that she wanted to betray.
Later, when she felt guilty for betraying her father, she wanted to betray her own betrayal. And so began a long chain of betrayal after betrayal for Sabina.
Next in the lexicon is "Music." For Franz, music is an example of Dionysian beauty. It is intoxicating and it liberates him.
Sabina doesn't like the music of her day. She associates it with the loud, obnoxious songs students used to play at her art school. To her modern music was ugly.
Franz, who talks for a living (by giving lectures), realizes that words are imprecise, and loves music because it is "the anti-word" (3.3.26).
The final entry is "Light and Darkness." Sabina dislikes extremes, including extreme light or dark. To live is to see, and she doesn't want to be blinded.
Franz is attracted by darkness and brightness. He always closes his eyes at the moment of penetration during sex, because to him darkness is infinite and boundless. But Sabina finds the fact that he closes his eyes at this moment to be distasteful. She thinks to close your eyes is to negate or refuse what you see.
Sabina was once taken to a gathering of other Czech émigrés. They were all standing around talking about how the right thing to do was fight back against the Russians. Sabina tells them that they ought to go back and take up arms.
This leads to some finger pointing against Sabina. Who is she to talk? She didn't oppose the Russians; all she did was paint.
Sabina listens to a grey-haired man talking and knows that all he cares about is everyone else's political profile, not how good they are at whatever they do for a living.
Because Sabina is a painter, she has an eye for detail. She knows this type of man – there are others like him, and they all have long index fingers they use to point at other people. She tells the grey-haired man he looks like President Novotny and then leaves the gathering.
Sabina wonders what binds her to the other Czech émigrés. "The only things that [hold] them together," she decides, are "their defeats and the reproaches they address to one another" (3.4.9).
She realizes she's not being fair; there are many other émigrés who, unlike the grey-haired man, are not finger-pointers. But remember that Sabina is attracted by betrayal. By resenting the other émigrés, she is betraying her country.
Sooner or later, her string of betrayals will have to come to an end.
Sabina gets onto a train where she meets Franz for their trip to Amsterdam. She wants to tell him to make her his slave, but she is too reserved to do this.
Instead, she tells him that he makes her happy.
Chapter 5 is a continuation of the Short Dictionary of Misunderstood Words. We start with "Parades."
Sabina's father used to force her to march in Communist parades. She hated them.
Franz lives a stifled, professional life. For him, parades represent freedom. He loves them. He considers his own book-ish life to be unreal, not realizing that the parades and demonstrations he loves are only carnivals and theatre.
When the Russians invaded Czechoslovakia, her friends were amazed that Sabina didn't want to fight against the invading forces. Sabina couldn't explain that the same force lies behind both communism and fascism, a "pervasive evil" the image of which is people marching in a parade with their fists raised.
We then have "The Beauty of New York"
Sabina and Franz have been to New York together. Sabina likes the incongruities of different things in the city, as they remind her of her paintings.
Franz thinks the beauty of New York is unintentional and fortuitous, whereas European cities have such a premeditated feel to them.
Sabina understands this idea of "beauty by mistake." Her first "mature" painting came about because she accidentally dripped red paint across the canvas.
Do they at last agree on something then?
No. Sabina is attracted by New York's accidental beauty; Franz is frightened by it and longs for home.
The next entry in the lexicon is "Sabina's Country"
Franz admires Sabina's country. (Remember that he feels as though parades and political activism are a real alternative to his fake and bookish life.)
Sabina disagrees; protest and political drama don't mean anything, she says. It is Franz's life of peace and quiet that is admirable.
But Franz thinks that, in academia, "culture is perishing in overproduction" of theses and research. He has a weakness for revolution, because it represents to him a life of daring and courage. Much of his attraction to Sabina has to do with her association with this kind of life.
The last entry in this chapter is "Cemetery"
The only thing Sabina likes in her own country are the cemeteries, which are like gardens. She likes that they are always peaceful even in times of turmoil.
Franz thinks cemeteries are ugly dumps of stones and bones.
Franz's wife, Marie-Claude, is throwing a party at their home. She owns a private gallery and has invited all the artists who display work in it.
We get a good sense of Marie-Claude's character when she tells a group of captive guests that, after she was in an accident, she enjoyed her time in the hospital because she got to read day and night.
Franz knows that she fell into a deep depression in the hospital and complained incessantly.
Franz is nervous waiting for Sabina to show up. Marie-Claude has met her before, but in general Sabina avoids the woman, who doesn't know about the affair.
Franz's eighteen-year-old daughter, Marie-Anne, is also at the party, acting rather rudely toward an artist with whom she is conversing (she's whistling while he talks to her).
Franz resents that his daughter is so much like his wife and wishes that she could be more like him instead.
Sabina shows up. Marie-Claude greets her and then declares that the pendant Sabina is wearing is terribly ugly.
Everyone laughs, and it's clear Marie-Claude didn't mean to be combative.
Franz wonders why his wife said this, and realizes that she did it because she is socially above Sabina.
Sabina depended on Marie-Claude to show her work in the gallery, but Marie-Claude did not depend on Sabina. Her comment served the purpose of reinforcing the balance of power between them.
Chapter 7 is the last part of the "Dictionary of Misunderstood Words," starting with "The Old Church in Amsterdam."
On one side of an old street in Amsterdam is a large, gothic church. It's been emptied out completely, except for a few stalls that were placed there for the rich during services.
On the other side of the street are a series of brothels. The prostitutes lounge in lingerie in the windows, displaying themselves to the world outside.
Franz is fascinated by the church because of its historical weight.
Sabina is reminded of the castles in her hometown, Bohemia, after the Communist coup. They were emptied out, as is this church. She knows that the rich got to sit in the stalls, while the poor had to stand. Yet she tells Franz that the beggars and the wealthy were united by a shared hatred of beauty.
When Franz hears the word "beauty," he thinks of the vanity of art and culture propagated by people like his wife.
Sabina remembers leaving the city one day when she was younger and escaping to the country on a rented motorcycle. She went into a church where a service was taking place and sat in the back. She didn't find God there, but she found beauty.
It was beautiful to her because the church seemed to be a world betrayed. This is how Sabina defines beauty: a world betrayed. The only way to find it is to demolish the scenery, to look behind the loud May Day parades, where it is hiding.
Franz, on the other hand, likes the emptiness of the old church in Amsterdam because it is empty of all the "vanity of culture," of people like his wife.
The next entry is "Strength"
One day, in bed together, Sabina admires Franz's muscles. But she knows that his strength is only physical. He is weak when it comes to the people that he loves. This weakness is his goodness. He could never order Sabina to strip the way that Tomas does, because he is not strong enough.
Then again, Sabina knows that she could never put up with a man who ordered her about all the time. She decides that no man, strong or weak, would be good for her.
In Sabina's mind, physical love can't exist without violence. In Franz's mind, love means renouncing strength. She knows that his take on this matter "disqualifies him from her love life" (3.7.26).
The last entry in the lexicon is "Living in Truth"
Franz has been living in lies since he met Sabina nine months earlier, because he hides the affair from his wife. His private life is a life of lies.
For Sabina, the public life is a life of lies, because living publicly means putting forth a certain false, crafted image. For her, only the private life can be a life of truth.
Franz thinks the only way he can live in truth is to break down the barriers between his private and public life. And so he tells his wife about his affair with Sabina right before he leaves for the trip to Geneva. This makes him feel lighter.
Sabina feels as though Franz has destroyed their privacy. She has no interest in being viewed publicly as Marie-Claude's rival.
Now that her life is public, she has to start cultivating a public image, which means living in lies.
But she assures Franz that she is not angry. That night, she turns off the light before getting into bed with him. This should have tipped him off that something was wrong, but he doesn't notice (because he makes love with his eyes closed anyway).
Sabina couldn't stand to look at his closed eyes any longer. When he closed his eyes, he became just a body without a soul, and this disgusted her.
Sabina knows that Franz is the best, kindest man she's ever had. But she wants to defile his kindness.
That night they make love and she feels a longing for betrayal, for freedom.
The narrator points out that both are "drunk on betrayal" – Sabina for betraying Franz and Franz for betraying his wife (3.8.14).
When Franz gets home from his trip, he wonders if his wife is OK. He goes home to find her there.
She tells him that she's fine, and has no problem with him leaving to move in with Sabina.
Franz is disappointed. He stayed married to Marie-Claude all this time because he thought she couldn't handle him leaving her. And now she seems to be fine with everything.
He gives his lecture that afternoon and then goes to Sabina's place. No one comes to the door when he rings. He feels he can't go home, so he takes a hotel for the night.
The next day he looks for Sabina again and finds that she's left town. The movers refuse to give him her new address. So Franz rents himself a small flat.
Franz moves on with his life and starts to forget about Marie-Claude.
Eventually he realizes that, contrary to expectations, he is not unhappy. He doesn't need Sabina's physical presence. Instead, "what was important was the golden footprint, the magic footprint she had left on his life and no one could ever remove" (3.9.18). Sabina helped him sweep everything he didn't like out of his life.
In fact, Franz had always preferred the unreal to the real. Now that he lives with Sabina's ethereal presence, he doesn't have to worry about losing her love.
His newfound independence makes him very attractive to women, and one of his students falls in love with him.
Franz ends up in a relationship with the student. She loves and admires him the way he once did Sabina.
He decides he wants to marry her and goes to his wife to get a divorce; she refuses to give it to him on the grounds that "love is a battle" and she intends to keep fighting (2.9.29). Franz tells her he doesn't feel like fighting, and leaves.
Sabina ends up moving to Paris. She's melancholy, but it's hard to explain why. She left a man and he didn't come after her. Her melancholy is not that of weight, says the narrator, but of lightness.
She's always found joy in betrayals – but now what does she have left to betray? She is surrounded by emptiness. Was that her goal?
Our goals are always hidden from us, says the narrator. What was Sabina's goal – the unbearable lightness of being? If so, her departure from Geneva brought her closer to it.
Three years after she moved to Paris, Sabina gets a letter from Tomas's son in Prague informing her that Tomas and Tereza have died.
For the past few years, the letter explains, Tomas and Tereza have been living in a farm village. They died in a car accident when Tomas's pickup truck careened down a steep incline.
To Sabina, this means that "the last link to her past had been broken" (3.10.7).
Sabina decides to calm herself by walking in a cemetery. She drops a flower into a grave and notices how deep it is. The stone next to the grave makes her feel horrified. She later figures out that the weight of the stone on the grave is the problem. It keeps the dead where they are.
After her father died, Sabina spoke to him and felt as though he forgave her for her betrayal. He wouldn't have been able to do this if there had been a heavy stone over his grave.
She wonders about Tomas and Tereza's grave. She remembers her painting and how Tomas was half Don Juan and half Tristan. She feels that he died as Tristan.
She misses Franz, and remembers that he couldn't understand her love of cemeteries. She wishes she had been more patient with him. Maybe if they had stayed together longer, their respective dictionaries of words would have melded.
Sabina decides to leave Paris, in part because she doesn't want to die in a place where they cover your grave with a stone. "In the mind of a woman for whom no place is home the thought of an end to all flight is unbearable" (3.10.18).
Franz's circle of friends knows about his student-lover and his separated wife Marie-Claude. But no one knows about Sabina. Marie-Claude didn't want word to get out because Sabina was so much more beautiful than she.
Franz doesn't even have any mementos of Sabina after her departure. This makes him want to remain faithful to her. Even when he's with his student-lover, he's thinking of Sabina. Yet he doesn't feel he's doing wrong by his young lover; "he nourished the cult of Sabina more as religion than as love" (3.11.7).
His student-lover is young and has not yet developed her own musical motifs. She is grateful to take on Franz's. The only thing she doesn't adopt, indeed does not understand, is his love of countries occupied by the Russian empire.
Franz once takes her to a meeting on Geneva of Czech émigrés. Franz sees in the speaker a secret messenger, an intermediary between him and his goddess, Sabina.
(We now jump back in time to when Tomas and Tereza are still alive.)
Tereza comes home late one night and gets into bed with Tomas. She smells something curious on his hair, and soon realizes that it is the smell of another woman's sex organs.
The next morning, Karenin wakes up with the six o'clock alarm ready to start the morning ritual (in which she takes a walk with Tereza and fights with Tomas for a roll). But this morning, Tomas is busy listening intently to the radio.
The program Tomas is listening to is a montage of recordings; private conversations of Czechs recorded on secret bugging devices and brought back to Prague.
Tomas says that it all started with Jan Prochazka, a 40-year-old Czech novelist who in the 60s was outwardly criticizing public affairs. After the Russian invasion, the press tried to silence him with a smear campaign, but this just made the people like him more. Finally, the radio broadcast Prochazka's private, bugged conversations in which he made fun of many of his friends.
Tomas is disgusted and thinks that such a violation of privacy could only happen in Prague. But Tereza tells him that, when she was fourteen, she kept a secret diary. Her mother found it one day and read it aloud to all her friends during lunch.
Tomas always wants Tereza to stay in bed in the morning and let him have breakfast alone. But she never does, because it's really the only time of the day she can spend time with him.
One morning, after Tomas goes to work, Tereza gets ready to go to the sauna. It's raining, so she makes her way through streets crowded with umbrellas. She notes that the umbrella-bearing women are particularly aggressive.
Tereza remembers taking photographs of these same women when the Russians invaded. They were taking a sexual vengeance on the celibate Russian soldiers by parading around in miniskirts. Tereza used to admire them.
Tereza walks into Old Town Square, where the old town hall lies in ruins. The people of Prague left the ruined building as a monument to their suffering.
Tereza is reminded of her mother and her perverse need to parade her suffering and personal ugliness.
She feels as though her mother's world is coming back to her. It's becoming a concentration camp, which is what she used to call her mother's world.
In her mind, a concentration camp is "the complete obliteration of privacy" (4.4.3). We are born into a concentration camp and "can escape only with the greatest of efforts" (4.4.3).
In the sauna, Tereza sits next to two naked women with large breasts. She wonders if these women also looked at themselves in the mirror, as Tereza did, trying to see her soul through her body.
Tereza leaves the sauna room to get dressed. She looks at herself in the mirror and decides that, unlike the woman with large breasts, there's nothing monstrous about her body. She's glad she has small breasts, but she dislikes her large nipples.
The narrator asks what would happen if Tereza's body changed – would she still be herself?
Yes, he answers. Her soul inside would still be the same. If this is true, he asks, then what is the relationship between Tereza and her body?
These are the questions that Tereza has been asking herself since she was a little girl.
They are questions with no answers, and they are serious.
Questions with no answers, says the narrator, are the questions that "set the limits of human possibilities" and "describe the boundaries of human existence" (4.6.7).
Tereza, still staring into the mirror, is disgusted by her body, because it "lacks the power to become the only body in Tomas's life" (4.6.8).
She believes that it is because of the inadequacy of her body that she has to smell another woman on Tomas all night long.
Tereza wants to dismiss her body so that she can stay on with Tomas only as a soul.
Tereza goes home. We learn that, after she came back from Zurich, she ended up working at a bar at a hotel with other professionals who had been fired from their jobs on account of politics.
At the end of her shift Tereza says good-bye to the ambassador, who works the night shift. He is speaking with a man whose son got five years in prison earlier that day. He was initially arrested for trailing and publicly announcing the identities of the men who worked for the Russian army special staff.
The son was able to deny it until the Russians dug up a newspaper photo of him. Tereza is relieved to see that the photo is not one of hers.
On the way home, she thinks about how naïve she was taking pictures during the Russian invasion.
She thought she was helping her country, and in fact she was just helping the Russians.
She gets home, and Tomas is asleep. Again she finds that he smells of another woman on his hair.
The narrator defines flirtation as leading another to believe that sex is possible while at the same time preventing that possibility from becoming a certainty.
When Tereza works behind the bar, the men flirt with her, Yet it doesn't bother her.
On the contrary, she wants to expose her body to that "undertow" (4.8.2).
Tomas is always trying to convince her that love and sex are two different things.
She now wonders what it would be like to have sex with the men who flirt with her at the bar.
The narrator clarifies; it's not that she wants to take revenge on Tomas; it's just that she wants to "learn lightness," so as to be less of a burden to Tomas (4.8.4).
But flirting doesn't come naturally to Tereza.
Instead, she studies it seriously, and in doing so, deprives it of its lightness.
She doesn't understand how to suggest sex without promising it, and she ends up giving everyone the impression that she's easy.
When men try honestly and are turned down, they think she's a tease.
One day a boy of about sixteen starts hitting on Tereza at the bar.
She cards him when he asks for a drink, and he gets belligerent. She realizes that he is already drunk and berates him for it. He drunkenly shouts that he loves her and then leaves.
After, a bald-headed man tells Tereza that she shouldn't serve underage drinkers like that.
She tries to explain, but he keeps harassing her. A tall man comes to her defense, and she thanks him.
A few days later, the tall chivalrous man comes back.
Tereza chats with him again and learns that he is an engineer and stopped in her bar by chance on the way home the other day.
When Tereza looks at Tomas now, she looks not at his eyes, but his hair, which smells like another woman.
Finally she breaks down.
She tells him that she isn't strong enough to stand up to her jealousy anymore, and asks him to help her.
Tomas takes her to a park with red, blue, and yellow benches. Though the narrator doesn't say so explicitly, it soon becomes clear that we are in a dream sequence.
Tomas sits her down on a bench. He tells her he will take care of her, all she has to do is climb Petrin hill. (Petrin hill is in the center of Prague: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Petrin_Praha.jpg)
Tereza is terribly nervous about the idea of going, but she is "constitutionally unable to disobey Tomas" (4.11.6).
So she goes on her way.
Still in the dream sequence, Tereza begins climbing the hill, which is strangely empty.
She looks back on Prague as she climbs and finds that it is the most beautiful city in the world.
She reaches the top, and finds that all the tourist shops are closed.
Six men there walking around there; three of them nervous, like she, and the other three are there to run things. One of them has a rifle.
The man with the rifle tells Tereza that she is in the right place. He asks her if it is her choice to be there.
Tereza thinks about how easy it would be to tell him that no, it was not her choice. But she can't bear the thought of disappointing Tomas. So she tells him that yes, it is her choice.
The man with the rifle explains that it must be so, because he is there to perform a service: help those who want to die by shooting them.
He asks if Tereza would like to go first; she asks to go last.
One at a time, the three men who are there to die are led across the lawn at the top of Petrin hill. They are allowed to choose which tree they want to be executed by.
Tereza watches the man with the rifle shoot the three men, now blindfolded, who chose to die.
It is Tereza's turn. She refuses to wear the blindfold because she is too scared to enter death's antechamber.
One of the men walks her over to a tree. Finally, she blurts out, "But it wasn't my choice" (4.13.6).
The men stop and tell her that, if this is true, then they do not have the right to kill her.
Tereza turns toward the tree and bursts into tears.
After she has a god cry against the tree, Tereza begins the walk back down Petrin hill.
She longs for the man with the rifle to come back. Since Tomas can't help her, someone else will have to help her.
The closer she gets to the city, the more she fears seeing Tomas, whom she has disappointed. She feels physically sick.
The tall man/engineer starts frequenting the bar and tries to get Tereza to come back to his place. At first she resists, but then she realizes that she is being sent to this man by Tomas. So by going, all she is doing is following Tomas's command.
Tereza wants to go to his apartment and get to the border of infidelity without actually having sex with him. She will wait until he makes his move, and then she will say, "It was not my choice" (4.15.6).
Tereza goes to the engineer's apartment, a one-room deal loaded with bookshelves stuffed with books.
(Remember that, to Tereza, books are the symbol of a secret brotherhood she longed for as a child.)
He asks her if she wants wine, and she asks for coffee instead.
She notices a copy of Sophocles' Oedipus on his bookshelf. It seems odd to her to find it here, given Tomas's obsession with the text. It makes her feel as though Tomas is sending her a secret message, that it was his decision to send her here.
The engineer comes back and puts his hand on her; she says the words, "But it wasn't my choice," but this time it has no effect at all (4.16.10). He embraces her.
Tereza realizes that the real Tereza – her soul – is not involved in this embrace. Only her body is.
The engineer starts unbuttoning her blouse.
He wants her to take part in the foreplay, but she remains passive; she doesn't want to take any responsibility for what happens.
Her soul remains neutral with regards to what happens to her body.
And yet she becomes incredibly aroused, all the more because she is becoming aroused against her will.
By the time she is naked in his arms, Tereza's soul sees her body, for the first time, not as something banal but as something fascinating.
As they begin to have sex, Tereza is filled with hatred.
She doesn't want to let her body take pleasure in a stranger's embrace, and yet her body is taking pleasure in it.
At the moment when she has an orgasm, she spits in his face.
Nowadays, says the narrator, toilets are designed to look nice in bathrooms. But in the engineer's old flat, this was not the case. The toilet did not disguise the fact that it was basically the open end of a sewer pipe.
Tereza goes into the engineer's bathroom and suddenly desires to void her bowels, because it would mean utter humiliation, the extreme of being only a body and not a soul. Her soul is no longer looking on, interested, at her body. Instead, it has retreated deep inside her body, "waiting desperately for someone to call it out" (4.18.4).
Tereza leaves the bathroom. She wants to hear the engineer call out to her soul in a deep, rich voice. She feels that she will fall in love with him if he does.
He does indeed call out to her from the next room, but his voice, now separate from his tall stature, is thin and high-pitched, and it turns her off.
This saves her from temptation. She quickly dresses and leaves.
Tereza is on her way home one morning with Karenin when she comes across the head of a crow sticking up out of the ground where it has been half-buried. The crow, still alive, crows weakly.
Tereza tries to dig up the crow. In doing so, she breaks a nail and her finger starts bleeding.
She sees some small boys nearby who are clearly responsible for burying the creature in the first place.
She finally extracts the bird, now weak, wraps it in her scarf, and takes it home.
Tereza puts the crow in a bed of old rags on the bathroom floor. She sees in it a reflection of her own fate, and knows that she has no one except Tomas.
The narrator asks what Tereza learned from her escapade with the engineer. Did she learn that casual sex is light and weightless?
Nope. She can't get her mind off the scene when she came out of the bathroom and wanted the man to call to her soul.
She wonders what would have happened if Tomas and one of his mistresses had been in the same situation. Tomas would have said a single word, and the woman would have been his for the taking.
Tereza knows how it works, "the moment love is born: the woman cannot resist the voice calling forth her terrified soul; the man cannot resist the woman whose soul thus responds to his voice" (4.21.6).
She knows that Tomas is defenseless against the lure of love.
Tereza has no weapons but her own fidelity, which is the cornerstone of their relationship.
She finally leaves the crow for a moment to get a bite to eat.
When she returns, the crow is dead.
For the first year with Tomas, Tereza used to scream during sex, as a way of blinding her senses.
Similarly, her soul was blinded by love.
But sex with the engineer restored her soul's sight.
During her next visit to the sauna, she takes a long look at her body in the mirror again.
She remembers how it looked in the engineer's arms. She wants to see her body again next to a strange man, because that context makes her body interesting to her.
Tereza fears that the engineer will come back to the bar, because she knows she won't be able to resist him.
But then, after a month goes by without him, she wonders why he didn't come back.
One day the rude bald-headed man tells a dirty joke.
Tereza feels her mother's vulgar world intruding on her again, and so she interrupts him.
They begin to argue. The bald-headed man tells her to be careful, since the only reason she's allowed to work at the bar is because "we let you" (4.23.6).
He then makes it clear that, if he wanted to get rid of her, he could just accuse her of prostitution and get her fired.
The ambassador tells Tereza that the rude bald-headed man is with the secret police.
He explains that the secret police remains secret to spy on people, but want to make themselves known for purposes of intimidation.
They want to stage situations to incriminate their enemies. They trap them.
Tereza immediately imagines that the engineer was sent by the secret police. It was all a set-up; even the drunk sixteen-year-old boy was in on it.
Now if they wanted to accuse her of prostitution, they have the engineer's testimonial.
Tomas and Tereza go for a long drive outside of Prague.
They stop in a small rural town at a hotel they have been to before.
Tomas notices that the name of the hotel has changed. All the new street names and business names are now Russian.
Tereza remembers that when the Russians first invaded, the Czechs pulled down all the street signs and business signs so that the Russians couldn't find the businesses or places they were looking to take over.
In retrospect, though, this was a bad idea – it meant that their country lost itself in the anonymity.
Back in the car, Tereza starts thinking that everything is in disguise: the old Czech town is covered in Russian names; the photographers who thought they were helping their country were really helping the Russians; the spies at her bar.
She remembers back to the scene in the engineer's apartment: she asked for coffee, he went to the kitchen, but he came back without the coffee. She is certain that he used the time he was gone to set up a camera to photograph them together.
Tereza thought she gained her privacy when she left her mother's house., but now she sees that she is still living under her mother's roof.
She and Tomas are still walking through the Czech square when someone calls out his name.
The man who calls Tomas's name is about fifty. He's a former patient of Tomas's and a farm-worker. He asks them to have a glass of wine with him.
Tereza finds the man to be very kind – a rare find for her. As he talks about his life in the country, she finds the whole thing to be very idyllic.
The man describes the pains he sometimes gets in his neck.
Tomas writes down the name of a medicine to help the man with the pains in his neck he describes.
On the way home, Tereza can only think about the photograph that might exist of her and the engineer.
She's mostly concerned with whether Tomas will ever see it or not.
Tereza knows that their love rests on her fidelity, and that it would come tumbling down if he knew she was unfaithful.
She wants she and Tomas to move to the country, away from Prague. She feels that this would be their only path to salvation.
But she doesn't have the courage to say this to Tomas.
She is afraid of him, because he is strong and she is weak. She wants to go back to Petrin Hill (the place from her dream) and die.
Tereza wakes up at home alone.
She leaves home and goes to the Vltava river.
In it, she sees Prague's red, yellow, and blue benches floating down its waters.
(We can take a stab here and say we're in another dream sequence.)
She understands that what she is looking at is a farewell.
The narrator reminds you that, when Tereza first came to Prague, Tomas saw her as a child put in a basket and sent downstream to him.
This image became very important to Tomas.
It was in his mind when he picked up a translation of Sophocles' Oedipus https://www.shmoop.com/oedipus-the-king/.
The narrator reminds us of the story of Oedipus, in case we aren't up to speed on our Greek mythology: Oedipus was raised by King Polybus and his wife. He was told by a prophet that he would kill his father and sleep with his mother, so he left home and went to Thebes. On the road, he quarreled with and killed a man. In Thebes, he married the newly widowed Queen. Only later did he discover that Polybus was his adopted father. The man he met on the road and killed was his real dad, and he's been married to his mother. When he realizes what he's done, he blinds himself and leaves town.
According to the narrator, no one should believe that the Communist regimes of Central Europe were the work of criminals.
They were the work of men who thought they had discovered the only road to paradise. Only later did it become clear that such a paradise did not exist, and so the enthusiasts were in fact murderers.
Everyone blamed the Communists in the aftermath. But the communists shouted back that they are innocent because they did not know what they were doing was wrong.
Tomas followed the issue closely.
The relevant question, to him, is whether being ignorant of what they did made the Communist enthusiasts innocent.
This brings us back to Oedipus.
Oedipus didn't know he was sleeping with his mother; but he still felt guilty afterwards.
Tomas thinks the Communists ought to be horrified by the sight of what they have done; they ought to want to poke out their eyes, like Oedipus.
Tomas likes his analogy so much that he writes about it in an article and publishes it in a newspaper published by Czech writers.
But when it is published, he is not pleased to see that they shortened it considerably, which made it seem more aggressive and less nuanced. This happened in the Spring of 1968.
The Communists didn't like being told that they should poke their eyes out.
Several months later, the Russians invaded Czechoslovakia.
When Tomas returned to Prague from Zurich, the chief surgeon asked him to retract the Oedipus article he wrote.
Tomas admits that defending the article isn't important to him (because of the way it was changed before publication).
But he knows that two things are at stake. If he retracts the article, he loses his honor. If he does not, he loses his job – the meaning of his entire life.
The chief tells him that they won't publish the retraction – they'll just keep it on file.
Tomas asks for a week to think it over.
Tomas was the best surgeon in his hospital, and rumor is that he was to be the next chief.
Everyone assumes that, given the importance of his work, he will of course retract the article.
Tomas doesn't like that people are ready to bet on his dishonesty, not his integrity.
People start to smile at him conspiratorially.
He sees that cowardice is becoming the norm. In his opinion, everyone assumes he is a coward like they are.
He doesn't like this either, because he doesn't want to be friends with these cowards.
He also sees people who have been persecuted, but who have refused at their own expense to compromise their beliefs.
One such man, named S., tells him how it works: the newspaper will file his retraction, and if he ever speaks out publicly against them, they publish it, sullying his name. He, too, smiles at Tomas.
Tomas realizes everyone is smiling at him because they all want him to (and think he will) write the retraction. It makes the cowards happy because it validates their own cowardice; it makes the rebels happy because theirs is a special privilege.
The narrator finds it illogical that someone with as little respect for people as Tomas is so dependent on what they think of him.
The narrator thinks this mistrust of other people played a big part in determining Tomas's profession. A doctor is not on public display; instead, he is judged man to man, by his patients and his colleagues.
But now, with this retraction business, he is being judged publicly by everyone.
He goes to the chief and tells him he will not write the retraction.
The chief is pleased and shakes Tomas's hand vigorously; yet Tomas has to be fired for this decision.
One day, after work, a man who introduces himself as representing "the Ministry of the Interior" comes to see him.
He gets Tomas to have a drink with him, and explains that the Ministry is distressed to see so fine a surgeon dispensing Aspirin at a clinic.
Tomas is defenseless in the face of all this flattery.
The man asks if Tomas really thinks the Communists should blind themselves like Oedipus.
Of course not, says Tomas; his original article didn't put it that way.
The man starts asking more questions about the people who published the article; he wants to know the name of the editor at the paper.
That's when Tomas realizes he is under interrogation.
He knows every word he says can put other men in danger. He claims to not remember the man's name. So he starts listing adjectives that in no way fit with the actual editor: tall, black hair.
Unfortunately, this describes another man the Ministry is looking for. Tomas has incriminated someone else.
The man from the Ministry says he will try and do something for Tomas's current position.
Tomas is angry with himself for not realizing sooner who the man represented.
Two weeks later, the Ministry pays him another visit. This time, Tomas is on his guard.
They meet in Tomas's office. The man has a "sample statement" for Tomas to sign.
Tomas reads the statement. It is not only a retraction of his article, but full-on praise for the Communist Party.
Tomas gives it back and shakes his head.
Fine, says the man – write your own statement instead.
Tomas worries that if he gives a flat "no," then they might publish it anyway with a fake signature from him. So he agrees to write his own to buy some time. Then he resigns from the clinic and becomes a window washer, because he knows they will have no more interest in his opinion when he is no longer a doctor.
When he returned to Prague from Zurich years earlier, Tomas told himself, "Es muss sein!" about Tereza (i.e., that he was meant to be with her). But he began to doubt this after he crossed the border.
Lying next to her in bed, he realizes he was drawn to her only "by a chain of laughable coincidences" (5.7.1). He decides that his love was not es muss sein.
But the narrator believes that there was an element of es muss sein in Tomas's life after all with his profession. His career choice was rooted in a deep-seated desire.
If we can separate man into three categories, says the narrator, we can do so by deep-seated desires that drive them to their profession of choice.
Surgery is interesting because it "takes the basic imperative of the medical profession to its outermost border, where the human makes contact with the divine" (5.7.1). God never took surgery into account, he explains.
And Tomas sensed this blasphemy the first time he operated. But this is also what attracted him to it. Surgery is his "es muss sein!"
For this reason, it seems to odd to the narrator that Tomas could so easily cast off his profession and become a window washer.
Could his decision perhaps conceal some other reasoning that explains it?
Through Tereza, Tomas came to love Beethoven. But he didn't know the real history of the phrase "es muss sein." The narrator fills us in on the story:
Some guy owed Beethoven some money. When Beethoven asked for it, the guy reluctantly asked, "Muss es sein?" and Beethoven replied with a laugh, "Es muss sein." The composer liked the sound of it so much he made it into a motif in one of his works. (You can listen yourself to the String Quartet No. 16.)
Beethoven ended up imbuing the words with a far more serious meaning than the playful conversation in which they first arose.
(German, argues the narrator, is the language of heavy words.)
It's interesting to note that light goes to heavy. The narrator says that it could never be the other way around, though Parmenides would argue the opposite. "We no longer know how to think as Parmenides thought," he says (5.8.4).
The narrator proposes that herein lies the deeper reasoning for Tomas's decision to abandon medicine.
He secretly resented the es muss sein all his life, and longed to go, as Parmenides would have it, from heavy to light.
As evidence for his theory, the narrator points to Tomas's break with his first wife, son, and parents – his rejection of his (heavy) duty. That was his external es muss sein; medicine was his internal es muss sein.
When he first took the job as the window washer, he was in shock for a few days. But then he realized that he was on a long holiday.
He felt the blissful indifference of the lightness of it all.
His customers all knew that he was really a doctor forced to abandon his post, and so treated him with great respect. They would call up the window washing company, request Tomas, and then have him over for champagne while he was supposed to be washing their windows.
In doing so, Tomas reverts to his bachelor existence; he sees Teresa rarely, has sixteen hours a day to himself, and has freedom.
Of course, to Tomas, freedom means women.
When people ask Tomas how many women he's bedded in his lifetime, he tells them about 200. He justifies this by saying that he's been having sex for twenty-five years, and eight women a year isn't actually that many.
Now that he's a window washer, every woman who invites him over by special request is a new conquest. What attracted Tomas to all these women? Didn't he find sex repetitive?
No. Every new woman has something unique about her, something unimaginable that Tomas can not know until he has sex with her.
He wants to discover each woman's individual "I."
Tomas, being a doctor, knows that only a very small part of an individual is actually unique, and he is obsessed with that tiny, one-millionth part.
He reasons that it's like being a surgeon, and using an imaginary scalpel to cut a woman open to see what is unique.
But why sex? Why can't he discover that one-millionth part dissimilarity some other way? Because, explains the narrator, "only in sexuality does the millionth part dissimilarity become precious, because, not accessible to the public, it must be conquered" (5.9.11).
So Tomas's incredible womanizing is not about wanting pleasure. It is about wanting possession of the world.
The narrator divides womanizers into two separate categories.
The first type of womanizer has a lyrical obsession and goes through women looking for "their own subjective and unchanging" ideal of a what a woman should be (5.10.1).
These men are endlessly disappointed, because an ideal is "by definition something that can never be found" (5.10.2).
The other type of womanizer has an obsession that is epic.
Everything interests him; so nothing disappoints him. Tomas belongs to this group. While the lyrical types pursue the same kind of woman all the time, the epic types are like curiosity collectors.
Two years into his window-washing career, Tomas was sent to the apartment of a peculiar woman. She was very tall, taller than he, and had a long nose, and looked like "an odd combination of giraffe, stork, and a sensitive young boy" (5.10.6).
Once Tomas goes inside, she tells him he can do anything he wants, and then offers him a glass of wine. He knows that she knows who he is, by reputation.
They flirt, which inevitably leads to touching. She doesn't resist until his hand gets to her groin.
Then he tells her that he has to get going to his next job.
She says that she'll order him back some time, since her husband is paying for it anyway.
Tomas is excited by the prospect of bedding such an odd (and odd-looking woman).
The next time he is called to her apartment to wash the windows, they again drink wine and start kissing.
But when he gives her his standard "Strip!" command, she commands back: "No! You first!" (5.11.2).
Tomas is taken aback; he's used to being in the driver's seat.
Finally, he compromises with her.
For every piece of clothing that comes off of her, he has to remove one of his own. Similarly, every time he does something to her, she does the same thing to his body.
While they have sex, Tomas watches her very carefully, recording what is unique about her. He walks away with three distinct conclusions. (His conclusions are specific and sexual – you can read your book if you want to know what they are.)
He's psyched to have acquired another piece of the world for his own possession.
Meanwhile, Tomas has been meeting regularly with one woman in particular.
One night, she reminds him of an earlier night they had together, when they made love on a rug during a thunder and lightning storm.
Tomas is appalled to find that he has completely forgotten said storm. His mind, explains the narrator, only remembers "the steep and narrow path of sexual conquest," not the other details surrounding it (5.12.3).
Tomas feels ashamed, even though it isn't his fault that he can't remember.
Since he met Tereza, no other woman has been able to imprint anything on his "poetic memory" (5.12.6). This is unfair to his other women, including this one in particular.
Tomas's relationship with Tereza picks up where these other relationships leave off.
He doesn't want to uncover anything secret in her, because he made love to her the first time before he could pick up his imaginary scalpel and start wondering what she was like.
He didn't fall in love with her until afterwards, when she got sick and saw her as a baby sent downstream to him in a basket.
Metaphors are dangerous, says the narrator. Love begins with a metaphor – when a woman enters her first word into a man's poetic memory.
Tomas remembers the day when Tereza came home with a crow wrapped up in her scarf, pressed against her breast as though she were cradling a baby.
After the crow incident, she told him how upset she was about an undercover Russian man who had been bothering her at the bar.
Tomas feels bad that he's seen so little of her for the last two years and has had such little opportunity to calm her down.
The next morning, Tomas is sent to a particular customer who requested him for window washing.
It turns out to be a two men who wanted to meet with him. The first man has a big chin, and turns out to be the editor who Tomas incriminated accidentally when interrogated by the man from the Ministry. The second man, much younger, is Tomas's son from his first marriage.
This is the first time Tomas has ever had to speak with his son, and he's not interested in knowing anything about him.
It's clear that both these men are actively against the Russian Communists.
The editor tells him that the paper (in which Tomas published his Oedipus article) has been banned, and most of his friends have lost their jobs, as Tomas has.
Tomas is distracted, however, wondering about his son.
His first wife was a Communist, and he expected that his son would be as well.
Eventually the two guys reveal their purpose in summoning Tomas.
They've drafted a petition to have politically imprisoned Czech intellectuals released, and they want Tomas to sign it.
Tomas considers this. He knows that if they do send such a petition, then all it will do is convince the Russians to keep them imprisoned longer.
Tomas wants to think it over, but the editor tells him they're sending the petition off tomorrow.
Tomas resents that everyone is trying to get him to sign something he didn't write.
He notices his son make an expression that Tomas often makes himself. Such a similarity is disconcerting to him. He realizes that what is at stake here is his relationship with his son.
If he signs, he will have to be friends with his son. If he does not sign, then they will continue on their separate ways.
Finally, he decides that signing or not signing won't make a difference in his own life or in the lives of the prisoners.
He takes the petition from them.
The editor then congratulates Tomas for his article on Oedipus.
Tomas laments that he can't operate anymore, but the editor tells him to think about how many people his article helped.
Tomas argues that no, he helped people when he was a surgeon.
Now Tomas's son jumps in and says that ideas can save lives too.
But Tomas doesn't want to be famous for his idea. His whole was taken the wrong way, after all.
He remembers why he wrote it in the first place. It was his image of Tereza as a baby in a basket sent downstream that sent him to the myths of Romulus, Moses, and Oedipus.
Tomas's son tells him that it is his [Tomas's] duty to sign the petition.
Again Tomas thinks about Tereza – she is the only thing that matters to him now. If he signs the petition, she will continue to be bothered by undercover spies at the bar.
Finally, he tells the two men that it is more important to dig a crow out of the ground than send petitions about political prisoners.
He knows they don't understand, but he's happy anyway. He's doing what he wants.
Days later, Tomas reads in the newspaper about the petition. It doesn't mention that the petition was about releasing political prisoners.
Instead, it says that the petition was anti-state, and it slanders all the men who signed it. Part of him is sorry he didn't sign it. He can't quite remember why he didn't.
The narrator again sees an image of Tomas as he did at the beginning of the novel: standing at the window of his apartment and staring out the window to the walls across the courtyard.
Tomas was born from that image, he says. Characters are always born of an image, a sentence, a metaphor, or something "containing in a nutshell a basic human possibility that the author thinks no one else has discovered or said something essential about" (5.15.5).
On the other hand, it may be true that the author can only really write about himself, he says.
Yes, he has known all the moments, images, and metaphors that define his characters. And yet he is not the characters in his novel; in this way, his characters are his "own unrealized possibilities" (5.15.7).
And now back to Tomas. He wonders if he should have signed the petition.
The question is whether it's better to shout and hasten one's own death, or keep silent and prolong one's life.
The problem, as we know, is that human life only occurs once. We can't ever compare the different outcomes of making different decisions.
History works the same way, just like the human life.
We can't know what would have happened if different events in history were to be changed.
Einmal ist keinmal, the narrator says, which means that things, which happen only once, might as well not have happened at all.
Because life and history happen only once, they are light, unbearably light.
Tomas thinks about the editor, who acts with no hesitation, as though his actions are to be endlessly repeated.
Several days later, Tomas posits that somewhere out in space, there is a planet where everyone gets to be born again. They will retain all the information about their first life, and get to try again. Then there is another planet, where they get to try the third time. And so on. This is Tomas's vision of eternal return (5.16.4).
Now, says the narrator, we have real definitions of pessimism and optimism.
An optimist is a person who thinks that on planet number five, the history of mankind will be less bloody. A pessimist is someone who thinks otherwise.
Two years is about as long as anyone can be on holiday, and Tomas is now in his third year of window-washing.
He's also physically exhausted from having so much sex with so many different women, though his curiosity is still insatiable.
One day, he's getting off early from work, and hasn't had sex with anyone.\
He panics and tries to call a young woman about ten times, someone he's had trysts with many times in the past.
Then, while he's walking down the street, he runs into a woman who greets him.
He does not recognize her and tries to figure out who she is as quickly as he can so he can get her to go have sex with him.
Finally he realizes – she is the young woman he has been trying to call all day.
This proves to him that he is as tired mentally as he is physically, and that his two-year-long holiday has come to an end.
This holiday from medicine was also a holiday from Tereza. They really only see each other on Sundays. Tomas worries about her, since he hasn't been around to take care of her.
One Sunday, they go for a drive to the country and find an old town re-labeled with Russian names.
There, he meets with a former patient of his. Tomas feels his old life coming back to him.
Driving home, Tomas considers what a mistake he made coming back to Prague from Zurich.
He's furious with Tereza for being responsible for it, and angry at the fortuities that led to their being together.
A terrible silence grows between them. They don't talk all the way home or during dinner or before they go to bed.
Tereza wakes up crying in the middle of the night.
She tells Tomas she had a dream that she was buried, and that she only came out of the grave each week when Tomas came to see her.
Then he was away for a month to be with another women, and when he came back she was so tired and weary that he didn't like the way she looked.
He told her she needed a holiday, and she knew he meant that he wanted to be with another woman.
Tomas tries to comfort her. "He thought he could not endure his love" (5.18.14).\
The weight of her grief makes him feel as though he is about to have a heart attack.
She goes back to sleep, but he cannot. He can only imagine that Tereza is dead, and that he is unable to wake her.
Since the Russian army invaded his country five years ago, Tomas sees that Prague has changed considerably.
Many of has friends have emigrated; many are dead. The death rate soared, explains the narrator, because people felt so hopeless.
One day Tomas attends the funeral of a famous biologist who had lost his job, like Tomas, for political reasons.
The Russian police are there, recording who attends. He spots the editor with the big chin, though the man indicates from a distance that they should not speak together.
Later that day, Tomas is washing a display window when a man approaches. It's the hospital colleague named S., – the one who smiled at Tomas because he himself had been pressured politically but did not fold.
Tomas gets a sense of self-satisfaction, because now S. knows that Tomas did not sign the retraction.
The conversation is stilted; both men are uncomfortable. They speak only briefly before S. leaves.
In general, Tomas's role as a window washer has become more normal.
His old patients no longer send for him by name and give him champagne while he's supposed to be working
"The situation of the déclassé intellectual was no longer exceptional; it had turned into something permanent and unpleasant to confront" (5.20.16).
Tomas comes home, goes to sleep, and wakes up late with stomach pains.
Tomas finds no medicine in the cabinet.
When Tereza comes home from the bar, he tells her about the funeral, the editor, and S. They agree that Prague has grown ugly.
Tereza suggests that they move away to the country. Tomas feels that he is old, because all he wants now is peace and quiet. He knows that moving to the country would mean an end to his erotic adventures.
Tomas considers that his womanizing is another part of his es muss sein. If he really wants a holiday from imperatives and from weight, then a trip to the country would get the job done.
Tereza realizes his stomach is hurting again and tries to put him to bed. Tomas asks her what is wrong – she's been uneasy lately.
Tereza tries to say it's the same thing as always – namely Tomas's womanizing – but he pushes her to admit that there's been something different, worse, lately.
Finally she admits that it is his hair.
Every night she's had to go to sleep smelling the odor of another woman on his hair.
Tomas is horrified. He remembers being with a woman who made him use his hair and head to make love to her. He had tried to be so careful about washing himself everywhere, so that Tereza would never have to smell another woman. But he forgot about his hair.
To make Tereza feel better, he tells her that he'll call up that patient of his they met in the country to work out the details of a move for them.
Tomas wakes up in the middle of the night from a series of erotic dreams.
In the last dream, he was incredibly excited at the thought of making love to an obese woman floating on her back in a swimming pool, covered in hair.
He wakes up wondering how he could be sexually excited by an image like that, especially when his stomach felt so horrible.
He decides that there are two wheels turning in the brain. One shows images, and the other dictates the corresponding reactions from the body. The wheels must have gotten out of sync.
The narrator points out that Tomas having an erection at the sight of another woman has no bearing on his love for Tereza.
Perhaps our Creator uses excitement as an amusement for himself, but love belongs to us and us alone. Love is our freedom; love lies beyond es muss sein.
No, says the narrator, that can't be strictly true. Love is somewhat attached to the clockwork running in our brains that dictates sexual attraction.
And that's what is so bizarre.
Attaching love to sexual excitement, thinks Tomas, is the most bizarre idea that our Creator has ever had.
Then, as he begins to fall back to sleep, Tomas has a revelation: all he has to do is attach sexual arousal to something trivial, like the sight of a swallow, and then he can love Tereza without being disturbed by sex.
He thinks he has found the key to all mysteries, the ultimate solution. And then he falls asleep.
Tomas dreams that several naked women are winding themselves around him. He extricates himself and goes into the next room, where a half-naked woman on a couch is waiting for him.
He's blissful that he found her. She radiates calm and femininity. He's been looking for her all his life.
He wakes up, desperate to know who the woman was in his dream. Has he met her before? He can't remember. He decides he has never met her, that she is the es muss sein of his love.
He remembers the myth from Plato that says that man used to be a hermaphrodite until God split him into man and woman. This woman must be his other half.
Suppose this is true, the narrator says, and Tomas does later meet his other half. Should he really choose her over Tereza?
Tomas knows that he would not be able to stand Tereza's grief if he chose the other woman.
Choosing this woman over Tereza would mean betraying his own es muss sein for Tereza.
He looks at her beside him in bed and is overwhelmed by his love for her. When she starts to wake, he lulls her back to sleep.
Stalin's son, Yakov, was captured by the Germans during World War II. While in prison, he shared a latrine with British officers, who resented that he always left a mess in there for them to clean up.
Once, when officers tried to make him clean it, he was humiliated and angry.
He died when, in desperation at the whole situation, he took a flying jump at the electrical fence around the camp.
The story goes that Stalin's father killed Yakov's mother, which meant Yakov was both Stalin's son and his cast-off. He understood how easy it was to go "from one pole of human existence to the other" (6.2.2).
When these poles come so close to each other, says the narrator, it makes man dizzy and want to fall. It makes him experience vertigo.
If man can be simultaneously close to two such different poles, he argues, "then human existence loses its dimensions and becomes unbearably light" (6.2.6).
Yakov's death may have been over a dirty latrine, but this doesn't mean that it was senseless.
On the other hand, the Germans who died trying to expand their country's territory – that was idiotic. "Among the general idiocy of the war," argues the narrator, "the death of Stalin's son stands out as the sole metaphysical death" (6.2.7).
When the narrator was little, he used to look at the image of God in an illustrated Bible. God looked like a man, and had a mouth.
But the narrator used to worry that, if God had a mouth, he must eat, and if he eats, he must defecate. This sacrilege worried him greatly.
He points out that Gnostics in the second century thought the same way, and posited that God ate, but did not defecate.
Similarly, theologians considered the question of whether or not Adam and Eve had sex in the Garden of Eden.
A ninth century theologian posited that they did, but that Adam was in complete control of when he was and was not aroused. There was no involuntary sexual excitement for him.
The narrator associates man's ability to feel excited with his ability to feel disgust. Both were off limits to Adam in Paradise.
The narrator reminds you that, in Part 3 of this novel, he showed you Sabina standing naked with the bowler hat on her bed, next to a fully dressed Tomas.
She was excited by the thought of her own denigration in front of him, and she fantasized about letting Tomas watch her defecate.
The narrator is interested in the debate between men who doubt being, and men who accept it without reservation.
Those who believe that human existence is good, as is told in Genesis, have a basic faith that the narrator calls a "categorical agreement with being" (6.5.2).
But everyone, he reminds us, feels that defecation is disgusting. Which means that those who maintain this faith in the good of existence deny defecation – they act as though it does not exist. Such an aesthetic ideal is called kitsch.
"Kitsch" is a 19th century German word that has taken on meaning in most Western languages. It is a perspective, which denies everything it finds unacceptable about human existence.
Sabina's inner revolt against Communism was an aesthetic one, not an ethical one.
She hated the mask of beauty that Communism wore – she hated its kitsch.
She remembers the May Day parades in which the regime convinced people to celebrate life as a way of promoting Communism.
This masked the real theses behind its foundation and tricked people into embracing it.
Ten years later, Sabina is living in America.
An American friend of hers, a Senator, takes her on a day trip with his children. As they watch his children running around on a grassy lawn, he says that the image of them playing is what he calls happiness.
What he is smiling at, though, is an understanding of Sabina's escape from Communist Europe.
Sabina knows, however, that his smile is the same smile as that of the Communist statesmen in Prague looking down at the parades on the street.
The senator's comment was silly because he couldn't know that children meant happiness.
His heart, not his brain, was speaking.
In the realm of kitsch, the heart is a dictator. Kitsch unites people by relying on the sentiments they share.
At seeing children playing, kitsch causes two tears to flow.
The first is moved by the children running on the grass. The second is moved by the fact that the first tear flowed.
]The second tear, says the narrator, "is what makes kitsch kitsch" (6.8.6). He adds that a brotherhood of man on earth will only be possible through kitsch.
Politicians use kitsch all the time – just think about a politician kissing a baby.
What is truly dangerous is totalitarian kitsch, a kitsch that banishes that which does not belong to its aesthetic realm.
Often, this means banishing individualism. He cites the gulag as a tool of kitsch.
The decade after WWII ended was a terrible time of Stalinist terror.
At the time, Tereza was ten, and her father was arrested for political reasons.
Sabina, then twenty, was studying at the Academy of Fine Arts.
Her Marxist professor tried to teach her a theory of Socialist art, in which conflict was not between good and evil but good and better. The narrator points out that film worked the same way at the time: only happy endings.
What Sabina despised is that the Communist reality was totally different from this Communist ideal.
The narrator notes that Sabina's reaction to Communist kitsch is similar to what Tereza felt when she was made to march around the swimming pool naked in her dream, singing songs with the others to mask the fact that women were being shot dead around her.
"Tereza's dream reveals the true function of kitsch," says the narrator: "kitsch is a folding screen set up to curtain off death" (6.10.6).
A person who asks questions is the enemy of kitsch, because questions cut through the screen to let us look behind it.
Think about the way that Sabina explained her paintings to Tereza: on the surface, an intelligible lie, and underneath, the unintelligible truth.
Once Sabina had an exhibition of her paintings in Germany.
In the promotion, she read a bio of herself that painted her to be a martyr escaped from her bleeding homeland. Clearly, they did not understand her at all. Her enemy was kitsch, she fumed, not Communism.
She started hiding the fact that she was Czech so that people would stop thinking of her this way.
Sabina now lives in New York with an old man and his wife.
The old man sometimes comes with her to her studio, an old stable on his property, to watch her paint.
The narrator again reflects on kitsch.
It is Sabina's enemy, but hasn't she also been carrying kitsch with her for her whole life, in the form of her ideal of a quiet, peaceful home?
In some ways, Sabina functions as the parent of these two old people. In some way, she's trying to fulfill the image she has of the perfect home.
But she knows this happy home is just an illusion. Soon enough, her path of betrayals will continue, and she will leave the old couple.
But as soon as she recognizes that the happy home is an illusion, it loses its power and is no longer kitsch.
The narrator makes the point that no one – not even Sabina – can escape kitsch completely.
The source of kitsch is the categorical agreement with being which the narrator earlier discussed. As to what the source of being is, that depends on your particular brand of kitsch (in many cases, the source is religion according to the narrator).
Franz, for example, was fascinated by the political kitsch of leftists.
He liked the Grand March because it was the emblem of such kitsch.
What makes a leftist a leftist, says the narrator, is not this theory or that, but his ability to integrate any theory into his own kitsch, the kitsch of the Grand March.
But Franz was not in actuality a devotee of kitsch. He didn't even vote. He just liked the dream of the Grand March.
One day, some friends call Franz from Paris.
They want him to join them on a march to Cambodia.
Cambodia is in a political and military mess, and the idea is for a group of intellectuals to march and petition to open the borders and let doctors into the country.
Franz is excited by the thought, but then he sees his young student-mistress across the room. He feels as though she is silently begging him not to do it, so he declines.
Except he feels guilty after he hangs up the phone. He feel as though the phone call was a secret message from Sabina.
So he decides to go after all.
Franz's plane lands in Bangkok, and a group of about 500 intellectuals head to a meeting to gather and plan their march.
The European intellectuals are angry that a group of Americans have taken over the march and are trying to tell everyone else what to do.
To protest, the Europeans argue, but refuse to do so in English, which means the Americans don't know what they're saying.
The narrator asks why the leftist intellectuals are so willing to march against Communism, when Communism is supposed to be the domain of the left?
When crimes of the Soviet Union became extreme, leftists had to decide whether to stop marching the Grand March, or reclassify the Soviet Union as an obstacle.
A leftist has to remain faithful to his own kitsch, above all.
The problem at this meeting in Bangkok is that the Americans were speaking the vocabulary of American kitsch, which has nothing to do with the kitsch of the Grand March. That's why there was so much misunderstanding and resentment between the different groups.
The next morning the Europeans and Americans get on buses and travel towards Cambodia.
When they arrive, and it's time for the actual march, they agree for one American, one Frenchman, and a Cambodian interpreter to take the lead.
As they march, they are surrounded by photographers snapping shots of the celebrities amongst them.
Among the group is an American actress who doesn't like being at the rear of the march.
She decides to make her way to the front, and does so with a sudden sprint.
There is a ruckus as the others protest making the march into a star-fest.
When a professor physically stops her, she starts crying, and a photographer snaps her photo.
A German pop singer comforts the American actress. In order to get a better picture of the scene, the photographer moves off the road and into the rice field.
In doing so, he hits a minefield and his body explodes all over the parade.
The flag the marchers have been carrying is covered in blood, and the march members are filled with a strange pride.
They continue on.
When they get to the border, the march participants shout that they only want doctors to be allowed in, that they have no ulterior motives.
There is no response.
Franz suddenly feels that the Grand March is coming to an end.
Franz is again struck with how laughable they are.
But just because the Grand March is coming to an end, does that give him the right to ridicule it? To betray it?
After all, they had no choice but to continue putting on the show.
The narrator agrees with this reasoning.
He thinks back to the editor with the big chin who organized the petition for the release of the political prisoners.
The editor with the big chin knew it would not help the prisoners, but he did it anyway to show that people without fear still existed. His choice was between playacting, or not acting at all, and he chose playacting.
Franz next feels rage. He wishes, like Stalin's son, to throw himself at the border, to go out in a blaze of gunfire.
Franz is having trouble reconciling the glory of the Grand March with the vanity of its members, like the actress who fights to be up front.
He wants to prove, with a glorious death, that the Grand March is worth everything.
But man can never prove anything like this, says the narrator. The death of Stalin's son proved that the scales can't be tipped.
Instead of getting himself shot, Franz returns to the busses with the others.
Everyone needs to be looked at, explains the narrator. We can divide people into four classes based on who they want to look at them.
The first group longs to be looked at by the public, by thousands of anonymous eyes. This is the case with the American actress, or the editor with the big chin.
The second category wants to be looked at by many known eyes. These are the people, like Marie-Claude, who cultivate large circles of personal friends.
The third category is made of people who need to be constantly looked at by the person they love. To this category belong both Tereza and Tomas.
The fourth category is the most rare. It comprises those who live "in the imaginary eyes of those who are not present" (6.23.5). This is the case with Franz, who lives for Sabina though she is no longer in his life.
We can also put Tomas's son in this category. The narrator decides to call him Simon, since he would appreciate the Biblical name.
The imaginary eyes he wanted on himself were the eyes of Tomas. When he found out that his father was, like he himself, living in the country, he wrote him a letter.
Franz and Simon are the dreamers of this novel, explains the narrator.
Simon never got along with his mother, and so he never blamed his father for leaving them. His whole life, he dreamed of finding his father.
Simon lived with his mother until he was eighteen.
Then he went to Prague, where Tomas was washing windows. He kept trying to accidentally run into him.
Then he became involved with the editor with the big chin, because the man's fate reminded him of the fate of his father (namely, a victim of political persecution).
The editor didn't even remember the Oedipus article, but Simon persuaded him to talk to Tomas about signing the petition.
Simon, a Christian, liked his father even though he refused to sign the petition.
He likens Tomas's words "punishing people who don't know what they've done is barbaric" to the words of Jesus in the Bible.
Three years after his move to the country, Simon receives a letter from his father asking him to visit.
They did and had a friendly visit.
Four months later, Simon receives a telegram informing him that both Tomas and Tereza have been crushed to death under a truck.
He starts writing to one of his father's former mistresses in France, because he needs to have imaginary eyes on his life.
Sabina continues to receive these letters until the end of her life, but many of them go unread.
When the old man she was living with dies, she moves to California.
Her paintings sell well, but she likes American only on the surface. It is still very alien to her.
Afraid of being buried and stuck in American soil, Sabina writes in her will that she wants to be cremated and scattered to the winds.
Tomas and Tereza had died under a sign of weight; and she wants to die under the sign of lightness.
Franz's bus returns to the hotel in Bangkok.
Walking along the streets, Franz wonders what Sabina's imaginary eyes are thinking about him right now.
Then he thinks about his student-mistress, and realizes how important she is to him. It was so silly for him to have come to Cambodia. She is what matters; not Sabina. His reality with her is more important than his dream with Sabina.
At that moment, Franz is robbed on the streets of Bangkok. He is about to hand over his money when the image of Sabina returns to him. She would mock him for his weakness because she had always admired his strength. So he fights back against the muggers.
Franz is cracked on the head and wakes up in a hospital in Geneva with Marie-Claude leaning over his bed.
He wants to tell her to go away, and wants the doctors to send for his student-mistress whom he loves. He hates Marie-Claude and is ready to tell her so.
But he can't.
Franz is completely paralyzed and cannot speak.
In death, Franz belongs completely to his wife, as he never had before.
She took over everything, including his funeral.
The pastor spoke about their conjugal love having withstood many tests and trials.
Franz's student-mistress is there too, in the back row.
She gets physically sick during the funeral and has to be taken away.
When Simon receives the telegram about Tomas and Tereza's death, he immediately gets on his motorcycle and heads to their village to arrange the funeral.
On Tomas's gravestone, he has engraved the words: "HE WANTED THE KINGDOM OF GOD ON EARTH" (6.28.2). He knows that Tomas would never have said these words, but feels as though they expressed what his father thought, deep down.
Above Franz's grave were the words "A RETURN AFTER LONG WANDERINGS" (6.28.3).
Religiously, it meant a return to God's kingdom. But of course everyone knew that it was meant to refer to his marriage with Marie-Claude.
Indeed, Marie-Claude popularized this interpretation.
According to Marie-Claude, Franz had simply been taken by a mid-life crisis, and was ensnared by that young girl. But deep down, Franz was good, and always loved his wife.
This was why, tortured, he sought his own death in Cambodia.
He even begged her forgiveness, she says, with his eyes of course, before his death. And she forgave him.
What remains in Cambodia, the narrator asks. The answer? A large photograph of an American actress holding an Asian child in her arms.
What remains of Tomas? The inscription on his grave.
What remains of Beethoven? The phrase "es muss sein!"
What remains of Franz? The inscription on his grave.
The narrator then concludes that before we are forgotten, we are turned into kitsch.
We backtrack to a time when Tereza and Tomas were still living.
They purchased a tiny cottage and are now living in the country. They are safe there, because no one is interested in the political lives of people living in the middle of nowhere.
Tereza is happy to be away from the other women and her fears about the secret police.
She and Tomas are finally alone, together.
Tereza imagined that the country would embody the image she had of it in her mind from books she used to read as a child. But under Communism, she finds that it breaks from this ideal.
It's not as communal and kindhearted as she imagined, and certain things (like celebrating Church holidays) are forbidden.
Instead of reveling in their lifestyle, the people who live in the country long to live in the city.
This, explains the narrator, is why the secret police have no power over the people who live there – the people in the country have nothing to lose, and so they have no fear.
For this reason, they live in freedom.
Tereza and Tomas are the only ones who came to the country voluntarily.
They become good friends with the collective farm chairman, the man who was Tomas's former patient. He owns a pig named Mefisto that he treats like a pet dog.
Karenin quickly makes friends with Mefisto.
Tomas gets a job driving a pickup truck that brings the farm workers and their equipment out to the fields every day.
Tereza takes cows out to pasture every day, and reads while they graze.
Karenin is the happiest of the three of them because he likes the regularity of their new schedule.
One day Tereza notices that Karenin is limping. It turns out that he has a lump from cancer.
Karenin has an operation to remove the cancer.
When he recovers from his operation, Karenin wakes in the middle of the night and jumps up on Tomas and Tereza's bed, wanting to cuddle.
Genesis explains that God gave man dominion over all his other animal creations.
But, says the narrator, the Bible was written by man. It seems far more likely that man invented God to justify that he had dominion over animals. This seems to be the only thing that all mankind, even during bloody wars, can agree on.
What if some third party shows up and claims that God gave them dominion over man?
Karenin always comes out to the pasture with Tereza and the cows, but since his operation he has been limping. She has to carry him.
One day, Tereza runs into a woman, who asks what's wrong with the dog.
Tereza explains that he has cancer, and then begins to tear up. The woman expresses her shock that Tereza is getting so worked up over a dog.
While she watches her cows, it occurs to her that man is a parasite of cows. We might think of this as funny, but Tereza takes it very seriously.
She thinks that God gave man the responsibility to take care of animals, not mastery over them.
The narrator considers the intellectual history regarding man's opinion of animals.
Descartes said that man was master and proprietor of nature, and denied that animals had a soul.
Tereza sits with the cows and remembers reading years ago that all the dogs in a Russian city had been shot.
This article, says the narrator, was a premonition of things to come. The Russians wanted to capitalize on man's aggressiveness, and they gave them animals to practice on.
A year later, when they had accumulated the necessary malice, they could turn that aggression onto its real target: people.
Tereza decides that there is no true merit in being nice to a fellow man, because you either have to be (through social obligation) or are doing it for something in return.
The only real measure of man's goodness is the way he treats those with no power at all, who are at his mercy: animals.
Tereza has made friends with one of the cows, whom she calls Marketa.
Animals used to all have names, says the narrator, but now they do not; this means that the world has proved Descartes correct, man has made animals soulless.
The narrator continues to see the image of Tereza, sitting on the tree stump, surrounded by her grazing cows.
Another image comes to his mind: that of Nietzsche, who in 1889, at seeing a horseman beating his horse, went up to the animal, put his arms around its neck, and burst into tears.
The narrator feels as though Nietzsche was trying to apologize to the horse for Descartes.
Nietzsche's lunacy (Nietzsche did indeed end his life as a lunatic), and his break from mankind, began at this moment.
And yet this is the Nietzsche whom the narrator loves, just as he loves the image of Tereza sitting in the field with her cows.
The narrator sees them both stepping off of the road where mankind marches forward.
Tereza dreams that Karenin gives birth to two rolls and a bee. She tells Tomas about it, and they take comfort in the fact that her dream turns Karenin's illness into a pregnancy, and something comical at that.
That morning, Karenin can't get out of bed. Tereza goes to the bakery without him, and brings him back his roll. He won't even get up to come get it.
Tomas puts the roll in his own mouth and gets on all fours to play with the dog. They are both happy when Karenin finally yelps – they see this as his will to live.
The next day they all go on a walk together. Tomas asks Tereza to bring her camera and take pictures
The next day Tereza sees Tomas reading and then trying to quickly hide a letter.
When he is gone, she finds the envelope it came in.
The handwriting looks unfamiliar, but appears to be that of a woman. She is certain he does not have a mistress in the country, but is greatly depressed at the thought that he has kept up with a mistress in Prague, even through letters.
Tereza starts thinking of what the future will be like without Karenin. She goes out into the garden and marks a spot for his grave.
Tomas gets angry at her for this, and she responds by making him feel guilty about waking Karenin with his shouting.
They both go inside and wait with Karenin while he dies. They do not reconcile form their squabble, so each is alone as they watch Karenin die.
The word "idyll" is important to Tereza, and the narrator stops to consider why.
In light of the Old Testament, he argues, an idyll is an image of Paradise that remains with us. In such an image, time runs circularly, a repeated routine.
When people live in the country, life moves this way, circularly, and so they maintain this glimmer of Paradise. That is why the countryside conjures an image of an idyll for Teresa.
Adam, if he saw his reflection, did not recognize that he was seeing himself. This makes him like Karenin, and unlike Tereza who has spent so much time trying to find herself by staring into the mirror.
Because Adam was like Karenin, it means that he was not like man.
Man's longing for Paradise, argues the narrator, is man's longing not to be man.
When Tereza was a child, she was always disgusted by her mother's menstrual period, and wished that her mother had the shame to hide it.
But don't forget that, despite the masculine name, Karenin is female, and so has periods. Interestingly, Tereza finds to be amusing, not disgusting. Why is this so? Because animals have no concept of disgust. This is why Tereza feels so lighthearted with him.
It occurs to Tereza that her love for Karenin is better than her love for Tomas, because it is a selfless love.
She didn't expect anything back from Karenin, she never tried to change him, and her love for him was voluntary.
Animals, adds the narrator, were not expelled from Paradise, which means that the love for an animal is idyllic.
Additionally, Karenin was happy to live his life in a circular manner, the same routine every day. He never got bored, whereas man needs repetition.
Karenin could be happy, because "happiness is the longing for repetition" (7.4.13).
One of the advantages that dogs have over people is that it is legal for them to be euthanized.
When they can't bear to see Karenin suffer anymore, Tomas and Tereza decide to put him down.
Because Tomas is a doctor, he takes responsibility for doing it himself.
Tereza can't stand the look in Karenin's face, "a look of awful, unbearable trust" (7.5.6). His look was a question, because in Karenin's life, Tereza is his whole source of truth. Tereza knows that no one will ever look at her that way again.
They usually don't feed Karenin sweets, but now Tereza puts a few pieces of chocolate on the floor before him. He doesn't raise his head.
Tereza lays down on the floor and he licks her.
She goes out to tend to her cows, and when she comes back Karenin is still lying on the floor in pain.
When Tomas comes home, they pick up Karenin and lie him on the couch.
Tomas cuts away the fur over a vein and while Tereza talks to the dog soothingly, Tomas injects the needle.
Afterwards, both Tomas and Tereza have to go to work. They leave Karenin's body on the couch.
When they come back, Tomas begins to dig the grave in the garden. Tereza leans over Karenin and mistakes her own breathing for that of the dog. She thinks he is still alive, but Tomas assures her he is not.
They bury him in the garden along with his leash, collar, and the chocolate Tereza tried to feed him earlier.
Tereza remembers her dream and imagines a monument above the grave with the words, "Here lies Karenin. He gave birth to two rolls and a bee" (7.5.32).
Although we aren't told explicitly, we quickly figure out that the following is a dream sequence.
In Tereza's dream, Tomas gets a letter saying that he has to report to the local airfield.
Tereza insists on going with him, and they take his pickup truck to drive out there. They get in a small plane that is completely empty, and sit together.
The airplane takes off and lands again. Tereza's reaction to the situation turns from horror to sadness, a sadness in which she is completely aware of her limitless love for Tomas.
When they got off the plane, they see three men holding rifles.
One of them shoots Tomas. Tereza watches his body shrink until he turns into a rabbit.
The man with the rifle chases and catches the hare, then hands it, shaking with fear, to Tereza.
Tereza cries tears of joy. She feels she is nearly at her goal.
She takes the rabbit back to Prague and finds the house she grew up in.
Her parents are not there. Instead, she is greeted by her great-grandfather and great-grandmother.
Tereza takes the rabbit to her old room and lies down on the bed with it.
Back to real life now.
Finally, Tomas tells Tereza that he's been receiving letters she does not know about. They are from his son, who has been expelled from the university and now drives a tractor in a country village.
Tomas notes that their lives may be separate, but are running parallel.
Tereza is greatly relieved – remember that she thought the letters were from a lover.
Tomas reveals that his son broke with his fellow political activists, whom he now calls "eternal revolutionaries" (7.7.8).
Tomas's son, Simon, has now adopted religion as his cause. He thinks if we follow God, we can obtain the kingdom of God on earth. Tomas wonders whether his son really believes in God, or has joined the church because it helps him fight the regime.
Tomas explains that he used to think believers were something transcendent, but now he sees that to have faith is simply a choice one makes. He finds it "terribly simple" (7.7.13).
He adds that he's never been able to reply because his son leaves no return address.
Tereza is ashamed for having suspected Tomas of infidelity. She suggests inviting him to come visit.
Tomas explains that he made up his mind long ago to have nothing to do with his son, and he doesn't really know why, but that his decision has persisted by sheer inertia after all these years, getting harder and harder to change. But Tereza insists.
That afternoon, Tereza catches a glimpse from a distance of Tomas changing a tire on his pickup and is struck by how old he looks.
She remembers the chairman recently telling her how Tomas's truck was in such bad shape, and how he's trying to get permission for Tomas to work locally as a doctor.
Tereza suddenly feels responsible for this whole mess.
It's her fault Tomas came back to Prague from Zurich, and her fault that he then left Prague for the country.
She sees how unfair she's been, always reproaching him for not loving her enough.
If she really loved him, she would have stayed with him in Zurich. It's her fault he will never hold a scalpel again.
Tereza goes home and takes a bath. Her weakness doesn't make her the victim, she decides. Her weakness is aggressive and has taken Tomas's strength from him, turned him into a rabbit in her arms.
After Tereza gets dressed, Tomas bursts in with the collective farm chairman and a very pale young farm worker. He yells for her to get some alcohol for the young man. It turns out that the young man dislocated his shoulder, and Tomas jerked it quickly back into place.
Once the hullabaloo is over, they decide to all go dancing together. They even bring the chairman's pig with them.
On the dance floor, Tereza tells Tomas that it's her fault this life is so awful. But Tomas says that he's happier here. He's happy having no mission and being free.
Tereza thinks of how he looked so old earlier that day. What does it mean to be a rabbit? To lose one's strength.
She leans on Tomas and is both happy that they are together and sad that they are "at the last station" together (7.7.71). But "happiness fill[s] the space of sadness" (7.7.71).
They've rented rooms for the night so they don't have to drive home late.
After the dancing is over, Tomas and Tereza go upstairs to their room. A nocturnal butterfly flutters overhead the twin beds pushed together, and they can hear the piano and violin from downstairs.
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Vaping linked to cannabis use in young people, study finds
Canadian pediatrician Dr. Nicholas Chadi co-authored the research
A man smokes an electronic cigarette. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Nam Y. Huh
Teens and young adults who use electronic cigarettes are significantly more likely to use cannabis as well, according to a new study co-authored by a Canadian researcher.
Pediatrician Nicholas Chadi’s analysis of previous research, published in JAMA Pediatrics, found that the likelihood of marijuana use was three to four times higher among youth who vaped.
One of the key findings showed the risk for younger adolescents aged 12 to 17 was higher than for young adults aged 18 to 24 years.
“It’s an important discovery for us,” said Chadi, who is now based at Montreal’s Ste-Justine Hospital but conducted the research during a previous posting in Boston.
“The risk is higher for both sub-groups, but it’s almost twice as high for the younger ones.”
The study analyzed 21 previous academic papers encompassing some 130,000 participants. Chadi worked on the project while he was a pediatric addiction fellow at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
The results are in line with current medical knowledge that shows young brains are less developed and more susceptible to substance use and addiction, Chadi said in an interview.
Both nicotine and cannabis affect the neural pathways associated with pleasure and reward. Chadi said both substances could make the brain more sensitive to other psychoactive subtances and addictive behaviours during adulthood.
“The younger we are, the more the brain is susceptible to becoming addicted to substances, therefore the risk of consuming nicotine or vaping is even higher for younger teenagers,” he said.
He said the analysis doesn’t go so far as to conclude that vaping leads directly to cannabis use, but it contributes to a growing body of work that appears to suggest a link.
“We can’t prove a link of causality,” he said. But with a large number of studies pointing in the same direction, “we have a good reason to think that exposure to vaping is part of the cause of initiation to marijuana.”
The strongest link was found in younger subjects who combined vaping with tobacco or alcohol consumption. It’s not impossible that these youth are simply more susceptible to substance consumption, Chadi said, although the studies tried to limit certain factors, such as addiction or mental illness.
Studies like this suggest the nicotine used in e-cigarettes is just as dangerous, if not more, he said, than the nicotine in traditional cigarettes when it comes to young teens.
READ MORE: Vaping among Canadian teens spiked 74 per cent in one year, study suggests
“It’s very important from a public health point of view, because it reinforces the message that e-cigarettes are not at all a tool to promote teen health, and on the contrary, it can increase the problems of dependence and addiction among those youth.”
Vaping is often falsely perceived as a banal and risk-free activity. However, other studies have shown that vaping as a teen increases the risk of smoking traditional cigarettes, Chadi said.
“We now realize that the vast majority of teens who vape probably have never touched a traditional cigarette or other drugs,” he said. “These devices are so addictive and well-made for youth that the youth fall into the trap; they develop a dependence and go find other sources of nicotine and other drugs.”
Jean-Benoit Legault, The Canadian Press
Cat shot five times with BB gun needs help with recovery on Vancouver Island
Man shot in Peachland
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Lab Reflections
Ben Goldberg Thursday, September 22nd, 2011
Ben Goldberg is a composer and clarinetist who participated at the 2011 Documentary Composers Lab. He is also a member of the Tin Hat Trio and the New Klezmer Trio.
My band Tin Hat played a couple of concerts at the 2011 Sundance Festival. We had a lovely time and I was introduced to Film Music Program Director Peter Golub and Coordinator Corey Brill. When I expressed interest in the Sundance Institute Labs, Peter extended an invitation to participate in the Documentary Composers Lab, which I attended this past July.
To prepare me for the Lab, my friend Mark Orton gave me a crash course in the use of Pro Tools as a sample-based compositional tool (being a clarinetist, until recently my concept of “digital music” was playing the clarinet with your fingers).
Fellow Ben Goldberg at the 2011 Doc Composers Lab. Photo by Jonathan Hickerson.
Based on my time at the Festival, I had an inkling that I was in for a unique experience, but I could not have anticipated the lovely and thrilling week that followed. In my mind, there are two aspects that are fundamental to the construction of this deeply educational experience.
The first remarkable thing became apparent in the days and weeks leading up to the Lab. I received an email introduction to Bernardo Ruiz, the talented filmmaker with whom I was to work, followed by a package of DVDs representing all the Fellows and faculty. Kristin Feeley (Associate Director, Documentary Film Program) called to discuss what I should expect, and Scott Johnson, Sundance’s amazingly talented computer music expert, spoke with me about the system he was preparing for my use and how he could configure it to my needs.
I began to realize that at the Labs, the actual running of the operation has been taken to the highest possible level. Once I arrived, and experienced this same attention applied to lodging, meals, schedule, etc., I felt that not only is this the best way to allow a group of people to accomplish as much as possible in a short time, but that the running of the organization actually embodies and reflects a deep humanist philosophy.
The second amazing aspect of my time at the Lab began at the baggage claim of the Salt Lake City airport when Vivien Hillgrove introduced herself to me. I hope it would be okay with Vivien for me to say that we immediately became great friends (something tells me there are quite a few people who feel this way about Vivien), and I immediately became a student, and beneficiary, of her remarkable intelligence and experience in the world of film editing.
Documentary Film Program Director Cara Mertes had convened an absolutely first-rate crew. In addition to Vivien, there were Creative Advisors Martin Bresnick and Jon Else, and of course Peter Golub, all giants in their fields. If you have people of this caliber on hand there is no question that there will be plenty of knowledge and experience. But the actual time we spent together was elevated by something deeper than knowledge --an animating spirit expressed in intellectual openness, serious and enlightening conversations and debates concerning the work we were doing, a sense of equality between all the participants, and a profound appreciation of what the work was for.
I could speak about the delightful experience of having my initial efforts ripped to shreds at my first meeting with the faculty (something I had hoped would happen and was glad when it did!), but maybe I will leave it there. Two remarkable aspects of this operation – organization and learning – which in the hands of these dedicated people are shown to reinforce and animate each other, and open new possibilities for important work.
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Five Independent Artists Bring Art and Science Together
Sundance Institute and Science Sandbox Celebrate
Innovative, Nonfiction Storytelling With Tailored Financial and Creative Support
Park City — Sundance Institute, in collaboration with Science Sandbox, an initiative of the Simons Foundation, announced the inaugural five filmmakers and projects being supported by the Science Sandbox Nonfiction Initiative, a new program aiding innovative artists in creating science-focused works and in connecting those projects with audiences. The program aims to elevate the voices of independent artists who are working at the intersection of science and nonfiction storytelling, encourage critical thinking, promote educated discourse and highlight the overlap of science and art.
The five selected artists will receive non-recoupable grants and access to Sundance Institute’s year round continuum of support, which can help address creative, financial and production issues. In addition to this tailored project support, the grantees will receive opportunities for engagement events where they can connect with Sundance’s network of alumni and creative advisors and Science Sandbox’s roster of renowned scientists, as well as enthusiastic audiences.
Hajnal Molnar-Szakacs, Sundance Institute Documentary Film Fund Director, said, “We’re proud to spotlight these innovators, and can’t wait to see where the creative, multidisciplinary melding of arts and science takes their work. This initiative’s meaningful support is especially crucial in a time when both independent storytelling and scientific thinking need to be championed.”
The five grantees selected for support in the pilot year of this program include one artist and four projects at various stages of production and audience engagement. Theo Anthony, a writer, photographer and filmmaker, was awarded the artist grant to support his creative process. The recipients of the project grants are The Most Unknown , directed by Ian Cheney, which connects nine scientists through a chain of encounters which explore some of humanity’s biggest unanswered questions; The Quiet Zone,directed by Katie DellaMaggiore, which explores the only town in America where cell phones and all wireless technology are banned; Untitled Artificial Intelligence Documentary, directed by Shalini Kantayya , which examines the bias programmed into computer algorithms and how they affect our civil liberties; and Inventing Tomorrow, directed by Laura Nix, which tells the stories of teenage scientists across the globe working to solve our most pressing environmental challenges. More in-depth summaries of the grantees appear below.
Greg Boustead, Program Director of Science Sandbox, said, "We value the power of artistry and rich narrative in helping make science relevant to more people. Sundance Institute is a tremendous partner for uncovering and supporting independent artists seeking to tell creative and more inclusive stories about science."
Artist Grant:
Theo Anthony
Theo Anthony is a writer, photographer, and filmmaker based in Baltimore, MD. In 2015, he was named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film”. His first feature, Rat Film, was released in 2017 to critical acclaim, with Richard Brody of the New Yorker calling it “one of the most extraordinary, visionary inspirations in the recent cinema”. In 2018, he was named a Sundance Art of Non-Fiction Fellow and is currently in post-production on his second documentary feature, All Light, Everywhere.
Project Grants:
Untitled Artificial Intelligence Documentary
Director and Producer: Shalini Kantayya
Untitled Artificial Intelligence Documentary follows data scientists and mathematicians who uncover bias encoded in computer algorithms that impact us all, and their journey to sound the alarm about how biased artificial intelligence threatens civil liberties. Director and Producer: Shalini Kantayya
Director: Laura Nix
Producers: Diane Becker, Melanie Miller, Laura Nix
Meet passionate teenage innovators from around the globe who are creating cutting-edge solutions to confront the world’s environmental threats – found right in their own backyards – while navigating the doubts and insecurities that mark adolescence. Take a journey with these inspiring teens as they prepare their projects for the largest convening of high school scientists in the world, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), a program of the Society for Science & the Public.
The Most Unknown
Director and Producer: Ian Cheney
The Most Unknown connects nine scientists in a chain of encounters around the world to explore some of humanity’s biggest unanswered questions.
The Quiet Zone
Director: Katie DellaMaggiore
Producer: Nelson DellaMaggiore, Tracie Holder
Welcome to Green Bank, West Virginia, the only town in America where, by federal decree, the use of cell phones, WiFi and other wireless technology is banned. Ironically, Green Bank is also home to one of the world’s most powerful radio telescopes, a place where astronomers search for clues to unlock the mysteries of our galaxy. The Quiet Zone follows this close-knit community whose 143 residents live with one foot in two worlds, past & present, at the very moment when the telescope — the town’s economic engine — is threatened with closure.
For more information about the partnership go to sundance.org/science-sandbox-nonfiction-project. For more information about Science Sandbox go to simonsfoundation.org/science-sandbox.
Founded in 1981 by Robert Redford, Sundance Institute is a nonprofit organization that provides and preserves the space for artists in film, theatre, and new media to create and thrive. The Institute's signature Labs, granting, and mentorship programs, dedicated to developing new work, take place throughout the year in the U.S. and internationally. The Sundance Film Festival and other public programs connect audiences to artists in igniting new ideas, discovering original voices, and building a community dedicated to independent storytelling. Sundance Institute has supported such projects as Mudbound, Get Out, The Big Sick, Strong Island, Blackfish, Top of the Lake, Winter's Bone, The Wolfpack, Dear White People, Trapped, Brooklyn, Little Miss Sunshine, 20 Feet From Stardom, Beasts of the Southern Wild , Fruitvale Station, Spring Awakening, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder and Fun Home. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
Science Sandbox
Science Sandbox is dedicated to inspiring a deeper interest in science, especially among those who don’t think of themselves as science enthusiasts. We support and collaborate with programs that unlock scientific thinking in everyone. Our partnerships invite a wide audience to engage in the scientific process — a process defined by curiosity, contingent upon asking questions, and informed by reliable evidence — to find solutions to everyday problems. Funded projects include film and other media productions, informal education experiences, live science events and awareness campaigns. Our funding criteria reflect our belief in the positive effects of infusing the culture with scientific thinking. We seek grantees who bring science to the people, tell science stories in innovative ways, and make science relevant to everyday life. Science Sandbox is an initiative of the Simons Foundation.
Download a PDF version of this news release.
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Kelly Clarkson hates watching herself on 'The Kelly Clarkson Show'
NBCPeople love watching Kelly Clarkson on her daytime talk show -- so much so that the show has been greelighted for a second season. But there’s one person who definitely doesn’t like watching The Kelly Clarkson Show: Kelly herself.
The singer tells Entertainment Tonight she hasn’t watched her show since its debut episode.
“I can’t watch it because I hate watching me, but people seem to like it,” she said. “I saw the very first episode and then I was like, ‘Out,’ because it's weird watching yourself.”
The show was nominated for a Critics’ Choice Award over the weekend, but ended up losing out to The Late Late Show with James Corden and Late Night with Seth Meyers, which tied for the win. She’ll have another chance next year, though, since the show is sticking around.
“I love being a part of a team that puts this show together, it's just a positive thing,” she said of making more episodes. “Everyone was like, ‘You have so many jobs.' But even when I was a teenager, I had, like, four jobs. I like working, I like being productive… it’s really cool.”
Those many jobs include her Las Vegas residency, Kelly Clarkson: Invincible, which kicks off in April, as well as being a coach on The Voice, which debuts its 18th season later this year. And of course, she's also a recording artist, and is reportedly working on a new album.
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
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Sutro Biopharma Collaborates with Celgene Corporation to Design and Develop Next-Generation Antibody Drug Conjugates and Bispecific Antibodies
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 18, 2012 – Sutro Biopharma today announced a collaboration with Celgene Corporation to design and develop novel antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) and bispecific antibodies for two undisclosed targets and to manufacture a proprietary Celgene antibody. Under the terms of the agreement, Sutro will receive a substantial upfront payment, an equity investment in the company and payments for the completion of research, development and regulatory milestones. If all programs are successful, the deal could be worth over $500 million to Sutro. The company is also eligible to receive royalties on product sales.
In the collaboration, Sutro will be responsible for product design and production of preclinical materials using the company’s proprietary, cell-free protein synthesis technology. We are pleased to work with Celgene on multiple programs that utilize a broad spectrum of Sutro’s cell free protein synthesis technology and capabilities, said William Newell, chief executive officer of Sutro Biopharma. The scope of this partnership showcases our novel, cell-free approach to designing, developing and manufacturing next-generation ADCs and bispecific antibodies.
Thomas Daniel, M.D., Celgene president, global research and early development, added, We look forward to working with the team at Sutro and to exploring their platform’s potential to accelerate the discovery and development of superior multifunctional biologics.
Four Oaks Partners advised Sutro on the transaction.
Sutro Biopharma, located in South San Francisco, is developing a new generation of antibody drug conjugate therapeutics and bifunctional antibody-based therapeutics for targeted cancer therapies. These therapeutics will significantly extend the clinical impact of current oncology therapeutic approaches and are beyond what can be envisioned with current, cell-based expression technologies. Sutro’s biochemical synthesis technology, which underpins these therapeutics, allows the rapid and systematic exploration of many protein drug variants to identify drug candidates. Once these product candidates are identified, production can be rapidly and predictably scaled up to commercial levels. Sutro has established a Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) facility for the production of clinical supplies of materials using its biochemical protein synthesis platform. Sutro is collaborating with pharmaceutical and biotech companies in the discovery and development of novel protein therapeutics.
William J. Newell
Sutro Biopharma, Inc.
bnewell@sutrobio.com
David Schull or Martina Schwarzkopf, Ph.D.
martina.schwarzkopf@russopartnersllc.com
Download a copy of this Press Release in PDF format
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Keys woman injured when lighter fluid ignites bottle
Tahoe Daily Tribune Staff Reports
A Tahoe Keys woman was transported by helicopter Tuesday to U.C. Davis Medical Center after she suffered burns when a bottle of lighter fluid she was using to stoke a barbecue ignited.
The accident on Dana Court was reported to the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department at 2:10 p.m. When firefighters got to the home, they saw the woman had been burned severely and that the burns were caused by a 32-ounce plastic lighter fluid bottle that ignited when the woman apparently poured the fluid on an already lit fire.
She was airlifted to U.C. Davis at approximately 2:50 p.m.
“She had severe burns on her arms, hands and legs,” said Donna Cova, flight nurse for CalStar.
Through the quick thinking of an unidentified SBC repairman, the woman’s injuries could have been worse, said Capt. Russ Dow of the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department.
“He was basically the hero on the scene. He utilized water, and dirt from flower pots to extinguish the fire on the person,” Dow said. “We’re trying to find out who he is so we can give him commendations.”
The flash fire serves as a reminder to the dangers of using lighter fluid on barbecues, Dow said.
“Once a fire is lit people should never try to increase the flames intensity with lighter fluid,” he said. “What can happen is that the fluid gets sucked back into the bottle, which is what happened in this instance.”
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Statistical Office
In alphabetical order Statistical data Statistical indicators
Statistical data Statistical indicators
Surs Publications SI STAT STAGE Pop. pyramid of Slovenia Settlements and streets Health in the municipality
Municipality Cerknica
The municipality covers the central area of the Notranjska region. The Cerknica Lake, the largest intermittent lake in Slovenia, is a well-known sightseeing attraction in the municipality.
Source: STO (http://www.slovenia.info, 18. 6. 2010), author Darinka Mladenovič
Municipalities in region
BlokeCerknicaIlirska BistricaLoška dolinaPivkaPostojna
Region Primorsko-notranjska
Administrative unit Cerknica
Municipality Cerknica, which is part of the Notranjsko-kraška statistical region, measures 241 km2; this ranks it 19th among Slovene municipalities.
Statistical data for 2012 reveal the following:
In the middle of 2012 about 11,350 people (about 5,750 men and 5,600 women) were living in the municipality, which ranks Cerknica 49th among Slovene municipalities. The population density was 47 people per square kilometre, which was lower than the national average of 101 people per square kilometre.
The number of live births was higher than the number of deaths, which means that natural increase per 1,000 population in the municipality was positive. It was 0.2 (in Slovenia 1.3). The number of people who moved from the municipality was higher than the number of people who moved into the municipality, so net migration per 1,000 population in the municipality was negative. It was -5.9. The sum of natural increase and net migration per 1,000 population in the municipality was negative. It was -5.7 (in Slovenia 1.6).
The mean age of people in Cerknica was 41.9 years, which was lower than the national average (42).
As in most Slovene municipalities, in Cerknica the number of old people was higher than the number of young people: there were 118 people, aged 65 or more, per 100 people aged 0–14. This ratio shows that the value of the ageing index was the same as the national average. It also shows that the mean age of people in Cerknica is growing as fast as in Slovenia as a whole. Data by sex show that the ageing index for women was in all Slovene municipalities higher than the ageing index for men. In Cerknica – as in most Slovene municipalities – more women were 65+ years old than 14 or less; for men the situation was exactly the opposite.
Cerknica had 3 kindergartens. They were attended by 419 children or 69% of all children aged 1–5, which was less than the national average of 75%. In the school year 2012/2013 basic schools in Cerknica were attended by about 930 pupils, while various upper secondary schools were attended by about 500 pupils. There were 50 students and 11 graduates per 1,000 people in the municipality; in Slovenia the averages were 47 per 1,000 and 10 per 1,000, respectively.
Among people aged 15–64 (i.e. working age population) about 63% were persons in employment (i.e. persons in paid employment or self-employed persons), which is more than the national average of 57%.
The registered unemployment rate was 9.7%, which is less than the national average (12%). In contrast to most Slovene municipalities, more men than women were unemployed.
In Cerknica, average monthly gross earnings per person employed by legal persons were about 18% lower than the annual average of monthly earnings for Slovenia; and net earnings about 16% lower.
In 2012, there were 413 dwellings per 1,000 population. About 69% of dwellings had at least three rooms. Average size of dwellings in the municipality was 89 m2.
About every other person in Cerknica had a car (54 passenger cars per 100 population); cars in this municipality were on average 9 years old.
In 2012, 230 kg of municipal waste per person was collected in Cerknica, which is 97 kg less than on average in Slovenia.
Indicators for year 2012
Density of population (per km2) 47 101
Total increase (per 1,000 population) -6 2
Mean age of population (years) 42 42
Registered unemployment rate (%) 10 12
Average age of passenger cars (years) 9 9
Data for year 2012
Area km2 241 20,273
Population 11,350 2,056,262
Number of persons in paid employment 3,132 717,043
Average monthly net earnings per person in paid employment (EUR) 836 991
Turnover of enterprises (1,000 EUR) 301,811 90,739,422
© Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia
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Head, Department of Statistics
Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
A national search is underway to identify outstanding candidates for Head of the Department and holder of an endowed chair of Statistics at Texas A&M University, the fourth largest university in the nation with an enrollment of over 50,000 students. The position will be hired at the rank of Full Professor. The Department has a strong tradition of theoretical and interdisciplinary research. Faculty members have extensive research collaborations with faculty in all ten colleges on campus.
The Department has 70 graduate students on campus with an additional 300 distance-learning M.S. graduate students, 150 undergraduate students, 26 research faculty members, and 13 academic professional track faculty. Further information about the Department, its faculty, and its facilities can be found at our website: www.stat.tamu.edu.
The Department seeks an individual with a dynamic and internationally recognized research program, a sincere commitment to undergraduate and graduate teaching, and proven leadership skills to be the Head. The Head reports to the Dean of the College of Science and is responsible for the Department’s administrative, budgetary, and personnel matters. Candidates for Head must demonstrate a vision for supporting, directing, and enhancing the goals of the Department. The position requires a Ph.D. in Statistics or a related field and a record of scholarship and teaching consistent with the level of professor at a major research university.
Any questions regarding this position may be directed to the Chair of the Search Committee, Dr. Bani Mallick at headsearch@stat.tamu.edu. Interested applicants should apply at academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/13998. Applications will continue to be accepted until the positions are filled. The Search Advisory Committee will review applications as they are received, and the review will continue until the position is filled.
Texas A&M University is committed to enriching the learning and working environment for all visitors, students, faculty, and staff by promoting a culture that embraces inclusion, diversity, equity, and accountability. Diverse perspectives, talents, and identities are vital to accomplishing our mission and living our core values.
The Texas A&M System is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Veterans/Disability Employer committed to diversity. The College of Science and the Department of Statistics are dedicated to the goal of building an inclusive and culturally diverse faculty and staff who are committed to teaching and working in an environment of academic freedom and equality of opportunity.
We are asking that all applications be submitted by September 30, 2019.
Instructional Track Faculty
The Department of Statistics at Texas A&M University seeks two Instructional Track Faculty positions for appointment of Instructional Assistant Professor or Instructional Associate Professor. These appointments will be non-tenure track. Both appointments will begin on September 1, 2020. Duties and responsibilities include teaching 2-4 courses in the MS Program for online and on-campus students and 2-3 undergraduate courses. Based on applicant preferences, the courses may be taught at either the graduate or undergraduate level, and multiple sections of the same course may be counted separately toward the teaching requirement if undergraduate service courses are taught. Both positions are full time, 9-month appointments and will participate in the course development for graduate and undergraduates as well as mentoring PhD students and Teaching Assistants.
The successful applicants must have a doctorate in statistics or biostatistics, and previous experience in teaching at the undergraduate level is preferred. Interested applicants should send a current cv and a two-page teaching statement and summary of teaching experience. To apply, please visit apply.interfolio.com/70328. Review of applicants will begin immediately. For questions, email inquiries to Dr. Samiran Sinha, Search Committee Chair, at hiring@stat.tamu.edu.
The Texas A&M System is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Veterans/Disability Employer committed to diversity. Texas A&M University, the College of Science and the Department of Statistics are dedicated to the goal of building an inclusive and culturally diverse faculty and staff who are committed to teaching and working in an environment of academic freedom and equality of opportunity. Texas A&M University has a partner placement program and is responsive to the particular needs of dual career couples. The Department of Statistics is interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity of the academic community through their research, teaching and/or service.
Application Materials Required: Cover Letter; Curriculum Vitae; Teaching Statement; Summary of teaching experience; Three professional references with contact information.
Visiting Assistant Professors
The Department of Statistics at Texas A&M University seeks two Visiting Assistant Professor positions for appointment beginning September 1, 2020. These appointments will be non-tenure track. Both positions are full time, 9-month appointments. Duties and responsibilities include teaching three courses per semester. Based on applicant preferences, the courses may be taught at either the graduate or undergraduate level, and multiple sections of the same course may be counted separately toward the teaching requirements if undergraduate service courses are taught.
The successful applicant must have a doctorate in statistics or biostatistics, and previous experience in teaching at the undergraduate level is preferred. Interested applicants should send a current cv and a two-page teaching statement and summary of teaching experience. To apply, please visit apply.interfolio.com/70336. Review of applicants will begin immediately. For questions, email inquiries to Dr. Samiran Sinha, Search Committee Chair, at hiring@stat.tamu.edu.
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Staff Member: Alfred D'Angelo
Alfred D'Angelo
On June 6, 2015, Deacon Alfred (Fred) D’Angelo was ordained to the Permanent Diaconate and a reception celebrating this milestone was held for him on Sunday, June 7th at St. Brendan’s.
Fred has been a parishioner at St. Brendan’s for eighteen years. A graduate of St. Joseph's Preparatory School in Philadelphia, Cheyney University, and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Fred practiced family medicine in Red Lion and York Haven, Pennsylvania before moving to South Bend, Indiana. In South Bend he was the Medical Director and Family Practice residency director at Michiana Community Hospital which later merged with St. Joseph Hospital in Mishawaka. After moving to Ormond Beach Fred became involved in the parish serving as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, minister to the sick, sacristan, and choir member. He has also been a long standing member of the St. Brendan Elementary School Board and serves as the current school board president.
In 2012 he was elected president of the St. Brendan the Navigator Conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and oversaw the formation of the food pantry and “Hand Me Ups” thrift shop. His three year term ended in April. His “outside the walls of the Church” ministries include a weekly Communion service at Golden Abbey assisted living facility, working in the SVdP food pantry, and prison ministry at Tomoka Correctional Institute in Daytona Beach.
Fred and his wife Denise, married thirty seven years, are the proud parents of four adult children Andrew, Matthew, Stephanie and Alexis.
When asked what inspired him to become a Deacon, Fred credited the parishioners of St. Brendan’s. No matter what is asked of them, they always go above and beyond what is needed. He is proud to be able to serve such an amazing parish.
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ST. MARK'S NURSERY SCHOOL
Q: What are the benefits of a cooperative preschool experience?
Q: How does a school being licensed and registered help keep my child safe?
Q: What is the ratio of teacher to child?
Q: What is a “special” day?
Q: What are the participation requirements? Can a non-parent participate?
Q: Are the participation requirements manageable for working parents?
Q: Are there any enrichment/extended day programs?
Q: What is the educational philosophy of the school?
Q: How is tuition determined?
Q: Does Saint Mark’s Nursery School have a religious affiliation?
Q: How does the school handle food allergies?
Q: What is committee work?
There are numerous benefits to joining a cooperative preschool. Research shows that the more a parent is involved in his/her child’s education, the more successful that child will be. As a parent participating in the classroom, you get to witness first hand how your child navigates his world and how he interacts with others - socially, emotionally, physically, creatively and intellectually. You become more of an integral part of your child’s education. Your child learns from you, the role model, the importance of learning and being involved in a community. As a member of the cooperative, you have an impact on what happens in the cooperative school. A child’s confidence grows as he or she witnesses first hand how teachers and parents work together in his or her first school experience.
Safety is a top priority at St. Mark's. Our licensing requirements ensure that all our teachers and staff undergo fingerprinting, background checks and are trained in first aid, CPR and Epi-pen administration. We also uphold strict teacher-to-student ratios at all times throughout the school day. Our security system is in place so only authorized parents, caregivers and staff members can enter the school, and our current location is equipped with interior and exterior cameras. Our safety protocols include fire drills, lock down and shelter in place drills. Our facility is thoroughly inspected by the Office of Children and Family Services, and we undergo random on-site inspections throughout the year to ensure we are in compliance. Maintaining our license takes great effort, but with it comes great benefits for our community, our students and their parents.
Our ratios are regulated by the Office of Children and Family Services and vary by the ages of the children. The 2s separation classes uphold a 1:5 teacher-to-student ratio. The 3s classes uphold a 1:7 teacher-to-student ratio, and the ratio in the 4s classrooms is 1:8.
One of the greatest benefits of joining a cooperative is the “Special Day”. It is also one of the most unique components of the cooperative experience. On a Special Day, an adult who is significant to the child is invited to join the class for the day. The child brings a healthy snack from our Approved Snack list to share, and the child enjoys some special treatment in the classroom – ringing the bell and leading the line. The most important aspect of the Special Day is the child and adult are allowed this time together - learning about learning. Our students anticipate their Special Days, and both child and adult remember these times with great fondness for many, many years.
Parents select a number of participation days, with that number determined by the age of the child. The three-year-old classes allow for 7 days of participation throughout the year, and 5 days for our four-year-old classes. There are opportunities to participate on additional days at the discretion of the classroom teacher and administration. Care-givers or relatives that have a special bond with the child are welcome to be the participating adult. Moms, dads, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and babysitters have all shared participating duties at the school.
We think so! Parents sign up for special days using SignUpGenius.com, and we strive to accommodate many different schedules. We currently have working parents who are teachers, lawyers, doctors, nurses, police officers, firefighters, business owners, students, reporters, fitness instructors, “stay at home working” parents, etc. ... we make it work!
Yes! The three year olds are offered some options to extend their days 1, 2 or 3 days a week. We offer Young Explorers, Music, Mini-Picasso, Storytime S.T.E.A.M., and Spanish enrichment classes. The four year olds are offered options to extend their days 1, 2, 3 or 4 days a week. We offer Young Explorers, Spanish, Kindergarten Readiness, Pre-Literacy workshop, Fun with Fitness, Mini-Picasso, and a Music Enrichment class for our four-year-olds. These are fun and exciting opportunities for our students! Extended Day Programs
We are a play-based, developmentally appropriate school. Play-based means we focus on PLAY as the heart and soul of the academic experience. Developmentally appropriate means our students are exposed to activities and environments that meet their developmental age and brain function. Numerous studies have proven that play provides learning opportunities to develop cognitive, physical, social and emotional experiences that lead to a child’s academic success and self esteem.
We are licensed and registered with the Office of Children and Family Services and New York State Department of Education, which means we have strict teacher to student ratios. We are a non-profit institution so our tuition costs are set to cover our educational expenses.
Q: Does St. Mark’s Nursery School have a religious affiliation?
We welcome families and children of all religious backgrounds. Our school was started in 1968 and our name is the original one taken by our cooperative when it began in the basement of our original building at 200 Hempstead Avenue almost 50 years ago. We moved to our current location at 100 Hempstead Avenue in June 2015.
We are a peanut/tree nut free school. Each year we distribute an Approved Snack List to each member of our Cooperative. On special days, only items from this list can be brought into school. The items on the list are checked on an ongoing basis to determine if they are safe for students who have peanut or tree nut allergy. We have also worked with families that have had gluten, egg, and other allergies to ensure that our school environment is safe for their little ones. If your child has a specific allergy other than peanuts, the classroom teacher and current VP of Health and Safety will work with you to create a specific list for your classroom. Our VP of Health and Safety is alerted to any recalls and periodically updates the list to ensure the safety and well being of all our students.
Q: What is committee work? Do I have to make curtains and scrub toilets?
Since we are a cooperative preschool, we ask each 3s and 4s family to make an annual commitment of volunteering 10-12 hours of their time to a specific committee (our 2s families are not required to do committee work). Our committees include Fundraising, planning a Ladies Night Out event, Hospitality, substitute teaching, Babysitting during daytime Board Meetings, Classroom toy cleaning, Enrichment and Purchasing. The VP of Committees works diligently during the summer to find a committee that fits family lifestyles and interests.
© 2016 by St. Mark's Cooperative Nursery School. Proudly created with Wix.com
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Sir David Attenborough and Sky announce Galapagos 3D
By Chris Smith 2011-12-16T20:18:00.349Z
Joint venture will be fourth 3D film
Sir David Attenborough and Sky link-up for another 3D special
Sky has announced its latest 3D wildlife documentary to be written an presented by Sir David Attenborough.
Galapagos 3D will be a three-part series to air on Sky 3D in late 2012 and is the fourth collaboration between the satellite provider and the wildlife TV pioneer.
Attenborough says that the remote islands in the Pacific represent the perfect location for a 3D series as the native creatures remain unbothered by the presence of humans.
Natural fit
He said: "One of the things that make them even more extraordinary is that because the islands were not discovered by human beings until relatively recently, and they had remained isolated for so long, the animals still haven't become frightened of human beings.
"You can walk among them carrying your own snap shot cameras or even carrying a 3D rig and they won't go away. They continue behaving in just the way that they would do naturally. Galapagos is full of drama, full of charismatic creatures which you can film; it is a natural for 3D"
Galapagos 3D will follow on from the success of Flying Monsters 3D and eagerly-awaited The Bachelor King 3D which will premiere on Sky 3D on New Year's Eve.
Sky also has Kingdom of the Plants 3D, a series about London's Cue Gardens, in the can, which will air on Sky 3D sometime in 2012.
See more Television news
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Learn All About Teaching English Online
Welcome to the Teaching ESL Online blog. Browse around to get the best advice on how to become an independent, online language teacher. If in doubt, start here.
How to Get Private Students through Facebook
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3 Ways to Get More Views on YouTube and What You're Doing Wrong
https://www.teachingeslonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/get-more-views-youtube.jpg 1080 1920 Jack https://www.teachingeslonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/TESLO-Logo-for-enfold.jpg Jack2017-11-12 07:19:022017-11-12 07:20:483 Ways to Get More Views on YouTube and What You're Doing Wrong
A Day in the Life of an Online Teacher (and Tips for Teaching Online)
https://www.teachingeslonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/teach-online.jpg 720 1280 Jack https://www.teachingeslonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/TESLO-Logo-for-enfold.jpg Jack2017-11-07 06:02:512018-02-28 14:21:30A Day in the Life of an Online Teacher (and Tips for Teaching Online)
Teaching English Online: Thoughts on a Teaching Niche 4 Years On and Saying NO!!!
https://www.teachingeslonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/teach-english-online.jpg 720 1280 Jack https://www.teachingeslonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/TESLO-Logo-for-enfold.jpg Jack2017-09-22 10:18:222017-09-22 10:18:22Teaching English Online: Thoughts on a Teaching Niche 4 Years On and Saying NO!!!
New Ideas for My Online Teaching Business
https://www.teachingeslonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/bulb-40701_1280.png 1280 1280 Jack https://www.teachingeslonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/TESLO-Logo-for-enfold.jpg Jack2017-08-03 10:54:312017-08-03 10:54:31New Ideas for My Online Teaching Business
Online Teachers: What's Stopping You from Earning More?
https://www.teachingeslonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/earn-more-online.jpg 720 1280 Jack https://www.teachingeslonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/TESLO-Logo-for-enfold.jpg Jack2017-08-01 17:56:022018-04-12 07:38:25Online Teachers: What's Stopping You from Earning More?
A Simple yet Powerful Way to Build a Teaching Business on the Side (English or any Language)
https://www.teachingeslonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/a-simple-yet-powerful-way-to-bui.jpg 720 1280 Jack https://www.teachingeslonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/TESLO-Logo-for-enfold.jpg Jack2017-06-05 13:22:152018-04-12 07:36:09A Simple yet Powerful Way to Build a Teaching Business on the Side (English or any Language)
The BOTS Are Coming: What I Learned Setting Up a Messenger Bot for English Learners
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3 Lessons I've Learned Creating My New Online Course | Read or Watch This Before You Create Your Own
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Home / Internet /
Giving back in Constantine and White Pigeon
Published on Monday, June 24, 2019 in Internet
June marks a significant milestone in our quest to bring high speed fiber internet to rural southwest Michigan. We've reached 10,000 customers and to celebrate, we have donated $10,000, with partnership support from Wolverine Power Cooperative, to the communities that fell into our fifth year of construction.
Here are the recipients in our Constantine/White Pigeon internet zone:
$2,000 Village of Constantine
For many years kids from Constantine and other neighboring communities would spin to their hearts' delight on the merry-go-round at South Washington Park. So it was a sad day when it had to be removed.
“For as long as I can remember, the park had a merry-go-round, and we did everything we could to keep it but it became unsafe,” noted Marti Brown, township clerk and chair of the Village of Constantine Parks and Recreation Committee.
Now with funds from the Constantine Area Community Foundation (CACF)*, the Department of Natural Resources, several downtown businesses and our $2,000 donation, a new merry-go-round will delight kids for years to come. “We're excited to bring this treasured park staple back,” said Brown.
“We're proud to contribute to the continued improvements of our local parts,” said Kathy Messner. Projects like these go hand-in-hand with our goal of promoting philanthropy and community involvement with our children.”
This project is part of the Parks and Recreation Department's five-year plan to improve the beautification and recreational opportunities for area families. The new merry-go-round will be roughly eight feet in diameter and is expected to be installed later this summer.
Follow the CACF and the Village of Constantine on Facebook to learn more about what's happening in this great SW Michigan community.
*The CACF is a geographical affiliate of the Sturgis Foundation.
Pictured above (left): CACF President Kathy Messner and Constantine Township Clerk Marti Brown show us the park where the merry-go-round will be installed.
$500, White Pigeon Food Pantry
Tyler Royce wears many hats in White Pigeon. From serving as Village President to Assistant Fire Chief, his dedication to serving others is unwavering and it's what motivated him to start the White Pigeon Food Pantry.
“Several years ago, the fire department had approached The Care Network because we wanted to be more involved in the Christmas food drive. At the time, we were told there wasn't enough support to continue the drive. So that's when we decided we wanted to do what we could to help keep this kind of thing going,” he said.
From that the food pantry was born and earlier this year, it moved to a new location at 103 N Kalamazoo making it more accessible and visible to local residents. In fact, last month, they served 54 families which was the highest number served in years. The pantry is run entirely by volunteers and our donation of $500 will go towards general operating expenses.
“We're dedicated to helping our local families and are working to get the community as involved as possible. Volunteers from local churches, the library and Sturgis Bank & Trust actively participate,” he noted.
The food pantry is open Wednesdays, 9-11 a.m. and the third Monday of every month from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Families can be served one time per month. Learn more on Facebook.
Pictured above (right): A local volunteer helps load up a food box for a family.
The post Giving back in Constantine and White Pigeon appeared first on MEC.
October 1, 2019 Fiber Construction Underway in Southeast Michigan
August 21, 2019 Get the Most out of your Gig Internet Package
June 27, 2019 Giving Back in Paw Paw
June 26, 2019 Giving Back in Portage
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Speedskater Allison Baver Is Engaged, Partly Thanks To Another Olympic Couple
By Lisa Costantini | March 10, 2015, 3:18 p.m. (ET)
Allison Baver and boyfriend Tommy appear on an episode of "The Millionaire Matchmaker" with matchmaker Patti Stanger.
Short track speedskater Allison Baver owes her 2010 Olympic teammate Aly Dudek a huge thank you. If it wasn’t for Dudek and her boyfriend of one year, bobsledder Steve Langton, Baver might not be engaged.
Baver recommended the couple — who are currently appearing together on “The Amazing Race” — for “The Millionaire Matchmaker” two years after she first went on the reality matchmaking show.
“I was having a hard time finding love, honestly,” said Baver, who won bronze at the 2010 Games. “I didn’t know what to expect.”
It had been four years since her relationship with fellow speedskater Apolo Ohno had ended, and, she said, “part of me was thinking, maybe I will find love on the show. You never know.”
Her episode didn’t end with a love connection.
“It just wasn’t the right time,” she said. But the two-time Olympic speedskater did keep in touch with the producer — who initially came to her with the idea of being on “The Bachelorette.”
Years later when he called “asking if I had any professional athlete friends who were looking for love or relationship advice, Aly and Steve [who had been dating just six months at the time] were among the people I referred.”
But a week before they were supposed to start filming, they had to cancel due to a scheduling conflict. Baver remembered, “The producers were scrambling to find someone to fill the spot.” So, she said, “Since they knew I was in a new relationship they asked if I would come on with my boyfriend of seven months” to get advice from the show’s expert, Patti Stanger.
What the 34-year-old didn’t know at the time was that she would end up getting proposed to on national television. TeamUSA.org talked to Baver to get all the details on the wedding and hear about her experience on the show.
First off, congratulations!
Ha, thanks. We had to keep it quiet until the show aired so now it’s a little odd because we’ve already been engaged for a while. But it’s nice. We’ve started to get settled in and start planning for the future, so it’s fun to be getting well wishes now.
So when is the big day?
Well, we’re holding off on setting a date because there is talk that we might get married on the show. We were actually going to get married on the last season, but the timing didn’t work out. And apparently Patti is ordained so she might be the one marrying us.
That’s crazy! Kind of like your proposal on the show. It was very spur of the moment. It happened after Patti threw your boyfriend, Tommy, her ring and sort of dared him.
Yeah. So we went to get relationship advice and that was going to be really fun, but the first day of filming we were in this really intense meeting with Patti. After telling us she thought we were a good couple she challenged him to propose. I was so embarrassed. But after he popped the question, he told me he had actually been thinking about it for a while but that he didn’t know when and where to do it. So he just seized the moment.
Are you still wearing the ring he proposed with, since it was technically Patti’s ring?
That ring was actually from her line of jewelry. It’s really pretty. She gave it to me, and I kind of want to keep it as my engagement ring. But after we got engaged, Patti took Tommy ring shopping. He won’t tell me anything about the ring Patti helped him pick out, so I’ve been left out of the loop on that one.
So you didn’t actually get engaged at the end of filming?
It happened literally Day 1 out of 10 days of filming. After doing some intros on camera we met with Patti. We’re in this deep conversation where she’s asking these serious questions, like what was holding me back in love. And it was actually a fear of failing. I think it ties back to being an athlete. All athletes love winning. We can’t lose at anything, even love.
It was during that conversation when it happened. Afterwards everyone was like, what do we do now? So for all the other things we had planned to shoot I couldn’t wear the ring. We had to pretend like it didn’t happen and we weren’t already engaged. On the show they made it look like we did all these activities, like skating and pole dancing and that we got over all our issues, but he actually proposed to me on the first day.
The issue you’re talking about is the fact that Tommy used to be an exotic dancer?
Yeah. Being that I’m an Olympic athlete — far removed from the nightlife scene and anything in that category — we had some serious discussions about his past. I was having a hard time with it. On one hand, I was saying, ‘This guy is amazing and he’s so kind and such a gentleman.’ And I didn’t want to judge someone because it’s different. But I grew up in a small town outside Pennsylvania in a very conservative family. My mom and dad are still married, so I’m a more traditional girl.
But Tommy danced at a very high level throughout his career as a dancer — we’re talking Italy, all over the world — and I found a lot of respect for the performance aspect of what he did. There are lights and darks to the industry, but everyone automatically thinks of the dark.
On your episode, you took a pole dancing class to give you some perspective into Tommy’s old life. What was that like?
That was horrible! Everything on the pole is very upper body driven — things we never use in speed skating — so I knew it was going to be difficult. I definitely need to practice that a lot more, but I have no interest in ever doing it again!
You retired from speedskating last year, but what does Tommy think about your sport? Did he enjoy getting to learn how to skate on “The Millionaire Matchmaker”?
He actually got to see me skate my very last Olympic trials, which was cool. I would have liked for him to have been there when I was at my prime. I think it’s a bit hard to comprehend what really goes on when you’re competing and training at that level. I don’t know if he truly understands, but he tries really hard. Learning to skate was one way he tried.
Early in our relationship he actually asked me to go on an ice skating date but I’m really weird when it comes to skating recreationally. It’s not fun for me. I only like skating at a very high level. But now that I’ve been retired for a year I actually wanted to go ice skating when we were in New York City over Christmas, but we didn’t have time.
Is Tommy in the sports field as well?
He has a company called Go Fit Hero doing corporate wellness. He has an office here in Utah, which sells supplements and proteins. When Olympic trials were coming up, I was looking for this one protein that I like and they were the only ones who sold it locally. I went there in between workouts — wearing my workout clothes, which is not the best attire to meet someone in. I was waiting for someone to check to see if they had any in stock and he came out of his office and said, “I bet you can’t get those pants just anywhere?” I looked down and realized they said US Speedskating on them. I was so embarrassed that I just said no and that was it.
But I later reached out to him through Facebook about helping me get the protein and he called me within 30 minutes. We talked for an hour, but never mentioned protein. We went on a date the next day. You never think you’ll meet someone that way — it’s like meeting someone at the grocery store. When you least expect it is when they say it happens, right?
Reloaded And Recharged: Brittany Bowe Is On A Roll March 10, 2015
Meet Team USA’s 35 Women Of Winter March 08, 2015
Back On Top: Shani Davis Wins First Major Title In Four Years Feb. 14, 2015
Brittany Bowe Wins First Speedskating World Championship Feb. 13, 2015
How A Bobsledder And A Speedskater Fell In Love At The Olympics Feb. 12, 2015
Allison Baver
Short Track Speedskating
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U.S. Women Defeat Japan Sixth Time in 2013
Nov. 13, 2013, 6:21 a.m. (ET)
NAGOYA, Japan (Nov. 13, 2013) – Jordan Larson-Burbach (Hooper, Neb.) and Kelly Murphy (Wilmington, Ill.) each scored a match-high 20 points to lead the U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team to a 25-19, 25-19, 19-25, 25-21 victory over Japan on Wednesday evening on the second day of the six-team round-robin FIVB Women’s World Grand Champions Cup in Nagoya, Japan.
- Unofficial DataVolley Stats
- Official FIVB Stats
- U.S. Women's Press Kit
- U.S. Women's Event Page
- FIVB Event Page
- Like USAV on Facebook
- Follow USAV on Twitter
- Contact: Bill Kauffman
After a travel day to Tokyo on Thursday, the U.S. (1-1, 3 points) will play Russia (1-1, 3 points) on Friday at 4:10 p.m. local time (10:10 p.m. PT on Thursday night). Russia defeated Dominican Republic (1-1, 3 points) 25-14, 22-25, 25-23, 25-15 on Wednesday. Team USA faces Thailand on Saturday before concluding the event against NORCECA rival Dominican Republic on Sunday.
The U.S. broke a 13-all tie in the opening set with a 3-0 run and pushed to a win 25-19. Team USA out-blocked Japan 5-0 in the set as seven Americans scored at least one point in the frame. Team USA rallied from a 13-10 deficit in the second set with a 6-0 run as part of an overall 13-3 spurt in winning 25-19. Japan jumped out to a 9-4 advantage in the third set with six unanswered points and gained a 25-19 victory to extend the match. Team USA used a 4-0 run in the fourth set to separate itself to a 12-8 advantage and went on to win 25-21.
Larson-Burbach scored her 20 points on 18 kills via 42 attacks and two blocks. Murphy (Wilmington, Ill.) scored nine of her 20 points in the final set to reach 17 kills on 44 swings, two blocks and an ace. American captain Kristin Hildebrand (Orem, Utah) added 16 points on 12 kills via 22 attacks and team-high four blocks. Lauren Gibbemeyer (St. Paul, Minn.) tacked on nine points via eight kills on 13 attacks and a block. Lauren Paolini (Ann Arbor, Mich.) charted seven kills on 16 attacks and a block for eight points. Alisha Glass (Leland, Mich.) tallied seven points on three kills on three swings, three blocks and an ace. Cassidy Lichtman (Poway, Calif.) and Kim Hill (Portland, Ore.) rounded out the scoring with an ace each.
"Tonight was a great match," Hildebrand said. "Every time we play Japan it is a battle. We blocked and defended well. We did a good job of executing our game plan. We also passed and served well.
Kayla Banwarth (Dubuque, Iowa) charted a team-high 24 digs, while Lichtman and Glass each added eight digs. Glass was credited with 43 running sets to allow the U.S. offense to convert 46.1 percent of its attacks and a .362 hitting efficiency. Larson-Burbach totaled 13 excellent receptions on 24 attempts, while Hildebrand was credited with nine excellent receptions on 37 attempts.
Prior to today’s match, the U.S. had defeated Japan in all five matches played in 2013 including three victories in the USA Volleyball Cup held in Southern California and two matches during the FIVB World Grand Prix in Japan.
"Japan is the team we have played against the most this year," U.S. Women's National Volleyball Team Head Coach Karch Kiraly said. "They are always well-coached and fight very hard. We always have battles with them and today was another one. They know us well and we know them well. We learned some of their offensive patterns when we trained with them last week in Tokyo."
U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team Head Coach Karch Kiraly started Larson-Burbach and Hildebrand at outside hitter, Gibbemeyer and Paolini at middle blocker, Murphy at opposite and Glass at setter. Banwarth was the libero for the match. Jenna Hagglund (West Chester, Ohio), Lichtman and Hill were subs in all four sets.
The U.S. held a 13-7 advantage in blocks and a slim 4-3 margin in aces. The Americans held their errors to 12 in the match, while Japan committed 22 errors.
Japan’s Yuki Ishii scored a team-high 19 points, while Saori Kimura added 13 points.
In today’s opening match, Brazil (2-0, 6 points) defeated Thailand (0-2, 0 points) 25-18, 25-17, 25-17.
After four early lead changes, Team USA reached the opening set’s first technical timeout leading 8-7. At that point, Japan had scored six of its seven points on USA errors. The U.S. earned the first two-point separation of the first set at 11-9 with kills from Murphy and Hildebrand. Team USA increased its margin to 13-10 with consecutive kills by Murphy and Hildebrand. Japan responded with a Ishii kill and ace by Otake to knot the score at 13-all. Team USA answered with blocks by Murphy and Hildebrand around a Larson-Burbach kill to go into the second technical timeout leading 16-13 with Hagglund on the service line for the run. After a Paolini kill, Lichtman subbed into the match and promptly served an ace to stretch the U.S. lead to 18-14 at a Japan timeout. The U.S. extended its advantage to 21-15 with a Paolini kill and blocks by Glass and Larson-Burbach. Larson-Burbach added a fourth straight point at 22-15 with a cross-court winner. After Japan trimmed the deficit to 22-17, the teams traded points to the final 25-19 victory.
Larson-Burbach scored the first two points of the second set with kills. Japan took the lead at 4-3 with an ace capping a 3-0 run. Japan reached a two-point edge at 10-8 with an ace, then stretched the advantage to 13-10 after winning a long rally leading to a U.S. timeout. The Americans responded with a Murphy kill, followed by three kills and a block by Hildebrand pushing Team USA in front 15-13 at a Japan timeout. The U.S. scored a fifth straight point on Hagglund’s serve with a Paolini slide kill to put the Americans in front 16-13 at the second technical timeout. Glass added a seventh straight point with a block at 17-13. Japan took two points off the deficit at 17-15, but Paolini answered with a kill and block to push the U.S. lead to 19-15. Larson-Burbach collected three kills around a Murphy kill to extend the American lead to 23-16. Japan scored three unanswered points to force USA to call timeout with its lead trimmed to 23-19. After a Japan service error, Murphy ended the set with a kill at 25-19.
Murphy served an ace after a Hildebrand kill to give the Americans a 4-3 lead in the third set, but Japan came back to score the next five points to take a 8-4 advantage at the first technical timeout. Out of the break, Japan scored a fifth straight point to establish a 9-4 lead. The U.S. trimmed the gap to 12-9 on a 4-1 run that included aces by Hill and Glass. However, Japan returned to a five-point cushion at 14-9 with consecutive points at a USA timeout. Out of the break, Japan scored two additional points to reach the second technical timeout leading 16-9 on a 4-0 run. Out of the break, the U.S. went on a 4-0 run with a kill and block by Gibbemeyer, and kills from Murphy and Larson-Burbach to close to 16-13. Japan collected four straight points to go up 21-14 on a 4-0 run. The U.S. saved three set points with kills from Larson-Burbach and Gibbemeyer around a Japan error, but Japan closed out the set 25-19.
The U.S. took its first lead of the fourth set at 5-4 following consecutive kills from Hildebrand and Larson-Burbach, then Larson-Burbach added a block at 6-4. Japan responded with back-to-back points to level the score at 6-all. Murphy turned in three kills around her own block on consecutive plays to push the Americans in front 12-8. Japan scored the next two points to cut the gap in half at 12-10. Team USA reached the second technical timeout leading 16-12 with a Glass block after a Japan service error. After the break, Glass put down a second-touch kill at 17-12. Japan knocked two points off the deficit leading to a U.S. timeout with its advantage cut to 17-14. Japan continued to charge back to within two at 19-17. Hildebrand put up a block after a Japan error to extend the American lead back to four points at 21-17. Murphy and Hildebrand scored consecutive kills to give the Americans match point at 24-20. Murphy scored her ninth point of the fourth set to cap the win at 25-21.
U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team for FIVB Volleyball Grand Champions Cup
# - Name (Pos, Ht, Spike, Block, Hometown, College)
1 - Alisha Glass (S, 6-0, 10-0, 9-10, Leland, Mich., Penn State University)
4 - Cursty Jackson (MB, 6-2, 10-6, 10-2, Los Angeles, Calif., University of Arizona)
5 - Tamari Miyashiro (L, 5-7, 9-4, 8-9, Kaneohe, Hawaii, University of Washington)
7 - Cassidy Lichtman (OH, 6-1, 9-10, 9-2, Poway, Calif., Stanford University)
8 - Lauren Gibbemeyer (MB, 6-2, 10-1, 9-7, St. Paul, Minn., University of Minnesota)
9 - Kristin Hildebrand – Captain (OH, 6-1, 9-10, 9-4, Orem, Utah, Stanford University)
10 - Jordan Larson-Burbach (OH, 6-2, 9-11, 9-8, Hooper, Neb., University of Nebraska)
12 - Kayla Banwarth (L, 5-10, 9-8, 9-3, Dubuque, Iowa, University of Nebraska)
13 - Christa Harmotto (MB, 6-2, 10-7, 9-10, Hopewell Township, Pa., Penn State University)
14 - Nicole Fawcett (OPP, 6-4, 10-2, 9-7, Zanesfield, Ohio, Penn State University)
15 - Kelly Murphy (OPP, 6-2, 10-4, 10-1, Wilmington, Ill., University of Florida)
16 - Kim Hill (OH, 6-4, 10-6, 10-2, Portland, Ore., Pepperdine University)
17 - Lauren Paolini (MB, 6-4, 10-5, 9-10, Ann Arbor, Mich., University of Texas)
20 - Jenna Hagglund (S, 5-10, 9-7, 9-6, West Chester, Ohio, University of Washington)
Head Coach: Karch Kiraly
Assistant Coaches: Reed Sunahara, Mike Hebert
Technical Coordinator: Joe Trinsey
Athletic Trainer: Jill Wosmek
Team Leader: Kenny Sullivan
FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Grand Champions Cup Schedule
Nov. 12 - Nagoya, Japan
Dominican Republic def. Thailand 25-23, 25-21, 25-23
Brazil def. USA 26-24, 26-24, 25-20
Japan def. Russia 25-20, 26-28, 25-16, 26-24
Brazil def. Thailand 25-18, 25-17, 25-17
Russia def. Dominican Republic 25-14, 22-25, 25-23, 25-15
United States def. Japan 25-19, 25-19, 19-25, 25-21
Nov. 15 - Tokyo, Japan
Dominican Republic vs. Brazil, 12:10 p.m. (7:10 p.m. PT on Nov. 14)
United States vs. Russia, 4:10 p.m. (10:10 p.m. PT on Nov. 14)
Japan vs. Thailand, 7:10 p.m. (2:10 a.m. PT on Nov. 15)
United States vs. Thailand, 12:10 p.m. (7:10 p.m. PT on Nov. 15)
Russia vs. Brazil, 4:10 p.m. (10:10 p.m. PT on Nov. 15)
Japan vs. Dominican Republic, 7:10 p.m. (2:10 a.m. PT on Nov. 16)
United States vs. Dominican Republic, 12:10 p.m. (7:10 p.m. PT on Nov. 16)
Thailand vs. Russia, 3:10 p.m. (9:10 p.m. PT on Nov. 16)
Japan vs. Brazil, 6:10 p.m. (1:10 a.m. PT on Nov. 17)
Beal Blog on US Women vs Japan Nov. 13, 2013
Doug Beal Blog on Women's National Team Nov. 12, 2013
Getting to Know Kelly Murphy Nov. 12, 2013
U.S. Women Fall to Brazil Nov. 12, 2013
Grand Champions Cup Press Conference Nov. 11, 2013
U.S. Women Prepared for Challenge Oct. 31, 2013
Alisha Glass
Cassidy Lichtman
Lauren Gibbemeyer
Kristin Hildebrand
Kayla Banwarth
Kelly Murphy
Lauren Paolini
Jenna Hagglund
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Mothering Without Limits
Lindsey Hubley reads a story with her two-year-old son Myles at their home in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Lindsey contracted flesh-eating disease after giving birth to Myles, and her hands and feet had to be amputated.
Days after Lindsey Hubley gave birth to her son, she had to reenter the hospital with devastating medical problems. But every challenge that motherhood has brought is one to which she has risen.
Words by Lindsay Jones
Photographs by Darren Calabrese
Issue No. 23, Mothers
Lindsey Hubley had just four blissful days with her newborn baby Myles, four days spent inhaling the scent of his creamy skin, admiring his crown of light brown hair. She had just four days to savor the contentment of holding in her own two hands the eight pounds and six ounces that had been weighing on her pelvis for nine months. Then came the lethargy. The uncontrollable shaking. In the emergency room, doctors told Lindsey she was simply constipated. They gave her an enema and sent her home. Within 24 hours, the 33-year-old first-time mother was in an induced coma.
During delivery, Lindsey’s perineum had torn, a laceration so severe that a nurse told her she might never be able to have another vaginal birth. The tear was sewn up, and two days after the birth Lindsey was sent home. But a rare infection developed and quickly spread in her body: a necrotizing fasciitis, or flesh-eating disease, that started on her perineum, then spread to her limbs, stomach, hips, and buttocks. (Lindsey’s lawyer has told the Canadian Press that the infection was preventable—a piece of the placenta was accidentally stitched inside her after childbirth.) The infection became so severe that her body went into sepsis, a potentially fatal condition. A week later, in March 2017, doctors pulled her out of the induced coma to check her brain function, which they suspected was nonexistent. The first and only thing Lindsey said after waking was: “Myles.”
Lindsey, right, and her fiancé Mike Sampson follow Myles on their way home from playing at a park in Halifax in May 2019.
It was cloudy and gray on the April morning last year when Lindsey’s partner, Mike Sampson, pulled into the driveway of the three-bedroom bungalow they had recently purchased. It came with a wheelchair ramp.
It was day 420 of Myles’s life, the day Lindsey was released from the hospital for a second and, she hoped, final time. Myles had grown into a talkative, sandy-haired toddler, with a curved upper lip that twinned her own. Lindsey knew she was Myles’s mom. Rationally, she knew. But she didn’t feel like she was. By then, Myles had bonded with the other adults in his life. When he needed a diaper change, a bottle, or a hug, he went to Mike, a bubbly, athletic customer service manager for Hyundai with enough medical knowledge of Lindsey’s condition that you might mistake him for a doctor. Myles had also grown close to Mike’s parents, Larry and Jackie Sampson, who put their lives on hold, off and on, for more than a year to be Myles’s surrogate parents.
Lindsey has Mike lay a mattress in the living room so she and Myles can play and cuddle on the floor.
“There’s no book for this,” Lindsey tells me, her wide blue eyes welling with tears, when I visit her in late March 2019 at her home in suburban Halifax, a city of nearly half a million people in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. From the moment I’d read about the lawsuit she filed in 2017—Lindsey and Mike are suing the IWK Health Centre and five doctors for negligence over the years-long ordeal—I’d wondered how she was doing and what life was now like for her and Myles.
While we sit in her sunny living room, with Myles feeding her cucumber slices and zooming Dinky trucks along her arms, Lindsey tells me how she waited months in the hospital for the necrotizing fasciitis to demarcate, to reveal the boundary line between living tissue and the places where the blood vessels in her wrists and legs had died. Only then could doctors cut out the dead tissue. The Wiggles are blasting on the big-screen television mounted to the wall, and as Lindsey chats, her right arm occasionally clangs on a glass side table. Unfazed, she keeps talking. I’m surprised at the 35-year-old’s candor and vulnerability. It’s almost like she’s been waiting to share the details—no longer gruesome to her, though still painful—of her story of birth and rebirth.
Lindsey knew she was Myles’s mom. Rationally, she knew. But she didn’t feel like she was. Myles had bonded with the other adults in his life.
Lindsey shows me photos of her hands from spring 2017; they had turned black from the flesh-eating infection, she explains, and the smell, especially the one emanating from her left arm, was impossible to escape. “For a long time I was terrified of my fingers falling off,” she says. She flips through the images casually on her iPad, remarking on one that still unsettles her. In it, her black hands stroke Myles’s face. “But they were still my hands, right?” she asks.
They were—until day 89, when doctors removed both of her hands and wrists, and part of her left forearm. On day 120, they took her feet—her toes still polished royal blue in recognition of the baby boy she had carried—just below the knee on the left, and to the kneecap on the right. The doctors cut every last remnant of dead flesh from Lindsey’s body, from her hips, thighs, upper left arm, uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix, and abdomen, which doctors had a hard time closing up because the infection had eaten through all the healthy tissue. It took 32 surgeries—almost one a week—to get to day 420, the day when Lindsey could leave the hospital and come home for good, the day she could finally be full-time mom to Myles.
Lindsey prepares dinner as Myles tries to help.
Lindsey uses a special knife and cutting board designed for amputees to prepare dinner for Mike and Myles.
During my second visit to the family’s home, two-year-old Myles runs to greet me, to see what I’ve brought: my own children’s discarded Paw Patrol toys, which are a little dusty and missing parts. Lindsey is bright-faced and chipper, if a little unsteady on her feet. Two days earlier she was fitted with a new set of prosthetic legs, and her feet are wedged into a pair of leather Birkenstocks that still bear the impressions of her flesh toes and heels. A barrette pulls her short, blonde, highlighted hair off her forehead. She’s in gray skinny jeans—maternity jeans, because they’re easier to get on and off. Myles tears through the bag of pups as Lindsey recites each one of their names.
The previous year has been about overcoming hurdles, and Mike, her fiancé, has been industrious, finding a way around each challenge that has presented itself. He’s made Lindsey a number of tools to reach and grab things, hacks with twist ties and elastics, to make the house “Lindsey-proof.” He piggybacks her down to the basement bathroom, which has the only bathtub in the house. He cheers her on, lovingly makes fun of her, laughs as she makes fun of herself, but he too has suffered tremendous trauma and is off work on disability for post-traumatic stress disorder.
Lindsey helps Myles brush his teeth before bedtime.
Before giving birth, Lindsey worked as a telecommunications manager for an airline. She played on three softball teams and dreamed about the day she would catch frogs with her own child. Today, her life revolves around daycare drop-off, medical appointments, and dialysis treatments. Mike does all the driving, though Lindsey hopes to someday get behind the wheel of her Honda Civic that has been sitting in the driveway since she got sick. She’s relearning how to walk, feed herself, brush her teeth, and go to the bathroom, things that Myles is also learning, albeit for the first time.
Lindsey’s eyes cast downward as she talks about what she has gone through, what she’s lost. She insists it’s worth it—to have Myles, to be there for him, to be alive. “I would do this all over again to have him.”
In some ways, I can relate. I, too, struggled to figure out how to bond with my baby boy—if for vastly different reasons than Lindsey’s. My son, Ben, cried constantly from the moment he was born on January 9, 2010, then became a moody toddler who didn’t want to be put down. I became so rankled and sleep-deprived over the first two years of his life that all I looked forward to was his next nap. I thought I was failing as a mother when we were kicked out of mom-baby yoga because I couldn’t calm his wailing, or when I returned from a walk less than a block from home because he wouldn’t stop thrashing and screaming. That I, the woman who had always loved children, couldn’t handle what every other woman seemed to be able to, filled me with feelings of inadequacy. As he got older, I detached from Ben when things got difficult. When he writhed on the floor crying, refused to put on his socks and shoes, and stormed around the house. I pawned him off as much as I could on my husband. I sometimes still do. I, too, want to close a gap with Ben, with whom I still have difficulties at nine years old, and I hope it’s not too late.
Lindsey wheels through an empty corridor at the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, where she goes for dialysis treatment. She’s waiting for a kidney transplant; until then, she wakes at 5 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to catch an accessible bus to her three-hour treatments.
For ten months, Myles visited Lindsey in the hospital daily, sometimes twice a day. When he was asleep, napping in the play pen set up in the corner of the room, Lindsey would spend time with Mike and watch their son sleep. When Myles was awake, she fed him rice cereal, first propped on someone else’s lap, and later in a white IKEA highchair, using a utensil that Mike’s dad, Larry Sampson, had invented: a Velcro bracelet with powerful magnets that can attach to a spoon or fork.
When Myles was living at his grandparents’ home for the first 13 months of his life, Lindsey often ached to hold him. She watched him via an iPad hooked up to a camera feed, gazed at the photo of him that nurses had hung from the hospital room ceiling. At bedtime, she sang “Twinkle, Twinkle” to Myles over FaceTime before watching another person bend down and tuck him in. Mike made sure to always bring her Myles’s swaddling blankets so she’d have his scent nearby. “I’d snuggle it till the smell was gone and then we’d switch.” Sometimes, when she was alone in the big hospital room, she cried for hours. Unable to grasp tissues, she soaked the gel pillow Mike had bought her, the shoulders of her hospital gown, and the blankets, as the blinking machines stood by like sentries.
A registered nurse assists Lindsey during dialysis.
One of Lindsey’s greatest physical accomplishments took place on a Saturday afternoon in February 2018, at a hockey rink during a family sojourn from the hospital: Myles, then almost one, needed a nap and Lindsey decided she was going to be the one to get him to sleep. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight in his winter coat and boots as his exhausted wails bounced around the cavernous rink. She thrust her torso back and forth in a rocking motion, struggling to keep him on her lap. Family members nearby kept offering to help.
No, I’m doing this. I don’t care how hard this is on my body. I’m doing this for me.
On and on she went, rocking and singing “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” into the curl of Myles’s ear. Finally, he went limp. “I’ve never been more proud,” she says. “It made me feel so good—’cause it was so hard not to be mom. He ran to everyone but me.”
She’s hung on to that triumph during the toughest times, a badge of honor she pulls out as a shield to protect her heart. Like on the days when Myles only wants Daddy, which come less frequently now than they did.
Mike and Lindsey stay close by as Myles goes down the slide at a park near their home.
Last fall, for the first time in 563 days, Lindsey stood on her own. She revealed the prosthetic legs to Myles in the living room, lifting up a blanket while she sat in a chair: “Look! Mama has legs.” Myles stared for a second, then said, “Good girl,” and toddled away. Mike scooped Myles up to watch as Lindsey pushed herself upright and into their arms, for balance and for a hug.
Myles likes her better when she has her legs on, because she’s more fun, and they can get closer, Lindsey thinks: “It’s usually a good day if I have my legs on.” On his second birthday in March, when the house was full of family and friends, he ran to the bedroom and returned with Lindsey’s legs. “Mama’s legs,” he said, and started trying to put them on her.
Lindsey watches as Myles plays with one of her prosthetic legs in October 2018. Courtesy of the Hubley family.
Myles and Lindsey play on the floor in March 2019. Courtesy of the Hubley family.
Today, Lindsey has her toes on her prosthetics painted fuchsia, an Essie nail polish color called Haute in the Heat. A friend did the right foot and Lindsey did the left, holding the brush between her forearms, which she lovingly refers to as her “kitten paws.” She’s waiting on an insurance company to okay the USD 148,000 estimate to make a set of prosthetic hands. Mike drew a tiny brown mole on the top of her right foot that mirrors the way her feet used to look.
We move to the kitchen island so Myles can finger paint on a white roll of paper taped down to the counter. Earlier this year, Lindsey fell near Myles while wearing her prosthetic legs, after tripping over a plastic bag. It was an accident, an honest mistake, the sort of thing most parents have done and beat themselves up over. But Lindsey is even harder on herself than most parents: Maybe I’m too unsteady on my legs. Maybe it’s the painkillers making me shaky. Doctors had pumped 17 different types of medication into her while she was in the hospital after the infection and surgeries, and she still takes some of the pain meds. She’s trying to kick her body’s dependence on opioids, helped by medical-grade THC and CBD. But the nausea and sweats and lightning bolts of pain where her limbs used to be are sometimes unbearable. Sometimes she needs a fentanyl patch.
Lindsey insists it’s worth it—to have Myles, to be there for him, to be alive. “I would do this all over again to have him.”
The night before one of our scheduled interviews, Lindsey had an emotional breakdown for the first time since coming home from the hospital. She left the table in the middle of supper and went to bed. It felt like the flu, but it was opioid withdrawal, combined with terrible news from earlier that day: her hernia surgery was being delayed. Lindsey had been counting on the procedure, which would have repaired her separated abdominal wall and allowed her to start building back core strength. She would have been able to carry Myles, who now weighs about 40 pounds, throw him on her hip, cart him around like mothers do. In bed, she sobbed all night, and off and on the whole next day. “I just felt lost,” she says. “I didn’t know what to do. I felt like I was holding my shit together for so long and just couldn’t anymore.”
Lindsey comforts Myles after he hits his chin while playing in his bedroom.
Nearly two days later, Lindsey emerged from the bedroom. She had to go to dialysis, which is the biggest challenge, she explains. It’s difficult for her to continue to be tethered to machines in the hospital, to still be a patient. She feels stagnant, like she can’t progressively get better or separate herself from the illness. (She’s waiting on a few more tests before doctors can approve her for a kidney transplant, but she’s hopeful. Three people in her family, including Mike, share her blood type and have offered to donate a kidney.) “I can take the amputations. I can handle that,” she says. Dialysis—which cleans her blood of waste, salt, and extra water, functions her kidneys can no longer perform well—is the hardest part. “Because you can’t get better.”
When Lindsey returned home from dialysis that day, an outing which always takes about four hours, Myles clung to Mike. He wouldn’t go to her, wouldn’t eat for her after she’d been absent for those few days. “I’m trying, you know, I’m trying to be a good mom,” she tells me in Myles’s bedroom, two days after our postponed talk. “In my mind, I’ve sacrificed so much, and I wish I could just tell him: ‘Mommy’s going to get better. We’re still in the healing phase.’”
I’m there to observe solo bedtime, a routine Lindsey performs on her own once a week when Mike is at band practice. But band practice was two days ago, when my visit was canceled, so Mike is home tonight. He promises to make himself scarce.
When I arrive, Myles is doing laps around the house in a pair of orange undies, steering clear of the miniature training toilet set up in the living room. Eventually he goes into the bathroom with Mike and runs back into the living room with poop sandwiched between his butt cheeks, like peanut butter. Lindsey calls for him a few times, and eventually Myles approaches, bending into downward dog in front of her wheelchair as she plants her feet and leans forward to clean him. He stays put for wipe after wipe after wipe. I marvel at the way he cooperates with Lindsey with such patience, the ways in which he’s adapted to meet his mother’s needs.
Lindsey maneuvers herself onto the floor with a soft plunk and pulls the tabs on the diaper. Myles is coaxed to lie down and lift his buttocks with his feet on the ground, as Lindsey slides the diaper underneath his body. She rubs cream on his skin for his eczema and moves for his jammies, folding the openings of the pajama bottoms over her hands, as she calls them, and sliding them over his feet onto his ankles. He pulls them up. But when she goes for the shirt, Myles has had enough, crying and running to Mike in the kitchen to put it on.
A photo of Lindsey and Mike holding newborn Myles just hours after he was born in March 2017, before Lindsey got sick.
After toothbrushing, we head into Myles’s room. A few commands to Siri and the star lamp on the wall dims and the vaporizer starts to hum. Myles crawls into Lindsey’s lap in the wheelchair with a soother in his mouth and a soother in each hand. They sing “Twinkle, Twinkle” together, Myles quiet at first, then belting out the words. His feet are propped on the rails of the crib Lindsey painted satellite gray. His head is tucked into her neck.
A few songs later, Lindsey tells Myles it’s time. She pushes him up onto the rail and he slides into the bed. She pulls a plush, navy blanket over his body and turns to wheel out. Back in the living room, she watches her son toss and turn on the big screen TV in black and white, as she did on her iPad during so many nights in the hospital.
Lindsey and Myles have, as of May 18, 2019, been under the same roof for 387 days, close to the number of days they spent away from one another while Lindsey was in the hospital. From the outside, it looks as if they have always been tight. Myles approaches his mom for smooches and mimics her gestures, even lifting his sippy cup to his lips between his forearms in the same way that she drinks out of a glass. Everything is “mama, mama, mama.” But they recently had a huge setback. On April 15, Lindsey lost her balance while wiping down the kitchen counter and fell, breaking her right hip. She was rushed into emergency surgery, where doctors put a rod in her femur. She’s back to taking regular doses of painkillers and has missed Myles’s bedtimes for a week, only able to make it between her bedroom and the bathroom. “This has been rough,” she tells me over the phone from bed, her words slow and drawn out by the drugs. Then she pauses to cheer for Myles, who just did his fourth-ever poop in the potty.
The amount of effort that Lindsey exerts just to accomplish the simplest aspects of parenting is astonishing. Her journey is both circuitous and terribly unfair, built from the pain of relearning how to be in the world. On a small scale, it’s a journey familiar to any mother. All of our bodies are ripped apart by childbirth, the ensuing years spent trying to find a way back to ourselves, to evolve into the next version of ourselves as mothers, with the responsibility of nurturing a small being.
Lindsey is always moving forward. When she opens Myles’s bedroom door in the morning and he rejects her, she opens it again the next day. When she must try three times—missing her mark by mere inches—to get back into her wheelchair after diapering Myles on the floor. When she chooses to keep wearing prosthetics, despite multiple falls. This is mothering, a perpetual act of patience and persistence toward caring for a child. And it astounds me, her Herculean willingness to try over and over despite her physical limitations. Her mothering is both a challenge and an inspiration to my own limitations, my often frustrated and absent-minded mothering, which is always forcing the question: Am I a good enough mom? Maybe there’s no answer to this question. Or maybe it’s about looking to how Lindsey does it. At how her daily tasks of mothering—the wiping, feeding, dressing, transporting, and tucking into bed—are monumental acts of love. And if, when we perform these everyday rituals of motherhood, we look at the task through Lindsey’s lens, maybe they can be that way for the rest of us, too.
On their way home from playing at the park, Myles holds on to his hat and asks Lindsey to go faster.
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Burglary suspect caught on video, sheriff’s office seeking information
The Henderson County Sheriff's Office has charged one man and is looking for a second person connected to storage unit burglaries on Tillman Bethel Road.
Burglary suspect caught on video, sheriff’s office seeking information The Henderson County Sheriff's Office has charged one man and is looking for a second person connected to storage unit burglaries on Tillman Bethel Road. Check out this story on thegleaner.com: http://www.thegleaner.com/story/news/2016/03/10/burglary-suspect-caught-on-video-sheriffs-office-seeking-information/87205806/
The Gleaner Published 4:54 p.m. CT March 10, 2016
Chief Deputy David Crafton said Henderson resident Brett L. Young, 19, has been charged with third-degree burglary after he, along with at least two others, broke into the storage units early Monday morning.
What was stolen and the value of the items was unavailable Thursday.
Young was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon at the Zion Store on Kentucky 351 after a sheriff's deputy spotted him at the business.
'Cpl. Carroll Morrow saw the truck pull into the Zion Store to get gas' and it resembled the one from the video, Crafton said.
'He then recognized the person driving as one of the men from the surveillance footage,' he said.
As Young was being placed under arrest, he gave consent to search the truck, officials said. At that time, a quantity of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia were found, officials said.
Young was additionally charged with first-degree possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Sheriff's officials said Young is just one of several believed to be involved in the storage unit burglaries.
'We believe at least four people are involved,' Crafton said. 'We have surveillance footage from the storage facilities and are trying to identify a second person who is clearly seen in the video.'
Anyone with information can contact the sheriff's office at 270-826-2713.
Read or Share this story: http://www.thegleaner.com/story/news/2016/03/10/burglary-suspect-caught-on-video-sheriffs-office-seeking-information/87205806/
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Oxford provides its graduate students with some of the very best facilities for studying Theology and Religion available anywhere. It offers world-class research resources and supervision by experts in their field.
Graduate study at the University of Oxford is widely recognised as both rewarding and a significant investment. Applications are sought from students with outstanding academic potential and the ability to benefit from an Oxford course whatever their background or personal circumstances.
Information about the fees charged for each course can be found on the Graduate Fees and Funding website.
The University of Oxford, Humanities Division, Faculty of Theology and Religion, other faculties and departments, and colleges are actively engaged in raising funds for graduate scholarships.
Funding oppportunities
Every year, a significant proportion of the Faculty’s graduate applicants secure support for their studies from a range of public and private funding bodies and scholarship schemes.
Information about the scholarships available for those applying for, or currently studying, any one particular course or programme of study, including details of the scholarship amount, duration, eligibility and closing date, can be found by using the Fees, Funding and Scholarship search facility.
All applicants who apply by the Early January Application Deadline and are offered a place on a graduate course will be considered automatically for those scholarships for which they are eligible. Some scholarships require additional application materials, and applicants are advised to read the details of the application requirements for each scholarship carefully.
Information about some of the major sources of funding available to graduate applicants and existing students is provided further below.
Please be aware that financial support is limited. Applicants are advised to research the funding opportunities available for their course before applying. Most of the scholarships that provide full funding are available only to those starting a new course. Funding opportunities available to students who have already started their course are usually much more limited.
Opportunities to seek employment during term time are normally limited by the full-time requirements of most of the faculty’s courses and course-related commitments during the Christmas, Easter and summer vacations. Please note that the demand for part-time paid work in Oxford often exceeds the amount of paid work that is available, whether academic or non-academic paid work.
Funds available include:
Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Doctoral Training Partnership Studentships
Applicants from the UK and EU may apply to the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) for graduate funding at Doctoral level. For more information please see the Open-Oxford-Cambridge Doctoral Training Partnership website.
Current DPhil students from the UK and EU may also be eligible for funding, for more information please click here.
Clarendon Fund graduate scholarships
All applicants for graduate study are eligible for a Clarendon scholarship.
Mica and Ahmet Ertegun Graduate Scholarships in the Humanities
Applicants for most graduate courses in the Humanities may be considered for an Ertegun Scholarship.
Faculty Studentships for graduate applicants
A range of postgraduate scholarships will be available for courses in the Faculty of Theology and Religion beginning in October 2020. Funded from a variety of sources including Trust Funds, grants from philanthropic organisations and other benefactors, these awards will partly or wholly cover fees and/or a maintenance stipend.
All awards will be made on the basis of academic excellence as demonstrated by past performance and potential future achievement.
Those applying for admission who wish to be considered for a Faculty scholarship, should add the code ‘THEO’ to the ‘Departmental studentship applications’ section of the University’s online graduate course application form.
Hall Houghton Studentship in New Testament
The Theology Faculty intends, if a suitably qualified candidate can be found, to offer a one- or two-year studentship funded by the Hall-Houghton Trust, for an M.St. or M.Phil. in New Testament with a proposed dissertation on any aspect of the Greek New Testament, including its relation to the Old Testament in Greek or Hebrew. The studentship will be tenable from Michaelmas Term 2020, and will cover annual fees up to a total of 10,000 GBP together with an additional stipend for £2,500. The successful candidate will have a good first degree (undergraduate or graduate) in Theology, or will have completed all the elements of such a degree by September 2020. He or she will be expected to make, or to have made, an application for the M.St. or M.Phil. in the Faculty of Theology and Religion by Friday, 10 January 2020, and to have met the usual criteria for acceptance. The award will be held at the college which has accepted the candidate.
The successful candidate will pay the usual fees to college and university. The award is non-renewable, and will be terminated if matriculation for the M.St. or M.Phil. course is suspended for any reason.
The awarding committee will have access to candidates’ application materials submitted to the Faculty and therefore will not require additional documentation. Applicants should, however, ask their three referees to speak directly to their qualification for this studentship in the references submitted in support of the application for the M.St. or M.Phil.
Oxford-Cecil Lubbock Scholarship
Applications are invited for this scholarship, funded jointly by the University and Trinity College for a full-time DPhil in the Faculty of Theology and Religion. The scholarship is open to those seeking to study towards the DPhil in all areas of theology and the study of religions, as offered by the Faculty of Theology and Religion. To be considered for this scholarship, you must be ordinarily resident in the EEA/Switzerland. Fees will be covered for the full duration of your fee liability at Home/EU level. In addition, a maintenance stipend will be paid in line with AHRC funding. Further information can be found here.
Wills Philpott Shawcross Divinity Scholarship
One award of £10,000 is available for one year only, jointly funded by the College and the Faculty of Theology and Religion. It can be awarded to any applicant for a postgraduate course offered jointly or solely by the Faculty of Theology and Religion, whether Home/EU or Overseas. The recipient will be identified by the Faculty Committee in the context of its ranking of candidates. The intention is to award it to the best candidate although, in the case of a number of equally good candidates being identified, the Committee may take into account whether they have applied to Keble. In any case, the holder would have to be a graduate at Keble (including through migration if necessary).
Financial assistance for on-course students 2020-21
Graduate students currently studying one of the Faculty’s courses who will be on the same course in 2020-21 i.e. MPhil students in their first year and DPhil students who wish to apply for financial assistance from the Faculty in 2019-20 should complete the Application form for Financial Assistance by Friday 6 March 2020. Applicants must also ask two referees to email an academic reference on their behalf to the Faculty’s Graduate Studies Administrator at graduate.enquiries@theology.ox.ac.uk by Friday 6 March 2020.
Criteria for the awards are:
Financial hardship due to a change in circumstances or, in the case of DPhils, overrunning the funded years of their course.
Denyer and Johnson Fund
In 2019/20 up to £8,000 will be available from this fund for students continuing in 2020/21.
Hensley Henson Fund
Other available funds
Crewdson Trust Awards
Applications for awards (of up to a thousand pounds) from the Crewdson Trust are invited from Oxford students doing advanced degrees in Theology. The aims of the trust are to promote study and research in Christian theology relevant to the production of contemporary re-statements of the Christian faith or its application, and also to encourage research into the role of religion in eliminating violence and promoting peace. Further information can be found here.
Squire and Marriott Bursaries (and Hedley Lucas Scholarship Fund)
These financial assistance awards are available primarily to applicants who have the intention of offering themselves for ordination in the Church of England or any church in communion therewith. Deadlines fall in November and April each year and will be advertised in advance. Further information can be found here.
The Pamela Sue Anderson Studentship for the Encouragement of the Place of Women in Philosophy
Regent’s Park College is offering a postgraduate studentship worth up to £4000 for a student who is currently engaged in, or has been accepted for, postgraduate study at the University of Oxford. Reflecting the distinguished contribution to scholarship of the late Professor Anderson (1955-2017), preference will be given to applicants in the fields of feminist philosophy or feminist philosophy of religion, or, failing that and as an absolute requirement, to a person working on philosophy of a kind that encourages the place of women in philosophy. The studentship will be tenable for as long as the selection committee deems appropriate, subject to the condition that it shall not be tenable beyond the duration of the student’s postgraduate studies at the University of Oxford. The holder of the scholarship is required to be, or to become, a member of Regent’s Park College, Oxford.
Charities and the Voluntary Sector
A new resource on the Fees and Funding website is now available to help current graduates in their quest for funding. The 'Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding' is an independent guide written by two UK-based PhD students who have between them won over £45,000 in funding from the charity/voluntary sector. The Guide shows where to find charities, how to approach them, and how to complete strong applications in the correct manner. It contains model personal and financial statements, and over 100 links to voluntary sector funding sources. The Guide, which is a password protected pdf document, and instructions on how to obtain the password, are available here.
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Pop Culture | Books | Life | School
10 Books We Had To Read For School, And Absolutely Hated
By Matt | Feb 06, 2018
Over the years, public schools seem to have amassed a bunch of "classics" that they literally force every student to read every year, and most of the time the students are left with one simple question: "why?"
In the case of these 10 books, someone on the Throwbacks staff had to suffer through them at some point or another, and they have the horror stories to prove it.
The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wylde
While the book is a literary classic, it's definitely not without its problems. One coworker was especially hateful, saying that "there was one section in the novel that listed off everything that Dorian Gray had collected. It was one of the most tedious and annoying aspects of a book I have ever read."
The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
The fact that Gatsby is kind of an annoying, rich prick is the point of the book. It still doesn't make me want to follow his exploits any more. It feels like the literary equivalent of watching the Kardashians.
Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare
Let's get real for a second here folks: this isn't one of the Bard's finest plays. It's a story of two teenagers who want to have sex so badly that they get secretly married and ruin their families. It's a melodramatic story about two selfish brats, and I have no idea why schools teach this over actually interesting plays like Othello or Hamlet.
Fifth Business - Robertson Davies
49thshelf
I was lucky enough to not have to read this in school, but as one coworker described it, "I just remember something about a hairy baby and someone joining the circus. That was enough for me."
The books just get worse from here...
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
One of Huxley's critics at the time said that the book read like he was writing an essay about the future and decided to give it a plot, and that's exactly how I feel about this book. Read 1984 instead if you want good dystopian fiction.
Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
This literary classic has come under fire quite a bit for its take on Colonialism, and as one coworker put it, "I didn't like its portrayal of Africa or the things they said about it at all."
Life of Pi - Yann Martel
A kid goes to a zoo, then a boat, then some weird island. There's a tiger along for the whole trip. Nothing happens. The end. There, I just saved you hours of your life better-used on other things.
On The Road - Jack Kerouac
As one of my coworkers said, "I've never met anybody who loved this book and wasn't a pretentious douchebag who thought they were better than everybody else." I'm inclined to agree.
Death of a Salesman - Arthur Miller
A story that's literally focused on the least-interesting character. Why did we need to spend hours pouring over this when we could have read something, I dunno, fun?
Watership Down - Richard Adams
Yeah yeah whatever it's a classic, but that doesn't mean I want to read a story about cute woodland creatures torturing and maiming each other. And don't even get me started on the movie...
What was the worst book you had to read for school?
Tags: books, school, things you remember, hated, things you hated
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How Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Late Husband, Marty, Helped Her Reach Her Potential
Meet Marty Ginsburg, the platonic ideal of a supportive husband.
By Chloe Foussianes
Getty Images/Michael Stillwell
When screenwriter Daniel Stiepleman was working on On the Basis of Sex, a recent biopic about Ruth Bader Ginsburg, he found himself doing a lot of explaining. Hollywood types would read the script, and instantly suggest he change Ruth's picture-perfect relationship with her ever-supportive husband, Martin "Marty" Ginsburg.
“It came up a lot,” Stiepleman said to the New York Times. “I remember at some point saying in a meeting, There’s a 5,000-year history of narrative, of men coming home from battle, and their wives patch them up and boost their egos and send them back out to fight again. You write one supportive husband, and everyone’s like, such a creature could never exist!”
In the end, he got his way, and the public got to appreciate just how ideal the couple's relationship was—a theme also underscored in the 2018 documentary RBG. Here, a timeline of their love story, starting with their first meeting in college.
The Ginsburgs in 1998.
The Washington PostGetty Images
They fell in love as undergraduates at Cornell University.
Marty's roommate set him up on a blind date with Ruth. He found her "awfully cute," their son James Ginsburg told People. "Then he noticed, she’s awfully smart." Indeed, Ruth would later say that Marty was "the only young man I dated who cared that I had a brain."
Marty was sharp, too. In a class taught by none other than Vladimir Nabokov, Marty was once the only student who could muster a correct answer about Dickens. Bader, an avowed fan of their professor, was quite impressed.
They married in 1954, soon after graduating from Cornell.
The Ginsburgs then moved to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where Marty was set to complete his ROTC assignment. It was there that Marty came to understand an important thing about their life together. "I learned very early on in our marriage that Ruth was a fairly terrible cook and, for lack of interest, unlikely to improve," he said in a 1996 speech. "This seemed to me comprehensible; my mother was a fairly terrible cook also. Out of self-preservation, I decided I had better learn to cook because Ruth, to quote her precisely, was expelled from the kitchen by her food-loving children nearly a quarter-century ago."
Though born out of necessity, Marty's interest in cooking soon became a treasured hobby. When he passed away decades later, the Supreme Court justices' spouses assembled a cookbook in his honor.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 1977.
BettmannGetty Images
Not long after the birth of their daughter Jane, the couple attended Harvard Law School.
Ruth remembers worrying about taking care of a child while managing the school's rigorous coursework; thankfully, her father offered some useful advice. "Ruth, if you don’t want to start law school, you have a good reason to resist the undertaking," she remembered him saying in a New York Times op-ed. "No one will think the less of you if you make that choice. But if you really want to study law, you will stop worrying and find a way to manage child and school."
Marty graduated and got a job at a New York law firm, and Ruth followed him to the big apple, taking her third year of law school at Columbia. She graduated at the top of her class.
They then began their respective careers: Ruth, teaching and practicing constitutional law, and Marty doing the same for tax law.
As they pursued their individual paths, the couple continued to share their domestic responsibilities. Once, when James got into trouble in grade school, the headmaster called Ruth—only to get a well-deserved earful. "They said ‘You must come to school right away,'" James told People. "And she said, 'This child has two parents. You must alternate the calls from now on, starting with this one.'"
"In the course of a marriage, one accommodates the other," Ruth said on the Rachel Maddow Show. "So, for example, when Marty was intent on becoming a partner in a New York law firm in five years, during that time, I was the major caretaker of our home and child. But when I started up the ACLU Women's Rights Project, Marty realized how important that work was."
Ruth was nominated to the D.C. Federal Court of Appeals in 1980, and the couple relocated for the job.
Marty holds the bible as Ruth is sworn in as a Supreme Court justice.
Mark ReinsteinGetty Images
When Ruth's name came up for the Supreme Court in the 1990s, Marty worked hard to campaign for her seat.
"I betray no secret in reporting that, without him, I would not have gained a seat on the Supreme Court," Ruth wrote in her NYT op-ed. She then quoted Ron Klain, the associate White House counsel at the time of her nomination. "I would say definitely and for the record, though Ruth Bader Ginsburg should have been picked for the Supreme Court anyway, she would not have been picked for the Supreme Court if her husband had not done everything he did to make it happen," he said.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg was confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice in 1993, becoming the second woman ever appointed to the highest court in the country.
In 2010, their long and uncommonly happy marriage ended when Marty died of cancer.
When Ruth went to the hospital to make arrangements, she found a note he'd written her. Read it below (and maybe grab a tissue—or better, the whole box).
My dearest Ruth –
You are the only person I have loved in my life, setting aside, a bit, parents and kids and their kids, and I have admired and loved you almost since the day we first met at Cornell some 56 years ago.
What a treat it has been to watch you progress to the very top of the legal world!!
I will be in JH Medical Center until Friday, June 25, I believe, and between then and now I shall think hard on my remaining health and life, and whether on balance the time has come for me to tough it out or to take leave of life because the loss of quality now simply overwhelms. I hope you will support where I come out, but I understand you may not. I will not love you a jot less.
Ruth read an opinion for the Supreme Court the next morning. As she told the New Yorker, "That’s because he would have wanted it."
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Chloe Foussianes News Writer Chloe is a News Writer for Townandcountrymag.com, where she covers royal news, from the latest additions to Meghan Markle’s staff to Queen Elizabeth’s monochrome fashions; she also writes about culture, often dissecting TV shows like The Marvelous Mrs Maisel and Killing Eve.
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The Agency Named Among L.A. Business Journal’s 100 Fastest-Growing Private Companies
Posted on Tuesday, November 26, 2019.
We’re on the list. The Los Angeles Business Journal has named The Agency on its 2019 list of L.A.’s 100 Fastest-Growing Private Companies. Representatives from the firm were on-hand at the publication’s 23rd annual event, which took place at the Loews Hollywood Hotel. The fête revealed the rankings for all 100 businesses to an audience filled with CEOs and executives from the honored companies, all of which are exhibiting the highest revenue growth in the L.A. area.
The Agency came in at #81, rubbing elbows with local heavy hitters from the legal, accounting, media and hospitality industries. The combined revenue of the businesses on the list tops $7.4 billion.
“We are thrilled to be included on this list as we have worked so hard from day one when we were just starting out with some big dreams and goals,” says Mauricio Umansky, Founder and CEO of The Agency. “We are poised for even more growth in the coming months and new year and looking forward to revealing our new locations shortly.”
“It’s an honor to be noted among the fastest-growing private companies in Los Angeles,” said Billy Rose, President and Founder of The Agency. “We congratulate those who made the list and are excited to be a part of the city’s dynamic growth.”
To see the full list of companies on the L.A. Business Journal website, click here.
Mauricio Umansky (156)
Billy Rose (75)
La (234)
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Sanfrancisco (83)
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Eastbay (66)
Marin (63)
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Bc (54)
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Pdm Pv (22)
Sonoma (19)
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A Case Study In Space Films: Gravity, Interstellar and The Martian
by Rick Mazumdar
Well, we as a generation are quite familiar with the genre of film. It is a potential box office money maker. Every year a new Science Fiction/Space film comes out and "blows everyone's minds".
But what is this genre that appeals to so many of us?
Is it one about exploration?
Is it about discovering new worlds?
Is it about finding a world where humans can find a new home ?
Or is it about blowing some muthafuckin' alien brains out?
From an early age I was always intrigued about space, about space travel and one day conquering the vast unknown (yes, big dreams).
But what is it about space that manages to intrigue us and how do big production houses capitalize upon this need?
In this article we will talk about a select few films and try to establish what I'm what I'm trying to say. Let's just go into a little detail.
Science fiction films appeared very early in the silent film era. The initial attempts were short films of typically one to two minutes in duration, shot in black and white, but sometimes with colour tinting. These usually had a technological theme, and were often intended to be humorous. "Le Voyage dans la Lune", created by Georges Méliès in 1902 is often considered to be the first science fiction film. It drew upon Jules Verne and H. G. Wells in its depiction of a spacecraft being launched to the moon in a large cannon. Its ground-breaking special effects pioneered the way for future science-fiction films, and it became largely popular after its release.
Le Voyage dans La Lune, " A trip to the Moon" , George Millies
Arguably one of the first space/science fiction films that dealt with exploration and discovering vast new worlds in the cosmos, this film showed a great amount of creativity in terms of filming. Due to the absence of present day special effects and advanced technology, Méliès had to use a lot of his ingenuity in trying to build a set and trying to create effects that would capture the imagination of people.
This one film was the birth of the space film age, and created an industry for itself, inspiring many others to follow suit.
Most of the films of this age were based on novellas by H.G Wells and Jules Verne who wrote wonderful pieces that questioned man's reason for existence in this vast universe. It challenged the imagination of mankind to go much farther than he had ever imagined.
The late '30's and '40's saw the coming of many a television show like Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon which furthered the interest of man to travel the vast expanses of space. These shows were very light and meant primarily for children but what it did was it created an interest about space travel.
It was at this time that production houses saw a keen interest in this genre of film and started to invest in films of this nature, thereby fostering the interest of people. Another factor to consider here was that just a few decades later, the space age would start creating a boom in the interests of space travel.
The Cold War would initiate the Russian and American programs to hasten the speed of missions and their respective governments would compete to be the first to send people into the cosmos, and a lot of propaganda films would be made to create support for these missions.
The films of this age were mostly about Alien Life from foreign planets visiting the Earth and trying to capture it. These films were low budget and were very good at bringing in crowds by the scores.
But soon people started making more serious and intellectually appealing space films like "The Forbidden Planet" and "2001: A Space Odyssey".
Surely this film needs no introduction, a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick.
The screenplay, written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, was partially inspired by Clarke's short story "The Sentinel". Clarke concurrently wrote the novel 2001: A Space Odyssey, published soon after the film was released. The film follows a voyage to Jupiter with the sentient computer Hal after the discovery of a mysterious black monolith affecting human evolution.
So we've seen how films were made in order to create the desired effect of wonderment and awe upon viewing the cosmos. Which is probably the key selling point about these films. Feeding the audience with the hope that some of them might travel into space or fun films that you can take your kids to watch, with aliens and the beauty of space.
I will now talk about how the present scenario of space films is, taking into consideration 3 films:
1. Gravity (2012)
2. Interstellar (2014)
3. The Martian (2015)
Well, we're very familiar with all these three films since they're really popular and they've been released not too long ago, and they've received a lot of acclaim.
Well, I prefer my space to be more the travel, the uniqueness and to be fun, and although I appreciate serious films of this genre like that of Space Odyssey or Solaris, I would much prefer my space films to be more positive about space travel, to inspire people and not create a deep seated fear or hatred for Space Travel. I will use the above mentioned films to try and explain my opinion.
I was extremely excited when this film came out, I remember booking in advance for this film and being let down. In my opinion they should have renamed this film "All the things that can go wrong in space and why you should never go there: starring Sandra Bullock and the guy from the Bat Nips movie."
Don't get me wrong, it's very well directed and the script is pretty tight and Sandra Bullock is pretty good in it, but it sort of feels like Final Destination in space, featuring that guy from the bat nips movie. Once Sandra Bullock gets into the Soyuz, one thing leads to another and things start to go horribly wrong. Though Sandra Bullock manages to reach Earth safely and lands in the water, it sort of feels like she's going to drown or her parachute is going to wrap around her neck and choke the life out of her. A very positive movie (I feel my sarcasm is well directed, I think).
But what it managed to do was show the exquisiteness of space and then not go into too much jargon while still engaging the audience to a large extent. In popular opinion, this is a film about survival in difficult circumstances, but for me it sends the wrong message about space travel, notwithstanding the fact that Space Travel is in fact an extremely ambitious endeavor, but it still sends the wrong message.
Interstellar: Or the most wannabe space film that I've had the displeasure of viewing.
Interstellar was built up like the greatest science fiction film of all time, "The Space Odyssey of 2014" some said. For me it was a steaming pile of flatulence that came out of the anus of a horse suffering from diarrhoea.
Never have I seen such mediocrity. The entire film passed by me and created no effect that either moved me or caused me to wait a second longer in the theater. And to think I paid for Gold Class for this film. If the entire point of the film was to blow the audience away with jargon then Chris Nolan could ask his brother John to give video lectures on Coursera.
For me there was simply too much useless information that the audience had to suffer through needlessly, they should rename this film "Space 101, with that guy who stopped making good films after the 2nd Batman movie" . The melodramatic scenes were too much to handle for me, the bull crap that passed for dialogue, and needless venturing into worlds with the speed of bullet without even taking a second to show the planet in all its glory. Scratch that, it didn't even take a second to show the beauty of the universe.
The script wasn't even original in my opinion, if any of you have read the Space Odyssey series you would pick up on this. In the film we see Cooper going into Gargantua and the singularity and coming out alive, 150 years old on the planet Saturn. This is roughly from the 3rd Odyssey book, and Cooper's character is a direct ripoff of Frank Poole.
I mean you get your original parts completely from a book, then you can't think of an ending, so all you do is change the name of all the elements taken from the book and make it slightly different so the audience can't tell the difference? How stupid do you think we are?
The soundtrack was good though.
Don't worry, I actually liked this film a lot.
The Martian released this year, it surprised me, I thought it was going to be another sappy tale of a hero, sad and alone stuck on a foreign world.
What The Martian did correct was that it was a lot more positive in its outlook, this in my opinion showed the true spirit of a hero in a difficult and unbearable situation, if you were to make a survivors tale make this movie.
The Science used in this film was very well explained, credits to NASA.
The information at no point seemed like useless jargon, the dialogue was true and had a very lasting effect, though comical at times it was also quite believable, and the humour was well placed.
The soundtrack in my opinion was the best part about 70's Rock and Roll and Disco music. If you're a fan of David Bowie you're going to love the soundtrack of this film.
This film is sort of the formula for Star Wars and Guardians of the Galaxy mashed up.
It also managed to explain the science in a way everyone could understand, (My Man Donald Glover did a good job, All hail Troy!)
And boy did it show the vast terrain of Mars, the rock formations and also managed to show enough of Space to make me go GAGA.
So you might be thinking now that "This guy started explaining the genre of Space films then went on to thrash our favorite films, why the fuck did he do that?"
Well I did it so that you could actually point to the difference in how space films were made back in the day, and how it's so much different now with advanced technology, better CGI and all those new fangled things, but is that all that makes up a good Space film?
Well, no.
A film needs to have heart and a lot of effort needs to got to into it to make it beautiful.
Science fiction is the Genre in my opinion and the Space Films are the absolute so I take to heart if a Space film is not made well.
I do like the Space Ships in these current movies though.
Peace.
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"Bizarro FBI" Roots for "Defendant"
When Lin DeVecchio goes to court, he never goes alone.
His lawyers are there, making arguments. The news media are there, taking photographs and notes. His wife sometimes shows up, making small, sorrowful faces as she grips him by the hand. Then there are the men who make a path for him as they escort him back and forth through the crowd. The ones with the gray hair and the jowls, the stern faces and the off-the-rack suits.
Almost from the moment he was charged in March with helping to commit four murders for the mob, R. Lindley DeVecchio has been surrounded by this posse of supporters: retired F.B.I. men who for years were not only his colleagues, but also his friends.
They watch his back. Personally guarantee his million-dollar bond. Solicit money for his legal bills. Scoff at his accusers. Interview — or, some have said, intimidate — witnesses in the case. And at every chance they get, tell whoever cares to listen that Mr. DeVecchio is an innocent man.
Sixty-five years old and retired from the F.B.I., Mr. DeVecchio stands accused in a state indictment of four counts of second-degree murder. The Brooklyn district attorney’s office says he helped an informant in the mob, Gregory Scarpa Sr., kill four times in the 1980’s and early 1990’s, so that Mr. Scarpa could rid himself of rivals and win bloody battles in a war within the Colombo family.
To a federal agent, there is nothing more toxic than a corruption charge — which even by association can ruin a career. And the charges faced by Mr. DeVecchio are radioactive: that he gave secret information to Mr. Scarpa in exchange for $66,000.
Which makes it all the more remarkable that 19 former F.B.I. agents have put their names and reputations on the line to save their troubled friend. These were not the bureaucrats or pencil pushers of the New York office, but its veteran undercover and investigative men. “We’ve all worked with Lin since the early 1970’s,” said Joseph D. Pistone, the real-life Donnie Brasco, who infiltrated the Bonanno crime family as an undercover agent in the 1970’s.
“We’re all veteran street guys,” Mr. Pistone said. “If anyone could smell something bad, it would be us. And with Lin, we never smelled bad.”
The so-called Friends of Lin DeVecchio have a total of 480 years of street experience, give or take a few, and while most spend their time these days on a golf course or at the shore, they remain encyclopedic on the subject of the mob.
Who knows better than us, they say, what happened 20 years ago at Carmine Sessa’s bar or at Larry Lampesi’s house near McDonald Avenue in Brooklyn? (Both places will figure prominently at trial.) “We gathered the information,” said James M. Kossler, who from 1979 to 1989 was Mr. DeVecchio’s boss.
Much of that information has been posted on a Web site, www.lindevecchio.com, which attempts to refute the state indictment with transcripts of federal trials and with private F.B.I. reports called 302’s. There is information about how to donate money toward Mr. DeVecchio’s legal expenses. The Web site also levels personal attacks against the state’s lead prosecutor, Michael Vecchione; its chief witness, Linda Schiro, Mr. Scarpa’s former companion; and Sandra Harmon, who is a self-described relationship coach and the co-author with Priscilla Presley of a tell-all book on Elvis Presley, and who had planned to write a book with Ms. Schiro but wrote one instead about Mr. Scarpa’s son.
Mr. DeVecchio’s supporters make no bones about their deep disdain for the Brooklyn district attorney, Charles J. Hynes, who they say considers a good Mafia case to be rounding up gamblers on Super Bowl Sunday. “Here you have a rackets bureau that doesn’t know a thing about organized crime,” Mr. Kossler said. “They don’t know what they’re doing. If they had a track record of making great O.C. cases, fine — but they don’t.”
The bad blood between the state and the F.B.I. goes back many years, to at least 1992, when Mr. Scarpa went into hiding after Brooklyn prosecutors obtained a warrant for his arrest on a gun possession charge. From April to August of that year, court papers say, Mr. Scarpa met or spoke with Mr. DeVecchio seven times, but the F.B.I. neither informed the state of his whereabouts nor arrested Mr. Scarpa.
Jerry Schmetterer, a spokesman for Mr. Hynes, waved off accusations that the office was incompetent. “These people who are making these allegations can’t possibly know the depth of the evidence we have compiled to make this case,” he said.
Part of that evidence is likely to include the testimony of Lawrence Mazza, Mr. Scarpa’s one-time disciple, who has already told investigators that Mr. Scarpa had a friend in law enforcement, whom he used to call “the girlfriend.” Mr. Mazza, who now works at a gym in southern Florida, said that several weeks ago, one of the retired agents paid him a visit. Without saying exactly what happened, he said the agent had tried to intimidate him in connection with the case.
Mr. Kossler scoffed at the charge, saying the former agent had gone to Florida merely to interview Mr. Mazza on Mr. DeVecchio’s behalf. As a witness for the prosecution, Mr. Mazza is of obvious interest to the defense, he said. While the prosecution has said in court that intimidation of witnesses may have occurred, it will not publicly discuss Mr. Mazza’s accusation.
At its core, the DeVecchio case is about the tenuous give-and-take that exists between an agent and a confidential source. Prosecutors say that Mr. DeVecchio abused that give-and-take, giving Mr. Scarpa names and addresses of men who wound up dead.
Mr. DeVecchio has said that in the 12 years he “ran” Mr. Scarpa, he never leaked a secret and never received anything more than a Cabbage Patch doll, a bottle of wine and a pan of lasagna.
As for the Friends of Lin DeVecchio, they maintain it takes a special sort of man to handle Mafia informants. He must speak the language of the street and of the F.B.I. He must appreciate the criminal mind without admiring it. He must be able to cultivate trust among those who trust no one but themselves. “That’s the fine line the agent has to walk — to always remember who he is and who he’s dealing with,” said Christopher Mattice, who served for many years as the F.B.I.’s informant coordinator in New York. “You have to talk the language and make them understand you understand what’s going on.” And most important, he said, you must remember that no conversation between an agent and a mole takes place in a vacuum. Questions fashioned to elicit information give information: If Agent X asks about Gangster Y, it means that he is interested in Gangster Y. If Gangster Y winds up dead, is that Agent X’s fault?
For now, Mr. DeVecchio’s trial is scheduled to open at the beginning of next year, and his federal friends are planning to attend. “The bond is very close,” said Douglas E. Grover, Mr. DeVecchio’s lawyer. “It’s not just that they worked together; it’s like they were in the Army together, like they went through the wars.”
Should things go poorly for Mr. DeVecchio, his supporters will not quit, they say. “We’ll continue to do what we’re doing,” Mr. Kossler said. “We’ll fight this as far as it has to go.”
Thanks to Alan Feuer
Related Articles Bonannos, Donnie Brasco, Greg Scarpa Jr., Lin DeVecchio
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case reports Apr. 3, 2015
What Happens When You Drink 16 Glasses of Iced Tea a Day
By Melissa Dahl
Photo: Rafa Irusta/Getty Images
When a 56-year-old Arkansas man went to the hospital last May complaining of weakness, fatigue, and body aches, at first his doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him. Tests revealed he was in kidney failure, and yet he had no history of kidney problems, nor did anyone in his family. After some prodding, the man finally admitted he was in the habit of consuming sixteen eight-ounce glasses of iced tea, every day. The case was described this week in a letter to the editor in The New England Journal of Medicine.
The Man Whose Brain Borrowed Nearby Identities
The Woman Whose Brain Gave Her a Fake Accent
Black tea, which was this man’s preferred variety, is high in oxalate, a chemical compound that can contribute to kidney problems. This is likely what caused this man’s health problems, as he was consuming between 3 and 10 times more oxalate than the average American does daily.
By all means, drink tea — black tea, in particular, has been linked to a decreased risk of cancer and heart disease, to name just a couple of its health benefits. But maybe don’t down a gallon a day, as this man’s kidney issues were, according to the authors of the letter, “almost certainly due to excessive consumption of iced tea.”
strange cases
Please Don’t Drink 16 Glasses of Iced Tea a Day
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New plans to crack down on parental alienation
Categories: Divorce & Separation
Posted by Emilie Haine on 11th January 2018
What is parental alienation?
Parental alienation occurs when, following a divorce or separation, one parent deliberately tries to turn a child against the other in an attempt to stop the child seeing or having a relationship with them.
As any parent who has experienced this will know, the consequences can be devastating. Earlier this year, CAFCASS (the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service) said that parental alienation amounts to child abuse.
Parental alienation is thought to occur in 11-15% of divorces involving children, but CAFCASS believes this number is rising. In a bid to combat the issue, CAFCASS is piloting a new approach to deal with parental alienation.
What is the approach?
In Spring 2018, a new ‘High Conflict Practice Pathway’ will be rolled out for use in all cases of suspected parental alienation. Offending parents will first be given the opportunity to change their behaviour with the help of an intensive 12 week ‘Positive Parenting Programme’.
It has been widely reported that, if there is no improvement following this, CAFCASS will routinely recommend that the child be removed from that parent and, in extreme cases, have no further contact with them. The pathway is still in development and it remains to be seen exactly what the guidelines will say.
CAFCASS has said that the pathway will not be used in cases where there are issues of domestic abuse.
Is this a radical change?
CAFCASS describes the new approach as ground-breaking, but in fact these measures have been used in the family courts for some time. Imposing a change of residence is already a tool used by the court to try to curb parental alienation.
However, these new guidelines demonstrate CAFCASS’s commitment to tackling the issue head on using a range of measures. Up to now, CAFCASS has dealt with parental alienation on a case-by-case basis by recognising the more obvious symptoms, but often the signs are subtler and therefore cases can slip through the net. CAFCASS hopes that the new guidelines will prevent this from happening by recognising the spectrum of parental alienation and adopting a more nuanced approach.
We will learn later exactly what impact the changes will make, but it is clear that CAFCASS is sending out a very strong message that parental alienation is harmful to children and should not be tolerated.
If you would like to speak to one of our specialist family lawyers about parental alienation, please contact us on 01392 421 237 in Exeter or 01752 269 071 in Plymouth.
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*Notice: Our main office is currently under construction in some areas, but we are still open for business. Please excuse our mess if you visit and thank you for your patience!
Locate Here
Board Meeting Notices & Agendas
State of the Port: Tulsa Port of Catoosa reports on growth in 2017
By Tulsa Port of CatoosaFebruary 16, 2018 No Comments
It was a big year with more than 2.55 million tons moving through port.
Growth, recovery, milestones and optimism were the themes of 2018 State of the Port speech this week by Chip McElroy, chairman of the City of Tulsa-Rogers County Port Authority.
In 2017, more than 2.55 million tons moved through the port, making it the third-best in its 46-year history, he said. Those shipments along the Arkansas Waterway required 1,366 barges — the equivalent of more than 100,000 trucks — and 10,084 freight cars moved over the port’s 15 miles of tracks during the year.
“The Tulsa Port of Catoosa is one of the nation’s premier inland waterway ports, generating economic benefits not just over the 70 industrial facilities located here, but to the region, the state and the nation,” McElroy said.
Also arriving at the port in 2017 were Samuel, Son & Co., which operates a steel processing center; C&S Tech Services, manufacturer of truck bodies; and Port Coney’s, a new eatery. Three other firms at the port — Advance Research Chemicals, Coveris and Kelvion — expanded or are currently expanding their facilities.
McElroy also noted that TMK-IPSCO, which had been at the port since 1980, had to cease processing oil field equipment in 2015 but was able to resume operations last year at its 55-acre site with more than 160 jobs.
Employment at the port rose to 3,201 by the end of 2017, up from 2,632 in 2015.
Challenges, however, threaten not only future growth “but our very existence as a port,” McElroy said.
• A potential significant flood at the Three Rivers area near the confluence of the Arkansas, White and Mississippi rivers in eastern Arkansas could cause of the loss of navigation along the entire Arkansas Waterway “for an indeterminate amount of time.”
• The current $150 million backlog of critically needed maintenance work on the waterway. The items have a 50 percent chance of failure within the next five years.
• Deepening of the channel from 9 to 12 feet, which would allow increased loads on each barge and make the Arkansas Waterway competitive with other rivers.
Original article published by the Tulsa World can be found here.
Tulsa Port of Catoosa
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Authorities shut down illegal charter boats in Florida
DESTIN, Fla. — Authorities have shut down more than 30 illegal charter boats, mostly in the Florida Panhandle.
The Northwest Florida Daily News reports that most of the vessels were based in Destin. Two others were in Panama City and another in Orange Beach, Alabama.
The U.S. Coast Guard, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Okaloosa County and Destin teamed up on the investigation for more than three months.
Authorities began the crackdown after a passenger aboard an illegal charter boat died in April.
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CONTEMPT (US) - Trailer
Birth Place: Paris, France
Profession: Director, Screenwriter, Actor
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Lemmy Caution (Eddie Constantine) is on a mission to eliminate Professor Von Braun, the creator of a malevolent computer that rules the city of Alphaville.
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Jean-Luc Godard's second film was made in 1960 but banned in France due to its political content and did not premiere until 1963. The film follows an army deserter caught in a war between the French government and the Algerian Liberation Front in Geneva.
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Francis Ford Coppola received the Irving G. Thalberg award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts a (more…)Francis Ford Coppola received the Irving G. Thalberg award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science's over the weekend during an Oscar ceremony in Los Angeles. "I've learned how to spend money, and Francis has learned how to make it," producer George Lucas said during his tribute to Coppola.
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Netflix in 2020: A Complete Guide
New year, new movies and shows
1. Sorry to Horse Girls, the Trailer for Alison Brie's Horse Girl Isn't Really About Horses
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7. How to Watch the 2020 Oscars Live and Streaming
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Orci And Johnson: New Trek
Books September 30, 2011
Home Books Cast & Crew Star Trek Into Darkness
T'Bonz 8 years ago 5 Comments
Writers Mike Johnson (Star Trek #1 comic) and Roberto Orci (Star Trek XI) share their thoughts on the new Star Trek production; including Star Trek XI, the comics based on the Abrams’ Star Trek crew, and Star Trek 2.
Once Star Trek XI hit the movie screens, co-writer Orci found out that the reaction to the film was diverse – with some loving the new take on the original series and others not happy with some of the events of Star Trek XI. “I’d like to say I was surprised [by the reactions], but as a fan I was going through all of those reactions myself as we came up with the story and how to revisit the characters for the new movie,” he said. “The only surprise was how well-received it was.”
Johnson explained what readers will see in the new series of Star Trek comics, based on the Abrams’ Trek world. “The first few issues of the series are adaptations of TOS episodes, as the ‘new’ crew encounters some of the same threats the original crew did, but with differences that reflect things like Kirk being a younger captain and Spock losing his homeworld,” he said. “As we get closer to the next movie, the stories will begin to foreshadow the events of the movie, such as possibly introducing new characters we will see onscreen…pun very much intended.”
“Re-visiting original episodes in the new timeline is great for two reasons,” said Orci. “First, we can do things we can’t do in the movies, simply because we don’t have the time to explore so many different adventures in the course of one film. And second, it’s so much fun to revisit the classic stories.”
Orci also spoke about progress on Star Trek XII. “The cast is excited,” he said. “We have a director. We’ve started scouting locations. The second time around the crew is already together from the start, so we can jump right into the adventure.”
Star Trek #1 is already on newsstands, with Star Trek #2 to follow this month. Both issues are based on the Where No Man Has Gone Before original series episode. Issues #3 and #4 will be based on The Galileo 7. These two issues will debut in November and December.
No date has been set yet for the release of Star Trek XII.
Source: StarTrek.com
Topics: Johnson, Orci
What do you think? Chat with other fans in the Star Trek Kelvin universe movies forum at The Trek BBS.
New Abrams Project Plus Trek 2 Talk
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Shot Domino's employee recorvering, no arrests
Dave Canfield
TROY -- The Domino's Pizza employee shot four times Saturday in an apparent robbery attempt is recovering and may be released from the hospital by the end of the week, police said. Forrest Geraw, 29, has undergone numerous surgical procedures at Albany Medical Center Hospital and should be released soon, Troy police Sgt. Dave Dean said. Geraw sustained four gunshot wounds -- including a shot to the head -- in the Domino's Pizza on Hoosick Street at 12:30 a.m. Saturday during an apparent robbery attempt. Police have spoken with witnesses and obtained security footage of the store, but no arrests have been made, Dean said. Police believe there were likely two individuals involved. Geraw told police he confronted the gunman because he was worried about the safety of customers in the store at the time. On May 9 he was also quick to respond, when a knife-wielding would-be robber entered the store through a back entrance. After a struggle, Geraw, who sustained a bite wound in the skirmish, was able to subdue the subject until police arrived. Stephen Strain, a 27-year-old Cropseyville resident, faces felony charges of attempted robbery, burglary and criminal possession of a weapon for that incident. He is currently being held in the Rensselaer County Jail as he awaits to be assigned a public defender. Police do not have a reason to believe the two incidents are related, Dean said, though they have not ruled out the possibility. Meanwhile, Domino's Pizza has offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect or suspects who shot Geraw. Anyone with information can call Troy police at 270-4421.
S&P/Experian Consumer Credit Default Indices Show Second Straight Month Of Rising Composite Rates In December 2019
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IPsoft Elevates Amelia to Become a Digital Human with New Lifelike Avatar
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Friday, Aug 02, 2019 11:50 AM
Aaron Donald's presence at Rams training camp could lead to faster start in 2019
Myles Simmons
Rams Insider
If you've been to Rams training camp over the past two years, there's been one conspicuous absence.
Sure, everyone knew defensive tackle Aaron Donald was in his hometown of Pittsburgh, training as hard as ever when the Rams and Donald's representation were negotiating a contract extension. Donald proved as much by becoming just the third back-to-back AP Defensive Player of the Year since the award began back in 1971.
But now the league's best player — a title that's fair to give him since his peers said it themselves — is back at training camp, setting the tone for what could be another record-setting season in 2019.
"You've been watching? He looks pretty good," head coach Sean McVay said of Donald. "Like I said, I think the biggest thing is just the way that he affects his teammates. Having him here, what that represents — when he turns it up, you see why the production is what it is and why he's the special player that he is. It's just been great having him out here."
"It's good to be back working with the guys, grinding and here with coaches — you know, getting better," Donald said. "So, it feels good."
Getting better, he said.
It's easy to look at the 6-foot-1 defensive tackle with a six pack who picked up 20.5 sacks in 2018 and say, "Wait, how can he possibly get any better?"
But Donald didn't reach the current heights of his career by being complacent. He often says, "There's always room for improvement." And that's part of why he's enjoyed being around new defensive line coach Eric Henderson through the offseason and camp.
Fun defensive line drill going down here at #RamsCamp. Have to read and react to where blockers/ball carriers might be going. pic.twitter.com/xv8fSQezKd
— Myles Simmons (@MylesASimmons) July 30, 2019
"He knows football. He's a young coach that's hungry, that loves football, that loves teaching football," Donald said. "He's breaking down film, he broke down film and he's coaching me so that's what I like the most. He's telling me my weaknesses and things I need to clean up and trying to teach me things that I can do better and work better that can help my game. When you've got a coach like that, you just sit and listen and you try to keep what you've been doing but also add what he's trying to teach me and make me that much better."
Donald noted that Henderson's presence was "100 percent" a reason he stayed around for as much of the voluntary offseason program as he did.
"He's definitely a guy, once I saw the drills, after I got to talk to him and get to pick his brain a little bit — he's a big reason why I wanted to continue to learn and I felt like what he was teaching me could benefit me and help me a whole lot as far as improving my game," Donald said. "It's like I always say I want to get better, and that's what I've got to do. Listen to coach and work it."
This is really not a slight to anyone else, but this is a drill where you can tell the difference with Aaron Donald’s speed from the DT position. pic.twitter.com/4VPj86hQoc
Watching the drills over the course of training camp, it's clear that Henderson emphasizes staying low for proper leverage and quick feet. Those are two areas where Donald is clearly elite, but there are times when even he has to re-do a drill to successfully complete it.
So when it comes to getting better, Donald is serious about it. As he said, he wants to be coached. And with Henderson doing what McVay termed "an excellent job implementing some different things" with the Rams' front and DL rotations, there's reason to believe Donald actually could be better in 2019.
"The best part about Aaron is, he's going to look at himself, he's going to be critical and he's come out tomorrow expecting to improve on some of the things he did today," McVay said.
Again, you might ask how?
"[B]eing here and getting myself in football shape and working my moves, hopefully it won't take me four games to get going this year," Donald said. "I think it's going to be a plus for me getting here, getting going right away."
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Celtic and Porto ready to make long overdue final appearance
SEVILLE (Spain): Former European champions Celtic and FC Porto will relish their return to the international spotlight when they meet in today's UEFA Cup final at the Estadio Olimpico in Seville.
The showpiece match in the Andalucian capital will provide both sides a long overdue opportunity for European success, many years after they last appeared in a major final.
For Celtic, it has been 31 years since they last appeared in an European final. And coach Martin O'Neill believes his new, multinational generation of Celtic stars are ready to write their own chapter in the Scottish champions' proud European history.
He said his players had to seek inspiration from the legacy of the past, not be overawed by it.
“We are all aware of the fantastic history this club possesses,” the Northern Irishman said. “Now it’s time to try and do something about it ourselves.”
For Porto, who should have midfielder Francisco Costinha fit after a thigh injury, victory would also keep them on course for a glorious treble.
Porto have already wrapped up the Portuguese championship and today's game could see them take the second leg of a treble, with their domestic Cup final to come next month.
That will give them a slight advantage over Celtic, who are involved in a title race with Rangers that could hardly be any tighter.
The two great Glasgow rivals will go into the final round of matches level on points, with equal goal difference and with Rangers ahead by virtue of having scored one more goal.
Celtic have had less welcome injury news going into the game, with Welsh striker John Hartson ruled out with a back problem, but they will nevertheless be confident that this will be the start of a momentous few days that could also bring them the Scottish league title.
Celtic became the first British club to lift the European Cup in 1967, when their “Lisbon Lions” beat Inter Milan 2-1 in the Portuguese capital.
The Scottish giants reached the final again in 1970 only to lose to Feyenoord in Milan.
Porto's night of European glory came in 1987 with victory over Bayern Munich in Vienna.
Porto coach Jose Mourinho, who has plenty of experience of Spain after working as an assistant for Bobby Robson and then Louis van Gaal at Barcelona, sounded positive in the build-up to the final.
“We created a dream for the fans in reaching the final,” Mourinho said.
“A final is a final and anything can happen, but we believe something positive can happen to us.”
One positive note has been struck with Costinha declaring himself fit for the match.
The 28-year-old had pulled a thigh muscle in a league game last week but said yesterday:
“I am fit and expect to play. We all want to win the UEFA Cup for FC Porto.”
Celtic, meanwhile, will be hit hard by the absence of Hartson, who has scored 18 goals in the league this season, but coach O'Neill can call on one of Europe's deadliest strikers in Sweden's Henrik Larsson, scorer of 28 league goals this term.
Larsson hit the winner in the semi-final victory away to Boavista that prevented an all-Portuguese final and with the Swede on board Celtic will feel extremely confident.
“We've played against some very good teams to get to the final and played very well so we have to look at that with confidence,” defender Bobo Balde told Celtic's website ahead of the game.
“It is a Cup final and we can go out and beat Porto.”
“It may be another 33 years, you never know. The great thing about it is you embrace the history.
“Don't be frightened of it. All you can ever do is try and aspire to it,” added O'Neill. – Agencies
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<Back to Attractions in Asturias
<Back to Cities in Spain
Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
Oviedo is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain. It is also the name of the municipality that contains the city. Oviedo, which is the administrative and commercial centre of the region, also hosts the annual Prince of Asturias Awards. This prestigious event, held in the city’s Campoamor Theatre, recognizes international achievement in eight categories. It is said that two monks, Máximo and Fromestanus, founded the city in 761. That settlement was soon to be completed with the construction of a small church dedicated to Saint Vincent. Nevertheless, the archaeological register has shown traces of occupation since the 1st century, in Roman times. King Fruela I of Asturias, the fourth of the Asturian monarchs, was the first decided promoter of the city as may be witnessed by his construction of both a palace and a nearby church. Oviedo owes to a later king, Alfonso II The Chaste (791-842), its establishment as a capital city and ruling seat as a result of the moving of the court from Pravia and the creation of the Pilgrim’s Route to Santiago de Compostela, a major event in the history of Oviedo, a church dedicated to The Saviour, the Cathedral of San Salvador, and a royal palace formed the nucleus and motive power of Oviedo.
Cathedral of San Salvador, from 13th century, erected in 1288 over the previous cathedral, which was founded in the 8th century.
Cámara Santa de Oviedo. Dating from 802. It is located within the Cathedral, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Santa María del Naranco Hall, 9th century. A relatively large pavilion, part of the palace complex built for and by King Ramiro I.
San Miguel de Lillo (small church), 9th century.
Basilica of San Julián de los Prados.
La Foncalada. Fountain of the 9th century. It is the only preserved Pre-Romanesque civil work in the whole of Europe.
The University of Oviedo was created in 1574, but only inaugurated on September 21, 1608, the feast of Saint Matthew. It was funded by the terms of the will of Archbishop D. Fernando Valdés Salas, minister and General Inquisitor under Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and Philip II.
Town Hall (Casa Consistorial). Dates from 1662.
La Balesquida Chapel (13th century). Associated with Oviedo’s taylors’ guild. Repeatedly restored in the 17th, 19th and 20th centuries. It is dedicated to the Virgin of Hope.
House of the Llanes (18th century). It is the best Baroque façade in the whole of Asturias.
Deán Payarinos’ House (20th century). A building on the Beaux Arts style. Nowadays, it houses the Eduardo Martínez Torner Conservatory.
The Monastery of San Vicente (8th century). At the moment, home of the Archaeological Museum of Asturias.
The Convent Church of Santo Domingo, Oviedo (16th century). One of the monastic settlements outside the city walls. The original building burnt down in 1934 and it was heavily reconstructed after the Civil War.
El Fontán Market (17th-18th centuries). A simple but rather monumental complex; an 18th century porticoed square, which housed the vegetable market. It fell victim to speculative manoeuvres. It was left to deteriorate on its own; claiming that it was beyond repair, it was then demolished on 1998 and rebuilt offering all modern amenities, but with its original proportions radically changed; the original complex being much lower than its modern replacement.
Casas del Cuito, early 20th century Art Nouveau apartment building
Book with Lufthansa
Public Holidays in Spain
History of Spain
Driving Laws in Spain
Emergency Contacts in Spain
Festivals in Spain
Outdoor Activities in Spain
Attractions in Spain
Cities in Spain
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Zlatkus Becomes Hartford Life CFO
NU Online News Service, June 16, 2003, 1:25 p.m. EDT -- Hartford Financial Services Group Inc., Hartford, has promoted Lizabeth Zlatkus to chief financial ...
By Staff Writer | June 16, 2003 at 08:00 PM
NU Online News Service, June 16, 2003, 1:25 p.m. EDT – Hartford Financial Services Group Inc., Hartford, has promoted Lizabeth Zlatkus to chief financial officer of Hartford Life Insurance Company.
Zlatkus previously was director of Hartford’s group benefits division, which is responsible for group life and disability insurance, specialty products and medical stop-loss coverage. She succeeds David Foy, who left to become CFO of White Mountains Insurance Group Ltd., Guilford, Conn.
Zlatkus will be responsible for information technology as well as financial management, Hartford says.
Zlatkus began working for Hartford in 1983 on the property-casualty side. She has a bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University and holds the Certified Public Accountant professional designation.
Richard Mucci, who was director of employer markets at the group benefits division, will succeed Zlatkus as the division director, Hartford says.
Before Mucci began working for Hartford in 2002, he ran the individual disability insurance business at Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, Springfield, Mass.
Mucci has a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Boston College, and he is a fellow of the Society of Actuaries, Schaumburg, Ill.
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Thomson Reuters Forms Legal Executive Institute
Institute to serve as legal industry resource hub; Baxter serving as chairman
EAGAN, Minn. – Thomson Reuters has created a comprehensive resource for legal leaders and industry professionals: the Thomson Reuters Legal Executive Institute. The Legal Executive Institute provides legal news, expert views, analytics, benchmark reports and industry-leading events to inform those who lead and manage the delivery of legal services.
“We formed the Legal Executive Institute to bring people together from across the legal industry, facilitate conversations and instill debate, as well as help drive innovative solutions to the numerous challenges facing the legal market today,” said Mike Abbott, vice president of Client Management and Global Thought Leadership for the Legal business of Thomson Reuters. “We are proud of our longstanding partnership with our customers in law firms, legal organizations and law departments, and the Legal Executive Institute serves to deepen these relationships by providing a unique view of the marketplace, as well as information critical to the effective practice and prosperous business of law.”
The Legal Executive Institute features coverage from numerous events hosted by Thomson Reuters in the legal space, such as the Marketing Partner Forum, Law Firm COO & CFO Forum and Law Firm Leaders Forum. Plus, industry leaders share their expertise, insights and trend discussions through blogs, whitepapers, interviews and benchmarking data, including analysis of Peer Monitor law firm market data and reports. Legalexecutiveinstitute.com, a new thought leadership platform, will be the primary online hub for analytical outputs, conversations and related content.
Leveraging 40 years in practice, with 23 years leading and managing a large law firm, Ralph Baxter serves as chairman of the Legal Executive Institute. Baxter brings immeasurable experience and industry relationships that connect hard-won expertise and successes with strategies to help inform and inspire legal professionals.
According to Baxter, the Legal Executive Institute will incorporate data, information and opinions pertaining to the entire legal ecosystem from law firm leaders, legal departments, regulators, educators and more. “Law is more important today than ever before,” Baxter said. “At the same time, the way legal service is delivered is changing faster than ever, as technology and other developments enable better and more efficient processes. Thomson Reuters seeks to build on its deep involvement in legal content and infrastructure to assist all participants in finding the optimal path in meeting the world’s demand for legal service and navigating the changes that are underway.”
In the coming months, an advisory board will be named to provide additional insight and guidance for the Legal Executive Institute. This group of industry experts and legal service innovators will ensure the Legal Executive Institute continues to be a nerve center for legal professionals to explore trends and capture answers to new and challenging questions impacting the legal profession.
Thomson Reuters is the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. We combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial and risk, legal, tax and accounting, intellectual property and science and media markets, powered by the world's most trusted news organization. Thomson Reuters shares are listed on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges. For more information, go to www.thomsonreuters.com.
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Performance gaps among large law firms narrowing — Thomson Reuters Legal Executive Institute study
EAGAN, Minn., June 28, 2018 — Firms in the highest-performing segment of the market may be experiencing “the strong magnetism of industry means” pulling them back towards market averages, as their performance gap over the rest of the market has narrowed somewhat. That’s among the findings of The Dynamic Law Firms Study: A 2017 Year-End Update from the Thomson Reuters Legal Executive Institute.
The new report updates last year’s study, which identified two groups of large law firms through Peer Monitor data: Dynamic and Static – representing the highest- and lowest-performing quartile of firms during the 2014-2016 period.
Looking at the same groups of firms from the previous study, the updated report found that the profitability advantage of the Dynamic firms narrowed slightly in 2017, as Static firms may be adopting some of the best practices from the Dynamic firms. The Dynamic firms’ advantage in average profit margins compared with the Static firms shrank from about four-and-a-half percentage points to three percentage points.
While the Dynamic firms maintained a strong average profit margin, it slipped slightly from 38.0% to 37.7% in 2017. Meanwhile, the Static firm segment managed to grow their average profit margins from 33.5% to 34.5% -- while an improvement, it still remains lower than the average margins these firms saw in 2015.
The Static group improved their profitability through a variety of factors, including improved collection realization, and better relative productivity through restrained headcount growth.
“The battle for market share is intensifying and firms are increasingly emulating the top-performers to slightly narrow the profitability gap,” said Mike Abbott, vice president, Client Management & Global Thought Leadership, Thomson Reuters. “In an increasingly competitive market, Peer Monitor data suggests that strategies such as focusing on realization, controlling headcount, and increasing investments in productivity-enhancing technologies and areas such as business development and marketing, can help position firms for future success.”
The Dynamic Law Firms Study: A 2017 Year-End Update can be downloaded at www.legalexecutiveinstitute.com/dynamic-law-firms-study-2017-update/.
For more information on Peer Monitor, visit legalsolutions.com/peer-monitor.
Thomson Reuters is the world’s leading source of news and information for professional markets. Our customers rely on us to deliver the intelligence, technology and expertise they need to find trusted answers. The business has operated in more than 100 countries for more than 100 years. Thomson Reuters shares are listed on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges. For more information, visit www.thomsonreuters.com.
jeffrey.mccoy@thomsonreuters.com
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Megan is a Tabasco hot chef
Level 3 Professional Cookery student Megan Connor was named runner-up in the Tabasco Street Food Challenge 2014.
Competitors had just 90 minutes to create a dish for four using the famously-firey Tabasco sauce. The dish had to be suitable for serving from 11am-4pm as a brunch item from a street vendor’s stall or vehicle.
Megan decided on an original street food approach to a British classic: ham, egg and chips. So that it was easy to serve in a street food environment, she produced the dish as a quail Scotch egg in a potato basket. To give it that Tabasco twist, she offered it alongside special Tabasco ketchup and sea salts infused with the famous pepper sauce.
The judges were looking for flavour, ease of service in a street food environment and the creative use of Tabasco sauce from a choice of original red, green jalapeno, chipotle and habanero.
Megan got her idea from 1930s cartoon “Ham and Eggs”, which was produced by Walter Lantz – the creator of Woody Woodpecker. She then decided to use it as an overall theme for her dish, marketing it as “Oswald’s Ham and Eggs” and featuring the cartoon on her packaging.
“I did lots of local research around Birmingham and into the street food market before making my application,” said Megan. “I’m really pleased that my hard work paid off and I got to compete in the final alongside other student chefs from around the UK.”
Megan was awarded a special certificate, a personalised Tabasco jacket and a year’s subscription to the Craft Guild of Chefs magazine.
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NEWS BRIEFS: Meet New Executive Director of UG Admissions
By Dateline Staff on February 28, 2016 in University
Intellectual property licensing academies
Summer Olympics: Who’s going to Rio?
IN MEMORIAM: Celebrating ‘Coach V,’ March 13
Ebony Lewis joined UC Davis last week as the executive director of Undergraduate Admissions, and the campus community is invited to meet her at a reception this Friday afternoon (March 4). She previously served as associate director of admissions at UC Santa Cruz for eight years.
Here, she takes on leadership of freshman and transfer student recruitment and admissions at a time when the university is admitting what will be its largest entering class (9,500 students); developing and implementing new and expanded initiatives to recruit and retain historically underrepresented students; and seeking designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution. Lewis serves on the Chancellor’s Enrollment Policy Board and the Academic Senate Committee on Admissions and Enrollment. She oversees a staff of nearly 70.
Over her more than 15-year career at UC Santa Cruz, Lewis played an important role in key initiatives to enroll a more diverse student body, increase enrollment of national and international students, and strive for Hispanic Serving Institution status. Lewis also was a leader on the UC Collaborative Recruitment Team, coordinating and streamlining innovative systemwide recruitment efforts.
Among her recent professional activities at UC Santa Cruz, Lewis was a member of the campus team focused on climate, recruitment and retention of African, Black and Caribbean students; the Police Chief’s Advisory Board; and the Chancellor’s Diversity Advisory Council focused on campus climate, culture and inclusion. She also served on campus’s Staff Advisory Board as well as the systemwide Council of UC Staff Assemblies.
Lewis has a bachelor’s degree in legal studies and politics from UC Santa Cruz and a master’s degree in public administration with a focus in public policy and organizational change from California State University East Bay.
Friday’s reception is scheduled from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at the Welcome Center.
UC Davis announced its annual intellectual property licensing academies. Two are being held, the first in Latin America and the other on the Davis campus.
The School of Law and UC Davis’ Public Intellectual Property Resource in Agriculture program are partners in the academies, which are for lawyers, technology transfer officers, academics and inventors.
The first academy, starting today (March 1) in La Paz, Mexico, explores the issues surrounding intellectual property and technology transfer from a Latin American perspective. The camapus academy, starting June 20, has a global perspective and draws participants from as close as UC Davis and from as far away as Asia, Africa and the Pacific Rim.
UC Davis faculty members are among the speakers at both academies. The campus program also features talks by representatives of UC Davis Innovation Access and Corporate Relations.
UC Davis News and Media Relations is compiling a list of UC Davis afilliates — students, alumni, staff and faculty — who may be participating in the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro as athletes or coaches, or in other ways, say, as officials, trainers, medical or veterinary staff, or volunteers. Please let us know, so we can share with the campus community and the general media. Send emails to dateline.ucdavis.edu.
A celebration of the life of Jon Vochatzer, track and field head coach for more than three decades, is scheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday, March 13, at the university’s Conference Center.
Jon Vorchatzer
Vochatzer died Feb. 22 at the age of 71, after having had a stroke in late January shortly before he and his wife, former women’s track coach Deanne Vochatzer, were to depart for their annual trip to Pismo Beach.
Jon Vochatzer earned multiple coach of the year awards at various levels, and saw eight of his athletes win NCAA individual championships and dozens more earn All-America honors. His teams placed among the top five at either the Division II indoor or outdoor championships four times shortly before the university moved to Division I. He also coached at the national and international levels.
With a master’s degree in adaptive physical education, he developed programs for senior citizens, as well as mentally and physically challenged athletes, and became a consultant to California Special Olympics.
He taught a popular UC Davis course on fly fishing, specifically designed for women. And he held a number of committee assignments across the campus.
Read the complete obituary on the athletics department website.
PIPRA
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Kovsie first-years get ready for great things
Prof. Jonathan Jansen (Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS) with two of the first-year students.
- Photo: Lize-Mare Smit
“One thing I can assure you: here academic work comes first.” This was how Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the University of the Free State (UFS), set first-years parents’ minds at ease during the welcoming events of the first-years on the Main Campus the past weekend.
The welcoming events, which took place over two days, were attended by a total of 7 000 first-years and their parents from across the country.
Prof. Jansen also told the students and their parents that they were at the best place, by sharing his excitement about all the new students who decided to come and study at Kovsies. “You have overcome major obstacles in order to be here today,” he said at the welcoming.
With more than 90% new students who comply with admission requirements, this group of students promises to become true leaders of South Africa.
Prof. Jansen shared a few plans for the year with the audience. “As in 2010, we shall once again send a group of first-year students to universities later this year, not only in America, but amongst others also to Europe and Asian countries, amongst others, to learn more about different cultures and diversity. We aim to double the number of students who will be selected to 150 this year.” We can also look forward to, amongst others, a brand-new entrance and gymnasium for the Main Campus and four new hostels, two of which will be built on the Qwaqwa Campus.
Prof. Jansen emphasised the seriousness with which academic work had to be regarded, by referring to the compulsory class attendance that was implemented last year. “Since the inception of this arrangement in 2010, there was a 30% increase in students’ pass rate,” he said.
This year, for the first time, honorary awards were also given to young people who had rendered an exceptional service to the community. Anél Kleingeld, a 10-year-old learner from Trompsburg, and Mpho Phahlo from the UFS’s Unit for Students with Disabilities proudly received these awards. Anél made a remarkable contribution to George’s community when she encouraged learners from her` school to collect and deliver 700 litres of water for this community. Mpho made a point of assisting and motivating persons with disabilities at Kovsies to work hard on a daily basis.
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Home > Our services > Children's hospital services > Cystic fibrosis > Meet the team
Children's hospital services
Meet the team: children's cystic fibrosis
Dr Gary Connett
Dr Connett has an active research programme and is a member of Southampton's Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit, developing novel therapies to treat cystic fibrosis lung infections.
Dr Hazel Evans
Dr Evans leads the children's home mechanical ventilation and diagnostic sleep services. She is interested in improving patient care through the education of other health professionals and service development.
Dr Julian Legg
Dr Legg is head of the paediatric respiratory department at Southampton Children’s Hospital. He is an active researcher with a special interest in the microbiology of the lung in cystic fibrosis and early determinants of the disease.
Professor Graham Roberts
Professor Roberts cares for children with respiratory and allergy problems. His research focuses on understanding why children develop allergies and asthma, looking at how their lives can be improved.
Dr Woolf Walker
Dr Walker was appointed as a paediatric respiratory consultant in April 2013 having trained in Southampton, Portsmouth and Perth in Western Australia. As well as working with the cystic fibrosis team he leads the National Children's Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia Management Service in Southampton. Dr Walker has published papers in paediatric respiratory disease, in particular in primary ciliary dyskinesia and cystic fibrosis, and continues to have an active research programme.
Teresa Curbishley
Teresa joined the children’s cystic fibrosis team in 2007 as a specialist paediatric dietitian. Since joining the team, Teresa has presented at national and international conferences and is an active member of the British Dietetic Association and Cystic Fibrosis Dietitians Interest Group.
Sian Phillips
Sian joined the children’s cystic fibrosis team in 2013 having previously worked as an adult dietitian in London and Birmingham. In addition to her work with the cystic fibrosis team, Sian also sees respiratory and long-term ventilation patients.
Maria Day
Maria works for the cystic fibrosis team and the paediatric intensive care unit. As a clinical psychologist, Maria supports families living with cystic fibrosis. Maria can offer time to talk away from the clinic to help with difficulties, such as mealtime stresses, anxiety about medical procedures or problems managing treatments. She also runs groups for parents of children with cystic fibrosis and often meets families at annual reviews to talk about how they are coping.
Cath Norman
Cath Norman joined the team in 2014 and works across the paediatric cystic fibrosis, rheumatology and ophthalmology teams. She works alongside Maria Day to offer emotional support to children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis and their families. This work includes facilitating parent groups, meeting with families during clinic appointments and offering individual sessions for children, adolescents and their families separate from clinic appointments.
Specialist physiotherapists
We have four specialist physiotherapists. Caroline Yonge and Sarah Payne have led the service since 2004, working in Southampton as well as in cystic fibrosis clinics in other hospitals in the region. A recent expansion has seen Tom Meredith and Victoria Keenan join the team.
Physiotherapy is an integral part of the management of cystic fibrosis and includes many aspects such as airway clearance, inhaled medication, exercise, musculoskeletal assessment and posture. We assess and treat each patient individually and develop an ongoing relationship with the child and family so we can adapt and progress treatment as the child matures.
We attend the UK cystic fibrosis physiotherapy interest group meetings, and attend international conferences to keep up to date with the best evidence based practise as well as the latest research and developments. In addition to our clinical role, we are involved in audits and research within the hospital, and international research trials.
We have four part time nurse specialists. Judi Maddison has been with us since 1993, with Tricia McGinnity and Catherine Crocker joining in 2010. Amanda Friend joined the team in November 2013.
Our main role is to be an advocate for patients and their families, providing care and support in hospital and in the community. We have a wide range of experience in cystic fibrosis care, and support families from newly diagnosed patients through to young people transferring to the adult service. We are members of the national and international cystic fibrosis nurses' community and strive to ensure that our patients receive the most up to date, appropriate and individualised care.
Katie Smith
Katie joined the team in May 2015. She qualified as a social worker in 2009 and since then has worked with adults and children in front line services. Katie has also volunteered for Simon Says, a charity supporting bereaved children in Hampshire, since 2012.
As a paediatric cystic fibrosis social worker, Katie supports children and their families as inpatients, outpatients and at home. The social work service can provide advice and support on areas including practical and emotional support, benefits and housing advice, support to maintain or access employment, access to education, accessing grants, carers' support, and child protection. Katie also works closely with her social work colleagues in the adult cystic fibrosis team to ensure patients' transitions run smoothly.
You can contact Katie at Katie.Smith@uhs.nhs.uk about any issues of a non-medical, non-nursing nature.
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You know that statistic that says 80% of businesses fail? Well, it's cherry-picked, kind of. It's true that most new businesses fail, but that study looked at them in the first five years.
If you can get through your first year, that's a big deal. And it's okay to need help, whether you're on year one or twelve. A top consulting company can help you keep your doors open and keep you from sinking all your resources into one asset.
There are many different types of consulting companies each with specializations like operations consulting or marketing consulting. Want to learn how to find the right one for your business goals? Read below.
Who Needs a Business Consultant?
It's a pretty easy answer: anyone that has a business and is new to ownership or new to a specific niche. Businesses are like children, there's no right way to raise them, but there are generally agreed upon things you shouldn't do.
As they "grow up" they pose challenges that other business owners (or those that help business owners) can get you through.
Not to oversimplify it, but imagine if you faced the parental task of potty training alone. Would you know what to do? Probably not as much as you need to. You ask and read about what other parents did in that situation.
That's no different than when you start to lose customers and can't figure out what's changed in your store/business. You need the help of someone who's been in your situation before.
1. How to Hire a Top Consulting Company
There's a question in the business world: "should you hire an individual or a consulting firm"? We're proponents of the second. Why?
When you work with a consulting company, you have more minds at your disposal. There's no such thing as too many minds working on a problem.
Since they're a team, they know how to work together, so it won't be a chaotic mix of ideas and voices.
If the lead team member on your account doesn't know how to help you with something, someone else on the team will.
If you work with an individual, they can only ask as many people as they know. One network is great, but every employee at a consulting firm has its own network. Sure, some of the contacts will overlap, but there are more people to choose from.
Depending on the town you're in, there may only be one or two firms to choose from. If you don't like either, feel free to look for help online.
Plenty of decisions and meetings can happen over the phone, video chat, or via email.
Get References
The best reference you can get from a business consulting firm is one from a thriving business. Showing that someone that worked with them is turning a profit and fulfilling their goals is all the reference you should need.
Since you're intelligent and thorough, you'll want to ask that business owner some questions. What was the hardest thing they faced that the consulting firm helped them with?
Was there ever a time where neither they nor the firm knew what to do? How did they get past that?
Not knowing what to do in business, every once in a while, isn't a bad thing. Even for a consulting business. As long as they know how to ask for help and seek out answers, it'll help you both grow.
2. Read the Fine Print Before You Sign
Different firms work in different ways, payment-wise. You don't want to be unhappy with their services just to find out you signed a year contract.
It's business 101 to read whatever fine print there is before you sign a contract. If this isn't a habit you already have, it's time to make it one. If you don't, you're going to get into some sticky situations, in life and business.
3. Know Your Goals
Your business consultant can't help you achieve goals you don't know you have. The obvious goal is to make money from your business and turn a profit. But that's not why you're running a business, right?
What's the why behind what you do? Finding your why will help you wake up every day and face the challenges that come with being a business owner.
Ask yourself why you started a business in the first place. Was there a gap in the market that you knew you could fill? Who or what are you helping by filling that niche?
If the only thing you can come up with is "my pocket" you're not going to last long in the business world. Maybe you will, but it's easier to avoid burnout when there's a reason to get up in the morning.
Make Sure You Show Up, Too
Your top consulting company can't do everything on their own. You have to be as committed to working with them as they are with you.
That means showing up for your scheduled phone calls, video chats, or whatever you have planned. You'll need to do prep for these meetings sometimes to make sure they have all the information they need.
In the end, if you rush through this, you're not getting your money's worth. Not only are you losing money by not taking advantage of their full services, but you'll probably lose some profit from it too.
Don't be part of that depressing percentage we talked about at the beginning of the article. Ask for help, and make sure you get it from professionals.
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Pip’s “Palisades”
Pip had released some twenty–four albums in his discography with the last dozen or so created his time in the last decade or so
While he was notably absent from HMN for the last year or two, the prolific singer and songwriter known as Pip had released some twenty–four albums in his discography with the last dozen or so created his time in the last decade or so in Hamilton. After a brief time out of the spotlight, Pip returns this week with a celebration of two releases.
“I had some issues with my health and my family which delayed the release of my twenty fifth album,” says Pip. “So this week, I’m releasing not one but two new albums at the upcoming Artcrawl. I will be celebrating the release of records number twenty–five, called 25, and number twenty–six, an EP called Palisades.”
Pip is so prolific, one might be concerned he’ll have another release for his website by the time we’ve finished the interview.
“I’ve been pretty diligent with following my muse when it’s there so I take advantage of that while I can and don’t take it for granted,” says Pip. “I’m lucky enough to be performing at the level at I’m at even at my ripe old age, I’m looking at my peak. I work hard at it and I’m satisfied with the songs that are coming out of me.”
“The new music continues my journey in world and jazz landscapes while still being my identifiable accessible pop sound,” adds Pip. “Lyrically, it’s fairly mature and developing — I’m at over 300 songs registered with SOCAN so I see development there. A favourite track of mine to play is Palisades, another number about climbing above the fray and finding a peaceful view. It’s about overcoming stuff and persevering and getting over the hump, and it seems pertinent over the last year or two that I’ve been able to do that. I’m still alive and I’m lucky to be cranking out tunes and playing them live. When George Harrison died, I thought that was way too young to go but I thought to myself I’ve got to live longer than that and now I have and reached that milestone. I’m healthier now than I was before so I’m happy about that.”
The quirky acoustic folk pop of Pip should settle nicely for both of his free performances this week and while playing to passersby may be daunting, it’s still a great way for Pip to do what he loves and to get in front of an audience.
“I used to love Art Crawl but a lot of the galleries and music venues have disappeared so it’s transforming more into a restaurant strip and flea market but we’ll see,” says Pip. “The Barton Street area is really developing now and I’m interested to see what happens there — Barton could be the next James Street. If you can’t make the Friday night gig, I’m playing 12–2pm on Thursday and Friday on top of Jackson Square. It’s often hot up there but there are a lot of great artists playing up there all summer long. It’s a good chance to hear a new artist and it’s very casual with grass and it’s very intimate. Bring your lunch, with extra fries for your performer as I might steel some of them.
“I’ll be selling autographed downloads,” adds Pip with a chuckle. “I don’t know about getting music to people as nobody buys CDs anymore and downloads are for artists in the stratosphere but I’m happy to be making music and playing it. I’m planning to keep writing and playing until the taps run dry, and so far I’m lucky to be able to keep writing at the level I’m at. I will, along with a handful of other locals, keep carrying the torch for artists writing and performing original unique material.”
Pip plays atop Jackson Square this Thursday July 11 and Friday July 12 from Noon until 2pm and this Friday July 11 at the Hamilton Visitor's Centre in the Lister Block from 6pm to 9pm for James Street North Art Crawl. Click on metrophilmusic.bandcamp.com
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Related Issuers The University of Texas System Revenue Financing System
Learn about the Team at Permanent University Fund, including our Associate Vice Chancellor for Finance, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Finance, and Senior Financial Analyst.
Terry Hull
Allen Hah
Robin Webb
Brenda Chambers
Associate Vice Chancellor for Finance
thull@utsystem.edu
Terry rejoined the U.T. System in March 2000 after previous work with the U.T. System from 1992–1994. In his current role, Terry is primarily responsible for managing the System’s various financing programs on behalf of the 14 academic and health-related institutions, including the Permanent University Fund and Revenue Financing System debt programs aggregating over $10.0 billion. Terry also manages the System's debt derivatives program, currently consisting of various interest rate swap agreements aggregating over $3.0 billion in notional amount. Before rejoining the System, Terry held the positions of Finance Supervisor and Manager of Financial Planning at the Lower Colorado River Authority (“LCRA”), a regional utility based in Austin, Texas. In these roles, Terry was responsible for developing annual business and financial plans and providing strategic financial planning to its various lines of business. He managed LCRA’s short-intermediate term investment portfolio and directed staff responsible for the organization’s treasury management and disbursement functions. Terry is a Certified Treasury Professional (CTP) and earned both his MBA in Finance and a BS in Aerospace Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Finance
ahah@utsystem.edu
Allen joined the U.T. System in September 2012 and is responsible for managing the System's various financing programs on behalf of the academic and health-related institutions as well as providing support for investment oversight of the System's endowment and operating funds. Allen is also responsible for analyzing the System's capital projects and initiatives on behalf of the institutions and provides support for quantitative analysis of the System's financial position and debt/swap portfolios. Prior to joining the System, Allen was a Vice President with Prager & Company in San Francisco, where he worked for eleven years as an investment banker and a financial advisor specializing in higher education and not-for-profit finance. Allen earned an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California in Berkeley in 2009 and a BA degree in Physics and Mathematics from Claremont McKenna College in 2001.
rwebb@utsystem.edu
Robin joined the U.T. System in November 2014 and is responsible for providing analysis and execution of financing activities for the System’s academic and health-related institutions, including debt issuance, debt service, financial reporting, and other investment-related activities. Robin is also involved in the planning, structuring, and closing of various debt and derivative transactions, as well as coordinating the fixed and variable rate debt service payments. Prior to joining the System, Robin was an Asset Manager for a private equity company in Austin, where she managed the strategic business plans, cash flow activities, and performance trends of various student housing assets around the country. Robin earned an MBA from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin in 2011 and a BA in political science from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 2004.
Administrative Projects Coordinator
b.chambers@utsystem.edu
Brenda joined the U.T. System in October 1993 as an Administrative Assistant in the Office of Finance. She transferred to the Office of Business and Administrative Services in 1996 and held various titles within that department. Brenda transferred to the Office of Finance in February 2007. Her cash management responsibilities include wiring funds on a daily basis for items such as commercial paper, fixed-income, and employee benefits, among others. Her additional responsibilities include reconciling departmental operating accounts, preparing departmental travel vouchers, maintaining timekeeping records, and other administrative duties. Prior to joining the U.T. System, Brenda was employed with Bank One (now Chase Bank) for seven years.
Have questions? Reach out to us directly.
Permanent University Fund Disclaimer
The System's website and documents referenced in this Section contain statements that, to the extent they are not recitations of historical fact, may constitute "forward-looking statements." In this respect, the words "estimate," "project," "anticipate," "expect," "intend," "believe" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. A number of important factors affecting the System's business and financial results could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated in the forward-looking statements. The Office of Finance maintains the Investor Relations website; however, this Section may include hyperlinks to other parts of the System's website and to websites maintained or controlled by others. The Office of Finance is not responsible for and does not routinely screen, approve, review or endorse the contents of these websites.
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The Valle de Tena has many distinctive old houses with thick stone walls and sloping slate roofs, marked and decorated with beautifully crafted doors windows and heraldic emblems, etched in stone.
The Roman and Medieval bridges together with Romanesque arches are also some of the architectural features to be seen here.
Within the area it's worth visiting the The Angel Orensanz Museum / the Artes de Serrablo which collect material and artefacts from all over the Pyrenees and nearby is the Mueseum of Drawings (sketches) which is one of its kind in Spain.
The Serrablo Route of Romanesque churches is a set of 14 churches all in similar style yet each with unique features and quite particular to this small area.
All of them are situated to the left bank of the Gállego river: Lárrede, Isún, Satué, San Juan de Busa, Oliván, San Bartolomé de Gavín among more. Chronologically they date back to between the mid 10th and mid 11th centuries.
It's worth including the Catheral in Jaca here too as it isn't that far from the Tena Yalley. It's a Romanesque building dating to the 11th century and whose diocesan museum houses a wide collection of Romanesque and Gothic paintings. A little farther from Jaca is the Romanesque monastery of San Juan de la Peña carved into the rock and declared a National Monument in 1889. It's also worth visiting Santa Cruz de la Serós a medieval village with an 11th C monastery and a church called San Caprasio which is an excellent example of Lombardy Architecture.
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Policy Wonk Paul Ryan Pretends Not to Know How the Constitution Works
The Speaker of the House falsely claimed there’s nothing he can do about Trump’s tariffs.
By Toya Sarno Jordan/Getty Images.
Since Donald Trump began to indiscriminately slap tariffs on countries around the world with zero regard for the consequences, much like a giant, angry baby splashing water out of a bathtub, Republicans have put on a good show of complaining about how the measures are a terrible idea. And like others who are saying the same thing—i.e., virtually everyone outside of the president’s craziest advisers—these lawmakers are correct. In the few short months since Trump announced his first batch of tariffs, soybean farmers have reported losing as much as 20 percent of their income, thanks to China targeting them in counterattacks; Harley-Davidson has announced it will shift some production overseas, due to the European Union’s retaliatory measures on its motorcycles; investors have panicked; the Federal Reserve has predicted trade wars on multiple fronts could negatively impact the economy; and experts have warned that if Trump continues down the path he’s threatened, thousands of U.S. jobs will be lost. Unlike most people, though, Republicans are actually in a position to do something about Trump’s damaging new hobby—they could, say, pass a bill to limit his power to impose tariffs. Or at least, they could if Paul Ryan hadn’t taken a vow back January 2017 to voluntarily eat shit for Trump at every turn.
Back in May, Ryan vocally opposed Trump’s decision to impose steel and aluminum tariffs on some of our closest international allies, saying: “I disagree with this decision. Instead of addressing the real problems in the international trade of these products, today’s action targets America’s allies . . . There are better ways to help American workers and consumers.” But when asked on Thursday whether he had any intention of passing a bill that could curtail Trump’s tariff-imposing powers, Ryan told reporters that such proposition is absurd because, “You would have to pass a law saying, ‘Don’t raise those tariffs,’ and the president would have to sign that law. That’s not going to happen.”
In fact, as others have pointed out, that’s not how this whole bill-passing, law-making thing works. If the president does veto a law, his decision can be overturned by a two-thirds majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. (Nor is the possibility of workable legislation on the subject a total pipe dream—last month, Senator Bob Corker introduced a bipartisan bill co-sponsored by five Democrats and four Republicans that would require Trump to get congressional approval before enacting any more tariffs on national-security grounds.) When Trump says things that are demonstrably wrong, there’s a 50-50 chance that he actually doesn’t know what he’s talking about, because he’s just that stupid. But while Ryan is certainly not the policy wonk he’s pretended to be since 2007, we’re assuming the Speaker of the House is, in fact, aware that Congress has the ability to override a presidential veto. It’s unclear whether he legitimately expects the public to buy his claims of ignorance, but the excuse itself is not entirely unsurprising, given that he’s spent the past 18 months pretending his hands are tied.
That said, don’t worry! Ryan may not be willing to introduce a bill curbing the powers of a guy trying to model his time in office after his favorite dictators, but they’re totally going to sit down for a chat. “What’s more effective and constructive is to work with the administration to get the policy in a good place, and that’s what we’re doing,” Ryan said on Thursday. “That’s going to be more effective than trying to pass a piece of legislation that will not make it into law.” Sounds like a plan! Trump is, after all, known for being reasonable, embracing compromise, and freely admitting when he’s wrong.
Trump’s trip to the U.K. is going really well
Before Trump even landed in England, he was making life difficult for Prime Minister Theresa May, attacking her Brexit negotiations at a time when she’s hanging on by a thread and praising hard-line “Brexiteers” like Boris Johnson, from whom May is frantically attempting to stave off a vote of no confidence. Then, on Thursday afternoon, he gave an exclusive interview to right-wing tabloid The Sun, in which he said this:
https://twitter.com/tnewtondunn/status/1017514591763533831
Tomorrow, the Trump is schedule to have tea with the Queen at Windsor Castle, where we assume he’ll attempt to pitch her on a licensing deal for the property and call it a dump when she demurs.
Steve Mnuchin thinks the tariffs have been a success
https://twitter.com/arappeport/status/1017414442361819136
Trump threatens to pull out of NATO, praises the alliance as “very strong,” falsely claims he got other countries to pay more money
It’s been a roller-coaster of emotions in Brussels:
President Trump reaffirmed support for NATO on Thursday, but only after stirring more discord with a vague threat that the United States could go its own way if the allies resisted his demands for additional military spending, making a dramatic exit after a summit punctuated by his escalating complaints.
Even as he declared that the American commitment to the trans-Atlantic alliance “remains very strong” ahead of his summit meeting next week with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, he continued to assail close partners and further strain diplomatic relations.
In the closing hours of the two-day gathering in Brussels with leaders of the other NATO nations, he forced a last-minute emergency meeting to address his grievances over spending. . . . The White House hastily called the news conference amid reports that Mr. Trump had unleashed a tirade at a closed-door morning meeting against member countries he complained were still not spending enough on their militaries. Mr. Trump used the news conference to hail himself, again, as a “stable genius,” saying he deserved “total credit” for pushing the allies to increase their military spending by more than previously agreed to.
That claim, like so many others emanating from his mouth, was wrong and immediately dismissed by Italy and France, with Emmanuel Macron pointedly clarifying: “There is a communique that was published yesterday. It’s very detailed . . . It confirms the goal of 2 percent by 2024. That’s all.”
Michael Cohen’s got some new digs!
Attorneys fees, shmattorneys fees!
Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer who is under federal investigation, bought a $6.7 million apartment in April in a new Manhattan skyscraper that is being developed by two of Mr. Trump’s longtime friends, according to people familiar with the transaction.
On the 19th floor, Mr. Cohen’s unit is about 2,697 square feet, with four bedrooms and 4½ bathrooms, according to listing Web site StreetEasy. It had been on the market for $7.475 million, according to the website. Amenities in the building include a Turkish bath, a private dining room, a 75-foot lap pool, a fitness center, an arcade and a concierge service that books private aircraft.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Cohen financed the acquisition by “by securing a $3.5 million short-term mortgage from the developers, rather than getting financing from a bank.” Real-estate attorneys say that’s “unusual” for properties in Manhattan, but the project is being developed by two “longtime friend[s]” of Trump, so perhaps he threw in a good word for his hush-money facilitator.
JPMorgan Whistle-Blower Gets Record $30 Million from C.F.T.C. (Bloomberg)
Justice Department appeals Time Warner-AT&T merger approval (CNBC)
Elliott Management Plans to Hold onto AC Milan, Plot Turnaround (Bloomberg)
Ex-Tesla Worker Escalates Battle by Blowing Whistle to S.E.C. (Bloomberg)
Tower of secrets: the Russian money behind a Donald Trump skyscraper (Financial Times)
On the same day, G.O.P. lawmaker approved tax cuts, bought yacht (CNBC)
Funding for U.S. Fintech Start-ups Rose 40 Percent Last Quarter (Bloomberg)
A Family of Woodchucks Ate Paul Ryan’s Car (NPR)
G.O.P. Measuring Paul Ryan for Cement Shoes
This is the thanks he gets for masterminding their precious tax cuts?
Did Paul Ryan Fire the House Chaplain for Tax-Cut Blasphemy?
It sure seems like something he’d do.
The Exact Moment Each of Trump’s Enemies Sold Their Souls
From Mitt Romney to Ted Cruz, all of Trump’s foes eventually flipped from #NeverTrump to #ForeverTrump.
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A Champion In & Out of the Dojo
story by Victoria Sanchez
Mariana Bowen is 10 years old and a self-proclaimed “slimeologist” as she often buys her own supplies to make the nostalgic 90s toy. She combines the glitter, glue and various colors together to create the gooey slime that many children enjoy. Mariana has made over 51 batches of slime, and she saves a sample of each in small jars. Mariana is a child at heart, yet when she steps foot on the gym mat she becomes a champion in martial arts.
“As soon as she could start walking, she was on the mat with her brothers and sister in Judo class,” said Donnie Bowen, father of Mariana. Bowen started the Bowen Combative Arts Academy in 2014. Bowen was in the U.S. Army’s Special Forces, but his interest in Judo,, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and wrestling began well before he enlisted.
As a young child, Bowen watched Black Belt and Kung Fu theatre, along with most of Bruce Lee’s movies. Bowen began with Taekwondo and Karate. Then, influenced by Bruce Lee, he began Judo and Filipino stick fighting. The Special Forces qualification course brought Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu into Bowen’s life when he was stationed at Fort Campbell.
“When it came to opening the academy, it was like giving back to the community, and not only that, I had a vested interest because my own children were training,” Bowen said. Now Bowen spends his days teaching Mariana and other children the non-striking arts of Judo, Wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
For the Bowens, training together is a lifestyle. Both Mariana’s mother and father train, Mariana’s two older brothers are black belts in Judo, and her older sister is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
From age four, Mariana was competing in wrestling. At age six she began Judo and at age seven she won the Judo National Championship. Currently she is focusing on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. She plans to earn her black belt in both Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and help other children train and compete. Recently Mariana won the 2018 Kids International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation Championship in Las Vegas, and she plans to continue competing at many other competitions in the future. “For Mariana, this is pretty much a way of life,” Bowen said.
“Mariana had a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu pro-match earlier this year, and it was really neat because she went out and competed and everyone loved her, and then when she went to change, she was in a dress, like a professional.” Bowen laughed. “All the other kids are putting on their Jiu-Jitsu T-shirts and then there’s Mariana in her dress. She’s my baby girl.”
As Mariana’s instructor as well as father, Bowen emphasizes hard-work. “The overall goal for their training each day is to be better than they were yesterday. Whether the improvement is mediocre or incredible, it’s the work you put in behind it that matters,” Bowen said. “We see greatness in our children, and we want them to always improve.”
Bowen teaches his classes as if he’s teaching his own kids. “We’re raising the next generation, so we have to do things right the first time,” Bowen said. Grappling-arts teach integrity and discipline, as without hard-work, trainees will never improve.
“My favorite thing about training is being able to protect myself,” Mariana said. During competitions, Mariana still gets a bit nervous, but she knows her opponent is nervous as well, and she uses those nerves to push her through the competition.
Bowen finds teachings in The Art of War by Sun Tzu and often uses what he reads to quote small life lessons at the end of his classes. “Be the champion of your own life,” Bowen said. “Do what makes you happy no matter how many medals you win.”
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Home » General » San Nicolas Community Museum officially opened
San Nicolas Community Museum officially opened
Courtesy of: The Morning News
By: Rosalie Klein
San Nicolas, the city that dominates Aruba’s eastern end, welcomed two new sights to enhance a tourist’s day trip to “Sunrise City.” On the eve of the holiday weekend the renovated Watertoren (Water Tower) was unveiled, a landmark building from the 1930’s and the day before that, the San Nicolas Community Museum opened its doors.
Head of the project, Zahira Zaandam, admits the exhibit is still “a work in progress;” meant to eventually integrate artifacts and items from the San Nicolas community, presenting a tableau of colonial and 20th century society in the area.
What is presently on display was acquired from the Odor Family Foundation, which maintained a remarkable collection of antiques, art, island and global artifacts in the family home, which used to be the Aruba Antiquities Museum. This collection was rarely on view to the public, only by appointment or on a national holiday.
The government has arranged to use various items from this extensive collection in presenting a charming picture of past island society. It will be accented with old photos and artifacts of the San Nicolas community, with regularly changing exhibits dedicated to outstanding community members and personalities, such as singer and composer Lord Cobashi, a San Nicolas and Carnival icon, which is currently on display.
Museum hours are daily, Tuesday through Sunday. Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, the exhibit is open to the public from 10:00 AM until 6:00 PM. On Thursdays it is open only the afternoon, from 2:00 until 9:00 PM, so visitors to the weekly Carubbian Festival may visit. Sundays it is open from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM. During this first month, entrance is free; after mid-April the fee will be $2. It is closed on Monday.
Roy Feliciana, a member of the Odor family, has been working with the collection for some years and is the resident tour guide, ready to provide lively commentary on some of the objects. Located just off the main street of San Nicolas, directly behind the CMB Bank across from the main bus terminal, The San Nicolas Community Museum can provide some “extra spice” to a visit to Baby Beach and its environs.
By Author VisitnewsPosted on March 24, 2013 Categories General
Bucuti & Tara Earns Rigorous Green Globe Recertification
New “Early Bird” Offering at Hilton Aruba’s Sunset Grille
Ling & Sons Aruba Undergoes a Huge Makeover
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Nature at sherwood menu
Sherwood’s Birds
Wildlife at Sherwood
Forest Fungi
Flora and Fruits
Bigger Beasts
Protecting Nature
If Robin Hood is one half of the Sherwood story, it’s the ancient oaks that complete it.
This collection, of almost 1,000 native sessile and pedunculate oaks and their hybrids, many of them over 500 years old, make Sherwood unique. The forest is one of the finest surviving examples of birch-oak forest in the UK.
This area has been wooded for centuries, and until about 1,000 years ago, covered almost a quarter of Nottinghamshire. Our modern day definition of a forest and woodland is pretty much interchangeable, but way back the “forest” would have been the preserve of the nobles, essentially an uncultivated area set aside for hunting. The vast Royal Forest of Sherwood, which belonged to the monarchy for almost 600 years, would have been far less wooded – a few trees surrounded by grazing pasture and heathland was the ideal terrain for hunting.
While it remains Europe’s largest collection of ancient oaks, it has been significantly depleted in the last 300 years. Not only has land been cleared for farming, but whole generations of oaks were used to build everything from homes, barns and civic buildings, including St Mary’s Church in Edwinstowe, to Nelson’s naval fleet, and the roof of St Paul’s Cathedral.
The Major Oak – 10 metres in circumference at the bottom of the trunk, and with a canopy of 28 metres across.
Throughout the history of the forest, the oaks have been important. In hard times, acorns and bark would have been used as a replacement for flour, and today they provide invaluable sustenance for wildlife. The ancient oaks in particular, are uniquely vital to some species, because of their age. They offer food and habitat that younger oaks and tree species don’t – part of the reason that managing the forest is as much about dying and dead trees as it is new or young growth.
We’ve been referring to The Major Oak by this name since around 1790, when it was already 600-800 years old, taking its name from Major Hayman Rooke, an historian who devoted much time to studying the tree. Prior to this, it was also known as The Queen Oak and the Cockpen Oak, from its time used to hold cockerels before a fight. Nobody knows exactly why it has grown to this size – 10 metres in circumference at the bottom of the trunk, and with a canopy of 28 metres across. But its original forest landscape would have meant reduced competition from other trees. There are theories that it was formed of a number of saplings fused together, or pollarded with the intention of more quickly growing a crop of oak for felling. It’s been supported by scaffolding since the Victorian era – without that, this mighty oak, weighing in at around 23 tonnes, would not stand for long.
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Winners and losers from the 12th Republican presidential debate
March 10, 2016 at 11:20 PM EST
The 12th Republican presidential debate is over. The Fix team annotated it while I tweeted and picked a handful of the best and worst of the night that was. They're below.
* Marco Rubio: The Florida senator was poised, confident and knowledgeable. He avoided any sort of personal attacks on Donald Trump and largely steered clear of clashing with the race's front-runner at all. It worked. (It also helped that Rubio had a hometown crowd ready to cheer his every word.) Watching Rubio on Thursday night, I found myself wondering where he might have been in this race if he hadn't (a) had brain-lock in the debate just before the New Hampshire primary and (b) hadn't spent 72 hours earlier this month getting in the gutter with Trump. Of course, that's besides the point now. Rubio's last hope in the race is to win Florida, denying Trump the state's 99 delegates and praying that, somehow, the race changes drastically and puts him back in the mix. It's a long shot. But Rubio deserves credit for performing extremely well when the chips were down.
* Donald Trump: Let me be honest here. I have no idea what to make of Trump when it comes to his debate performances. On the good side, Trump was far more measured and under control in this debate than in any of the previous ones. Gone were references to "Little Marco" and "Lyin' Ted" and the general rhetorical nastiness that has been a Trump hallmark since he announced his candidacy. And Trump was, largely, given a pass by the other men on the stage. Rubio, clearly scorched by his collapse in the wake of his juvenile attacks on Trump, wanted no piece of him. John Kasich, with a campaign built on hope and optimism, ignored Trump. Ted Cruz occasionally engaged Trump -- trying to paint him as a policy simpleton -- but the real estate mogul refused to take the bait. So, that was the good side. Scroll down for the bad side.
* Ted Cruz: The Texas senator succeeded, at times during the debate, in making it seem as though it was a one-on-one race between him and Trump. Cruz was also less deeply rehearsed in this debate -- to the good. He has a different challenge than Rubio or Kasich, who need to bend the arc of the contest. They need a knockout of Trump; Cruz is trying to beat him on points. And, on that front, this was a good debate for Cruz. He repeatedly hammered Trump's policy solutions as nothing more than empty rhetoric. Also, Rubio's good debate works in Cruz's favor. Cruz can't win Florida but needs to keep those 99 delegates away from Trump somehow.
* Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović: She's the Croatian president. (But, of course, you knew that.) And thanks to Kasich joking that he'd be running for president of Croatia if there wasn't immigration to the United States, I googled Ms. Grabar-Kitarović. I am certain I wasn't the only one.
* Jake Tapper's pocket square: Hell yeah, Jake. I applaud men being a bit fashion forward. Dark suits, white shirts and red/blue ties? Boring. Pocket square? Now we're talking!
* Donald Trump: Imagine where Trump might be if he was willing to pick up a policy briefing book and, you know, skim it. He's often able to coast by in these debates even with an almost total lack of policy knowledge. But, he got caught flat-footed a few times in this one. The most painful? Trump's clear cluelessness about Cuba policy, made all the worse by Rubio's deep knowledge, which he dropped on Trump's head. The question, as always with Trump, is whether he lacks engagement on policy matters at all. It's nothing new, and he continues to win states and rack up delegates. Trump's supporters seem uninterested in the minutiae of his policy positions. Rather they respond to his toughness and his tone. So....
* John Kasich: Kasich wasn't bad. He just didn't really stand out in any meaningful way. The Ohio governor kept up his Mr. Nice Guy routine, but it played slightly less well in this debate because everyone was much nicer to each other. Kasich's debate performance speaks to the larger conceit his campaign is built on; hang around, don't make mistakes and offer yourself as an optimistic alternative. The only way a strategy like that works, of course, is if all of the people in front of you implode or kill each other off.
* Reince Priebus: This was the 12th Republican debate. It is March. Given the lateness of the hour -- in terms of the primary -- it is never a good sign when the chairman of the Republican National Committee has to go out before a debate and assure voters everything is going to be just fine, no need to worry, the situation is under control, please move along, nothing to see here.
"This party is going to support the nominee, whoever that is, 100%." -- RNC Chair Reince Priebus
— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) March 11, 2016
* CNN: Look. I'm a man. I'm 40. I have two small children. I work a lot. Just tell me EXACTLY when the damn debate starts. Don't promote -- with your countdown clock no less! -- that the debate begins at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time only to tell viewers (okay, me) when they tune in that "right at the top of the 9 p.m. hour" things will get started. I, of course, get that CNN is making a ratings calculation here. They are betting that even if you are annoyed at their ruse -- you know, their cunning attempt to trick you -- you'll be too lazy to change the channel because you know it's only 30 more minutes until the debate starts. And, it works (on me). Still, CNN. Can't we all just act like grown-ups? Come on, man. What are we doing out here, man?
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WBSC to launch U-23 Men’s and U-15 Women’s Softball World Cups. 2019 Wild Cards to Cuba, Netherlands
The Softball Division Executive Board meeting in Rome reviewed the whole structure of top tier competitions and completed the restructuring of World Championships into World Cups. Cuba (Men’s) and The Netherland’s (U-19 Girls’) will receive wild cards in 2019
The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Softball Division Executive Board met in Rome, at the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) headquarters.
The Board decided the structure of softball top tier competitions, following a previous decision to restructure the Softball World Championships into Softball World Cups.
The Board decided the launching of new youth Softball World Cups in the U-15 and U-23 age categories.
As previously decided, both men’s and women’s softball will redefine the U-19 age bracket into U-18.
Women’s softball World Cups will be 16-team tournaments. The decision about the format of these tournaments has been postponed to a later date.
Men’s softball World Cups will be 12-team tournaments. Also the decision about the format of these tournaments has been postponed to a later date.
Road to the Women ‘s Softball World Cups
The participants will be chosen through a Continental qualifying process, with five National Teams coming from the Americas; three from Europe and Asia; two from Africa and Oceania. The Board will pick the sixteenth team through a wild card.
The inaugural U-15 Women’s Softball World Cup will be played in 2021. The possibility of making the first edition a 12-team tournament is still under evaluation.
Also the next Women’s World Cup is scheduled for 2021.
The U-19 Women’s Softball World Championship will be renamed World Cup in 2019. The Netherlands will receive a wild card and complete the lot of participants.
The tournament will become the U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup starting 2020.
Road to Men’s Softball World Cups
The participants will be chosen through a Continental qualifying process, with 4 National Teams coming from the Americas; 2 from Europe, Asia and Oceania; one from Africa. The twelfth National Team will be a wild card given by the Executive Board. The twelfth participant will be chosen by the Board through a wild card.
The inaugural U-23 Men’s Softball World Cup will be played in 2021.
The last Men’s Softball World Championship will be played in 2019. Cuba will receive a wild card and complete the lot of participants.
The tournament will be then rebranded Men’s Softball World Cup in 2021. The following edition will be played in 2024.
The next Men’s Softball U-18 World Cup is scheduled for 2020.
“I want to thank everybody,” said WBSC Softball Division Chairman Tommy Velazquez “We showed we have the capability of working in the interest of the game of softball.”
“We had an open discussion today and we took some important decisions,” concluded WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari “This is the way to grow. I firmly believe softball is going in the right direction.”
From left: CONI President Giovanni Malagò, betweenWBSC President Riccardo Fraccari (left) and WBSC Softball Division Chairman Tommy Velazquez (right), welcomed the WBSC Softball Division Executive Board.
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Type & Ale
We've found ourselves in Köln, it's cold, wet and dark and we're trying to find shelter. Above all the buildings are these aggressive signs looming down at us like some elaborate dungeon, contrasted with a warm welcoming glow from the inside with a faint murmur of chatter. This is German drinking territory, and I'm kind of in love!
One of those most obvious 'signs' that we are in Germany is the signage, and it's all made up by a style of typography known as 'Blackletter'.
Blackletter is a style of font with a history of influences. Its primary use started around the end of the 12th century and goes up to the 20th century, with the most observed implementation in the Guttenburg Bible (one of the first printed books in 1454).
Nowadays, it speaks of an historic yesteryear; but over in certain parts of Germany, it's alive and kicking, and an everyday tool to sell the amber nectar to locals and tourists alike.
It's fascinating to think that to change the signage to something more modern would sit wrong in anyone's belly, and destroy the emotionally charged ambience that a simple typestyle can create. We love a bit of Blackletter, and it's a just a shame there aren't many corporate uses for it!
While we're on the subject, local beers are usually served in a 0.2 litre glass with an often automatic top-up from the barman that marks the beermat with a pencil stroke for a later tally. (Plus most beermats are a piece of typographic art - if you need a business research reason to visit that is).
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HomeScienceNews
Audi gets California’s first autonomous driving permit
byHenry Conrad
September 19, 2014 - Updated on September 18, 2014
inNews, Technology
Audi announced that it will be the first auto manufacturer to receive an autonomous driving permit from the state of California.
Image via Audi.
Driverless cars are big right now – so big that the University of Michigan is building a fake city just to test them out. But what’s even more interesting is California’s law about driverless cars – the state of California just passed a law on September 16 which enables driverless cars to hit the road – under some conditions. These rules don’t cover consumer operation of self-driving cars but instead outline an extensive list of criteria that must be met by manufacturers before a computer controlled test car can be let loose on the general public. It’s pretty common sense, really: manufacturers have to prove that cars have successfully been tested in a controlled environment, and a trained “test driver” has to be ready to take control during the trial run.
“Audi is a driving force behind the research taking automated driving from science fiction to pre-production readiness,” said Scott Keogh, President, Audi of America. “Obtaining the first permit issued by the State of California shows that we intend to remain the leader in this vital technology frontier.”
Audi didn’t just come up with this technology – during the past decade, they’ve tested autonomous vehicles over tens of thousands of miles in Europe and the US. I’m pretty sure other car manufacturers will soon follow suite, and it may not be long before we actually start seeing driverless cars hit the road.
Source: Audi.
Tags: audiCaliforniaself driving cars
Henry Conrad
Henry Conrad is an avid technology and science enthusiast living in Albuquerque, New Mexico with his four dogs. Aside from being a science geek and playing online games, he also writes poems and inspirational articles and short stories just to dabble on his creative side.
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Judge to be 1st elected Kent Co. official in same-sex marriage
by: Christa Ferguson
Posted: Mar 1, 2016 / 06:31 PM EST / Updated: Mar 1, 2016 / 06:31 PM EST
EAST GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) – For 26 years, District Court Judge Sara Smolenski has represented rural Kent County.
For 27 years, she has been in a committed relationship with her partner, Linda.
Now, thanks to a June U.S. Supreme Court decision, Smolenski will be getting married this weekend.
“Performing marriages is really one of the fun things about this job – I never was able to legally be married and now I can and I’m taking advantage of that civil right,” said Smolenski, who will exchange vows at the age of 58.
Smolenski said she has never made a secret of her sexuality.
“I really don’t think it has anything to do with my job, other than a part of who I am, like being Polish, or blond, or being an athlete from Michigan,” Smolenski said.
Smolenski said she and her partner will be married in a civil ceremony at an undisclosed location that will include about 200 friends and family members.
Smolenski’s father and brother both served as judges.
Stephanie White, executive director of Detroit-based Equity Michigan, said it is important and newsworthy when high-profile people like an elected judge exercise rights that people outside the lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender-queer community take for granted.
White said there are other judges and elected officials elsewhere she is aware of who are in same-sex marriages, but she does not know of anyone tracking such relationships.
White said the most important progress will come when same-sex marriage stops being newsworthy.
Smolenski said she and her partner decided against traveling out of the state years ago to get married.
“We chose to wait for Michigan because we live here. We hoped could wait for our churches, but that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen – neither of our churches would allow our marriage,” Smolenski said fighting back tears. “This is emotional, but we are very happy and the support that we feel from our family and our friends is overwhelming; it’s wonderful.”
Smolenski remains in office until 2020 when she can run again for the countywide judgeship.
Smolenski said as a judge, she knows she represents communities with diverse LGBTQ policies, from her hometown of East Grand Rapids, which protects gay and transgender people from discrimination, to Byron Township, which does not.
“I don’t take away that they have the right to their opinion. I don’t agree with that opinion if they’d vote against you because of that, because you’re married to a woman, but honestly I don’t think it will. But I guess we’ll see, won’t we?” Smolenski said with a smile. “Good thing I have 26 years in.”
by Kyle Mitchell / Jan 21, 2020
NEWBERG TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — A southwest Michigan park is only the second in the state to be officially certified as a dark sky park.
The Dr. T.K. Lawless Park in Cass County was notified last week that it had received the designation from the International Dark-Sky Association.
by Whitney Burney / Jan 21, 2020
CASCADE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — The Gerald R. Ford International Airport is celebrating a record-breaking year after serving more than 3.5 million passengers in 2019.
This marks the seventh consecutive year that the airport has seen growth in ridership. In 2018, the airport reported serving 3 million passengers.
Grand Rapids / 10 mins ago
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Storybook ending for bear cub found wandering the streets of major city
The Romania bear sanctuary is now home to one of its youngest residents – after our local partner was called out to a terrified bear cub, found roaming all alone, in the middle of a major Romanian city.
Bears like Paddington belong in the wild.
The little bear has quite a story to tell, which is why he is now named Paddington, after the famous fictional bear.
Fourteen month old Paddington was a world away from the wild, and from his mother, when he was found in the busy streets of Sibiu, a city in Transylvania, central Romania.
Authorities were called when concerned members of the public reported seeing a bear cub in the highly populated streets of Sibiu –endangering himself, and anyone who tried to approach him.
At such a young age, the bear cub should have been in the wild in the protective care of his mother, but instead he was found scared and alone, cowering in a basement.
Our local partner, Asociatia Milioane de Prieteni (AMP), were called to the scene to help to gently capture the anxious cub, and take him to safety.
The team noticed that Paddington was in relatively good health, with glossy fur, and at ease with people: indicating he was likely poached from the wild, and being kept as a pet. Chances are he either escaped, or had been abandoned because he got too big.
Despite his ordeal in the big city, after he was given a full veterinary check-up, neutered, vaccinated and micro-chipped, Paddington was happily released into the sanctuary.
Today he is getting used to big open spaces, instead of busy city streets, and enjoying playing with the other bears.
Bears like Paddington belong in the wild. Yet every year bears and other wild animals, are torn from their mums and taken from the wild, to be kept as pets and used for entertainment.
Thanks to supporters like you we are helping to end this cruelty, and are moving people to protect bears.
We are using your donations to help over 270,000 animals in Nepal
After two major earthquakes devastated Nepal in April and May this year, we have been on the ground working with local authorities to protect animals and their...
Disrupting the illegal wildlife trade with Freeland
Our Investigations team have established a new and exciting partnership with Freeland to address the illegal wildlife trade in South East Asia.
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How Many Types Of Beaked Whales Live In The World Today?
There are 22 extant species of beaked whales.
Although the Cuvier’s beaked whale is known for its deep diving capabilities, it is one of the most commonly seen beaked whales.
Beaked whales belong to the family Ziphiidae that consists of toothed whales. A distinguishing feature of these whales is that they have “beaks” that resemble that of the dolphins. The beaked whales are among the least known mammals due to their strange habits and deep-sea habitat. Beaked whales seldom thrive in captivity. Most of them cannot survive for a single day if taken out of the ocean. Hence, the beaked whales are indeed unique species of whales.
Species of Beaked Whales
There are 22 species of beaked whales in the world including Northern bottlenose whale, Gray’s beaked whale, Spade-toothed whale, and Cuvier’s beaked whale.
Cuvier’s Beaked Whale
The Cuvier’s beaked whale, also known as the goose-beaked whale, is one of the most common whales in the world. They are frequently seen and famous for being among the best divers in the world. Cuvier’s beaked whales can dive for one hour at an approximate depth of 1,000 meters. In fact, the whales have set a record for the greatest dive-depth ever for mammals which is 137.5 minutes at 2,992 meters deep. The Cuvier’s beaked whales’ beak is shorter than that of the other whales in the family Ziphiidae.
Northern Bottlenose Whale
The Northern bottlenose whale can either be grey or brown. It has a prominent beak coupled with a large bulbous forehead. This whale is a deep diver that reaches depths of 1,473 meters. The Northern bottlenose whales are known for their curiosity about vessels. As such, it is common to see the whales approaching ships. Consequently, they were easy prey for the heavy hunting of whales by Britain and Norway that went on between the 19th and 20th centuries.
Spade-toothed Whale
The spade-toothed whale is a mysterious whale because very little is known about it. It is the rarest beaked whale although it is believed that it is larger than the ginkgo-toothed beaked whale in size. Its name is derived from the fact that its protruding teeth resemble the shape of a flensing spade. There are many unknown facts about the spade-toothed whale. For example, its population status is unknown, its behavior is strange, and it has never been seen alive.
Gray’s Beaked Whale
Gray’s beaked whale is also known as the southern beaked whale, Haast’s beaked whale, or the Scamperdown whale. It is commonly found in New Zealand where it often exists in groups. However, the whale can also be found in South America, Australia, Falkland Island, and South Africa. It lives at depths of about 2,000 meters. The Gray’s beaked whale is famous for its very long beak. It is also more frequently seen than other species of beaked whales.
Challenges Faced by Beaked Whales
One of the challenges faced by the whales was the heavy hunting pressures in the 19 to 20th centuries. The other problem is that not much is known about these whales. Most of them live deep in the ocean and are very elusive mammals. Consequently, little is known about their behavior, their population status, and features. However, with time, some of the rare species like the True’s beaked whale are being captured on video.
1 Arnoux's beaked whale Berardius arnuxii
2 Baird's beaked whale Berardius bairdii
3 Northern bottlenose whale Hyperoodon ampullatus
4 Southern bottlenose whale Hyperoodon planifrons
5 Longman's beaked whale Indopacetus pacificus
6 Sowerby's beaked whale Mesoplodon bidens
7 Andrews' beaked whale Mesoplodon bowdoini
8 Hubbs' beaked whale Mesoplodon carlhubbsi
9 Blainville's beaked whale Mesoplodon densirostris
10 Gervais' beaked whale Mesoplodon europaeus
11 Ginkgo-toothed beaked whale Mesoplodon ginkgodens
12 Gray's beaked whale Mesoplodon grayi
13 Hector's beaked whale Mesoplodon hectori
14 Strap-toothed whale Mesoplodon layardii
15 True's beaked whale
Mesoplodon mirus
16 Pygmy beaked whale Mesoplodon peruvianus
17 Perrin's beaked whale Mesoplodon perrini
18 Stejneger's beaked whale
Mesoplodon stejnegeri
19 Spade-toothed whale Mesoplodon traversii
20 Deraniyagala's beaked whale Mesoplodon hotaula
21 Shepherd's beaked whale Tasmacetus shepherdi
22 Cuvier's beaked whale Ziphius cavirostris
This page was last updated on June 5, 2018.
By Ms Aggie
How Many Types Of Leopards Live In The World Today?
How Many Types Of Pythons Live In The World Today?
How Many Types Of Camels Live In The World Today?
How Many Types Of Bears Are There Living In The World Today?
How Many Types Of Crocodiles Live In The World Today?
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Heavy Metal Pollution Detected in Teluk Bahang River After Illegal Granite Mining Continues
Source: The Star & The Star
Granite is known to contain radioactive elements, like radon gas, which may occasionally be emitted when granite is mined from the earth. Radon can cause cancer and other health concerns after years of exposure, according to MSI Surfaces.
A quarry in Teluk Bahang, Penang, has been illegally mining tens of thousands of tonnes of granite without approval from the relevant authorities. This has caused a sharp increase in heavy metals at a nearby river which is only about 2km from the sea, reported The Star.
Phee Boon Poh, State Environment Committee chairman said that investigations on the quarry are being carried out after it ignored orders from the city council to stop work there. However, he declined to reveal the extent of how contaminated the river is now.
Source: The Star
“We are still investigating the source of the heavy metals. After our papers are complete, we will take the quarry owner to court,” he said.
He also added that besides checking for the heavy metals, investigations also measured how badly the air in Teluk Bahang was polluted due to the emission of radon gas from the quarry.
“The daily plumes of granite and laterite dust from the quarrying could pose a major threat to air quality to the Teluk Bahang folk,” Phee said.
Source: NST
The active quarry was actually supposed to be closed down in 2002, but is now operating without a licence.
News about this shocked residents living near the quarry.
A villager said the quarry used to be active decades ago but had stopped operation many years back. However, he said that a few months ago, sounds of heavy machinery operating could be heard in the quarry even late into the night.
“We still hear the rumbling at night. We don’t know what they are doing, but I suspect work is still being done,” he said.
He said that very early in the morning, he would often hear lorries and heavy vehicles going in and out of the site, adding that the dust in the air bothered him and his neighbours.
Another villager said that during heavy rain, the water in the river would turn red, and when it’s not raining, everything would be covered in dust.
The mining at the quarry also poses a health threat to children who go to SJK (C) Eok Hua around the area as lorries and other vehicles often speed in front of the school early in the morning, which puts the children in potential danger.
Meanwhile, investigations will continue and action will be taken against those responsible for work in the quarry. Penang Island City Council (MBPP) mayor Datuk Yew Tung Seang said that work has been going on and off in the quarry and is considering legal action.
“The police requested for some time to carry out their investigations, so that joint action can be carried out by both parties,” he said.
“We have been working with the police from last month to ensure more effective action can be taken. We are giving the police another week or two to carry out their own investigations before we move forward.”
Also read: Watch: Man Drives Into Pink Tornado in Johor Believed to Be Caused by Chemical Pollution
Related Topics:air pollutiondangergranitehealthheavy metalillegalinvestigationlorryminingpenangpolicepollutionquarryradioactiveradon gasriverseateluk bahangunlicensed
“The World is Dying” – It’s Only January 2020 But 7 Natural Disasters Already Recently Happened
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The global struggle of teachers
On almost every continent, teachers have come to the forefront of the struggle against government austerity and levels of social inequality not seen since the 1920s. Teachers have played a key role in the resurgence of the class struggle that broke out across the world in 2018 and has accelerated in the opening months of this year.
Three thousand teachers are currently on strike in Oakland, California in the latest in a series of teacher walkouts in the United States, involving 71,000 educators during the first eight weeks of 2019. The strike follows last month’s walkout in Los Angeles, the nation’s second largest school district, a strike in Denver, Colorado, and a two-day statewide walkout in West Virginia, where the strike a year ago sparked the largest rebellion of teachers across the US in decades.
Teachers and school workers accounted for 380,000 of the nearly half-million workers involved in work stoppages in the US last year, the largest number since 1986. There have been increasing calls for strikes in many states, including Oklahoma and Arizona, where statewide strikes took place last year.
In São Paulo, Brazil, the largest city in the Americas, teachers have gone on strike for the second time this year against pension cuts. In Mexico, teachers in Michoacán and Oaxaca struck and set up blockades earlier this month to fight layoffs and government-backed “school reform.”
Earlier this month, teachers and child care workers struck in Berlin, Germany; educators in Portugal joined a general strike; teachers in France joined the Yellow Vest protests against the “President of the rich,” Emanuel Macron; and more than 100,000 teachers from primary school to higher education are set to carry out the first national strike on March 15 in the Netherlands.
Teachers have also struck in Morocco and Zimbabwe amid growing opposition against the reduced education budgets and school privatization throughout Africa, and tens of thousands of teachers in Tamil Nadu, in southern India, struck last month for improved pay and conditions.
This movement is being driven by record levels of social inequality throughout the world. The social counterrevolution, which was initiated by UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and US President Ronald Reagan four decades ago, was accelerated after the global financial crash of 2008. Capitalist governments, led by the Obama administration in the US, spent trillions to buy up the toxic assets of the banks and provide unlimited credit to re-inflate the stock markets and the private fortunes of the financial criminals. To pay for this, political parties of every stripe made “austerity” the watchword.
Two recent reports highlight the historic transfer of wealth from the bottom to the top in the US since 2008.
A new research paper by Gabriel Zucman, an economics professor at the University of California, Berkeley, found that the share of total household wealth controlled by the top 0.1 percent richest adults was at the highest level since 1929, when this tiny elite hoarded 25 percent of the wealth. “US wealth concentration seems to have returned to levels last seen during the Roaring Twenties,” wrote Zucman, who noted that it could be even higher because of the ability of the super-rich to hide their wealth in off-shore accounts.
A report by the US Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis found that employee pay and benefits as a percentage of gross domestic income fell to 52.7 percent in last year’s third quarter, the fourth straight quarterly decline. Labor’s share of domestic income has steadily declined since 1970, when it was 59 percent. It continues to be the lowest since the end of World War II. At the same time, the share of domestic income going to corporate profits has climbed from less than 12 percent in the 1980s to more than 20 percent today.
The global economic crisis was also used by the financial elite to loot public assets and get its hands on the world “education market,” which will be worth an estimated $10 trillion by 2030. A recent book pointed to the role of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, USAID, and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) in funding school privatization schemes around the world.
In the US, the Obama administration, which found endless resources to bail out Wall Street, starved the public schools of resources and used the manufactured crisis to expand for-profit charter schools. By 2016, the latest date available, 25 of the 50 US states were still spending less per pupil than they did before the Great Recession, leaving a $19 billion shortfall. The number of public-school employees today is 170,000 below pre-2008 levels, even though student enrollment has risen 1.5 million, and in 38 states, the average annual salary of teachers is lower than it was in 2009.
The universal character of the attack on teachers and public education and what underlies it raises a number of fundamental issues. First is the role of the unions throughout the world, which are opposed to any struggle because they are aligned with the capitalist parties and accept the entire framework of austerity and social inequality.
In Oakland, the union rejected demands by rank-and-file teachers to include opposition to budget cuts in the strike demands, even though the district plans to pay for any pay increases by slashing millions of dollars from educational services and closing schools. The Oakland Education Association is colluding with the state Democratic Party to reach a rotten deal that is entirely acceptable to the corporate and financial elite, and like previous strikes across the country, betrays the fight to defend the right to public education.
This is true of the unions throughout the world. In the face of the global attack on public education, jobs and living standards, the nationalist and pro-capitalist unions have collaborated with their respective governments and capitalist owners to lower labor costs and corporate taxes in order to make their “own” countries more competitive.
That is why the building of new organizations of struggle, controlled by workers themselves and independent of the unions, is a burning question. Teachers must form rank-and-file committees, which base themselves on what teachers and students need, not what the powers-that-be say is affordable.
Teachers have won popular support because they are fighting for fundamental rights and because all workers are facing the same conditions—declining incomes and skyrocketing living costs, precarious employment and endless attacks on social rights, including health care and pensions—which were won over generations of struggle.
The developing movement among teachers is an initial expression of a rebellion that will inevitably extend into broader layers of the working class, particularly industrial workers in key sectors such as auto, steel and other areas of manufacturing. It is a movement that will be compelled to address not only the immediate questions of wages and working conditions, but the great issues that face workers in every country—social inequality, the shredding of democratic rights, the growth of authoritarian forms of rule and the mounting danger of catastrophic war.
Strikes alone cannot resolve what workers confront. The logic of the international resurgence of the class struggle is the necessity for the working class to fight to take political power in its own hands and reorganize the world economy on the basis of social need, not private profit.
Only by expropriating the financial aristocracy and carrying out the socialist reorganization of economic life can the vast wealth produced by the working class be used to raise the material and cultural level of the masses, guarantee a free and quality public education to all, and rid mankind of poverty, exploitation and war.
The premium is therefore on the building of a new, socialist and internationalist leadership that can make the working class conscious of this necessity. That is the fight being undertaken by the ICFI and its sections.
Jerry White
The Defense of Public Education
An Open Letter to fellow Educators: Take a stand with Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning
Rank-and-file teachers in San Diego County initiate fight against layoffs and school cuts
Widespread opposition among South Australian teachers to union-government sell-out agreement
Education in the US
Boston area professor fired after anti-Trump Facebook posting
Florida teachers to rally January 13 against attacks on public education
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Many Battles Behind ICANN's Scene
Author: WIRED StaffWIRED Staff
MARINA DEL REY, California – As the Internet's naming authority prepares to announce the domain name suffixes of the future, constituencies representing varied interests are scrambling to impose their respective visions for how intellectual property and free speech should be balanced in the process.
This week at its board meeting here, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers will choose which top level domains – like .biz, .geo and .web – will be added to the Net.
The stakes are high for commercial and non-commercial interests because approved domain suffixes will come attached with policies for protecting intellectual property rights and resolving domain name disputes. Depending on how they are written, these policies could affect free speech on the Net or lead to a proliferation of cybersquatting.
Resolutions passed Monday afternoon by ICANN's Non-Commercial Domain Name Holders Constituency are at odds with recommendations made to the board by the Intellectual Property Constituency and the Business and Commercial Constituencies.
The IPC, for example, favors a so-called "sunrise" provision in which trademark owners are allowed to pre-register their marks when new top level domains are created. The Non-Commercial Constituency (NCC) does not.
"Because language is the common property of mankind, the right of people to make legitimate uses of letters or words – especially non-commercial uses – should receive protection in every respect equal to that of (trademark holders)" the NCC wrote in a resolution to the ICANN Board. "The non-commercial constituency opposes so-called 'sunrise' arrangements."
But members of the Intellectual Property Constituency counter that their proposed "sunrise" period is meant to avoid reliving more cybersquatting litigation. "We want to have new TLDs, we just don't want to wind up in court for years," said J. Scott Evans, an official of the International Trademark Association.
Another point of contention is the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Process (UDRP), an ICANN-established mandatory domain name arbitration procedure. The IPC and the Business Constituency recommend the adoption of the UDRP for new top-level domains.
While the World Intellectual Property Organization called for expanding the UDRP, the NCC blasted the UDRP as being biased for trademark holders.
"There have been several decisions by current UDRP panels that a service mark, in any country, automatically gives the owner of the service mark exclusive rights to dot-com, dot-net and dot-org," the NCC said. "This way of thinking should not be extended remedied to the expanded TLD name space."
Both the Intellectual Property and the Non-Commercial Constituencies called for a review of the UDRP at meetings on Monday. The IPC budgeted $10,000 for a study while the NCC called for an NCC-chaired committee to look into the effects of the arbitration procedure.
Other points of disagreement include privacy issues related to the whois database. The database contains the contact info – name, address, e-mail and telephone number – for domain name registrants. Privacy advocates say this reveals too much information and endangers human rights activists, for example, by requiring them to lose their anonymity.
"There is no equivalent to unlisted phone numbers," said Miami University law professor Michael Froomkin. "This would be easy to fix if ICANN wished."
Meanwhile, the Intellectual Property Constituency says that ICANN already has a mechanism in place whereby registrants can do just that. They also say that accurate and available whois data is important for finding cybersquatters.
Business interests add that an open whois is necessary for basic operation of the Internet. "Our engineers and system administrators need to find each other," said Marilyn Cade, policy officer for AT&T.
The differences between the constituencies do not end with their positions on intellectual property and privacy. At the ICANN meetings, it is obvious that the Intellectual Property and Commercial Constituencies are far more organized than the Non-Commercial Constituency.
The IPC and the Commercial interests, for example, issued joint statements on new TLDs prior to this week. The IPC also put out an evaluation of different approaches to protecting intellectual property.
While the IPC found consensus quickly in its meetings, the Non-Commercial Constituency struggled with procedural issues for agreeing on last-minute resolutions. Members of the NCC said that this was due to the nature of the two constituencies.
"They're all on retainer," said Ethan Katsch, an online dispute resolution expert, referring to the IPC. "They're being paid by their clients to be here."
Consumer advocate Manon Ross agreed, adding that the NCC is composed of divergent interests like individual Web publishers, ICANN critics and a slew of other self-selected individuals.
"They have the business, ISP, registry, registrar, and intellectual property constituencies," Ross said. "How many do we have? One."
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Feds Say China's Net Censorship Imposes 'Barriers' to Free Trade
Author: David KravetsDavid Kravets
U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk
The Obama administration publicly admonished China Wednesday for its vast online censorship policies, for the first time officially complaining that blocking U.S.-based internet sites creates "barriers" to free trade.
The administration, citing World Trade Organization rules, is demanding that China explain its censorship policies. U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk's office made the demands after a three-year lobbying campaign by the First Amendment Coalition.
"This development is important because it signals the U.S. government's implicit acceptance of FAC's position that censorship of the internet can breach the international trade rules enforced by the WTO," said Peter Scheer, the group's executive director.
U.S.-based websites blocked in whole or in part by the so-called "Great Firewall of China" include YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo and even the Huffington Post.
In response, China on Thursday blasted the administration.
"We oppose using internet freedom as an excuse to interfere in other countries' internal affairs," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said.
The Obama administration's move is the first step of a long WTO process that theoretically could end up with trade restrictions imposed on Chinese exports.
"The United States is seeking detailed information on the trade impact of Chinese policies that may block U.S. companies’ websites in China, creating commercial barriers that especially hurt America’s small business," Kirk's office announced.
It's doubtful the United States would push to limit Chinese-made goods in the United States. After all, that's where most everything American is made.
Instead, it's much more likely that the United States' actions of wanting China to cough up the criteria it uses to require censorship is largely a symbolic move to highlight the evils of censorship and to try to advance the business interests of the U.S.'s leading tech firms in the world's fastest-growing internet market.
#censorship
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Quiz: Can You Identify These Celebrities If We Make Them Look Old?: Zoo
Can You Identify These Celebrities If We Make Them Look Old?
Gavin Thagard
Image: Wiki Commons by Dick Thomas Johnson / Eva Rinaldi / Gage Skidmore
The life of a celebrity is typically filled with finding ways to remain in the public eye, staying tuned in with fans and maintaining a fresh appearance. Sadly, when that starts to fade, often their celebrity status does too. Unless they're a legend like Clint Eastwood, of course, who remains relevant at almost 90.
Now, thanks to a host of face apps, these celebrities can instantly be seen in a different light. No longer do you have to wait for their star to fade as they become a distant memory. With modern tools, even the youngest celebrities can be condemned to a life of wrinkles and sunspots. Right now, you can see what they might look like when the time comes for them to accept their lifetime achievement award.
Are you prepared to identify these celebrities after they're aged past their ripe years? Do you know which of them will age like fine wine and which of them will struggle to maintain their looks as the twilight of their life comes crashing down upon them? Here's a quiz where you can find out for yourself.
When you're ready to see these celebrities with 20 to 40 years on them, get started and see if your fandom goes beyond that smooth skin.
One of the top action stars, which actor is this?
Before he took over Hollywood, Dwayne Johnson was a popular wrestler in the WWE. His character, known as "The Rock," was a confident, brash speaker who always talked in the third person. His movie career took off after his character in "The Mummy" got his own flick, "The Scorpion King."
Wiki Commons by Glenn Francis
Few pop stars have been as popular as the one shown here. Can you name her?
Taylor Swift began her career in the genre of country music after moving to Nashville, Tennessee at a young age. However, she eventually developed beyond the genre to become one of the most recognized artists in the world.
Wiki Commons by Siebbi
Can you identify this celebrity who has been one of the biggest movie stars since the '90s?
Leonardo DiCaprio was just getting started as an actor when he was nominated for an Academy Award when he played Arnie Grape in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape." It was his first of several nominations, though he wouldn't actually win the award until "The Revenant" came out in 2016.
Do you know this television host who has had her own show since 2003?
Though she is best known as the host of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," Ellen DeGeneres has also had success in the acting world, including voice acting. One of her most famous roles was voicing Dory in "Finding Nemo."
You might recognize which celebrity shown here for their incredible voice?
Katy Perry released her debut album in 2001 under her birth name, titled "Katy Hudson." However, it wasn't until her second album "One of the Boys" that she started to receive national recognition.
Wiki Commons by Angela George
She'll be there for you. Can you name this "Friends" star?
Even if Jennifer Aniston is always remembered for her role as Rachel Green on "Friends," she has gone on to have success beyond the sitcom. Since leaving the show, she's starred in comedies like "The Break-Up," "Just Go with It" and "Horrible Bosses."
Wiki Commons by Claudio Mariotto
A top-selling music artist with a host of Grammy Awards, what's this celebrity's name?
Rihanna Fenty
Before becoming a solo artist, Beyonce Knowles was the lead singer of the group Destiny's Child, which started in Houston. Other members of the group included Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. The three singers have reunited several times, including at Super Bowl XLVII in 2013.
Are you familiar with this all-world basketball star?
From 2011 until 2018, LeBron James went to eight straight NBA Finals, a number that's unheard of in the modern NBA. He walked away with two titles playing for the Miami Heat and one title with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Wiki Commons by SMP Entertainment
You probably recognize which musician shown here for her incredible performance in Super Bowl LI?
Lady Gaga has proven her versatility as an artist by stepping out of the music world and into film. In 2018, she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress after portraying Ally Maine in "A Star is Born."
This actor has been the star of "The Fast and the Furious" franchise since it started. Who is he?
Vin Diesel was born in 1967 along with his twin Paul. His real name is not Vin Diesel, however, but is actually Mark Sinclair Vincent. He changed his name when he got into acting.
Wiki Commons by Brad Muckenthaler
Are you able to identify this quarterback who has dominated the NFL for nearly two decades?
Widely regarded as the greatest quarterback of all time, Tom Brady is a six-time Super Bowl champion, four-time Super Bowl MVP and three-time NFL MVP. Even at the age of 42, Brady continues to play at a high level.
Wiki Commons by Sharon L. Chapman
How well do you know this musician who performs across a variety of genres?
Bruno Mars' incredible music style has earned him a host of awards, including several Grammy Awards. His first Grammy came in 2011 when he released "Just The Way You Are," a song that earned him the award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
A well-known actor who recently played Batman, who is this?
Ben Affleck acted from an early age, but it was his role in writing the script for "Good Will Hunting" that really launched him into the limelight. The script won both the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Wiki Commons by Jorge Barrios
Can you name this rapper who has become a global figure?
Jay-Z caused a lot of controversy when he entered a partnership with the NFL in 2019 to help with social justice efforts. Critics say he's only in it for the money, and that there should be no partnership without Colin Kaepernick, the NFL player who started the movement after kneeling during the national anthem.
Wiki Commons by Mingle Media TV
Can you identify this comedian who was part of "Saturday Night Live"?
It was in Chicago while performing with The Second City, an improv comedy group, that Tina Fey came into the spotlight as a high-level comedian. However, she wasn't just a great performer but was a talented writer as well. She went on to create both "30 Rock" and "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt."
Wiki Commons by Fuzheado
Recognized for her roles in "Atomic Blonde" and "Long Shot," do you know this actress?
Even though she continued to take other roles, Charlize Theron started her own film production company called Denver and Delilah Productions. The company has made movies like "Monster," "East of Havana" and "Atomic Blonde."
Wiki Commons by Анна Нэсси
Do you recognize this world-famous soccer star?
Cristiano Ronaldo is recognized beyond the soccer field for his influence as an athlete. In fact, he is currently the most followed person on Instagram, with a following that exceeds 180 million. He currently captains the Portuguese national team while playing for the Juventus club.
Wiki Commons by Dick Thomas Johnson
This celebrity is known for his comedic flair. Who is he?
Chris Pratt found early success as an actor on television, where he was a major star on the show "Parks and Recreation." When he was given a lead role in "Guardians of the Galaxy" in 2014, it launched him to the top of Hollywood.
Wiki Commons by NASA / Bill Ingalls
Is this movie star a celebrity you know?
After establishing himself as one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, Matt Damon moved into producing movies as well. He produced the widely acclaimed movie "Manchester by the Sea" in 2016, which earned him an Academy Award nomination.
Few celebrities are as established as which one depicted in this image?
Will Smith broke onto the celebrity scene in the '80s as a rapper using the name The Fresh Prince. The recognition he received was enough to earn him a television show of his own in 1990 titled "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." Most of the world got to know him thanks to movies like "Men in Black."
Wiki Commons by Figure
This fighter has become almost as popular as his sport. Who is he?
Conor McGregor stepped away from the octagon in 2017 to take a boxing match against the undefeated Floyd Mayweather. McGregor did better than most predicted, but he was stopped in the 10th round by TKO.
Wiki Commons by The Come Up Show
Does your music interest extend to this musician?
Drake Graham
Born in Canada, Drake Graham is a well-known fan of the Toronto Raptors. He is on the sidelines for most games and was there throughout the entire 2019 NBA Finals when his team defeated the Golden State Warriors to win their first title.
PINK via YouTube
What's the name of this singer who is known for her raspy voice?
Pink found success almost immediately after releasing her debut solo album "Can't Take Me Home" in 2000. The album saw two songs make it into the top ten of the "Billboard" Hot 100 songs: "There You Go" and "Most Girls."
Have you been watching this actress since her time on "Harry Potter"?
Even though Emma Watson started acting as a child, she never let it get in the way of her education. In 2014, she graduated from Brown University with a bachelor's degree in English literature.
This "That '70s Show" and "Bad Moms" actress was born in Ukraine. What's her name?
Mila Kunis was only 14 years old when she was cast as Jackie Burkhart on the sitcom "That '70s Show." Not long after that, she started voicing Meg Griffin on "Family Guy." These are two of her most recognized roles as an actress.
Wiki Commons by Ashley Graham
Have you been keeping up with this media personality?
After her rise to stardom on the reality television show "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," Kim Kardashian turned to social media to increase her fame. She quickly became one of the most followed stars on Twitter and Instagram, which turned into a way for her to push products she supported.
This Oscar-winning celebrity is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and "Star Wars" series. What's her name?
Natalie Portman has done several big-budget projects in both "Star Wars" and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, she's also stepped back and taken on smaller films like "Black Swan," where she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. It was recently announced that she'll pick up Mjolnir as the first female Thor.
Are you familiar with this actress who starred on "Game of Thrones"? She recently married Joe Jonas.
Sophie Turner might have started on "Game of Thrones," but she has quickly become one of the hottest young stars in Hollywood. She's recently been cast as Jean Grey, the title character in the 2019 movie "X-Men: Dark Phoenix."
Wiki Commons by Cyrus Saatsaz
Who is this NBA star known for his revolutionary three-point shot?
Steph Curry is one of the most popular stars in the NBA, partly because fans can identify with him because he isn't seven feet tall or 200 pounds. That, of course, doesn't mean he is not capable of lighting it up on the court and has the ability to put up 50 points with ease.
An award-winning actress, how well do you know this celebrity?
Scarlett Johansson is one of the many stars who has taken on a superhero role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In several films, she played the character Black Widow, a top agent for S.H.I.E.L.D., a counter-terrorism agency. She's done plenty of more cerebral work away from the MCU, though.
How well do you know this retired baseball star?
Alex Rodriguez was one of baseball's greatest power hitters throughout the 2000s, finishing his career with 696 home runs. After leaving MLB, he became a broadcaster for ESPN on "Sunday Night Baseball."
Wiki Commons by drlovell
Is this famous actress familiar to you?
Margot Robbie reached stardom in 2013 when she played opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in "The Wolf of Wall Street." The role set her up for future films like "Suicide Squad" and "Once Upon a Time In Hollywood."
Can you name this actor who is also a comedian and musician?
Donald Glover wrote his own comedy-drama titled "Atlanta," which was picked up by FX in 2015. Glover stars in the series as a rapper trying to make it in Atlanta, one of the toughest markets for rap music.
Wiki Commons by Kenya Baldeon
A star who both sings and acts, which celebrity is this?
The son of a famous country music singer, Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley Cyrus rose to fame herself on the Disney Channel, where she starred in "Hannah Montana." Her father also played in the show, which ran for four seasons.
Wiki Commons by CleftClips
Do you know the name of this stand-up comedian? You may have seen her in Netflix's "Always Be My Maybe."
One of the most popular comedians around, Ali Wong has received two Netflix comedy specials: "Ali Wong: Baby Cobra" and "Ali Wong: Hard Knock Wife." The first of those specials she filmed while she was seven months pregnant.
Wiki Commons by Neil Grabowsky / Montclair Film
Is this talk show host familiar to you?
Stephen Colbert was given his own show on Comedy Central after leaving "The Daily Show," where he served as a correspondent. His own show was titled "The Colbert Report," and he played a conservative commentator giving his political opinion with a comical tone.
PowerfulJRE via YouTube
What's the name of this popular podcaster and comedian?
Joe Rogan was the original host for "Fear Factor," a game show where contestants had to face their fears to earn money. Rogan claims that the show gave him the income necessary to start working on his own projects like his podcast.
One of the main cast members on "Supernatural," which television star is this?
Jensen Ackles has played Dean Winchester on "Supernatural" since the show aired in 2005. In 2019, Ackles announced that the show, which has a huge cult following, will finally be coming to an end after 15 seasons.
Wiki Commons by Jamie Smed
Do you know the name of this soccer star who plays for the U.S. national team?
Missy Franklin
When Alex Morgan is not starring for the United States national team, she is playing forward on the Orlando Pride, who play in the National Women's Soccer League. She only plays sparingly with the Pride and has had up-and-down success since joining the team in 2016.
Does your fandom extend to this comedian?
After obtaining success as a comedian, Bill Burr started putting together his own projects with the name recognition he acquired. Currently, he has an animated sitcom on Netflix titled "F is for Family" and hosts a podcast called "Monday Morning Podcast."
Can You Identify These Celebrities If We Make Them Look Like Babies?
Can You Identify These Celebrities If We Make Them Bald?
Can You Identify These Celebrities If We Give Them Fake Mustaches?
Is This Celebrity Still Alive?
Can You Identify These Celebrities If We Give Them a Unibrow?
Can You Name These Female ’60s Bands and Artists From an Image?
Can You Identify the Movie From Its Stan Lee Cameo?
Can You Name All of These Harrison Ford Movies From an Image?
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Can You Identify These Film Directors From an Image?
About Zoo
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