pred_label
stringclasses 2
values | pred_label_prob
float64 0.5
1
| wiki_prob
float64 0.25
1
| text
stringlengths 145
1.01M
| source
stringlengths 40
45
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
__label__wiki
| 0.585585
| 0.585585
|
A Grain of Wheat by Ngugi wa Thiong'o
Start Your 48-Hour Free Trial
Download A Grain of Wheat Study Guide
document PDF
Entire Study Guide
list Cite
A Grain of Wheat tells the story of indigenous Kenyans' resistance to British colonial control. The novel centers on a handful of individuals and their motivations for participating in the independence movement, or Mau Mau.
In a village called Thabai, the carpenter Gikonyo and his wife, Mumbi, are two individuals caught up in the struggle. Another villager Kihika is an outspoken revolutionary who constantly incites anti-British violence and sabotage. Two other men, Mugo and Karanja, take an oppositional stance: they believe that British rule is unshakeable and they aim to maximize their own benefit.
Kihika and other ardent rebels conduct their campaigns from the safety of the forest. They capture a remote police station, but the British retaliate with an indiscriminate roundup of all local youth—which includes Gikonyo. Mugo, compelled to intervene when a British policeman hits a pregnant woman, is also arrested. As the violence escalates, the rebels assassinate a British official named Robson.
In a prison camp, Mugo's experience of repression change his views, and his defiant stance earns his fellow prisoners' respect. However, the situation worsens when the warden, Thompson, fiercely crushes an uprising by having some twenty inmates killed.
Kihika returns to Thabai, where he confesses to the newly-freed Mugo that he is the wanted assassin. Fearful for his own safety, Mugo betrays him to Thompson, now the area's district officer. This results in Kihika's execution.
Gikonyo's prison term is much longer, almost seven years. In the interval, the pragmatic but unethical Karanja seduces Mumbi; she becomes pregnant with their child, which she must confess to her husband when he is finally freed. To make matters worse, Karanja's collaboration has elevated him to a British-appointed chief. A broken man, Gikonyo never fully recovers.
Overall, however, the resistance movement is successful, and England finally agrees to independence. Some people resent the execution of Kihika, and a number of Thabai rebels determine to ferret out whoever betrayed him. They believe this traitor to be Karanja. Yielding to pressure, he resigns as chief. They make it clear to Mugo that he must play a role in publicly exposing the culprit. Instead, he confesses to the act, which leads them to have him killed. Mumbi returns to Gikonyo, and they resolve to make a new life together.
(Critical Survey of Literature for Students)
When the British colonizers come to Kenya, they strengthen their hold on the territory by building a great railroad. Waiyaki and other warrior leaders took up arms against this imposition, but they were defeated. Most Kenyans gradually learn to make accommodations with the new regime, though the seeds of revolution spread underground in “the Movement,” known to the British as Mau Mau.
Among the younger generation are Gikonyo, a well-known carpenter in the village of Thabai, and Mumbi, his wife and one of the most beautiful women in the area. They listen as one of their peers, Kihika, speaks before a large crowd and encourages guerrilla warfare against the British. Mugo also listens, but, unlike Gikonyo and Mumbi, he hates what Kihika says. Mugo thinks native Kenyans have no chance of successfully opposing the British, and he decides to do his job quietly and succeed in the new order of things. Karanja, who unsuccessfully sought the hand of Mumbi, feels even more strongly that the best policy is to accept the British as invincible.
Before long, Kihika disappears into the forest with many other young men who arm themselves. A year later, their most successful raid is the capture of the Mahee police post; this infuriates the British. They declare a state of emergency and imprison many of the young men of Thabai, including Gikonyo. Even Mugo is arrested for intervening when a woman is being beaten. Despite the efforts by the British to quell the Kenyan resistance, the violence continues, and District Officer Thomas Robson is assassinated.
Mugo is taken to Rira camp, where John Thompson is...
(The entire section is 1,257 words.)
Unlock This Study Guide Now
Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this A Grain of Wheat study guide and get instant access to the following:
7 Homework Help Questions with Expert Answers
You'll also get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and 300,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts.
Start 48-Hour Free Trial to Unlock
Next:Characters
A Grain of Wheat Homework Help Questions
Please summarize the novel A Grain of Wheat by Ngugi wa Thiong'o.
Kenyan novelist Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o published his novel A Grain of Wheat in 1967 while he was studying at Leeds University in England. This novel is set in the village of Thabai in Kenya, during...
How does A Grain Of Wheat address freedom and the Kenyan struggle for Independence?
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, a native of Kenya, wrote A Grain of Wheat in 1967 as a reaction to his experiences with British occupation of Kenya and the Mau-Mau Movement. The novel's themes revolve around...
How does the character of Mumbi symbolize Africa's struggle for identity in A Grain of Wheat?
Mumbi is symbolic of Africa in A Grain of Wheat largely because she is an innocent bystander in all of the transgressions. As Kihika's sister, one would think she would hold a place of high regard...
Is Mugo a hero in A Grain of Wheat? Can we consider Mugo a hero for having the courage to...
Although for most of the novel we are lead to believe that Mugo is a hero, his actions at the end cause readers to question this idea. Throughout the majority of the novel we see the honorable,...
"History is both a context and co-text." Examine this statement with reference to A Grain of Wheat.
This novel definitely shows the truth of the statement through its setting at the time of Kenya's struggle for independence and the way that it focuses on the lives of characters before and after...
View More Questions »
Related Study Guides
The River Between
by Ngugi wa Thiong'o
Petals of Blood
I Will Marry When I Want
by Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Ngugi wa Mirii
A Meeting in the Dark
The Trial of Dedan Kimathi
by John Steinbeck
by Chinua Achebe
Shooting an Elephant
The Devil's Highway
by Luis Alberto Urrea
by Gillian Flynn
The Prospectors
by Karen Russell
Abraham Lincoln and the Self-Made Myth
by Richard Hofstadter
The Empathy Exams
by Leslie Jamison
Address at Moscow State University
by Ronald Reagan
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2283
|
__label__cc
| 0.588384
| 0.411616
|
ERA Minnesota
ERA MN Blog
Categories & Archives -- click "Details" at bottom of page
Minnesota ERA
Federal ERA
National ERA
Lobbying 101
Letters - Phoning
ERA YES Videos
Expert Testimonies
MultiMedia Campaigns
Billboard #2!
Billboard UPDATE!
ERA billboards are popping up across Minnesota!
ERA MN in coalition with MN NOW are excited to announce the second billboard in their ERA billboard campaign! This billboard, as pictured above, can be found on Highway 10 just south of Elk River.
The billboard campaign was created to raise awareness and educate about the need for an Equal Rights Amendment to be included in the Minnesota state constitution as well as to continue support for ratification into the US constitution. Locations of these billboards were chosen as they are within districts currently represented by legislative leadership that did not support the ERA this previous legislative session.
As we grow closer to November and the general election, we want to make sure all candidates running, as well as those who are not currently up for re-election, are required to take a position on the ERA. We will be tracking these responses on our website so that every supporter of the ERA knows exactly where all candidates stand!
Do you want to see an ERA billboard near you or in a district you feel needs to put pressure on its legislator? Are you a group that wants to get involved in this exciting initiative? We need your help to be able to keep this campaign going! Visit our GoFundMepage to learn more and contribute!
We urge all supporters of the ERA to contact their legislators to find out exactly where THEY stand on the ERA. If you need help finding your legislator visit our site HERE and be sure to let us know what you hear from them so we can update our site with their stance!
The ERA Billboard is now up! What do you think?
How great is this?! This is the first ERA Billboard and it's up along I-94 south of St. Cloud, there will be another going up in July on Hwy 10. We would love to put more billboards up around town but need money to do it. Each billboard costs about $3,000. Can you help? $100? $50? Even $10 would be great! If YES - please go to our Go Fund Me page. [more detailed info below]
We'll soon have a post on our FB page so you can share! But you can also post to your FB from Go Fund Me. Can we make this go viral?
From our press release May 31, 2018:
ERA MN Coalition Launches Educational Campaign on the Equal Rights Amendment
[Clearwater, MN] – Minnesota NOW and ERA Minnesota have launched a five month campaign to raise awareness about the lack of an equal rights amendment (ERA) in the Minnesota Constitution. Their first billboard went up over the weekend on Interstate 94 south of Clearwater, east of the highway 24 exit, on the border of Stearns and Wright counties.
“Current Senate and House leadership have told us they don’t hear enough from the people of their districts to pose this constitutional amendment to the people of Minnesota.” stated Kathleen Murphy, a co-founder of the ERA Minnesota Coalition. “So many people are unaware that women’s rights are not specifically guaranteed by either the Minnesota or U.S. Constitutions. With two more states recently ratifying the federal ERA, we would like to help raise awareness of the issue and why it is still needed.”
Minnesota was the 26th state to ratify the federal ERA in 1973, but that effort was cut short in 1982 because not enough states ratified the amendment by the arbitrary deadline Congress imposed on its passage. An equal rights amendment to the Minnesota Constitution has been introduced in every session since 1983. It has never been voted on by full bodies of either the Minnesota House or Senate. This educational campaign hopes to change that for next year.
The location of the first billboard was chosen to correspond with districts where there was resistance from state GOP leaders to act on the issue during the recent legislative session. A second billboard will be going up next month in a district along Highway 10, with more awareness going up in additional districts as fundraising allows. The billboards will run through the November elections.
ERA Minnesota (ERAMN) is a coalition of individuals and organizations working to secure an Equal Rights Amendment to the State and Federal Constitutions.
Committee Hearing
ERA Lobby Day
First Day Of Session
Senator Support
Session Update
Women Pay More
ERA MN
ERA Yes! Video
Our Fiscal Agent: Minnesota NOW
PattyMac*WebDesign.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2285
|
__label__wiki
| 0.58307
| 0.58307
|
Back in the Day: When Erie was a Titan
Was it sunsets or industry? Cornell looks back on Erie?s history.
by Cornell Green
View ProfileRSS Feed
Okay, granted, the sunset thing turned out to be an urban legend. Everybody swore Erie had the best sunsets in the nation. It had been proven, they said, by some obscure issue of National Geographic—that everybody knew about, but that no one had ever seen.
Until it turned out to be a farce—proven in an article in Lake Erie Lifestyle.
And it's cool. Erie shrugged that one off. The Bay City has 99 problems. A farce ain't one. And besides, there really is a mention of Erie in an issue of National
Geographic. And it's not about sunsets. It's about industry. Word.
The May 1919 issue of National Geographic Magazine nudged Erie onto the old-school media B-list with "The Industrial Titan of America," a verbose chronicling of the economic exploits of the state of Pennsylvania that almost smacks of a Norse saga on American manufacturing. The subhead reads: "Pennsylvania, Once the Keystone of the Original Thirteen, Now the Keystone of Forty-eight Sovereign States."
The article's Author, John Oliver La Gorce, paints Pennsylvania as more than an awkward square on the political map. He almost likens it to the country's manufacturing Beowulf.
The numbers are impressive. La Gorce wrote that the Titan's population was more than the combined total of New England, plus a few Western states, and marveled at the studly manufacturing industry that held an eighth of the country's manufacturers, a quarter of its minerals, produced a sixth of the world's pig iron and coal, and had an industry diversity that Kansas or Cali couldn't touch with a 3,500-foot pole.
When naming contributors to Pennsylvania's industrial Titanhood, La Gorce ran through a roll call of scrappy PA heavyweights that contained more superstars than the Miami Heat. Scranton was the, "Hive of Industry," boasting booming industries based on huge reserves of anthracite and black diamonds. Reading, a "city of hosiery and hardware," was reported as being the second city in the nation in production of those things. With over 500 manufacturing plants, it apparently ranked welterweight in size but heavyweight in manufacturing power. The list went on, with Philly, Pittsburgh, Altoona, Wilkes-Barre, and other smaller manufacturing powerhouses with Scrappy-Doo size, but that busted out mammoth industrial output.
And of course Erie was on the list as well. But La Gorce didn't paint it as as much of a standout producer as the other towns. La Gorce's section on the Bay City focused more on how it became an official part of the legendary Keystone roster.
It was originally assumed that Erie was part of New York, as the New York-Pennsylvania line apparently extended right into the lake. But the survey revealed a small triangular area that didn't belong to either state, so it was up-for-grabs. Then Massachusetts went after it, and apparently so did Connecticut. The Iroquois and the Seneca tribes even had a stake in it. But after the smoke cleared, it ended up with Uncle Sam, and was sold to Pennsylvania in 1792.
Erie did get an honorable industrial mention though. La Gorce gave Erie props, noting that it had around 500 manufacturing plants, the largest horseshoe factory and pipe-organ manufacturing plant in the world, that it made more "baby carriages, gas mantles and clothes-ringers than any other city," and boasted one "finest harbors on the Great Lakes."
La Gorce also mentioned that Erie was one of few American industrial cities that hadn't ignored the value of esthetics. Apparently, Erie borrowed from Chicago's playbook, creating a city planning commission to give the city time to stroke its chin and marinate on things as industry-waves continued to blow through its urban landscape.
See? It wasn't so much about sunsets, as reppin' the Pa. set, son.
GAF Revisited
by Cornell Green4/18/2012, 9:23 AM
City Councilman Dave Brennan offers views on vacant site
Eye On City Council: No Bonus
by Cornell Green4/6/2012, 12:23 PM
City council makes progress, but not without reminders of longstanding, pressing core community problems.
Eye on City Council: Getting the Good Credit
Getting the good credit
Eye on City Council
by Cornell Green2/22/2012, 11:40 AM
It's looking like a turnaround. But are folks spinning in circles?
by Cornell Green2/8/2012, 10:56 AM
Curious what happened at the February 1 City Council meeting? Cornell Green has you covered.
Nell's Netflix Pix: Too many Netflix streaming options? Don't worry. We got you.
by Cornell Green2/5/2012, 4:26 PM
All those Netflix streaming options got your head spinnin? We got you. Nell's got a few Pix to put your mind at ease.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2286
|
__label__cc
| 0.74388
| 0.25612
|
Susie Stauffer
7 Trips Perfect for Taking in Your 20s
Age is just a mind set but your body, on the other hand, can deal out something a little less easygoing than attitude when you start getting up in numbers. While there’s really no ideal age to get up and take a crack at some of the world’s most adventurous destinations, tackling some of the following trips can be a lot easier in your 20s than in later years, especially when you might have a family in tow. Being single, young, and without boatloads of responsibility makes these endeavors some of the best to take in your 20s.
7. Mountain Bike Lake Tahoe’s Rim Trail
Encircling North America’s biggest alpine lake, Tahoe Rim Trail spans more than 260 kilometers and offers some of the best vistas from any single track. With more than 128 kilometers open to mountain bikers, Tahoe Rim Trail presents an epic ride with the track between Spooner Summit and Tahoe Meadows one of the best riding trails in the country. Bring your A-game here, where fast descents and gritty, skyward climbs bring a heart to the brink while offering rewards of spectacular Nevada desert views. Beginning at Spooner Lake campground, ride nine miles until splitting off to adjacent Flume Trail, a 35 kilometer run which technically isn’t part of the trail but is the Rim’s signature ride. When the lake comes in to view, the scene is breathtaking–keep your eyes on the single track though and stop to let them wander across the great landscape.
6. Explore Namibia’s Skeleton Coast
On Namibia’s North Atlantic Ocean coastline is the Skeleton Coast, referred to by the Portuguese as The Gates of Hell and by Namibia’s bushmen as The Land God Made in Anger. The name stems from the book Skeleton Coast, written by John Henry March in 1944. It chronicled the Dunedin Star shipwreck of 1942, just one of many floundering off the Namib Desert Coast for the treacherous, rocky conditions. The landscape is barren, desolate, and stories abound of seafarers wandering endlessly in search of water and food. If you’re not a sailor, you’ve got nothing to worry about, only a surreal environment best known for the scattered bones of seals and whales, and possibly even a few ancient human remains. The Skeleton Coast is one of the most remote areas in southern Africa. Adventure tours take groups through, exploring the world’s biggest sand dunes, tracking endangered Black Rhinos and elephants on foot through the desert, and meeting Namibia’s indigenous tribes.
5. Climb Huayna Potosi, Bolivia
A mountain climbing trip in your 20s is somewhat a rite of passage so why not aim for Bolivia’s Huayna Potosi, a 20,000-foot high mountain surpassing all the U.S.A’s highest peaks by at least a mile. Huayna Potosi is in Cordilla Real and though to climb it you’ll need ice axes and crampons, you won’t need any other technical experience, just basic equipment. Choose one of dozens of guided trips to Potosi in Paz, where you can’t pass a door front without someone shouting a climbing deal at you. The most common route is a no-nonsense glacier ascent. The first day is usually spent setting up camp, hiking to the glacier base, and practicing a variety of techniques, from walking to rescue. Day two is go time, but it’s on day three, when the peak is reached that the rewards are reaped with astonishing views of La Paz, Lake Titicaca, jungle valleys, and the entire Cordillera Real expanse.
4. Yacht Week
Yacht Week requires no special skills–there are no glaciers to scale, mountain bikes to ride, or anything that takes more than just having a good time. Yacht Week is a seven-day adventure aboard a luxury yacht, hanging out in the trendiest spots, and exploring the best place to get a tan. It’s really quite perfect for anyone in their 20s. First, you choose a destination: Croatia, the British Virgin Islands, Italy, Greece, or Thailand. Next you choose a yacht type and then begin the journey with a boatload of friends and international personalities. On each of the seven days, a new destination is reached, with up to 20 yachts in tow, and every night, all the Yacht Week people party together at exclusive events. You don’t even need to know how to sail, though bonus points if you do because you won’t have to pay for a skipper.
Photo by: The Yacht Week
3. Burning Man, Black Rock Desert, Nevada
Started in 1986 by two friends who burned an effigy on a beach during the Summer Solstice, Burning Man has grown through the years to become one of the biggest and most unique events in the United States, from a mere few hundred people throughout the 1980s to more than 60,000 people in 2015. The event is based on ten specific principles.“Burners” are inspired by the values echoed through these principles and endeavor to pursue a more connected and creative existence. How this is actually achieved is what’s so incredible about Burning Man. Tens of thousands of people gather to create “Black Rock City,” a makeshift society solely based on self-reliance, art, and self-expression. Each year there is an annual art theme, scores of special events, creative circles, and of course, the burning of the man on the final day within the temporary community. This is the place to completely let go of inhibitions.
2. Motorbike through Vietnam Highlands
Riding a motorcycle through Vietnam isn’t an act of madness, nor one of bravery. Vietnam’s cities do have some crazy, hard-to-manage roads but all you really have to know is how to cross a road in the country and the motorcycle part all slips into place. If there’s a gap in the road, traffic will swarm there. Once you learn that, and how to take it slow, everything is so much less daunting. One great route is to begin in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), explore the Mekong Delta via a boat ride, and continue on through the Vietnamese highlands by motorcycle. Make your way up and down the gorgeous countryside, stay in friendly, traditional villages, and meet like-minded people en route. Independent travelers can rent or buy a motorbike easily (if you buy one, it’s no different than haggling over a used car and you can easily offload it on another potential sightseer, often for what you paid).
1. Trek to Machu Picchu via the Sacred Valley
If pleasantly meandering, centuries-old trekking paths between traditional Peruvian villages sounds good, read on. If you’re yearning for a look at the alpine ruins of Machu Picchu, taking the alternative hiking route through the stunning Sacred Valley is the way to go. Yes, the Inca Trail is a classic and it’s definitely an incredible route but today, with no independent treks permitted, all you’ll see is mostly large groups of tourists ambling their way forward, with porters lugging their gear. But where the Inca Trail is a solid four to five day hike, the path through the Sacred Valley is ten, with about six hours of solid hiking each day at altitudes crossing mountain passes at well over 13,000 feet. Though it sounds a little rough, it’s a beautiful walk for anyone even moderately fit. The best part is the chance to explore and visit the village of Cachiccata and many other small, Peruvian alpine villages.
Next ➞
Famous Movie Hotels Where You Can Live Like A Star
The Most Romantic Hotels in Vegas
The 8 Best Hotels for Foodies in the USA
15 Amazing Hotels Around The World For Under $100
The 9 Most Extreme Deserts in the World
The Best Places to Spend New Years Eve in America
The Top Suggestions for a Girls Getaway Weekend in the USA
7 Pieces of US Topography Worth Checking Out
The 10 Most Unfriendly Cities in America 2015
7 Awesome Inspirations for Your Babymoon
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2288
|
__label__cc
| 0.500577
| 0.499423
|
Escondido Battalion & Training Ship Kit Carson
Wall of Service
Cadet/Officer FAQS
POM/Calendar
Application Forms and Fees
Cadet Info & Resources
Advancement Requirements
Drill Commands
Grooming Standards
Parka Requistion Form
Physical Readiness Testing (PRT)
Rank/Ribbon Requistion Form
Ribbons and Appurtenances
Saluting
Uniform Requistion Form
UNITED STATES NAVAL SEA CADET CORPS
Escondido Battalion
Training Ship Kit Carson
Regular Drill Location
CA Army National Guard Armory
Family Assistance Center
305 E Mission Ave, Escondido, CA 92025
14152 Powers Rd, Poway 92064
LTJG Fernando Sanchez
fsanchez@seacadets.org
LTC Patrick Healey, US Army Retired
phealey@seacadets.org
Unit Command Staff
NSCC Escondido Battalion
NLCC Training Ship Kit Carson
Founded in 2011, we are one of the newest Sea Cadet units in the region. We belong to the Pacfic Southwest Region 11, District 3. Escondido Battalion is named after the city in which the unit is based and in honor of Escondido community members, groups and businesses who were instrumental in the formation of the unit. Training Ship Kit Carson is named after Christopher (Kit) Carson, the famous scout who guided Captain John C. Fremont over the Sierra Nevada Mountains during a government exploration expedition and in 1846 fought in the Battle of San Pasqual just outside of Escondido. Our units draw from the northeast San Diego County communities of Escondido, San Marcos, Ramona, Valley Center, and Fallbrook, in addition to the South Riverside County cities of Temecula and Murrieta.
We drill every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month through the school year with breaks during the summer and winter months to allow for training camps. Our drills take place at the California Army National Guard Armory located at 304 E. Park Ave, Escondido, CA 92025. Currently we have about 25 Cadets enrolled and we continue to recruit and welcome interested young persons and adult volunteers. If you you would like to attend an orientation to learn more and witness a drill "in action" contact us via the How to Join link above. A Recruiting Officer will contact you to set up the orientation. At the orientation, the Commanding Officer (CO) will provide information about the USNSCC and can answer any questions you may have. After the orientation, you have the option to join us for the day before making a commitment.
What is the difference between the NSCC and the NLCC?
The United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps (USNSCC), or just Sea Cadets, is actually 2 programs:
The NAVAL SEA CADET CORPS (NSCC) is for young Americans who are at least 13 years old. They may stay a Sea Cadet until December 31st of the year they turn 18, or until graduation from High School.
The NAVY LEAGUE CADET CORPS (NLCC) is for young Americans who are least 11 (10 with approval and waiver) but not yet 14 years old.
The NLCC is basically the same as the NSCC except that NLCC Cadets wear different uniforms and are restricted from flying aboard US Navy aircraft, participating in long shipboard cruises and other hazardous activities and are taught from a syllabus rather than correspondence courses. However, general training during drills will almost always be the same for both units as both units drill together.
Visit the Cadet/Officer FAQS page of our website for additional information.
READ ABOUT US IN THE NEWS
23 FEB 14 - Underwater Robotics Program helps Students build Skills for the Future
16 JAN 14 - Youth Inspire Optimism for Nation's Future
07 JAN 14 - Naval Sea Cadets Train at Pendleton
06 AUG 13 - Naval Cadets Train at Camp Pendleton
DRILL LOCATION
305 E Mission Avenue
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2289
|
__label__wiki
| 0.677391
| 0.677391
|
Forget Dodd-Frank! It's the Pope's Financial-Reform Bill!
I still think the world — and the Church — would be infinitely better off if the Clan of the Red Beanie were all sent off to a monastery on the side of a mountain in Turkey for the next 50 years. That said, I would hope that one of the moderators at one of the 5679 remaining Republican presidential debates would ask cradle Catholic Rick Santorum, and midlife Catholic Newt Gingrich, and all the rest of the Catholic politicians in America when they're going to get behind Holy Mother Church.
The Chair of Peter isn't coming to Zuccotti Park any time soon, but the folks at Bank of America ought to thank their lucky stars that we're not running Inquisitions anymore.
Charles P. Pierce Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976.
More From Politics With Charles P. Pierce
Stephen Miller Is a Blight on the White House
The Climate Crisis Is Putting Crabs in Elevators
Ken Starr Is Proof History Rhymes Absurdly
Water Is Free Until They Want to Sell It to You
Matt Gaetz Gets in Feud With Florida Republican
I Wouldn't Let Lev Parnas Park My Car
Pelosi Savaged Kevin McCarthy & House Republicans
Forget Bill Clinton—The Analogue Is Andrew Johnson
Joe Biden Was Punished With Soft Cushions
The Lev Parnas Texts Aren't the Last We'll Hear
Politics With Charles P. Pierce
The Manufactured Narrative (and Delicate Future) of Occupy
Michele Bachmann vs. Occupy and the Banana Republic
Occupy Vatican City
The Abortion Ministry of Dr. Willie Parker
Occupy Oakland and the Militarization of America's Police
The Man Who Dresses the NBA Will Now Be Dressing You
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2290
|
__label__wiki
| 0.631997
| 0.631997
|
Follow Us On Twitter Facebook Instagram
Former inmate Rob Young did not believe he would ever know what love is.
Australia | finding God
I spent my life in jail and God set me free
Rob Young changed from standover man to a man of faith
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email Related Reading
Vicki Buchanan | July 19th, 2018 04:37 PM | Add a Comment Comments
Born into a family of extreme domestic violence and crime, Rob Young seemed to have no chance of turning out okay.
Rob’s parents were heavily into growing and taking drugs, and drinking alcohol. He had an older sister and younger brother and was belted if he didn’t look after them.
“After that, there was no more God.” Rob Young
He also feels as if he watched his parents fight all the time.
“The only time my father took any notice of me was when he was belting me or when I was playing football,” says Rob. “So, I got good at football and even got into rep football for NSW.”
Rob had his first taste of positive family life at 12, when he visited a neighbouring family. He visited often and then started staying there more days than he was at home. They became like foster parents. However, as this family took him to church, he and another boy were groomed by an abusive guy in the church.
“After that, there was no more God,” says Rob sadly.
In his youth, life spiralled out of control. Rob says he didn’t really want to get involved in crime but his behaviour meant he was in and out of institutions.
“The first time I was in adult prison, I was just months off turning 18. Because I had been in ‘juvie’, I was like a ringmaster…I fitted right in and took control,” remembers Rob about his introduction to adult prison.
“I started dishing out beltings. I had no respect for any authority. I went through it like it was easy.”
“I nearly took me own life over a custody battle over my kids.” – Rob Young
The longest Rob was out of prison in his adult life – he is now 50 – was about six months. “I’d come out and then go in again. I tried everything; drug therapy, counselling and all the self help groups you can imagine. You start to believe that there is nothing and no one cared. No one picked up that I was having a breakdown over all my family stuff.
“I tried to slash my wrists. You get used to hiding the hurt and the pain. Just don’t worry; mask it. Nearly took me own life over a custody battle over my kids.”
More than five years ago, Rob knew something had to change. He couldn’t keep doing it. So, he picked up the Bible he used to roll cigarettes with and shook his hand at God – and asked him if he was real. “I was really angry at Him about everything.”
“A little while later, this chaplain guy thought I should do the Kairos Prison Ministry program, Kairos Inside. ‘Well,’ I thought, ‘I’ve got nothing to lose.’”
Kairos is an interdenominational Christian service that provides spiritual support to prisoners. In the middle of doing the short course Kairos Inside, Rob ‘saw’ his daughter as a newborn in his arms and could even smell her soft baby smell. “God told me He was going to teach me how to love again,” Rob recalls.
At times when he was released, Rob would sit in the backyard and look at his wife and kids and not know “how to feel it, love that is… it felt really strange.”
“I did stuff and hoped God was going to accept me but it didn’t work.” – Rob Young
The impact of the Kairos Inside program was profound. He had been to church in prison but it felt like he was just going through the motions. “After the programme, I went back to church in the prison. Finally, I could pick up the Bible and it started making sense to me.
“I had a few good fights with God… ‘You haven’t done anything for me!!’ and when I woke the next morning, I read the Bible. I read about Peter in the Book of Acts where a light shone in the cell and an angel of the Lord appeared. Wow! That was when I first realised that God did care about me and wanted to be in my life.”
When Rob became a Christian, he really changed. Instead of standing over, belting and bullying other prisoners, he ended up bullying the other prisoners into joining up for the Kairos Inside programme and going to church. He was now a good standover guy!
Rob was released for the last time about five years ago and, as a new Christian out of prison, he thought he would just go back to his old ways. That’s what had happened every other time. But Rod soon received a visit from Kairos volunteers. “These guys came around me and they really helped me and showed me how it was supposed to be. I have many friends now and they are so supportive.”
“I became like a blithering baby when God showed me that love.” – Rob Young
When asked what has changed, Rob answers without hesitation: “I had done so much and wanted to pay something back to the community. I slept out with the homeless. I tried to do things on my own. I did stuff and hoped God was going to accept me but it didn’t work. I still had a void.”
“[But] I found love, hope and faith when total strangers loved on me. I became like a blithering baby when he showed me that love.
“One day, He showed me so much about love… I had ended up in hospital spewing up blood. Next thing, I heard a lady get told that her mum wasn’t going to make it. I saw she had a cross on her neck and I said ‘Keep your faith, love’. She spun around. ‘Do you know God?,’ she asked. ‘Yes, I met him in prison 4 years ago.’
“She told me something that blew me away: ‘My mum has written to prisoners for many years.’
So, I went over to her mum who was dying and told her that when you wrote to prisoners you made a difference; I became a Christian in prison.’ She said ‘The Lord bless you’ and closed her eyes.”
Kairos talks a lot about ‘agape‘ love; the kind of love only God can give. A simple lesson was learned one day when Rob was late for church. “An old lady sat beside me and just showed me where the preacher was up to in the book.” Simple love – and some people miss that, according to Rob. He wonders why so many Christians don’t get excited about God. He is full on for God and everyone around him knows it.
God is restoring life for Rob now. His daughter wanted a baby but had trouble falling pregnant so he prayed. And now he’s been blessed with a grandson; the light of his life. Relationship with his daughter and other family members has healed.
God even repaired a relationship with a police officer who had arrested him. They are friends now. “If God can do that, when I had a profound hatred for police, he can do anything!” says Rob.
Related stories from around the web
More about Kairos Prison Ministry
Eternity News is not responsible for the content on other websites
Opinion | indigenous
A day of mourning for the First Australians
Opinion | Media Watch
The Monthly sledges Pentecostalism (again)
Australia | Bushfire crisis
Cobargo, Quaama, Brogo: Lessons from the fires of hell
Helping bushfire survivors in the long term
World | natural disasters
Picking up the pieces: Life after a disaster
Podcasts | Undeceptions
3 Minute Jesus: Christianity has a problem
Hiring? You can reach more candidates and spend less with Eternity Jobs
When you list your job on Eternity Jobs it will also appear here on Eternity News, where it will be seen by thousands of readers who are passionate about the same topics that you are. Our readers are also well educated, enthusiastic about church and looking for opportunities to work with purpose.
Get started now for just $149 +GST
World | finding God
How I left 'drink, debt, divorce and quiet despair'
Good News | finding God
The day Justin stopped running
Sponsored | Morling College
Dear God, Bible college is a really bad idea
‘I came back to Jesus on my first day in jail’
World | persecution
Lashed and imprisoned for her faith: one mother speaks out
In Depth | finding God
Tough-talking former ice addict and drug dealer runs strictest rehab in country
Eternity News
Eternity Jobs
© 2020 Eternity News. All rights reserved.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2292
|
__label__wiki
| 0.601633
| 0.601633
|
What is a River?
The landscape is shaped by rivers.
Rivers and their features are a major topic in GCSE Geography. This quiz answers the question of what exactly a river is and looks at some of the features found along the course of a river, such as their sources, meanders, rapids and estuaries.
All over the world you'll find cities and towns located on the banks of rivers. We settle on the flood plains and farm the rich fertile soil; we build our cities at the furthest points inland that a ship can reach; we rely on rivers for industry, transport and power worldwide. But these geographical features that run through our history, our cultures and our civilisations have a couple of stings in their tail - floods and, in the modern world, pollution. Science and geography are now combining to return rivers to their more natural, less lethal forms.
Rivers are a key part of the water cycle. They drain the water from the land and carry it to the sea where it will be returned to the atmosphere by condensation to form rain clouds. They also form the key ecosystems for a variety of wildlife, both plants and animals. From their sources and the high oxygen environments of the rivers' upper stretches, including rapids and waterfalls, through to the slower environments of oxbow lakes, slow moving rivers and the brackish environment of the estuaries at the rivers' mouths.
Our land is shaped by rivers, carving down into solid rock and transporting sediments to the sea where they may be deposited as levees, sandbars, beaches and other forms. Our floodplains are deposited by the same rivers that wear down mountains. Julius Caesar stated that in nowhere else but Britain did the sea hold such sway over the land, and rivers have just as much importance. We are an island shaped and defined by the rivers that divide up our country. Test your knowledge of rivers, from their sources to their estuaries, by taking this quiz.
In the Victorian era many rivers were culverted to hide the polluted waters and provide more land. What is a culvert?
A tunnel carrying a stream, river or open drain
A hole dug to send a river underground
Where water has dissolved limestone and formed an underground channel
A canal to divert water around cities and towns
Culverts often started as a series of bridges over rivers. These were joined together and buildings built over them, until the river disappeared entirely
Most cities in the world are located on the banks of a major river, such as London on the Thames, Paris on the Seine, and Nottingham on the Trent. Which of the following is not a reason for cities to be built on the banks of a major river?
Transport and shipping routes
Farming on the flood plains
The river could be used as protection against invading forces
Reduced risk of flooding
The Romans located most of their forts on rivers. This brought many advantages - they could use the river as a defensive structure, bring ships up and down for transport, ford or bridge the river at that point and farm the fertile land there. But one disadvantage was that the forts and cities were often flooded
In the 1860s Dr. Livingston was almost lost in Africa searching for the source of the River Nile. Why are river sources so difficult to find?
The source of a river may be underground
They have often been built over by later housing and industrial developments
A river can have hundreds of tributaries. The source is the head of the tributary furthest away from the mouth of the river. Rivers like the Nile have tributaries over thousands of square miles all of which have to be measured to determine which is the furthest away
They are very small and difficult to find in the landscape
Drainage basins can be huge, especially on rivers like the Nile and Amazon. Finding which of the tributaries is the source can be difficult
Rivers are surrounded by their drainage basins. What is a drainage basin?
The area into which the water from the river drains into the groundwater
The area in which cities discharge sewage and waste into a particular river
The area of land drained by a river and its tributaries
A valley between two mountain ranges
A river system is contained entirely within it's drainage basin
River discharge is the amount of water flowing through a river channel. How is river discharge measured?
Cubic metres per second (cumecs)
Pounds per square inch (PSI)
Litres per hour
Rivers discharge a large amount of liquid every second, so the measurement has to be of a large enough scale to cope with that
In physical geography how is the watershed defined?
The imaginary line separating two drainage basins. This is normally a ridge of higher ground that divides two river valleys or other drainage basins
A straight line drawn between two high peaks
The area connecting two river sources
A line created by connecting all the sources of a particular river
Think of the watershed as being the line where if you poured water onto the ground it could go one way or another
Tributaries and distributaries both carry water, but what is the key difference between these two types of channel and how they are defined?
Tributaries flow into a river, carrying water into the main channel, whilst distributaries split off and carry water away from the main channel
Tributaries only occur in the upper reaches of a river, whilst distributaries only occur in the lower reaches
Tributaries are streams, whilst distributaries are rivers
Tributaries are the erosive areas of a river system, whilst distributaries are the land building sections of the river system
When you're learning new words, try and think what the words mean. A tribute is when you give something to someone, and if you distribute something you are taking it away and giving it out in smaller amounts
What is a freshwater river?
Water held in one position for the purpose of water supply
A body of water that is prone to floods and drought
Anything larger than a stream, but smaller than a lake
Water low in salt content flowing across the surface of the land, usually towards the sea
Rivers move from the mountains to the sea. Freshwater has less salt dissolved in it than sea water
The water cycle is also known as what?
The hydrological cycle
The water cycle, hydrological cycle or the H2O cycle, all mean the same. They all describe the never ending movement of water on, above and below the surface of the Earth, in rivers, clouds, oceans, lakes, organisms and groundwater
At its end the River Nile has numerous channels carrying water away from the main channel. What is the name given to this type of estuary?
Distributaries
The Nile and Mississippi are both famous examples of this type of estuary
Author: Ruth M
Print this quiz Report an error GCSE Geography Play this quiz again
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2294
|
__label__wiki
| 0.605864
| 0.605864
|
Gaming communities were among the very first to recognize the potential of digital technologies, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation has defended their rights from the very beginning. EFF's first case in 1990 was an unprecedented effort to regain computers unjustly seized by the Secret Service from game maker Steve Jackson Games.
Since then, EFF has continued to protect freedom and innovation in the gaming world, whether we are arguing for the right of gamers to speak anonymously, defending video games from unconstitutional censorship, or protecting your right to resell, modify, or copy the games you have purchased.
Gamers are facing more threats to their freedoms than ever before. Sadly it's routine for companies to force gamers to swallow updates that hobble their systems and routinely trap their users in restrictive, near-incomprehensible terms of service agreements and end-user licenses. But EFF continues to fight for consumers who believe that if you bought it, you own it, and you should be able to put your games and hardware to unexpected and creative uses.
EFF Related Content: Video Games
Read more about EFF Wins DMCA Exemption Petitions for Tinkering With Echos and Repairing Appliances, But New Circumvention Rules Still Too Narrow To Benefit Most Technology Users
Press Release | July 21, 2016
EFF Lawsuit Takes on DMCA Section 1201: Research and Technology Restrictions Violate the First Amendment
Washington D.C.—The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) sued the U.S. government today on behalf of technology creators and researchers to overturn onerous provisions of copyright law that violate the First Amendment. EFF’s lawsuit, filed with co-counsel Brian Willen, Stephen Gikow, and Lauren Gallo White of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich &...
Read more about EFF Lawsuit Takes on DMCA Section 1201: Research and Technology Restrictions Violate the First Amendment
Press Release | May 20, 2016
EFF at Copyright Office Roundtables Tuesday and Wednesday in San Francisco
San Francisco—On Tuesday and Wednesday, May 24-25, Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) Staff Attorney Kit Walsh and Senior Staff Attorney Mitch Stoltz will participate in public roundtable discussions about the impact of U.S. copyright law on freedoms to investigate and improve the software embedded in everyday products...
Read more about EFF at Copyright Office Roundtables Tuesday and Wednesday in San Francisco
Deeplinks Blog by Elliot Harmon | December 4, 2015
The Loading Screen Game Patent Finally Expires
In 1998, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued Patent 5,718,632, on a method for avoiding “unnecessary wastage of time” in video games. What’s transpired in the 17 years since then can best be described as an unnecessary wastage of time. Namco’s patent covers “auxiliary games” that a player...
Read more about The Loading Screen Game Patent Finally Expires
Deeplinks Blog by Kendra Albert | November 13, 2015
The New DMCA §1201 Exemption for Video Games: A Closer Look
Last month, EFF and I scored a major victory for video game archiving, preservation and play – we got an exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act for some archival activities related to video games. Before I throw a bunch of shade, I want to emphasize that the exemption...
Read more about The New DMCA §1201 Exemption for Video Games: A Closer Look
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2296
|
__label__cc
| 0.625857
| 0.374143
|
Home » News » AIM News » Oxford BioDynamics Plc receives Queen’s Award for Enterprise
Oxford BioDynamics Plc receives Queen’s Award for Enterprise
Posted by: Giles Arbor 23rd April 2019
· The Queen’s Award for Enterprise is the UK’s highest accolade for business success
· OBD honoured with the award for Enterprise in Innovation for its EpiSwitch™ platform
Oxford BioDynamics Plc (LON: OBD) has this morning announced that it has been recognised as a winner of the 2019 Queen’s Award for Enterprise, the most prestigious enterprise award given to UK businesses. The Company has been granted the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation, demonstrating the outstanding performance and commercial success of OBD’s proprietary technology platform, EpiSwitch™, based on the latest advances in regulatory genome architecture and its functional links to patient stratifications and outcomes in oncology, neurodegenerative, inflammatory, metabolic and other indications.
EpiSwitch™ is an innovative technology platform for the discovery, evaluation, validation and monitoring of a novel class of epigenetic biomarkers known as “chromosome conformation signatures”. These biomarker signatures can provide a compelling, stable framework from which changes in the regulation of a genome can be analysed, long before the results of these epigenetic changes manifest themselves as obvious abnormalities.
Validated EpiSwitch™ biomarker applications have demonstrated high efficacy in predictive, prognostic and diagnostic patient stratifications for lung, haematological, prostate, thyroid and skin cancers, as well as in rheumatoid arthritis, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Baseline predictive stratifications by EpiSwitch™ for response to immune-checkpoint inhibitors are excellent surrogates for standard primary endpoints used in clinical trials, such as progression free survival. The Company has recently entered into its fifth collaboration agreement with a leading pharmaceutical company for the development of predictive biomarkers for immuno-oncology therapeutics. To date, EpiSwitch™ has been used to develop biomarkers on more than 6,500 blood samples in over 140 diverse projects.
The EpiSwitchTM platform is designed to accelerate drug discovery and development processes, improve success rates of therapeutic candidates, and reduce the overall cost of therapeutic development and health-care infrastructure by enabling precision medicine initiatives and empowering informed clinical decision-making.
Christian Hoyer Millar, Chief Executive Officer of Oxford BioDynamics plc, said:
“We are delighted to have been chosen for such a prestigious award, which is an outstanding achievement for the Company. This award is recognised worldwide as a standard of enterprise excellence, reflecting the hard work and commitment shown by our team over the years in developing real-world solutions to unmet clinical needs of high priority. I’d like to extend my thanks to everyone at OBD for their part in this achievement.
The award is a wonderful recognition of the value OBD and its EpiSwitch™ platform has generated, but also an acknowledgement of the innovative environment at the University of Oxford, from where OBD was spun-out. Together, we are helping to bring critical solutions onto the world stage.”
You can read the full OBD archive by clicking the EPIC code.
OBD 2019-04-23
Oxford BioDynamics enters into master service agreement with world leading US pharmaceutical company
Oxford BioDynamics Deliver on several important achievements & continued traction in IO
Market Risers: Mediclinic International, NEXT, NMC Health, Oxford Biodynamics
Oxford BioDynamics’ EpiSwitch Featured in Presentations
Market Risers: Nanoco Group, Oxford Biodynamics, Panthera Resources, Rio Tinto
Market Risers: Jubilee Metals Group, London Stock Exchange, Oxford Biodynamics
Market Risers: Oxford Biodynamics, Toople, United Utilities Group
Oxford BioDynamics to appoint Professor Iain McInnes to Scientific Advisory Board
Oxford BioDynamics Plc first patient enrolled in ALS biomarker study
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2301
|
__label__cc
| 0.629943
| 0.370057
|
Arrow - The Complete Seventh Season
Following Oliver Queen’s shocking decision to turn himself over the FBI and reveal his identity as the Green Arrow to the public, Oliver has spent the past five months in prison while his team was left behind to protect Star City. In the wake of Ricardo Diaz’s escape, Oliver has yet again turned into someone else inside Slabside Maximum Security Prison. He is not the hero we once knew; Oliver has isolated himself, avoided conflict, and ignored the enemies who have taunted him since his arrival. He is determined to keep a low profile to shorten his sentence for the sake of his family. But Oliver’s limits will be tested when he and Team Green Arrow are pitted against the most ruthless villains they have yet to face. Oliver will be forced to seek redemption for his family, his team, and his identity as both he and the team are left questioning: what is the true definition of a hero?
Bild: Widescreen 16:9 Anamorfisk
Ljud: Engelska DD 5.1
Text: Engelska
Längd: 924 Minuter
Skivor: 5
Upplagd i sortimentet: 12 augusti, 2019
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2302
|
__label__cc
| 0.711652
| 0.288348
|
Home > Sensors & Transducers > Sensors
Ultrasonic sensor operates in harsh conditions
Targets hygienic applications including medical equipment, food and chemical processing, and bottling and packaging
By Alex Pluemer, contributing writer
Hoffman and Krippner claims one of the smallest ultrasonic sensors with the introduction of the P53-80-D18, measuring 45 mm long with an 18-mm diameter. The new sensor’s size and reliable performance in harsh conditions make it a good fit in a variety of hygienic applications such as medical equipment, food and chemical processing, and packaging.
The sensor can be used to measure distance, detect presence, detect objects in motion, count objects, and check for completeness. It features a special V4A stainless-steel housing construction (1.4404) with a roughness depth of 0.6 μm, making it resistant to moisture, water vapor, dust, and other particulates. The sensor and the mounting assembly can be sanitized with strong cleaning agents without degrading the device, further enhancing its utility in hygienic applications.
The P53-D18, along with the P53-SC-D18-5-EHEDG support clamp, meet the European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group’s (EHEDG) “hygienic equipment design criteria” for “Type EL, Class I Aux” for mechanical design, composition, and surface qualities. The sensor should be used in conjunction with the accompanying P53-SC-D18-5-EHEDG support clamp for applications with strict hygienic requirements. By using ECOLAB-certified materials the sensor provides resistivity against cleaning agents like P3-topactive OKTO, P3-topactive 200, P3-topax 52, P3-topax 66, and P3-topax 990.
The miniature P53 offers a range of up to 800 mm and operates in temperatures as high as 80°C. The sensor is outfitted with an integrated cable screw connection for hygiene in food and beverage as well as bottling and packaging industries. The industrial version includes an M12 connector with a power supply, signal output, and teach-in and can be mounted with two Teflon nuts that provide acoustic decoupling. Also, the P53 can be configured via the M12 connector cable. Optional hold/synch switches are available.
The P53-80-D18 is available now. Data sheets and additional tech details are available.
Learn more about Hoffmann + Krippner
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2308
|
__label__wiki
| 0.795702
| 0.795702
|
You are here: Home → Breaking news → EU leaders endorse Boris Johnson's Brexit deal
EU leaders endorse Boris Johnson's Brexit deal
— filed under: Headline, Brexit, Britain, European Council
Johnson - Macron - Merkel - Photo EU Council
(BRUSSELS) - "We've got a great new deal that takes back control," said British prime minister Johnson after EU leaders at a summit Thursday endorsed a revised UK withdrawal agreement and political declaration.
The agreement follows intense negotiations between the Commission and UK negotiators during the last few days, but he EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier said he believed they had found "solutions that fully respect the integrity of the Single Market. We created a new and legally operative solution to avoid a hard border, and protect peace and stability on the island of Ireland. It is a solution that works for the EU, for the UK and for people and businesses in Northern Ireland."
The breakthrough came, said Council president Donald Tusk, because of Ireland's positive assessment, and because of "Prime Minister Johnson's acceptance to have customs checks at the points of entry into Northern Ireland. This compromise will allow us to avoid border checks between Ireland and Northern Ireland, and will ensure the integrity of the Single Market."
"We've got a great new deal that takes back control," said British prime minister Boris Johnson: "now Parliament should get Brexit done on Saturday."
Before the Withdrawal Agreement can enter into force, it needs to be ratified by the EU and the UK.
The UK's Parliament is expected to vote on Mr Johnson's deal in the House of Commons on Saturday, though Northern Ireland's DUP party has already voiced its opposition to it. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of protesters are expected to demonstrate outside Parliament against Brexit and in favour of giving the public the final say in a 'People's Vote'.
The new agreement offers in a revised Protocol a legally operational solution that avoids a hard border on the island of Ireland, protects the all-island economy and the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement in all its dimensions and safeguards the integrity of the Single Market. According to the Commission, this solution 'responds to the unique circumstances on the island of Ireland with the aim of protecting peace and stability'.
All other elements of the Withdrawal Agreement remain unchanged in substance, as per the agreement reached on 14 November last year. The Withdrawal Agreement brings legal certainty where the UK's withdrawal from the EU created uncertainty: citizens' rights, the financial settlement, a transition period at least until the end of 2020, governance, Protocols on Gibraltar and Cyprus, as well as a range of other separation issues.
In the revised Political Declaration, in terms of regulations, Northern Ireland is set to remain aligned to a limited set of rules related to the EU's Single Market in order to avoid a hard border: legislation on goods, sanitary rules for veterinary controls ("SPS rules"), rules on agricultural production/marketing, VAT and excise in respect of goods, and state aid rules.
In terms of customs, the EU-UK Single Customs Territory, as agreed in November 2018, has been removed from the Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland, at the request of the current UK government. EU and UK negotiators have now found a new way to achieve the goal of avoiding a customs border on the island of Ireland, while at the same time ensuring Northern Ireland remains part of the UK's customs territory. This agreement fully protects the integrity of the EU's Single Market and Customs Union, and avoids any regulatory and customs checks at the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Finally, the EU and the UK have agreed to create a new mechanism on 'consent', which will give the Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly a decisive voice on the long-term application of relevant EU law in Northern Ireland. The Commission has been in close contact with the Irish government on this point.
In the revised Political Declaration, the main change in the Political Declaration relates to the future EU-UK economic relationship where the current UK government has opted for a model based on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The Political Declaration provides for an ambitious FTA with zero tariffs and quotas between the EU and the UK. It states that robust commitments on a level playing field should ensure open and fair competition. The precise nature of commitments will be commensurate with the ambition of the future relationship and take into account the economic connectedness and geographic proximity of the UK.
For the EU, the Council of the European Union must authorise the signature of the Withdrawal Agreement, before sending it to the European Parliament for its consent. The United Kingdom must ratify the agreement according to its own constitutional arrangements.
Special European Council Conclusions
What has the EU agreed with the UK? - background guide
Revised texts for protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland
Revised political declaration
UK unilateral declaration on consent
Posted by kushal kumar at 19 October 2019, 00:50 CET
News media world over was much spirited over a news - a new Brexit deal has been reached at last on 17 October , 2019 between EU and British PM Boris Johnson. However , the new Brexit deal would require to be first ratified by the British Parliament and thereafter by EU Parliament. So , the news is great but there appear to be political tough time ahead before the new Brexit deal attains finality. Whatever , this Vedic astrology writer had a point to rejoice when the news came. Readers are aware of this wrter’s predictive alerts through article - “ World trends from April to August 2019” - brought to public domain in March and subsequently on 5 April 2019. In short , among other things , the predictive alert related to the news here was that more care and appropriate strategy was called for in relation to Brexit deal during mid-April to August 2019 because obstructive concern looked to be there. A predictive alert carried out by this writer later in May had suggested that the need for more care and appropriate strategy in the said matter may reach out to mid-October 2019. As the new Brexit deal between EU and British PM Boris Johnson was reached on 17 October , 2019 , it can be said that the predictive alert of this writer was somewhere meaningful.
Subscribe | Partner | Advertise
EU travellers still not aware of their passenger rights
EU states agree fish quotas for 2020
Brexit preparedness checklist
New rules to boost crowdfunding across EU borders
Provisional calendar of meetings under Finland's Presidency (1 July - 31 December 2019)
EU, without Poland, agrees to aim for climate neutrality by 2050
Draft Political Declaration setting out the Framework for the Future Relationship between the EU and the UK
No certainty for business as rush to 'get Brexit done' puts economic growth at risk
Brexit preparedness
Use of EU's space assets under auditor scrutiny
Brussels looks to strengthen IPR protection
Top Stories from the European Commission - 6-10 January 2020
Top Stories from the European Council - 6-10 January 2020
Euro Update Daily EU Agenda Weekly
News feed Search European Union
"EU" - Google News
New E.U. Trade Chief on a Quest to Fix Relations With U.S. - The New York Times 13-01-2020
Less than half of EU travellers aware of EU Passenger Rights - EU News 12-01-2020
EU trade chief foresees 'financial services for fishing' Brexit bargain - The Guardian 13-01-2020
Global Banks Urge EU to 'Improve' Market Access as Brexit Looms - The New York Times 14-01-2020
EU to unveil financial plan to shift to green economy - Reuters 14-01-2020
Weekly summary of the past week's EU business news
EU-wide classification system for sustainable investments (taxonomy)
Contract summary template
European Semester Autumn Package
The European Green Deal
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2313
|
__label__wiki
| 0.900579
| 0.900579
|
Showing 23 results for 2013-12-21
Lockerbie bombing victims remembered 25 years on
Memorial events have taken place to mark the 25th anniversary of the Lockerbie bombing, which claimed the lives of 270 people. Wreaths were laid at
A journey to eurosceptic Donetsk
The Donbass region is located in Eastern Ukraine and is one of President Viktor Yanukovich’s strongholds. The highly industrialised area has close
Alpine Skiing: Guay end's four-year winless streak
Erik Guay put an end to his World Cup misery on Saturday after winning his first race in just under four years with a downhill triumph in Val
Ski Jumping: Ziobro leads Polish one-two in maiden victory
Jan Ziobro stunned the big guns to lead a Polish one two at a world cup ski jumping meet in Engelberg, Switzerland. The Pole, who had never reached
Alpine Skiing: Kaufmann-Abderhalden celebrates first win as Vonn survives injury scare
Marianne Kaufmann-Abderhalden celebrated her first career victory in the Alpine skiing world cup when she won the women’s downhill on a glorious day
Turkey: Erdogan denounces corruption probe as 'dirty game'
Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has slammed the high-level corruption probe that has led to dozens of arrests – including the sons of
NASA astronauts embark on spacewalk to carry out ISS repairs
Two NASA astronauts have set out on a spacewalk to carry out repairs at the International Space Station (ISS). Part of the ISS cooling system
Khodorkovsky reunited with his family in Berlin
Former Russian oil tycoon, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, has been reunited with his family his Berlin after being released from prison on Friday. He had
Palestinian negotiator: Israel talks won't be extended past April deadline
A Palestinian delegation led by President Mahmoud Abbas has visited Cairo to meet the Arab League – a day after the bloc described the
Canada Supreme Court strikes down anti-prostitution laws
Canada’s Supreme Court has ruled to overturn the country’s anti-prostitution laws. It is a victory for the group of former and current sex trade
Turkey corruption scandal: ministers' sons charged
The sons of two Turkish government ministers and the head of a state-owned bank have been charged in connection to a corruption probe. Dozens of
Thai opposition party to boycott election
Thailand’s opposition Democrat Party will boycott a Feb. 2 election, its leader said on Saturday, a move that could deepen uncertainty amid
Pope praises recycling in video for 'cartoneros'
The “cartoneros” of the Argentinean capital Buenos Aires search through rubbish to find goods that can be used or recycled. Pope Francis, who hails
'It's Kind of a Funny Story' author Ned Vizzini dies at age 32
Best-selling young adult fiction writer Ned Vizzini, whose 2006 semi-autobiographical novel “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” won plaudits for its
France: Christmas Paris
Twinkling lights, bustling holiday markets, and elaborate window displays light up Paris this December – although consumer spending has reportedly
Brazil: End of the road for motoring icon
The last Volkswagen camper vans will roll off the production line at the end of this month in Brazil – the only country still producing them. More
French company implants first artificial heart
A French company has implanted its first artificial heart, which can beat for up to five years. Carmat says the operation went smoothly and that
French police capture 'St Valentine's Beast'
A serial killer – dubbed the “St. Valentine’s Beast” – was captured on Friday by French police after going on the run from an Italian
South Sudan at risk of civil war - UN warns
The United Nations (UN) has condemned a deadly attack in South Sudan that killed two of its peacekeepers and at least 11 civilians. There is
CAR: Humanitarian chief says ending violence is a priority
There has been a fresh wave of violence in Central African Republic, with shootouts at checkpoints reported on Friday. A mosque was also destroyed
Obama: US needs checks on NSA data gathering
Data collection in the US could be “refined” to give the public more confidence that their privacy is not being violated. President Barack Obama
Madagascar votes in presidential run-off
Madagascar has been voting in round two of a presidential poll, which it is hoped will help one of Africa’s poorest nations emerge from political
Presidential pardon for Khodorkovsky stirs debate
Ex Russian tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky has arrived in Berlin, as debate rages over the reasons behind his release from prison. He was met by former
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2314
|
__label__wiki
| 0.824313
| 0.824313
|
Thousands of tattoo enthusiasts attend Rio de Janeiro artist event
Ghost-like tree sculpture reminds us of the reality of deforestation
Dale Chihuly on his latest exhibition at Kew Gardens
Artist juxtaposes two different worlds in one photo collage
Swedish judge finds A$AP Rocky guilty of assault in Stockholm
The court finds that the defendants were not in a situation where they were entitled to self-defence and that they have assaulted the victim by hitting and kicking him. But the rapper will avoid prison.
10 clever and sustainable design ideas from the future
We examine an array of eco-conscious innovations in design.
Nigerian artist transforms scribbles into creative artwork
Olarinde Ayanfeoluwa has found an unusual way to express herself and create art in Lagos, Nigeria. What starts out as distorted scribbles slowly shapes into portraits as well as cartoon and fantasy characters.
3 artists paying tribute to recycling at Masterpiece London
I spent an afternoon at Masterpiece London and found 3 artists that boast sustainability credentials.
The international art scene in Dubai continues to grow
Art Dubai is one of the highlights on the cultural calendar and features work from 42 countries and around 500 artists all sharing perspective and ideas.
Explore African art: Contemporary creations reflecting diversity is showcasing strongly in Angola
A new generation of contemporary artists from the continent has now become an integral part of the global art scene, and a new generation of artists and gallery owners is growing-up in South Africa, Uganda and Angola.
“Think of your closet like an art gallery”
Our Q&A with ethical fashion blogger Aditi Mayer
New Banksy appears overnight as climate protests finish in London
Suspected Banksy appears with a powerful message in Marble Arch
Artists pick up their pencils to pay tribute to Notre Dame cathedral
Here's our selection of the best images.
Meet Style Icon Debra Rapoport who turns garbage into fashion
An old newspaper or a toilet paper roll can give inspiration for her next one of a kind creation.
Artist David Hockney rescued from lift in Amsterdam
Firefighters were called to Amsterdam's Conservatorium Hotel on Wednesday evening after artist David Hockney found himself stuck in a lift.
Watch: This beautiful octopus was cut out of a single piece of paper
The artist, Masayo Fukuda, is a master of Kirie, an ancient Japanese art form.
Renoir painting stolen at Vienna auction house
"Golfe, mer, falaises vertes" was painted by the French impressionist master in 1895. It's estimated to be worth between €120,000 and €160,000.
More enigmas? New exhibition throws light on da Vinci's notebook
A new exhibition in Florence unlocks the secrets of Leonardo da Vinci's extraordinary notebook, the 'Codex Leicester'.
LA: "Cabinet of Horrors" exhibition
Guerrilla artist known for his grotesque take on American politicians casts an eye on the Trump Administration. Robbie Conal takes aim at everyone from the Vice President Mike Pence to the former advisor Steve Bannon and Kellyanne Conway.
Photojournalist Emily Garthwaite's calling for the untold stories
We spoke to photojournalist Emily Garthwaite about her work as an artist and activist telling untold stories
A dose of kitsch at Paris Expo
An English contemporary artist, well known for his cross dressing as well as his ceramic vases, sculptures and tapestries is showing his works at his first French solo exhibition in Paris
Exiled Syrian artist recreates his suffering in the country's prisons
An exiled Syrian artist has been creating art to capture what he saw and experienced while in prison in his home country.
Hitler salute wolves erected in Chemnitz after far-right protests
Organisers said they wanted to “use the action to protest against increasing hatred and violence”.
Italy: Celebrating the work of artisans
Homo Faber, which means 'man the maker', is open on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, free of charge, until September 30th
Green light for copyright reform
European Union lawmakers voted for the controversial regulations to be redefined. Its aim is to ensure creators of content are paid fairly in a digital world
What not to miss at one of Europe’s biggest photography events
Rencontres d'Arles is one of the biggest photography events in Europe, taking place in Arles in the south of France. Euronews checked out this year’s 49th edition of the festival and recommends the exhibitions projects and the names you should not miss.
Photo exhibit in France celebrates work of foreign photographers in US
On the 60th anniversary of Robert Frank’s book The Americans, when the US seemed to be closing its doors to many, 'The Rencontres d'Arles' annual photography festival invites you to take a look at the work of foreign photographers in the USA.
Watch: Artist creates cameras made of wood
This Russian artist blends his passion for photography and woodwork to develop cameras with shells made of driftwood, pebbles and shells.
This 88-year-old grandmother makes masterpieces with Microsoft Paint
Spanish artists Concha García Zaera, an 88-year-old grandmother from Valencia has become an Instagram sensation.
Watch: Artist uses make-up to draw herself into famous paintings
A Chinese make-up artist has become a viral sensation by transforming her features into famous paintings.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2315
|
__label__wiki
| 0.906042
| 0.906042
|
California deputy arrested in Pa. pot bust
$2 million: That's the value officials put on the 247 pounds of seized marijuana.
California deputy arrested in Pa. pot bust $2 million: That's the value officials put on the 247 pounds of seized marijuana. Check out this story on eveningsun.com: https://evesun.co/1OGFmLl
Nicole Chynoweth, The Evening Sun Published 11:27 a.m. ET Jan. 4, 2016 | Updated 8:18 p.m. ET Jan. 5, 2016
District Attorney Tom Kearney listens to a question posed by the media during a drug bust press conference on Jan. 4, 2016 in Penn Township.(Photo: Clare Becker, The Evening Sun)Buy Photo
An investigation involving several law enforcement agencies ended in police seizing nearly 250 pounds of marijuana from three men, including a California sheriff's deputy, last week, York County District Attorney Tom Kearney said Monday.
THE YORK DAILY RECORD
California deputy busted with pot in York Co.
Police laid out dozens of bags of marijuana, fanned-out $100 and $20 bills, a handgun and other items during a news conference Monday at the Penn Township municipal offices. The evidence was seized during the West Manheim Township drug bust.
Kearney commended the York County Drug Task Force and Penn Township, Springettsbury Township, Hanover Borough and York Area Regional police departments for working together on the investigation that resulted in the arrest of the California deputy and two other men.
The drug bust occurred in the early morning hours of Dec. 29 when police conducted a traffic stop, Kearney said. The three men had allegedly tried to deliver marijuana to a person in the 100 block of Frogtown Road, according to an affidavit filed with District Judge James Miner.
Police found Christopher Mark Heath, 37; Tyler Neil Long, 31 and Ryan Jay Falsone, 27, all of Bangor, California, inside a vehicle with about 122 sealed bags of marijuana and $11,000 in cash, Kearney said.
All three men peacefully surrendered to police, Kearney said. Following his arrest, Heath admitted to being a sheriff's deputy in Yuba County, California.
Police did not know prior to the arrest that Heath worked in law enforcement. He had his badge with him in the vehicle, and police seized his duty firearm, Kearney said.
THE EVENING SUN
Hanover Eagle Cam
"One has to be both saddened and angry when you hear of something like this," Kearney said. "The work that is done by the task force and police officers in general is very dangerous work, and it is made more dangerous by the fact that occasionally there is a bad apple in the barrel."
Hanover Borough Police Chief Chad Martin was also disappointed that a fellow law enforcement official would "sell out all their brothers and sisters for a quick buck."
Kearney said the traffic stop was part of a coordinated effort, planned by the drug task force and the assisting police departments.
"Suffice it to say this was not a routine traffic stop," Kearney said. "We didn't stop this person because they had a bad turn signal."
Both Long and Heath admitted to driving the marijuana from California to Pennsylvania, the affidavit states. The street value of the marijuana is more than $2 million, Kearney said.
Police also took a shirt bearing an image of a pit bull with the phrase "Triple Cross Pitbulls" from one of the men, Kearney said. Police did not elaborate on its meaning beyond saying in California, it is a reference to pit bulls.
Pedestrian struck twice in Route 30 crash
Kearney would not comment on exactly how long police had been working on the investigation, why the men came specifically to Pennsylvania or if it was their first time in York County, citing the ongoing investigation. He also declined to comment on how police received the tip that led to the bust.
He deferred comment regarding the source of the marijuana to Yuba County authorities. who are "conducting a parallel and ongoing investigation," Kearney said.
The marijuana will be destroyed in an incinerator, Kearney said.
Police charged each of the men with possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and criminal conspiracy, according to York County District Court records. All of the charges are felonies.
The three men posted $1 million bail through a Maryland bondsman Dec. 29.
The three men are scheduled for a preliminary hearing Feb. 11 before District Judge James Miner. No other arrests have been made in connection with the investigation. Kearney is not aware of any related charges filed by Yuba County authorities.
District Judge Jeff Joy ordered to stand trial on oppression, indecent assault and other charges
"This is obviously a big operation," he said.
The Appeal Democrat in Marysville, California, reported last week that Heath was on vacation when he was taken into custody in York County.
In California, where Heath has been placed on administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of the charges against him, he was a member of a bi-county drug and gang task force, according to a story by the Appeal Democrat.
Authorities told the Appeal Democrat that they did not believe the marijuana to be part of any evidence seized in investigations by the Yuba County drug task force.
Earlier this year, Heath traveled to Waco, Texas, to testify in a federal case against a man accused of participating in a family-run marijuana trafficking ring, according to the Appeal Democrat. A Waco newspaper reported Heath said he started his investigation into the family in October 2010 after a chance encounter with a family member. Heath testified one of the family members bought a property in the Yuba County foothills and grew marijuana there.
Yuba County officials told the Appeal Democrat that the district attorney's office there will review cases in which Heath was involved.
Aside from triggering "an awful lot of work," Yuba County District Attorney Patrick McGrath said Heath's arrest prompted a feeling of "real deep disappointment."
York Daily Record reporter Rick Lee contributed to this report.
Photos: West Manheim Township Police get festive with Elf on the Shelf
A gun, bills and a shirt displaying a Triple Cross Pitbulls logo were among the items seized by police and displayed during the press conference on Jan. 4, 2016 in Penn Township. (Photo: Clare Becker, The Evening Sun)
The two vehicles parked in front of the Penn Township building were seized during the recent drug bust and were displayed outside during the press conference on Jan. 4, 2016 in Penn Township. (Photo: Clare Becker, The Evening Sun)
Cops about marijuana in York, Pa. in 1933: 'Avoid its use as you would deadly poison'
Read or Share this story: https://evesun.co/1OGFmLl
Police refute attempted kidnapping posts
Fire policeman injured at Adams Co. 2-alarm fire
Borough council tables heated fire ordinance
Will there be a 2020 Gettysburg reenactment?
More than 1,000 without power in Hanover area
Man charged with arson, weapons of mass destruction
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2316
|
__label__wiki
| 0.820043
| 0.820043
|
Kiera Court recently released her debut EP Angry Face & Boat Shoes, three songs that mark out the Essex singer-songwriter as one of the most promising and exciting emerging talents around.
Joanna is the EP's lead track, accompanied by a simple but hugely effective video. It's a song that places her in that radio-friendly zone between indie and pop and her expressive vocals and the deep rich harmonies that accompany them centre stage in front of a punchy repeated beat.
The second track Breath isn't as immediate but demonstrates further breadth to Kiera's vocal range, again over a musical backing that gives it room to breath and seduce the listener as she airily confesses "I'm losing my mind" as a form of mantra.
Kiera saves the best for last though. Hot Mess is a cleverly constructed piece of self-assessment picking over the bones of the confusion of young love - "my pants are on backwards, this is the effect when you say you have no answers for me, at least you're honest." The chorus is a real earworm, Kiera using the song's as an echo with the punchline "if you hadn't guessed."
Angry Face & Boat Shoes is an impressive calling card, three mightily strong and varied in their own right but signposting a blossoming talent who could head off in one or many different directions as her career takes off.
Kiera Court is on Facebook and Twitter.
Labels: Kiera Court
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2317
|
__label__cc
| 0.587071
| 0.412929
|
SVEDKA Samples New Flavors at Artsy Coney Island Parade
Posted on July 11, 2013 by Rachel Boucher
You may think you know all there is to know about Brooklyn’s iconic Coney Island—the historic boardwalk, the rickety roller coaster, the fried clams and Nathan’s Fourth of July hotdog-eating contest. But there is so much more to be discovered in this coastal urban enclave. Like the experience of the glorious Mermaid Parade—a celebration of art, of “high and low culture,” of “ancient mythology and honky-tonk rituals of the seaside” and straight-up eccentricity that has kicked off the summer season now for 30 years.
We arrived at primetime on June 22 and could still shimmy in for a sweet view of the route along Surf Avenue, just one block over from the more densely crowded boardwalk. More than 1,500 participants of every age, creed and color from the five boroughs create floats and costumes (pasties optional) and then march, dance or skate past spectators. There are categories of costumes, but most involve sparkling mermaids, sea creatures, kings and captains. The Mermaid Parade, organized by Coney Island, USA, a local multi-arts organization, lasted about three hours and had its largest attendance yet with 750,000 spectators.
It’s this kind of diverse crowd, cultural draw and strong local spirit that attracted SVEDKA Vodka as a major sponsor. The brand included the parade on a 20-market sampling tour to promote new flavors Orange Cream Pop and Strawberry Colada. The tour kicked off May 18 in Dallas and concludes Oct. 26 at the Taste of Atlanta food festival (Agency: Factory 360, New York City).
SVEDKA had the stand-out presence with its “cube experience” activation, a 16-foot by 16-foot structure with transparent walls located at the popular Peggy O’Neill’s Bar and Grill outside the minor league baseball team Brooklyn Cyclones home stadium. We found it immediately, despite having been several block away, due to two white, jumbo SVEDKA-branded balloons sailing above the crowds. This particular activation focused on the Cream Pop flavor and had a white and orange color scheme. In other markets the brand changes over the color scheme to promote the other flavor.
Last year SVEDKA “tested the waters” with a similar sampling tour format. This year, however, it upped the ante as far as assets, says Diana Pawlik, vp-marketing at SVEDKA.
“We want to be unique and compelling, visually, to attract people, so this year we got the cube—it’s sleek and sophisticated and it stands out and sets a place of its own within events we’re participating in,” she says. “It’s intriguing, too, the mystery of ‘What is it’ and yet, ironically, it is transparent and people can see through it. They just can’t wait to get in and experience what’s going on and be a part of the action.”
Consumers checked-in with IDs and were handed white plastic bracelets with tabs and little graphics representing each station inside the cube. As they moved from experience to experience, they removed the corresponding tab. This method helped control the number of samples handed out, which is regulated by law, but it also established a sense of currency within the space. According to Pawlik, consumers didn’t want to leave without having “spent” all their tabs—a good thing, for sure.
Inside, consumers posed with a giant SVEDKA bottle mounted to the wall that rotated side to side. The bottle cap was removable as an added prop (and boy, did we have fun with this one). Photos snapped from a tablet were sent through email, which included links to share the image on social media. In exchange for sharing, consumers received a sweet pair of branded SVEDKA sunglasses.
At the sampling bar, consumers tried three samples of cocktails created from the Orange Cream Pop flavor, which were promoted on a take-home card. SVEDKA took care to serve quality cocktail samples, rather than the standard vodka soda.
“We’re showing people the latitude and expansiveness of how they can experience and enjoy the flavors, so whether it’s in a slushy format or a shot or on the rocks, it’s three times the opportunity to introduce them to the flavor,” Pawlik says. “It’s all about ‘How do I drink this?’—it’s easy to read a recipe, but if you can experience it and be part of the energy of the environment, I think that resonates.”
From the bar, consumers moved on to a silk-screening station. They could choose one of four options for placement of a custom SVEDKA design, and then brand ambassadors printed the design fresh onto white t-shirts. The t-shirts were then put under a contraption that dried them on the spot.
SVEDKA’s tour route includes events where there is an appreciation for progressive thinking, creativity and culture, such as pride parades, community festivals and food and beverage events. “It’s about something happening that people are excited to be at and we’re the icing on the cake,” Pawlik says.
And to that we say, cheers. Clink.
Who Else Was There?
There were 15 Mermaid Parade sponsors in total, most local businesses or local franchises. Zipcar set up just off Surf Avenue giving members a spin on a prize wheel for a chance at a discount off their next reservation. Those who registered that day received a special MERMAID13 promo code to use for $75 worth of free driving.
Naked Juice sampled near the start of the parade route, while Pabst Blue Ribbon beer sponsored a viewing party float. Many parade goers hit up an after-party (you had to purchase tickets) aboard a three-level river paddleboat, where Pabst served free beer and Naked served free smoothies. Local businesses sponsored other aspects of the party, from food to transportation to the boat.
PHOTOS: Check out scenes from the parade here.
This story appeared in the August 2013 issue
Posted by Rachel Boucher
... View all articles by Rachel Boucher →
Square Enix Touts its Top Titles with Physical Contests
Wendy’s Floats a Sampling Barge for Huskies ‘Sailgaters’ in Seattle
Blue Cross Blue Shield Creates Garden Oasis
Brugal Rum Sets Out to Redefine its Reputation
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2318
|
__label__cc
| 0.679382
| 0.320618
|
Cimbali Group Global Sites
GLOBAL ITALY FRANCE USA GERMANY PORTUGAL SPAIN CHINA
Traditional machines
Grinder-Dosers
Superautomatic Machines
Art&Caffeine
Home > Products > Traditional machines > E71
The best interpreter of master coffee artists
We present you the new E71
A new shape, the same passion
E71 is the machine for baristas who want to transform their passion into art
The best interpreter of master coffee artists.
Dual delivery management
Lever and touch screen
GTi system
Smart Boiler
Autosteam Cold Touch
Wand that avoids burns
SEE ALL TECHNOLOGIES
Designed for barista
RANGE+
TECHNICAL DATA+
TECHNOLOGIES+
DOWNLOAD+
An extraordinary blend of iconic design by Giugiaro Design, cutting-edge technology, and traditional features, it was especially built to provide baristas absolute freedom to express their art.
A new hydraulic circuit with GTi infusion control system that guarantees both high-precision infusion and perfect coffee brew-time regulation.
the choice of working manually or of using the digital control system, with its integrated touchscreen display brings remarkable flexibility and technical innovation to the world of traditional coffee machines.
Designer coffee that celebrates the best qualities and blends in the world, but also the passion and skills of those who still regard coffee as an art.
Where tradition and design blend in
The new FAEMA E71 is a top-of-the-range professional espresso machine. An extraordinary blend of iconic design by Giugiaro Design, cutting-edge technology, and traditional features, it was especially built to provide baristas absolute freedom to express their art:
The lever placed above each grouphead gives the barista total control over the brewing process. Alternatively, the barista can choose digital mode by use of the 4.3" touch screen display. With the “self learning” mode, the barista can set up every display button while managing the coffee delivery cycle with the lever.
Innovative ergonomic solutions
Cold touch steam wand, the new soft touch open-spout portafilters with a specially developed grip angle. An illuminated work area, a flush system to eliminate coffee residues from the previous delivery and a steam wand purge function.
Barawards 2016
Faema E71 has won the Barawards 2016 Innovation of the Year prize in the bar equipment category.
The Good Design Award
FAEMA: the E71 is among the winners of the 66th edition of Good Design™, the most prestigious, renowned and oldest award for design excellence worldwide. The new FAEMA model, designed by Giugiaro Design, is published in the GOOD Design Yearbook 2016-2017, on the websites www.europeanarch.eu and www.chi-athenaeum.org, and is now part of the prestigious permanent collection of the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design dedicated to design.
Subscribe to our newsletter and stay connected to Faema’s world!
Click the below link to download the brochure
SIGN UP FOR FAEMA UPDATES
Don't miss any news
Thanks for signing up to the newsletter
Stay connected to the world and news of Faema.
Profession*
This information is provided pursuant to article 13 of Legislative Decree no. 196/03, regarding the protection of personal data (hereinafter the “Privacy Code”), in relation to the site www.faema.us (hereinafter “the Site”) owned by Gruppo Cimbali S.p.A. - VAT number/Italian Fiscal code and entry number in the Companies Register in Milan: 0905210015, based in Binasco (MI), Via Alessandro Manzoni 17 20082, Tax Code and VAT number 09052100154 (hereinafter“Cimbali”).
1. Data controller and supervisor
The data controller is Cimbali.
The person in charge of data processing is Roberto Chiodini.
For an up-to-date list of data processing supervisors, please submit a request to the email address privacy@gruppocimbali.com
2. Purpose of the data processing operations
The personal details of the User are processed for the following purposes:
a) to allow the User full use of the Site;
b) to allow for commercial and marketing communications to be sent to the User.
3. Processing methods
Processing of User data is automated, and takes place via IT and telecommunication tools, using data processing and organisation software within the scope of the purposes mentioned above, and with a view to ensuring the security and confidentiality of data and communications . The data may also be processed using paper-based methods.
During operation, the IT systems used to operate the Site may acquire certain data, the processing of which is a distinguishing feature of Internet communication protocols. This information, when collected, will be used for the sole purpose of controlling the operating parameters of the site and for obtaining statistical information.
Data in this category includes, for example, the IP addresses of User devices, the number of visits, pages viewed, and the date on which these pages are accessed, along with the URL address of the browser that was open immediately before the page was displayed , the type of web browser and the operating system used.
Navigation data and environmental variables
During normal operation, the IT systems and procedures used to operate the site automatically acquire some personal data relating to the User navigation, including environmental variables.
Cookies are small text files from a particular website downloaded onto the User's device by the browser, and are used to process certain information regarding the User's activity on the internet.
Technical cookies are only used to communicate data within the site or to provide a function or service explicitly requested by the subscriber or User, and are necessary for the correct function of this service.
Disabling and deleting cookies
Because cookies are plain text files, they can be accessed using word processing programs.
In any case, it is possible to configure your browser in order to prevent it from using cookies. Below, for illustrative purposes only, are instructions on how to disable and delete cookies from major web browsers:
Delete/disable cookies in Firefox:
Delete/disable cookies in Explorer:
http://windows.microsoft.com/it-IT/windows-vista/Delete-your-Internet-cookies
Delete/disable cookies in Chrome:
Alternatively, users can disable Google Analytics only, using the opt-out plug-in provided by Google for major browsers.
Data provided voluntarily by the user
Data freely and voluntarily provided by Users by sending emails to the addresses listed on the site may be accessed for the purposes indicated in each case.
Specifically, in addition to the email address required to reply to the sender, any other personal data contained in the message may also be used.
The information collected will be stored and processed exclusively for keeping a record of the communications received, and will not be used for other purposes.
The details freely and voluntarily provided by users through the relevant registration form is acquired for the purposes referred to in Paragraph b), Point 2.
In particular, the following data are used:
Business function
• Roaster
• Supplier
• Bartender
These data thus collected will be stored and processed exclusively for the above purposes.
4. Mandatory or optional nature of data provision
With regard to the purposes referred to in Paragraph A), Point 2), with the exception of the details specified above regarding navigation data and technical cookies, the provision of any other personal information requested from Users of the Site is optional and entirely at the discretion of the User.
Failure to provide the personal data by the User for these purposes will in no way be detrimental to the latter.
With regard to the processing of personal data as referred to in Paragraph b) of Point 2), the provision of User consent is entirely optional; however, if consent is not provided, the User will be unable to receive commercial and promotional communications.
5. Scope of communication
For the above purposes, the employees of Cimbali charged with handling data may be able to access information relating to the User.
Furthermore, OgilvyOne Srl may also have access to the above-mentioned information, in their capacity as data controllers.
Data may be shared both inside and outside of the EU.
Users' personal data will not be disclosed.
6. Rights of the individual
Pursuant to Article 7, Legislative Decree 196/03, the User, as the subject of the data, has the right to obtain confirmation as to whether or not personal data concerning him/her exist, even if this information has not yet been recorded, and is entitled to receive details of this data in intelligible form.
The individual has the right to obtain information in relation to:
• origin of the data;
• purpose of the data processing;
• method of processing;
• identifying details of the data controller and supervisors;
• the subject to whom the data can be communicated.
The individual to whom the data relates also has the right to obtain:
• updates, corrections or additions to the data collected;
• the deletion, anonymization or blocking of data processed in violation of the law, including information that does not need to be kept for the purposes for which it was collected or subsequently processed;
• confirmation that the operations mentioned above have been made known to those to whom the data was communicated or disclosed, except where this proves impossible or involves the use of means that are clearly disproportionate to the rights being protected.
The subject of data has the right to object, in whole or in part:
• to the processing of personal data concerning him/her or to the scope of the collection, for legitimate reasons;
• to the processing of personal data for the purpose of sending advertising material.
Motions pursuant to Article 7 of Legislative Decree no. 196/03 should be sent directly to Cimbali at the email address privacy@gruppocimbali.com. Alternatively, communications of this type can be sent by registered letter to Cimbali at Via Manzoni 17, 20082 Binasco (MI).
This policy may be subject to changes over time.
Users are therefore invited to consult this page regularly.
Milan, 20 October 2015
Accept*
Faema world
GRUPPO CIMBALI S.P.A.
P.I./C.F. and inscription no. in the Milan Register of Companies: 09052100154
Capital Stock: € 6.600.000,00
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2324
|
__label__wiki
| 0.798848
| 0.798848
|
“If I Don’t Knock Him Out It Don’t Count”
Update In Kovalev Assault Trial
Now that Sergey Kovalev’s battle to retain the WBO light heavyweight title has come and gone, the now-former world champion must deal with a pending felony case.
An initial trial date of November 25th has been rescheduled to January 6th, 2020 during a pre-trial hearing on Monday inside the Superior Court of California in San Bernadino County.
Kovalev stands trial for felony assault for which he was arrested for back in June in Big Bear, California.
The alleged victim, Jamie Frontz, who also has a civil suit against Kovalev, who is claimed to have attacked Frontz after she rejected his advances at a party they both were attending.
According to statements given by Frontz, Kovalev and an associate followed her to her cabin, where she alleges to have suffered a broken nose, a concussion, and a displaced disk in her neck due to a punch from the former world champion.
“We conducted a preliminary hearing on April 4th, 2019 where Mr. Kovalev was held to answer, meaning a judge determined that there was sufficient evidence for the case to proceed to trial,” Jason Liso, lead deputy district attorney for San Bernardino County told Boxing Scene earlier this year. “Mr. Kovalev is charged with California Penal Code Section 245(a)(4) as a felony, which has a maximum punishment of four years in the state prison.”
“Mr. Kovalev is still facing criminal charges, and is currently scheduled to stand trial,” Liso confirmed to BoxingScene.com following the report that the trial date had been moved once again.
BoxingFIGHT SPORTSSergey Kovalev
Mayweather Done With “Brutal” Sport Of Boxing
Update On Conor-Cowboy Negotiations
Woodley-Edwards To Headline UFC London
Costa’s Return May Put Romero’s Title Shot At Risk
Usyk Plans For Spring Return For WBO Title
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2329
|
__label__cc
| 0.743183
| 0.256817
|
Bernie V Lopez
Eastwind Memoirs
TO THE MILLIONS of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) worldwide, who cannot come home for Christmas, this true story is for you.
At the age of 26, I left New York City to embark on an adventure of a lifetime, dubbed eastwind, hitchhiking 25,000 kilometers for 3 long years, drifting through 18 countries in Europe and North Africa. The story below is an excerpt from a book I subsequently wrote – Wings and Wanderlust – the Art of Discovering Your Inner Self.
I arrived in Athens, hitchhiking from Rome to Bari, took a ship to Dubrovnic in the former Yugoslavia, then to Athens, melting pot of stray North African drifters. I was the only Filipino drifter. The rest of the Pinoys were mostly chambermaids, sailors, and musicians. This was in the mid-70s.
Christmas was around the corner. Weeks before, I knew I would get homesick. I never spent one Christmas outside the warmth of home and family. I met a Sudanese guy, a Jewish girl and a host of Arabs and North Africans in my cheap hostel. Drifters and refugees seeking jobs stuck together like magnet, becoming instant friends.
Early Christmas eve, I was in panic where to go and what to do at midnight. I could look for Filipino sailors in Pireaus or just get drunk. I chose the latter. I collected money from the guys (about ten of us), announcing a midnight drinking party. Everyone screamed. I bought the terrible cheap Greek wine called retsina, which smelled like aviation gas. I also got vodka, gin and tequila, enough to trigger a nuclear blast. Arabs and Jews normally did not celebrate Christmas but the holiday feeling was in the air in Athens, so we had this grand party at the hostel. Arabs also normally did not drink. Not this bunch.
It was a wild noisy party. At eleven o’clock in the evening, we were all goners. I tried to hide my loneliness and depression, but everyone, especially the keen Jewish girl, could see it. They were trying to comfort me. After all, I was the only Christian in a sea of Islam and Judaism. At half past eleven, I stood up, wobbled a bit, and quietly sneaked out. No one would not miss me because everyone was drunk.
The cold December air and the sudden silence jarred me from my stupor. I instinctively walked towards music I could hear. My hair stood on end and my drunk state vanished momentarily. It was a midnight Mass, an oasis in the middle of a vast desert. The church was overflowing, so I stayed outside the entrance. They sang “Oh Holy Night”, and my eyes were getting wet.
I felt guilty but it was better going to Christmas mass drunk than not going at all. It was my total refuge from my total loneliness, the warmth of the church with many people singing carols – from deafening noise to silence, from wildness to serenity, from drunkenness to solemnity. It was a wide pendulum swing. I wanted to go to communion, but changed my mind, as I might trip along the aisle. I just prayed and sang ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ with the crowd. Bethlehem was just a stone’s throw away. More, five stones perhaps.
Almost at the end of the mass, someone elbowed me. It was the Jewish girl. I turned around and saw the whole gang. They followed me to church. They wrapped the vodka and gin in paper bags. They started giggling. I was embarrassed as church-goers started staring. But then again, I was touched. Friends who did not believe in Christmas believed in friendship. They came to Mass to share themselves with me on this precious day. I was almost in tears. That was the greatest Christmas gift on the road, given by a bunch of non-Christians. We left and were rowdy in the streets, shouting and singing, as we went back to the hostel. They sang strange Arab songs. My loneliness disappeared.
“Hey, guys, thanks. I really appreciate it,” I said.
“We’re all in the same boat, Bernie, remember,” the Jewish girl answered. “We’re all away from home. We have to stick together. Especially in our moments of being alone. We are family.”
I embraced her and the guys hooted, pushing us to each other. Back at the hostel, I asked for an attendance report. Everyone shouted his/her origin – Tel Aviv, Khartoum, Marrakesh, Manila, Cairo, Dakar, Tunis. I forget the others. Come to think of it, they were more Muslim North Africans rather than Arabs, descendants of Bedouins and Berbers, nomads of the Sahara converted to Islam. They were mostly escaping the physical poverty of their North African homelands, looking for jobs in Athens, or going north to Paris or London or Copenhagen. I and the Jewish girl were escaping the spiritual poverty of affluent societies. Whereas the North Africans were looking for jobs, the Jewish girl and I were looking for ourselves.
We slept at about three in the morning only because there were no more to drink and the stores were closed. Everybody piled back to their rooms. I would never forget that Christmas. Like in Las Palmas, Andorra, Algarve, Pisa, Munich, Grenoble, Marseilles, and many other places, I had this gift of serendipity, the gift of ‘accidentally’ bumping into good people and good places on the road. That is my Christmas story.
To the OFWs out there, when the opportunity comes, drop everything and take wings, while you are young or not so young. Eastwind may never blow your way again.
[Any feedback please to Bernie V. Lopez, eastwindreplyctr@gmail.com. Please copy to filipino.chronicles@gmail.com]
welcome to fILIPINO cHRONICLES
We hope to see you visit regularly as we update these pages with thought provoking, informative and entertaining pieces. If you have anything worth sharing with out wider audience, please kindly let us know.
filipinochronicles@gmail.com
FOLLOW THE ARTIFACT:
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2330
|
__label__wiki
| 0.559544
| 0.559544
|
The Victim (2011) 720p & 1080p Bluray Free Download
Ganre : Thriller
MPA : R
Screen Resolution : 1280x720 I 1920x1080
File Size : 1.00 GB I 1.53 GB
Duration : 1h 23min
Annie's (Jennifer Blanc) life is in jeopardy after she's witnessed the horrific rape and murder of her closest friend. Fleeing from two attackers (Ryan Honey, Denny Kirkwood) she stumbles across kyle (Michael Biehn), a recluse living in the middle of the woods. Kyle finds the stillness of the woods comforting. The ruggedly handsome loner stays far from civilization - that is - until a single knock on his door throws his solitary life into chaos. Two worlds collide in this psychological thriller that will make you question your trust in mankind.
This is The Victim (2011) Free Download Page. This page contains The Victim (2011) Free Movie Link, The Victim (2011) Full Movie Online, The Victim (2011) Watch Online HD, The Victim (2011) Full Movie Free Download in HD, The Victim (2011) Movie Download Google Drive. You can free download The Victim (2011) by direct link Or Watch Online for Free. Enjoy The Victim (2011) HD Movie Free Download.
As dull as the film is, I give it major credit for at least giving me chills halfway through, & being able to set an extremely unnerving atmosphere. Plus it's eerie music makes it even creepier, but that's as positive as I can get. There's nothing really that redeeming about it it even original about it other than the music, & atmosphere, so it's a bit of a lame film.It tried as a ghost story, & even added the sentimental value, which did get to me, but the films overall execution really just wasn't well done. I did love the lead character & his love interest (again, the sentimental thing), but the films unnecessary & typical ending also comes close to ruining the entirety of it.Other than that its not the worst horror film out there, it's just a good time killer.
Movies like this are hard for me to watch. I'm black. I will never see movies from these time periods and be okay with the way things were. Knowing the way things were, it floors me that people are so bothered by Trump. As if HE is the WORSE part of what is this country. As if he does not represent what is AMERICA? He doesn't bother me..he is honest..he is what is real. That is why people don't like him...he shows Americas true colors... Anyway this movie it was.. decent. my issue is not with the movie. It is with the past of course. America should not have competed in Olympics held by Nazi's. Its ridiculous. It is because people respect and love the Olympics so much that it should never have been allowed to be hosted by Nazi's!
this movie was real lame and kind of disappointing as a Adam Sandler fan you watch this and your like yuck the first couple scenes when he's in the other country were kind of funny and clever but it seems after Chris rock gives him the cab ride and he's in new York the movie turns south it gets unfunny lame boring and predictable real quick and do you really have to throw rob schineder in here I think they should have made zohan a superhero or something like that would have been a better movie I would have rather seen Adam kick ass than suck ass
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2332
|
__label__cc
| 0.530619
| 0.469381
|
GoetheanumFund
Have you joined us already?
Your gifts go to work
The Climate Needs our Changes Now
Preparations full of biodynamism
The multiple effects of mistletoe on cancer
The misconception of boundless growth
Allow us our childhood
We reap what we sow
The bees and us
Social Therapy and Curative Education
Education and Early Childhood
Medicine, Therapy and Healthcare
Cow horns, more than a decoration
Cow dung is valuable as fertilizer
Biodynamic agriculture enhances soil fertility
Organic agriculture produces less CO2 emissions
Do cows have horns? What do you think?
Creativity in agriculture
News - May 2009
News - November 2009
News - October 2010
Peter Kunz, seed selector (left): a charismatic pioneer achieves his aims
Pioneer work for tomorrow’s bread
Based in Hombrechtikon, Peter Kunz’s ‘Wheat Research’ business has been conducting research for 25 years on wheat and spelt varieties specially suited to organic agriculture.
There was once a young, very idealistic agronomist, who made it his task to cultivate wheat and spelt varieties suited to organic agriculture. After achieving the first cross-breeding of two cereals in 1984, he created his first variety of spelt, ‘Alkor’. Since then his business has grown to a dozen employees.
Perseverance pays.
In the first years, the new seeds changed hands only among bio-dynamic farms, because the market was strictly regulated. At the time, to create one’s own seeds was considered completely utopian, because the cultivation of cereals was entirely a matter for public authorities.
Peter Kunz and his colleagues succeeded in their objectives, despite such a setback as the loss of their entire stock due to a flood. Finally, in 1996, ‘Alkor’ was officially recognised as a seed variety and, in 2000, definitively authorised.
The cultivation of cereal varieties specially adapted to organic farming meets a great need, particularly from agronomy, baking and nutritional points of view. One can hardly imagine that, in Switzerland and Germany, there are now 16 officially listed varieties of organic wheat and spelt created by Peter Kunz.
Consolidating success for his anniversary.
This year Peter Kunz’s business celebrated its 25th year. Throughout that time, its work has been supported by donations from both individuals and foundations now numbering 250 and 12 respectively.
www.peter-kunz.ch
Isidor Steinemann, courageous and active
The “GEN Child” of Isidor
In the first week of July, non-GM Swiss agriculture received powerful support from Isidor Steinermann from Arlesheim, near Basel. On his own initiative, this 11 year old Steiner school pupil collected more than 700 signatures in favour of non-GM natural agriculture. But he did not want to send his petition by post to its intended recipient, the Economics Minister, Doris Leuthard; so he took it on foot from Basel to Berne!
Isidor had the idea in the spring of 2008, after having taken part in a ‘Sow the Future’ demonstration. He met with a lot of support, and in the summer of 2008 went with his mother to reconnoitre the route and organise overnight stays on farms.
His parents supported the initiative. Some friends went with him, bringing with them their parents and other friends. In the end, 30 to 40 people took part in the march, which set off from Basel on Sunday 28 June. The ‘action’ was called ‘GEN Child’.
As the Economy Minister was away on 4 July, when Isidor arrived in Berne, she could not herself receive the signatures. So Isidor took his petition to the national office of Basel’s Federal Representative, Mayn Graf, who then passed it on to the Minister.
The next day, at the Annual Meeting of the Swiss Biodynamic Association, Isidor was rewarded for his ‘action’, with a gratis membership until the age of 25.
– Alfred Schädeli
Agriculture reinforces therapy
I am in my third year of a biodynamic training. I also work with people with special needs.
Melchior Pfeil, Student
I have discovered that farming can be an important part of therapy, because it helps people with special needs to have their feet on the ground. Later on, I would like to work in biodynamic agriculture as an ergotherapist.
Full of vitality at the full moon
Sowing apple seeds just before the full moon increases the vitality of the trees.
Today, a wide range of apple varieties depend on direct protection of their trees. These varieties are so often affected by illnesses such as scab and mildew that their apples are of bad quality. The trees also suffer. Niklaus Bolliger of ‘Poma Culta’, experiments with biodynamic methods to strengthen and increase the sustainability and health of apple trees. He has shown that seeds sown at the time of full moon have greater vitality, and that regular treatment by curative eurythmy for a couple of weeks after sowing has very positive effects. These trials are only at their beginning, but the first results encourage one to continue.
Niklaus Bolliger: sustainably strengthening plants with gentle methods.
Contact Links Privacy Policy Impressum Sitemap
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2338
|
__label__wiki
| 0.830604
| 0.830604
|
Steam Vulnerability Impacts 96 Million Windows Users
Gordon Kelly Senior Contributor
I write about technology's biggest companies
If you thought it was only Windows 10 that was having a tough time, think again. Microsoft recently confirmed new wormable vulnerabilities across every major version of Windows and now there’s a new problem for millions of Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 users.
Windows 10, Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 Steam users all face a new vulnerability
Steve Kotecki
Picked up by the always excellent BleepingComputer, a new Steam Windows client zero-day privilege escalation vulnerability has been published by Russian researcher Vasily Kravets just weeks after he discovered a similar earlier hack. And it affects every single version of Windows running the Steam client.
“[W]ith Steam having over 100 million registered users and 96.28% of them are running Windows according to the Steam Hardware & Software Survey: July 2019, the systems of roughly 96 million of them are currently affected,” explains BleepingComputer. And Windows 10 accounts for over 71% of them.
The vulnerability allows attackers to elevate their permissions on a target computer using a technique known as BaitAndSwitch through the Steam client.
"Achieving maximum privileges can lead to much more disastrous consequences,” explains Kravets. “For example, disabling firewall and antivirus, rootkit installation, concealing of process-miner, theft any PC user’s private data - is just a small portion of what could be done." He also illustrates this in a pair of videos, one of which you can see below.
For its part, Valve has acknowledged the problem and also apologised to Kravets after it banned him from the company’s HackerOne bug bounty program after his first hack (Kravets released this new one in protest). As for a fix, Valve said it has put some fixes into its beta channel but the vast majority of users are outside this and still waiting for a full fix.
While a lot can be laid at Microsoft’s door for its recent mistakes and subtle deceptions, this one is on Valve. That said, the result is the same: once again, millions of Windows users have seen their systems compromised and they won’t care whose fault it is.
Follow Gordon on Twitter and Facebook
More On Forbes
Microsoft Confirms Windows 10 1903 Update Problems, Promises Fix
Microsoft Warns New Vulnerabilities Impact Every Version Of Windows 10
Microsoft Starts Pushing Windows 10 1903 Upgrade To Users
Microsoft Admits Windows 10 Registry Backups Don't Work
Toolbox Vulnerability Impacts Millions Of Microsoft Windows 10 Users
Gordon Kelly
I am an experienced freelance technology journalist. I have written for Wired, The Next Web, TrustedReviews, The Guardian and the BBC in addition to Forbes. I began in
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2344
|
__label__wiki
| 0.89696
| 0.89696
|
KRANGLAN BROADCAST (SWEDEN) 9 Titles
Go to Item :
viewing 1 To 9 of 9 items
Items Per Page : 25 50 100
BJORK, HARALD
Kris & Konflikthantering III/III
KRANGLAN BROADCAST
KLN 009EP
$12.50 LOW STOCK LEVEL
Kris & Konflikthantering III/III is the final ending of the Kris & Konflikthantering series with two, 14-minute plus tracks. One dedicated to the ancient rave grounds of Hellasgarden where it all began in terms of dancing in dirty fields lit by sonar sweeps from the broadcast masts and strobes visible all the way to the city. On the B side is the very live version of "Sabor Latino", birds from the garden, hypnotic basses from the MC-202 and shimmering arps from the sun, a sunrise anthem in its own. Edition of 300. Comes with printed sleeve.
Kris & Konflikthantering II/III
Harald Björk presents tracks from his live repertoire, while Ada, the queen of Pampa, Areal, and Kompakt, delivers a remix of "Sabor Latino" from Björk's Studio Barnhus debut, the 2015 Fritids EP (BARN 036EP). This is the second of the three-part Kris & Konflikthantering release; Björk put this work together while taking a course called "Kris & Konflikthantering," which translates to "crisis and conflict management." He created Kris & Konflikthantering in semi-unconscious conditions and recorded it on the Studer B67 master tape recorder, the heart of the Kranglan Broadcast studio.
LOKATT
Karg EP
Techno pop from the woods of Sweden, courtesy of producer duo Lokatt. Dark, dreamy, and danceable. Drum machines, Mellotron, synthesizers, and Nina and Johanna Piroth's characteristic vocal harmonies conjure floating, barren landscapes influenced by the sisters' background in the indie pop scene. The Karg EP follows Lokatt's well-received 2015 debut single "The Hill." Co-released by Harald Björk's Kranglan Broadcast label and Lokatt's Oma Gusti Records. Artwork by Stina Göthlander.
Kris & Konflikthantering I/III
Vinyl only. Limited edition of 300. Printed sleeve with artwork by Malin Gabriella Nordin. Harald Björk put together this work while taking a course called "Kris & Konflikthantering," which translates to "crisis and conflict management." Björk created Kris & Konflikthantering in semi-unconscious conditions -- all recorded on the Studer B67 master tape recorder, the heart of the Kranglan Broadcast studio. This first EP of the three-part release contains three tracks with traces from Björk's 2015 Fritids EP on Studio Barnhus (BARN 036EP), as well as a remix by Petter Nordkvist under yet another moniker.
Estelle EP
If you like the sound of "cheap" analog synthesizers from the mid-'80s, drum machines and strangely-pitched human voices, this might be the record for you. A small warning about the quite melodic and poppy arrangement -- it is not minimal, nor pure drones. Sorry. This EP has nothing to do with the Skoda Estelle car, even though some instruments used on the songs were produced during the same years. The Estelle EP is more or less a result of the new Kranglan.
PIROTH
Piroth Remixed
KLN 002CD
Electronic, danceable pop meets industrial, dark techno. It's the first time you can hear the folk-pop songs of Piroth in these free interpretations. Piroth Remixed is a collaboration between the Swedish label Kranglan Broadcast and Oma Gusti Records. The release consists of six remixes of songs by the Swedish folk-pop duo Piroth. The remixes are made by some of the finest electronic producers such as Popnoname (Kompakt/Firm/Italic), DisRelatedKin (Ministry of Sound/Kitsuné), Harald Björk (Kranglan Broadcast), Studio Barnhus (Petter Nordkvist, Axel Boman, Kornél Kovács) (Studio Barnhus/Border Community/Pampa Records/Ourvision Recordings), Clara Moto (Infiné) and Nathan Fake (Border Community). The mastering was done by Stefan Echinger aka Lopazz. The artwork and cover design was done by Kheira Linder at Meedchen.de.
Bigfield
Harald Björk grew up in a Stockholm suburb surrounded by musicians and nature. His interest in recording sounds started when he, as a child, stumbled upon his father's old tape recorder, a machine that quickly became his favorite toy. Lots of mixtapes and a Nirvana-influenced punk band soon followed. As a teenager, Harald bought his first decks and started DJing hip-hop. Soon, he got in touch with the early Swedish techno scene. A creative year in Berlin resulted in releases on Deep Focus, Traum Schallplatten and Apparillo Music. After moving back to Stockholm, Harald started working on various music projects as well as touring live. At the end of 2009, his own record label KrangIan Broadcast was born, releasing the mesmerizing Kranglan EP as its first output. In 2010, Harald played at some of the biggest festivals and clubs in Sweden. The time has come for Bigfield, his debut album for Kranglan Broadcast. Harald Björk's music is a naive and emotional, melodic type of techno with a melancholy Scandinavian touch. His music can be described as a mixture between the playfulness of Aphex Twin and the poppy electronica of early Röyksopp spiced with techno beats à la Berlin and Cologne. Harald's tracks are often appreciated by followers of labels like Border Community, Kompakt and Cocoon. His records are played by DJs like James Holden, Sven Väth, Miss Kittin and Four Tet, amongst others. In his live performances, Harald uses a computer brimful of chopped-up, raw emotion and an army of machines and controllers used to build up atmospheres of innocent love and sweet frustration. Bittersweet melodic adventures escalate into explosive breakdowns, winding up into motorik beats. Listening through Bigfield, it's clear why many people consider Harald one of the finest producers of electronic music today. Every single sound is pure perfection, the colors are vivid, the arrangements to the point yet never less than enigmatic. What's more important is that he's got soul, oceans of it. Harald is a true romantic artist, constantly returning to the same themes of nostalgia, understated euphoria and sunshine over snowy landscapes. Bigfield is one of those rare albums that will make listeners dance, weep and smile in equal parts.
Kranglan EP
The Kranglan EP by Harald Björk is the first record to be released on Kranglan Broadcast. The record holds three productions of pure naïve emotions that together summarize memories of childhood surroundings and its environmental changes. The record is manufactured in a production of 500 and comes with a full-color LP-sleeve. The artwork is made by the German illustrator Kheira Linder. The artwork is based on an idea by Harald Björk and pictures of the Nacka nature reserve taken by photographer Jesper Tengwall.
Bigfield Remixed
$12.50 NOT IN STOCK
Bigfield Remixed is the follow-up to Harald Björk's debut album Bigfield, which was released on Kranglan Broadcast in 2010. On this limited 300 copies 12", three original songs are reworked by Axel Boman, Fairmont and Kate Wax. As a bonus, there are two original album tracks on the B-side, "Din," and the 10-minute exploding title track.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2345
|
__label__wiki
| 0.914146
| 0.914146
|
Hava, Maryam, Ayesha: How Sahraa Karimi's film subverts silence to talk about women's trauma in Afghanistan
Arshia Dhar
Dec 16, 2019 14:22:12 IST
An image of seemingly three Afghan women in skirts, walking down the streets of Kabul in 1972, set next to a picture of scores of them, all clad in identical blue burqas covering every inch of their beings, with a timestamp that reads 'Kabul, 2013', has been doing the rounds on the internet for quite some time now. Going beyond its authenticity, the photograph poignantly captures how a society and culture were decimated by religious extremists, with women shouldering the greater part of its fall.
Cut to 2019, and the country's national film agency — the Afghan Film Organisation — once quashed like every other such institution in Afghanistan, is now being resurrected by a female filmmaker named Sahraa Karimi, who's also reportedly the first woman in her country to have received a PhD in cinema.
These nuggets of information are key to establishing the premise against which Karimi's Hava, Maryam, Ayesha — recently screened at the 25th Kolkata International Film Festival — will be dissected for its merits and flaws. The film is almost symptomatic of the politics prevailing in Afghanistan, that's still stumbling under the yoke of an insurgent Taliban.
The stories of the three title characters, Hava, Maryam, and Ayesha, are held together by their common plight of being pregnant in modern-day Kabul. Despite the varying conditions under which each of them has conceived, the film plaintively underlines the universal status of women as second-class citizens, especially in war-torn parts of the world where privilege barely cuts it for anyone besides a certain class of men.
Hava, played by Arezoo Ariapoor, is heavily pregnant in the first track of the film. And yet, she draws little to no sympathy from her husband or father-in-law, who seem oblivious to her condition as she toils around the house, climbing up rickety ladders and ducking mousetraps. The misogyny here is brash, almost jarring, bereft of nuances that may have perhaps added some lyricism to the screenplay. It's as good as a documentary, but we aren't complaining. In a world of unforgiving realities, sugarcoated fiction can only come across as disservice to its people.
Arezoo Ariapoor as Hava in Hava, Maryam, Ayesha. YouTube screenshot.
Ariapoor brings a heartbreaking tenderness to her performance as Hava. Your soul can't anything but bleed for her, as she struggles to get back up on her feet after falling on the cold concrete courtyard in one scene. And yet, there's a steely resolve in her spirit that refuses to settle for anything less than what she deserves.
The arid, colourless landscape looks intimidating, with women seeming visibly awkward, almost out-of-place in an all-male world. In this real-world dystopia, a woman's existence is an act of rebellion in itself, and the screenplay upholds this pathos a little too effectively, to the point of being overwhelmingly disorienting. However, it is precisely at this point that the film begins to falter, as it transitions into Maryam's track through Hava's television screen.
A newsreader by profession, Fereshta Afshar's Maryam seems to inhabit a world that barely resembles her predecessor's. Men cower in her presence, as she struts around calling the shots in a rundown TV station, before making her way back home to a mysterious phone call over countless cigarettes and glasses of whiskey. The following scenes reveal how a once-married Maryam, now pregnant with the child of her philandering ex-husband, struggles to reclaim her life. While on the one side lies her hard-earned 'western' education, — similar to the one Karimi has been exposed to — on the other stands the reality of the world she wishes to uplift and simultaneously escape. It's a veritable Catch 22 for Maryam.
Fereshta Afshar as Maryam in Hava, Maryam, Ayesha. YouTube screenshot.
The premise is promising, but its execution leaves much to be desired. Maryam's track, — or the bridge connecting Hava and Ayesha's stories — is the only one that deviates from the film's documentary-like tenor. The palette and hues are darker, warmer, often strangely misty, lending the scenes a nightmarish quality. There's an acute sense of claustrophobia, as Maryam paces from one room to the next, donning her white wedding gown in a nod to Miss Havisham, roving around like a spectre.
While it all sounds delicious on paper, Karimi's screenplay fails to deliver dialogues (in this case, the audience gets to hear only Maryam's side of a telephonic conversation that she has with her ex-husband) that don't sound straight out of an amateur middle-school play. Afshar evidently struggles to emote while rattling off her story in the most prosaic words possible. The director obviously strives to find her footing in a non-reportage mode of storytelling, making the second track look oddly out of place in the film. It sits uncomfortably between Hava and Ayesha's episodes, followed by a jerky transition into the latter's track.
Hasiba Ebrahimi as Ayesha in Hava, Maryam, Ayesha. YouTube screenshot.
Ayesha (played by Hasiba Ebrahimi) is the youngest of the three women, and incidentally Hava's neighbour. Her mother, the anxious widow Belqeis (played by Sabera Sadat), has arranged for her teenage daughter to get married off to her cousin, oblivious of her affair and subsequent pregnancy. With Ayesha's story, the film attains its cinematic crescendo, as Karimi slips back into her familiar territory of cinéma vérité. Ebrahimi, who happens to be the only one among the leads with some prior experience in front of the camera, holds her own as the desperate, yet determined young girl, aspiring to transcend her circumstances.
But what stands out through the course of the film — and might I suggest, almost inadvertently — is a palpable discomfort in the way women in this part of the world communicate with each other, notwithstanding their relationships. Being a woman, it's rather challenging to watch fellow women in 2019 grapple for a vocabulary that does justice to their pain, collectively and individually. And it is precisely at this moment that silence becomes the language of the disempowered. Fortunately, Karimi employs this trope powerfully in the closing scene, where Hava, Maryam, and Ayesha, completely unaware of each other's lives, are seen sitting close together, waiting their turn at the physician's clinic.
Sahraa Karimi's film has travelled to several festivals ever since its release, garnering immense support from the global film community, with the likes of Angelina Jolie championing it. Going beyond the mundane technical double Dutch, one is often humbly reminded of what cinema and the arts really stand for — stories and the people inhabiting them. And undeniably, Karimi manages to achieve just that with this film.
tags: Afghan cinema , Afghan film industry , Afghan films , Afghanistan , Angelina Joli , Film Review , hava maryam ayesha , KIFF , Kolkata International Film Festival , Kolkata International Film Festival 2019 , Sahraa Karimi , Taliban
Two US troops killed by roadside bomb in Afghanistan's Kandahar; Taliban claims responsibility for attack
Fate of 10 Indian widows of Islamic State terrorists, imprisoned in Afghanistan, casts new light on movement that led dozens from Kashmir to Kerala into Nangarhar
Gul Makai trailer: Reem Shaikh plays youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai in upcoming biopic
1Hava, Maryam, Ayesha: How Sahraa Karimi's film subverts silence to talk about women's trauma in Afghanistan
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2347
|
__label__cc
| 0.541335
| 0.458665
|
CALL US (01924) 404818
Female Vocalists
Duos/Groups
Joe Hodgkinson
Great Male Vocalist
Exclusive to Flair Entertainments
Recommended & Popular Artiste
Available Midweek & Weekends
Boy George Tribute Show Available
Theatre Performer
Featured Backing Dancer on the Brit Awards
As seen on Stars In Their Eyes
Professional Actor
Full Public Liability & PAT Testing
Available UK Nationwide & Internationally
Download Publicity
Joe has always been an entertainer and has performed on stage for as long as he can remember in one way or another and in 2010 decided to take to the stage with his solo show
Due to his ability to connect with all kinds of audiences and to adapt to almost any kind of performance venue he has managed to travel the world with his show, taking him to Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Madeira and, for one night only, New York
A performer of instinct and ample experience in performing in professional full scale productions, Joe has a flair for portraying songs that everyone knows and loves in a way that leaves the listener moved by the raw emotion in them
Although his roots are placed in musical theatre, he draws inspiration from many different performance and musical influences and is able to adapt to all kinds of styles and genres including rock, pop, chart pop, reggae, soul, Motown and much more… Joe was featured as a backing dancer on "the Brit awards" 2008/2009 and made his somewhat most flamboyant screen appearance when he was a contestant on "stars in their eyes" in 2006 when he emerged through the smoky doorway as Jake Sheirs of the Scissor Sisters
Joe also works as a professional actor and director working in theatre, film, TV and radio
Enquiry aboute Joe Hodgkinson
Similar Artistes
Andy Gale
Brilliant Personality Vocalist
Andy Lee Marsh
Brilliant Guitar Vocalist
Tribute to Boy George
Soul & Motown Show
Superb Male Vocalist
Please fill out the form below...
A member of our friendly team will get back to you within the next few hours..
Looking for the perfect entertainment
for your venue or event?
Our office is open Monday to Friday 10am - 5pm
CONTACT 01924 404818
Flair House, 28, Cornmill Lane,
Liversedge, West Yorkshire, WF15 7DZ
email: enquiry@flairentertainments.co.uk
Flair Entertainments established in 1984 and is one of the North’s leading entertainment agencies.With over 30 years of experience supplying top quality entertainment for live music venues, corporate functions, weddings, celebrations, festivals and Holiday Parks.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2350
|
__label__wiki
| 0.882105
| 0.882105
|
Games Like Lists
Quick Games Like List
Gaming Gadget Lists
Other Gaming Lists
Best Gaming Blogs
Movies Like Lists
TV Shows Like Lists
20 Classic Isometric Role-Playing Games Like Baldur’s Gate
Mainstream and little-known isometric RPGs to whet your 'old-skool' gaming appetite!
Kathryn Haro April 1, 2016 4 Comments Games Like Lists
Baldur’s Gate took the gaming world by storm back in 1998 and still remains one of the most beloved isometric role-playing games of all-time, with its sequel (Baldur’s Gate 2) enjoying similar cult standing. Set within the Forgotten Realms universe, these games featured deep character developments and fascinating story-arcs that had players hooked as they roamed the world for rare equipment, slayed monsters, and completed a variety of quests. Thankfully, Baldur’s Gate I and II are not the only classic RPGs that have gracefully stood the test of time. Here are 20 other games like Baldur’s Gate that’ll fill your heart with a similar nostalgic buzz!
Selection Criteria of Games Like Baldur’s Gate:
Must contain some to plenty of traditional RPG elements.
Offers an isometric perspective that is either fixed or can be adjusted (i.e. need not be ‘truly’ isometric).
Decent to in-depth character development.
Average to very engaging storyline.
Selections are in no particular order.
EDIT: We’ve just discovered a brand new up and coming indie project that looks to become one of the best games like Baldur’s Gate. Check out Black Geyser or read on to Page 2 to find out more details!
Also, since we’re on the topic of fantasy, you might also like to find a few awesome books on dragons worth reading.
Note: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. We earn a small commission should you purchase anything through them, at no extra cost to you.
1. Planescape: Torment
Explore the massive and strange world of Planescape: Torment, filled with curious looking devils, deities, and other strange creatures. This game features 5,000 pages’ worth of dialogue which, till today, remains among the best-written of any RPG ever made. There are even many lovers of classic role-playing games who actually prefer Planescape over Baldur’s Gate – and that’s saying a lot. The great news? There’s a new spiritual successor of Planescape: Torment already in the works, tentatively titled Torment: Tides of Numenera. Rejoice!
Read more honest reviews of Planescape: Torment.
2. Icewind Dale
In the Icewind Dale series, players must enter into a harsh, frozen land inhabited by fearsome monsters. Only the player can stop the merciless force that threatens to unleash destruction upon the land of Faerun. ‘Icewind Dale vs Baldur’s Gate’ debates have been going on for years, with the latter winning out in most cases. However, the Icewind Dale series contains games like Baldur’s Gate that many still easily regard as isometric RPG classics.
Best Bundle Deal:
3. Pillars of Eternity
Recently released in 2015, Pillars of Eternity has been hailed by many as the true spiritual successor of Baldur’s Gate and Icewind Dale. This well-received homage to old-school RPGs came into existence through a successful crowdfunding campaign which raised more than four million dollars from a huge number of contributors. Pillars of Eternity takes place in Eora where a scary phenomenon known as ‘hollowborn’ (i.e. being born without a soul) plagues the land. Critics have widely celebrated the game’s excellent storytelling, gorgeous graphics, and deep combat system. A must-play modern classic for anyone looking for more isometric role-playing games like Baldur’s Gate.
Read more honest reviews of Pillars of Eternity.
4. Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura
In Arcanum, magic and technology coexist, creating a fantastical world brimming with adventuring possibilities. As with most games like Baldur’s Gate, this game adapts to every choice the player makes, including fighting style, dialogue options, and alignment. Whilst some critics have remarked on its ‘washed out’ graphics, many Baldur’s Gate fans have praised the game for its inspired storyline and innovative setting.
Read more honest reviews of Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura.
5. Divine Divinity
Critically acclaimed for its addictive gameplay, Divine Divinity is a long and challenging RPG where the player controls a hero prophesied to save the world from a powerful and evil force. Players can pick from three classic RPG character archetypes and freely develop their skills, even acquiring those from other classes. Although varied from Baldur’s Gate in combat style, many gamers who enjoyed both titles actually recommend newcomers to first pick up Divine Divinity, if only to get an introductory taste of the old-school RPG genre. Also highly recommended by fans is Divinity: Original Sin, the latest successful installment of the Divinity series and an absolutely stunning modern masterpiece.
Read more honest reviews of Divine Divinity.
6. Nox
Players take control of Jack Mower, who has been sucked into his TV and transported into the world of Nox. This is one of a few isometric games like Baldur’s Gate in that it features multiple storyline threads rich with fascinating characters and motivations. It’s just too bad that Electronic Arts, having acquired Westwood studios, decided to pull the plug on continuing this classic isometric RPG series. Still, it’s EA – what’s new?
Read more honest reviews of Nox.
7. The Temple of Elemental Evil
In The Temple of Elemental Evil you will face the very essence of evil itself and attempt to restore peace to a chaos-ridden region. Each player will have a unique experience with the game as the story tailors itself to each player’s alignment, race, and a multitude of other factors. Dungeon magazine has ranked this RPG classic the 4th best Dungeons and Dragons game ever made. The Temple of Elemental Evil is also frequently mentioned in forum discussions on similar games like Baldur’s Gate.
Read more honest reviews of The Temple of Elemental Evil.
8. Fallout
The Fallout series needs no introduction. However, whilst many now associate the gaming franchise with largely first / third-person RPG action, the original releases of Fallout 1 and 2 featured an isometric turn-based system more akin to that of Baldur’s Gate than, say, recent Elder Scrolls releases. Brimming with expansive quests and giving players the freedom to choose multiple resolutions to problems, Fallout 1 and 2 both managed to nag numerous ‘Game of the Year’ awards – with good reason. These games are still a joy to play even today.
Read more honest reviews of Fallout 1 & 2.
9. Wasteland 2
Often spoken of alongside Fallout, Wasteland 2 is a party and turn-based post-apocalyptic RPG offering plenty of character customization and tactical combat (much like Baldur’s Gate, albeit using different battle rules). Many fans suggest the game takes a while to grow on players, with latter parts being much more engaging. The strongest elements of Wasteland 2 are its environmental graphics and strong story-writing.
Read more honest reviews of Wasteland 2.
10. LionHeart: Legacy of the Crusader
The fabric of reality has been torn, allowing demons and other evil entities to ravage Medieval earth. Players are able to customize their characters as they explore a world filled with magic and unique opportunities to meet historical figures like Galileo. LionHeart has been somewhat criticized for its uneven emphasis on hack-and-slash fighting and dialogue but, like Baldur’s Gate, has been lauded for its excellent voice-acting, character development, and musical score.
Read more honest reviews of LionHeart.
games like Baldur's Gate games like Icewind Dale Games Like List games like Neverwinter Nights games like Pillars of Eternity games similar to Baldur's Gate isometric games
By Kathryn Haro
Kathryn Haro is an NYC based freelance writer and editor. She's been a gamer her entire life and loves RPGs, Horror, and Indie titles. When she's not playing video games, Kathryn writes short stories, talks to her cat, Cheeto, and takes long naps.
10 Classic Real-Time Strategy Games Like Age of Empires
10 Zany Competitive Games Like Rocket League
15 Best Games Like Life is Strange
10 Best .io Games Like Diep.io
Brandon T Kraft April 2, 2016, 7:02 pm
You didn’t add Darklands to this list?
Alfie Lee Atton April 2, 2016, 11:27 pm
That’s a good suggestion!! Thank you Brandon. We must just opt out Ultima for Darklands instead. Appreciate the input!
Mario August 11, 2016, 10:32 am
I’m going to suggest Odium as well.
Alfie Lee Atton August 18, 2016, 1:45 pm
Oh! Thanks for the suggestion. We will look into this and add this in the Honorable Mentions section. Appreciate it!
5 Games like God of War inspired by Ancient Mythology
8 Best Mini-Games Within Main Games
25+ Best Walking Simulator Games Like Gone Home (PC)
Copyright © 2016 GamesLikeZone.com. All rights reserved. Games Like Zone is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Games Like Zone is also a participant of GOG.com, Apple iTunes, and Loot Crate affiliate programs. Read Full Privacy Statement & Disclosure.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2357
|
__label__cc
| 0.746032
| 0.253968
|
Navigation » YakkityYaks - Big Brother 21 and Reality TV Updates and Spoilers! > Yakkity's Reality > All Other Reality: Out of Season or Niche > Big Brother CANADA » Big Brother Canada 7
Big Brother CANADA Big Brother Canada!
Page 4 of 6 « First < 2 3 4 5 6 >
Time to crown a new HOH!!
The challenge this week was “Drunk Speeches”. They play clips of houseguests giving speeches, slowing down and sluring the voices. The houseguests playing have to guess what day it was with just the sound clip. It was a TOTAL blow out, with Pretty Boy Mark taking the win.
The best part of the episode was at the beginning when they showed Mark in the diary room. Talking about how well he has memorized everything, he goes off on this insane poem starting from day 1 in the house. A little ditty about every event in the game. They are on day 41. It was really fun. They also showed Dane’s hidden game board which was also cool. He used various food items and rocks, etc to cheat the no pen and paper rule. It didn’t help him much, but I had never seen it on a game of B.B. before.
Anyway, Mark has no intentions of getting ideas for nomination. He’s ready to make a move.
Mark is still upset that Adam didn’t use the veto on him a few weeks ago and Mark flat out tells Adam that he’s going up. He somewhat covers up it in a slowly way, but all the same...Adam is MAD! There is a really good chance he could be eliminated. This takes up a large portion of the episode.
Damian ends up getting nominated once again.
Oh...The weird storage room got a new layer this week. It still doesn’t make sense, but it’s onviously going to lead to some sort of twist. The room started off empty this season aside from a desk. As time goes by, more and more boxes, papers, notebooks, etc start to fill the room. On tonight’s episode - Damian, Dane and Esti discovered a tape recorder. They hid it and so far that is it...but I assume something soon. With so few twists this year, I’m okay with whatever. Lol.
Adam won his 3rd POV in some sort of puzzle based challenge. Apparently, Mark has opted not to make “his move” and will nominate either Cory, Esti or Kyra. PB will have a 4/7 advantage coming into what might be the traditional triple eviction.
Robbie’s Rankings!
Haven’t done this in a long time! Lol
1. Anthony - He is running every aspect of this game. Probably for a while before I even realized it. He hasn’t won anything, but his social game is on point. I would like to see some blood on his hands if he makes the F2, but for now - he’s on top.
2. Dane - I struggled with the number slot but gave it to Dane because he seems to be well liked and has been highly strategic in creating shields. He is good in challenges, he is one of the few who know of the tape recorder and he has Esti in his back pocket. I don’t care for the game, but he is a super fan and it shows.
3. Adam - His resume should make him number 1 but his attitude drops him down a few pegs. The guy is a challenge beast, winning 5 comps so far. His alliance of PB has been HOH for 5 weeks, His showmance Sam was HOH twice before being evicted. And the other HOH this season was Chelsea, Sam’s BFF in the game. So Adam has controlled a lot. Which makes me thibk it will be impossible to consistently win enough challenges to make F2. Add in his bad behaviour, which is never tolerated all that long on BBC and it all spells doom.
4. Esti - I really like Esti. She has worked hard this season, but she has yet to land a single punch. Had the men not taken this season by storm, I think she would have been a front runner. Her kind of showmance with Dane has served her well and will likely help her this week, but she 100% needs to win SOMETHING to finally get a solid blow in.
5. Cory - Cory is smart, observant, nice, strong, confident, has good relationships and places rather high on my list. I take nothing away from the game this girl has played, I just find her to make for really boring television. I do not enjoy her presence on this show. Lol. Again, it’s nothing against her...she’s done well coming in as Canada’s vote...just really boring.
6. Mark - Mark hasn’t built much outside of PB. He is super likeable, but also just kind of sits in the backseat. His HOH this week really hasn’t helped him or his ego and his dominance in a BBC trivia challenge really make him someone to get rid of quickly. Coming into the final stretch, that had to have set of red flags for everyone. Nominating Damian also spurs him to the other side, a side in which he had been pretty good with. No smart moves this week.
7. Damian - I get that this guy has never seen B.B. before, but after 2 months it seems like he would have picked up on something by now. He just seems so clueless which is cute to a lot of viewers, but I loathe every moment. He is super fun to watch, but I also refuse to reward his lack of commitment to a spot that someone else should have had. Super likeable, won’t last much longer unless he pulls out a win.
8. Kyra - Episode 1, I was in. It’s been down hill since. She is mean, highly emotional and ignorant to so much beyond what she thinks. I don’t like her as a houseguest and I lean highly to not liking her outside the game. THAT SAID...A good candidate for F2 and everyone knows it. She wouldn’t win for sure.
if she wouldnt win.... itd be hard not to take her to the end... which sux with someone so undeserving!!!
Live feed update (SPOILERS)
Alright, we’re winding down on the season and with that, the (likely) final twist of the season. Before we get into the twist details, we have the POV ceremony.
So as reported before, Adam won his 3rd POV. The Pretty Boys tried very hard to get Mark to use Cory as the replacement nomination based on the fact that she is the strongest person outside of PB. Mark doesn’t want to do that since he has built some trust with her (so has Anthony) and he wants to target Damian to be evicted. In the end, he puts up Esti next to Damian and is very honest in the fact that she is a pawn.
Then the twist...Production calls the HGs to the living room and starts talking about the storage room. They explain that one of the hundreds of boxes contained a special power And that it has been found. The power gives the HG “secret agent” status and they are able to put a 3rd houseguest up for nomination, secretly. Production then tells them that the 3rd nominee is...CORY!! So now Cory, Damian and Esti are up for eviction on Thursday.
Feed updates indicate that it was Adam who found it and that it had something to do with the tape recorder from Sunday’s episode.
The houseguests are also speculating a triple eviction week and if BBC history indicates, this is usually the week. If that’s the case, the PB have talked about taking out Cory and Damian.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen an alliance dominate a season like this. Perhaps The Horsemen from BBUSA.
The Following User Says Thank You to requiem For This Useful Post:
Mystycl (04-17-2019)
Originally Posted by Mystycl
I so agree!! It’s smart to take a goat, but it’s always better to see 2 people who really worked for it. Kyra has not worked for it. Lol
damit!!!
Cory was sadly voted out. For a season long arc on this twist, that was pretty lame.
And the new HOH is...ADAM! That makes 3 HOH wins and 3 POV wins so far.
He made Dane and Anthony have nots which is crazy. Dane just came off a week of being a have not.
And apparently Anthony and Kyra are having a big fight now. I think Anthony is upset about Cory getting voted out.
LIVE FEED SPOILERS
So, Adam nominated Damian and Esti for nomination. He has told them that the plan is to backdoor Mark, since that’s the story they were selling last week. The PBs are still not known within the house shockingly. In order for this plan to work for the PB, Mark will need to win POV.
Anthony, Dane and Mark have worked hard to make sure a PB doesn’t go up this week.
BUT...It seems like the plan might be to get Adam out on the double eviction this Thursday. Now, I’m not totally sure if this is legit. I feel like the producers ask the 4 guys to talk about voting each other out just so that they can create some drama every week. Since these guys are dominating the game, I’m sure the producers need something to work with.
I bid that to be a good and bad move. Getting rid of Adam is a good move because it gets rid of a total challenge beast. It’s a bad move because it gets rid of the Pretty Boy’s most admiral quality, their loyalty.
If Adam gets voted out, I’m rooting for either Damian or Esti (1 of them will be gone by this point).
I ramble a lot...which is strange because I know no one here is watching. Haha. I love that you keep up Myst! I wish I were better at recapping or even live blogging. Lol
Damian pulled out the will to FINALLY win a challenge, when he needed it the most to boot! He won the POV this week and obviously took himself down.
The Pretty Boys don’t skip a beat though as they all decide that it would be best if Mark is the replacement nominee. Pretty ballsy game play on these guys are playing by nominating each other over the past few weeks to keep their alliance hidden.
Could it blow up? Possibly? Dane has already 100% told the guys he will not vote to evict Esti, his showmance. There is also a really good chance that Damian will vote to evict Mark, which leaves it at a tie vote and Esti goes to the jury. Kyra is on the vote out Esti plan but if she could FINALLY open her eyes she could totally change the course of the week.
Last update, there is so much talk at this point...but it seems like the pretty boys have totally roped in Kyra. She was just tight with Adam before, thanks to Sam...but it seems like a final five deal is locked in.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2360
|
__label__wiki
| 0.962136
| 0.962136
|
Fostering | Three sisters are suing Glasgow city council
By Dan Rowley on 21st November 2017 Comments Off on Fostering | Three sisters are suing Glasgow city council
Three sisters are suing Glasgow city council
Three sisters are suing Glasgow city council after being placed with foster parents who allegedly abused them.
John and Alma Cassidy would beat and sexually assault the children at the foster home in Glasgow, it is claimed.
John Cassidy was moved after separate complaints were made – but it is alleged council officials failed to monitor him.
The sisters claim this failure allowed Cassidy to return to the home and further abuse them. The women have come forward after enduring attacks for nearly two decades, say their lawyers.
According to Digby Brown Solicitors, council bosses ordered John Cassidy to leave the foster house after three other women came forward as adults to claim he had abused them.
But officials never checked on him afterwards which allowed him to return home in secret – and keep abusing the siblings, say lawyers.
In a statement made via Digby Brown Solicitors, the three sisters said: “John and Alma Cassidy weren’t just two of the worst fosterers imaginable – they were two of the worst humans.
‘Escaped prosecution’
“They are both now deceased so have escaped prosecution. But justice shouldn’t die just because your abuser does. We believe Glasgow City Council are at fault as they selected and paid the Cassidys to care for us and are in disbelief at how easy it was for John’s abuse to continue even after they were alerted to the risk he posed to us.”
“It makes us wonder how many other abusive fosterers are out there, but also how many survivors have been let down not just in Glasgow but potentially across the country.”
The sisters’ civil action became possible after a landmark law change scrapped time limits on historic abuse. For years an abuse victim could only make a claim within three years of turning 16 – this was known as a “time bar”.
But studies suggested women often do not talk about their abuse until 18 years after it happened and men may not speak until 25 years later.
As a result the Scottish government introduced the Limitation (Childhood Abuse) (Scotland) Act last month. A recent Supreme Court judgement also ruled councils were accountable for abuse carried out by foster carers.
This is known as “vicarious liability” which allows survivors to raise claims against groups like religious bodies, councils or football clubs.
Kim Leslie, partner and specialist abuse lawyer at Digby Brown, said: “As a foster parent John Cassidy held one of the most responsible roles in society.
“However, we believe he abused his position to repeatedly assault children in his care over a number of years.
“Initial investigations of Glasgow City Council’s own files show it was made aware John Cassidy was a potential risk to minors but we believe it did not take appropriate protective measures which resulted in the continued sexual abuse of the children.”
A Glasgow city council spokeswoman said: “We can confirm a claim has been received but it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.”
Source: BBC News
Fostering | Three sisters are suing Glasgow city council added by Dan Rowley on 21st November 2017
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2361
|
__label__cc
| 0.525675
| 0.474325
|
volume purchases
Fiction, New
Baron Wenckheim's Homecoming (Hardcover)
By László Krasznahorkai, Ottilie Mulzet (Translated by)
Published: New Directions - September 24th, 2019
Sabrina & Corina: Stories (Hardcover)
By Kali Fajardo-Anstine
Published: One World - April 2nd, 2019
Who Killed My Father (Hardcover)
By Edouard Louis, Lorin Stein (Translated by)
Published: New Directions - March 26th, 2019
The Penguin Book of Italian Short Stories (A Penguin Classics Hardcover) (Hardcover)
By Jhumpa Lahiri (Editor), Jhumpa Lahiri (Introduction by)
Published: Penguin Classics - September 10th, 2019
Stalingrad (Paperback)
By Vasily Grossman, Robert Chandler (Translated by), Elizabeth Chandler (Translated by)
Published: NYRB Classics - June 11th, 2019
Die, My Love (Paperback)
By Ariana Harwicz, Sarah Moses (Translator), Carolina Orloff (Translator)
Published: Charco Press - October 15th, 2019
Malina (Paperback)
By Ingeborg Bachmann, Philip Boehm (Translated by), Rachel Kushner (Introduction by)
Published: New Directions - June 25th, 2019
Three Summers (Paperback)
By Margarita Liberaki, Karen Van Dyck (Translated by)
Published: NYRB Classics - July 9th, 2019
Mac's Problem (Paperback)
By Enrique Vila-Matas, Margaret Jull Costa (Translated by), Sophie Hughes (Translated by)
Published: New Directions - April 30th, 2019
Grand Union: Stories (Hardcover)
Published: Penguin Press - October 8th, 2019
The Corner That Held Them (Paperback)
By Sylvia Townsend Warner, Claire Harman (Introduction by)
Published: NYRB Classics - September 10th, 2019
Published: Grove Press, Black Cat - November 5th, 2019
The Besieged City (Hardcover)
By Clarice Lispector, Benjamin Moser (Editor), Johnny Lorenz (Translated by)
The Factory (Paperback)
By Hiroko Oyamada, David Boyd (Translated by)
Published: New Directions - October 29th, 2019
An Orchestra of Minorities (Paperback)
By Chigozie Obioma
Published: Back Bay Books - October 8th, 2019
Akin (Hardcover)
By Emma Donoghue
Published: Little, Brown and Company - September 10th, 2019
Big Sky (Jackson Brodie #5) (Hardcover)
By Kate Atkinson
Published: Little, Brown and Company - June 25th, 2019
Nothing to See Here (Hardcover)
Published: Ecco - October 29th, 2019
Hazards of Time Travel: A Novel (Paperback)
By Joyce Carol Oates
Published: Ecco - October 8th, 2019
What I Lived For (Paperback)
Published: Ecco - July 23rd, 2019
Bowlaway: A Novel (Paperback)
By Elizabeth McCracken
Published: Ecco - November 5th, 2019
2019 SPD Picks for LitHub
Autobiographies, Memoirs, Essays and Letters
The Best American (___) of 2019
Books for Children: Middle Grade
Books for Children: Picture Books
Fiction, Older Favorites
Film and Drama
Food and Drink/Cookbooks
Gardens/Landscape Architecture
Nature and Environmental Studies
Small Press
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2364
|
__label__wiki
| 0.903284
| 0.903284
|
SpaceX launches 60 mini satellites for global internet
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station carrying 60 Starlink satellites on November 11, 2019 in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - SpaceX launched 60 mini satellites Monday, the second batch of an orbiting network meant to provide global internet coverage.
The Falcon rocket blasted into the morning sky, marking the unprecedented fourth flight of a booster for SpaceX. The compact flat-panel satellites -- just 575 pounds (260 kilograms) each -- will join 60 launched in May.
SpaceX founder and chief executive Elon Musk wants to put thousands of these Starlink satellites in orbit, to offer high-speed internet service everywhere. He plans to start service next year in the northern U.S. and Canada, with global coverage for populated areas after 24 launches.
Last month, Musk used an orbiting Starlink satellite to send a tweet: "Whoa, it worked!!"
Employees gathered at company bases on both coasts cheered when the first-stage booster landed on a floating platform in the Atlantic.
"These boosters are designed to be used 10 times. Let's turn it around for a fifth, guys," company's launch commentator said.
This also marked the first time SpaceX used a previously flown nose cone. The California-based company reuses rocket parts to cut costs.
Stacked flat inside the top of the rocket, the newest satellites were going to maneuver even higher following liftoff, using krypton-powered thrusters. SpaceX said there was a potential problem with one of the 60 that could prevent it from moving beyond its initial 174 mile-high (280 kilometer-high) orbit. In that case, the faulty satellite will be commanded to re-enter and burn up harmlessly in the atmosphere.
WATCH: Starlink Mission
Each satellite has an autonomous system for dodging space junk. In September, however, the European Space Agency had to move one of its satellites out of the way of a Starlink satellite. SpaceX later said it corrected the problem.
SpaceX is among several companies interested in providing broadband internet coverage worldwide, especially in areas where it costs too much or is unreliable. Others include OneWeb and Jeff Bezos' Amazon.
According to Musk, Starlink revenue can help SpaceX develop rockets and spacecraft for traveling to Mars, his overriding ambition.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content
L.A. councilmen want Astros, Red Sox World Series titles awarded to Dodgers
Olympic & Bundy: Glaudi, from Downey to Beverly Hills
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2365
|
__label__cc
| 0.658912
| 0.341088
|
Frontiers in Neurology
Endovascular and Interventional Neurology
Balloon and Stent for Ischemic and Hemorrhagic Stroke: A New Trend for Stroke Prevention and Management View all 11 Articles
Revascularization and Outcome
Revascularization Rate
Mechanical Thrombectomy
From Technically Successful to Clinically Beneficial Revascularization
The Different Forms of Revascularization
Intra-Arterial Versus Intra-Venous Treatment
Time to Revascularization and Outcome
The Collateral Supply and the Logarithmic Curve of Time to Outcome
Proposed Patient Selection Algorithm
Front. Neurol., 01 June 2015 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2015.00117
Acute ischemic stroke treatment, part 2: Treatment “Roles of capillary index score, revascularization and time”
Firas Al-Ali1*, John J. Elias2 and Danielle E. Filipkowski2
1Department of Neuro Interventional Surgery, Akron General Medical Center, Akron, OH, USA
2Department of Research, Akron General Medical Center, Akron, OH, USA
Due to recent results from clinical intra-arterial treatment for acute ischemic stroke (IAT-AIS) trials such as the interventional management of stroke III, IAT-AIS and the merit of revascularization have been contested. Even though intra-arterial treatment (IAT) has been shown to improve revascularization rates, a corresponding increase in good outcomes has only recently been noted. Even though a significant percentage of patients achieve good revascularization in a timely manner, results do not translate into good clinical outcomes (GCOs). Based on a review of the literature, the authors suspect limited GCOs following timely and successful revascularization are due to poor patient selection that led to futile and possibly even harmful revascularization. The capillary index score (CIS) is a simple angiography-based scale that can potentially be used to improve patient selection to prevent revascularization being performed on patients who are unlikely to benefit from treatment. The CIS characterizes presence of capillary blush related to collateral flow as a marker of residual viable tissue, with absence of blush indicating the tissue is no longer viable due to ischemia. By only selecting patients with a favorable CIS for IAT, the rate of GCOs should consistently approach 80–90%. Current methods of patient selection are primarily dependent on time from ischemia. Time from cerebral ischemia to irreversible tissue damage seems to vary from patient to patient; so focusing on viable tissue based on the CIS rather than relying on an artificial time window seems to be a more appropriate approach to patient selection.
The interventional management of stroke (IMS) III trial (1) showed non-superiority of intra-arterial (IA) revascularization combined with intra venous (IV) tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) treatment over IV tPA alone, and the systemic thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke (SYNTHESIS) trial demonstrated similar lack of favorable clinical outcomes for IA versus IV tPA therapy (2). This is despite the high revascularization rate in the IA arms in these trials. The role of intra-arterial treatment for acute ischemic stroke (IAT-AIS) has been contested. Paradoxically, however, the benefit of revascularization to clinical outcomes is convincingly attested to in prior literature. In a recent meta-analysis of 998 patients with clinical follow-up at 3 months, good clinical outcome was found in 58% of revascularized patients as compared to 24.8% in non-revascularized patients (3). When revascularization occurred within the first 6 h, good clinical outcomes (GCOs) were found in 50.9% of revascularized patients as compared to 11.1% in non-revascularized patients. Other authors reached similar conclusions. Even in the IMS III trial, better revascularization using the modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (mTICI) score led to better outcomes than those for patients who achieved lesser revascularization (1). This data were recently resolved with the publication of newer trials. In MR CLEAN, EXTEND-IA, and ESCAPE, good recanalization rates were achieved in 58.7, 86, and 72.4% of patients, respectively, with accompanying GCO rates at 32.6, 71, and 53%, respectively (4–6). While these results demonstrate IA superiority with higher recanalization rates than with IVT, there are still a significant number of patients who achieved good and timely revascularization that did not also achieve GCOs. So if better revascularization improves outcome and IA treatment has a better revascularization rate than IV treatment, how can we explain the lack of GCOs in some of these patients?
Revascularization is defined as the restoration of anterograde blood flow to the ischemic area through the recently occluded artery. Currently, this is reported using the mTICI score, with mTICI of 2b or 3 being considered successful revascularization (7). The aim of revascularization is to produce clinical improvement through restoring the cerebral blood flow (CBF) level to greater than the critical threshold of 23 ml/100 g/min of viable brain tissue (8). This should translate into a permanent resolution of AIS symptoms by saving the ischemic tissue before it progresses to irreversible damage. So if perfect revascularization is achieved (mTICI = 3) in a timely manner, i.e., before ischemia becomes irreversible, clinical improvement should be achieved for almost all patients, as well as for the majority of patients with less effective revascularization (mTICI = 2b). However, review of the literature reveals that only around 50% of patients in whom we obtained timely recanalization (mTICI 2b, 3) will achieve a good clinical outcome (Table 1) (1, 2, 9–13). Attempting to solve the paradox regarding why all technically successful revascularizations do not translate into GCOs should help us improve our revascularization strategy.
Table 1. Clinical outcomes across IAT-AIS trials.
Revascularization rate depends heavily on the mode of treatment used (3). Spontaneous recanalization is estimated at 24% within the first 24 h (3). By comparison, overall data suggest that IV tPA results in recanalization in 46% of patients, as compared to 63% for IA thrombolysis, and 68% when the combined therapies (IV + IA) are utilized. Mechanical thrombectomy achieved the highest recanalization rate at 84% (3). It is estimated that revascularization is associated with a four to fivefold increase in good clinical outcome rates. Since higher revascularization rates correlate with better outcome in the literature and mechanical thrombectomy has the highest revascularization rate, it is now the preferred method for most operators.
The original method of mechanical thrombectomy was micro-wire and micro-catheter clot manipulation during IA tPA or pro-Urokinase infusion. In Asia, balloon angioplasty is used frequently as a mechanical method with an excellent recanalization rate of 80% (3). In the Western hemisphere, while balloon angioplasty is used, the predominate mode of mechanical recanalization is either a stent retrieval or the Penumbra system.
Stent retrieval systems are designed to restore blood flow by catching the thrombus through the stent struts. Flow cessation is then induced in the internal carotid artery using a balloon-mounted guiding catheter. At this time, the clot is removed by dragging it through the guiding catheter while applying suction on the guiding catheter to decrease the chance of a clot fragment migrating downstream. There are two available stent retrieval systems in the market today: the Trevo™ Pro Vu™(Stryker, Kalamazoo, MI, USA) and the Solitaire™(Covidian, CA, USA). Both devices are constructed of Nitinol with a laser cut design that can be delivered through a standard 0.021 or 0.027-inch (internal diameter) microcatheter.
The Trevo™ ProVue™ consists of a flexible, tapered core wire with a shaped section at the distal end. Radiopaque platinum wires in the shaped section and a guide wire-like tip allow fluoroscopic visualization. It is constructed of a straight cut tube that includes a distal taper and wire. Its struts are constructed perpendicularly to the clot in an attempt to engage the thrombus. The Solitaire™, on the other hand, has a proprietary overlapping stent technology called Parametric™ Design that provides multiple planes of clot contact (Solitaire IFU). Both stents have demonstrated comparable and excellent revascularization rates in prospective registry studies. In a recent prospective study of 227 patients, the Solitaire™ system had excellent results of 71% mTICI 2b or 3 (14), while the Trevo™ Pro Vu™ demonstrated 86% TICI 2 or 3 revascularization in the Trevo versus Merci retrievers for a thrombectomy revascularization (TREVO 2) randomized trial (13).
The Penumbra System™(Penumbra Inc., Fremont, CA, USA) is an aspiration system that utilizes an entirely different mechanism of mechanical clot retrieval. The device uses a suction mechanism to retrieve the clot inside the catheter by lodging the tip of the catheter in the proximal end of the clot while simultaneously hooking its hub to a suction machine creating pure suction (−29 mm Hg at sea level). In the initial pivotal study that included 125 patients, recanalization rates utilizing the Penumbra system were 82% thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) score of 2 or 3 (15), later confirmed by a second prospective trial with 87% revascularization rates (TIMI 2 or 3) (16).
Technically successful revascularization does not always lead to good, i.e., beneficial, clinical outcomes. Some technically successful revascularizations are futile (not followed by clinical improvement) while others are outright harmful (cause clinical deterioration). Several factors may contribute to these variations:
Patient Selection: The Capillary Index Score
In patients who already suffered a large area of irreversible ischemic injury, reconstituting the anterograde blood flow will not be beneficial, and can actually be harmful by increasing the risk of vasogenic edema and/or hemorrhagic transformation, as well as possible herniation. We believe one reason why good revascularization does not always lead to good clinical outcome is poor patient selection, i.e., treating patients with already irreversible ischemia. The capillary index score (CIS) is a simple angiography-based scale for assessing viable tissue in the ischemic territory. The CIS is comprised of a 4-point scale ranging from 0 (no angiographic capillary blush) to 3 (the whole ischemic area exhibits capillary blush), with the presence of capillary blush proposed as a marker of residual viable tissue, with absence implying irreversible ischemia. Favorable CIS (fCIS) is defined as a score of 2 or 3 and was found to be nearly a prerequisite for a good clinical outcome (modified Rankin Scale, mRS, score of 2 or lower at 90 days) (17), whereas a poor CIS (pCIS) is defined as a score of 0 or 1. If the assumption that the presence of capillary blush indicates viable tissue and its absence implies irreversible ischemia is correct, then selecting only patients with fCIS for treatment should significantly increase the percentage of patients with GCOs following technically successful intervention. At the same time, by not offering treatment to patients with pCIS, there should be a significant decrease in the percentage of futile or harmful revascularization, further increasing the percentage of patients with GCOs. Indeed, in the Borgess Medical Center-acute ischemic stroke registry (BMC-AIS), 83% of patients with fCIS who achieved TIMI 3 revascularization had good clinical outcome (mRS 0–2) (17). In a subgroup analysis of IMS I, II trials using the CIS and TIMI scores, 100% of the five patients with a fCIS and good revascularization (mTICI 2b, 3) had good clinical outcome (18). To our knowledge, this represents the highest percentage of GCOs following good revascularization that has been reported, suggesting that the CIS is the most accurate tool, to date, for patient selection in AIS treatment.
Territory Selection: Complete Versus Optimal Revascularization
The current understanding of revascularization is that clinical benefits of revascularization increase with its extent (1, 19). In the IMS I and II trials, better revascularization led to better outcome – 46 versus 58% for TICI 2 or 3 versus mTICI 2b or 3, respectively (19). Even in the IMS III, despite its overall results, better revascularization in the IA arm translated into better clinical outcomes (Table 2) (1). However, if we accept the assumption that capillary blush indicates viable tissue, we should not be guided solely by the desire to obtain as complete revascularization as possible. Rather, the aim of revascularization should be to reconstitute anterograde flow solely to the territory with persistent capillary blush through the pial collaterals (viable tissue), while resisting the temptation to establish an anterograde flow to the territory void of capillary blush (non-viable tissue). In other words, and counter-intuitively, for a technically successful revascularization to be clinically beneficial, it does not necessarily need to be as complete as possible, but rather it should aim to restore an anterograde flow only to the area with persistent capillary blush. Following revascularization, one should not see capillary blush that did not exist prior to intervention.
Table 2. IMS III results – clinical outcome and revascularization status (1).
Complication Rates
All forms of intervention, no matter how simple, carry the risk of complications. IAT-AIS is a very complex and technically demanding procedure, and at times it requires clinicians to cross occluded vessels blindly without any road mapping or prior knowledge of the patient’s anatomy. Furthermore, most of these patients are advanced in age and have difficult vessels to navigate. Complications related strictly to the revascularization attempts certainly exist; some of them are obviously device-specific. Unfortunately, information is lacking about the actual complication rate during IAT-AIS. Since these patients are already symptomatic prior to intervention, it is difficult to reliably determine how much an unsuccessful intervention contributed to overall patient symptoms or functional outcome impairment during their hospital stay. The only prospectively available data on complication during the revascularization procedure comes from the Penumbra™ aspiration system with a 13% total complication rate in the Pivotal study (3% deemed serious) and 6% in the post study (15, 16). Complication rates of 3% with the Solitaire™ system were reported in a review article involving 13 prior papers comprised of 262 patients (20). This included five subarachnoid hemorrhages, two self-detachments of stent, one entanglement of stent, and one in-stent thrombosis. Currently, no published data regarding Trevo complications are available, but the rates are likely similar to the other devices. We can thus conclude that mechanical intervention devices carry approximately 5% complication rate, which would ultimately negatively affect the overall odds ratio of better outcomes following IAT-AIS. Decreasing the complication rate is mandatory if we want to increase the percentage of treated patients with GCOs.
There are three forms of technically successful revascularizations: beneficial, futile, and harmful. We believe that beneficial revascularization, i.e., revascularization followed by clinical improvement, occurs when revascularization is completed only on the areas with persistent capillary blush via collaterals (prior to intervention). The role of revascularization here is simply to reverse the retrograde flow supplying the ischemic area to anterograde flow and by doing so raise the CBF above the critical threshold of ischemia. Therefore, technically successful and beneficial, revascularization can be defined as: reversing the flow to an ischemic area with persistent capillary blush, from retrograde to antegrade without complications.
The other forms of revascularization are futile (no clinical improvement) and harmful (followed by clinical deterioration). These occur when revascularization is performed on an area void of capillary blush prior to intervention, i.e., to non-viable cerebral tissue, or due to a complication during a revascularization attempt.
In order to enhance the benefit of intra-arterial treatment (IAT), we need first to redefine our revascularization strategy by minimizing the performance of futile and harmful revascularization. To achieve this goal, we propose the following strategy: select patients correctly with fCIS and obtain as complete and timely revascularization as safely possible, solely to the viable tissue, i.e., the areas with persistent capillary blush.
The recent results of the IMS III (1) and SYNTHESIS (2) trials are most likely due to poor patient selection and high percentages of futile or harmful revascularizations. By adapting the CIS for patient selection and a more nuanced strategy for revascularization, we should consistently approach the 80–90% clinical improvement rate in the treated subgroup, as we saw in the BMC-AIS registry and the subgroup analysis of IMS I, II. This percentage cannot be reached using IV treatment alone due to the lower revascularization rate associated with IV treatment and its inability to assess the collateral supply prior to treatment, which will invariably lead to a higher percentage of futile and harmful recanalization.
The Relationship of Time to Revascularization and Outcome: Is it Linear?
Selection Bias
A linear relationship between time from ictus to revascularization and outcome is suggested from few previous trials (21–25). However, it is important to note that a selection bias exists in these trials since a significant portion of patients are excluded either due to the presence of imaging evidence of counter-indication for AIS treatment (signs of irreversible brain damage) or due to an artificial time window. Hence, even if the relationship between time from ictus to recanalization and outcome is perfectly linear in this subgroup of patients, we cannot deduce from it the overall relationship between time and outcome for all patients presenting with AIS.
The suggested linear relationship between time and outcome is not supported by empirical data when we reviewed the recent IAT-AIS trials. Reviewing the most recent large, prospective trials, the IMS III (1) and SYNTHESIS (2), as well as the two most recent device studies, solitaire with the intention for thrombectomy (SWIFT) and Trevo 2, reveal an almost identical clinical improvement rate despite significant differences in time from ictus to treatment across these studies (Table 1) (1, 3, 12, 13). The SWIFT and the Trevo 2 trials had similar results with a percentage of good clinical outcome (mRS ≤2) at 37 and 40%, respectively; the mean time from ictus to treatment was 4.9 h in the SWIFT study, and the median for Trevo 2 was 4.7 h (12, 13). Both trials included patients up to 8 h from ictus (12, 13). Meanwhile, in the IMS III trial, the IV treatment had to start within 3 h from ictus, while the IA treatment had to start within 5 h and finish by 7 h post ictus; yet, the study operators reported almost identical results with 40.8% mRS 0–2 at 3 months (1). In addition, the SYNTHESIS trial had a shorter time from ictus to treatment (median of 3:45 h; range 3:14–4:20) with a similar percentage of mRS 0–2 at 42% of mRS 0–2 (2). If the relationship between outcome and time from ictus to revascularization was linear, we would expect a higher percentage of mRS improvement in the SYNTHESIS trial than the IMS III trial, and a higher percentage in the IMS III trial than the SWIFT and Trevo 2 trials; yet, all reported an almost identical good clinical outcome rate. Furthermore, there are numerous series reporting almost identical percentages of GCOs (around 40%) on patients treated after the traditional 6-, even up to 8-h window (25, 26). It is difficult to reconcile these observations with a linear relationship between time from ictus to revascularization and outcome.
Crowell et al. have shown that following the arterial occlusion there is a sudden and abrupt drop in CBF (27). However, ischemia is never total and residual flow to the ischemic areas invariably persists through pial collaterals. Residual CBF (rCBF) will remain stable until revascularization occurs or cell death ensues. Studies have shown that time until ischemia becomes irreversible is heavily dependent on the rCBF, which varies depending on the collaterals present (8, 27). In other words, following cerebral ischemia, different patients will have varying amounts of time before cell injury becomes irreversible (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Depth of ischemia and time to irreversible cerebral damage: time to irreversible cerebral damage depends on the depth of ischemia, which depends on the collateral supply. Since different patients have different collaterals, the depth of ischemia will vary among patients, as will the time available for therapy to salvage the tissue (8). Adapted with permission from Jones et al., (8). Permission has been obtained from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.
As we argued in a previous paper (18), when we consider a large cohort of patients with acute ischemic stroke we can grossly divide them into three groups depending on their rCBF. The first group will have such a low rCBF value that they will experience irreversible ischemia within an hour or two of ictus. For these patients, time to revascularization and its degree are irrelevant since the cerebral tissue will be irreversibly damaged by the time the patient arrives at the hospital. They are either not enrolled in studies due to evidence of ischemia on a computed tomography (CT) scan and other imaging modality, or do not improve following treatment despite timely and good revascularization (futile revascularization). We propose that approximately half of all AIS patients do not have sufficient collaterals to sustain ischemia until revascularization, no matter how fast it can be achieved, called “the 50% barrier.” A second group of patients will present with intermediate rCBF that will follow an approximately linear relationship between time to revascularization and outcome (a subtle gradual decrease). These patients are most often included in trials and registries. Finally, a third group has a higher rCBF than the others, but still below the critical symptomatic level of 23 ml/100 g/min (8). This group will exhibit a more asymptotic, flat curve relating time to revascularization and outcome, but they are usually excluded from studies when presenting outside the artificial time window. If we assemble these three groups as a whole, the relationship between time from ictus to revascularization and outcome will resemble a logarithmic function (Figure 2). In other words, if the patient has poor pial collaterals, no time will be fast enough. On the other hand, if pial collaterals are present and robust, we have longer time to revascularize the patient [not measured in minutes, but in hours (28)]. Simply put, if the patient has good collaterals they have time; if a patient has no collaterals they have no time.
Figure 2. Logarithmic time curve: the infarction threshold distinguishing between reversible and irreversible ischemia as a function of rCBF and time from ictus. The vertical lines are an approximation and have not yet been validated (18). Reproduced with permission from Al-Ali et al. (18). Permission has been provided by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.
The obvious implication of this logarithmic understanding of the time curve is the abandonment of any artificial time window to treatment since each patient will have his or her own time until irreversible ischemia occurs. Relying heavily on an arbitrary time window will significantly decrease the accuracy of patient selection in AIS treatment, either by including patients with irreversible ischemia just because they presented within the traditional time window and thereby leading to futile revascularization, or by denying treatment to patients who may still have viable tissue simply because they presented outside the traditional window. We propose a different patient selection algorithm, based more on objective signs of cerebral ischemia as opposed to an arbitrary time window.
We recognize that the merit of the CIS still needs to be proven in a multicenter prospective study; however, we believe the CIS hypothesis will be proven true due to its ability to explain the results of the different ischemic stroke trials.
Since most patients will improve to a variable degree with time and physical therapy, we believe that IAT should be offered to patients suffering from a large stroke (NIHSS >8), with the only exception being aphasia (Figure 3). Of those patients who are Clinically Eligible, a non-enhanced head CT is obtained followed by CTA. These non-invasive tests can first rule out stroke mimics and identify patients with already visible signs of structural changes due to large irreversible ischemia (i.e., hypodensity in >1/3 MCA territory on head CT). If no such findings are identified, CTA will help confirm the vascular occlusion and its location. Patients with no counter-indication to treatment and proven large vessel occlusion are offered IAT, CT Eligible. For these patients, a full DCA is performed to obtain the CIS. Only patients who demonstrate fCIS should be offered IAT since revascularization on patients with pCIS will be futile and possibly harmful, CIS Eligible. If these steps are taken, we predict a significant increase in the percentage of treated patients with GCOs by virtue of significantly decreasing the percentage of futile and harmful revascularization. It is important to note that time from ictus to presentation is not included in this proposed algorithm. Since we believe that as long the patients advance successfully from clinical, to CT, to CIS eligibility, they are good candidate for intervention, regardless of time from ictus to presentation.
Figure 3. Proposed patient selection algorithm for AIS.
Revascularization is the best hope for AIS patients. It should aim to reverse the flow to an ischemic area with persistent capillary blush from retrograde to anterograde without complications. Time from cerebral ischemia to irreversible damage varies from patient to patient and depends on their pial collaterals. In other words, the importance of time is secondary to the presence of collaterals. We believe that the relationship between time from ictus to revascularization and outcome is not linear, but logarithmic. Every patient has his/her own time before irreversible ischemia is reached, so it is critical to dispose of the artificial time window.
1. Broderick J, Palesch Y, Demchuk A, Yeatts S, Khatri P, Hill M, et al. Endovascular therapy after intravenous t-PA versus t-PA alone for stroke. N Engl J Med (2013) 368(10):893–903. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1214300
2. Ciccone A, Valvassori L, Ponzio M, Ballabio E, Gasparotti R, Sessa M, et al. Intra-arterial or intravenous thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke? The SYNTHESIS pilot trial. J Neurointerv Surg (2009) 2(1):74–9. doi:10.1136/jnis.2009.001388
3. Rha J, Saver J. The impact of recanalization on ischemic stroke outcome: a meta-analysis. Stroke (2007) 38(3):967–73. doi:10.1161/01.STR.0000258112.14918.24
4. Berkhemer OA, Fransen PS, Beumer D, van den Berg LA, Lingsma HF, Yoo AJ, et al. A randomized trial of intra-arterial treatment for acute ischemic stroke. N Engl J Med (2015) 372(1):11–20. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1411587
5. Campbell BC, Mitchell PJ, Kleinig TJ, Dewey HM, Churilov L, Yassi N, et al. Endovascular therapy for ischemic stroke with perfusion-imaging selection. N Engl J Med (2015) 372(11):1009–18. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1414792
6. Goyal M, Demchuk AM, Menon BK, Eesa M, Rempel JL, Thornton J, et al. Randomized assessment of rapid endovascular treatment of ischemic stroke. N Engl J Med (2015) 372(11):1019–30. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1414905
7. Higashida R, Furlan A. Trial design and reporting standards for intra-arterial cerebral thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke. Stroke (2003) 34(8):e109–37. doi:10.1161/01.STR.0000082720.85129.0A
8. Jones T, Morawetz R, Crowell R, Marcoux F, FitzGibbon S, DeGirolami U, et al. Thresholds of focal cerebral ischemia in awake monkeys. J Neurosurg (1981) 54(6):773–82. doi:10.3171/jns.1981.54.6.0773
9. del Zoppo G, Higashida R, Furlan A, Pessin M, Rowley H, Gent M. PROACT: a phase II randomized trial of recombinant pro-urokinase by direct arterial delivery in acute middle cerebral artery stroke. Stroke (1998) 29(1):4–11. doi:10.1161/01.STR.29.1.4
10. IMS Study Investigators. Combined intravenous and intra-arterial recanalization for acute ischemic stroke: the interventional management of stroke study. Stroke (2004) 35(4):904–11. doi:10.1161/01.STR.0000121641.77121.98
11. IMS II Trial Investigators. The interventional management of stroke (IMS) II study. Stroke (2007) 38(7):2127–35. doi:10.1161/STROKEAHA.107.483131
12. Saver J, Jahan R, Levy E, Jovin T, Baxter B, Nogueira R, et al. Solitaire flow restoration device versus the merci retriever in patients with acute ischaemic stroke (SWIFT): a randomised, parallel-group, non-inferiority trial. Lancet (2012) 380(9849):1241–9. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61384-1
13. Nogueira R, Lutsep H, Gupta R, Jovin T, Albers G, Walker G, et al. Trevo versus merci retrievers for thrombectomy revascularisation of large vessel occlusions in acute ischaemic stroke (TREVO 2): a randomised trial. Lancet (2012) 380(9849):1231–40. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61299-9
14. Gratz P, Jung S, Schroth G, Gralla J, Mordasini P, Hsieh K, et al. Outcome of standard and high-risk patients with acute anterior circulation stroke after stent retriever thrombectomy. Stroke (2013) 45(1):152–8. doi:10.1161/STROKEAHA.113.002591
15. Penumbra Pivotal Stroke Trial Investigators. The penumbra pivotal stroke trial: safety and effectiveness of a new generation of mechanical devices for clot removal in intracranial large vessel occlusive disease. Stroke (2009) 40(8):2761–8. doi:10.1161/STROKEAHA.108.544957
16. Tarr R, Hsu D, Kulcsar Z, Bonvin C, Rufenacht D, Alfke K, et al. The POST trial: initial post-market experience of the penumbra system: revascularization of large vessel occlusion in acute ischemic stroke in the United States and Europe. J Neurointerv Surg (2010) 2(4):341–4. doi:10.1136/jnis.2010.002600
17. Al-Ali F, Jefferson A, Barrow T, Cree T, Louis S, Luke K, et al. The capillary index score: rethinking the acute ischemic stroke treatment algorithm. Results from the Borgess Medical Center Acute Ischemic Stroke Registry. J Neurointerv Surg (2012) 5(2):139–43. doi:10.1136/neurintsurg-2011-010146
18. Al-Ali F, Tomsick T, Connors J, Gebel J, Elias J, Markarian G, et al. Capillary index score in the interventional management of stroke trials I and II. Stroke (2014) 45(7):1999–2003. doi:10.1161/STROKEAHA.114.005304
19. Tomsick T, Broderick J, Carrozella J, Khatri P, Hill M, Palesch Y, et al. Revascularization results in the interventional management of stroke II trial. Am J Neuroradiol (2008) 29(3):582–7. doi:10.3174/ajnr.A0843
20. Koh J, Lee S, Ryu C, Kim H. Safety and efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy with solitaire stent retrieval for acute ischemic stroke: a systematic review. Neurointervention (2012) 7(1):1. doi:10.5469/neuroint.2012.7.1.1
21. Khatri P, Abruzzo T, Yeatts S, Nichols C, Broderick J, Tomsick T. Good clinical outcome after ischemic stroke with successful revascularization is time-dependent. Neurology (2009) 73(13):1066–72. doi:10.1212/WNL.0b013e3181b9c847
22. Lees K, Bluhmki E, von Kummer R, Brott T, Toni D, Grotta J, et al. Time to treatment with intravenous alteplase and outcome in stroke: an updated pooled analysis of ECASS, ATLANTIS, NINDS, and EPITHET trials. Lancet (2010) 375(9727):1695–703. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(10)60491-6
23. Saver J, Fonarow G, Smith E, Reeves M, Grau-Sepulveda M, Pan W, et al. Time to treatment with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator and outcome from acute ischemic stroke. JAMA (2013) 309(23):2480. doi:10.1001/jama.2013.6959
24. Khatri P, Yeatts S, Mazighi M, Broderick J, Liebeskind D. Time to angiographic reperfusion is highly associated with good clinical outcome in the IMS III trial. Presentation Presented at the International Stroke Conference. Honolulu, HI (2013).
25. Khatri P, Yeatts S, Mazighi M, Broderick J, Liebeskind D, Demchuk A, et al. Time to angiographic reperfusion and clinical outcome after acute ischaemic stroke: an analysis of data from the interventional management of stroke (IMS III) phase 3 trial. Lancet Neurol (2014) 13(6):567–74. doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(14)70066-3
26. Qureshi A. Endovascular treatment of acute ischaemic stroke after 6 h of symptom onset: safe but is it efficacious? Eur J Neurol (2013) 20(6):863–4. doi:10.1111/ene.12079
27. Crowell R, Marcoux F, DeGirolami U. Variability and reversibility of focal cerebral ischemia in unanesthetized monkeys. Neurology (1981) 31(10):1295–1295. doi:10.1212/WNL.31.10.1295
28. Jovin T, Liebeskind D, Gupta R, Rymer M, Rai A, Zaidat O, et al. Imaging-based endovascular therapy for acute ischemic stroke due to proximal intracranial anterior circulation occlusion treated beyond 8 hours from time last seen well: retrospective multicenter analysis of 237 consecutive patients. Stroke (2011) 42(8):2206–11. doi:10.1161/STROKEAHA.110.604223
Keywords: acute ischemic stroke, intra-arterial treatment, revascularization, stroke outcome, capillary index score
Citation: Al-Ali F, Elias JJ and Filipkowski DE (2015) Acute ischemic stroke treatment, part 2: Treatment “Roles of capillary index score, revascularization and time”. Front. Neurol. 6:117. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2015.00117
Received: 13 January 2015; Accepted: 08 May 2015;
Pascal Jabbour, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, USA
Bernd Schmitz, University of Ulm, Germany
Foad Abd-Allah, Cairo University Hospitals, Egypt
Copyright: © 2015 Al-Ali, Elias and Filipkowski. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Firas Al-Ali, Department of Neuro Interventional Surgery, Akron General Medical Center, 1 Akron General Avenue, Akron, OH 44307, USA, falali@snsphysicians.com
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2370
|
__label__wiki
| 0.876003
| 0.876003
|
Berkeley Burke appeal scheduled for October
By Amy Austin
Berkeley Burke’s appeal against a High Court decision in its long standing battle against the Financial Ombudsman Service (Fos) is due to be heard in October and will be streamed on the internet.
Berkeley Burke is fighting a decision from 2014, in which the Fos ruled the self-invested personal pension (Sipp) provider had to compensate a client after it failed to carry out adviser-style due diligence on his investment.
In October 2018 Berkeley Burke lost a High Court case meaning the ombudsman's ruling stood, but in February 2019 Lord Justice Hickinbottom of the Court of Appeal granted Berkeley Burke permission to appeal the ruling, claiming the decision was potentially one of "considerable and wider importance within the industry and for customers."
FTAdviser understands that a two-day appeal hearing is scheduled to begin on October 15, 2019 and will be live streamed on the court's Youtube channel, a service that began in November 2018 to improve public access to the courts.
The case could have wider ramifications for the industry as it centres on the question of liability a Sipp provider has when accepting business.
The original Fos decision ordered Berkeley Burke to repay Wayne Charlton after he lost part of his pension to unregulated investment Sustainable AgroEnergy, which had promised returns of between 8 and 9 per cent.
The company purported to provide agricultural land leases in Cambodia, where they would grow jatropha trees for biofuel.
But in 2012 the company was investigated by the Serious Fraud Office and went into administration.
In the High Court ruling against Berkeley Burke in October, Mr Justice Jacobs listed four instances when he felt a Sipp operator should intervene;
1) when the proposed investment is not eligible for the tax benefits of being put in a Sipp.
2) when the rules on what can be put into a Sipp change.
3) when the provider receives information which casts doubt on the integrity of those promoting the investment.
4) when the Sipp provider has learnt of problems, such as a possible insolvency, which affect the proposed investment.
But Berkeley Burke at the time maintained the ombudsman "erred in law" applying the FCA principles in a way that created a "new and unexpected duty of care" on the part of Sipp operators to investigate investments before accepting them into a Sipp.
Since then the Financial Ombudsman Service has held more and more Sipp providers accountable for accepting unregulated investments into their books that later failed.
Earlier this month, FTAdviser reported that adviser trade body Libertatem is seeking donations from advisers to help towards the cost of Berkeley Burke’s appeal case.
The group is helping to form the provider’s legal case as well as seeking tens of thousands of pounds in donations from advisers and other Sipp providers.
Garry Heath, director general at Libertatem, said it was in advisers’ best interests to put their support behind this case as if the Fos wins, the precedence set could be used against advisers in the future.
More on SIPP
Troubled Sipp sold for £482k
GPC Sipp receives claims worth £700k
Troubled property scheme commissions review
Pension transfer into Dubai property costs adviser
Sipp firms on the lookout for acquisitions
Claims managers 'won't let Sipp cases die'
Pensions Investments SIPP
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2371
|
__label__wiki
| 0.718731
| 0.718731
|
RepresentationsFUSS Contact
Products & Industry Solutions
EMC Filters and Reactors
Common Mode Cores
HF Transformers
Air Coils
Partial Discharge Filters
Siemens Product Partner for Drive Options
Construction and Mechanical Engineering
Power Generation and Energy Storage
FUSS-Automation
Range of Service
Measurement LaboratoryDownloads
About usHistoryCareerNews
The story of our company
1908, the company was founded in Berlin Pankow by the engineer Max Fuss. Four years later, he received an imperial patent for an electromagnetic voltage controller which was, at that time, a groundbreaking innovation to ensure a stable operation of electrical generators. This successful product became the foundation of the further corporate development.
1937, the company Max Fuss GmbH moved to a newly erected manufacturing building in Berlin-Hermsdorf. Due to the Invention of transistors in the 1960s, the company focused on the production of special heating and transformers.
1986, the first radio interference filter was designed for elevator construction and then built in serial production. Because of the introduction of the CE-sign and the enacting of the EMC-law in 1993, the EMC segment of Ing. Max Fuss GmbH & Co KG was continually expanded. With the development of the ISUVOC 100+ in 2009, our company offered its first active filter that is able to regulate harmonics and oscillations voltage-based.
Since 2006, FUSS-EMV is located on the WISTA site in Berlin-Adlershof. The company building was then supplemented in 2010 again by an extension. EMC, Power Quality, filters for renewable energies and e-mobility are the main business segments of Ing. Max Fuss GmbH & Co KG today, which is also known under the registered trademark FUSS-EMV. Customer orientation, flexibility and innovative products will convince you, too - we look forward to meeting you!
Do you have questions or need further information? We will help you!
+49 30 6331319100
info--at--fuss-emv.de
Copyright © FUSS·EMV 2020
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2373
|
__label__wiki
| 0.993271
| 0.993271
|
James Wade apologises for saying he ‘wanted to really hurt’ opponent
By PA Sport
James Wade has apologised for controversial post-match comments that he “wanted to really hurt” Japanese opponent Seigo Asada and blamed his actions on a “hypo mania episode”.
Wade struggled to a 3-2 PDC World Darts Championship second round victory over Asada at Alexandra Palace on Wednesday night.
But the main talking point was Wade’s post-match TV interview when the world number nine told Sky Sports: “I kept giving it to him, I wanted to hurt him, I wanted to really hurt him in his face.”
Former player Wayne Mardle described Wade’s behaviour as “thuggish”, and the 35-year-old from Aldershot released a statement on Thursday apologising for his actions.
“I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologise for my actions last night,” Wade said on his personal Twitter account.
“Seigo Asada is a great player and I would like to say sorry to him, the fans and the PDC.
“Anyone that has followed my professional career will know that this was very out of character for me and I am disappointed in myself with the way I acted both on the stage and in my interviews after the match.
“I was fighting a battle with myself before I even got on the stage due to a hypo mania episode which can happen to me at any time and no one is more upset than I am about what happened.
“I would like to again apologise and hope that people can understand how remorseful I am.”
Hypomania is described by the mental health charity Mind as “periods of over-active and excited behaviour that have a significant impact on your day-to-day life”.
The Professional Darts Corporation, the organisers of the world championship, have said any statement from them on Wade’s remarks “would be issued in due course”.
Mardle, who was working as a television pundit at the game, was in no doubt that Wade’s behaviour should not be tolerated.
“Does he mean he wanted to punch him in his face? What does he mean? I’m absolutely lost for words,” said Mardle.
“That’s just not on. The intimidation, overly aggressive, I hope he wakes up in the morning and thinks, ‘I’ve made a mistake there’.
“He can’t think that’s right and no one watching it can think it’s right. That’s thuggish behaviour, there’s no place in darts for that.”
Wade, who twice came from a set down to beat Asada and yelled in the Japanese’s face after levelling the match at 1-1, will face Jelle Klaasen or Keegan Brown next in the third round.
Raymond van Barneveld announces retirement after Rotterdam defeat
Michael van Gerwen starts bid for fourth successive Premier League crown with victory
Michael van Gerwen clinches Masters title with victory over James Wade
Rob Cross shows class and dignity despite shock loss to Luke Humphries at WDC
James Wade crashes out at Alexandra Palace
Trending Darts Stories
New arena move leaves BDO World Darts Championship crowd embarrassingly empty
Michael van Gerwen celebrates winning leg but is then told he had miscounted
Women's Sport: A turbulent competition at the BDO World Darts Championship
Latest Darts articles
Women's Sport: Fallon Sherrock reflects on her historic achievements
With no Fallon Sherrock, who are the other contenders for the Women’s World Darts Championship?
Peter Wright's WhatsApp message days before PDC World Championship
More Darts news
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2377
|
__label__wiki
| 0.977513
| 0.977513
|
Finn inspires England to hammer India
By Luke Reynolds
England crushed India at the Gabba as Steven Finn took career best figures of 5-33 while Ian Bell hit 88 not out as he eased Eoin Morgan’s side to a nine wicket win.
It was a complete performance by England who reached their victory target of 154 with more than 22 overs remaining as James Taylor also reached a half century, ending with an unbeaten 56.
The positives were almost endless for England as James Anderson returned to the side after injury and led from the front by taking four wickets for just 18 runs in 8.3 overs as the Lancashire seamer and Chris Woakes piled on the pressure in the opening exchanges.
It was actually India who won the toss and MS Dhoni elected to bat but it wasn’t long until Anderson struck as Shikhar Dhawan fell for just a single in the third over, caught behind by Jos Buttler.
A watchful 56-run partnership then followed between Ajinkye Rahane and Ambati Rayudu until a swift collapse left Dhoni's men stuttering at 67-5 as Finn ran through the India top order. The Middlesex man dismissed Rahane, Rayudu and superstar Virat Kohli while Moeen Ali had Suresh Raina stumped by gloveman Buttler.
The India captain was then joined by Stuart Binny as they tried to forge a partnership to give them a fighting chance in their second game of the tri-series tournament. The pair actually rescued their side but the spirit was short lived as their second collapse of the innings meant they lost their final five wickets for 16 runs.
FINN ON FIRE
Finn was once again a destroyer as he removed the dangerous Dhoni for 34, giving Buttler his fifth dismissal of the innings and he didn’t have to wait for his first five-wicket haul in ODI cricket for England. The very next ball he dislodged Axar Patel’s stumps to leave him on a hat-trick and India in real trouble at 137-7.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar survived the hat-trick ball and it was left to the returning Anderson to polish off the innings by taking three wickets for 14 balls, including top scorer Binny for 44 leaving England a modest target of 154.
Morgan century in vain as Warner leads Australia to victory
Moeen Ali exclusive: ready to face world's best
Can anyone beat AB De Villiers century record?
Morgan’s troops had six overs to face before the tea interval and they started with intent to finish the game off as quickly as possible with Ali the only casualty before the break as England went into the changing rooms on 41-1 with Bell and Taylor at the crease.
The pair continued their charge to victory and in truth a bonus point victory never looked in doubt as they played freely in Brisbane.
The Warwickshire top order batsman was the first player of the match to reach 50 and he did so in a run a ball which included five boundaries while Taylor was backing him up well at the other end with England reaching 100 inside the 19th over.
The World Cup underdogs were cruising to their first victory of the tri-series after losing the opening game of the tournament to Australia, a result which India matched on Sunday which added extra importance to the fixture.
Taylor went on to hit the winning runs as he ended with 56 from his 63 balls while Bell finished with an impressive strike rate of over 96 from his 88 runs.
The nine wicket victory leaves England in second position in the table ahead of their next match against Australia in Hobart on Friday. A victory in Tasmania would go a long way to making sure they reach the final which is to be played at the WACA on Sunday 1st February.
Australia cricket
India cricket
James Anderson (cricket)
Steven Finn
Women's Sport: Lisa Keightley names her first England squad heading to Australia for World T20
Ben Stokes has been named the ICC World Player of the Year after extraordinary 2019
Shane Warne's legendary 'Baggy Green' fetches over A$1 million in auction for wildfires relief
Ben Stokes heart-warming hand gesture directed at injured father
Jos Buttler explicitly sledging Vernon Philander during South Africa vs England Test match
Trending Cricket Stories
Liam Livingstone gets hit in the groin TWICE during Big Bash game
Kevin Pietersen slams Test cricket after Kagiso Rabada's ban
Latest Cricket articles
Ricky Ponting includes four England players in his controversial Test team of the decade
Women’s Cricket: The best way to beat Australia- hire an Australian
Women's Cricket: Laura Marsh announces her retirement from international cricket
Ben Stokes wins 2019 BBC Sports Personality of the Year award
Women's Cricket: Finals day for The Hundred to be played at separate venues for men and women
More Cricket news
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2378
|
__label__wiki
| 0.749057
| 0.749057
|
Visually arresting video needed just powder and a speaker
By Sal Cangeloso 03.31.2014 :: 12:52PM EST 03.31.2014
@salcan
Sometimes the simplest of elements can be combined to create the most interesting of results. And I’m not talking about the old baking soda-plus-vinegar volcano, this is the combination of nothing more than an active subwoofer cone and a dust-like powder. The two were all it took to create this incredibly cool video, though the addition of a Red Epic camera certainly helped.
The video, entitled The Essence of Sound, features lycopodium powder dancing around on top of a subwoofer. Lycopodium is better known as flash powder, as in the stuff that was used in the pyrotechnic explosions that lit old-timey photographs. It’s still used to in laboratory settings, for instance when it’s necessary to make sound waves visible (as we see here). Basically, lycopodium is the best way possible to make a fireball on a budget, but it’s also quite handy for other things as well.
Below the powder is a subwoofer doing exactly what subwoofers do. As the subwoofer bounces the powder hypnotically moves creating the incredible forms we see. The patterns aren’t quite as regular as one would expect, so it’s likely that there is more too the situation than just a speaker with some dust on it, but that’s essentially what we’re looking at.
None of this would have been possible without the marvel that is the Red Epic. We know this camera was used to record the event, though that’s the only detail mentioned about the photography. Regardless of the gear, from watching the video you can see that the tiny movements of the particles were captured with an amazing level of detail and in incredible color. What could have been a blurry mess was transformed into a video that’s both a technical and visual feat.
The video was made in collaboration with German audio maker Burkhardtsmaier, who is currently featuring the video prominently on its homepage.
Burkhardtsmaier
red epic
More in Geek-Cetera
10.15.2019 :: 11:30AM EST :: Aubrey Sitterson
The 11 Best Demons to Summon
06.22.2019 :: 12:00PM EST :: Michelle Nguyen
The Best ‘Evangelion’ OP Parodies of All Time
02.12.2019 :: 10:00AM EST :: K. Thor Jensen
The 11 Best Video Games to Play With Your Significant Other
11.05.2018 :: 3:30PM EST :: Ray Walters
Best Board Games
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2381
|
__label__wiki
| 0.958525
| 0.958525
|
Glasgow Royal Infirmary
Royal Infirmary staff speak out over council's controversial east end parking charge plans
Medics also tell of damage to their cars and run-ins with residents as they park in streets to avoid £20 a day levy at the multi-storey car park – with one nurse claiming he is now looking for another job
Christina O'Neill
Glasgow Royal Infirmary buildings GV sign logo
Staff at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary have hit out over plans to roll out street parking charges across the east end.
Hard-working medics tell how they have suffered abuse, intimidation and car damage parking in Dennistoun and Royston as they cannot afford to fork out £20 a day at the hospital's privately owned multi-storey car park.
One nurse is hunting for another job as he slammed the council over the new rules – saying "it's all about making money."
Medical staff have been campaigning since last year to reduce prices at the facility, owned by Imagile and ran by APCOA – but the firm have refused to change the pricing structure.
The Royal Infirmary is one of three hospitals in Scotland locked into private finance initiative (PFI) arrangements.
One staff nurse - who asked to remain anonymous - has been parking in Royston since she began working there five years ago.
The multi-storey car park at the Royal Infirmary (Image: Tony Nicoletti)
She told Glasgow Live: "Some people have been followed back to their cars, stuff shouted after them. My friend went to her car after work and two residents were waiting there and started shaking her car with her in it for several minutes. She phoned the police and they gave up and left. She was terrified.
"People have had their cars keyed and tyres slashed. A lot of people have sucked it up and started paying the £20 at the hospital because they are so paranoid about something happening. But it's a huge portion of our wages."
Glasgow named both happiest and unhappiest place to live in Scotland within 24 hours
Glasgow City Council's proposed Parking Control scheme would introduce charges across Dennistoun and Royston, with paid permits for residents and businesses and marked bays.
Residents’ parking permits would be at a cost of £85 per annum and business parking permits would be available at a cost of £650. Visitors permits would also be made available for stays up of up to six hours.
Medical staff say they will be affected by the parking charges (Image: Getty Images)
The authority suggests hospital staff parking in the area has had a knock-on effect for locals who live there – claiming the congestion affects local trade, refuse collection and emergency services.
But as reported on Glasgow Live, the plans have faced a huge backlash from the community who have branded the proposal a 'money-making scheme' – which still won't guarantee those paying for permits a parking space.
A council spokesman insisted the new rules were drafted in response to complaints made about parking in the area.
He said: "It is council policy that in areas where parking problems arise then priority for parking spaces should be given to residents over commuters.
“In a recent survey of parking issues across Glasgow the Dennistoun and Royston areas were found to have the biggest and most regular difficulties with problematic parking."
The staff nurse replies that she can understand why residents are frustrated with commuters parking in the area, but that they have no other choice. She added: "We don't all live in the vicinity of the hospital – some nurses are coming from as far away as Falkirk. We have childcare, kids to drop off and other care responsibilities. it's not always as simple as 'getting yourself to work'.
"We might have to begin parking further away at Springburn or get buses – but we already work 12 hours shifts, that will add a lot of time on to our day."
Young woman sexually assaulted on Lanark-bound train between Glasgow Central and Carluke
The health board currently do offer reduced parking permits – though it is only for staff who work across more than one hospital and could ring in at £300 a year.
She added: "I think a lot of people will just end up trying to pay the car park sometimes or do more night shifts which will leave areas more short-staffed than day shifts.
"A lot of nurses do bank shifts, which mean they can pick their own and it will be a big problem. People choose shifts at other hospitals like the Queen Elizabeth because they have too many problems with parking.
"We all feel frustrated and undervalued. The health board aren't taking steps to help us. We've written to our MPs and they say it's our own issue and nothing to do with them."
Dennistoun and Royston zone (Image: GCC)
Glasgow Live spoke to another nurse at the GRI who also claimed that she has faced intimidation from residents for parking in the street. She said: "I have been approached by a man when on my own at around 7:30am to be asked if I have any cigarettes or money. I have witnessed a man buying drugs at that time, when there aren’t a lot of other people around.
"My colleagues have had cars keyed to cause extensive damage. I am particularly frightened when I finish work late and have to walk alone to my car, particularly when we are told of people being mugged and accosted at these areas."
A student nurse, who has been offered a full-time position at the Infirmary once she qualifies in five weeks, admitted she feels like she is in "meltdown" mode as she lives off her bursary and is forced to park in nearby Dennistoun.
"I am always skint," she said. "I can not afford £15-£20 a day for the multi-storey car park that is situated in the grounds of the hospital. I would have to leave at 5am to catch two trains to work.
"At weekends, this would be even more difficult as transport does not start until after my shift would have commenced.
"I am now super worried and nervous over how I will continue my career at GRI of being a nurse with no parking.I chose to pick GRI because that's where my placements have been and they said they'd love me to return, but that was before we got the news about the new parking rules."
Major increase in Glasgow drug deaths as national fatalities reach all time high
A nurse who commutes from East Dunbartonshire said he has had "nothing but stress and hassle" parking in the streets of the east end.
He said: "I have received numerous parking tickets from APCOA in the hospital grounds as I couldn't afford the parking then lots of fines from parking in the street as I had went over the time limits. The costs of these has racked up so my only option is parking in the residential areas.
"I have had numerous incidents where my car has been damaged and costing hundreds to repair. Paint scratches, wheel scuffs and spit all down my new car. I have also had arguments and threats from the residents.
"It is completely draining and I am looking for another job already as it is just not worth the hassle, which is a shame. I really enjoy my job and I am happy in it.
"I also have very bad asthma so sometimes the rushing and distance I have to walk I can barely breathe by the time I get to work. It's an absolute disgrace and the NHS are doing nothing to help nurses and not giving enough people parking permits."
Glasgow gift shop Gie it Laldy makes 'dinnae chewbac in anger' Lewis Capaldi mug
One nurse from Ayrshire tells how she has had several notes taped onto their car over the last six years.
"Using public transport is not an option – otherwise I'd be late for my shift," she said.
"The parking charges are ridiculous. No way can we afford that three or four times a week on the wages we receive. Half the car park is empty at the best of times.
"The council stopped the free Sunday parking which was a godsend if you were working the weekend, and now we have this to worry about.
"How are we meant to get into work? Where are the hard-working staff of the Royal meant to park? Once again, it's all about making money – never a thought for the people who work within Glasgow – and especially not to the people in GRI who care for the people of this city."
The PFI scheme was set up by the Conservative government in the 1990s and allowed hospitals, schools and prisons to be built by private contractors before being rented back to the public sector.
Any money that remained following construction of the buildings, as well as "rent" money, could then be kept by the contractor.
A spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: "The multi-storey car park at Glasgow Royal Infirmary is a PFI project owned by Imagile Car Parking and managed by Apcoa.
"As the car park is privately owned we do not have any control over the tariffs Imagile choose to charge.
"We subsidise 941 parking permits for staff who are required to bring their car to work as they work across a number of sites. There are also other incentives that staff can agree locally with Apcoa including special reduced nightly rates and reduced monthly tariffs. Staff should approach Apcoa direct for more information on reduced cost incentives.
"While NHSGGC has no authority or responsibility for on-street car parking and have no authority to monitor parking on public roads we would support any of our staff who have been either verbally or physically abused by local residents or had their car damaged to report any incidents to the police."
A petition for the council to scrap the Parking Control plans has garnered more than 1000 signatures. This can be viewed on Change.
Three community consultations over the proposals are to be held at Dennistoun and Royston Libraries.
Wednesday 24 July 2019, 2pm - 7pm (Royston Library, 67 Royston Road, Glasgow, G21 2QW)
Thursday 25 July 2019, 2pm - 7pm (Dennistoun Library, 2A Craigpark, Glasgow, G31 2NA
Saturday 27 July 2019, 10am - 1pm (Dennistoun Library, 2A Craigpark, Glasgow, G31 2NA
Have you downloaded the Glasgow Live app yet? Get all the latest news and events at the touch of a button on Android and Apple.
Royal Infirmary
FoodbankWhat you should never give a Glasgow foodbank - and what they desperately need Despite the generosity of locals, one foodbank explains that some donated items are a ‘logistical nightmare’ for volunteers.
EventsAlpacas, margarita trucks and prosecco vans - Scottish Wedding Show returns to Glasgow next monthDo you know someone who's planning for their big day?
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2385
|
__label__wiki
| 0.828233
| 0.828233
|
CNN Promotes Its #FactsFirst Campaign By Taking A Shot At Trump On Twitter
Polls show the country trusts CNN over Trump.
Like Marty McFly exiting his DeLorean into alternate 1985 in “Back to the Future Part II,” waking up in Trump’s America every morning can feel like entering a bizarro version of the country. One of the most troubling aspects of this sinister new world is Trump’s childish Twitter rants against the news media, namely CNN.
Remember this tweet? It actually happened.
#FraudNewsCNN #FNN pic.twitter.com/WYUnHjjUjg
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 2, 2017\n
Trump’s seemingly daily rants against the news network led CNN to create a new advertising campaign, #FactsFirst, that punches back at Trump’s claim it disseminates fake news. “This is an apple,” the ad voiceover begins over a photo of an apple. “Some people might try to tell you it’s a banana. They might scream, ‘Banana, banana, banana,’ over and over and over again. They might put ‘banana’ in all caps. You might even start to believe that this is a banana. But it’s not. This is an apple.”
“Some people might try to tell you that it’s a banana.” #FactsFirst pic.twitter.com/LbmRKiGJe9
— CNN (@CNN) October 23, 2017\n
On Nov. 25, Trump was back at it again, praising White House mouthpiece Fox News, calling it “MUCH more important in the United States than CNN” and saying CNN doesn’t “represent” the country well.
.@FoxNews is MUCH more important in the United States than CNN, but outside of the U.S., CNN International is still a major source of (Fake) news, and they represent our Nation to the WORLD very poorly. The outside world does not see the truth from them!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 25, 2017\n
So CNN punched back at the president saying, it’s “not CNN’s job to represent the U.S. to the world. That’s yours.” The tweet was punctuated by an apple emoji, recalling its #FactsFirst campaign.
It's not CNN's job to represent the U.S to the world. That's yours. Our job is to report the news. #FactsFirst
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) November 25, 2017\n
Given recent poll numbers on his own credibility, Trump might want to rethink his war against the news media. A poll conducted in October found that 52% of Americans trust CNN over Trump, whereas 37% find Trump to be more trustworthy. A CNN poll conducted in early in November said that only 34% believe the president is honest and trustworthy while 64% say he’s not.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2392
|
__label__wiki
| 0.578738
| 0.578738
|
Will AT&T Launch a 3G Xoom 2 Media Edition Tablet?
Chuong Nguyen
Alongside FCC documentation for the Motorola Droid 4 for Verizon Wireless, the U.S. regulatory body for wireless devices is also reviewing the Motorola Xoom 2 Media Edition tablet. Unlike the Xoom 2 variants for Verizon Wireless, to be branded as the Xyboard tablet, the Media Edition Xoom 2 at the FCC comes with AT&T-compatible U.S. GSM, EDGE, and 3G bands. This version also eschews an LTE radio, suggesting that as a tablet it would only be able to connect to the carrier’s 4G HSPA+ network, and not the newer LTE network.
At this stage, an announcement has not been made on the part of Motorola nor AT&T. U.S. regulatory approval of the tablet does not necessarily mean that the device will launch in the States.
As the Xoom 2 Media Edition sports a smaller screen than the 10-inch Xoom 2, the device, if launched on AT&T in the U.S., would likely compete in the same market as the Galaxy Tab 8.9 with 4G LTE that had already launched on AT&T. As the Xoom 2 Media Edition lacks a 4G radio, it may be priced more affordably than Samsung’s offering.
Via: Engadget
Related Topics:AndroidAT&TFCCMotorolaSlatespeculationsTabletXoomXoom 2
phlpn.es/829r8s
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2396
|
__label__wiki
| 0.551045
| 0.551045
|
A Gentleman’s Adventure- The Sunbeam’s Pleasure
John Marston was a perfectionist; his delight came from excellence in everything Sunbeam produced and this standard was set long before his first motorcycle left his Wolverhampton works. Work life began as an apprentice manufacturing ‘Japanware’ products wrapped in the highest quality black lacquer finish; this form of enamelling would continue from kitchenware to bicycles with his first foray into transport during the late 1800s. At the turn of the century Sunbeam like so many other marques experimented with the addition of small combustion engines attached to their cycles. Following the death of a staff member whilst aboard on of these pro-visionary machines, plans were dropped in favour of Sunbeam Motor Cars. Thus the company was considered a late arrival on the motorcycle scene when it produced the John Greenwood designed 350cc machine in 1912. Powered by Harry Stevens ‘in house’ single cylinder, side valve engine unit, their first offering would include features that would become synonymous with the brand; oil bath chain case, beautifully finished and constructed by hand. ‘The Gentlemen’s Motorcycle’ had arrived and at 60 guineas a well maintained machine should offer decades of reliable transport. Immediately the brand was tested in the sporting trails of the day and as expected was able to outperform the competition of which there was no shortage. The following year a publicity stunt to promote Wolverhampton’s finest involved climbing three mountains, first Snowdon followed by Ben Nevis and finally Mount Tosari in Java (Indonesia). Sales were buoyant prior to the First World War then the factory known as Sunbeamland switched over to supply the war department. Matt khaki and black Sunbeam’s saw service in France, Italy and even with the Russian Army on the Eastern Front, many coupled to a machine gun toting sidecar. As the war drew to a close tragedy struck the Marston family when their third son Roland died unexpectedly at just 45. Roland Marston was being groomed to take control of Sunbeamland and the shock certainly contributed to the passing of John Marston himself the day following his son’s funeral. John’s wife Ellen passed away just six weeks later. The responsibility now lay at the feet of eldest son Charles who was leading the very successful Villiers Engineering Company. Utilising Marston’s old ‘Japanning’ works in Villiers St, Wolverhampton, Charles had developed reliable and affordable power plants used by many manufacturers. With death duties to pay and a post war Britain, Charles unsure of its future, decided to sell John Marston Ltd to a group known as Nobel Industries Ltd; they kept the Marston name and production continued featuring the same high standards as before. The Sunbeam Car Company had been set up in 1905 and although it bore the same name, it had been separate from all of Marston’s other interests and supplied aero engines during WW1, including the successful Sunbeam Cossack V12. The early 1920s saw sporting success on two wheels with the return of the TT and senior wins for both works riders Tommy de la Hay and Alec Bennett. Land speed record attempts on four wheels saw Malcolm Campbell take a 350hp Sunbeam to 150mph at Pendine Sands in 1925. Alec Bennett would return to the Isle of Man in 1927 and win the Senior again, this time aboard a Norton; Sunbeam motorcycles would face new ownership this very year and a Model 2 chassis A1197 would depart the exit the works onto Paul Street, Wolverhampton; costing its first owner 63 Guineas or 6 months wages for the average working man. At the time Sunbeamland produced twelve models including two versions of the 350cc side valve; the Model 1 (touring) or the Model 2 (sporting). It was also the year Nobel Industries ran into financial problems and they joined with Brunner Mond Ltd to create the massive company ICI. Although there was uncertainty for the 600 workforce at Sunbeamland, their huge parent company had little interest in the motorcycle business and so around 35 machines per week continued to leave the factory as before. With the Great Depression approaching the future for all things Sunbeam would become a treacherous road, especially for the hand built machines that saw falling sales into the thirties. ICI were finally able to dispose of the Sunbeam motorcycle and bicycle brands in 1937 when Associated Motorcycles took production to the home of Matchless along with AJS to Plumstead Road, London. The techniques and tooling used to construct these bespoke bikes were considered too worn or of no future use, thus scrapped. ICI kept Sunbeamland for radiator production; something John Marston had first introduced in 1906 for the expanding car industry and now became the sole security for the future of his Wolverhampton factory.
Eighty-Nine and Looking Fine
The Bonhams LOT 502 for auction at Olympia in December 2007 listed this 350cc Sunbeam as a Model ½, which one? My first question for owner Rob Aylott. ‘This bike features the full chain bath from the touring version together with the smaller foot pegs of the sporting version’ he informed me. The handlebars are flatter (underslung) as were the sporting version, I suggested this 350 is a Model 2 with the welcome addition of the rear chain oil bath. Rob enjoys a fine collection of classic and vintage machines with the Sunbeam being one of the youngest. What then was his reasoning behind the purchase of this particular machine? ‘My father had one’, at which time he produced an image from the mid-30s when his father Effingham would take any opportunity to enjoy his Sunbeam most weekends. It was the first vintage machine Rob acquired upon retiring and something he had always promised himself. It is in the blood certainly and as a young apprentice aircraft design engineer my host couldn’t afford a car and like so many his bike was everyday transport. Beginning with an Ariel Colt, Rob also remembers having a very early Honda 250 then an ex-Police 500cc Triumph during the 73 oil crisis. Rob’s association with the museum at Beaulieu goes back many years, he was able to offer support with their restoration of a 1936 Brough Superior, one machine his father always desired. Using their knowledge and the grainy image, a decision was made to find a Sunbeam Model 2 which could then enjoy Beaulieu’s workshop. Re-commissioned in 2008 the purchase proved to be very original, ‘authenticity is key as far as I am concerned and Beaulieu was able to verify that it is all very genuine’ Rob explained whilst comparing the bike in 2016 against the manufacturer catalogue from 1928. Sourcing a suitable pair of 2.75x21 inch tyres proved a challenge, so for immediacy, two fronts with more modern pattern were fitted. The magneto required specialist repair, debris inside the tank was removed and a full mechanical inspection carried out; essential for a machine that is known to have spent at least a decade inside an Austrian motorcycle museum.
Shopping Bike
A firm believer in riding regularly Rob will often use the Sunbeam to visit local shops, taking every chance to appreciate the south downs twisting roads. With plenty of vintage machinery at his disposal Rob finds the Model 2 the most usable of all his collection and so I was keen to understand the starting procedure prior to us enjoying a jaunt. The handlebar selection of levers is quite daunting for the novice; on the left, front brake, clutch lever and advance retard whilst the right hand deals with throttle and air levers plus decompressor and change gears. ‘There is no ‘twist and go’ with this old machine’ smiles our pilot. Before attempting to start, the pump on the tank is put to work and whilst this is not a total loss system both engine and gearbox need to be topped. Their oil is from the same source just redirected via a tap under the tank, Rob gives the gearbox several whilst the engine often receives its share on the move; especially when dealing with serious inclines. The space taken by a separate oil tank holding around 1.1 litres obviously restricts the fuel capacity slightly to just over 5 litres. The exhaust and Ghost silencer received fresh nickel plate not long ago and the bright sunshine bounces from its surface whilst Rob points out an accident with a fuel spill will mean the tank needs attention on the left side. The Sunbeam still displays a quality of finish that drew gentlemen to their sales outlets a century ago, the black coating is deep and rich whilst fittings are lavishly plated. The original leather tool bags remain, as does the Lycett Aero saddle, showing signs of age but growing worn gracefully. The supplying dealer sticker is still present on the rear mudguard, the name of Alfred Chaston of Blackwood verifies this machine spent time in the Welsh Valleys. The handle bar grips still proudly show the name John Bull and stamped into the hand throttle lever is AMAC to match the 26 x 2 ½ carburettor. The original order didn’t include the optional extra of a Lucas Magdyno electric lighting outfit, with large size headlamp and ammeter at £10.10s. Once primed, set and prepared, just two kicks bring the single to life and as the motor settles, Rob pushes the lever forward to engage first, then with a minimum of blue haze we go. Getting the ‘pullaway’ correct requires experience, the correct amount of engine thuds per yard takes practice. Rob’s handling of this vintage machine is impressive, his gear changes come with the minimum of graunch and reading the owner’s manual only enforces the fact. Under the section ‘Changing Gear’ it states; ‘As soon as the machine is travelling at a good speed in low gear and the engine is beginning to run unnecessarily fast but not before, raise the clutch lever and simultaneously reduce the throttle opening. Then quickly move the gear lever from the low gear notch into the next gear position and at the same time release the clutch lever rather more quickly than before, simultaneously opening the throttle lever. It is well worth while acquiring this gear change artistically being the hallmark of a good driver’. Not for the uninitiated like myself but no doubt my guide knows how to handle vintage machines and I am sure being able to enjoy the same Model 2 his father rode just adds to the pleasure. It was fascinating to spend time with the finest quality motor cycle of its era, which still behaves faultlessly in 2016, even after several hours of riding.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2398
|
__label__cc
| 0.734838
| 0.265162
|
Sorry! This position is no longer accepting applications.
View current Sales Manager jobs
Dammam, Saudi Arabia
Ref: OP782-555
At Careem, our mission is to simplify & improve the lives of people, initially through solutions that make transportation in the region reliable, and over time, through disruptions in payments and logistics. In the process, we want to build an organization that inspires and become a world-class institution from the region.
Careem is the MENA regions leading ride-hailing platform and newest Tech Unicorn. With 30% monthly growth, we now operate in 90+ cities across 13+ countries and host over 15 million users. With our recent Series D funding success, we are positioned on the cusp of significant scale and well on target to deliver our goal of creating one million jobs in the region by 2018. Read more about us here and here .
Join us in building a world-class institution in the Middle East and experience the thrill of being part of a high-growth technology company, to improve people's lives.
We are looking for a sales professional to join our regional sales team as Sales Manager covering Eastern Province. This individual will drive the development and implementation of sales programs targeting prospective customers, current customers and other key contacts vital to generating sales opportunities. This person will be the central point of contact within their region and must be comfortable with ambiguously defined problems, challenges, and can balance thinking with tactical, detailed execution.
- Define and implement an agreed sales plan.
- Deliver revenue against pre-defined targets and objectives.
- Understand buying/selling processes involving multiple decision-makers for ground transportation purchases.
- Build and maintain ongoing communications with the regional resources, such as marketing, sales management, technical support etc. to ensure a transparent and coordinated approach in the region.
- Provide a regular reporting to ensure other team members as well as operations and corporate support are fully informed of the latest actions and information.
- Travel on regular basis and with limited supervision.
- Establish and maintain professional business relationship with our targeted customers and partners.
- Educate customers and prospects on our propositions and services.
Requirement Summary:
The ideal candidate will have a passionate commitment to improving the lives of people, an insane focus on excellence and customer service, and a strong alignment with our core values: being bold, focused, agile and collaborative. Additional qualifications include:
- 3 years’ Experience in sales and business development with minimum 2 years of active account/sales management
- Min 3 year experience in Saudi.
- University Degree/ Bachelor Degree in Economics, BA, Engineering from a reputable university
- Superior oral/written communication & listening skills
- Ability to solve problems and act quickly
- Technical savvy
Benefit Summary:
We offer an attractive total compensation package, with emphasis on equity compensation, excellent health benefits and monthly Careem credits. You will have a unique opportunity to join a fast-growing company on the ground floor and shape its direction.
We are a brand that aims to simplify people's lives by revolutionizing the transportation industry. A brand that strives to inspire everyone it interacts with, and supports every single person who dares to believe. #BeCareem
Careem is the MENA region's leading ride-hailing service and newest Tech Unicorn. With 30% monthly growth, we now operate in 50+ cities across 11 countries and host over 6 million users. With our recent Series D funding success, we are positioned on the cusp of significant scale and well on target to deliver our goal of creating one million jobs in the region by 2018.
Get personalised updates on latest vacancies
Learn more about Careem
Job Search Support
Get a Free CV Review
Get a professionally written CV
Get the Dubai Job Search Guide
Jobs in related categories
Sales Manager Jobs in Saudi Arabia
Sales Jobs in Dammam
Careem Jobs
Personalised updates on latest career opportunities
Insights on hiring and employment activity in your industry
Typically sent twice a month
Sales Manager salaries in Saudi Arabia
Average monthly compensation
SAR 17,000
Breakdown available for industries, cities and years of experience
Check full breakdown
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2400
|
__label__cc
| 0.659129
| 0.340871
|
Hagley Catholic High School
Principal: Mr J Hodgson
Behaviour and Safety
Key Information & Policies
Communications, Letters and School Events
St Nicholas Owen CMAC
Responsibility & Development
How Do I Qualify?
Oxbridge & Medicine Support
Uni Frog
Bursary Guidelines
Haggle
SIMS Parent
Y6 Transition
Thank you for identifying Hagley Catholic High School as your preferred choice for your child’s secondary education. Our mission is for all members of our community, called as God’s family, will strive to achieve their personal best, by living and learning in Christ.
We offer a comprehensive package to all pupils who are transitioning to us, designed to empower your child to take ownership of their move to secondary school, supported by our professional and experienced staff. The package has various elements to it, depending on the needs and location of each child.
AUTUMN TERM BEFORE TRANSITION
Our annual Open Day, on a Saturday morning, provides the chance for families to visit the school to see it in action, meet pupils & staff and to ask any questions they may have about secondary education.
The deadline for applying for a place at any secondary school in the country is 31 October. Please note that applying to us involves two separate processes:
1 - An online application to the Local Authority in which you reside;
2 - Return of a paper Supplementary Application Form, together with a copy of your child's Baptismal Certificate or other evidence of Reception into the Catholic Church - returned directly to Mrs L Millard, Admissions Secretary, Hagley Catholic High School, Hagley, DY8 2XL.
The deadline for both of these processes to be completed and received by the respective recipient is 31 October. Applications received by either authority after 31 October will be treated as late.
Pupils who are in schools that are part of the St Nicholas Owen Catholic Multi-Academy Company, or a named Feeder School, will be visited in their current school by Hagley Staff for an induction session.
SPRING TERM BEFORE TRANSITION
Places are allocated by your Local Authority on 1 March. Parents should follow the instructions issued by their Local Authority.
Pupils who have been allocated a place at Hagley Catholic High School will receive a letter in the post from us. Replies should be sent directly back to Mrs L Millard, Admissions Secretary, Hagley Catholic High School, Hagley, DY8 2XL.
Pupils who are in schools that are part of the St Nicholas Owen Catholic Multi-Academy Company, or a named Feeder School, will be visited in their current school by Hagley Staff for a further induction session.
SUMMER TERM BEFORE TRANSITION
Parents of our new intake will receive a comprehensive information pack in the post, containing key information pertaining to Intake Day, uniform ordering, transportation and other transition information.
All new pupils will attend an Intake Day in July.
All families will be invited to Intake Evening in July: an opportunity to meet key staff, order/collect uniform & discuss transportation arrangements.
Pupils identified by their primary schools as in need of additional transitional arrangements, to cater to their needs, will be invited to up to three additional afternoons at Hagley Catholic High School, before the main Intake Day.
Pupils who are joining us, but are not currently in a school that is part of the St Nicholas Owen Catholic Multi Academy Company, or a named Feeder School, will be invited to an additional transition afternoon, before the main Intake Day.
Intake Day: Wednesday 3 July 2019
Intake Evening: Thursday 4 July 2019
Open Day: Saturday 12 October 2019
Year 7 Maths induction booklet 2019 part 1.
Year 7 Maths induction booklet 2019 part 2 (1)
2019 Principal Speech Intake
http://www.stnicholasowen-mac.org.uk
Part of the Saint Nicholas Owen Catholic Multi Academy Company. A Private Limited Company with charitable status.
Company No: 09174154 Registered Office: Hagley Catholic High School, Brake Lane, Hagley, Worcestershire DY8 2XL
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2406
|
__label__wiki
| 0.575032
| 0.575032
|
This event will be held at our 9th Ave. location.
Crissy Van Meter discusses her new novel, Creatures.
Praise for Creatures
“Creatures is the kind of beautiful book that makes you want to lick the salt from its pages. It's so physically present you can feel the waves hit your body, smell the sea life, hear the roar of the ocean as your hair whips around your face in the breeze. Crissy Van Meter has written a book about the complexities of love and families, yes, but it's also a careful look at intimacy through the lens of a person learning and relearning how to love the people who continually let us down. It's inventive and surprising. The text is tactile; a punch to the heart. It’s one of the best novels I've read this year.”—Kristen Arnett, New York Times bestselling author of Mostly Dead Things
“Crissy Van Meter pulls us into depths of loneliness, sweetness, pain, history, and pulsing vulnerability in prose swift and clear as an ocean current, in Creatures. On Winter Island, time and landscape ache with memory; need spills over in subtle moments of intense connection, fracture, deprivation, and wound; unconditional love may be a concept as unreachable as the mainland, and as isolating. Like water, loss and longing fill the space between each prism of a word in this gorgeous, jewel-tone debut.” —Sarah Gerard, author of Sunshine State
“At the intersection of the natural world and the human heart, Van Meter explores alcoholism, absence, daughterly loyalties and longing in this slim and beautiful tale that contains a whole aqueous universe in its depths.”—Melissa Broder, author of The Pisces
About Creatures
On the eve of Evangeline’s wedding, a dead whale is trapped in the harbor of Winter Island, the groom may be lost at sea, and Evie’s mostly absent mother has shown up out of the blue. From there, in this mesmerizing, provocative debut, Evie remembers and reckons with her complicated upbringing in this lush, wild land off the coast of Southern California.
Evie grew up with her well-meaning but negligent father, surviving on the money he made dealing the island’s world-famous strain of marijuana, Winter Wonderland. Although he raised her with a deep respect for the elements, the sea, and the creatures living within it, he also left her to parent herself. With wit, love, and bracing ashes of anger, Creatures probes the complexities of love and abandonment, guilt and forgiveness, betrayal and grief—and the ways in which our ability to love can be threatened if we are not brave enough to conquer the past.
Lyrical, darkly funny, and ultimately cathartic, Creatures exerts a pull as strong as the tides.
Creatures: A Novel (Hardcover)
By Crissy Van Meter
Availability: ON HAND in at least ONE of our stores. Click through or call for up-to-the-minute availability.
Published: Algonquin Books - January 7th, 2020
A Belletrist Book Club Selection
“Van Meter’s debut is an unwavering triumph . . .
Books on the Park
Coming up next month...
9th Ave: Mary Ladd and Peter Lawrence Kane
9th Ave: Garth Greenwell and R.O. Kwon
9th Ave: Amina Cain and Rita Bullwinkel
9th Ave: Danielle Svetcov
9th Ave: Conor Dougherty
9th Ave: Jenny Offill and Ethan Nosowsky
9th Ave: Emily Nemens and Emily Bell
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2408
|
__label__cc
| 0.706966
| 0.293034
|
School bus fire in Orangeburg
Orangeburg county reports they are assisting with a school bus fire Friday morning in Santee.
School bus fire in Orangeburg Orangeburg county reports they are assisting with a school bus fire Friday morning in Santee. Check out this story on greenvilleonline.com: http://grnol.co/1naoku4
Derry London, WLTX Published 9:24 a.m. ET May 2, 2014
Orangeburg county reports they are assisting with a school bus fire Friday morning in Santee. (Photo: WLTX )
SANTEE — Orangeburg county reports they are assisting with a school bus fire Friday morning in Santee.
According to reports, the bus caught fire near the intersection of Bonner Avenue and Highway 301 in Santee, near interstate 95.
No injuries have been reported at this time, and the cause of the fire is not yet known.
The Public Information Officer for Orangeburg School District Three tells us the bus was carrying 10 students from Vance-Providence Elementary School in Vance, and Holly Hill-Roberts Middle School in Holly Hill. All students got off the bus safely, and were transferred to their schools.
Read or Share this story: http://grnol.co/1naoku4
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2409
|
__label__wiki
| 0.623234
| 0.623234
|
Home Discussions About
Home Discussions About Join us
This is V 1
Domains @epfl.ch
Evanescent straight tapered-fiber coupling of ultra-high Q optomechanical micro-resonators in a low-vibration helium-4 exchange-gas cryostat
R. Rivière École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, 85748 Garching, Germany O. Arcizet Institut Néel/CNRS and Université Joseph Fourier, 38042 Grenoble, France A. Schliesser École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, 85748 Garching, Germany T. J. Kippenberg tobias.kippenberg@epfl.ch École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, 85748 Garching, Germany Max Planck Institut für Quantenoptik, 85748 Garching, Germany École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
We developed an apparatus to couple a 50-μm diameter whispering-gallery silica microtoroidal resonator in a helium-4 cryostat using a straight optical tapered-fiber at 1550 nm wavelength. On a top-loading probe specifically adapted for increased mechanical stability, we use a specifically-developed “cryotaper” to optically probe the cavity, allowing thus to record the calibrated mechanical spectrum of the optomechanical system at low temperatures. We then demonstrate excellent thermalization of a 63-MHz mechanical mode of a toroidal resonator down to the cryostat’s base temperature of 1.65 K, thereby proving the viability of the cryogenic refrigeration via heat conduction through static low-pressure exchange gas. In the context of optomechanics, we therefore provide a versatile and powerful tool with state-of-the-art performances in optical coupling efficiency, mechanical stability and cryogenic cooling.
I Introduction
Cavity optomechanics has attracted considerable attention recently, to become now a major area in mesoscopic physics Kippenberg2007 (); Kippenberg2008 (); Marquardt2009 (); Favero2009 (); Aspelmeyer2010 () . By exploiting the coupling of an optical mode and a mechanical mode, the measurement of quantum effects involving a macroscopic mechanical structure is now possible. Very recently, using the dynamical backaction of light, macroscopic mechanical oscillators have even been prepared in low entropy states, very close to the quantum ground state Verhagen2011a (); Chan2011 (); Teufel2011 () . The study of the quantum manifestations of the optomechanical interaction is however so far only possible if the thermal fluctuations resulting from the coupling of the mechanical oscillator with the environment are reduced beforehand. To do this, the optomechanical systems are placed in cryostats based on the cooling technology provided by the evaporation of 4He Schliesser2009a (); Park2009 (); Groeblacher2009 () or 3He Riviere2011 () . In our case, the experimental structure under study is a silica whispering-gallery microresonator hosting high quality factor (∼108) optical modes in the visible and near infrared and mechanical modes with resonance frequencies exceeding 50 MHz Kippenberg2005 (); Schliesser2006 () .
The implementation of the experiment in a cryogenic environment raises two major problems whose resolution is described in this article. First, the optical cavity has to be coupled in a stable way to an optical coherent field. For our experiment, we have selected the tapered-fiber coupling technique for its superiority in terms of efficiency compared to other possible techniques Spillane2003 () . A so-called “cryotaper” is formed by attaching the straight tapered-fiber to an adequate glass fiber-holder. It is placed on a dedicated mechanical construction, therefore enabling a proper optical coupling by retaining the taper’s tension and integrity, and by insuring a stable toroid-taper gap (<1μm) down to low temperatures (1.65 K). Second, the cryogenic system has to extract the heat in the sample generated by all sources, including by the absorption of a high input power required in cooling experiments (O(0.1)mW) Schliesser2009a (); Riviere2011 () confined in a small modal volume (O(100)μm3) Kippenberg2004a () . This heat source is moreover located in a weakly thermally-conducting structure made of silica Anetsberger2008 () . Therefore, the experiment is conducted in a 4He exchange-gas cryostat described here that enables complete thermalization of the entire system (at low optical powers), owing to the isotropic thermal conduction provided by the exchange gas.
We present in this article the technical details of the experimental arrangement using the above-mentioned novelties, which has been used since then in a number of previously reported experiments Schliesser2009a (); Weis2010 (); Riviere2011 (); Verhagen2011a () .
Ii The low-pressure helium-4 exchange-gas cryostat
Figure 1: Technical layout of the helium-4 cryostat describing the commercial Oxford Instrument OptistatSXM static exchange gas cryostat (to scale), the modified top-loading cryoprobe supporting the cryogenic head, the optical fiber and electrical cable layout, the optical access and the schematic vacuum circuits.
The thermalization of a 4.5-μm diameter GaAs/AlGaAs whispering-gallery mode resonator to the base temperature of a 4He continuous-flow cryostat is known to be a technical challenge (See Ref. Srinivasan2007 () ). This difficulty is attributed to the inefficient extraction mechanism of the heat from the disk-shaped sample placed in high vacuum, relying exclusively on thermal conduction through the supporting structure attached to a “cold finger”. Even by enlarging the thermal anchoring to the cooled part of the cryostat using copper braids, the effective cooling power on the sample is too small to ensure complete thermalization, inducing therefore large temperature gradients across the sample. Although our toroid-shaped sample is made of SiO2 and has a 50-μm diameter, this first thermalization attempt inspired us to investigate a different type of refrigeration mechanism. Consequently, we use for efficient cryogenic cooling of the sample a low-pressure exchange-gas, itself cooled by the cryogenic device. An exchange-gas pressure on the order of 1 mbar is used since it has been demonstrated in Ref. Anetsberger2008 () that in this pressure range the gas does not significantly damp the mechanical mode under study.
The utilized apparatus is a low-pressure 4He exchange-gas cryostat based on the Oxford Instrument OptistatSXM model. The cooling process is named static exchange-gas cooling since the volume into which the cryoprobe is inserted is not subjected to any gas circulation. This class of device provides a cooling power exceeding 1 mW at liquid 4He temperatures.
Figure 1 shows an on-scale simplified drawing of the cryostat. This device does not have a liquid N2 shield as a first cooling stage. Instead, radiation shields made of a stack of insulating layers are directly cooled by the exhaust gas from the 4.3-L liquid 4He tank.
From this reservoir, the cooling liquid 4He is admitted into a capillary tube through an adjustable needle valve. The coolant is then circulated using a 40 m3/h rotary pump (Oxford Instrument EPS40) and evaporated at a tunable rate. By adjusting the admission and pumping flows, the vapor pressure is controlled, thus setting the working temperature and the cooling power of the cryostat. The heat is extracted by the flux of cooling helium from the experimental chamber via the heat exchanger, the cooling helium’s evaporation being forced by the rotary pump. The large pumping power of the selected pump provides the high evaporation rate required to reach the targeted temperature. Inside the experimental chamber, the exchange 4He gas thermalizes the sample with the chamber’s cooled walls. By using a built-in electric heater and temperature sensor, the cryostat temperature is locked to ±0.1 K accuracy over 10 min for the temperature range of interest down to 1.65 K.
Figure 2: Vibration spectra of the cryohead for various regimes of the cryostat. The measurements are performed with an optical interferometer fixed to the table, probing through the front access a mirror attached to the cryohead.
The specific mechanical construction provided by the manufacturer ensures a low vibration level of the whole device, sufficient to perform sensitive experiments such as scanning tunneling microscopy Yi2004 () . In addition, because of its rather small height (1 m including the necessary vacuum components), the cryostat can be placed on a conventional optical table and benefits from its acoustic isolation. To cut off extra vibrations from the rotary pumps, the connecting hoses are firmly clamped to the ground. The measurement of the acoustic vibrations of the cryohead compared to the table taken as an external reference (Fig. 2) reveals however an important contribution from the circulating cooling liquid He between 200 and 320 Hz. The rms displacement in this cryogenic cooling regime reaches then 150 nm, exceeding by more than 10 nm the value measured without circulating liquid.
Two separated vacuum circuits are connected to the setup: one for pumping the insulation vacuum prior to cool down (Fig. 1, blue inset) and another one to regulate the pressure of the cooling and exchange 4He gas (Fig. 1, red inset). With this configuration, no significant degradation of the cavity’s optical properties (e. g. by oil diffusion from the pump) was observed. The piping presented schematically in Fig. 1 allows to fill the experimental chamber with exchange 4He gas directly from the evaporation port of the capillary tube, therefore providing a very pure source of gas. This arrangement avoids the contamination of the chamber with unwanted gases such as H2O or N2 that may freeze on the sample and deteriorate its properties. Eventually, frozen contaminants can be sublimated by pointing a 10-W Coherent Verdi laser (532 nm wavelength) directly onto the sample through the front optical window of the cryostat.
Iii The cryohead
Figure 3: Photograph and technical layout of the cryohead. (a) Photograph of the cryohead without the protecting plate. The thermometer is a Lakeshore DT-670B-CO Si diode. (b) 3D rendering of the cryohead showing the piezoelectric positioners (Attocube Systems ANPx101/LT/HV, “low temperature high vacuum” version) supporting the 3-part sample holder and the cryotaper placed on the mechanical slide, held by the rigid frame. The protecting plate avoids damaging shocks during the cryoprobe insertion. (c) Off-scale symbolic drawing of the coupling mechanism. The two piezoelectric positioners displace the clamped chip in the x-y plane so as to approach the desired toroid in the near-field of the mechanical-slide supported cryotaper when the cryoprobe is inserted and cooled down in the cryostat. The z-position is manually adjusted by sliding the holder prior to cooling. (d) Scanning-electron micrograph of a typical silica microtoroidal resonator.
To couple the optical mode of the microcavity, a single-mode tapered-fiber of diameter on the order of the optical wavelength λ (1550 nm) is approached in the near-field of the whispering-gallery mode. This evanescent part of the optical field radially extends outside the cavity over a distance decreasing approximatively with e−2π√n2−1(r−R)/λ, where n is the refractive index of the cavity’s silica, R the cavity radius and r the radial coordinate Anetsberger2011 () . Simultaneously, contact of the resonator with the tapered fiber has to be avoided in order not to deteriorate the mechanical properties of the device. The coupling therefore necessitates a precision of the spatial placement of the fiber much finer than λ. To this end, we developed a particularly stable mechanical construction with a positioning system based on dedicated commercial stages exploiting both slip-stick (coarse approach) and slow (fine approach) motion of piezoelectric elements. The whole setup is placed at the cold point of the experimental chamber of the cryostat using a top-loading probe.
The cryoprobe shown in Fig. 1 is a probe from the manufacturer modified to host the cryohead comprising the whole coupling setup (Fig. 3). This head is compacted to fit into the experimental chamber of diameter 43.8mm. To avoid that the elements of the head vibrate under acoustic excitation from the environment and jeopardize the coupling stability, the cryohead is specifically designed in a compact way, avoiding floppy mechanical elements of low resonance frequencies and high oscillation amplitudes. The present design proves to be outstandingly stable. Coupling can then be successfully performed, even in a noisy laboratory environment and in the presence of the circulating cooling helium that induces vibrations, when a constant temperature is reached. Furthermore, exchange gas displacement that may be induced for instance by unwanted local convection does not have any recordable effect on the coupling stability.
Figures 3 (a) and (b) show a photograph and a 3D rendering of the cryohead, respectively. The sample is clamped using a mechanical claw onto a holder that can be smoothly slided and attached to the piezoelectric displacers without risks for the nearby cryotaper (detailed in the next section). Opposite to the sample chip, the cryotaper is attached to a mechanical slide. Prior to cooling, this construction allows scanning longitudinally the tapered region until finding the appropriate zone of the gradual taper transition allowing proper phase matching Knight1997 () . Under normal experimental conditions, it does not need further adjustment at low temperatures. Figure 3 (c) symbolically represents the translation axis allowed on the cryohead to ensure optimum coupling to a typical microtoroidal resonator shown in Fig. 3 (d).
Iv The cryotaper
Figure 4: Photograph and technical layout of the cryotaper. (a) Photograph of a finalized cryotaper. (b) On-scale 3D rendering of the cryotaper showing the groove for hosting the buffer of the optical fiber (245 μm diameter) and the sanded surface for better glue adhesion. (c) Technical layout describing the usual configuration of the cryotaper. To avoid shearing of the glass fiber during manipulation, the taper is crafted to dimensions such that the acrylate buffer is glued to the glass slide with simultaneously the uncovered central part of the glass fiber being still in contact with the support to avoid having a long suspended length subjected to large amplitude vibrations.
The most delicate part of the cryohead is the cryotaper, because of the extreme fragility of the tapered part of micrometer-size diameter. Although other coupling techniques using free-space beams Park2009 () , prisms Gorodetsky1994 () , eroded Laine1999 () or angle-cleaved optical fibers Ilchenko1999 () are mechanically less constraining, the tapered-fiber coupling is employed for its higher efficiency Spillane2003 () . Additionally, it enables to easily reach the overcoupled regime by displacing the fiber in the azimuthal plane of the cavity mode. These two properties make the tapered fiber an optimal coupling system for sensitive optical detections.
Unlike other groups using a bent tapered fiber Srinivasan2007 () , we have chosen to keep the tapered fiber straight to ensure a maximal mechanical stability and adequate tensioning. To keep it straightly tensioned after cool down, the tapered fiber is glued to a C-shaped piece of glass presented in Fig. 4 (a) and (b). Since both glued parts are made of essentially the same material, the tapered fiber remains properly tensioned at all temperatures as experimentally verified. A UV epoxy glue is specifically used because it does not contract when cured (it can also sustain several temperature cycles). Thus, the fiber tension properly adjusted during the fabrication process remains unchanged during the gluing and thereafter during the cool down operation. Indeed, typically, at all the temperatures the toroid can be properly coupled with a tapered fiber that neither breaks nor distends, as visually monitored through the optical accesses. In Fig. 4 (c), the geometrical arrangement of the cryotaper is schematized, showing the groove in the glass slide hosting the acrylate buffer of the glass fiber and the sanded surface ensuring proper glue adhesion.
This novel construction requires a special fabrication technique (Fig. 5) adapted from the usual fiber taper fabrication protocol (see Ref. Ding2010 () for a complete description although the glass is melted here with an electric heater). The tapered fiber is obtained by melting a standard SMF-28 silica optical fiber with a H2 flame while stretching it until the melted region reaches a diameter of the order of the wavelength. The tapered fiber supports then single mode waveguide propagation in the glass rod, where the surrounding air constitutes the cladding medium. By adjusting the flame at a height as described in Fig. 5 (a), high transmission (>95%) tapers are typically obtained. Pulling the flame further or closer to the fiber allows to define the glass fiber length subjected to the H2 flame and therefore the final length of the tapered region. Taking advantage of this, the tapered fiber is fabricated such as to ensure gluing of the remaining acrylate buffer to the C-shaped glass plate, improving the mechanical robustness of the cryotaper. In Fig. 5 (c), the tension of the taper is tested by approaching an auxiliary toroid, snapping it to the taper, retracting it and measuring the “snap-back distance” Schliesser2010 () . Until this reaches less than a typical toroid radius, the taper is tensioned further using the micrometer screw displacing the fiber holder. Cleaning, using droplets of liquid acetone or isopropanol, can eventually safely be performed to remove dusts that may aggregate during the previous steps and scatter off light, reducing the overall transmission. Typically, however, the entire operation leaves the fiber transmission unchanged to >95 %. After approaching and gluing under microscope monitoring (Fig. 5 (e) and (f)), the cryotaper is released (Fig. 5 (g)) and placed on the cryohead. The taper is fabricated using one long optical fiber to avoid having fragile fiber splices inside the cooled experimental chamber. The overall insertion loss is then typically below 20%, mainly due to the fiber bending imposed by the confined experimental chamber.
Figure 5: Fabrication and installation steps of the cryotaper. The inset shows a micrograph of a single-mode tapered-fiber fabricated here to transmit only a fundamental mode at 780 nm wavelength.
V Measurement of the thermalization to the cryostat’s base temperature
Figure 6: Thermalization in the 4He cryostat. (a) Effective temperature of the mechanical mode versus the cryostat’s temperature measured with the commercial Si diode. The correspondence with the guide to the eye proves the thermalization of the mode. Inset: Mechanical displacement noise (DN) spectrum taken at 1.65 K. The red line is a fit of the mechanical spectrum with the background, both separately represented by the dashed lines. The effective temperature of the mechanical mode is extracted from the mechanical trace. (b) Split optical resonance with a loaded optical Q of ∼0.8×108 taken at ∼2 K with calibration sidebands. (c) Amplitude spectrum of the thermal response of the toroid covered with a layer of 4He-I and of 4He-II, across the phase transition around 2.2 K and ∼50 mbar of surrounding gaseous He.
The experimental setup described in the previous sections enables us to probe the optical whispering-gallery modes of a cavity placed in cryostat (Fig. 6 (b)). In the context of optomechanics, the undertaken efforts are in vain if the mechanical mode of the sample does not thermalize to the base temperature of the cryostat. Ideally, the refrigeration mechanism has to extract all the heat released by all sources, including the absorption of the high circulating power. Here, we restrict our study to the cryogenic thermalization of the optomechanical system probed by a very weak laser. By measuring an excellent thermalization down to 1.65 K, we prove that the technology based on exchange gas enables optimal cooling and that all other sources of heat, except intracavity power absorption, do not influence the temperature of the mechanical mode.
To perform this measurement, we take advantage of the optical coupling capabilities of the setup to record the thermally-driven, mechanically-induced frequency fluctuations with a Pound-Drever-Hall (PDH) detection technique Drever1983 (); Black2001 (); Arcizet2006c () . The cavity (frequency ωc) is resonantly probed by a weak laser (1μW input power), phase-modulated at a frequency ΩPDH exceeding the linewidth κ of the cavity. The photodetection signal of the optical cavity transmission carries then a part oscillating at ΩPDH, corresponding to the beat of the carrier and the modulation sidebands. The DC part of the demodulation of this voltage provides the error signal (switching sign at resonance) and is fed back into the frequency control of the laser. The AC part, however, is spectrally analyzed with a resolution bandwidth ΔωRBW to record the mechanically induced frequency fluctuations of variance
⟨δω2c⟩=G2⟨δx2⟩, (1)
where G=−ωc/R is the optomechanical coupling constant and x the oscillator’s displacement coordinate Arcizet2009 () . Note that the cavity radius R can be correctly estimated using an optical microscope. To calibrate the measured spectrum (Fig. 6 (a), inset), it is compared to a spectrally adjacent calibration peak Gorodetsky2010 () . This peak is generated from the coherent phase modulation of the probe beam at a frequency Ωcal very close to the mechanical frequency Ωm, giving a laser frequency variance
⟨δω2l⟩=β2calΩ2cal/2, (2)
where βcal is the phase modulation depth. The frequency difference |Ωcal−Ωm| must be contained well within the linewidth of the cavity to ensure identical transduction of the coherent phase modulation and the mechanical motion but larger than several times the mechanical linewidth Γm to avoid coherent driving of the mechanical mode.
Figure 6 (a) shows the effective temperature Teff of a 63-MHz radial breathing mode versus the temperature of the exchange gas of the experimental chamber of the cryostat Tcryo, measured with the Si diode. Teff is estimated from the Lorentzian integral of the thermally-driven mechanical spectrum proportional to ⟨δω2c⟩ (Fig. 6 (a), inset, blue area), according to the equipartition of the mean energy of the harmonic mechanical oscillator. The excellent thermalization is clearly marked by the agreement of the experimental points to the linear dependence, from 40 K down to 1.8 K, the latter corresponding to an average phonon occupancy ¯n of 600. Effective temperatures down to 1.65 K are eventually reached (cryostat temperature out of range of the Si diode, data not shown in Fig. 6 (a)). In this temperature range, the study in Ref. Arcizet2009 () not taking into consideration the absorption mechanisms estimates a heating per intracavity power of 8.6 K/W at an environmental pressure of ∼0.5 mbar. The good temperature control is additionally proven in 6 (c) by recording the 4He-I to 4He-II phase transition inducing a drastic thermal response spectrum change, measured here using a pump-and-probe scanning setup Riviere2010 () . In this regime, it can be evidenced that the thermal response measurement exhibits a series of resonances spaced by ca. 200 kHz that may be a manifestation of a specific oscillatory mechanism in the superfluid part of the film.
Vi Conclusion
We have introduced an experimental setup enabling the optical probing and the refrigeration of a silica whispering-gallery microtoroidal resonator. By adapting a straight cryotaper on a dedicated cryoprobe, we can optically couple the cavity with state-of-the-art efficiency and stability. Furthermore, the viability of the approach is proven by measuring the thermalization of the mechanical mode down to the base temperature of 1.65 K of the exchange-gas cryostat, corresponding to an average phonon occupancy of less than 600. Combined with laser cooling, one order of magnitude lower occupancy is even achieved with this setup, a performance then only limited by the heating induced by the absorption of the required high intracavity power Schliesser2009a () .
The proposed solutions are versatile: they allow tapered-fiber coupling at cryogenic temperatures of microcavities of various sizes and shapes, including polished crystalline resonators Hofer2010 () and silica microspheres Takashima2010 () , as well as any other resonator that can be coupled with straight tapered fiber such as photonic crystals on mesa structures Gavartin2011 () . Moreover, the cooling principle can be extended to 3He exchange-gas cooling in optomechanics experiments approaching the motional ground state Riviere2011 () and the quantum-coherent coupling Verhagen2011a () .
Apart from its key role as a technical solution for those experiments, by its specific configuration the developed setup enables additionally the measurements of optical and mechanical properties of silica microcavities at low temperatures Arcizet2009 () and of the intriguing aspects of superfluid helium-4, optically detected in such structures Riviere2010 () . The versatility of the tool and the outstanding measurement sensitivity provided by the cavity allows even to envisage complementary studies on the interaction of superfluid layers with a wide variety of materials Luhman2006 () .
Acknowledgements.
T. J. K. acknowledges funding by an European Research Council Starting Grant and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. R. R. thanks Pierre Thoumany and Thomas Becker for the useful advice about cryogenics, and Thibaut Karassouloff, Samuel Deléglise and Antoine Heidmann for the assistance in characterizing the vibrational properties of the cryostat. The Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik is acknowledged for hosting this experiment.
(1) T. J. Kippenberg and K. J. Vahala. “Cavity opto-mechanics.” Optics Express, 15:17172, 2007.
(2) T. J. Kippenberg and K. J. Vahala. “Cavity optomechanics: back-action at the mesoscale.” Science, 321:1172, 2008.
(3) F. Marquardt and S. Girvin. “Optomechanics.” Physics, 2:40, 2009.
(4) I. Favero and K. Karrai. “Optomechanics of deformable optical cavities.” Nature Photonics, 3:201, 2009.
(5) M. Aspelmeyer, S. Gröblacher, K. Hammerer, and N. Kiesel. “Quantum optomechanics—throwing a glance.” J. Opt. Soc. Am. B, 27:A189, 2010.
(6) E. Verhagen, S. Deléglise, S. Weis, A. Schliesser, and T. J. Kippenberg. “Quantum-coherent coupling of a mechanical oscillator to an optical cavity mode.” Nature, 482:63, 2012.
(7) J. Chan, T. P. Mayer-Alegre, A. H. Safavi-Naeini, J. T. Hill, A. Krause, S. Gröblacher, M. Aspelmeyer, and O. Painter. “Laser cooling of a nanomechanical oscillator into its quantum ground state.” Nature, 478:89, 2011.
(8) J. D. Teufel, T. Donner, Dale Li, J. H. Harlow, M. S. Allman, K. Cicak, A. J. Sirois, J. D. Whittaker, K. W. Lehnert, and R. W. Simmonds. “Sideband cooling micromechanical motion to the quantum ground state.” Nature, 475:359, 2011.
(9) A. Schliesser, O. Arcizet, R. Rivière, G. Anetsberger, and T. J. Kippenberg. “Resolved-sideband cooling and position measurement of a micromechanical oscillator close to the Heisenberg uncertainty limit.” Nature Physics, 5:509, 2009.
(10) Y. S. Park and H. L. Wang. “Resolved-sideband and cryogenic cooling of an optomechanical resonator.” Nature Physics, 5:489, 2009.
(11) S. Gröblacher, J. B. Hertzberg, M. R. Vanner, S. Gigan, K. C. Schwab, and M. Aspelmeyer. “Demonstration of an ultracold micro-optomechanical oscillator in a cryogenic cavity.” Nature Physics, 5:485, 2009.
(12) R. Rivière, S. Deléglise, S. Weis, E. Gavartin, O. Arcizet, A. Schliesser, and T. J. Kippenberg. “Optomechanical sideband cooling of a micromechanical oscillator close to the quantum ground state.” Physical Review A, 83:063835, 2011.
(13) T. J. Kippenberg, H. Rokhsari, T. Carmon, A. Scherer, and K. J. Vahala. “Analysis of radiation-pressure induced mechanical oscillation of an optical microcavity.” Physical Review Letters, 95:033901, 2005.
(14) A. Schliesser, P. Del’Haye, N. Nooshi, K. J. Vahala, and T. J. Kippenberg. “Radiation pressure cooling of a micromechanical oscillator using dynamical backaction.” Physical Review Letters, 97:243905, 2006.
(15) S. M. Spillane, T. J. Kippenberg, O. J. Painter, and K. J. Vahala. “Ideality in a fiber-taper-coupled microresonator system for application to cavity quantum electrodynamics.” Physical Review Letters, 91:043902, 2003.
(16) T. J. Kippenberg, S. M. Spillane, D. K. Armani, and K. J. Vahala. “Ultralow-threshold microcavity Raman laser on a microelectronic chip.” Optics Letters, 29:1224, 2004.
(17) G. Anetsberger, R. Rivière, A. Schliesser, O. Arcizet, and T. J. Kippenberg. “Ultralow-dissipation optomechanical resonators on a chip.” Nature Photonics, 2:627, 2008.
(18) S. Weis, R. Rivière, S. Deléglise, E. Gavartin, O. Arcizet, A. Schliesser, and T. J. Kippenberg. “Optomechanically induced transparency.” Science, 330:1520, 2010.
(19) K. Srinivasan and O. Painter. “Optical fiber taper coupling and high-resolution wavelength tuning of microdisk resonators at cryogenic temperatures.” Applied Physics Letters, 90:031114, 2007.
(20) W. Yi, I. Appelbaum, K. J. Russell, V. Narayanamurti, M. P. Hanson, and A. C. Gossard. “Ballistic electron emission luminescence spectroscopy of an InAs quantum dot heterostructure.” Applied Physics Letters, 85:1990, 2004.
(21) G. Anetsberger, E. M. Weig, J. P. Kotthaus, and T. J. Kippenberg. “Cavity optomechanics and cooling nanomechanical oscillators using microresonator enhanced evanescent near-field coupling.” Comptes Rendus Physique, 12:800, 2011.
(22) J. C. Knight, G. Cheung, F. Jacques, and T. A. Birks. “Phase-matched excitation of whispering-gallery-mode resonances by a fiber taper.” Optics Letters, 22:11291, 1997.
(23) M. L. Gorodetsky and V. S. Ilchenko. “High-Q optical whispering-gallery microresonators: precession approach for spherical mode analysis and emission patterns with prism couplers.” Optics Communications, 113:133, 1994.
(24) J.-P. Laine, B. E. Little, and H. A. Haus. “Etch-eroded fiber coupler for whispering-gallery-mode excitation in high-Q silica microspheres.” Photonics Technology Letters, IEEE, 11:1429, 1999.
(25) V. S. Ilchenko, X. S. Yao, and L. Maleki. “Pigtailing the high-Q microsphere cavity: a simple fiber coupler for optical whispering-gallery modes.” Opt. Lett., 24:723, 1999.
(26) L. Ding, C. Belacel, S. Ducci, G. Leo, and I. Favero. “Ultralow loss single-mode silica tapers manufactured by a microheater.” Applied Optics, 49:2441, 2010.
(27) A. Schliesser and T. J. Kippenberg. “Cavity optomechanics with whispering-gallery mode optical micro-resonators.” Advances In Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics, 58:207, 2010.
(28) R. W. P. Drever, J. L. Hall, F. V. Kowalski, J. Hough, G. M. Ford, A. J. Munley, and H. Ward. “Laser phase and frequency stabilization using an optical resonator.” Applied Physics B: Lasers and Optics, 31:97, 1983.
(29) E. D. Black. “An introduction to Pound-Drever-Hall laser frequency stabilization.” American Journal of Physics, 69:79, 2001.
(30) O. Arcizet, P.-F. Cohadon, T. Briant, M. Pinard, A. Heidmannand J.-M. Mackowski, C. Michel, L. Pinard, O. Francais, and L. Rousseau. “High-sensitivity optical monitoring of a micromechanical resonator with a quantum-limited optomechanical sensor.” Physical Review Letters, 97:133601, 2006.
(31) O. Arcizet, R. Rivière, A. Schliesser, G. Anetsberger, and T. J. Kippenberg. “Cryogenic properties of optomechanical silica microcavities.” Physical Review A, 80:021803, 2009.
(32) M. L. Gorodetsky, A. Schliesser, G. Anetsberger, S. Deléglise, and T. J. Kippenberg. “Determination of the vacuum optomechanical coupling rate using frequency noise calibration.” Optics Express, 18:23236, 2010.
(33) R. Rivière, O. Arcizet, A. Schliesser, and T. J. Kippenberg. “Optical response of silica microcavities in gaseous and superfluid helium-4.” In CLEO/QELS, 2010.
(34) J. Hofer, A. Schliesser, and T. J. Kippenberg. “Cavity optomechanics with ultrahigh-Q crystalline microresonators.” Physical Review A, 82:031804, 2010.
(35) H. Takashima, T. Asai, K. Toubaru, M. Fujiwara, K. Sasaki, and S. Takeuchi. “Fiber-microsphere system at cryogenic temperatures toward cavity QED using diamond NV centers.” Opt. Express, 18:15169, 2010.
(36) E. Gavartin, R. Braive, I. Sagnes, O. Arcizet, A. Beveratos, T. J. Kippenberg, and I. Robert-Philip. “Optomechanical coupling in a two-dimensional photonic crystal defect cavity.” Physical Review Letters, 106:203902, 2011.
(37) D. R. Luhman and R. B. Hallock. “Third sound on CaF2 films of varying roughness”. Physical Review B, 74:014510, 2006.
Generated by LaTeXML
Request Comment
You are adding the first comment!
How to quickly get a good reply:
Give credit where it’s due by listing out the positive aspects of a paper before getting into which changes should be made.
Be specific in your critique, and provide supporting evidence with appropriate references to substantiate general statements.
Your comment should inspire ideas to flow and help the author improves the paper.
The better we are at sharing our knowledge with each other, the faster we move forward.
The feedback must be of minimum 40 characters and the title a minimum of 5 characters
Question page
This is a comment super asjknd jkasnjk adsnkj
The feedback must be of minumum 40 characters
Join GroundAI
By signing up you accept our content policy
No a member yet? Create an account
or Invite via email
or Search users
You are asking your first question!
How to quickly get a good answer:
Keep your question short and to the point
Check for grammar or spelling errors.
Phrase it like a question
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2411
|
__label__cc
| 0.608368
| 0.391632
|
Middle Schoolers construct beautiful, elaborate "alfombras"
As they learn to understand the world at large, Hathaway Brown students continually explore the customs and traditions of various cultures. Sometimes, they even have the opportunity to immerse themselves in those customs.
The floor of the Jewett-Brown Academic Center Atrium came alive with color as Middle School students worked side-by-side with artist Hector Castellanos last week. The girls used painted sawdust to construct beautiful "alfombras." The Spanish word for carpets or rugs, alfombras are made in many Christian cultures with a variety of colorful and decorative items, using a wide array of materials, from flower petals to fruits and vegetables.
The tradition of making alfombras for decorative purposes goes back to the Christian remembrance of Palm Sunday, when Jesus made a triumphal entry into Jerusalem. People laid palm and olive branches in front of him to show respect and honor. That memory evolved into a Christian tradition of making a ceremonious pathway during Holy Week, which spans Palm Sunday through Easter.
A native of Guatemala who now lives in Cleveland, Castellanos said that from his artistic and religious perspective, the alfombras he and the HB students designed are an “offering to God.” Castellanos has worked with HB students on various projects since 1996. Using the talents of Middle School art and Spanish students, this year's installation - which included four alfombras to represent the school's Legacy color groups - was the largest Castellanos has contributed to at HB.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2424
|
__label__wiki
| 0.823713
| 0.823713
|
How Will PGA And SAG Impact The Oscar Race? Updated Academy Award Predictions After The Nominations Snubs And Surprises From The 92nd Academy Award Nominations An "Alternate" Oscar Lineup To Ponder Academy Award Nominations Led By Joker! 25th Annual Critics Choice Awards Led By "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood" Tonight We Celebrate The Critics Choice Awards! Box Office Report For January 10-12 Potential Academy Award Surprises To Watch Out For On Monday Morning Final Oscar Predictions For Phase One Richard Gere Gets A Juicy Role To Dive Into With "Three Christs" "Underwater" Wastes Kristen Stewart In An Only Sometimes Effective Survival Tale DGA Nominees Include Bong Joon Ho And Taika Waititi Producers Guild Nominations Announced! BAFTA Nominations Give The Last Laugh To "Joker"
HollywoodNews.com > Christmas
Alternative Christmas movie recommendations
Fri, Dec 25 2015
Also tagged: Christmas day, Christmas films, Christmas movies, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas ladies and gentlemen and happy holidays! With today being December 25th and a lot of folks gathering with family and friends around the fireplace, I though it made perfect sense to mention some options for what to watch, aside from the standard holiday options. Sure, there’s plenty of[...]
Comments Off on Alternative Christmas movie recommendations | Read More »
The Expendables are back! Sylvester Stallone
Also tagged: American film directors, Antonio Banderas (Galgo), Arnold Schwarzenegger, Arnold Schwarzenegger (Trench), Avi Lerner, Barney, Barney Ross, Cinema of the United States, Conrad Stonebanks, Director Patrick, Dolph Lundgren, Entertainment/Culture, films, Glen Powell (Thorn), Gunnar Jensen, Harrison Ford (Drummer), Jason Statham, John Smilee, Kelsey Grammer (Bonaparte), mel gibson, Nationality, Nu Image films, Nu Image Millennium Films, Randy Couture, Ronda Rousey (Luna), Stallone, Sylvester Stallone, The Expendables, THE EXPENDABLES 3, Victor Ortiz (Mars), Wesley Snipes, Wesley Snipes (Doc)
THE EXPENDABLES 3’s Sylvester Stallone (Barney Ross), Jason Statham (Lee Christmas), Antonio Banderas (Galgo), Wesley Snipes (Doc), Dolph Lundgren (Gunnar Jensen), Kelsey Grammer (Bonaparte), Randy Couture (Toll Road), Kellan Lutz (John Smilee), Ronda Rousey (Luna), Glen Powell (Thorn), Victor Ortiz (Mars), with Mel Gibson (Conrad Stonebanks), with Harrison Ford[...]
Comments Off on The Expendables are back! Sylvester Stallone | Read More »
“BLACK NATIVITY” will open wide in the US on November 2013
Fri, Mar 8 2013
Also tagged: African American culture, Angela Bassett, Aretha Cobbs, Baltimore, Bassett, Cinema of the United States, Cornell, Entertainment/Culture, film, Forest Whitaker, Jacob Latimore, jennifer hudson, KASI, Kasi Lemmons, Latimore, new york city, Styler
In a contemporary adaptation of Langston Hughes’ celebrated play, the holiday musical drama BLACK NATIVITY follows Langston (Jacob Latimore), a street-wise teen from Baltimore raised by a single mother, as he journeys to New York City to spend the Christmas holiday with his estranged relatives Reverend Cornell and Aretha Cobbs[...]
No Comments | Read More »
Weekend Box Office: Django Unchained v. Les Miserables
Tue, Dec 25 2012
Also tagged: Action/Drama/Western Director, Arts, BOUNTY HUNTER, British films, christoph waltz, Cinema of the United States, director, Django, Django Unchained, Drama/Musical/Romance Director, Entertainment/Culture, factory worker, Fantine, film, Gus van Sant, Hugh Jackman, Human Interest, Italian films, Jamie Foxx Django, Javert, Jean Valjean, leonardo dicaprio, Les Misérables, oscar, Quentin Tarantino, Romantic drama films, Russell Crowe, ruthless policeman, Spaghetti Westerns, Tom Hooper, Victor Hugo
Quentin Tarantino’s career-long itch to put his stamp on the beloved Spaghetti Western finally takes form with the release of Django Unchained to begin the Christmas weekend. It’s going head-to-head with Tom Hooper’s adaptation of the epic musical drama, Les Miserables. Rounding out the long weekend is Gus[...]
The Expendables 2 are back! Track ’em, find ’em, kill ’em
Also tagged: American film directors, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Barney Ross, Billy the Kid, Bruce Willis, Church, Dolph Lundgren, Entertainment/Culture, film, Film trailer, films, Gunnar Jensen, Hale Caesar, Human Interest, Jason Statham, Jean Claude Van Damme, Jet Li, Liam Hemsworth, Lundgren, Marketing, Mass media, Motion Picture Association of America film rating system, Randy Couture, Stallone, Sylvester Stallone, Terry Crews, The Expendables, The Expendables 2, Twitter Inc
HollywoodNews.com: They’re back! and it’s time to reload! Download the trailer for this summer’s highly anticipated sequel, THE EXPENDABLES 2, featuring more action (and explosions) than ever before! Everyone is expendable and the crew has a plan. Track ’em, find ’em, kill ’em. The Expendables are back[...]
‘Housewives of NJ’ star thinks reality TV has ruined her relationships
Thu, Apr 5 2012
Also tagged: Awards Movies News Award, breaking news, Entertainment news, Entertainment/Culture, Hollywood, hollywood news, Human Interest, Melissa Gorga, New Jersey, News Hollywood Awards, Teresa Giudice, The Real Housewives of New Jersey, The Real Housewives of..., Twitter Inc
HollywoodNews.com: ‘Real Housewives of New Jersey’ star Teresa Giudice certainly has a lot of drama going on in her life these days, but she thinks reality TV is to blame for much of the pain in her life. Giudice apparently thinks that her new fame has ruined her relationships with friends[...]
Pixar reveals more Merida in arrow-slinging “Brave” clip
Thu, Feb 23 2012
Also tagged: Cars, Computer-animated films, Connell Hollywoodnews, Emeryville California, Entertainment/Culture, film, Jennifer Lawrence, Mass media, Pixar
By Sean O’Connell Hollywoodnews.com: Bow and arrows are going to be big this year. I can just see all of the archery sets sitting under the Christmas trees in December after Jennifer Lawrence’s “Hunger Games” heroine and now Pixar’s “Brave” star unleash their talents in movies coming out this year. “Brave”[...]
Taylor Swift on heartbreak that will be on next album
Also tagged: Awards Movies News Award, BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor, breaking news, Entertainment news, Entertainment/Culture, Heartbreak, Hollywood, hollywood news, Human Interest, jake gyllenhaal, New Year's Day, News Hollywood Awards, taylor swift, Twitter Inc, vogue
HollywoodNews.com: Taylor Swift writes all about her heartbreak, puts it on her albums, and succeeds in creating hit music that her fans cannot get enough of these days. Now, she is opening up to ‘Vogue’ about the most recent heartbreak that will make it on her next album, states UsMagazine.com. “There’s[...]
Moving vans hit up Katy Perry, Russell Brand’s home
Thu, Jan 5 2012
Also tagged: Awards Movies News Award, breaking news, Entertainment news, Entertainment/Culture, Hollywood, Hollywood Los Angeles California, hollywood news, Human Interest, katy perry, los angeles, News Hollywood Awards, twitter, Twitter Inc, World Wide Web
HollywoodNews.com: It looks like things are really over with Katy Perry and Russell Brand as moving vans were reportedly spotted outside their Los Angeles home. The movers were reportedly outside the home that the two just purchased this June, states UsMagazine.com. The divorce filing just recently occurred, but it seems that[...]
Angelina Jolie has reportedly bought Brad Pitt a waterfall
Wed, Jan 4 2012
Also tagged: angelina jolie, Awards Movies News Award, brad pitt, breaking news, california, Entertainment news, Entertainment/Culture, Frank Lloyd Wright, Hollywood, hollywood news, Human Interest, News Hollywood Awards, Twitter Inc
HollywoodNews.com: Angelina Jolie has reportedly given Brad Pitt quite a unique gift for his 48th birthday and Christmas. It is rumored that Jolie bought Pitt a waterfall in California, states UsMagazine.com. Pitt will now reportedly be planning to build a home over the waterfall inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright. He is reportedly[...]
HOLLYWOOD NEWS PODCASTS
Hollywood News Network®
HOLLYWOOD BREAKING NEWS
HOLLYWOOD CELEBRITY NEWS
HOLLYWOOD MOVIE NEWS
HOLLYWOOD MUSIC NEWS
Blogwood
AWARDSDAILY.COM
GOLDDERBY.COM
HOLLYWOODREPORTER.COM
MORE LINKS →
Hollywood News Network� - Copyright © ™ 1996 - 2020 HollywoodNews.com - Hollywood Celebrity News
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2438
|
__label__wiki
| 0.692775
| 0.692775
|
Longtime Farmington Hills independent pharmacy purchased by Walgreens
After more than 30 years as an independent pharmacy, Warren Prescriptions located in the Broadway Plaza at Middlebelt...
Longtime Farmington Hills independent pharmacy purchased by Walgreens After more than 30 years as an independent pharmacy, Warren Prescriptions located in the Broadway Plaza at Middlebelt... Check out this story on HometownLife.com: http://www.hometownlife.com/story/news/local/farmington/2014/08/04/longtime-farmington-hills-independent-pharmacy-purchased-by-walgreens/13584125/
Michigan Published 2:38 p.m. ET Aug. 4, 2014 | Updated 3:15 p.m. ET Aug. 4, 2014
The popular, neighborhood Warren Prescriptions, has been purchased by Walgreens.
After more than 30 years as an independent pharmacy, Warren Prescriptions located in the Broadway Plaza at Middlebelt and 14 Mile has been purchased by and will be converted into a Walgreens drugstore.
The purchase also includes Sax Pharmacy in Taylor. Already prescription files at both location have been transferred to Walgreens. The majority of employees in both locations have accepted offers to join Walgreens where they will continue serving the community in the same location.
Warren Prescriptions was long known for its personal service and for offering not only pharmacies and health-related products, but clothing, gifts and toys. It is unknown whether Warren Prescriptions Toyology, which has sold a plethora of educational toys, will continue.
“It’s been an honor serving the Farmington Hills and Taylor communities for more than 36 years. We are glad our customers and employees will continue to have a convenient destination for pharmacy services,” said Mark Klar, owner of Warren Prescriptions and Sax Pharmacy. “We are especially pleased our customers will continue to see many of the same smiling faces they have come to know and trust as most our employees continue to serve the communities as members of Walgreens.”
Under the Walgreens trademark, the former Warren Prescriptions will offer an expanded selection of products and services including immunizations, automatic prescription refill service and access to the Balance Rewards loyalty program that offers sale prices, instant value coupons and prescription rewards in Walgreens stores, Walgreens.com and the Walgreens mobile app.
“We know that the Sax and Warren staff has worked over many years to establish a relationship of trust with the community it served. We value and want to preserve those relationships and as we transition to Walgreens, customers will see many familiar faces in our stores. Our hope is to build upon those relationships and improve both service and product selection,” said Kevin Schmidt, Walgreens vice president of operations and community management in Michigan.
Walgreens will continue to offer merchandise that meets the needs of the local community such as giftables at the Sax location and a selection of greeting cards and Jewish holiday items at the Farmington Hills location.
Financial terms of the acquisitions were not disclosed.
Read or Share this story: http://www.hometownlife.com/story/news/local/farmington/2014/08/04/longtime-farmington-hills-independent-pharmacy-purchased-by-walgreens/13584125/
Couple bound over on manslaughter, abuse charges
Officials intrigued by apartment, dealership pitch in Lyon
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2441
|
__label__wiki
| 0.971488
| 0.971488
|
opportunitiesforafrica
Horn Diplomat
Home Africa Somaliland shuts down schools until after Nov. 13 presidential elections
Somaliland shuts down schools until after Nov. 13 presidential elections
Thousands of Somaliland Development Party, Kulmiye Supporters rallied in Freedom garden Hargeisa
Self-declared independent state of Somaliland has called off school for eight days in preparation towards its third presidential election scheduled for November 13.
The Education ministry announced this week that schools including universities will be closed from November 7 to November 15, two days after the polls.
The directive follows a request from the National Electoral Commission (NEC) which says it will use most of the schools as polling centres.
Somaliland is anticipating a smooth election which will be the first in the Horn of Africa region to be trouble-free and the first in Africa to use the iris-recognition biometric voter registration system.
This election will mark a milestone in Somaliland’s electoral development as it will be the first time that the incumbent has not challenged for the top job.
The elections were scheduled to be held in March but was postponed due to the drought condition in the region.
Three candidates are vying to replace the country’s fourth president Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo who withdrew from running for a second seven-year term.
The three candidates are former minister Muse Bihi Abdi of the ruling KULMIYE (Peace, Unity and Development Party); veteran politician Faisal Ali Warabe of UCID (Justice and Welfare Party); and then the former speaker of the House of Representatives Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro of Waddani (National Party).
They started campaigning on October 21 and so far, no incidents of violence have been recorded as each candidate was assigned specific days to campaign to avoid clashes.
Out of the about 4 million Somaliland population, 704, 089 registered voters are expected to elect the new president. There are 1,642 polling stations in the 21 constituencies across the six regions of the country.
A team of 60 international election observers from 24 countries have been deployed to the country by the international election observation mission (EOM) funded by the British government.
“This election will mark a milestone in Somaliland’s electoral development as it will be the first time that the incumbent has not challenged for the top job,” said the leader of the team, Dr Michael Walls of the Development Planning Unit (DPU) at the University College London.
Press statement #Somalilandvotes by International Election Observation Mission pic.twitter.com/755cXxnuv8
— Susan (@Mwape) October 25, 2017
They have held successful presidential elections in 2003 and 2010 including a parliamentary election in 2005.
Somaliland declared unilateral independence from Somalia on May 18, 1991. It has been under pressure to hold talks with Somalia which have so far been futile.
Described as the most peaceful state in the Horn of Africa region, Somaliland can boast of an army, its own currency and legal system.
The territory has been experiencing stability and economic prosperity. It has been influential in the fight against piracy and terrorism in the Horn of Africa.
26 years of diplomatic isolation has made it difficult for Somaliland to have access to loans from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
It is regarded as the autonomous region of Somalia and not a sovereign state.
SOURCE: AFRICA NEWS
HornDiplomat -Comments
Somaliland Democracy
Somaliland Elections
somaliland Presidential Campaign
Somaliland Presidential Election
Previous articleSomaliland – An awesome responsibility awaits
Next articleSomaliland:DP World’s Berbera Port Gets Election-Year Attention
Somaliland and Somalia Dialogue:Possible ways forward
Op-Ed: Briefing The Current Human Right Situation in Somaliland
Somaliland: Politicizing The Election Process
Somaliland: Solja Condemns court decision of Sanaag region against Journalist Abdirahman Xidig
Somaliland Executes six men convicted of murders
Turkey’s TİKA Launches Project To Boost Crop Yield In Somaliland
HornDiplomat
Follow us on Instagram @horndiplomat1
Dr. Adna Adan Ismail: A Unique Woman In A Patriarchal Society
President Paul Kagame speaks on how Somaliland to get Int’l recognition
South Korea car firm Hyundai introduced eight models in Somaliland
HornDiplomat 1
Somaliland FM Arrives in Niger to attend African Union Summit
UAE Removes Somalia from Online VISA applications and replaces the Republic of...
UAE Imposing new immigration restriction on Somalis
Somaliland1509
Somalia1172
Ethiopia757
America515
Kenya404
© Horn Diplomat 2017, All Rights Reserved | Designed by SomSite
editor - January 18, 2020
Joint Statement of Ethiopia, Sudan,Egypt, United states and the World Bank
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2443
|
__label__wiki
| 0.52846
| 0.52846
|
Your page will load within seconds
INSPIREDESIGN
You are at:Home»Design»Expansion Underway for Harrah’s Resort Southern California
Harrah’s Resort Southern California
Expansion Underway for Harrah’s Resort Southern California
By Hotel Business on July 27, 2016 Design, Ownership
VALLEY CENTER, CA—Harrah’s Resort Southern California has begun construction on its latest expansion to include the addition of an in-house brewery, SR76; 22 new guestrooms with wellness amenities; four new meeting rooms; fresh juice and smoothie chain, Robek’s; a new dining option, KJ Chinese Kitchen; fitness center rebuild; renovations to the spa; and a pedestrian-friendly nature trail.
The $14-million project is part of Harrah’s newest resort offerings, which first debuted in spring 2014 when the property unveiled a $160-million renovation that included a new hotel tower, Spiked cocktail bar, Corked wine and beer bar, convention and entertainment center, and a new indoor/outdoor restaurant ‘ritas Cantina.
“Our team is constantly developing new ideas and resort amenities that will further enhance the guest experience here on property,” said Janet Beronio, regional president and general manager of Harrah’s Resort Southern California. “The newest additions to our resort will continue to give our guests an unparalleled experience expected when visiting a first-class resort.”
SR76 will be the first casino and Native American-owned craft brewery in Southern California, featuring a variety of styles of beer to showcase the history and agriculture of the surrounding area. The brewery is named after State Road 76, the original trail that ran alongside the San Luis River that the tribe used to migrate back and forth from the coast during the seasons. SR76 will offer at least four different styles of beer year round, rotating them seasonally, and producing 15-20 diverse brews throughout the course of a year.
The 22 new and on-trend guestrooms added to the resort will be wellness-inspired featuring amenities such as vitamin C-infused showers; customizable in-room add-ons; yoga mats; aromatherapy; built-in ceiling speakers in the bedrooms and bathrooms; robes and slippers; and fitness equipment such as dumbbells and jump ropes.
Totaling 2,633 sq. ft., the four new meeting rooms will be located on the second floor of the South Tower.
Originating in Las Vegas, KJ Chinese Kitchen will open its second location at Harrah’s, serving a selection of seafood prepared by chefs trained in the tradition of authentic Chinese cuisine.
Robek’s will open its first location within a casino at Harrah’s this fall, offering a variety of handcrafted fruit and vegetable drinks, smoothies and juices using natural ingredients.
The fitness center will move to a brand new, nearly 3,000-sq.-ft. home and receive a total transformation. Complete with state-of-the-art LifeFitness cardio, cross training, strength, TRX and stability equipment.
Additionally, a mile-long nature trail will open behind the property along the San Luis Rey River. This dog-friendly trail features benches for resting and taking in the views.
The spa will also undergo a complete overhaul and will feature a barbershop, salon, and new treatments such as salt baths.
The additions of the wellness rooms, KJ Chinese Kitchen, Robek’s, the fitness center and the nature trail are expected to be complete in the fall. Brewery SR76 will open before the end of the year and the completion of the spa is planned for summer of 2017.
Brands Harrah's Resort Southern California Janet Beronio KJ Chinese Kitchen Renovation/Construction Robek’s
Previous ArticleWoodmont Lodging, Waramaug Close on Two Hotels
Next Article IHG Plans to Bring Kimpton Brand to Paris
Sign Up For Daily E-Newsletter Subscription
Cannabis: A Growing Topic in Hospitality
More Editorials
Ace Hotel Group Consolidates Ownership
Best Western’s Family of Brands Dot North America
Execs on the Move: Park Hotels & Resorts, GDP, Splitty
Airbnb Signs First Tax Collaboration in Central, Eastern Europe
HB ON THE SCENE: Hilton Unveils New Brand—Tempo
Hospitality Start-up The Guild Raises $25M for Expansion
Blackstone/MGM JV to Acquire MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay for $4.6B
First Hospitality, Aimbridge, Valor Sign Management Deals
Execs on the Move: Lark Hotels, Vesta, Kempinski; More…
Editor-in-Chief Christina Trauthwein chats about the January 15th issue of Hotel Business and invites you to read the cover story on cannabis and CBD-based products entering the hospitality industry, as well as a report on the 2020 U.S. Hotel Industry Outlook.
View Digital Edition Library
Investment Conferences
Brand Conferences
HomeWorld Business
Gourmet Insider
© 2001-2020, hotelbusiness.com and ICD Publications, Inc. Cannot be reprinted without permission of hotelbusiness.com and ICD Publications, Inc.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2445
|
__label__cc
| 0.719863
| 0.280137
|
HOUSE AROUND ABRUZZO
Abruzzo Houses For Sale - Italy
TO RESTORE
HOME (IT)
Caramanico PE (€ 95.000) - Cod ZNU121
Stone house with garden and cellar in the typical center.
Three-storey stone house of 129 g. sqm (two bedrooms and two bathrooms) with garden of 99 sqm in the quaint downtown area, accessible by car. The house has front and rear facades with exposed stone and the entrance is directly from the municipal street, via an outside stone staircase leading to the first floor. At the ground floor there is a useful cellar (24 sqm) with a separate entrance and barrel vault, in the space under the scale is housed a small bathroom. At the first floor you are immediately in a lovely living room with two windows on the street, niches in the walls, a large fireplace and even a wood stove; the ceiling is with wooden beams. The next room, also with wooden ceiling, is a dining room with a new and fully equipped kitchen, two windows that allow great lighting and a door / window that allows you to go out in the garden. You go up to the second floor via a stone staircase covered in rustic ceramics that leads into a room with parquet floor, high under-roof in laminated wood beams and a small balcony to the street; in a corner of this room it is housed a comfortable bathroom with shower and window, ending in a loft used as a storespace. The next room with a stone portal is the large master bedroom where even parquet and exposed wooden roof resulting in a warm atmosphere; a large balcony overlooking the garden allows a spectacular view of the surrounding territory. The garden is totally flat with fruit trees and decorative plants, has space for equipment that allow outdoor living; to be completed the fence.
The two roofs of the house are new wooden, covered by insulation and traditional tiles. The heating is provided by the fireplace, the wood burning stove and electric equipment. The domestic hot water is produced by electric boiler in the basement. The windows are wood with exterior shutters. The interior walls were stained with variegated pastel tones, along with the presence of the wooden floors, ceilings and attractive décor, give all the rooms a pleasant rustic style.
Energy Class G, IPE 324.37 kWh / sqm yearly.
Note: The sale price includes much of the furniture and equipment.
Caramanico Terme (PE) is one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, at 650 m. asl. and with about 2000 inhabitants in the Majella / Morrone National Park, surrounded by forests and the beautiful valleys of Orta and Orfento Rivers. Many hiking trails with a wealth of flora and wildlife, can reach also ancient hermitages. The historical center is remarkable, with many original features and religious architecture of great interest. The Archaeological Nature Museum is landmark and pride of the town. Caramanico is also home of the same name "Caramanico Terme" that offer a wide range of treatments with sulphurous waters and mud. Throughout the year are organized artistic , cultural and local blockbuster folklore events. In the town there are the municipal offices, schools, shops and all generally necessary services. Frequent bus connections with the city of Pescara and the Centers of Val Pescara. Railway station and motorway A25 at about 20 '(Scafa).
© 2023 by Johnston&Brandon. Proudly created by Wix.com
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2448
|
__label__wiki
| 0.981795
| 0.981795
|
Houston father slain in home invasion was starting a new chapter in life, family says
Local // Houston
Julian Gill Dec. 31, 2019 Updated: Dec. 31, 2019 10:25 p.m.
Tre Cain, a 26-year-old father of three, was shot and killed Monday night by two masked assailants in his northwest Harris County apartment.
Photo: Courtesy / Jacayla Clark
Tre Cain had been hearing rumors about about two burglars breaking into apartments around his complex.
He paid close attention over the holidays to the neighborhood chatter. It was the reason on Christmas Eve he told his sister he needed to be home that night with his two sons and girlfriend at the Easton Village Apartments in northwest Harris County.
His concern about the break ins proved all too credible days later, when on Monday night two masked robbers burst into his home and fatally shot him, deputies said. His two sons, 1 and 4 years old, were inside with their mother at the time.
Harris County Sheriff’s Office homicide detective Ben Beall said he doesn’t have reason to believe the shooting was random. The two assailants fled with cash and remain at large.
Cain’s sister, Jacayla Clark, can’t think of a possible motive.
“This is such a shock,” Clark said. “Everybody liked him, so I don’t think he really had any enemies like that.”
The sheriff’s office did not release a detailed description of the men. It’s also unclear whether the children witnessed the shooting.
Cain’s 29-year-old girlfriend told detectives on Monday that the two robbers forced their way into the home around 9:30 p.m. wearing ski masks and gloves. After they shot Cain, she gave them what money she had, deputies said.
Cain, 26, had just finalized his departure from the U.S. Navy and finished registering for school. He was preparing to start classes this year at Lone Star College, and he wanted to show his two sons and daughter the value of education, Clark said.
“He was like ‘I’m ready to go to school,’” Clark said. “He just wanted to do something productive.”
Cain grew up in Angleton as the only boy among six siblings. He remained close with his family and for a time served as the only father figure for Clark’s children, she said. He made a point to be at the hospital each time she gave birth, no matter the driving distance, she said.
Cain also took pride in his role as the provider for his own kids, said his father Raymond Cain.
“He was always telling me that he wanted to follow in my footsteps and be there for his children,” Raymond Cain said.
Raymond Cain added that his son loved basketball and played at La Marque High School. Tre also was a big fan of the New Englan Patriots, he said.
With Cain’s killer on the loose, the family is trying to hold together, the father said.
“We’re just doing the best we can, putting our faith in the lord,” he said.
julian.gill@chron.com
Julian Gill
Follow Julian on:
JulianGillMusic
Julian Gill is a reporter for the Houston Chronicle.
Woman shot and killed behind south Houston corner store, police say
Prisoner escapes custody at Ben Taub hospital, Houston police say
‘Take me to the king’: In contest that has become tradition, young...
The top terrorist threats in the state of Texas, according to a recent...
Houston Housing Authority opts not to extend contract of CEO Tory Gunsolley
She's off the streets. Why are her clothes still in plastic bags?
No indictment for sgt. in stepson’s shooting
People who served time say it was based on ex-cop Goines' lies
Plano man found with 'shocking quantity' of child pornography, sheriff says
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2450
|
__label__wiki
| 0.671966
| 0.671966
|
Imagination Technologies extends graphics IP core family with POWERVR SGX543
POWERVR graphics roadmap continues to outpace competition with debut of POWERVR Series5XT architecture
Las Vegas, 8th January 2009: Imagination Technologies the leader in semiconductor System-on-Chip Intellectual Property (SoC IP) announces POWERVR SGX543, the first graphics processor IP core based on Imagination’s extended POWERVR Series5XT architecture, which enables higher performance POWERVR SGX cores and multi-processor support.
The debut of POWERVR SGX543 takes the POWERVR roadmap to the next level. The SGX family now offers the ultimate scalability, ranging from the world’s smallest OpenGL ES 2.0 mobile core through solutions for performance mobile and HDTV, to high-performance gaming and computing solutions, confirming the ultimate scalability of the Series5 POWERVR SGX architecture.
POWERVR SGX543 is the first POWERVR SGX graphics IP core available in both single core and multi-processor solutions. Imagination will release further details of POWERVR SGX543’s multi-processor capabilities at Multicore Expo 2009 in March.
POWERVR SGX543 the first POWERVR Series5XT architecture IP core
The four pipeline POWERVR SGX543 is the first in a series of new SGX IP cores that utilise the POWERVR Series5XT architecture, which delivers significant enhancements to the Series5 SGX architecture used in previous SGX IP cores. SGX543’s wide-ranging architectural enhancements include:
USSE2 – extended USSE instruction set with comprehensive vector operations and co-issue capability
upgraded tile handling to further reduce memory bandwidth and improve performance for setup-bound applications
typically 40% faster performance for ‘shader-heavy’ applications
2x floating point and 2x hidden surface removal performance
enhanced triangle setup delivering up to 50% higher throughput
improved multi-sampling anti-aliasing performance
features for optimised performance when used with POWERVR VXD and VXE video cores
advanced colour space handling and gamma correction
further optimised OpenVG 1.x support
cache and MMU improvements
The new POWERVR SGX543 delivers real-world performance of 35 million polygons/sec and 1 Gpixels/sec fillrate at 200MHz,* capable of driving HD screens with ultra smooth high definition 3D graphics. Even in a single-core solution POWERVR SGX543’s performance is unprecedented in any GPU, demonstrating Imagination’s pace of innovation and ability to drive the consumer experience in graphics to levels unheard of only a few years ago in anything less than high end specialist platforms.
Tony King-Smith, VP marketing Imagination Technologies says: “”With POWERVR SGX543 Imagination continues to extend its leadership and dominance of the embedded graphics acceleration market with a solution capable of delivering blistering 3D, 2D and vector graphics. The Series5XT architecture enables us to continue to extend our dominance in mobile and embedded graphics solutions by addressing the rapidly growing demands for high performance graphics in a wide range of market segments.””
Inside POWERVR SGX543
The POWERVR Series5XT architecture builds on the highly efficient Series5 architecture, which ensures that maximum performance is achieved across a wide range of applications, regardless of whether the content is dominated by polygon throughput, pixel processing, high fill rate or any combination of these. Other architectures that use separate polygon and pixel processing units cannot achieve the sustained throughput or silicon utilisation of POWERVR SGX graphics cores.
USSE2 (Universal Scalable Shader Engine2), the main programmable processing unit within each POWERVR SGX543 pipeline, incorporates a major upgrade of the data path to deliver vastly improved vector processing performance and overall throughput. This datapath upgrade is a key reason why SGX543 delivers on average 40% faster performance for ‘shader-heavy’ applications than earlier POWERVR SGX cores.
USSE2 is a scalable multi-threaded GPU shader processing engine that efficiently processes graphics as well as many other mathematically-intensive tasks. These tasks are automatically broken down into processing packets, which can include parts of shaders, which are then scheduled across a number of hardware multi-threaded execution units for maximum processing efficiency. USSE2 is programmed using the GLSL language that forms part of the OpenGL ES 2.0 API specification from the Khronos Group.
Imagination is also part of the OpenCL Working Group in Khronos defining the new GPGPU processing API, which will enable developers to gain greater access to the full capabilities of USSE2 in a broader range of applications.
* All fill rate figures stated assuming a scene depth complexity of x2.5.
Imagination Technologies Group plc (FTSE:IMG) a leader in semiconductor System on Chip Intellectual Property (SoC IP) creates and licenses market-leading embedded graphics, video, display and multi-threaded processors and multi-standard receiver technologies. These IP solutions are complemented by dynamic and extensive developer and middleware ecosystems. Target markets include mobile phone multimedia, handheld multimedia, home consumer entertainment, in-car and mobile computing.
Its licensees include leading semiconductor and consumer electronics companies, as well as innovative leading edge start-up and fabless semiconductor companies. Imagination has corporate headquarters in the United Kingdom, with sales and R&D offices worldwide. See: www.imgtec.com.
David Harold
fax +44 (0)1923 270 188
e-mail: david.harold@imgtec.com
Imagination House
Home Park Estate
Herts WD4 8LZ
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2453
|
__label__wiki
| 0.54166
| 0.54166
|
The Mindset All Successful People Have in Common
More than any habit or talent, this particular way of thinking about the world will help you achieve your dreams.
What sets truly successful people apart from those who never realize their dreams? Is it a particular set of habits? An increased appetite for risk? Skill at networking? Plain old smarts? No doubt each of these factors plays a part in some people's achievements, but perhaps underlying all of these differences is a particular and profoundly powerful mindset.
That's the gist of several fascinating articles out recently; they argue the fundamental difference between the wildly successful and the merely mediocre is not any inborn characteristic or individual learned behavior but how we think about skills and learning in general.
Can People Really Change?
Some folks, it seems, think that, basically, when it comes to skills and abilities, you get the hand you're dealt, and that's that. You are however smart you are, however hard working, and there's little to nothing you can do to change these fundamental characteristics of your personality. That's called a fixed mindset.
Other people know differently. Those with the opposite view, called a growth mindset, believe that with effort and perseverance, you can expand your intellect, broaden your skills, improve your character, and overcome obstacles. They see the key to getting ahead not as inherited talent or skill but good, old-fashioned hard work. Any guesses as to who ends up more successful?
If you haven't guessed yet, achievers generally have a growth mindset, a fact proven in large part by the research of renowned Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck. In a lengthy and fascinating article, PolicyMic recently delved into her findings in depth, but the basic takeaway is short and sweet: "It's all about your mindset. Successful people tend to focus on growth, solving problems, and self-improvement, while unsuccessful people think of their abilities as fixed assets and avoid challenges."
How to Get a Growth Mindset
Dweck may be a pioneer in this line of research, but she's not the only scientist studying the profound effects of our mindset on success. Another recent study built on her work by polling high school students about their attitudes. Some students told the research team that they believed people fell into particular categories--some were geeks, for instance, others jocks--and that in general they're unlikely to change over time. Others told the scientists that people generally adapt and grow.
What effect did the belief that people can change have on students? Though Dweck's work suggests those with a growth mindset will be more successful in the long term, this recent study also found big effects in the short term. In short, those with a growth mindset had less stress and anxiety and more self-esteem, and they were in generally better physical health.
That's even more compelling evidence you should strive for a growth mindset. But is it possible to change your outlook if you've previously been more of a believer that abilities are fixed? Yup, according to the same research team's follow-up experiment. Simply telling the high school students in a single session that evidence shows people can change had large positive effects both physically and psychologically a year later, with no other follow-up.
"Our research shows that adolescents can learn to tell themselves a different story, a story in which people have the potential to change," the authors conclude.
If they can do it, so can you. You'll be more successful for it.
Published on: Jun 12, 2014
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2454
|
__label__cc
| 0.530204
| 0.469796
|
← NEWS
Jeb Bush’s Medicaid Reforms Are Working
By John C. Goodman
Also published in Real Clear Policy Tue. June 2, 2015 « Show Fewer
Jeb Bush is often called a “moderate.” Yet that may be more because of his style than his political beliefs. While he was governor of Florida, Bush was probably the most aggressive reformer of any governor in the country. Both in education and in health care, he did things that had never been done before.
Since health care is the No. 1 domestic-policy issue, Bush’s Medicaid reforms are perhaps the most interesting. Although this may come as a surprise to some, Medicaid is not completely run by the government. More than two-thirds of Medicaid recipients nationwide are in private health plans these days. And Florida has pushed the boundaries of privatization.
Here is the back story. Although Medicaid pays providers lower fees than other insurers pay, the total cost of care is often much higher. A study in the Annals of Surgery examined outcomes for almost 900,000 individuals who underwent major surgical procedures from 2003 through 2007. The study found that:
• Medicare, uninsured, and Medicaid patients were 54 percent, 74 percent and 97 percent, respectively, more likely to die than those with private insurance.
• The average length of a hospital stay was 5 percent shorter for the uninsured, 19 percent longer for Medicare patients, and 42 percent longer for Medicaid patients.
• Medicare patients cost 10 percent more than the privately insured and Medicaid patients cost 26 percent more.
Can marketplace incentives improve on this record? Under Governor Bush’s leadership, Florida began giving Medicaid recipients some of the benefits of choice and competition. More than half of those eligible joined the private-sector program, and about 70 percent of those enrolled make an active choice of a plan each year. Plans are allowed to modify benefits and add on additional benefits. They can charge copayments for services, and these differ quite a lot from plan to plan. The recipients receive counseling, have access to a nurse hotline, and are rewarded for healthy behaviors with contributions to a personal Health Saving Account.
The Florida demonstration project began with two counties in 2006 and expanded to three more the following year. Under Governor Rick Scott, the state has now received a federal waiver to go statewide. Although critics may never be satisfied, a peer-reviewed study by University of Arizona economists Michael Bond and Emily Patch suggests success on all fronts: lower costs, higher quality, and greater access to care.
Cost. According to available federal data, during the 2006 to 2009 period, per capita Medicaid expenditures in Florida increased 5.2 percent, whereas per capita costs in the reform counties increased only 1.4 percent. While the authors say this doesn’t “prove” the reform has lowered costs, it is certainly “encouraging.”
Access to care. Medicaid patients often make unnecessary visits to hospital emergency rooms because so many doctors either won’t see them or can’t see them until after a long wait. The Florida average for nonemergency care is 16.4 visits per 1,000 Medicaid enrollees. By contrast, the average for the reform health plans is 15.1 visits per 1,000 enrollees.
There has also been a significant increase in access to specialists. The number of patients in reform plans receiving dermatological care rose from about 10 per 1,000 beneficiaries to 13 per 1,000; neurological care rose from about 21 to 27 per 1,000; and orthopedic care rose from 25 to 27.
Quality. Measures of patient outcomes show that plans in the demonstration counties had more improvement than the counties with conventional Medicaid. With respect to diabetic care, for example, the rate of glucose testing for the Florida demonstration counties was above the national average, while the rate in traditional Medicaid was below the average. Control of glucose levels by diabetics in the reform counties exceeded the national average, while the performance in nonreform counties was below it.
The economists conclude that the expansion of “privately administered Medicaid health and drug plans statewide has the potential for substantial savings to Florida taxpayers and better care for the poor and disabled.”
Health care is one of those issues that too many Republicans tend to ignore. Yet the free-market principles that they claim to believe in can solve a lot of problems in this sphere. Jeb Bush was one of the first to discover this.
John C. Goodman is a Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute and President of the Goodman Institute for Public Policy Research.
EconomyFree Market EconomicsHealthcareMedicare and MedicaidPrivatizationRegulation
Before posting, please read our Comment Policy.
Tariffs on European Booze Will Hurt American Consumers
Vernon L. Smith: A Birthday Appreciation
Economic Freedom, Not Government Programs, Key to Reducing Poverty
FROM John C. Goodman
Healthcare Solutions for America
Curing the Healthcare Crisis
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2456
|
__label__cc
| 0.737965
| 0.262035
|
InfoQ Homepage Articles Understanding Blockchain Basics and Use Cases
Understanding Blockchain Basics and Use Cases
Leia em português
Dec 24, 2018 10 min read
Blockchains can be either public or private, permissioned or trustless
IBM Hyperledger and R3 Corda are two of the most widely used enterprise blockchains
Deployment of real solutions is still limited and patchy
The space is continuing to evolve and is in its early stages
Enterprise adoption is still cautious
Navigating the blockchain space can be very challenging.
A large number of articles have been written about the subject, many of which are filled with a large amount of hot air and hype, as well as specialist technical and other jargon.
In this article, we will explain the difference between the two major branches of blockchain projects (public and private) as well as some fundamental technical terms related the area.
This will allow us to address a fundamental question in the current discussion of blockchains and related solutions: What are the valid use cases for using a public, trustless blockchain vs a distributed private ledger vs a traditional database?
Some of the most important terms that are used in the blockchain space are:
Trusted third-party - A system where certain facts (e.g. the identity of participants) cannot be verified except by referring to a privileged (often centralized) authority.
Trustless - A system which relies on no trusted third-party for any aspect of its operation, including transaction confirmation or identity verification.
Proof-of-work (POW) - Finding the solution to a mathematical puzzle (typically a hashing problem) that has no short-cut algorithm and so must solved by brute computational force.
Unspent transaction output (UTXO) - In some blockchains (e.g. Bitcoin), transactions consume inputs and leave some (the outputs) _unspent_. These unspent outputs are then available to become the inputs for future transactions.
Virtual machine model - Some blockchains (notably Ethereum) have an abstract model of how the overall state of the system is represented, and how this state is updated. This model can usually be described by a formal model of a virtual state machine, for example the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM).
Smart contract - A small, event-driven program that can deployed into a blockchain that supports program execution. Once deployed, the program will continue to execute, using blockchain transactions as inputs and can take actions that cause further transactions to be executed. The code of the program is protected cryptographically.
Turing-complete - A Computer Science term that can be read as "fully capable programming language". All mainstream languages such as Java, Javascript, Python, Ruby, Go, etc are all Turing-complete. For technical reasons, some blockchains may choose not to make the full power of Turing-complete languages available to smart contract writers.
What Are The Most Secure Programming Languages
An In-Depth Look at the DevOps Toolchain.
There is a lot more detail about each of these terms, but some of the most important aspects of them include the following:
Most transaction systems are completely or partially reliant on some trusted third parties. Trustlessness, on the other hand, is a quite remarkable property, but it is not obtained cheaply - considerable extra complexity and effort must be expended to make a system behave trustlessly. The key to this is the POW algorithm for consensus used by many blockchains.
Once a solution to a POW problem has been found (essentially by trial-and-error on a vast scale) then the correctness of the solution can be demonstrated by any participant immediately. Good POW problems have statistical properties that allow any observer to estimate reliably how much computation time was expended to stumble across a solution. This makes them suitable for use as a distributed consensus mechanism in public blockchains (e.g. Bitcoin).
The UTXO model provides one simple route to ensure transaction integrity and prevent the same Bitcoins from being used twice in two separate transactions (the _double-spending problem_). This is by ensuring that any input to any transaction must appear in the collection of outputs - the UTXO database.
By contrast, the virtual machine model (notably implemented by Ethereum) offers a significant extension - the ability to store arbitrary state and run simple programs within the network in a trustless and fully decentralized manner.
With these main definitions (and some consequences) clarified, we can now take a look at some of the main blockchain-based technologies in use in the world today.
The original cryptocurrency, which uses the unspent transaction output (UTXO) model for the ledger. It uses a simple POW algorithm for mining, based on guessing a random string which, when combined with the last transaction block, causes the SHA-256 hash of the composite to be numerically less than a small threshold value.
The participant that successfully guessed the answer is said to have "mined a block", and the transactions that were contained in the block are added to the ledger.
This then allows a very simple method of determining consensus - participants simply agree that the longest chain should be regarded as the basis for mining the next transaction block.
Bitcoin was not designed to accommodate smart contracts. As a result, extremely limited functionality is available, mostly through the novel use of side channels that happen to exist within the protocol. The resulting functionality is in no way Turing-complete and instead most analyses of Bitcoin simply ignore it.
The resulting system is therefore purely that of a cryptographically secure ledger.
It has no identity semantics beyond the use of cryptographic signatures to verify the origin of transactions, and is completely trustless.
This ledger builds on some of the ideas of Bitcoin, but models the state of a single, global virtual machine rather than using the UTXO model. The key innovation is the addition of a Turing-complete smart contract capability. This is the Ethereum virtual machine (EVM), a VM created specifically for use in the context of a distributed ledger with smart contracts.
In Ethereum, program state is private and belongs to individual contract addresses, and is altered by a series of EVM bytecode instructions, which are the contents of smart contracts.
The overall, global state is then derived by aggregating the program state of each contract address.
All full nodes in the Ethereum network follow the model's rules. They can calculate the system state for any contract address's state on their machine and as long as they use the same transactions (which constitutes the input data within the Ethereum model), they will arrive at the same result.
As Ethereum uses a global consensus algorithm and has a concept of globally latest block, then the overall transaction processing rate (i.e. the effective _clock speed_) of the Ethereum virtual machine is limited by the block production rate. Adding more hardware and computing power to the Ethereum network does not make it any quicker or more powerful, merely more tamper-proof.
The use of Turing-complete smart contracts allow additional functionality to be added on top of the network without all participants needing to be aware of them. This allows, for example, the Ethereum network to issue software tokens that are held as additional state within the Ethereum virtual machine. This forms the basis of so-called Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs).
The EVM is superficially similar to the JVM and similar environments, but makes different designs in some important areas. In particular, the design of EVM bytecode makes static analysis of compiled code much harder than for established alternatives. This is not a selling point for an execution environment that requires a very high degree of transparency and verifiability.
The low-level EVM environment is also not a particularly human-friendly programming environment. As a result, several higher-level languages have been created that compile down to EVM bytecode. Of these, the most well-known is Solidity.
Inspired by more mainstream programming languages, such as Javascript and Java, the Solidity language also incorporates novel features for interacting with the Ethereum blockchain.
In some respects, Ethereum is a victim of its own success. Its emergence as the platform of choice for ICOs led to a high price for ETH (the Ethereum token) in early 2018. The amount of this cryptocurrency held by the Ethereum team themselves led to a situation where many of the major players have a large vested interest in the status quo, and in wanting to realize their paper profits.
R3 Corda uses the UTXO model (like Bitcoin) but also includes Turing-complete smart contracts as part of the design. These contracts are represented as JVM bytecode, with optional additional determinism guarantees that restrict contract semantics.
The approach does not use a single global lock (block height) to control advancement of ledger state, but instead allows non-conflicting transactions to proceed in parallel. This effectively fine-grains the lock, at the cost of requiring a more complex and subtle notion of time and clocks. In the Corda model - the simple "longest chain wins" rule is no longer sufficient as a consensus algorithm.
Participants are known and trusted, as third-party identity verification is a natural part of the Corda architecture.
As a side effect of the desire to remove the global ledger lock, Corda includes exit / entry semantics to disentangle transactions from the main chain and to prevent all transactions from becoming entwined over time. This is possible as the architecture strongly depends upon the trusted third-party model.
As a result, the authority of certain participants to retire ledger items (the equivalent of coins in cryptocurrencies) and replace them with freshly minted equivalents that have no transaction history can be guaranteed by the identity authorities.
The creators of Corda do not see it as being that similar to a cryptocurrency.
Instead, they regard the technology as forming the basis of shared infrastructure at the whole-market level, rather than at the level of an individual company. [link to panel part 2]
This positions Corda as an enterprise blockchain intended for use by organisations that can benefit from common infrastructure and a shared view of the state of the world, rather than maintaining separate versions of records, which inevitably lead to reconciliation problems.
The HyperLedger project, started by IBM, is another of the leading enterprise blockchain solutions.
The Hyperledger Fabric is a blockchain framework implementation and one of the Hyperledger projects hosted by the Linux Foundation.
IBM's primary design goals for the project include confidentiality, resiliency, flexibility, and scalability.
Like Corda, Hyperledger uses a permissioned architecture.
It implements a deterministic Practical Byzantine Faul Tolerant (PBFT) algorithm, which ensures that once a transaction completed notification is received, it is genuinely done.
IBM have invested in solid Docker integration, including testing within containers.
Smart contracts for Hyperledger can be written in Java, with an SDK available (Go contracts are also possible).
Hyperledger separates nodes by roles, which include full peers, certificate authority nodes (needed for the permissioning) and orderers that group transactions into blocks.
The Hyperledger blockchain state is modelled as a versioned key-value store (KVS), where keys are names (strings) and values are arbitrary blobs.
This is a very low-level interface, above which Hyperledger provides a layer called Ledger, which provides a verifiable history of all successful state changes.
The code and architecture of Hyperledger is still evolving quickly, but actual production trials are starting to appear, and it is emerging alongside Corda as one of the solutions more likely to be used by enterprises.
The use cases for blockchains are still being hotly debated.
There is the obvious example of censorship-resistant digital currencies.
However, the volatility and fragmentation seen in the cryptocurrency market during 2018 seems to suggest that the actual applicability of trustless digital currencies is limited.
From the enterprise perspective, it is becoming clear that they can also be used to create systems or networks that are deployed as a shared construct between multiple entities that don't necessarily trust each other yet want to share data and maintain a form of consensus about concerns that all parties care about.
These use cases, where a centralized authority is unacceptable to the participants, or too costly to set up, are still emerging.
This is despite the time, effort and venture capital that has deployed into the wide array of blockchain projects created to date.
As more projects come to market as we move into 2019, it remains to be seen whether the promise of blockchain will ever amount to the major impact that its advocates have now been promising for quite some time.
Ben Evans is a co-founder of jClarity, a JVM performance optimization company. He is an organizer for the LJC (London's JUG) and a member of the JCP Executive Committee, helping define standards for the Java ecosystem. Ben is a Java Champion; 3-time JavaOne Rockstar Speaker; author of "The Well-Grounded Java Developer", the new edition of "Java in a Nutshell" and "Optimizing Java" He is a regular speaker on the Java platform, performance, architecture, concurrency, startups and related topics. Ben is sometimes available for speaking, teaching, writing and consultancy engagements - please contact for details.
This content is in the Java topic
Rethinking Blockchain Contract Development
C# Futures: Simplified Parameter Null Validation
The InfoQ eMag - The InfoQ Software Trends Report 2019: Volume 1
Apple Open Sources ServiceTalk to the Java Community
JakartaOne 2019: Livestream 7pm to 1am Summary
JUnit 5: Evolution and Innovation
Avoiding Reactor Meltdown
Groovy 3.0 Adds New Java-Like Features
Learning Spring Boot: First as a Student, Then as a Teacher
Write Less Code with Kotlin and Spring Boot
Keeping Up with Java: Look at All These New Features!
Java 14 Is in Feature-Freeze and Release Rampdown
Getting to Know Deep Java Library (DJL)
Building Reactive Pipelines: How to Go from Scalable Apps to (Ridiculously) Scalable Systems
The Future of Spring Cloud's Hystrix Project
InfoQ's 2019, and Software Predictions for 2020
The State of Kotlin Support in Spring
Fully Reactive: Spring, Kotlin, and JavaFX Playing Together
Quarkus, a Kubernetes Native Java Framework, Reaches Version 1.0: Q&A with Thomas Qvarnstrom
Hello, Spring Security 5.2
Multi-Tenancy OAuth with Spring Security 5.2
RSocket Messaging with Spring
Java Feature Spotlight: Local Variable Type Inference
A First Look at Java Inline Classes
Panel: Which Java Vendor Should I Choose?
The Trouble with Memory
Are We Really Cloud-Native?
Q&A on the Book Continuous Delivery in Java
Quarkus and GraalVM: Booting Hibernate at Supersonic Speed, Subatomic Size
Using Java to Orchestrate Robot Swarms
Reactive Spring
Graal: How to Use the New JVM JIT Compiler in Real Life
Machine-to-Machine Interfaces
Serverless Java
Running Single-file Programs without Compiling in Java 11
Where do EOS and Hashgraph fit in?
by Grant Rostig /
Your message is awaiting moderation. Thank you for participating in the discussion.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2460
|
__label__cc
| 0.578378
| 0.421622
|
The reality of Steven Gerrard
When Rangers fans look at the arduous task of replacing Walter Smith with something even half as good, such intentions led to an acceleration of managers the like we have never seen before at Ibrox.
It led to almost as many managers in seven years as we’d had the previous 100+. 13 managers up till Walter Smith (if we exclude the brief liaisons such as Tommy McLean and take into account Walter’s second spell) and eight after he retired.
All because no one could hold a candle to the Grand Master Walter Smith. No one in the modern game seemed to be able to deliver the patriarchal domination and respect Walter commanded, and no one had his aura.
No one, that is, until Steven Gerrard.
Last night Steven Gerrard’s Rangers, fielding close to a ‘fringe’ side, aside a rocky first error-strewn 10 minutes, completed a consummate Rangers performance, putting in their place a very fine Championship-leading Ayr side.
And standing authoritively on the touchline, was one Steven Gerrard esquire, exuding class, assurance, and sheer dignity as his illustrious predecessors from the golden age did.
Rangers’ board were in a pickle the past few years – whoever wore the suits, they could not, for love nor money, attract the right manager, the right established boss who would come in and turn Rangers back into Rangers.
They nearly made the biggest mistake (well, the latest mistake after yer Pedros and Murties) by appointing Derek McInnes, only for the Aberdeen boss to wimp out. We didn’t want him in the first place, and were delighted when he did a 180.
But it left Rangers’ board lost – who the hell was big enough for this club?
Well, the truth is, restoring Rangers to the top of Scottish football must be close to the hardest job in world football, and it was going to take someone truly extraordinary and special, with a big personality, and revered by all.
It is starting to look like the gamble to make that man Steven Gerrard, a U18s coach without a minute of senior management experience, has been the biggest, ballsiest, and most incredible gamble in Rangers’ history and amazingly it seems to be paying off in abundance.
We are quite staggered by how well this new era is going, and just how Rangers and Walter-like Gerrard is starting to become.
It’s not over, sure it isn’t – we didn’t show up against Celtic and that remains the fixture the currency of the Old Firm is measured. But for Charlie Nicholas, of all people (who said Rangers were only in the group stage for the money and to make up the numbers), to admit true concern at the state of things at Parkhead and concede the evident momentum at Ibrox is quite something.
Last night Rangers swept Ayr aside, with a second-string side and we lost genuine count of the men of the match, there were that many (more on that later) – and Steven Gerrard remains the architect of all that is good at Ibrox right now. And there’s a lot of it.
Sure, again, there are some errors – he remains a rookie boss learning on the job – but like Zinedine Zidane, this lad is learning, and learning fast.
It took someone big, someone with self assurance, and a true icon of football to achieve results at Ibrox.
Steven Gerrard is the big icon Rangers needed – and what he is achieving in only three or so months is becoming remarkable.
Absolutely staggering.
Labels: Ibrox, Rangers, Steven Gerrard
Sb 27 September 2018 at 07:33
Got to say the whole set up at the club atm is remarkable. Right from the youth teams up to the 1st. The coach’s are 1st class and all pushing for the same goal. Well done to everyone at the club, all the coach’s, staff and the board. But I’m gerard we’ve found the main piece that gels it all together
TheStevo926 27 September 2018 at 14:36
...Apart from Murty 😞
And just think, some of our so called "fans" were screaming for his head after the defeat to the mhanky mob, shame on you
As big Marv says "keep believing"
55LetsGo
Sheep at home, we should be singing our thanks to Derek.
He saved us from ourselves by being man enough to know that the job was too big for him
Stumbler 27 September 2018 at 09:30
I was totally baffled when they appointed him until I heard him speak that I thought we may be on to something. Actually it was that leaked training video when he shouted at the team "we go to win the ball, get it in to your heads now!" That I really thought this guy is gonna sort us out. I think we may have a title race on our hands.
Joe90 27 September 2018 at 09:58
No argument, from me. He's shaping up v nicely and long may it continue. What's best for the club, is always the most important thing. I really believe we can beat Celtic at home, as things stand. In doing so, it will boost our morale, even further.
Couldn't agree more, two things bother me, Gerrard is too soft on Morelos however good he might be, if he gets booked for a tackle fine but this constant bookings for petulance and stupidity has got to be sorted with our shortage of strike force. Secondly why do we not start playing until we've either scored or lost a goal,happens in a few games
Gerrard has done a Fantastic Job So Far
...Long May it Continue 😃💪🔴⚪⭕
Robrob57 29 September 2018 at 08:52
There should be no doubt that Gerrard has already turned us around. Regardless of what happens from here he has moved the team on 3 years in just 3 months. We now have better players with good attitudes and higher work rate. We may not win the league this year but we will be nudging ever closer. And I don't just say that in hope like we have done in previous seasons.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2461
|
__label__cc
| 0.672517
| 0.327483
|
You Are Here: Topic-specific offers and measures at RWTH
The Staff Unit
Topic-specific offers and measures at RWTH
Key Areas and Tasks
You Are Here:Topic-specific offers and measures at RWTH
Copyright: Peter Winandy
The diversity portal gives an overview of all offers and activities supporting a fair and constructive cooperation at RWTH Aachen University with the aim to change the organizational culture and address all university members considering their diverse social and cultural background.
Diversity Activities at RWTH Aachen University
RWTH Aachen University strives to enable all of its members an environment in which anyone can work, do research and learn independently of their sex, age, origin, skin color, religion, disability or sexual orientation. The implementation of a Gender and Diversity Management therefore promotes an open university culture.
Main Objectives
Because of the still low proportion of women at the higher academic levels, gender equality is a crucial concern at RWTH Aachen Unversity. The main focus lies on university development planning, equal opportunities in personnel development and improvement of working and studying conditions.
Selected offers and activities:
Vice-Rector for Human Resources Management and Development
The Vice-Rector for Human Resources Management and Development is responsible for measures concerning the personnel development concept and young researchers’ development, while especially emphasizing equal opportunities and diversity.
The Aachen gender triangle
The gender triangle consists of IGaD, the Equal Opportunities Office and three professorships with gender denomination. The rectorate of the RWTH plays a key role. The main goal is to connect experiences from working in the gender equality field with scientific impulses from the professorships and to develop new, practical recommendations for more gender equality at RWTH.
Gender Equality Plans
North Rhine-Westphalia’s new law on gender equality (Landesgleichstellungsgesetz, LGG) has been in force since December 2016. The previous Women’s Promotion Plan for the improvement of the equality between men and women expires in October 2017 and will be replaced by gender equality plans. The creation of a new gender equality plan is currently in progress and it will have duration of five years. The faculties, institutions and all responsible bodies are included in this process.
Female Empowerment in Science and Technology Academia - FESTA
The EU project FESTA running from 2012 to 2017 was focused on strengthening the position of women in science and technology and by that creating a university with equality.
Equality in Education
Achieving equal opportunities for admission requirements at universities, easing the start of studies as well as decreasing the dropout rates are some of the most important topics regarding equality in education. RWTH Aachen provides appropriate offers to improve teaching with regard to diversity and the different needs that students might have.
Selected offers and acitivities:
DiVers – Diversity competences in university teaching
The e-learning tool focuses on the strengthening of methods, the social expertise and the self-competence of the teaching staff as well as on university didactics which enables equal participation for all students considering all their differences. Apart from the self-test, the offer covers various learning modules and an extensive glossary.
RWTH projects for school students
RWTH Aachen University has built up a program for children and students from preschool age to high school: lecture series, experimental days, introductory offers, orientation weeks or diverse information sessions enable school students to get to know the university and its benefits.
Project “A good academic start in engineering”
Since April 2015 RWTH Aachen University and FH Aachen cooperate in the initiative “Semester 0”. According to this initiative, students can enroll at both universities for the summer semester and use it as orientation period. After having gained first impressions in the summer term, they then choose what university and what course of study to enroll in in the upcoming winter term.
Computer Science Mentoring
The project supports first-year students in the introductory phase. Students in higher semesters are the mentors.
Career Center: Careers for international students
Together with the Federal Employment Agency and the Employment Agency Aachen-Düren, the International Office and Career Center are collaborating to offer a special program for international students with the aim to ease their labour market integration: Selected students from RWTH are prepared for the application process through intensive counseling and individual coaching. They are also brought together with German employers.
The offers of the Language Center aim at increasing the international mobility of the students at the RWTH Aachen as well as integrating international scientists and students.
A long-term goal is the creation of an accessible and non-discriminatory university which enables unlimited access, respects differences and similarities and promotes awareness about possible inequalities. In order to guarantee people with disabilities as well as chronically ill people successful studies or a successful professional life, RWTH Aachen University has intensified its work in removing the existing spatial, structural and communicational barriers.
Webpage: Studying with disability or chronical illness
The Officers for the concerns of disabled and chronically ill students offer counseling regarding studying with a disability or a chronical illness.
The RWTH Aachen supports diversity at the workplace with the measure “Place to Be”. The Diversity Fund was created in order to support financially talented doctoral candidates over the course of three years.
SinGes – Competence Center for Sign and Body Language
The Competence Center for Sign and Body Language works on different scientific and practical projects which include the topics accessible education, media and didactics, professional rehabilitation, media competence, sign language, sign language interpreters and body language.
Seminar “Accessible teaching” in ExAcT – Center of Excellence in Academic Teaching
The seminar “Accessible Teaching” focuses on the creation of better university teaching and the individual requirements that students with disabilities have.
RWTH Aachen University strives to enable its students and employees to balance between their work or studies and their family. The wide range of activities and establishments are supposed to fulfill the vision of making the university a family-friendly one.
The Family Services Center is an advising and information office for all members of the university. The focus lies on the development of individual support concepts to help balance between family and career or studies.
Advising Services on the Compatibility of Care and Studies/Work
The Advising Services on the Compatibility of Care and Studies/Work offers information and individual, personal counseling about compatibility of career, studies and care. This is an offer by the Family Services Center.
Audit “family-friendly university” of berufundfamilie gGmbH
The audit “family-friendly university” is a certification process and management tool for creating a family-friendly environment at universities. The aim is to provide conditions for balancing between studies, career and family as well as sustainable strategies in order to create family-friendly policy and shift of organizational culture within the university. The RWTH was awarded with the certificate in 2009 and re-awarded again in 2012 and 2015.
Home Office and Situational Mobile Work
The Service for Flexibility at the Workplace at the RWTH Aachen has been active since October 2014. The aim is to provide better conditions for fulfilling individual life plans.
Welcome Center and Dual Career service at the RWTH Aachen
The Welcome Service supports new professors and their families before and during their stay at the RWTH Aachen.
RWTH Aachen University is bound to opening the studies, teaching and research as part of the internationalization concept . The university aims to attract international students and employers by promoting an environment in which intercultural differences are regarded as beneficial. The orientation of international students and researchers is helped by additional offers and improved support when taking up exchange semesters.
Department 2.0 - International Office
The International Office coordinates the international relations of RWTH, develops programs with international partner universities and advises and supports international students as well as students who want to make exchange semesters.
Portal for internationals on the RWTH website
International students and researchers can access all kinds of information about studies and work at RWTH.
Welcome week/Orientation day for international students
The Welcome week/Orientation days are a special service for all new international students. They help them in their first days in Aachen, at the beginning of their studies and student life at RWTH.
BeBuddy
BeBuddy is a mentoring program which pairs newly enrolled international students with contact partners in order to help them in the beginning of their studies and life in Aachen.
Studying abroad with a child and International family breakfast
The family service of RWTH supports students with children, if they wish to study abroad. It offers a wide range of advising and information services in cooperation with the international office and the University of Wismar. It also offers a family breakfast for the families of RWTH members twice a year. Families can meet up and discuss about balancing family with studies.
Department 1.0 - Academic Affairs and Registrar's Office
Department 4.0 - Research and Career
Department 8.0 - Human Resources
Staff Councils
Sociology with a focus on gender and technology
Gender and Diversity in Engineering
Neuropsychological Gender Studies
Faculty of Medicine - TANDEM Mentoring Programs
Competence Centre for Sign Language and Gesture - SignGes
University Sports Center
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2464
|
__label__wiki
| 0.763832
| 0.763832
|
Help us continue to fight human rights abuses. Please give now to support our work
June 17, 2015 12:00AM EDT
Joint Letter Regarding US-China Dialogue
The Honorable John F. Kerry
2201 C St NW
Via Fax: 2026472283; 2026477350
The Honorable Jacob J. Lew
Via Fax: 2026220073; 2026220073; 2026220417
Re: The 2015 US-China Strategic & Economic Dialogue
Dear Secretary Kerry and Secretary Lew,
We write on the occasion of the June 22-24, 2015 US-China Strategic & Economic Dialogue, to urge that this important bilateral meeting include an unequivocal message about China's deteriorating human rights situation and lay the groundwork for human rights to be a significant component of the visit later this year of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Since President Xi came into power the Chinese government has redoubled efforts to criminalize online speech, silence journalists, and to insist that university lecturers, academic researchers, and Communist Party members adhere to the leadership’s line. Urgent legal reforms have stalled, and the legitimate underlying grievances of ethnic minorities, religious groups, and other vulnerable communities have been exacerbated through repression rather than addressed. Draft legislation on counterterrorism, national security, and the management of foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) reflect Beijing’s growing hostility domestically and internationally towards independent civil society, the freedoms of association and expression, and the rule of law. The worsening human rights environment and the extraordinary damage done to China’s civil society should be given greater prominence in the bilateral relationship.
We share the US government’s assessment that the human rights environment in China is deteriorating. We appreciate US advocacy in pushing back against the draft foreign NGO law and in support of human rights defenders in China, including the five feminists detained this past spring for their planned advocacy around sexual harassment.
We question, however, whether the US is fulfilling its stated “whole of government” approach on human rights. If well-executed, we believe such an approach could be highly effective. Yet we know that multiple Cabinet members have met in the past year with their Chinese counterparts, and there is little evidence to suggest forceful advocacy by those US officials in support of human rights, sending decidedly mixed messages about the importance the US places on this issue. For example, on the same day in April, Secretary Kerry issued a statement calling on Chinese authorities to release the five feminists, while Department of Homeland Security Secretary Johnson, in a speech to China’s elite police academy in Beijing, “saluted” them despite their well-documented role in systemic human rights abuses. Such a lack of consistency makes it easy for Beijing to choose only the messages it likes to hear.
The Strategic and Economic Dialogue presents an opportunity for the US to visibly demonstrate its “whole of government” approach—and use a tone as tough as recent US commentary regarding the South China Seas, cyber, and trade issues—leaving no Chinese official uncertain about the importance of human rights to the US. Given its proximity to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s planned visit in September, this Dialogue also affords particular leverage to press the Chinese government to release unjustly imprisoned individuals, abandon problematic proposed laws, and roll back abusive policies.
To that end, we urge that you:
Explain unambiguously to your Chinese counterparts that a failure to withdraw or to rewrite in compliance with international human rights standards China’s draft laws on counterterrorism, national security, and foreign NGO management presents significant obstacles to bilateral cooperation on issues ranging from economic ties to law enforcement cooperation to cultural exchanges. If adopted, these laws will at a minimum make the activities of US-based civil society groups, foundations, and universities subject to the approval of China’s Ministry of Public Security; establish a counterterrorism structure with enormous discretionary power and a system of total digital surveillance; and entitle parts of China’s security apparatus to operate outside its borders. The US should publicly enumerate all of the bilateral initiatives that cannot be pursued until such laws are dropped or revised.
Publicly call for the release of individuals imprisoned for doing nothing more than peacefully exercising their rights; doing so may bring them a degree of protection in detention and will certainly bring their families a modicum of hope. We are aware that there are—disturbingly—thousands of cases from which to choose; we suggest you prioritize those who represent particular communities targeted for reprisals, including political reform advocate and 2010 Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, prominent Uighur economist Ilham Tohti, Tibetan Buddhist leader Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, veteran journalist Gao Yu, human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang, and house church Pastor Yang Rongli. As China has increasingly asked the US for assistance in returning to China allegedly corrupt officials who have fled to the US, we hope that US officials have on those occasions rejected such cooperation unless and until individuals such as these activists are freed and able exercise their rights peacefully inside China.
Publicly express the US’ concerns about ongoing and multiplying threats to the freedom of expression in China. Preventing journalists—whether Chinese or foreign—from reporting freely from inside China creates genuine threats to people in both countries and around the world. President Xi has identified “purifying cyberspace” as a priority, and the government has stepped up intimidation, harassment, and prosecution of bloggers, strengthened its push for real-name registration, and begun implementing new digital surveillance and censorship policies. We appreciate the US’ forceful advocacy for American journalists’ access to and freedom inside China, and ask that that be matched by equally strong advocacy on behalf of journalists from China.
Demonstrate your commitment to the US’ “Stand With Civil Society” initiative by hosting prominent human rights defenders from China at the White House. We urge that you do this in advance of the Dialogue and again in advance of President Xi’s visit. We also urge that you postpone an official bilateral human rights dialogue—a problematic initiative that is off-limits to Chinese civil society and is used effectively by Beijing to discourage all discussion of human rights in other forums—until after President Xi’s visit.
Report publicly after the Dialogue which human rights issues were raised, and by whom, to build confidence in the “whole of government” approach.
The US seeks a China that can be a responsible partner. That country is one in which basic human rights are protected, peaceful dissent is tolerated, and a legal system that operates according to law rather than political whims is entrenched. We urge that you seize this opportunity—one almost universally denied to people in China—to achieve those goals.
Sophie Richardson
China Director
T. Kumar
International Advocacy Director
Amnesty International USA
Bob Fu
China Aid
Mark Lagon
Sharon Hom
Matteo Mecacci
International Campaign for Tibet
Kelley Currie
Benjamin Ismail
Head of Asia-Pacific Desk
Reporters Sans Frontieres
Alim Seytoff
Uyghur Human Rights Project
Your tax deductible gift can help stop human rights violations and save lives around the world.
China and Tibet
January 17, 2020 Dispatches
India Failing on Kashmiri Human Rights
Bhutan on Brink of Overturning Same-Sex Conduct Ban
“Are We Not Human?”
Denial of Education for Rohingya Refugee Children in Bangladesh
“They’ve Shot Many Like This”
Abusive Night Raids by CIA-Backed Afghan Strike Forces
April 23, 2018 Report
“Only Men Need Apply”
Get updates on human rights issues from around the globe. Join our movement today.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2468
|
__label__cc
| 0.565127
| 0.434873
|
Rear Adm. Andy Tiongson and the family of Charles Parkin read the Purple Heart citation of Charles Parkin, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019 at Coast Guard Station Castle Hill, Newport, Rhode Island. The Coast Guard posthumously presented the family of Charles Parkin the Purple Heart for his sacrifice on Sept. 26, 1918 while serving aboard the USS Tampa. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Nicole J. Groll)
Coast Guard Presents Purple Heart to WWI Coastie’s Family
The First Coast Guard District Commander, Rear Adm. Andy Tiongson, the crew of Station Castle Hill, and the Newport community honored Charles Parkin, Wednesday. Officials presented Parkin’s nieces, Frances and Joan, and his Great-nephew, Tom, with the Purple Heart medal for making the ultimate sacrifice during WWI.
Parkin was 17 when he enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard, and served as a crew member aboard the USS Tampa. One of the six Coast Guard Cutters assigned to the Navy, Tampa was on convoy duty in European theater when the ship was torpedoed by a German submarine and sunk with all hands aboard on Sept. 26, 1918, in Bristol Channel, England.
In 1999, Commandant Admiral James Loy authorized the posthumous awarding of the Purple Heart Medal to the crew of USS Tampa. The Coast Guard continues to identify families who have yet to receive their ancestors’ Purple Heart. Visit the Coast Guard Historian’s Office for more information.
Read more at USCG
Tags: Coast Guardhistorypurple heart
Coast Guard Is Refining FY 2021 Funding Pitch
When talking to the lawmakers who authorize and appropriate Coast Guard funding, the service’s leadership has taken to explaining every…
Coast Guard Wrapping Up Study on Why Minority Members Leave the Service
Coast Guard Adm. Charles Ray said the service's goal over the past year has been to explore which policies can…
Coast Guard Honors Rescue Swimmer for Actions During Tropical Storm Imelda in Houston
During Tropical Storm Imelda, Chandler served as the aviation survival technician aboard an Air Station Houston MH-65 Dolphin helicopter for…
Previous Story Previous post: Coast Guard Returns Majority of New York Waterway Ferries to Service, Increases Frequency of Inspections
Next Story Next post: Coast Guard Begins Icebreaking Operations in Western Great Lakes
Latest from Exclude from Homepage
The secretive world of naval underwater surveys rarely breaks the surface. Now
The Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs awarded grants totaling more than
U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the El Centro Sector stopped a dangerous
When talking to the lawmakers who authorize and appropriate Coast
Coast Guard Adm. Charles Ray said the service's goal over
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2470
|
__label__wiki
| 0.763156
| 0.763156
|
Hyundai Motor Global Headquarters Launches First Full-Service Media Web Site
Hyundai Motor Global Headquarters
Launches First Full-Service Media Web Site
• Site provides news releases, photos, videos from around the world
• Features Hyundai Motor Blog, Twitter feed @hmcglobalpr
• Address: www.hyundaiglobalnews.com
Hyundai Motor Co. global headquarters in Seoul today launched its first full-service media Web site, www.hyundaiglobalnews.com, designed to provide news and information and engage in conversation with the global media covering Hyundai.
The site will distribute Hyundai Motor news from headquarters and Hyundai affiliates around the world, creating a one-stop-shop for media members – and anyone else – interested in Hyundai.
Media members can easily find and email media contacts at headquarters and major subsidiaries around the world. A downloadable video and photo library showcases Hyundai vehicles, which are searchable by model year.
“The new Hyundai Global P.R. media center will be an invaluable tool for media members covering Hyundai,” said Seung-Tack Kim, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Hyundai Motor. “The clean and intuitive design of the media center is easy to use and will help elevate the Hyundai brand to Modern Premium status.”
Features of the site include:
■ News from Hyundai headquarters and the company’s operations all over the world, all in one place. The sign-up function to receive news s is under the headline, “For Media Only” on the left side of the main page.
■ Photos and video of Hyundai cars, facilities and events.
■ Answers to some of Hyundai’s most frequently asked questions, such as, “What is Fluidic Sculpture?” (Check out www.hyundaiglobalnews.com to find the answer.)
■ Email contact information for media relations team members in Hyundai’s biggest markets around the world.
■ An overview of Hyundai’s global operations, handy facts and figures and quick links to our investor relations and corporate social responsibility sites.
■ Up-to-the-minute Hyundai news, available by following the Twitter feed, @hmcglobalpr.
■ The Hyundai Motor Blog, regularly updated by the Global P.R. team and guest bloggers from other Hyundai teams.
“We’re terrifically excited to launch our new media site,” said Frank Ahrens, Director of Hyundai’s Global P.R. team. “I’m most excited about the Hyundai Motor Blog, where I’ll do deep-dive reporting into the innovative and fascinating parts of our business. Strap in; this is going to be a great ride.”
120710_Media_Center_release.docDownload
Media Web Site Hyundai Motor Blog Media center
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2474
|
__label__cc
| 0.69457
| 0.30543
|
Home World How Does Recycling Plastic Bags Help The Environment
How Does Recycling Plastic Bags Help The Environment
aadilbandi
The word recycling has gained impetus as the world seeks to conserve the environment. This seemingly intimidating words only means that you are turning waste into a useful product. The idea is to reduce pollution and the number of resources used in producing everyday items. Recycling plastic bags is aimed at reducing plastic waste from the environment and neighborhood.
By recycling plastics, you will reduce the energy used, pollution in the environment, raw materials used in the production of carrier plastic bags and the amount of waste in the environment, among other resources. This offers incredible benefits to the environment as indicated below.
Saving on Energy
Plastic is manufactured through a lengthy process. The process of manufacturing is also very complex and resource intensive. Raw materials have to be transported from distant places and a complex manufacturing process involved. The process also leads to energy consumption and waste production. This can be avoided when you recycle plastic. The waste already exists in a state that is more advanced than the raw materials. This waste only requires shredding and cleaning, then melting for molding into your desired plastic paper or container. This is a shortcut and requires fewer resources and will, therefore, stop the environment from bleeding.
The trouble with plastic is that it does not regenerate easily. In fact, it is said that the current plastic in the environment will require the next 1000 years to degenerate. This is why a lot of plastic can be seen on roads, neighborhoods and public spaces. When you recycle plastic bags, you remove them from the environment. This leaves people with less waste to deal with and a cleaner environment. By reducing plastics added to the environment, there will be less waste to deal with in future. This also reduces the size of landfills, making neighborhoods and the environment cleaner.
Recycling Plastic or Paper Bags: What's More Efficient
How to survive a toxic work environment?
6 Easy Ways to Make Funerals Better for the Environment
Reduces Oil Consumption
The raw material for the production of plastics is oil. Oil is produced through resource intensive processes. After extraction, the oil must be processed to the materials required to produce polythene. Existing plastics can be recycled into new bags. This means that fresh oil will not be required to produce the new bags. Reduced oil consumption means that the polluting process of extraction will not add greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The existing plastics require less energy to still serve the population.
Encourage Sustainable Use of Resources
The resources used in the manufacture of plastics are not endless. Continued use means that the resources are getting depleted. This also applies to other resources in the world. One of the most beneficial and long-term environmental benefits of recycling is instilling a sense of conservation. People begin to view resources as limited and requiring conservation. This extends to cover oil and the many other materials used in the production of custom plastic bags.
Reducing Landfill
When plastic is not recycled, it ends up in landfills. Unfortunately, it does not decompose. It means that the landfills continue to grow in size. They occupy land that would otherwise have been used for other more productive purposes. It is from the landfill that plastics and other chemicals used during manufacture sip into underground waterways. This affects the quality of water underground and can cause diseases or long-term health complications.
Healthy for Animals and Birds
Plastic is light and will either be carried by the wind or float in water. Animals end up eating the papers while marine life also consumes the plastics unknowingly. This is dangerous to their health and even causes their death. It is said that in the next few decades, there will be more plastic in water than fish. This can be stopped by recycling. When you recycle plastic you reduce the number of plastics in the environment. You also reduce the number of new plastics entering the environment. This means that animals and marine life have fewer chances of coming into contact with plastics. Birds have also been caught up by plastics as they fly, leading to their deaths. Others consume food in plastic and are unable to digest or remove from the body. This causes their death. It can be avoided by recycling.
Recycling has been termed as the best way of reducing plastic waste from the environment now and in future. It is an inexpensive process that offers incredible long-term benefits. Beyond removing the waste from the visible environment, it contributes to a cleaner and safer air alongside healthier environment for man and wildlife.
environmental benefits of recycling
recycle plastic
recycle plastic bags
reducing plastic waste
Previous article3 Warning Signs It’s Time to Replace Your Ladder Rack
Next article6 Uncommon Benefits Of Practicing Yoga Everyday
Aadil Bandi is a professional blogger, He usually writes articles on the topic of jewelry, lifestyle, digital marketing, technology, and business. He is very enthusiastic to learn about Google algorithms and latest digital marketing techniques. Get in touch with him on Twitter.
Vladimir Sloutsker on political views and protection of the Jews
7 Thing to Learn from Rahul Gandhi
How 2014 Lok Sabha elections changed the way of political campaigns in India?
Ahead Of The Curve: 5 Ways to Choose Flattering Swimwear for...
The latest gig for engineers
7 Ways of consuming supplements
Brand Recognition Made Easier by Digital Signage. Find out How?
Intresting Posts
Make Your Travel Luxurious While Staying on Budget
Top 10 Things Freight Brokers Love and Hate
How to choose a health Insurance broker?
LL Bean Dropping Its Unlimited Returns Policy
9 astonishing escape room themes for families
How to Find Reliable movers – 7 things to look for
Which 4 Old-School Marketing Tactics Are Bound to Make a Return in 2019?
5 Useful Yoga Asanas That Will Help You Detox Your Mind
The need to emphasize an Order taking Call Center
Facts to Consider When Choosing a Jeweler for Men’s Wedding Bands
Boosting Search Engine Visibility In 2018
Respite Care – Why Recuperation Doesn’t Stop at the Hospital Door
Solvaderm’s Stemuderm (NEW) – Is it Safe and Effective? Find the...
Hillary Clinton VS Bernie Sanders – Democratic Party Presidential Primaries, 2016
Inside Catholic is your news, tech, business, entertainment, fashion portal and much more. We provide you with the latest information on the categories mentioned above.
Contact us: insidecatholic@freeemail.biz
Can Toll Free Number Calls Be Forwarded Internationally?
London Smog Hits Back
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2475
|
__label__wiki
| 0.959937
| 0.959937
|
All Daily News
Sindiso Magaqa murder suspect in court
News / 13 September 2018, 2:10pm / SIHLE MLAMBO
Former ANC Youth League leader Sindiso Magaqa.
* Story has been updated
Durban - A year since the death of the former ANC Youth League leader Sindiso Magaqa, the Hawks have arrested a suspect in connection with his murder. Magaqa was killed after being shot at while sitting in his car with fellow councillors after attending an ANC branch executive meeting on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast.
At the time of his death, Magaqa was an ANC councillor at the Umzimkhulu Local Municipality. The former youth league secretary-general, along with fellow councillors Jabulile Mzizi and Nonsikelelo Mafa were wounded in a hail of bullets fired at Magaqa's car, in which the three were sitting after attending an ANC branch executive meeting at the Ncambeble Primary School.
Magaqa died from his injuries at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital in Durban.
The Mail and Guardian reported that a suspect had been arrested earlier this week by the Hawks and was set to appear in the Umzimkhulu Magistrates Court on Thursday.
The Hawks in KZN said they could not comment on the arrest as the matter was being handled by the Minsiter’s office, but a spokesperson for the minister could not be reached on her phone.
Natasha Kara, a spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority, confirmed a man had appear in court on Thursday. She said the accused faced one murder count and two counts of attempted murder. He is set to appear in court again next Thursday.
Police Minister Bheki Cele
Minister Bheki Cele is expected to brief the media at the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Police Headquarters on Thursday afternoon.
In September last year, The Mercury reported that a suspect linked to Magaqa’s death was killed in a shootout with police.
The man had been allegedly part of a group of 10 armed robbers involved in a shootout with police on the N2, between Harding and Kokstad on September 1 last year.
* Story has been updated to include comment from the National Prosecuting Authority.
Whistle-blowers warned hitman was after them
Magaqa whistle-blowers are still being threatened
Speaker’s murder not linked to corruption
Witness lashes out as Moerane commission's report is handed to Mchunu
#SindisoMagaqa murder not related to corruption, mayor says
#CrimeStats: Murder and robbery up in KZN
Magaqa murder: ANC whistle-blowers live in fear
ANC not taken seriously in investigation of KZN political deaths
Death threats for speaking out against corruption
Family still in dark on Magaqa's death
Killing points to fight for leadership
Toxicology report still pending in Magaqa murder
OPINION: Why disregard safety of corruption busters?
KZN whistleblowers fear for their lives
Bheki Cele is failing us - Fearful whistleblowers
ANCYL in KZN want to take up weapons
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2479
|
__label__wiki
| 0.972688
| 0.972688
|
AFCON Tables
England opener Sibley the latest to fall ill in South Africa
Proteas / 30 December 2019, 11:40am /
Dominic Sibley had scores of four and 29 in the first test in Centurion. Photo: Ross Setford/Reuters
CAPE TOWN - Opener Dominic Sibley has joined the growing list of England players and staff stuck down by illness in South Africa, the England and Wales Cricket Board said in a media release on Monday.
Sibley had scores of four and 29 in the first test in Centurion, which South Africa won by 107 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the four-match series, but will now be a doubt for the second game starting in Cape Town on Friday.
The Board had better news about seamer Chris Woakes and spinner Jack Leach, who have shown signs of improvement and are out of quarantine at the team hotel.
Captain Joe Root and wicketkeeper Jos Buttler both felt unwell during the first test, while seamers Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer had no match practice in the build-up to the game after being laid low.
Ben Stokes was also treated for dehydration on the opening day in Pretoria, while middle-order batsman Ollie Pope missed the game altogether and was replaced by Jonny Bairstow, and seamer Mark Wood also fell ill.
Batsman Joe Denly was also unwell in the build-up to the first test and is one of 17 players and support staff who have been struck down at some point on the tour but skipper Root has refused to blame the illness for their opening defeat.
"We are not going to hide behind that as an excuse but a lot of our squad have been taken ill over the last two weeks," Root told reporters on Sunday.
"There are certain things you try to control but some that you can’t. We’ve done very well that it did not affect as many it could."
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2480
|
__label__wiki
| 0.979663
| 0.979663
|
Watch Irish fans sing Ole Ole Ole as Conor McGregor showers Donald Cerrone with kindness ahead of UFC 246
The Controversial Dubliner was in fine form in his press conference in Las Vegas ahead of his return to the octagon on Saturday to face 'Cowboy' Cerrone
Robert Hynes
This video shows Irish fans singing Ole Ole while Conor McGregor showered Donald Cerrone with kindness ahead of their fight in Las Vegas this weekend.
Conor McGregor has vowed that any blood spilled between him and Donald Cerrone this weekend "will not be bad blood".
The Notorious makes his UFC return in Las Vegas in the early hours of Sunday morning when he faces 'Cowboy'.
Speaking at a press conference in Las Vegas on Thursday morning he said: "I've had my back and forwards with Donald throughout the years.
Watch Irish fans sing Ole Ole Ole as Conor McGregor showers Donald Cerrone with kindness ahead of UFC 246 (Image: Robert Hynes In Las Vegas)
"The last time we spoke to each other, even saw each other, would have been at that press conference [when they both traded insults back] many years ago. So much has changed since then.
"I was the interim featherweight world champion at the time.
"Donald predicted I wouldn't get through Aldo, I got through Aldo.
Conor McGregor claims he was offered Khabib Nurmagomedov rematch in April
"He predicted I was too small for the 155 pound division, I conquered that division.
"We've had a good back and forward myself and Donald and as time has gone on he's become a family man.
"Obviously you've seen him compete so many times.
"It's hard not to respect Donald right now at this stage.
"He has my respect and although there will be blood spilled on January 18, it will not be bad blood and for the Mystic Mac prediction, it will be a KO."
(Image: Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Conor McGregor vows to become billionaire before he hits 35
The Crumlin brawler has ditched the trash talk for his UFC return bout with Cerrone.
Over the years The Notorious' press conferences have been full of insults and slagging, but not this time around.
McGregor came face-to-face with Cerrone for the first time since the fight was announced yesterday.
Both men were full of praise for each other and shook hands a number of times when they faced off.
Plenty has been made about McGregor's change in approach to this bout, but he says hasn't changed all that much.
Most watched viral video stories
Dublin grandad pranks family at funeral
Irish dad 'leak under sink' prank
Tiger attempts to eat boy at Dublin zoo
Epic Irish dancer on Grafton Street
Speaking at the press conference, he said: "I have not changed too much to be honest.
"I am who I've always been. I don't think I've changed too much throughout it.
"Granted different opponents, different circumstances.
"I'm in a position now where I'm very lucky to be here and I'm very eager to perform for the fans on January 18.
"I've got a solid opponent in front of me, a veteran of the game and I'm just in a good spot. That's it.
"I don't think I've changed or altered.
"I'm just committed and focused and happy to be here mostly like I always have been."
Conor McGregor UFC News: Notorious says birth of his kids saved fighting career
McGregor is looking to put a turbulent 2019 behind him, which saw him fined €1,000 for hitting a man in a Dublin pub and he was also handed a fight ban from the Nevada State Commission for his part in the post-fight brawl that marred his bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov.
And the Dubliner says he has turned a new leaf ahead of his Octagon return.
"I'm certainly more grown and more experienced.
"I've been through certain things that have helped shape me as a man like us all on this journey of life.
"But if you were to ask my family and my people that know me, I am no different."
He added: "Sometimes we need to go to certain places in our life to realise what we need to do I certainly have turned over a new leaf.
"I feel I'm still the same young man but I definitely feel reenergized and refreshed."
Conor McGregor shares snaps of ripped physique ahead of Cerrone fight
Vegas feels quiet compared to other fights involving McGregor and there doesn't seem to be as big an Irish contingent in the city as in previous years.
Press conferences with McGregor in America are usually a sea of green with Irish songs being belted out, but one man's effort to get Ole, Ole, Ole going fell flat on its face during Thursday's press conference.
McGregor was supported by a number of his coaches and teammates at the event, with John Kavanagh, Owen Roddy, Phil Sutcliffe and Dillon Danis all in attendance.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2483
|
__label__wiki
| 0.995206
| 0.995206
|
Ryanair dismissed four cabin crew for refusing to fly, court hears
Matter arose during action to stop outgoing executive from joining rival in January
Fri, Dec 6, 2019, 13:53 Updated: Fri, Dec 6, 2019, 20:42
Barry O'Halloran, Aodhan O'Faolain
Ryanair is asking the court to stop its outgoing chief operations officer, Peter Bellew, from joining rival EasyJet in January.
Ryanair dismissed four cabin crew last year for refusing to fly, one of the airline group’s executives confirmed in the High Court on Friday.
The airline wants the High Court to stop outgoing chief operations officer Peter Bellew from joining rival EasyJet in January, saying he had agreed not to join any competitor for a year after leaving the company.
Mr Bellew maintains the agreement is null and void, denies any breach of contract and pledges to honour all confidentiality obligations to Ryanair.
Eddie Wilson, chief executive of Ryanair Designated Activity Company, the airline group’s main subsidiary, confirmed that it dismissed four cabin crew for refusing to fly from Cologne in Germany to Palma in Spain, where they were based.
Mr Wilson pointed out that only commanders – flight captains – have discretion not to fly. He stressed that the crew did not refuse on this basis.
He told the court that they contacted the airline’s flight operations to complain that there was not enough food or water on the flight.
Mr Wilson maintained that the complaints were found to be baseless and that the crew raised the issue of fatigue with regulators “post the events”.
The flight subsequently took off with another cabin crew, but the same pilots. Mr Wilson said that Ryanair carried out an internal investigation and then invited the crew to a disciplinary hearing, after which the four were dismissed.
Tom Mallon, Mr Bellew’s barrister, pointed out that the crew had complained to the European air travel safety regulator, and the issue came before the Irish Aviation Authority, which held a hearing into the incident, where his client represented the airline.
However, Martin Hayden, Ryanair’s senior counsel, argued that issues raised at such hearings cannot be aired in public. Mr Justice Senan Allen indicated that the sides could deal with the issue when the case continues on Tuesday morning.
European Union Aviation Safety Agency rules allow commanders the discretion not to fly in unforeseen circumstances, including adverse weather and air traffic delays, where the crew may be fatigued.
Earlier yesterday, Mr Wilson said that Mr Bellew had confidential information on Ryanair that was extremely valuable to rivals.
He argued that Mr Bellew would know how Ryanair kept its cost per passenger €14 below that of EasyJet.
“At 100 million passengers, that’s €1.4 billion in costs,” Mr Wilson said. “People would kill to get that information.”
Ryanair’s chief commercial officer, David O’Brien, pointed out that the key difference between the two airlines was cost, which allowed the Irish player to offer lower fares than EasyJet.
Mr O’Brien calculated that EasyJet would compete for 24 per cent of Ryanair’s business this winter.
Mr Bellew’s lawyers argued that as the chief operations officer had not attended management meetings since confirming his move last July, he had no access to confidential information relevant to Ryanair’s competitors.
Meanwhile, a restriction barring media from reporting Ryanair’s internal profit target for its current financial year, which ends on March 31st, remains in place until Tuesday at least.
Mr Justice Allen restricted the press from reporting the figure on Thursday. Mr O’Leary and Mr Hayden argued that publishing it would breach stock exchange rules.
Following representation from The Irish Times and Irish Independent publisher Independent News and Media, Mr Justice Allen agreed to hear submissions on the question on Tuesday.
Martin Hayden
Michael O Leary
Pat O Brien
Peter Bellew
Independent News
Start exploring the liquid gem that is the Fermanagh Lakelands
2 Dublin housebuilder records €11m gain after striking deal with bankers
6 The Irish economy is thriving but if you’re not feeling it – here’s why
8 Slack lease the lure as ESB seeks €168m for Fitzwilliam 28
10 Festive season boosts footfall at Arnotts and Brown Thomas
Keep up with the latest business news and commentary from our expert business team, Monday to Friday
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2484
|
__label__cc
| 0.667952
| 0.332048
|
Seamus Lahart
Most secondary schools to close for day in pre-election strike
Martin Wall
Carl O'Brien
Jennifer Bray
Hundreds of secondary schools as well as further education centres and institutes of technology are set to shut on Tuesday, February 4th, when thousan(...)
Thousands of teachers set to go on strike on February 4th
Up to 1,100 second-level schools, institutes of technology, technological universities and centres of further education may have to close on February (...)
Teachers who are members of TUI to stage one-day strike in February
Teachers are to stage a one-day strike in February in a significant escalation of the long-running campaign to end the two-tier pay system in schools.(...)
TUI overwhelmingly votes to back industrial action over two-tier pay
October 10, 2019, 20:40
Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) members have voted overwhelmingly to renew their mandate for industrial action over two-tier pay rates. The ballot w(...)
Junior Cert results out Friday show high failure rate in higher level history
October 4, 2019, 06:00
One in ten Junior Cert students who sat the higher level history exam this year did not pass it, one of the highest fail rates for any subject. While(...)
Teachers’ union to ballot for industrial action over two-tier pay
A teachers’ union is to ballot members next month to renew its mandate for industrial action as tensions rise over controversial two-tier pay scales .(...)
Leaving and Junior Cert exams begin amid spike in student anxiety levels
June 5, 2019, 02:38
The State examinations begin today for some 124,000 pupils with a range of new measures aimed at reducing stress and anxiety levels. Youth mental hea(...)
CAO points race is distorting the true meaning of education
With this year’s State examinations almost upon us, and a review of the senior cycle underway, it is perhaps timely to consider how that review should(...)
No Leaving Cert reforms without teacher input, union warns
The Government must enter into real negotiations with teachers on proposed Senior Cycle reforms, or else risk them failing, the Teachers Union of Irel(...)
Nearly all secondary schools struggling to fill teacher vacancies
Half of secondary schools are struggling with unfilled teaching vacancies in key subjects such as Irish, maths and science, according to a new survey.(...)
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2485
|
__label__cc
| 0.650052
| 0.349948
|
California officials focus on forest management after fires
California fire officials want to dramatically increase the removal of dead trees and other forest management practices to reduce fuel for wildfires and are calling on the National Guard to help with the effort.Cal Fire released a list Tuesday of 35 priority fuel reduction projects across the state over roughly 90,000 acres.CalFire Deputy Chief Scott McLean said that's double the acreage the agency aimed to cover in the current fiscal year.The agency is also seeking National Guard assistance to coordinate the work. McLean said it was the first time he could recall turning to the National Guard for help with clearing trees and vegetation.Republican President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized California's Democratic officials for not doing a good enough job managing its forests.“California is increasingly at risk of wildfire, and certain populations are particularly vulnerable given the location of their communities and socioeconomic factors such as age and lack of mobility. The tragic loss of lives and property in the town of Paradise during last year’s Camp Fire makes that clear,” Cal Fire Director Thom Porter said. “California needs an all-of-theabove approach to protect public safety and improve the health of our forest ecosystems.”
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) —
California fire officials want to dramatically increase the removal of dead trees and other forest management practices to reduce fuel for wildfires and are calling on the National Guard to help with the effort.
Cal Fire released a list Tuesday of 35 priority fuel reduction projects across the state over roughly 90,000 acres.
CalFire Deputy Chief Scott McLean said that's double the acreage the agency aimed to cover in the current fiscal year.
The agency is also seeking National Guard assistance to coordinate the work. McLean said it was the first time he could recall turning to the National Guard for help with clearing trees and vegetation.
Republican President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized California's Democratic officials for not doing a good enough job managing its forests.
“California is increasingly at risk of wildfire, and certain populations are particularly vulnerable given the location of their communities and socioeconomic factors such as age and lack of mobility. The tragic loss of lives and property in the town of Paradise during last year’s Camp Fire makes that clear,” Cal Fire Director Thom Porter said. “California needs an all-of-theabove approach to protect public safety and improve the health of our forest ecosystems.”
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2493
|
__label__wiki
| 0.660668
| 0.660668
|
Content on webstage.keele.ac.uk and cms.keele.ac.uk is for internal preview only. For official, approved content, visit www.keele.ac.uk
'); }; // .webstage .cms.keele if (window.location.hostname == "www.keele.ac.uk" ) { $('html').addClass('liveKeele'); }; // .keele.ac.uk if (window.location.hostname == "webstage.keele.ac.uk" || window.location.hostname == "cms.keele.ac.uk" || window.location.hostname == "search.keele.ac.uk") { // start banner toggle styles $('.banner_instance, #footer').on('click', function(e) { e.preventDefault(); /* Act on the event */ $('html').toggleClass('stagedev'); }); // banner instance toggle styles };// .webstage .cms .search // if (window.location.hostname == "webstage.keele.ac.uk" || window.location.hostname == "cms.keele.ac.uk" ) { // // append justice speed scripts // $('body').append(''); // // amd run justice // Justice.init(); // };// end webstage only if funciton //// // start .liveKeele class to keep old School styles alive // end .liveKeele class to keep old School styles alive //// }); //document ready
2016 - Keele University
/ Press Releases /
How many people work for the EU?
The number of EU civil servants – often derogatorily labelled “Eurocrats” – based in Brussels has become an important aspect of the EU referendum debate.
Identifying the number of people who work for the EU is more complex than it might initially seem. The EU is not a single organisation: it is comprised of a web of institutions, bodies and agencies, each of which has its own staff.
While Brussels has a popular reputation as the unofficial capital of the EU, not all EU staff are actually based in Brussels. The Court of Justice is based in Luxembourg, as is the European Parliament’s secretariat and some commission staff. The commission also has offices in each of the member states and a number of delegations outside of the EU. Many of the EU’s agencies are scattered throughout the EU – for example, the European Medicines Agency is based in London.
The graph below highlights the numbers employed during 2015, broken down by the EU’s “main” institutions. Overall, there were 46,356 people employed across all EU institutions, agencies and bodies.
Source: Eu 2016 general budget
At first glance, these figures might seem quite high, particularly if we look at the commission. But for an administrative staff covering institutions serving over 500m people it’s a shoestring operation, especially when we compare it to civil services operating at the national, or even local levels. Compare this, for example, to the 33,477 people employed by Birmingham City Council, covering a population of 1.1m in 2015-16.
Wider EU roles
There are some caveats to these numbers: identifying the numbers working directly for the EU institutions is only part of the story. Consider each of the 28 national permanent representations, for example. These play an important role in the day-to-day business of EU politics, representing member state governments in EU negotiations. While they are based in Brussels, their staff are usually drawn from government departments and civil services at the national levels. They are employed by national administrations and not the EU.
We might also consider the role of organised interests who lobby the development of EU policy and are sometimes actively consulted and brought into the policy process. The EU’s transparency register currently lists 9,228 individuals and organisations representing private businesses, non-governmental organisations and local and regional governments. Again these people are not directly employed by the EU, but play an important part in its daily operation.
We need to be aware that focusing only on the number of staff employed by the EU doesn’t necessarily tell us about how many work with the EU and its institutions – particularly as the relatively low level of staffing has some implications for how the EU operates. For example, in the absence of its own in-house staff to develop technical legislative proposals, the commission is pushed towards accessing policy expertise from organised interests. While this provides opportunities for a range of non-governmental and civil society bodies to get involved in the development of EU policy, it has led some, such as the Corporate European Observatory, to raise questions about the influence of these interests and their legitimacy.
Low numbers of British staff
It’s clear that EU staffing levels matter for national governments. In a speech soon after his appointment as foreign secretary in 2010, William Hague lamented that while the UK accounts for 12% of the total EU population, only 1.2% of the European Commission’s staff are British.
A 2013 report by the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee noted that UK nationals working for the EU institutions is one source of British influence in the EU. Worryingly for the UK government, the number of British EU staff appears to be on a downward trend. The latest figures from the European Commission show only 3.8% of its staff are British, compared to 17.8% from Belgium, 12.5% from Italy, 10.2% from France and even 4.3% from Romania.
The Foreign Affairs Select Committee report sheds some light on reasons for the low representation of British EU staff. Prospective EU staff have to undertake a competitive exam, known as the concours. Although the government has worked to prepare prospective candidates, UK entrants to the concours remain relatively low.
It goes without saying that foreign language skills are a necessity for any EU employee. Yet the report showed that only 27% of UK secondary school students were studying French and German, compared to 93% of students in the rest of the EU learning English. Only 6% of British upper secondary students were learning two or more languages, compared to 60% across the EU. Awareness of EU job opportunities among university graduates is also low.
Those UK citizens who are employed at EU institutions, such as those at the European Central Bank, are faced with uncertainty over what will happen to their jobs in the event of a vote for Brexit.
By Christopher Huggins
Teaching Fellow in European Politics, Keele University
School of Politics, Philosophy, International Relations and Environment
Student Keele Learning Environment (KLE)
Staff Keele Learning Environment (KLE)
Other Policies and Legal Information
General Conditions of Purchase
Study at Keele
Postgraduate Taught Study
Open Days and Offer Holder Days
Schools and Colleges Outreach
Sport:Keele
Students' Union and Postgraduate Association
Support Keele University
Sustainability at Keele
Staffordshire, UK
888 (on campus security)
Campus Map: Campus map
Find Us: Find us
Fairtrade Athena Swan
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2496
|
__label__wiki
| 0.965258
| 0.965258
|
Ben Clare United Methodists Church
Britton Lutheran Parish
Lake Gospel Church
Moe Parish Lutheran, Hudson, SD
Pleasant Valley Lutheran Church
USF Football rolls up 564 yards in total offense and rolls past SMSU, 51-7
by: Sean Bower
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (USF) – The University of Sioux Falls Football Team (2-1, 2-1 NSIC) dominated the game on both offense and defense while improving to 2-1 overall and moved into a tie for second in the NSIC South with a 51-7 victory over Southwest Minnesota State (0-3, 0-3 NSIC) at Mattke Field on Saturday (Sept. 21).
USF, which outgained SMSU, 564-to-160 in total yards and had a 358-to-6 edge in rushing yards, controlled the game from the opening whistle.
“I was exceptionally pleased with this team focus and effort,” said USF Head Coach Jon Anderson, who is now 18-8 at USF (18-7 in NSIC games). “We have great leadership from our seniors who showed the way. Plus, we have younger guys when given the opportunity do not disappoint and indeed step up,” added Anderson, whose team will host city rival Augustana in the “Key to the City” game on Thursday, Sept. 26 at Bob Young Field.
If “the next man up” phrase is employed with Anderson’s charges, then they have taken it to the next level. The Cougars were playing without All Americans Gabriel Watson and Hakeem Johnson, and starting defensive tackle David Varges but their replacements stepped up.
Offensively, USF registered its most yards in total offense since rolling up 616 in a win against Upper Iowa last Nov. 2. With Watson out with injury, redshirt sophomore Thuro Reisdorfer and redshirt freshman Ja’Tai Jenkins rushed for over 100 yards for the first time in their careers. And, USF accumulated 358 rushing yards which is the most in a home or road game since the Cougars generated 404 against MSU Moorhead in a 55-21 win last Oct. 20. USF’s 51 points today was also the highest total since that MSUM win. Plus USF, which averaged eight yards per carry (45-358) scored seven rushing touchdowns for the first time since 2009 when the Cougars defeated Concordia (Neb.), 80-0. Also, the last time USF had two backs over 100 yards was Minot State on Sept. 29, 2018 when Gabriel Watson (15-205) and Colton Myles (19-131) surpassed the century mark.
For the third straight game Reisdorfer’s rushing yard total increased as he again reached career-high marks in yards with 113 (13 carries) and rushing touchdowns with four. And, he set a career-best with a 50-yard TD run. But he was just one half of a duo to crash the 100-yard rushing mark. Jenkins had 10 carries for 102 yards and a 51-yard TD, which was a career-best and the first of his young career. He averaged 10.2 yards per carry and Reisdorder was at 8.7. In addition, senior Winston Maxwell had a career-high 17 carries for a career-best 76 yards while Caden Walters had two carries for 56 yards with a career-long TD run of 29 yards. Backup quarterback Mitchell Martin added a 14-yard TD run which the first of his career.
Walters was efficient in throwing the ball as he completed 8-of-11 passes for 166 yards with a career-long 91-yard strike to Karnell Collier, who had just that one reception but has gone over 90 yards in back-to-back games. Jermaine Broadnax led the receivers with three catches for 29 yards while Nate Johnson had two receptions for 45 yards and both Austin Vickers and Clint Sigg hauled in two receptions.
While coordinator Jim Chapin’s offense was humming along, the USF defense, directed by Nick Benedetto had a second straight shutdown performance. In the past two games, they have allowed just two touchdowns and 388 total yards on 124 plays or 3.12 yards per play. Today against SMSU, the Mustangs had a 160 yards on 67 plays or 2.4 yards per play. As for rushing totals, USF completely stymied the SMSU attack as they limited the Mustangs to six yards on 36 attempts or .2 yards per carry. In addition, the defense had a season-best five sacks, registered three interceptions for a second straight week and registered a team-high 12 tackles for loss.
Senior linebacker Brody Grantham was tied with fellow senior captain Tucker Stout with nine tackles. Grantham also had his second career interception and had a team-best 2.5 tackles for loss. Stout had a TFL and four solo stops. Senior safety Ryan Nieman added eight tackles, TFL and picked off the fifth pass of his career. For the second straight week, he electrified the USF faithful with a long return as he came up just short of scoring a TD after a 41-yard return in the first half.
Game Breakdown —
On the opening drive, Walters had a 28-yard run and USF moved to the 26-yard line before junior placekicker Daniel Esparza gave USF a 3-0 lead after connecting on his fourth straight field goal of the season. Kicking against the wind, Esparza’s field goal provided USF with a 3-0 lead with 11:37 to play in the first quarter. Esparza, who was 6-of-6 on PATs, has made all four of his field goals this season.
After USF’s defense shut down the SMSU offense, the Cougars fumbled on the ensuing punt return but things turned out for USF when SMSU snapped two straight snaps over the head of quarterback Paul Herrera which cost them 34 yards and resulted in a punt. But Adien Belt’s punt pinned USF at their own 10-yard line.
It didn’t sway matters for USF’s offense which responded and quickly. After two Reisdorfer’s runs netted 12 total yards, Walter’s connected with a 91-yard pass to Karnell Collier, who had his career-long catch and just came up short of the end zone. One play later Reisdorfer took the ball in from the one-yard line for a 10-0 lead after Esparza’s PAT at the 8:23 mark.
SMSU moved the ball to the USF’s 34-yard line on the ensuing possession but Herrera had a pass intercepted by senior quarterback Parker Gregston whose acrobatic catch on his knees gave USF possession at the 28-yard line. USF didn’t move the ball but the defense came up big on the SMSU possession as Nieman picked off Herrera’s pass at the SMSU 45 and nearly scored, weaving and juking through a wave of tacklers before being brought down at the SMSU four-yard line . One play later Reisdorfer took the ball the final four yards for his second TD and with Esparza’s kick gave USF a 17-0 lead.
USF’s defense came up big again when Grantham picked off Herrera at the SMSU 42-yard line. After Walters hit Jermaine Broadnax with a 17-yard pass and Nate Johnson drew a pass interference penalty inside the five-yard line, Reisdorfer found pay-dirt again on a two-yard run for a 24-0 lead.
The Mustangs were able to get on the scoreboard late in the first half when Herrera connected with Daniel Davis, who had eight receptions for 94 yards, with a 44-yard pass play on a 4th and 15. Trey Sachs scored on a two-yard run with 2:40 left in the half.
USF stymied any SMSU momentum when they forced a three-and-out to start the second half. Then USF’s offense unleashed the talents of their two young running backs. First, after Reisdorfer was breaking in the open and dropped the football, Nate Johnson’s came up with the recovery. Two plays later, Reisdorfer had his career-long 50-yard TD run for a 31-7 edge. On the drive Reisdorfer had 64 yard rushing on three carries.
After another defensive stop which included a sack by Harvey (Michael) Enalls, USF moved the lead to 38-7 (5:16, 3rd quarter) when Walters had his career-long TD rush of 29 yards. Jenkins had two carries for 22 yards and Walters completed a 43-yard pass to Johnson as USF moved the ball 92 yards in seven players while using 3:38 off the clock.
Early in the fourth quarter, the lead by USF grew to 45-7 (13:49, 4th quarter) when Jenkins had his 51-yard scoring run – a career-best — at the 13:49 mark. With the TD Jenkins surpassed 100 yards rushing for the first time in his career and did so with his first-ever rushing TD at the collegiate level.
After replacing the starters, USF continued its offensive production with its second unit. Quarterback Mitchell Martin scored his first career rushing TD from 14 yards out with 6:34 left to play to close out the scoring and give USF their nine straight victory in the series.
KELOLAND SportsZone – January 17th
by Travis Fossing / Jan 17, 2020
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) -- Click the video player to view Friday's KELOLAND SportsZone with four college basketball games, Stampede hockey, and SDSU wrestling.
PowerHouse Plays – January 17th
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) -- Click the video player to view Friday's edition of PowerHouse Plays.
Iowa State outlasts SDSU 22-17
by South Dakota State University / Jan 17, 2020
BROOKINGS, S.D. - South Dakota State took 16th-ranked Iowa State down to the wire, but came up on the short end of a 22-17 decision in a Big 12 Conference wrestling dual Friday night at Frost Arena.
In having their five-match winning streak snapped, the Jackrabbits dropped to 6-4 overall and 3-1 against Big 12 opponents. Iowa State improved to 5-3 overall and 2-0 in conference duals.
Weather / 1 hour ago
A Twitter List by keloland
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2497
|
__label__wiki
| 0.884282
| 0.884282
|
Paddock Wood plan for 34 flats would see destruction of traditional high street shops
'This development would rip the heart out of the town and destroy one of the houses which is part of our Victorian heritage' said Meryl Flashman, the chairman of Paddock Wood Town Council
Commercial Road in Paddock Wood where Churchill Retirement Homes wants to build 34 flats and 23 parking spaces (Image: Lewis Durham)
Plans to knock down traditional high street shops in Paddock Wood for 34 flats would "rip the heart of the town" warned community figures.
Churchill Retirement Living wants to build the controversial scheme in Commercial Road and would demolish the Honeymoon Garden, Roots hair salon, Saffron take-away, George's Cafe and the empty flower shop.
Grass-roots politicians for Paddock Wood said retirement flats were needed but said these were in the wrong place. They said they would harm Paddock Wood's Victorian heritage - one of the shops used to be a beautiful old bakery - and threaten a far-reaching "vision" to enliven and expand the town centre.
Sarah Hamilton, borough councillor for Paddock Wood, who leads the heritage group on the Neighbourhood Plan, said shopkeepers had been left with "stress and uncertainty".
Sarah Hamilton represents Paddock Wood on Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (Image: TWBC)
She told us: "The residential aspect is needed as acknowledged by local people, however it is regrettable that traditional shop fronts and buildings that have been a part of the street scene of the town for so long would be destroyed.
"Plans exist for the town involving a more holistic approach and it is a pity the developers have not engaged with those plans or had any apparent regard for them.
"The loss of retail units is not acceptable in this fragile town centre. Existing retailers have been faced with stress and uncertainty," she said.
A view of how Commercial Road in Paddock Wood would look with the 34 flats from Churchill Living Retirement (Image: Churchill Retirement Living)
A decision on the plan is expected from Tunbridge Wells Borough Council next month and Churchill said it would take around 12 to 18 months to build the scheme. Churchill said it had exchanged contracts on the site, subject to planning approval.
Azizul Miah, owner of Saffron take-away, said with more than 1,000 new homes planned for Paddock Wood, more shops were needed in the high street and not retirement flats.
He told us: "I went to school here, I know the local community and have had this business since 2002 and I would not like to lose this and there are no other units for me to move to. They are building all these new homes and yet they are taking four or five shops away. It is going to kill the town and no-one wants to see that. We want to see more commercial units, a thriving town."
Commercial Road in Paddock Wood where Churchill Retirement Living wants to build 34 flats (Image: Churchill Retirement Living)
Churchill director Andrew Burgess said: "As well as meeting the need for high-quality retirement apartments, the development will bring benefits to the local economy."
Adding weight to the objections is Meryl Flashman, the chairman of Paddock Wood Town Council and the Neighbourhood Plan steering group.
She told Kent Live there was "no doubt" retirement flats were needed in the town and that people wanted to downsize within Paddock Wood but were moving to places such as Tonbridge to find suitable accommodation.
But the 34 flats from Churchill were "in totally the wrong place" she said.
Meryl Flashman is chairman of Paddock Wood Town Council (Image: TWBC)
"Paddock Wood is a growing town and as such needs more shops and eateries not less. This development would rip the heart out of the town and destroy one of the houses which is part of our Victorian heritage. Many of these attractive buildings in the town centre have already been destroyed as part of earlier developments.
"The Tunbridge Wells Local Plan and the draft Neighbourhood Plan say that this land should be used for a mixed development of housing and shops, with shops and eateries on the ground floor and housing above."
Heritage Paddock Wood's photograph of bakers A H Wood in Commercial Road whose building would be bulldozed to make way for 34 flats from Churchill Retirement Living (Image: Heritage Paddock Wood Facebook)
Paddock Wood is growing considerably, with around 300 homes at Mascalls Farm and also at Church Farm and 375 homes for Mascalls Court Farm awaiting decision by planners.
Mrs Flashman said there was a vision for the entire area of "under-utilised" land to the south of Station Road and west of Commercial Road to be developed as one site. She said this gave an "ideal opportunity" to expand the town centre.
"This will be vital if the range of shops and services is to keep pace with the expected growth in the number of residents. The vision includes a town centre square which can be used for markets, events and local festivals.
Heritage Paddock Wood's photograph showing Commercial Road with its traditional shopfronts. (Image: Heritage Paddock Wood)
"The Churchill development of only part of this land will totally undermine this vision and result in piecemeal development. Sadly, Churchill Homes did not respond to the Neighbourhood Plan’s request to meet with them to discuss their plans for the centre of Paddock Wood," said Mrs Flashman.
Churchill said its scheme would "bring benefits to the local economy"
Andrew Burgess, land and planning director, said: "There is a compelling overall housing need in Paddock Wood, especially for older people. Our proposed development will go some way to increasing access to this type of housing for local residents. By meeting this rising demand, we can allow older people to downsize and free up under occupied houses in the local area for families.
"The site is excellently located on previously developed land within easy walking distance of the town centre. As well as meeting the need for high-quality retirement apartments, the development will bring benefits to the local economy. Owners will be within easy walking distance of shops, restaurants and other amenities in the town, helping to boost local businesses.”
Churchill would not comment on when the businesses would have to quit their units.
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2498
|
__label__wiki
| 0.882457
| 0.882457
|
InterReligious Task Force on Central America
About the Martyrs
Anti-Militarism
Environmental Human Rights
Exploited Labor
Afro-Descendant & Indigenous
Rapid Response Network
Join the RRN
Fair Trade Youth Grant
Start Organizing
Sign-up for our e-mail list
Home » News » Detentions of Child Migrants at the U.S. Border Has Surged to Record Levels
Detentions of Child Migrants at the U.S. Border Has Surged to Record Levels
Detentions have surged as the Trump administration’s aggressive policy toward migrants has collided with an exodus of children fleeing Central America.
By Paulina Villegas
Published Oct. 29, 2019Updated Oct. 30, 2019, 11:40 a.m. ET
TENOSIQUE, Mexico — The United States has detained more children trying to cross the nation’s southwest border on their own over the last year than during any other period on record, surpassing the surge of unaccompanied minors that set off a crisis during the Obama administration, according to new figures released Tuesday.
American immigration authorities apprehended 76,020 minors, most of them from Central America, traveling without their parents in the fiscal year that ended in September — 52 percent more than during the last fiscal year, according to United States Customs and Border Protection.
Mexico is experiencing the same surge. Under pressure from the Trump administration, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador stepped up immigration enforcement and detained about 40,500 underage migrants traveling north without their parents in the same period — pushing the total number of these children taken into custody in the region to more than 115,000.
In interviews, nearly two dozen children who were heading toward the United States said they knew the trip was dangerous — and that if they were caught they could end up in overcrowded, dirty facilities on both sides of the border, without adequate food, water or health care. But they took their chances anyway, looking to escape dead-end poverty, violence and a lack of opportunities to study or work, despite President Trump’s aggressive efforts to block immigration through the southwest border.
“These are numbers that no immigration system in the world can handle, not even in this country,” Mark Morgan, the acting commissioner of United States Customs and Border Protection, told reporters. “And each month during the fiscal year, the numbers increased. You saw them. We all saw them.”
The young migrants came alongside a historic wave of families traveling together, also largely from Central America. They travel by foot, hitch rides or climb onto trains, carrying only what they can fit in tattered backpacks, and face a staggering array of threats, from thieves and rapists to hunger, loneliness and death.
Marvel, a 16-year-old Honduran boy, said he had been on the road for weeks when, somewhere in Guatemala, he came upon a cluster of roadside graves: the final resting place of other migrants who had died on their journey north. He was alone and far from home. Fear crawled up his spine. But he thought of the gang threats he faced — and he pressed on.
“Quitting was not an option,” Marvel said, giving only his first name for fear of gang retribution. “You wipe your tears and carry on.”
For the young migrants, the risks at home outweigh the potential dangers of the road. Most are teenage boys, though girls and children also attempt the trip. For Marvel, the decision to leave came when a gang in his hometown, Olancho, told him that if he didn’t join their ranks, they’d kill him and his family. There was no doubt they were serious, Marvel said. Gang members had already murdered his older brother.
His parents encouraged him to leave, Marvel said. “We can’t bear losing another son,” they told him. “You have to go.”
He left home in the spring, with $40 dollars in his pocket and no plan except to find work in a safer place.
As for most underage migrants traveling without their parents, his trip north has been a feat of improvisation and courage. He walked and hitchhiked through Honduras and Guatemala. He slept in churches, under trees or wherever he found himself when night fell.
Along the way, he gathered crucial bits of information from fellow migrants: the best route to take, locations of shelters up ahead, places to avoid, where to forage for food.
As huge numbers of young migrants from Central America began arriving at the United States’ southern border in 2014, the Obama administration scrambled to house them until they could be released to sponsors — adults who applied to care for them. The shelter system grew dramatically as a result.
The Trump administration experienced similar backups at the border just a few years later — this time because of new, more stringent policies that made the sponsors themselves, who are often undocumented, vulnerable to immigration authorities. This discouraged people from coming forward, leaving thousands of children to languish in the system.
The Trump administration has also sought to deter migration by separating thousands of children from their relatives, again driving up the number of children in federally contracted shelters.
On the road, while trying to avoid detention, fear and hunger are constant companions for many young migrants.
With little or no money in their pockets, they relied on strangers for snacks or meals. They pawed through garbage and scanned drifts of debris on the roadside, hoping to spot an edible morsel.
Wilson, a 17-year-old Honduran, said he had feasted on rotten mangos discarded by street vendors.
“I used to drink water from potholes when I was too thirsty,” interjected Mario Leonel, 16, who left home in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, several weeks ago without notifying his parents. “That is the hardest part of it all: the hunger.”
When he arrived at the shelter in Tenosique, a small Mexican town near the Guatemala border, he called his parents in Honduras, who burst into tears and pleaded for him to return. He said no. He was tired of all the violence in his country, and wanted to get asylum in the United States.
After Marvel slipped across the Guatemala-Mexico border in May, he found room at a shelter in Tenosique, which serves as a transit point for many migrants. He quickly made new friends among other teenage migrants who had made it this far, mainly from Honduras, but also from Guatemala and El Salvador.
On a recent afternoon, several of them gathered in a two-story building that had been reserved for minors, its walls painted with colorful animal murals. The boys cracked jokes, roughhoused and argued about who was the cutest girl in the shelter.
Outside, Dulce, a 16-year-old transgender migrant from Guatemala, sat alone on train tracks pining for a boy she had met at the shelter. He had left without explanation and she was lovesick.
“I just can’t get him out of my mind,” she said.
She left her hometown four months earlier to escape abuse from her family and strangers, including a sexual assault by gang members when she was 12. She made it as far as central Mexico before being detained and deported. Five days after returning home, she set off again.
“I left because I had nothing there and no one to protect me,” she said. “At least here I am safe.”
Though the United States remains the destination of choice for most unaccompanied minors, an increasing number are setting their sights no farther than Mexico, advocates and migrants say.
Sometimes they have no choice: Mexico’s increased enforcement measures have made it more difficult for migrants to make it to the border with the United States. And even if they reach the United States, recent policies have drastically lowered the possibilities of getting asylum.
In Mexico, when unaccompanied minors are detained, the law mandates that they be released right away into the custody of the national child protection agency, which finds them accommodation in shelters designed for children.
But migrants’ advocates say the government has been holding children in the nation’s overcrowded detention centers for far too long, and that some children are quickly funneled into the deportation process rather than being given a fair chance to seek asylum or some other form of relief.
“No child should ever be held at a detention center,” said Elba Coria, a migration expert from the Clinic for Refugees at the Ibero-American University in Mexico City. “But while international standards consider children’s detention as an exceptional measure, amid Mexico’s migration chaos, it is the rule.”
Neither Marvel nor any of his new friends in the Tenosique shelter had been detained by the authorities. All had managed to cross into Mexico from Guatemala and had applied for asylum in Mexico after talking through their options with the shelter staff.
They now plan to remain in Mexico and look for work and study opportunities — even if they haven’t abandoned hope of making it to the United States.
“It is every Honduran’s boy dream to get to the United States, where there is more money and kids are able to go to school,” said José Angel, 17. He was born with a disability that left him unable to use his arms and left his hometown because his grandmother could no longer take care of him.
He was hopeful he could apply for asylum in the United States despite Mr. Trump’s many efforts to severely lower the number of people granted asylum. “It is scary, but you have to take a chance,” he said.
On a recent morning, Alan, a 17-year-old Guatemalan migrant, sat on the sidewalk outside a migrant shelter in the city of Palenque, in southern Mexico. He had just crossed the border and was exhausted. Mexican immigration officials had stopped a bus he was on, but he managed to escape into the countryside and hide.
Alan planned to take a nap, shower and have a meal before trying illegally to board a freight train known as The Beast. It runs from Mexico’s border with Guatemala to its border with the United States and, for decades, migrants have clung to it to speed through much of Mexico.
His hope was to make it to the American border and petition for asylum. He was undeterred by Mr. Trump’s recent efforts to restrict asylum claims or curb immigration.
“One way or another, I have to make it to the other side where there are skyscrapers and life is better,” he said.
Kirk Semple contributed reporting from Mexico City and Caitlin Dickerson from New York.
Gender & Sexual Solidarity
Changing of military-backed regimes in Guatemala
Yogurt Arrest*
NO RELIEF IN SIGHT: PRESIDENT ALEJANDRO GIAMATTEI APPEARS TO BE A NEW FACE BACKED BY THE SAME OLD CRIMINAL NETWORKS
Landmark US Drug Trial Leaves Bloody Trail in Honduras
“The Most Horrible Thing I’ve Ever Done”: A Border Patrol Officer Who Separated Families Speaks Out
IRTF@irtfcleveland.org (216) 961-0003
3606 Bridge Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113
Mark Your CalendarView full calendar
Jan 18Application Deadline: Delegation to El Salvador to honor Saint Romero
Jan 18An Act of Love - free film screening and discussion
Jan 25Organizing 101: Intro to Faith-Based Organizing at Akron FCC
Jan 26Just Mercy - free film screening at Cedar Lee
Jan 29Homelessness & Hope: A Storytellers' Faith Journey - Chris Knestrick
Jan 31Seeking co-sponsors for IRTF Social Justice Teach-In. Deadline today.
Feb 6Immigrant Defense Vigil - at Federal Building, E 9th and Lakeside, Cleveland
Feb 8Peacemaking through Art & Storytelling: IRTF Social Justice Teach-In at CWRU
Feb 11Peace Activism in a Digital World
Feb 12Food Action Forum - Make Our Food System Fair!
Feb 13 - Feb 23Sandino Vive! Solidarity Delegation to Nicaragua
Feb 17 - Feb 21Unsettling Histories: Decolonizing Discipleship. Bartimaeus Kinsler Institute in Oak View, CA
Feb 19 - Feb 29CPT - Delegation to the US/Mexico Borderlands
Feb 28 - Mar 8WFP - Solidarity Collective Delegation Environmental Justice in Colombia
Mar 5Immigrant Defense Vigil - at Federal Building, E 9th and Lakeside, Cleveland
Mar 11Food Action Forum - Make Our Food System Fair!
Mar 13 - Mar 15International Days of Action Against Sanctions & Economic War
Mar 27 - Mar 29Dismantle Border Imperialism: Convergence in Tucson
Apr 24 - Apr 27Ecumenical Advocacy Days: Intersection of Climate Change and Economic Injustice
More calendar events...
Restore Democratic Elections to Honduras
US Foreign Military Influence
Close the SOA
Ask your Rep to Co-sponsor H.R. 1299 The Berta Cáceres Human Rights in Honduras Act
In honor of the victims - Close the school of America
Degradation And Megaprojects
Industrial Agriculture
Mega-Infrastructure
Resistance Solidarity
Global Economic Policy
Union-to-Union Solidarity
Students Against Sweatshops
Stop Killer Coke!
Boycott Wendy's
Support for Cooperatives
Center for Solidarity and Exchange
Costello International
Unique Batik
Fair Trade Campaigns
Fair Trade Principles
Indigenous & Afro-Descendant Solidarity
Garifuna – Honduras
Lenca - Honduras
Q'anjob'al – Guatemala
Qe’qchi - Guatemala
3606 Bridge Ave
irtf@irtfcleveland.org
IRTF on Facebook IRTF on Twitter
23 days ago RT @BollardsofCTown: if you want to show your neighborhood bollard you care, you could give us a gift this christmas, please make a donatio…
26 days ago Customs and Border Protection, the parent agency of the U.S. Border Patrol, has purchased 33 million rounds of ammu… https://t.co/E8ZI8stMJt
26 days ago RT @MaraGay: A Cuban doctor waiting for asylum in the United States has become the only full-time physician at a makeshift encampment for 2…
Member of Community Shares Member of Cleveland Jobs with Justice
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2499
|
__label__cc
| 0.587171
| 0.412829
|
NEW: Abstracts In Press
The JABFM
ABFM News
abfm
JABFM On Twitter
JABFM On YouTube
JABFM On Facebook
Research ArticleOriginal Research
“They Told Me To Leave”: How Health Care Providers Address Intimate Partner Violence
Diane S. Morse, Ross Lafleur, Colleen T. Fogarty, Mona Mittal and Catherine Cerulli
The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine May 2012, 25 (3) 333-342; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3122/jabfm.2012.03.110193
Diane S. Morse
Ross Lafleur
Colleen T. Fogarty
Mona Mittal
Catherine Cerulli
Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) victims frequently seek medical treatment, though rarely for IPV. Recommendations for health care providers (HCPs) include IPV screening, counseling, and safety referral. The objective of this study was to report women's experiences discussing IPV with HCPs.
Methods: This study used structured interviews with women reporting IPV discussions with their HCP; descriptive analyses and bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed, and association with patient demographics and substance abuse was reviewed. We included women from family court; a community-based, inner-city primary care practice; and a tertiary care-based, outpatient psychiatric practice.
Results: A total of 142 women participated: 44 from family court (31%), 62 from a primary care practice (43.7%), and 36 from a psychiatric practice (25.4%). Fifty-one percent (n = 72) of patients reported that HCPs knew of their IPV. Of those, 85% (n = 61) told a primary care provider. Regarding IPV attitudes, 85% (n = 61) found their HCP open, and 74% (n = 53) found their HCP knowledgeable. Regarding approaches, 71% (n = 51) believed their HCP advocated leaving the relationship. Whereas 31% (n = 22) received safety information, only 8% (n = 6) received safety information and perceived their HCP as not advocating leaving the abusive relationship.
Conclusions: Half of participants disclosed IPV to their HCPs, and most perceived their provider advocated them leaving the relationship. Only 31% reported that HCPs provided safety planning despite increased risks associated with leaving. We suggest HCPs improve safety planning with patients who disclose IPV.
Doctor–Patient Relations
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major public health concern affecting approximately 24% of US women at some point in their lifetimes.1 Experiencing IPV is associated with negative mental and physical health outcomes and increased use of health care services.2⇓–4 Ample research demonstrates significant financial costs to both the patient and the health care system.5 Primary care estimates of IPV prevalence range from 4.9% to 29% and up to nearly 50% in inner-city practices.4⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓–13 Approximately one third of women injured during their most recent physical assault received medical treatment, providing an opportunity for health care providers (HCPs) such as physicians, nurses, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners to intervene.14 However, most outpatient visits by women experiencing IPV are for non–injury-related complaints, and most affected women do not spontaneously disclose their IPV, thus highlighting the need for comprehensive measures to identify IPV.15,16 IPV has been found to be underdocumented in clinical settings.16 Interviews with HCPs17 and transcripts of patient–physician encounters18 have demonstrated that HCPs often have difficulty asking about IPV as well as addressing IPV when it is disclosed. These findings have generated numerous training tools and interventions to help HCPs better address IPV, but no study has demonstrated sustained improvements in addressing IPV in clinical practice.19⇓–21 Sims et al15 reported no increase in questioning about IPV after an educational intervention for trauma residents, suggesting that education alone may not increase IPV detection without profession-wide guidelines. In addition, documenting IPV by using standard diagnostic codes may warrant caution given concerns for safety and confidentiality.22 In response to the accumulated evidence, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies and the Department of Health and Human Services have recommended culturally sensitive and supportive screening as well as counseling for current or past IPV for all women and adolescent girls.23
Nearly 20 years of research about IPV identification and HCP communication may have affected community practice standards. Recommendations have been based on both preferences and outcomes reported by IPV survivors and include referral to IPV specialists, safety planning, and providing nonjudgmental support regardless of the woman's decision to stay or leave the relationship.24⇓⇓⇓⇓–29 However, there is little knowledge outside of controlled educational interventions about the extent to which current medical practitioners follow expert recommendations, such as those issued by the IOM.
There is a paucity of literature about women's comfort with discussing experiences of IPV with health care providers as well as the degree of confidence women have in their providers' advice. McCauley et al30 found that women frequently cited fear of HCP response as a barrier to disclosure. A qualitative study of IPV survivors identified 5 dimensions of provider behaviors that facilitated patient trust: open communication, professional competency, accessible practice style, caring, and emotional equality.31 Another qualitative study of IPV survivors in emergency, primary care, and obstetric/gynecologic settings concluded that patient satisfaction was related to provider acknowledgment of the abuse, respect, and relevant referrals,32 and a quantitative experimental evaluation of a system change intervention to improve emergency department responses to IPV showed that those who were screened for IPV in an emergency department had higher patient satisfaction than those who were not.33 Studies of women's preferences regarding mandatory reporting indicate that abused women prefer to be given options about what actions to take, rather than being advised directly to leave an abusive partner.34,35 Although studies have addressed patient preferences, the degree of patient comfort with and confidence in HCPs' IPV knowledge and advice after such clinical discussions have not been reported. HCPs may not be knowledgeable about the risks of leaving the abusive relationship without a safety plan in place36 or the complexity of women's decisions about leaving or staying and therefore may simply recommend leaving the relationship or respond judgmentally to a woman who expresses ambivalence about leaving. The purpose of this study was to understand women's perspectives about their experience with IPV disclosure in health care settings and to compare this with current expert guidelines for screening and intervention by HCPs.
In this study, we present the first analysis of this subsample from a larger project studying IPV-related health care and patient attitudes. Methods for this study are based on community-based participatory research strategies.37 The research team conducted preliminary discussions with women from a local battered women's shelter to obtain input about study recruitment and methodology. These women also participated in mock structured research interviews; the research team incorporated their feedback into the study protocol and structured interview script.38
Participants and Settings
Between February, 2007, and July, 2008, research assistants recruited participants from a family court, a primary care practice, and a tertiary care–based outpatient psychiatric practice for a health care research project. These sites were chosen to draw a sample of women with a range of experiences with health care. We specifically in the courts women who might not have an identified medical home. Inclusion criteria for the study were age older than 18 years, ability to consent, and self-reported lifetime history of IPV. Participants were asked to identify one abusive relationship, either past or present, and anchor all questions being asked to that relationship.
At both health care sites (inner city primary care practice and hospital-based psychiatric practice), primary providers were trained to screen all patients for a lifetime history of IPV using an identification tool for domestic violence that was embedded into a pre-existing practice questionnaire. Those who screened positive were invited to meet with a research assistant conducting a study regarding relationships. At the primary care practice, a poster in the patient waiting area also advertised the study. At family court, recruiters approached potential participants in 2 locations: the secure area designated for petitioners of orders of protection and from a family court reception area.
At each site, trained recruiters arranged for a private, onsite interview or follow-up appointment with interested participants. Participants received a $25 cash incentive after the interview was completed, a small resource card with the names and numbers of appropriate agencies to provide the patient with information about abusive relationships, and a hotline number to speak with someone as needed. Those who declined participation at any stage in the process were offered only the small resource card.
Measures and Analyses
The survey included questions about demographic characteristics and patient interactions and discussions with HCPs about IPV.
Demographic Characteristics
Participants reported their age (recoded as 18 to 35 years, 36 to 45 years, or 46 to 65 years); education (recoded as high school graduate or less, or some college or more); individual income (recoded as less than $20,000 or $20,000 or more); ethnicity (recoded as white or nonwhite); and substance use (answered yes or no to having a problem with drugs or alcohol). Substance use was included because of its associated risk with IPV.39
HCP–Patient Interactions Regarding IPV
On the basis of the input from shelter participants noted earlier, the team developed 12 questions to assess HCP- and patient-driven communication regarding patients' experiences with IPV. Participants were asked if their HCPs asked them about abuse in their intimate relationships, excluding the screen done just before study recruitment. They also were asked to answer questions about their HCPs' openness, ability to help, and influence on their decision to stay or leave the abusive relationship (see Table 1).
Table 1. Interview Responses Regarding Healthcare Provider Communication
We conducted a mixed-method analysis40 of the scribed, semistructured interviews, which we informed with selective qualitative quotes from women who found their disclosure to their HCP to be either helpful or unhelpful. χ2 tests were conducted to determine the associations between participant demographic and background variables and recruitment site (see Table 2).
Table 2. Demographics of Sample, Represented by Site of Participation
Descriptive analyses of the qualitative data were performed. For the portion of the structured interview questions that were open-ended, 2 individuals (one co-author [RL] and one research assistant [JB]) coded the narratives to help determine the nature of the HCP–patient communication regarding IPV. The coding was done separately, and any disagreements were resolved by discussion until consensus occurred. Regarding whether the HCP directly advised the patient to stay or leave, we looked to the “How do you know?” (that your HCP wished for you to stay or leave) question (Table 1). Regarding safety advice or referral and how the HCP was helpful or unhelpful, we looked for references to that physician behavior in all the open-ended questions (Table 1). We selected some participants' narrative statements that were illustrative of the major themes regarding helpful or unhelpful HCP behaviors or statements from the structured interviews to further inform this analysis.
We quantified the various HCPs with whom patients discussed IPV, as shown in Figure 1. To assess whether demographic characteristics were associated with HCPs asking about IPV or not, we performed multivariate logistic regression with the HCPs asking about IPV as the dependent variable and age, race, substance abuse history, and employment as independent variables for all 142 participants. Lastly, we performed χ2 bivariate analysis with 72 participants who reported discussing IPV with an HCP. We analyzed variables relating to these participants' views of their HCPs' attitudes, perceptions, and knowledge about the care of women in abusive relationships.
Interview response percentages to question, “Which health care providers knew [about your relationship violence]?”
Data were available from 142 of the original 150 women who took part in the health care study (we excluded 8 participants because of missing demographic data). Sixty-one percent (n = 87) of the women were nonwhite. Participants had relatively low educational attainment, with 68% (n = 97) having earned a high school diploma or less, and were low income, with 88% (n = 124) reporting an annual individual income less than $20,000. Participation criteria required an age range from 18 to 65 years, with 41% (n = 59) aged 18 to 35 years, 32% (n = 45) aged 36 to 45 years, and 27% (n = 38) aged 46 to 65 years.
The demographics of the sample, divided by recruitment site, are displayed in Table 2. The demographics of our participants differed by site for race, age, education, and alcohol abuse. The family court (70.5%; n = 31) and primary care practice (66.1%; n = 41) sites had more minority women compared with the psychiatric practice (41.7%; n = 15). Family court also had a greater number of younger women (65.9%; n = 29). Twenty-four percent of respondents at the primary care practice noted an alcohol problem, in contrast with only 13.9% and 2.3% at the psychiatric practice and family court sites, respectively. Differences in reported drug use between sites were not significant. Notwithstanding these differences in race, age, and alcohol abuse, we combined the samples for our subsequent analyses because they represent predominantly low-income women with histories of relationship violence.
Of the 142 female participants, 51% (n = 72) reported that their HCPs—including medical doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants—knew of the abuse in their relationships (see Table 1). Of those participants, 65% (n = 47) reported that they had been asked about IPV by a HCP, which indicates that 65% of these HCPs are following the recommended guidelines. However, in a different question, only 31% (n = 22) reported having volunteered information about IPV to an HCP. Eighty-five percent of the participants whose HCP knew of their abuse (n = 61) reported having told at least one primary care provider, including 25 who said they reported to their obstetrician/gynecologist. Of the 49% (n = 70) who reported that their HCPs did not know about the abuse, 63% (n = 44) indicated they would have disclosed the information if their HCP had asked.
Logistic regression revealed that race, employment, and self-reported drug use were not associated with an HCP asking about IPV. However, women aged 36 to 45 years were almost 4 times as likely to say they had been asked (odds ratio, 3.99; 95% confidence interval, 1.53–10.44) compared with the reference group (women aged ≤36 years).
Of the 72 women who reported that their HCP knew about the abuse, 85% (n = 61) reported their HCP was open to talking about IPV, 65% (n = 47) felt comfortable approaching their HCP about it, and 74% (n = 53) felt their HCP was knowledgeable about the topic.
Among the 72 participants whose HCPs knew of the abuse, 71% (n = 51) reported they felt their HCPs wanted them to leave the abusive relationships, and half of those (n = 27), or 37.5% of the total, stated that their HCP specifically advised them to leave their abusive partners (see Table 3). Twenty-five percent (n = 18) of the abused women reported their HCP advised them to leave the abusive partner but the women did not indicate they were given any safety advice. Few participants (31%; n = 22) reported safety assistance such as referral to community agencies. Only 6 women (8%) stated that HCPs offered safety advice and left the decision about leaving or staying in the abusive relationships to them. Considered by site among the same 72 participants who spoke with their HCP about abuse, 43% (n=9) recruited at the psychiatric practice reported receiving safety advice, compared with 31% (n=10) at the primary care practice and 16% (n=3) recruited at the family court.
Table 3. Responses to the Question, “Do or Did You Think Your Health Care Provider Wants/Wanted You to Stay or to Leave Your Violent/Abusive Relationship?”
The following quotes are from participants who described the HCP as helpful:
“[My doctor] was a friend and the only one I could trust…”
“[My doctor was] compassionate, supportive. She took her time with me and spent about 2 hours when I broke down.”
“I felt like it helped me because [the doctor] was supporting my decision to get help…”
“He will kill you—get out…” [HCP statement to participant]
The following quotes are from participants who described the HCP as unhelpful:
“I felt scared that [the doctor] would report me to the police, welfare…”
“Persons in emergency brought up the situation when my husband was still there…then they asked him to leave and I was scared.”
“‘All those times that you kept going back, I told you not to go back, now you are on your own.’ [HCP statement to participant] I changed doctors after that.”
“[I felt] embarrassed and unprotected. I felt like [my doctor] defended my husband.”
“I was in such denial that I didn't want to hear any of her advice and opinions; closed ears…”
“I want to get pregnant. My OB/GYN [won't prescribe] my meds, so I won't get pregnant. If I leave him she will give them to me again. I have an illness that keeps me from getting pregnant.”
In this study of 142 low-income women who have experienced IPV, half of the participants reported disclosing abuse to an HCP. Of those who disclosed IPV to an HCP, 65% did so in response to being asked; only 31% volunteered their IPV status. Among those who did not disclose to an HCP, 63% stated that they would have disclosed if they had been asked. Eighty-five percent of the women who disclosed IPV told a primary care provider. Among the women that disclosed IPV to an HCP, 71% felt that their provider wanted them to leave the relationship, with 37.5% reporting being specifically directed to leave. Among the women who disclosed IPV to an HCP, 69% were not provided safety advice. Finally, among the women who disclosed IPV to an HCP, 65% to 85% felt comfortable and believed their HCP to be open or knowledgeable regarding IPV. In this study, women aged 36 to 45 years are 4 times more likely to be screened for IPV.
Most of our participants who told an HCP about IPV reported having disclosed their abuse to a primary care provider. This finding demonstrates the prominent role such providers play for these patients and supports current recommendations for primary care providers to screen for and address IPV. Importantly, women seeking orders of protection sought care at the emergency department at twice the rate that they utilized primary health care, and 40% reported delayed medical care in the past year.38 Hence, HCPs may see a patient only once, further reinforcing asking all patients about IPV, even at the first visit.
Another important finding in our study is that only half of our participants had disclosed IPV to a HCP; almost two thirds of those disclosed IPV only when they were asked, and most of those who did not disclose IPV reported that they would have disclosed it if they had been asked. These findings support the practice of routine inquiry of IPV in all patients, as has recently been recommended by an IOM report,23 a recommendation accepted by the secretary of the DHHS. Women who have disclosed their IPV experience to an HCP have been found to be more likely to report receiving an IPV intervention, which is associated with leaving the abusive relationship and improved health outcomes.41,42 Not inquiring of all patients ensures that IPV will be underdetected and therefore undertreated. To fulfill the DHHS directives, HCPs will benefit from using evidence-based guidelines to respond to women who disclose IPV on routine inquiry.
Among our participants, 69% reported that they had not received safety advice regarding IPV, whereas 71% reported feeling that their HCP wanted them to leave the abusive relationship. If providers feel helpless to address the needs of women experiencing IPV, they may focus on counseling the woman to leave the abusive relationship without adequately providing information about other strategies and, if the woman wants to leave, ensuring safety procedures are in place. Risk of femicide is increased significantly during the year after an abused partner leaves the abuser,36 yet only 50% of survivors of attempted femicide reported being aware of their extreme risk, hence increasing susceptibility to possibly unsafe suggestions or a lack of adequate safety planning.43 Furthermore, some abused women reported that fearing providers will require them to leave an abusive relationship to receive help was a barrier to seeking such help, supporting the importance of our results.44
A positive finding in this study is the degree of comfort with and confidence in their HCPs, most of whom were primary care providers, that abused women reported and the extent to which the women looked to the HCPs for help in managing this complex situation. However, there is discordance between this confidence and the finding that HCPs rarely provided safety planning and a nonjudgmental approach to the question of staying or leaving the abusive relationship. In addition, supporting patients' autonomy to make their own choices is associated with other positive outcomes such as improvements in satisfaction, well-being, and change associated with intrinsic rather than extrinsic motivation.45,46
Our finding that participants perceived their HCP to be advocating leaving the abusive relationship raises the question of whether someone who becomes aware of a dangerous (physically, emotionally, or both) situation would not reasonably want the person in danger to leave it. It is also possible that those participants who were not directly advised to leave may have assumed their provider wanted them to do so because it is one reasonable response to an abusive relationship. The fundamental question is whether someone can be supportive of a patient making her own decision and still want her to change her situation. Research on motivation regarding substance abuse and adherence to medical recommendations helps to address these questions. Empathy, information, and support can be provided to increase patient autonomy and perceived competence, consequently improving health outcomes.47⇓–49 Qualitative research among the IPV survivor population supports the notion that respectful information-sharing and support by HCPs will help break the cycle of control, degradation, and physical violence that constitutes IPV.28⇓⇓–31
In July 2011 the IOM recommended universal IPV screening, noting the prevalence of IPV and the need to address current and future health risks.23 Nevertheless, there has been a lack of consensus regarding the utility of screening women for IPV.50 It is possible that one reason for the lack of clear efficacy of some screening interventions relates to the difficulty HCPs have with the complex and numerous tasks that have been suggested when the patient screens positively, such as assessing mechanisms of injury and child safety.51 Clinical practice, policy, and research implications of this study would be to focus on establishing fewer HCP responses to a determination of ongoing IPV. In this study, participants reported that HCPs conveyed support, as has been suggested by IPV survivors,29 but did less well with safety-related suggestions. Hence, focusing educational efforts on getting HCPs to provide a referral to a trained IPV provider at a local shelter or a national toll-free hotline (1-800-799-SAFE (7233)52 may be the appropriate strategy for primary care providers with multiple important tasks. Research regarding such a strategy could be important as well.
Our results suggest that patients look to their HCP for guidance and information, giving HCPs an opportunity to respectfully educate women to seek safety planning and impact their ability to make positive change. The cumulative evidence suggests that, after such referrals, HCPs should support patients' choices and decrease the focus on leaving the abusive relationship until resources are present to help avoid potentially serious harm.
A strength of this study is that women were recruited from different sites. Although other articles have focused on patient responses to HCPs in primary or emergency medical settings,18,31 ours broadens the population studied and adds to the literature by including participants recruited from 2 sites where biomedical care was not being obtained. Some differences by site were noted (Table 2) with regard to ethnicity and age. The family court sample was seeking an order of protection and was more likely to be younger and nonwhite, whereas the psychiatric practice clinic sample was likelier to be older and white. The primary health care population was less likely to have some college education, had a lower income, and was more likely to have an alcohol problem. These findings support our belief that we have assembled a diverse population. A larger sample may be needed to determine associated differences in IPV communication beyond the finding of women in the middle age group range being more likely to be asked about IPV by an HCP.
Our results should be considered with caution. This study is based on patient report. Other studies have utilized audiotape, videotape, or chart review to document actual HCP behaviors. This study focuses more on diverse patients' perceptions of and response to community HCPs' behaviors. Another limitation of this study is the lack of a qualitative thematic analysis of participant comments. Because such an analysis was not the purpose of this study, the depth and breadth of responses needed for such an analysis were not obtained.
Future studies could aim to test specific hypotheses regarding interactions between patient characteristics, HCP behaviors, and patient attitudes toward their HCPs. For example, do patient race, education, and income affect the likelihood that HCPs will ask about IPV? Would HCPs asking about IPV increase patient comfort and confidence and could that lead to an increase in needed health services use? If HCPs were trained to support patient autonomy regarding their decisions to stay or leave the abusive relationship, would this improve patient motivation to increase controllable safety behaviors?53 These important questions have yet to be addressed.
Among our diverse sample of women IPV survivors, only half felt comfortable enough to disclose IPV to an HCP. Among the half who did not disclose, 63% would have done so if they had been asked. For the half that did disclose, almost three-fourths thought that their HCP wanted them to leave the relationship, and only 31% received safety information. These findings contrast with more than three fourths of the survivors believing their HCPs to be knowledgeable about abuse. Although the sample size was limited, our results have implications for provider training and for new hypotheses that can be studied in larger intervention studies.
The authors thank Susan H. Horwitz, PhD, LMFT (primary investigator of McGowan project); Michelle LaRussa-Trott, LMSW; Joan Pearson, MA, MS, LMFT; Lizette Santiago, MS, LMFT; and David Skiff, PhD, MDiv, LMSW, for their help with project design and implementation. The authors thank the interviewers: Lorena Billone, BA, MFTT, Jessica Bougie, BA, and Stacy Kolb-Tripp, MS, and their statistical consultant, Harry Reis, PhD. The authors thank Meaghan Bernstein and Jessica Band for help with data entry and management and Jacqueline Campbell, PhD, RN, for her review of the manuscript. This project would not have been possible without the support of many administrators, mentors, and most importantly, participants. Special thanks to the organizations, Safer and Delphi, that assisted this study in the design before implementation.
This article was externally peer reviewed.
Funding: Funding provided by National Institute of Mental Health grants T32 MH18911, K01MH75965-01, and K01MH080660-01A2, as well as the McGowan Foundation.
Conflict of interest: none declared.
Received for publication June 9, 2011.
Revision received December 18, 2011.
Accepted for publication December 21, 2011.
Breiding MJ,
Black MC,
Ryan GW
. Prevalence and risk factors of intimate partner violence in eighteen US states/territories, 2005. Am J Prev Med 2008;34(2):112–8.
Bonomi AE,
Anderson M,
Reid RJ,
Rivara FP,
Carrell D,
Thompson RS
. Medical and psychosocial diagnoses in women with a history of intimate partner violence. Arch Intern Med 2009;169(18):1692–7.
Chen PH,
Rovi S,
Vega M,
Jacobs A,
Johnson MS
. Relation of domestic violence to health status among Hispanic women. J Health Care Poor Underserved 2009;20(2):569–82.
Thompson RS,
. Intimate partner violence: prevalence, types, and chronicity in adult women. Am J Prev Med 2006;30(6):447–57.
Anderson ML,
. Health care utilization and costs associated with physical and nonphysical-only intimate partner violence. Health Serv Res 2009;44(3):1052–67.
Freund KM,
Bak SM,
Blackhall L
. Identifying domestic violence in primary care practice. J Gen Intern Med 1996;11(1):44–6.
Gin NE,
Rucker L,
Frayne S,
Cygan R,
Hubbell FA
. Prevalence of domestic violence among patients in three ambulatory care internal medicine clinics. J Gen Intern Med 1991;6(4):317–22.
Rath GD,
Jarratt LG,
Leonardson G
. Rates of domestic violence against adult women by men partners. J Am Board Fam Pract 1989;2(4):227–33.
Bullock L,
McFarlane J,
Bateman LH,
Miller V
. The prevalence and characteristics of battered women in a primary care setting. Nurse Pract 1989;14(6):47, 50, 53–6.
Coker AL,
Smith PH,
McKeown RE,
King MJ
. Frequency and correlates of intimate partner violence by type: physical, sexual, and psychological battering. Am J Public Health 2000;90(4):553–9.
Flerx VC,
Whitaker DJ,
Fadden MK,
Williams M
. Intimate partner violence incidence and continuation in a primary care screening program. Am J Epidemiol 2007;165(7):821–7.
El-Bassel N,
Gilbert L,
Witte S,
. Intimate partner violence and substance abuse among minority women receiving care from an inner-city emergency department. Womens Health Issues 2003;13(1):16–23.
Porcerelli JH,
Cogan R,
West PP,
. Violent victimization of women and men: physical and psychiatric symptoms. J Am Board Fam Pract 2003;16(1):32–9.
Tjaden P,
Thoennes N
. Full report of the prevalence, incidence, and consequences of violence against women: findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey. Washington, DC: Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice; 2000. NCJ 183781.
Sims C,
Sabra D,
Bergey MR,
. Detecting intimate partner violence: More than trauma team education is needed. J Am Coll Surg. 2011;212(5):867–872.
Kothari CL,
Rhodes KV
. Missed opportunities: emergency department visits by police-identified victims of intimate partner violence. Ann Emerg Med 2006;47(2):190–9.
Sugg NK,
Inui T
. Primary care physicians' response to domestic violence. Opening Pandora's box. JAMA. 1992;267(23):3157–60.
Rhodes KV,
Frankel RM,
Levinthal N,
Prenoveau E,
Bailey J,
Levinson W
. “You're not a victim of domestic violence, are you?” Provider patient communication about domestic violence. Ann Intern Med 2007;147(9):620–7.
Nicolaidis C
. The voices of survivors documentary: using patient narrative to educate physicians about domestic violence. J Gen Intern Med 2002;17(2):117–24.
Edwardsen EA,
Morse DS,
Frankel RM
. Structured practice opportunities with a mnemonic affect medical student interviewing skills for intimate partner violence. Teach Learn Med 2006;18(1):62–8.
McColgan MD,
Cruz M,
McKee J,
. Results of a multifaceted intimate partner violence training program for pediatric residents. Child Abuse Negl 2010;34(4):275–83.
. More harm than good? Diagnostic codes for child and adult abuse. Violence Vict 2003;18(5):491–502.
Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. Report brief. Clinical preventive services for women: closing the gaps. 19 July 2011. Available at: http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2011/Clinical-Preventive-Services-for-Women-Closing-the-Gaps/Report-Brief.aspx. Accessed 23 November 2011.
. Interventions for intimate partner violence against women: clinical applications. JAMA 2003;289(5):601–5.
Gerbert B,
Caspers N,
Bronstone A,
Moe J,
Abercrombie P
. A qualitative analysis of how physicians with expertise in domestic violence approach the identification of victims. Ann Intern Med 1999;131(8):578–84.
Du Plat-Jones J
. Domestic violence: the role of health professionals. Nurs Stand 2006;21(14–16):44–8.
Kaur G,
Herbert L
. Recognizing and intervening in intimate partner violence. Cleve Clin J Med 2005;72(5):406–9, 413–4, 417 passim.
Chang JC,
Decker MR,
Moracco KE,
Martin SL,
Petersen R,
Frasier PY
. Asking about intimate partner violence: advice from female survivors to health care providers. Patient Educ Couns 2005;59(2):141–7.
Feder GS,
Hutson M,
Ramsay J,
Taket AR
. Women exposed to intimate partner violence: expectations and experiences when they encounter health care professionals: a meta-analysis of qualitative studies. Arch Intern Med 2006;166(1):22–37.
McCauley J,
Yurk RA,
Jenckes MW,
Ford DE
. Inside “Pandora's box”: abused women's experiences with clinicians and health services. J Gen Intern Med 1998;13(8):549–55.
Battaglia TA,
Finley E,
Liebschutz JM
. Survivors of intimate partner violence speak out: trust in the patient-provider relationship. J Gen Intern Med 2003;18(8):617–23.
Liebschutz J,
Battaglia T,
Averbuch T
. Disclosing intimate partner violence to health care clinicians–what a difference the setting makes: a qualitative study. BMC Public Health 2008;8:229.
Campbell JC,
Coben JH,
McLoughlin E,
. An evaluation of a system-change training model to improve emergency department response to battered women. Acad Emerg Med 2001;8(2):131–8.
Gielen AC,
O'Campo PJ,
. Women's opinions about domestic violence screening and mandatory reporting. Am J Prev Med 2000;19(4):279–85.
Sachs CJ,
Koziol-McLain J,
Glass N,
Webster D,
Campbell J
. A population-based survey assessing support for mandatory domestic violence reporting by health care personnel. Women Health 2002;35(2–3):121–33.
. Risk factors for femicide in abusive relationships: results from a multisite case control study. Am J Public Health 2003;93(7):1089–97.
Israel BA,
Coombe CM,
Cheezum RR,
. Community-based participatory research: a capacity-building approach for policy advocacy aimed at eliminating health disparities. Am J Public Health 2010;100(11):2094–102.
Cerulli C,
Duda J,
Conner KR,
Caine E
. Protection order petitioners' health care utilization. Violence Against Women 2010;16(6):679–90.
Kilpatrick DG,
Acierno R,
Resnick HS,
Saunders BE,
Best CL
. A 2-year longitudinal analysis of the relationships between violent assault and substance use in women. J Consult Clin Psychol 1997;65(5):834–47.
Creswell JW,
Clark V
. Designing and conducting mixed methods research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.; 2007.
McCloskey LA,
Lichter E,
Williams C,
Gerber M,
Wittenberg E,
Ganz M
. Assessing intimate partner violence in health care settings leads to women's receipt of interventions and improved health. Public Health Rep 2006;121(4):435–44.
Abramsky T,
Watts CH,
Garcia-Moreno C,
. What factors are associated with recent intimate partner violence? Findings from the WHO multi-country study on women's health and domestic violence. BMC Public Health 2011;11:109.
Nicolaidis C,
Curry MA,
Ulrich Y,
. Could we have known? A qualitative analysis of data from women who survived an attempted homicide by an intimate partner. J Gen Intern Med 2003;18(10):788–94.
Fugate M,
Landis L,
Riordan K,
Naureckas S,
Engel B
. Barriers to domestic violence help seeking: implications for intervention. Violence Against Women 2005;11(3):290–310.
Williams GC,
McGregor HA,
King D,
Nelson CC,
Glasgow RE
. Variation in perceived competence, glycemic control, and patient satisfaction: relationship to autonomy support from physicians. Patient Educ Couns 2005;57(1):39–45.
Silva MN,
Vieira PN,
Coutinho S,
. Using self-determination theory to promote physical activity and weight control: a randomized controlled trial in women. J Behav Med 2010;33(2):110–22.
Zeldman A,
Ryan RM,
Fiscella K
. Client motivation, autonomy support and entity beliefs: their role in methadone maintenance treatment. J Soc Clin Psychol 2004;23(5):675–96.
Niemiec CP,
Patrick H,
Deci EL
. The importance of supporting autonomy and perceived competence in facilitating long-term tobacco abstinence. Ann Behav Med 2009;37(3):315–24.
. Reducing the health risks of diabetes: How self-determination theory may help improve medication adherence and quality of life. Diabetes Educ. 2009;35(3):484–492.
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for family and intimate partner violence: recommendation statement. Ann Intern Med 2004;140(5):382–6.
Hamberger LK,
Ambuel B,
Marbella A,
Donze J
. Physician interaction with battered women: the women's perspective. Arch Fam Med 1998;7(6):575–82.
National Domestic Violence Hotline [homepage on the Internet]. Available at: http://www.thehotline.org/. Accessed 12 May 2011.
Sheldon KM,
Joiner T
. Self-determination theory in the clinic: motivating physical and mental health. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press; 2003.
The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine
Vol. 25, Issue 3
Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on American Board of Family Medicine.
You are going to email the following “They Told Me To Leave”: How Health Care Providers Address Intimate Partner Violence
Message Subject (Your Name) has sent you a message from American Board of Family Medicine
Message Body (Your Name) thought you would like to see the American Board of Family Medicine web site.
Diane S. Morse, Ross Lafleur, Colleen T. Fogarty, Mona Mittal, Catherine Cerulli
The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine May 2012, 25 (3) 333-342; DOI: 10.3122/jabfm.2012.03.110193
Examining Associations Between Strangulation and Depressive Symptoms in Women With Intimate Partner Violence Histories
Focus on Clinical Practice: Improving the Quality of Care
Scopus (24)
Physicians' Response to Patients' Quality-of-Life Goals
Sickle-Cell Disease Co-Management, Health Care Utilization, and Hydroxyurea Use
Prescribing Patterns and Use of Risk-Reduction Tools After Implementing an Opioid-Prescribing Protocol
Show more Original Research
Info For Reviewers
Submit A Manuscript/Review
© 2020 American Board of Family Medicine
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2504
|
__label__cc
| 0.646962
| 0.353038
|
Data Warehouse Tutorial Data Warehouse Components Operational Database Vs Data Warehouse Data Warehouse Architecture Three-Tier Data Warehouse Architecture Operational Data Stores What is ETL ETL vs ELT Types of Data Warehouses Data Warehouse Modeling Data Warehouse Design Data Warehouse Implementation What is Meta Data What is Data Mart Delivery Process
OLAP Technology
What is OLAP Characteristics of OLAP OLTP vs OLAP OLAP Operations Types of OLAP ROLAP vs MOLAP vs HOLAP
Dimensional Modeling
What is Dimensional Modeling? What is Multi-Dimensional Data Model? What is Data Cube?
What is Star Schema? What is Snowflake Schema? Star vs Snowflake Schemas Fact Constellation Schema Process Architecture Types of Database Parallelism Data Warehouse Tools
ETL (Extract, Transform, and Load) Process
What is ETL?
The mechanism of extracting information from source systems and bringing it into the data warehouse is commonly called ETL, which stands for Extraction, Transformation and Loading.
The ETL process requires active inputs from various stakeholders, including developers, analysts, testers, top executives and is technically challenging.
To maintain its value as a tool for decision-makers, Data warehouse technique needs to change with business changes. ETL is a recurring method (daily, weekly, monthly) of a Data warehouse system and needs to be agile, automated, and well documented.
How ETL Works?
ETL consists of three separate phases:
Extraction is the operation of extracting information from a source system for further use in a data warehouse environment. This is the first stage of the ETL process.
Extraction process is often one of the most time-consuming tasks in the ETL.
The source systems might be complicated and poorly documented, and thus determining which data needs to be extracted can be difficult.
The data has to be extracted several times in a periodic manner to supply all changed data to the warehouse and keep it up-to-date.
The cleansing stage is crucial in a data warehouse technique because it is supposed to improve data quality. The primary data cleansing features found in ETL tools are rectification and homogenization. They use specific dictionaries to rectify typing mistakes and to recognize synonyms, as well as rule-based cleansing to enforce domain-specific rules and defines appropriate associations between values.
The following examples show the essential of data cleaning:
If an enterprise wishes to contact its users or its suppliers, a complete, accurate and up-to-date list of contact addresses, email addresses and telephone numbers must be available.
If a client or supplier calls, the staff responding should be quickly able to find the person in the enterprise database, but this need that the caller's name or his/her company name is listed in the database.
If a user appears in the databases with two or more slightly different names or different account numbers, it becomes difficult to update the customer's information.
Transformation is the core of the reconciliation phase. It converts records from its operational source format into a particular data warehouse format. If we implement a three-layer architecture, this phase outputs our reconciled data layer.
The following points must be rectified in this phase:
Loose texts may hide valuable information. For example, XYZ PVT Ltd does not explicitly show that this is a Limited Partnership company.
Different formats can be used for individual data. For example, data can be saved as a string or as three integers.
Following are the main transformation processes aimed at populating the reconciled data layer:
Conversion and normalization that operate on both storage formats and units of measure to make data uniform.
Matching that associates equivalent fields in different sources.
Selection that reduces the number of source fields and records.
Cleansing and Transformation processes are often closely linked in ETL tools.
The Load is the process of writing the data into the target database. During the load step, it is necessary to ensure that the load is performed correctly and with as little resources as possible.
Loading can be carried in two ways:
Refresh: Data Warehouse data is completely rewritten. This means that older file is replaced. Refresh is usually used in combination with static extraction to populate a data warehouse initially.
Update: Only those changes applied to source information are added to the Data Warehouse. An update is typically carried out without deleting or modifying preexisting data. This method is used in combination with incremental extraction to update data warehouses regularly.
Selecting an ETL Tool
Selection of an appropriate ETL Tools is an important decision that has to be made in choosing the importance of an ODS or data warehousing application. The ETL tools are required to provide coordinated access to multiple data sources so that relevant data may be extracted from them. An ETL tool would generally contains tools for data cleansing, re-organization, transformations, aggregation, calculation and automatic loading of information into the object database.
An ETL tool should provide a simple user interface that allows data cleansing and data transformation rules to be specified using a point-and-click approach. When all mappings and transformations have been defined, the ETL tool should automatically generate the data extract/transformation/load programs, which typically run in batch mode.
Next TopicDifference between ETL and ELT
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2507
|
__label__wiki
| 0.79782
| 0.79782
|
ArticleCardiology Free access | 10.1172/JCI18684
Modulation of the molecular composition of large conductance, Ca2+ activated K+ channels in vascular smooth muscle during hypertension
Gregory C. Amberg,1 Adrian D. Bonev,2 Charles F. Rossow,1 Mark T. Nelson,2 and Luis F. Santana1
1Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA2 Department of Pharmacology, The University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, Vermont, USA
Address correspondence to: L.F. Santana, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Box 357290, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA. Phone: (206) 543-0986; Fax: (206) 685-0619; E-mail: santana@u.washington.edu.
Find articles by Amberg, G. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar
Find articles by Bonev, A. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar
Find articles by Rossow, C. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar
Find articles by Nelson, M. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar
Find articles by Santana, L. in: JCI | PubMed | Google Scholar
J Clin Invest. 2003;112(5):717–724. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI18684.
Received: April 17, 2003; Accepted: May 27, 2003
Hypertension is a clinical syndrome characterized by increased vascular tone. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying vascular dysfunction during acquired hypertension remain unresolved. Localized intracellular Ca2+ release events through ryanodine receptors (Ca2+ sparks) in the sarcoplasmic reticulum are tightly coupled to the activation of large-conductance, Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels to provide a hyperpolarizing influence that opposes vasoconstriction. In this study we tested the hypothesis that a reduction in Ca2+ spark–BK channel coupling underlies vascular smooth muscle dysfunction during acquired hypertension. We found that in hypertension, expression of the β1 subunit was decreased relative to the pore-forming α subunit of the BK channel. Consequently, the BK channels were functionally uncoupled from Ca2+ sparks. Consistent with this, the contribution of BK channels to vascular tone was reduced during hypertension. We conclude that downregulation of the β1 subunit of the BK channel contributes to vascular dysfunction in hypertension. These results support the novel concept that changes in BK channel subunit composition regulate arterial smooth muscle function.
Chronic hypertension increases morbidity and mortality from stroke, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, and renal disease (1, 2). Sustained increases in arterial tone are an essential component in the development of hypertension (3, 4). Mounting evidence suggests that sustained depolarization (5, 6) of smooth muscle underlies the increase in arterial tone during hypertension by increasing the open probability of voltage-dependent L-type Ca2+ channels (6). The resulting increase in Ca2+ influx raises global intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) and contributes to constriction (7, 8). The molecular mechanisms underlying these changes in vascular smooth muscle function during hypertension are presently unclear.
Unlike a global elevation of [Ca2+]i, highly localized intracellular Ca2+ transients (Ca2+ sparks), originating from ryanodine-sensitive Ca2+-release channels (ryanodine receptors [RyRs]) in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), increase [Ca2+]i locally but do not cause contraction (9). Instead, Ca2+ sparks oppose depolarizing contractile stimuli by activating closely apposed, large-conductance, Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels (9, 10). An important implication of this model is that dynamic regulation of BK channel activity by Ca2+ sparks may be critical in the determination of vascular tone and blood pressure. Consistent with this, vasoconstrictors, acting through stimulation of PKC, decrease BK channel activity indirectly by inhibiting Ca2+ sparks (11). Conversely, increasing Ca2+ spark activity through cAMP-dependent signaling or enhancing BK channel coupling to Ca2+ sparks causes vasodilation (12, 13). These studies suggest a central role for RyR-BK channel communication via local Ca2+ signals in the regulation of arterial tone and blood pressure.
BK channels in vascular smooth muscle are composed of pore-forming α and accessory β1 subunits (14, 15). Coexpression of the β1 subunit results in BK channels with increased Ca2+ sensitivity (16, 17). The β1 subunit appears to be uniquely expressed in smooth muscle (18). A functional role for the β1 subunit in vascular smooth muscle was recently demonstrated in genetically engineered mice lacking expression of this subunit (18–20). These studies showed that targeted deletion of the β1 subunit uncoupled BK channels from Ca2+ sparks, and thereby decreased the contribution of BK channels to the regulation of vascular tone. Importantly, β1 KO mice were hypertensive (HT), indicating that uncoupling BK channels from RyRs by the loss of the β1 subunit alone is sufficient to induce hypertension.
β1 subunit expression is high in arteries from normotensive (NT) animals (18–20). Consequently, in NT arteries, RyR-BK channel coupling is strong (10). It is unclear, however, whether a disruption of RyR-BK channel communication is involved in the progression from a NT to a HT state. Because proper RyR-BK channel communication is important for normal arterial function, we tested the hypothesis that during hypertension, downregulation of the β1 subunit results in BK channels with a diminished capacity to regulate vascular tone. We found that during Ang II-induced hypertension, BK channels were less sensitive to activation by Ca2+ sparks and were less able to regulate vascular tone. In agreement with these observations, we detected a decrease in the expression of the β1 subunit; expression of the α subunit was unchanged. From these observations, we conclude that downregulation of the β1 subunit of the BK channel contributes to vascular dysfunction during hypertension.
Ang II infusion and blood pressure measurements. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (250 g) were made HT by subcutaneous implantation of osmotic minipumps (Alzet, Durect Corporation, Cupertino, California, USA) delivering Ang II (250 ng/kg/day). Consistent with previous reports (21), 7 days after pump implantation the systolic blood pressure of Ang II-infused rats increased from 120 ± 4 mmHg to 213 ± 7 mmHg (P < 0.05, n = 9). Over the same period, sham-operated controls did not experience changes in systolic blood pressure (120 ± 2 mmHg vs. 124 ± 4 mmHg, P > 0.05, n = 8). Blood pressure measurements were taken with a tail-cuff plethysmograph from Narco Bio-Systems (Houston, Texas, USA) as previously described (21). Animals were handled in strict accordance to the guidelines of the University of Washington Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.
Isolation of vascular myocytes. Rats were killed with a lethal dose of sodium pentobarbital (100 mg/kg intraperitoneally) as approved by the University of Washington Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Smooth muscle cells were prepared from basilar, posterior, and midcerebral arteries using standard enzymatic dissociation methods (10).
Electrophysiology. BK currents were measured with the whole-cell patch clamp technique in the amphotericin B (250 μg/ml) perforated-patch configuration with the use of an Axopatch 200B amplifier (Axon Instruments Inc., Union City, California, USA). During experiments, cells were continuously superfused with a normal Tyrode’s solution with the following constituents: 130 mM NaCl, 5 mM KCl, 2 mM CaCl2, 1 mM MgCl2, 10 mM glucose, and 10 mM HEPES (pH = 7.4). Patch pipettes were filled with a solution composed of the following: 110 mM K-aspartate, 30 mM KCl, 10 mM NaCl, 1 mM MgCl2, 0.5 mM EGTA, and 10 mM HEPES (pH = 7.3). Spontaneous, transient outward currents resulting from the concerted opening of a few BK channels were analyzed with Mini-Analysis software (Synaptosoft Inc., Decatur, Georgia, USA).
For single-channel experiments, currents were digitized at 5 kHz using pCLAMP 8 software (Axon Instruments Inc.). Single-channel records were filtered at 1 kHz with a Bessel filter (8 pole). Smooth muscle cells were bathed in a solution containing: 140 mM KCl, 1 mM EGTA or 1 mM hydroxyethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (HEDTA), and 10 mM HEPES, adjusted to pH 7.3 with Tris. Ca2+ (CaCl2) was added to achieve the desired level of free Ca2+ (determined using WinMAXC software; C. Patton, Stanford University Pacific Grove, California, USA; http://www.stanford.edu/∼cpatton/maxc.html). Pipettes were filled with the same 140 mM K+ solution without Ca2+ supplementation. BK channel currents were recorded from inside-out patches under symmetrical (140 mM) K+. Data were analyzed with pClamp 8 (Axon Instruments Inc.) and the Analysis of Single Channel Data software (University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium). BK channel number, conductance, and open probability (Po) were determined from all-points amplitude histograms; only recordings with stable Po values for a minimum 2 minutes were analyzed. The number of BK channels per patch was estimated while patches were held at +80 mV in the presence of 10–5 Ca2+, which maximizes the Po of these channels (17).
[Ca2+]i imaging. Imaging of Ca2+ sparks was performed on cells loaded with the fluorescent Ca2+ indicator fluo-4-AM (10) (50 μM) using a Radiance 2100 confocal system (Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc., Hercules,California, USA), coupled to a Nikon TE300 inverted microscope using a Nikon 60X water immersion lens (numerical aperture = 1.2) (Nikon Inc., Melville, New York, USA). Images were analyzed with custom software written in IDL language (Research Systems Inc., Boulder, Colorado, USA). Ca2+ sparks were identified with a computer algorithm similar to the one described by Cheng et al. (22). Images were normalized by dividing the fluorescence intensity of each pixel (F) by the average resting fluorescence intensity (F0) of a confocal image to generate an F/F0 image.
Intact artery measurements. Measurements of the diameter of intact pressurized arterial segments were performed as previously described (18). Briefly, arteries cleaned from connective tissue were cannulated and mounted in a close-working-distance arteriograph. The arteriograph was then mounted on the stage of an inverted microscope. After mounting the arteriograph, superfusion (3–6 ml/min) of a bicarbonate-based PSS (B-PSS) at 37°C began immediately. The B-PSS contained: 119 mM NaCl, 4.7 mM KCl, 24 mM NaHCO3, 1.2 mM KH2PO4, 1.6 mM CaCl2, 1.2 mM MgSO4, 0.023 mM EDTA, and 11 mM glucose. The pH of this solution was set to 7.4 by bubbling with a gas mixture of O2 (95%) and CO2 (5%). After equilibration (≈20 minutes), intravascular pressure was increased to the physiologic level of 60 mmHg. Arterial diameters were measured from live video images with the length-calibrated edge-detection function of IonOptix imaging software (IonOptix, Milton Massachusetts, USA) at a sampling rate of 2 Hz. Experiments started after a stable level of tone was obtained. A constriction in response to iberiotoxin (Ibtx) or KCl is presented as percentage constriction. The percentage constriction was obtained by dividing the arterial diameter after the stable development of tone by the diameter of the artery in the presence of a diltiazem (30 μM)-containing, Ca2+-free (with 1 mM EGTA) B-PSS (passive diameter) and multiplying the number by 100. Addition of papaverine (100 μM) to this solution did not produce further constriction of NT or HT arteries (n = 3 each; data not shown).
RNA isolation and RT-PCR. Total RNA was isolated from rat cerebral arteries using the TRIzol reagent (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, California, USA) as per the manufacturer’s protocol. Reverse transcription was performed using the Superscript First-strand Synthesis system (Invitrogen) with random primers according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Primers specific to α (GenBank accession no. NM 031828; sense NT 1000-1021 and antisense NT 1180-1199, amplicon = 200 bp), β1 (GenBank accession no. NM 019273; sense NT 494-513 and antisense NT 721-742, amplicon = 249), and β-actin (GenBank accession no. V01217; sense NT 2384-2404 and antisense NT 3071-3091, amplicon = 496 bp) were designed to identify the presence of each transcript in cerebral arterial vascular smooth muscle. The β-actin primers were designed to amplify a region between exons 4 and 6 such that genomic contamination within the RNA preparation could be identified by the presence of a 708-bp band in addition to the 496-bp band corresponding to the β-actin transcript. PCR was performed with PCR Supermix (Invitrogen). After initial denaturation for 3 minutes at 94°C, samples underwent an additional 25 cycles at 94°C for 30 seconds, 52°C for 30 seconds, and 72°C for 1:30 seconds, followed by a final extension step at 72°C for 7 minutes. Amplicons were visualized using 2% agarose gel electrophoresis.
Real-time RT-PCR. Real-time RT-PCR was performed with the TaqMan 5′ nuclease assay on an ABI Prism 7700 (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, California, USA) with the TaqMan Onestep PCR Mastermix (Applied Biosystems) using gene-specific primers during RT-PCR. Briefly, a standard curve was generated for each set of primers and probes with the use of log10 serial dilutions. Standard curves were generated during each real-time RT-PCR session and were used to determine the relative abundance of α and β1 transcripts. These values were normalized to endogenous 18S ribosomal RNA within the same sample. The slopes of our standard curves for α, β1, and 18S were similar (–3.5 ± 0.1 Ct / [mRNA]; n = 6; r2 = 0.997–0.999 in all cases). Thus, the efficiency of our primer and probe sets was considered equal and permitted relative quantitation and comparison of α and β transcripts. Primers and probes for real-time RT-PCR were as follows: α (GenBank accession no. NM 031828) sense NT 4100-4123, antisense NT 4157-4172, and probe NT 4134-4155; and β1 (GenBank accession no. NM 019273) sense NT 683-708, antisense NT 740-762, and probe NT 710-732. 20x pre-developed TaqMan assay reagent for 18s ribosomal RNA was obtained from Applied Biosystems. After reverse transcription at 48°C for 30 minutes, AmpliTaq polymerase was activated at 95°C for 10 minutes, samples underwent 40 cycles of amplification in which they were incubated at 95°C for 15 seconds and 60°C for 1 minute. Samples (n = 3 for each tissue) were run in triplicate; RT(–) and nontemplate controls were included as a control for nonspecific amplification.
Statistics. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. Two-group comparisons were made using a Student t test. A P value of less than 0.05 was used as an indicator of significance. The asterisk (*) symbol is used in the figures to illustrate a significant difference between groups.
Ibtx causes smaller constrictions in HT than NT cerebral arteries. Our first series of experiments examined the functional contribution of BK channel activity to vascular tone in pressurized (60 mmHg) cerebral arteries from NT control (systolic pressure = 124 ± 4 mmHg) and HT rats (systolic pressure = 213 ± 7 mmHg; Figure 1). As shown previously (23, 24), the BK channel-specific inhibitor Ibtx (300 nM) (25) caused a robust constriction of pressurized arteries from NT controls (16% ± 2 %; n = 5 arteries), which is consistent with BK channel activity opposing vasoconstriction. In contrast, pressurized arteries from HT animals constricted weakly to Ibtx (5% ± 2 %; P < 0.05, n = 5 arteries). To test that the diminished capacity of HT arteries to constrict to Ibtx did not reflect an inability of these arteries to constrict, we examined the effects of 60 mM KCl on NT and HT vascular tone. We found that 60 mM KCl evoked significant constrictions of equal magnitude (P < 0.05) in NT (70.8% ± 3.3%; n = 5) and HT (65.6% ± 1.8%; n = 5) (Figure 1c). These data indicate that the weak constrictions induced by Ibtx in HT arteries were not due to these arteries being unable to respond to contractile stimuli. Taken together, our data support the hypothesis that decreased BK channel activity occurs during hypertension.
HT cerebral arteries are less sensitive to Ibtx than NT cerebral arteries. (a) Representative arterial diameter records from pressurized (60 mmHg) NT (black) and HT (red) arteries before and after the application of Ibtx (300 nM). Before the addition of Ibtx, the diameter of the HT and NT pressurized arteries were, respectively, 87 μm (passive diameter = 146 μm) and 130 μm (passive diameter = 148 μm). (b) Mean ± SEM of Ibtx-induced constriction in NT and HT arteries. (c) Mean ± SEM of KCl-induced (60 mM) constriction in NT and HT arteries. *P < 0.05.
Uncoupling of Ca2+ sparks and BK channels in HT arterial myocytes. One possible mechanism for reducing BK channel activity in HT arteries is a decrease in smooth muscle Ca2+ spark activity. Therefore, we examined Ca2+ sparks and BK currents in isolated cerebral arterial smooth muscle cells. Figure 2a illustrates representative line-scan confocal images of Ca2+ sparks from NT and HT myocytes. The rates of spontaneous Ca2+ sparks were similar in NT and HT cells (3.07 ± 0.18 Hz, n = 6 vs. 3.03 ± 0.16 Hz, n = 6; P > 0.05) in voltage-clamped myocytes (holding potential = –40 mV). Interestingly, the amplitude of Ca2+ sparks in HT cells was larger than in NT cells (1.63 ± 0.01 F/F0, n = 707 vs. 1.71 ± 0.01 F/F0, n = 668; P < 0.05). In addition, Ca2+ sparks in HT cells decayed slower than in NT cells; the average time for a Ca2+ spark to decay to 50% of its amplitude in HT and NT cells was 91.1 ± 3.9 ms and 63.9 ± 3.18 ms, respectively (P < 0.05, n = 75). These data show that a decrease in Ca2+ spark activity cannot account for the decreased BK channel activity observed in HT arteries.
Reduced coupling between Ca2+ sparks and BK channels in HT arterial myocytes. (a) Representative line-scan images of Ca2+ sparks from NT and HT myocytes (left side). The traces to the right show the time course of [Ca2+]i in the regions of the images delimited by the bars located at the end of each line-scan image. (b) Simultaneous BK current (top; HP = –40 mV) and Ca2+ sparks (bottom) recordings from NT and HT myocytes. In all cases, Ca2+ sparks had an associated BK current. However, on occasion, a Ca2+ spark outside the imaged area would evoke a BK current (e.g., the fifth BK current from left in NT cell). Dashed lines indicate the mean pA or F/F0 (as appropriate) for each representative trace. (c) Relationship between BK current and Ca2+ spark amplitudes in NT (circles; 46 sparks from 6 cells) and HT (triangles; 41 sparks from 6 cells) myocytes. Data for this plot were obtained from traces similar to those shown in b. The smooth lines represent the best linear regression fits using a least-squares routine. The slope of the line used to fit the NT and HT data was, respectively, 112.4 ± 26.8 and 43.2 ± 9.2 pA/Ca2+ (F/F0). (d) Coupling strength (BK current amplitude divided by Ca2+ spark amplitude) in NT and HT myocytes. *P < 0.05.
We therefore considered the alternative hypothesis that the efficiency with which Ca2+ sparks activate BK currents is diminished during hypertension. To test this, we performed simultaneous measurements of Ca2+ sparks and BK currents in control and HT cerebral arterial myocytes (Figure 2b). Measurements were performed at the physiologic holding potential (HP) of –40 mV (8) using the whole-cell patch clamp technique in the perforated-patch configuration. In agreement with previous work (10), Ca2+ spark and BK current amplitudes were highly correlated in NT arterial smooth muscle cells. However, note that in HT cells, Ca2+ sparks of similar amplitude to those observed in NT cells evoked smaller BK currents (Figure 2c). Indeed, the mean transient BK current amplitude for a given Ca2+ spark was approximately 50% lower in HT cells than in control cells (Figure 2d). Interestingly, the duration of BK currents at 50% of their amplitude was similar in HT (20.29 ± 1.00 ms) and NT (21.54 ± 1.02 ms) cells (P > 0.05, n = 100).
It is possible that a reduction in the number of functional BK channels could underlie the smaller BK currents observed in HT myocytes. However, we found that the number of BK channels in excised (inside-out) membrane patches from NT (n = 12) and HT (n = 15) myocytes was similar (about 3 channels per patch, P > 0.05; Figure 3d). In addition, the unitary conductance of BK channels (symmetrical 140 mM K+) in NT and HT cells was not different (265 ± 6 picosiemens, n = 5, vs. 268 ± 1 picosiemens, n = 5; P > 0.05). Thus, the smaller BK current amplitudes observed in HT myocytes results from reduced coupling efficiency between Ca2+ sparks and BK channels.
Functional and pharmacologic properties of single BK channels indicate decreased β1 subunit function in HT myocytes. (a) Ca2+sensitivity of BK channels in inside-out patches (HP = –40 mV) from NT and HT myocytes. Shown to the left are representative single BK channel records taken from NT and HT patches in the presence of 1 or 10 μM Ca2+. The bar plot to the right shows the mean ± SEM Po of BK channels in NT and HT patches at three Ca2+ concentrations. (b) Open-time analysis of BK channels in inside-out patches from NT and HT myocytes. Shown to the left are representative single BK channel records taken from NT and HT patches at +40 mV in the presence of 1 μM Ca2+. The open-time histograms of these BK channels from NT and HT myocytes are shown in the center. Histograms were fitted with a single exponential function. The bar plot to the right shows the mean ± SEM τopen of BK channels in NT and HT cells. (c) Tam (1 μM) sensitivity of BK channels in inside-out patches (HP = +40 mV; 100 nM free Ca2+) from NT and HT myocytes. Shown to the left are representative single BK channel records taken from NT and NT before and after the application of Tam. The bar plot to the right shows the mean ± SEM fold change in the Po of BK channels in NT and HT cells after the application of Tam. (d) Number of BK channels per patch. Dashed lines indicate open channels. o, open channel; c, closed channel. *P < 0.05.
Decreased β1 subunit function in HT myocytes. One plausible mechanism for reduced coupling efficiency is a decrease in the sensitivity of BK channels to activation by Ca2+. Therefore, we compared the apparent Ca2+ sensitivity of BK channels in excised patches from NT and HT myocytes. In these experiments we exposed the intracellular aspect of the BK channels to Ca2+ concentrations of 0.1, 1, and 10 μM (HP = –40 mV). Figure 3a shows that at the three Ca2+ levels examined, the Po of BK channels from HT cells was smaller than that of channels from NT cells (P < 0.05, n = 8 patches each). Indeed, at 10 μM Ca2+, the Po of BK channels from HT cells was about 50% smaller than in NT cells.
The pore-forming α subunit of the BK channel possesses intrinsic sensitivity to activation by Ca2+ (26). However, the Ca2+ sensitivity of these channels is enhanced by the presence of accessory β subunits (27–29). Cerebral arterial smooth muscle cells of β1 KO mice have BK channels with reduced Ca2+ sensitivity that are poorly coupled to Ca2+ sparks (18, 20). These mice are also HT. Thus, downregulation of the β1 subunit may underlie the changes in BK channel function observed during hypertension. We used functional and molecular approaches to test this hypothesis.
In addition to enhancing Ca2+ sensitivity, the β1 subunit modifies gating and pharmacologic features of BK channels. In the presence of the β1 subunit, open dwell times of single BK channels are increased (29). If β1 expression is decreased in HT arterial myocytes, as suggested by the decrease in Ca2+ sensitivity, then one would expect that the BK channel open times should be decreased. To test this, we examined the open times of BK channels in NT and HT myocytes by constructing open time histograms at a membrane potential of +40 mV with a free Ca2+ of 1 μM. Figure 3b shows representative single-channel recordings and respective open time histograms from NT and HT myocytes. Clearly, the open dwell times of HT BK channels are decreased relative to those of BK channels from NT arteries (9.9 ± 1.5 ms vs. 18.0 ± 2.7 ms, P < 0.05, n = 9 patches each), which is consistent with decreased expression of the β1 subunit of the BK channel in HT arteries.
The β1 subunit also confers sensitivity to acute activation of BK channels by estradiol (30) and the xenoestrogen tamoxifen (31). If the β1 subunit is downregulated as suggested by the observed decrease in BK channel open time and Ca2+ sensitivity, then BK channels should be less sensitive to acute activation by tamoxifen (Tam). Therefore, we used Tam as a pharmacologic probe to assess β1 subunit function in NT and HT arterial myocytes. We examined the Tam sensitivity of BK channels in excised patches at a membrane potential of +40 mV with 100-nM free Ca2+. Tam exposure (Figure 3c) increased the Po of BK channels from NT myocytes (4.0 ± 1.2–fold), whereas those from HT myocytes were minimally affected (1.5 ± 0.5–fold; P < 0.05, n = 5 patches each). Reduction of BK single-channel conductance by Tam resides in the pore-forming α subunit (31). Although the effect of Tam on Po was primarily limited to NT BK channels, Tam produced the same reduction in BK single-channel current amplitude in NT (7.0% ± 0.9 %) and HT (6.8% ± 0.7 %) patches (Figure 3c; P > 0.05, n = 5 each). Thus, the reduced effect of Tam on BK channel Po in HT patches did not result from the lack of Tam-BK channel interaction. From these results (decreased coupling of BK channels from Ca2+ sparks, reduced BK channel Ca2+ sensitivity, decreased open dwell time, and decreased sensitivity to activation by Tam), we conclude that, in comparison with NT arteries, β1 subunit function is reduced in HT arterial myocytes.
Downregulation of β1, but not α, mRNA during hypertension. To address the origin of the apparent reduction in β1 subunit function observed in HT arteries, we examined β1 expression at the transcriptional level by conventional RT-PCR. In these experiments, we also examined the expression the pore-forming α subunit, which has been suggested to be upregulated in other models of hypertension (32). Figure 4a demonstrates a clear reduction in the amplification of β1 transcripts with no obvious change in the α signal. To confirm these findings, we used real-time RT-PCR to determine the relative abundance (normalized to 18S RNA) of α and β1 transcripts in NT and HT arteries. Real-time RT-PCR demonstrated that in NT arteries, the relative abundance of α and β1 transcript was equal (Figure 4b; P > 0.05, n = 3 animals). In HT arteries, pore-forming α transcripts were not different from NT arteries (Figure 4b; P > 0.05, n = 3 animals), whereas β1 transcripts were approximately 65% less abundant than in NT arteries (Figure 4b; P < 0.05, n = 3 animals). These results are consistent with the apparent decrease in β1 subunit function and the lack of difference in BK channel density in excised membrane patches (see Figure 3). We conclude that the decrease in BK channel activity observed in HT arteries, including the apparent reduction in β1 subunit function, resulted from downregulation of β1 gene transcripts.
The mRNA levels of β1, but not α, are downregulated in HT cerebral arteries. (a) Conventional RT-PCR analysis of α and β1 transcript expression in NT and HT arteries. STD = 100-bp marker; NEG = nontemplate control. (b) Bar plot of the α and β1 transcript abundance in NT and HT smooth muscle as determined by real-time RT-PCR. For each sample, α and β1 amplifications were normalized to the amount of 18S RNA present. See the Methods section for all primer and probe sequences. *P < 0.05.
In this study we have presented data supporting the novel hypothesis that during Ang II–induced hypertension, downregulation of the BK channel β1 subunit results in BK channels with reduced open conformation stability and with lower sensitivity to physiologically relevant changes in [Ca2+]i. The implications of our findings are profound. First, changes in the stoichiometric composition of BK channel subunits can occur during pathologic conditions such as hypertension. Indeed, these findings raise the intriguing possibility of differential regulation of BK channel subunit expression as a mechanism for the control of vascular function. Second, decreasing expression of the β1 subunit dramatically reduces the ability of Ca2+ sparks to activate BK channels and compromises the ability of the artery to oppose increased contractile stimuli during hypertension. Third, decreased β1 function during hypertension diminishes the possibility of acute modulation of BK channels by estrogen (30).
The mechanisms by which a reduction in BK channel function may lead to increased vasoconstriction have been examined by a series of recent studies. It has been proposed that inhibition of BK channels with Ibtx (23) or inhibition of their physiologic activators, Ca2+ sparks (9), results in vascular smooth muscle depolarization thereby increasing the opening of voltage-activated L-type Ca2+ channels. The resulting increase in Ca2+ influx raises global [Ca2+]i, which causes vasoconstriction and hence contributes to increased arterial pressure. It is important to note that expression of L-type Ca2+ channels is reportedly higher in vascular smooth muscle cells of HT than in NT animals (33–35). Thus, membrane depolarization, together with an increase in voltage-activated Ca2+ channel number, could conspire to produce a large increase in global [Ca2+]i and vasoconstriction.
This is the first study to examine the role of RyR-BK channel communication and the subunit composition of BK channels in HT vascular smooth muscle. However, the Ca2+ sensitivity of single BK channels in smooth muscle of cerebral arteries and the aorta from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), a genetic model of hypertension, has been previously investigated (32, 36). These studies examined the activity of BK channels from SHR and Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY), the animals regularly used as a control for SHR. Smooth muscle cells isolated from these animals were used to record the activity of single BK channels at Ca2+ concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 10 μM. In contrast to our findings, these authors (32, 36) found an increased number of BK channels in smooth muscle cells from SHR rats compared with WKY rats. Furthermore, they found no difference in the ability of BK channels to respond to changes in [Ca2+]i. Because hypertension is a heterogeneous polygenic disorder, differences between genetic and acquired models of hypertension are not surprising (37). However, it is important that future studies examine β1 expression in SHR and WKY rats.
At present, the molecular mechanisms underlying downregulation of the β1 subunit in HT rats are unclear. One intriguing possibility is that an increase in Ang II signaling could lead to β1 downregulation. Although Ang II levels in NT and HT subjects may be comparable (38), it is important to note that in humans, an Ang I receptor polymorphism with enhanced responsiveness to Ang II (39) has been associated with essential hypertension (40). Thus, renin-Ang activity may be increased during hypertension even in the absence of elevated Ang II plasma levels. Future experiments will address the nature of the renin-Ang system regulation of β1 expression in vascular smooth muscle.
Our data clearly demonstrate that the molecular composition of BK channels is altered during hypertension. However, the exact subunit stoichiometry of BK channels in HT vascular smooth muscle cells is presently unclear. Comparison of the data shown in Figure 3 with that obtained by Brenner et al. (18) using β1 KO mice may provide some insight. We found that at –40 mV and 10 μM Ca2+, the Po of BK channels in HT cells was about 0.25 (compared with about 0.50 in NT cells). This Po is significantly larger than the value reported (Po < 0.01) by Brenner et al. (18) from β1 KO cells under similar experimental conditions. Assuming that mouse and rat BK channels have similar voltage and Ca2+ dependencies, our data suggest that not all BK channels in HT smooth muscle cells are devoid of β1. Future experiments will examine the exact subunit stoichiometry of BK channels in NT and HT vascular smooth muscle cells.
We found that Ca2+ spark activity was not depressed in smooth muscle cells from HT, Ang II-infused animals. Ca2+ spark amplitude and duration were actually greater in isolated HT smooth muscle cells (see Figure 2). However, in vivo activation of PKC by Ang II could inhibit Ca2+ sparks, thus decreasing BK channel activity (11). PKC could also inhibit voltage-gated, delayed-rectifier K+ channels (41). Thus, increased Ang II signaling could depolarize and thereby constrict vascular smooth muscle by inhibiting Ca2+ sparks, reducing β1 expression and/or inhibiting voltage-gated, delayed-rectifier K+ currents.
To conclude, the results of this study suggest a novel mechanism underlying smooth muscle dysfunction during hypertension. Our findings raise the intriguing possibility that downregulation of the β1 subunit may be an active component in the natural development of hypertension. Finally, this study indicates that increasing the sensitivity of BK channels to Ca2+, either by restoring β1 function or by increasing the intrinsic Ca2+ sensitivity of the α subunit, may be a therapeutic approach to correcting vascular dysfunction during hypertension.
We thank Stephen M. Schwartz and Patti Polinsky for help with implanting osmotic minipumps and performing blood pressure measurements. We also thank Rachel Greven for technical assistance and Scott Votaw for help with image analysis. We are also grateful to Bertil Hille and Carmen A. Ufret and Eric G. Chase for critically reading this manuscript. This work was supported by National Institute ofNeurological Disease and Stroke grant NS34905 to L.F. Santana and M.T. Nelson. Support for this study was also provided by the Totman Medical Research Trust Fund and grants HL44455 and HL63722 to M.T. Nelson.
See the related Commentary beginning on page 654.
Conflict of interest: The authors have declared that no conflict of interest exists.
Nonstandard abbreviations used: Ca2+-activated K+ (BK); global intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i); ryanodine receptor (RyR); sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR); hypertensive (HT); normotensive (NT); hydroxyethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (HEDTA); open channel probability (Po); bicarbonate-based PSS (B-PSS); iberiotoxin (Ibtx); holding potential (HP); tamoxifen (Tam); spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR); Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY).
MacMahon, S, et al. Blood pressure, stroke, and coronary heart disease. Part 1. Prolonged differences in blood pressure: prospective observational studies corrected for the regression dilution bias. Lancet. 1990. 335:765-774.
View this article via: PubMed CrossRef Google Scholar
He, J, Whelton, PK. Elevated systolic blood pressure and risk of cardiovascular and renal disease: overview of evidence from observational epidemiologic studies and randomized controlled trials. Am. Heart J. 1999. 138:211-219.
Folkow, B. Physiological aspects of primary hypertension. Physiol. Rev. 1982. 62:347-504.
View this article via: PubMed Google Scholar
Dunn, WR, Wallis, SJ, Gardiner, SM. Remodelling and enhanced myogenic tone in cerebral resistance arteries isolated from genetically hypertensive Brattleboro rats. J. Vasc. Res. 1998. 35:18-26.
Harder, DR, Smeda, J, Lombard, J. Enhanced myogenic depolarization in hypertensive cerebral arterial muscle. Circ. Res. 1985. 57:319-322.
Wellman, GC, et al. Membrane depolarization, elevated Ca2+ entry, and gene expression in cerebral arteries of hypertensive rats. Am. J. Physiol. 2001. 281:2559-2567.
Harder, DR. Pressure-dependent membrane depolarization in cat middle cerebral artery. Circ. Res. 1984. 55:197-202.
Knot, HJ, Nelson, MT. Regulation of arterial diameter and wall [Ca2+] in cerebral arteries of rat by membrane potential and intravascular pressure. J. Physiol. 1998. 508:199-209.
Nelson, MT, et al. Relaxation of arterial smooth muscle by calcium sparks. Science. 1995. 270:633-637.
Perez, GJ, Bonev, AD, Patlak, JB, Nelson, MT. Functional coupling of ryanodine receptors to KCa channels in smooth muscle cells from rat cerebral arteries. J. Gen. Physiol. 1999. 113:229-238.
Bonev, AD, Jaggar, JH, Rubart, M, Nelson, MT. Activators of protein kinase C decrease Ca2+ spark frequency in smooth muscle cells from cerebral arteries. Am. J. Physiol. 1997. 273:2090-2095.
Porter, VA, et al. Frequency modulation of Ca2+ sparks is involved in regulation of arterial diameter by cyclic nucleotides. Am. J. Physiol. 1998. 274:1346-1355.
Jaggar, JH, et al. Carbon monoxide dilates cerebral arterioles by enhancing the coupling of Ca2+ sparks to Ca2+-activated K+ channels. Circ. Res. 2002. 91:610-617.
Knaus, HG, Garcia-Calvo, M, Kaczorowski, GJ, Garcia, ML. Subunit composition of the high conductance calcium-activated potassium channel from smooth muscle, a representative of the mSlo and slowpoke family of potassium channels. J. Biol. Chem. 1994. 269:3921-3924.
Tanaka, Y, Meera, P, Song, M, Knaus, HG, Toro, L. Molecular constituents of maxi KCa channels in human coronary smooth muscle: predominant α + β subunit complexes. J. Physiol. 1997. 502:545-557.
Cox, DH, Aldrich, RW. Role of the β1 subunit in large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channel gating energetics. Mechanisms of enhanced Ca2+ sensitivity. J. Gen. Physiol. 2000. 116:411-432.
Meera, P, Wallner, M, Jiang, Z, Toro, L. A calcium switch for the functional coupling between alpha (hslo) and β subunits (Kv,Ca β) of maxi K channels. FEBS Lett. 1996. 385:127-128.
Brenner, R, et al. Vasoregulation by the β1 subunit of the calcium-activated potassium channel. Nature. 2000. 407:870-876.
Lohn, M, et al. β1-Subunit of BK channels regulates arterial wall [Ca2+] and diameter in mouse cerebral arteries. J. Appl. Physiol. 2001. 91:1350-1354.
Pluger, S, et al. Mice with disrupted BK channel β1 subunit gene feature abnormal Ca2+ spark/STOC coupling and elevated blood pressure. Circ. Res. 2000. 87:53-60.
Wiener, J, Lombardi, DM, Su, JE, Schwartz, SM. Immunohistochemical and molecular characterization of the differential response of the rat mesenteric microvasculature to angiotensin-II infusion. J. Vasc. Res. 1996. 33:195-208.
Cheng, H, et al. Amplitude distribution of calcium sparks in confocal images: theory and studies with an automatic detection method. Biophys. J. 1999. 76:606-617.
Brayden, JE, Nelson, MT. Regulation of arterial tone by activation of calcium-dependent potassium channels. Science. 1992. 256:532-535.
Knot, HJ, Standen, NB, Nelson, MT. Ryanodine receptors regulate arterial diameter and wall Ca2+ in cerebral arteries of rat via Ca2+-dependent K+ channels. J. Physiol. 1998. 508:211-221.
Galvez, A, et al. Purification and characterization of a unique, potent, peptidyl probe for the high conductance calcium-activated potassium channel from venom of the scorpion Buthus tamulus. J. Biol. Chem. 1990. 265:11083-11090.
Piskorowski, R, Aldrich, RW. Calcium activation of BKCa potassium channels lacking the calcium bowl and RCK domains. Nature. 2002. 420:499-502.
McManus, OB, et al. Functional role of the β subunit of high conductance calcium-activated potassium channels. Neuron. 1995. 14:645-650.
Dworetzky, SI, et al. Phenotypic alteration of a human BK (hSlo) channel by hSlobeta subunit coexpression: changes in blocker sensitivity, activation/relaxation and inactivation kinetics, and protein kinase A modulation. J. Neurosci. 1996. 16:4543-4550.
Nimigean, CM, Magleby, KL. The β subunit increases the Ca2+ sensitivity of large conductance Ca2+-activated potassium channels by retaining the gating in the bursting states. J. Gen. Physiol. 1999. 113:425-440.
Valverde, MA, et al. Acute activation of Maxi-K channels (hSlo) by estradiol binding to the β subunit. Science. 1999. 285:1929-1931.
Dick, GM, Rossow, CF, Smirnov, S, Horowitz, B, Sanders, KM. Tamoxifen activates smooth muscle BK channels through the regulatory β1 subunit. J. Biol. Chem. 2001. 276:34594-34599.
Liu, Y, Hudetz, AG, Knaus, HG, Rusch, NJ. Increased expression of Ca2+-sensitive K+ channels in the cerebral microcirculation of genetically hypertensive rats: evidence for their protection against cerebral vasospasm. Circ. Res. 1998. 82:729-737.
Pratt, PF, Bonnet, S, Ludwig, LM, Bonnet, P, Rusch, NJ. Upregulation of L-type Ca2+ channels in mesenteric and skeletal arteries of SHR. Hypertension. 2002. 40:214-219.
Rusch, NJ, Hermsmeyer, K. Calcium currents are altered in the vascular muscle cell membrane of spontaneously hypertensive rats. Circ. Res. 1988. 63:997-1002.
Cox, RH, Lozinskaya, IM. Augmented calcium currents in mesenteric artery branches of the spontaneously hypertensive rat. Hypertension. 1995. 26:1060-1064.
England, SK, Wooldridge, TA, Stekiel, WJ, Rusch, NJ. Enhanced single-channel K+ current in arterial membranes from genetically hypertensive rats. Am. J. Physiol. 1993. 264:1337-1345.
Sharma, P, et al. A genome-wide search for susceptibility loci to human essential hypertension. Hypertension. 2000. 35:1291-1296.
Sim, MK, Qui, XS. Angiotensins in plasma of hypertensive rats and human. Regul. Pept. 2003. 111:179-182.
van Geel, PP, et al. Angiotensin II type 1 receptor A1166C gene polymorphism is associated with an increased response to angiotensin II in human arteries. Hypertension. 2000. 35:717-721.
Wang, WY, Zee, RY, Morris, BJ. Association of angiotensin II type 1 receptor gene polymorphism with essential hypertension. Clin. Genet. 1997. 51:31-34.
Hayabuchi, Y, Standen, NB, Davies, NW. Angiotensin II inhibits and alters kinetics of voltage-gated K+ channels of rat arterial smooth muscle. Am. J. Physiol. 2001. 281:2480-2489.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2509
|
__label__cc
| 0.586208
| 0.413792
|
Purdue team’s magically delicious entry wins Rube Goldberg
Purdue engineering team takes college division of annual competition devoted to making the simplest tasks as complicated as possible
Purdue team’s magically delicious entry wins Rube Goldberg Purdue engineering team takes college division of annual competition devoted to making the simplest tasks as complicated as possible Check out this story on jconline.com: https://on.jconline.com/2HUiFsH
, Journal & Courier Published 2:04 p.m. ET April 23, 2018 | Updated 2:38 p.m. ET April 23, 2018
Members of the Purdue Society of Professional Engineers stand next to their entry in the 2018 Rube Goldberg Machine Contest college division at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry.(Photo: Photo provided/Jared Pike)
CHICAGO – How many hours does it take to pour a proper, competition-winning bowl of Lucky Charms?
Try 3,300 hours, says the Purdue Society of Professional Engineers, a crew that took first place Sunday in the 2018 Rube Goldberg Machine Contest college division at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry, according to a release Monday from the university.
The competition, which originated at Purdue in the 1950s, features teams trying to make a simple task as complicated as possible in the vein of cartoonist Rube Goldberg. The national competition that evolved from the test of engineering feats between Purdue teams started in the 1980s.
The winning entry included dozens of steps on a medieval-themed set that revolved three times. You need to see it to fully understand:
On Sunday, the Purdue chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers also received third place in the college division, with a spy-themed machine.
Members of Purdue’s Association of Mechanical and Electrical Technologists won a special award from the event’s sponsor, General Mills, for the most innovative final step of pouring the bowl of cereal. Association of Mechanical and Electrical Technologists students created a primitive hydraulic arm out of wood and syringes, which lifted and turned a Cheerios box.
Reach Dave Bangert at 765-420-5258 or at dbangert@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @davebangert.
More From Around Greater Lafayette:
Bangert: No charges after scared homeowner shot ‘wonderful dog’ in Lafayette
Take a Virtual Tour: Unique Lafayette country home with log cabin design
Chicago felon charged with Lafayette shooting
Homeless man accused of robbery and battery
Read or Share this story: https://on.jconline.com/2HUiFsH
Shots fired; wounded man brought to clinic at 26th and Ferry
Purdue's Mitch Daniels launches T-shirts with his likeness into Mackey Arena crowd
How a Lafayette car salesman once had Elvis’ last Harley-Davidson, now worth $800K
Immigrant man charged with child molesting
Online buyers turn out to be armed robbers
Officers arrest man suspected of shooting at neighbor
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2510
|
__label__cc
| 0.682996
| 0.317004
|
The Kingdom Fellowship Marriage Ministry was established with one purpose in mind: to help married couples achieve happy, healthy, and Christ-centered relationships.
brothers for christ Men’s ministry
The Kingdom Fellowship Men’s Ministry was established to lift the men of our church—Mind, Body, and Spirit—to their rightful spiritual position through Biblical preaching, teaching, and fellowship. Its mission is to empower our men to become better husbands, fathers, partners, family members, disciples, stewards, and leaders.
The Women’s Ministry of Kingdom Fellowship strives to minister to the whole woman—attending to her physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional needs—by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. It seeks to build up and encourage all women, nurturing and sustaining their spiritual growth, so that they may better serve by living God’s word, experiencing His fullness in every area of their lives, and expanding the Kingdom in their families, workplaces, and communities.
The Kingdom Fellowship Young Adult Ministry is about connecting and empowering a generation to impact and influence every aspect of life.
We encourage our youth to participate in our children’s and teen choirs, youth step and dance teams, spoken word and drama ministries, small groups, and more.
[pdf-embedder url="https://www.kingdom.global/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/KF-2020-Financial-Devotional-PRINT.pdf" title="KF 2020 Financial Devotional"]
8:00AM, 10:00AM & 12:00PM
Tuesday Night Bible Study
Kingdom Fellowship A.M.E. Church
12101 Tech Road
Download Our App Today Click Here!
Questions? Contact us via email at: Webmaster@Kingdom.Global
Copyright © 2020 · All Rights Reserved · Kingdom Fellowship Church
Site by Myriad Media, Inc.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2516
|
__label__wiki
| 0.601084
| 0.601084
|
GOLDEN LILIES
Letters of increasing brilliance and complexity by a Chinese mother at the turn of the century. Kwei-li's husband--educated in England and America--travels often and far from the young bride's home in Soochow, and so she writes him many sighing letters describing home life, the gardens, her longing for him, and her life with his mother, the August One. Kwei-li is proud of her little bound feet (""golden lilies""), which might fit into a teacup and which ensure her helpless femininity. But life sweeps through the courtyard. Poor relatives show up for rice; her baby son gets typhus and dies; and much of the heart goes out of her. Were this all, this book could be left safely on the shelf. But the letters pick up, after a gap of 25 years, and are now addressed to the far off August One and describe the amazing cultural and economic changes wrought by foreigners. China is dissolving before Kwei-li's eyes. Her own daughter--at her father's request--has not had her feet bound and now in a single stride covers five times the ground her mother covers beside her--which humiliates Kwei-li--and the daughter wants to become a doctor! A son breaks off his education abroad, returns to work for the revolution. And stuffed with Western ways, he asks his mother's help in courting a nubile neighbor; Kwei-li, aghast at being denied her proper role in arranging her son's marriage, agrees reluctantly, later is overjoyed at her prospective daughter-in-law. Then her son is arrested, convicted of throwing an assassin's bomb, and released when the true assassin is found. Throughout all this, Kwei-li's X-ray vision works at full intensity in showing the vomitous mores of Western women, the greed of their men, the ambitions of invading Japanese businessmen. Her vision is rinsed forever of its ghosts of time past. Light tea that darkens bitterly in the cup.
Pub Date: Nov. 1st, 1990
Publisher: Viking
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2519
|
__label__wiki
| 0.54807
| 0.54807
|
Revision as of 00:54, 3 June 2009 by Bbjoring (Talk | contribs)
Article in Adult Fiction, African American, Big Read, Historical, and Themes categories.
“Love is lak de sea. It's uh movin' thing, but still and all, it takes its shape from de shore it meets, and it's different with every shore." (Chapter 20)
1 Ways to experience the story of Their Eyes Were Watching God
2 About the Author
3 Other Works by Zora Neale Hurston
4 Other novels with Southern settings
5 Harlem Renaissance
6 Hurricanes
7 Share the Their Eyes Were Watching God experience with younger readers
7.1 Young Adult Fiction
7.2 Young Adult Non-Fiction
7.3 Juvenile Picture Books
Ways to experience the story of Their Eyes Were Watching God
Read it: We have copies of the novel in the Adult fiction section
Listen to it: We have audio versions on tape and CD
Watch it: We have the movie on DVD
One of eight children, Zora Neale Hurston was born in Notasulga, Alabama on January 7, 1891. At a young age, her family moved to Eatonville, Florida, the first all African-American town to be incorporated in the United States. Eatonville is where Hurston spent most of her childhood. Her father later became mayor of the town, which Zora would glorify in her stories as a place black Americans could live as they desired, independent of white society. Hurston was offered a scholarship to Barnard College where she received her B.A. in anthropology in 1927. While she was at Barnard, she conducted ethnographic research under her advisor, the noted anthropologist Franz Boas of Columbia University. Hurston applied her ethnographic training to document African American folklore in her critically acclaimed book Mules and Men (1935) along with fictional stories like Their Eyes Were Watching God. (see Wikipedia entry)
Other Works by Zora Neale Hurston
Complete Stories
Dust Tracks on a Road
Every Tongue Got to Confess
Folklore, Memoirs, and Other Writings
I Love Myself When I am Laughing...and Then Again When I am Looking Mean
Jonah’s Gourd Vine: A Novel
Lies and Other Tales
Moses, Man of the Mountain
Mule Bone
Tell My Horse: Voodoo and Life in Haiti & Jamaica
Zora Neal Hurston: A Life in Letters
“Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board.” (Chapter 1)
Other novels with Southern settings
The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
Sisters Nettie and Celie, the former a missionary in Africa, the latter a southern woman trapped in an unhappy marriage, share their thoughts and experiences throughout a thirty-year correspondence. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize.
The Awakening, by Kate Chopin
The novel is set in and around New Orleans, Louisiana. The novel’s protagonist, Edna Pontellier, is forever altered by the free-spirited culture she encounters on Grand Isle.
The Known World, by Edward Jones
This debut novel is set in 1840’s Manchester County, Virginia.
Mudbound, by Hillary Jordan
This novel won the 2006 Bellwether Prize. The story takes place in the Mississippi Delta. It eloquently tells the story of struggling farm life in 1940s America.
Beloved, by Toni Morrison
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Beloved is the haunting tale of Sethe, an escaped slave.
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, by Carson McCullers
This novel is set in a small mill town in Georgia. It tells the triumphs and struggles of its small-town inhabitants.
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
This coming of age story set in Alabama was the 2008 Big Read selection.
The Sound and the Fury, by William Faulkner
The Optimist's Daughter, by Eudora Welty
In the 1920s, the Harlem, New York community became the economic, political, and cultural center of black America. Various literary and artistic works were created celebrating the African-American experience. Zora Neale Hurston was closely associated with this movement, known as the Harlem Renaissance. If you’re interested in this time period, here are a few further examples of Harlem Renaissance writers:
Cane, by Jean Toomer
Home to Harlem, by Claude McKay
Quicksand, by Nella Larsen
The Ways of White Folks, by Langston Hughes
Any Place But Here, by Arna Bontemps
Collected Poems of Sterling A. Brown
My Soul’s High Song: The Collected Writings of Countee Cullen, Voice of the Harlem Renaissance
The Chinaberry Tree: A Novel of American Life, by Jessie Redmon Faust
The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, by James W. Johnson
Quicksand and *Passing, by Nella Larsen
"Mama exhorted her children at every opportunity to jump at de sun. We might not land on
the sun, but at least we would get off the ground." Zora Neale Hurston from Dust Tracks on
the Road -- her autobiography
"They sat in company with the others in other shanties, their eyes straining against crude walls and their souls asking if He meant to measure their puny might against His. They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God." (chapter 18)
Hurricanes have grabbed the headlines in recent memory, with the devastating destruction of Hurricane Katrina. Closer to home, in 1969, Hurricane Camille destroyed Nelson and southern Albemarle Counties. Here are some stories of their aftermath.
Torn Land, by Paige Shoaf Simpson Roar of the Heavens, by Stefan Bechtel Category 5: The Story of Camille, Lessons Unlearned from America's Most Violent Hurricane, by Ernest Zebrowski 1 Dead in Attic, by Chris Rose
Quick Fact -- According to her autobiography, Zora Neale Hurston wrote Their
Eyes Were Watching God in seven weeks while she was conducting ethnographic fieldwork in
Haiti and recovering from a failed romance. The circumstances were hardly promising,
but the novel, published in September 1937, almost exactly a year after she arrived in
Port-au-Prince, is considered by some to be her masterpiece. (Barbara Johnson, “Metaphor,
Metonymy, and Voice in Their Eyes Were Watching God,” in A World of Difference 1987.)
Share the Their Eyes Were Watching God experience with younger readers
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, by Gary D. Schmidt If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period, by Gennifer Choldenko The Legend of Buddy Bash and The Return of Buddy Bash, by Shelia P. Moses
Sorrow’s Kitchen: The Life and Folklore of Zora Neale Hurston, by Mary Lyons Rhythm & Folklore: The Story of Zora Neale Hurston, by Kerrily Sapet Juvenile Literature: The Skull Talks Back and Other Haunting Tales, by Zora Neale Hurston Roll of Thunder Hear Me Cry, by Mildred Taylor Her Stories, by Virginia Hamilton Ain’t Nothin’ But a Man, by Scott Reynolds Nelson
Juvenile Picture Books
Roy Makes a Car, by Mary Lyons—based on a story collected by Zora Neale Hurston The Other Side, by Jacqueline Woodson White Socks Only, by Evelyn Coleman Dear Willie Rudd, by Libba Moore Gray
Retrieved from "https://www.jmrl.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Their_Eyes_Were_Watching_God&oldid=2970"
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2522
|
__label__wiki
| 0.871208
| 0.871208
|
Roster shuffle coming for Maple Leafs
Lance Hornby, Postmedia News (lhornby@postmedia.com)
Published: Dec 13, 2019 at 9:44 p.m.
Updated: Dec 14, 2019 at 11 a.m.
Maple Leafs’ John Tavares takes a shot on Flames goalie David Rittich on Thursday in Calgary. Tavares’ line was on the ice for two of Calgary’s three goals during a rally in the third period. Derek Leung/Getty Images
EDMONTON — This was the shortest part of a four-game, week-long road trip, but the narrative changed in a hurry for the Maple Leafs.
Between here and Calgary, site of Thursday’s late-game letdown, coach Sheldon Keefe is pondering a couple of lineup tweaks when it seemed he’d settled on something permanent and on the verge of a seventh win in 10 games. Toronto survived a shaky second period against the Flames then gave up three in less than three minutes, the first time all season its lost a game with a second period lead (11-1-2).
Part of the changes for Saturday’s game against the Oilers were based on winger Trevor Moore being close to activation from a shoulder injury, which resulted in Nic Petan shifted to the Marlies roster Friday for the time being. But Keefe detected enough back slide that he’ll turn to fourth liner Frederik Gauthier after sitting four straight games.
“It’s looking that way, we have some decisions,” Keefe said after Friday at a practice rink opposite the Oilers’ workout at Rogers Place. “The Goat’s back in for sure, but I’m not sure about the rest.”
When he does return, Moore will restore a two-way winger to the lineup, but likely won’t out-score some of the forwards such as Kasperi Kapanen and Ilya Mikheyev. Yet Keefe has moved those two around recently in a joint attempt to get them goals and get more from Auston Matthews and William Nylander.
Gauthier would likely bump 36-year-old Jason Spezza for at least a game to give the veteran a break.
The best line for the Leafs of late is the reunited and rejuvenated Zach Hyman, John Tavares and Mitch Marner, yet they were on the ice for two of the goals in Calgary’s rally and were part of the 5-on-3 power play that clanked the post, but was otherwise stymied by the Flames for a minute and a half. A Friday video session and an upbeat team meeting went a long way to flushing the game.
Connor McDavid and the Oilers, smarting from a third straight loss on Thursday in Minnesota, want to reverse what have been three strong starts for the Leafs on their trip. Toronto can’t get cute on offence and see the Oilers sweep back in transition.
“We have to know the game, the score and just manage the puck better,” said Matthews. “A couple of times (in Calgary) we got caught trying to make a bit of a hope play.
“We have to find that happy medium where if we’re up a goal or two in the third period, maybe not try to make the perfect play. Sometimes you have to learn to fight another day, chip the puck in and forecheck.”
STANDING ON GUARD
Give Michael Hutchinson credit for coming to work with a smile on his face as another day of uncertainty about his next start came and went.
He works diligently with goalie coach Steve Briere and does all the video work that Frederik Andersen does to prep for the next opponent.
“You’re always looking for your next opportunity, but for myself it’s not looking too far,” Hutchinson said. “You stay ready, turn practices into games and try not to develop bad habits. Do that and you gain the respect of the guys on the team.”
Not that he hasn’t already. The players know they’ve played some of their worst hockey for the back-to-backs that feature Hutchinson, whose record is 0-5-1. But an .876 save percentage is also indicative of him yet to steal a game for the Leafs.
In confirming Andersen would play against the Oilers — hard to imagine not putting their marquee goalie against McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on Hockey Night — Keefe revealed he’d wanted Hutchinson to go Thursday in Calgary. But Andersen’s heroics in Vancouver two days earlier altered that. The closing half of a back to back against Colorado on Dec. 4 was also on Hutchinson’s schedule until Andersen lobbied Keefe for another chance after losing the first game in Philadelphia.
“We have time off today and Freddy’s workload hasn’t been that great this week, so we’re going back with him,” Keefe said.
LOOSE LEAFS
Saturday is a rare in-season chance for Leafs defenceman Travis Dermott to see childhood pal McDavid from the York/Simcoe Express. As 8-year-olds, their fathers coached the team. Dermott recalled inviting McDavid to hang out at his house. “He said he couldn’t sleep over because he had to stay home and stickhandle,” Demott said in an earlier interview. “Little things like that sort of set him apart at a young age” … There was a scary moment for Reid Mitchell, the Leafs’ director of hockey and scouting operations on Thursday in Calgary. His small computer tablet slipped off the edge of the narrow press box ledge and fell a couple of hundred feet to the seats below. Thankfully, it was an hour before the game in the near empty Saddledome. “I’d just finished a scouting report,” Mitchell said. “But looking at the screen (reduced to shattered glass with squiggly lines), I didn’t have to worry about anyone reading it” … The Leafs invited local MacEwen University hockey goalie Marc-Olivier Daigle out as their third practice netminder on Friday.
Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2019
On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to recommend the Journal Pioneer?
More hockey stories
Vegas Golden Knights at Canadiens: Five things you should know
Edmonton Oilers Game Day: Taylor Hall back in unexpected return
Cirelli gets 1st hat trick, Lightning throttle Jets
Crosby's OT goal lifts Penguins over Red Wings
Hey, remember Ryan Tannehill, the guy who saved the Titans season? He's here, too
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2525
|
__label__wiki
| 0.942322
| 0.942322
|
Black bear escapes, forces lockdown at Columbus Zoo
Posted: 9:37 AM, Jun 25, 2016
Copyright Getty Images
Wolfgang Kaehler
<p>ALASKA, UNITED STATES - 2015/08/24: American black bear (Ursus americanus) feeding on salmon eggs (roe) at creek at Neets Bay fish hatchery, Behm Canal in Southeast Alaska near Ketchikan, USA. (Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)</p>
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Zoo officials in Ohio say a black bear cub briefly escaped its enclosure before being corralled and sedated.
A spokeswoman says the Columbus Zoo was put on lockdown Saturday morning for a few minutes until workers could contain the bear.
She says two black bear cubs were being moved into a new habitat when one of them somehow got out of the enclosure.
The cub was within an area accessible to the public, but spokeswoman Patty Peters says she didn't know yet whether it came close to visitors.
Workers were able to contain the bear within 15 minutes after the first alert went out.
Just a month ago, a response team at the Cincinnati Zoo shot and killed a 400-pound gorilla after a boy got inside its enclosure.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2535
|
__label__wiki
| 0.988521
| 0.988521
|
Fresh Evidence Relating To Cambridge Analytica And Brexit Campaign Published By DCMS Committee
30 July 2019, 15:06 | Updated: 30 July 2019, 18:47
DCMS Committee chair Damian Collins MP published new evidence provided by Brittany Kaiser, the former Director of Business Development for Cambridge Analytica. Picture: LBC / Getty
The government's sub-committee on disinformation has published fresh evidence from a key figure within the data firm Cambridge Analytica, drawing further attention to its connections to the Leave.EU campaign and political party Ukip.
The Chair of the UK's sub-committee on disinformation has published fresh evidence that shows the relationships between Ukip and the Leave.EU campaign, and the British firm embroiled in a privacy row after it was revealed it harvested data from more than 50 million Facebook profiles in a data breach.
Conservative MP Damian Collins published a dossier of emails from Brittany Kaiser, a former Director of Business Development at Cambridge Analytica, of the communications between CEO Alexander Nix and Arron Banks, the co-founder of Leave.EU.
It comes after Netflix premiered a documentary centred around Ms Kaiser sheds light on the British data-firm's involvement in both the 2016 US Presidential Election which elected Donald Trump and the Brexit campaign.
- Who Are Cambridge Analytica: Everything You Need To Know
The Netflix documentary, The Great Hack, lays out the ways in which Cambridge Analytica - which went into liquidation last year - used data from Facebook users in order to categorise them in order to best target political advertising ahead of the 2016 US Presidential election.
It also highlighted the firms involvement in other election campaigns across the world, including in Thailand (1997), Trinidad and Tobago (2009), India (2010), Colombia (2011), Italy (2012), Malaysia (2013), and Argentina (2015).
But while the firm previously denied involvement with the Leave.EU campaign, the documentary - and the evidence released by Mr Collins - shows communications between the two and political party Ukip.
And in light of the new evidence, Ian Lucas, who sits on the DCMS committee called for the Electoral Commission to re-open their investigation into the Leave.EU campaign.
The EC should re-open their investigation into LeaveEU in view of the additional evidence from Brittany Kaiser via @CommonsCMS
— Ian Lucas MP (@IanCLucas) July 30, 2019
The evidence dump from Mr Collins includes a cover letter from Ms Kaiser, in which she asks the committee to "reach new conclusions" about whether Cambridge Analytica did any work for the Leave.EU campaign.
"As multiple enquiries found that no work was done, I would like to appeal those decisions with further evidence that should hopefully help you and your colleagues reach new conclusions," she wrote.
"As you can see with the evidence outlined below and attached here, chargeable work was completed for Ukip and Leave.EU, and I have strong reasons to believe that those datasets and analysed data processed by Cambridge Analytica as part of a Phase 1 payable work engagement were later used by the Leave.EU campaign without Cambridge Analytica's further assistance."
This directly contradicts statements by Mr Banks and Mr Nix both to parliament that Cambridge Analytica did no work for the campaign.
The documentary also shows footage of Ms Kaiser speaking at a Leave.EU press briefing in 2015, alongside the campaign co-founders Mr Banks and Richard Tice.
We have just published new evidence from Brittany Kaiser relating to Cambridge Analytica, UKIP and Leave EU - you can read them all here @CommonsCMS https://t.co/2LjfJiozO6 #TheGreatHack
— Damian Collins (@DamianCollins) July 30, 2019
Speaking to the BBC in 2017, Mr Nix said Cambridge Analytica had "absolutely no involvement" with the Leave EU campaign, adding: "We did not do any paid or unpaid work for Brexit".
Liberal Democrats to announce new leader in July
Labour leadership candidates plead for 'unity' at hustings in Liverpool
Australia wildfires: Floods follows flames as warnings put in place
40-stone Islamic State leader Abu Abdul Bari arrested in Iraq and taken away in truck because he was too heavy for car
Northern Ireland: why the reinstating of government is so significant
Sinn Fein agree to draft deal to bring back powersharing in Nothern Ireland
Iran missiles: How will President Trump respond to military base attacks?
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2550
|
__label__cc
| 0.508022
| 0.491978
|
Thieves run off with clothes after CCTV shows them breaking into house
The footage is clear as day
CCTV footage has captured the moment three thieves break into a house through a window near Boston.
The trio targeted a house in Boston Road at 5.17pm on Wednesday, December 11 before prising the window open.
However, they probably didn’t realise every move was being captured on a CCTV camera.
The footage shows three people walking up to the house wearing baseball caps and hoods.
Police warning after eggs thrown at houses and moving cars near Lincoln
Man grabs another's throat in Wetherspoons pub after row turns nasty
They can also be seen to have gloves on their hands and all have their faces covered as well.
After a while spent trying to get the window open, the men remove what appears to be a plant from the windowsill before they take it in turns to climb in.
The footage stops thereafter but police say the trio made off with several items of clothing and fled the scene at 5.25pm.
An investigation is now underway into the theft with police keen to track down the three people involved.
A spokesperson for the force said: “We would like to speak to these people following a burglary in Kirton.
“At 5.17pm on Wednesday, December 11, three people entered a property on Boston Road.
“Following a search of the property they left at 5.25pm, having stolen several items of clothing.”
Anyone with any information can contact police in the following ways:
Call 101, quoting Incident 398 of December 11;
Email force.control@lincs.pnn.police.uk quoting Incident 398 of December 11 in the Subject line;
Contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2560
|
__label__cc
| 0.531737
| 0.468263
|
How to Find a Business Lawyer: 5 Crucial Steps to Follow
Written by Melissa Wylie Melissa Wylie
Melissa Wylie
Melissa Wylie is a writer for LendingTree
Navigating legal issues as a small business owner can be tricky, and any missteps could have major consequences. A business attorney could not only help if you’re being sued, but they could try to prevent a lawsuit in the first place.
“Folks need to understand the legal landscape can be complicated,” said Jon Jordan, a business attorney at Robinson Bradshaw in Charlotte, N.C.
Continue reading to learn more about how hiring a small business lawyer could benefit your company and how you can find the right match.
When do you need a small business attorney?
Working with a small business lawyer from the get-go could ensure a smooth start for your business. Attorneys can help you form your business and set up an entity, such as a limited liability company, partnership or corporation. An attorney can help you draft agreements that would help you settle conflicts, such as dissolution or partner disagreements, he said.
Once the business is formed, an attorney could handle legal matters, including filing a lawsuit on your behalf or representing you in a dispute. Attorneys could also assist with internal business matters like employee relations. They could provide guidance for hiring or firing employees to help you avoid a discrimination lawsuit. You could also ask them to review agreements for contract workers or advise you on employment laws and IRS guidelines.
When you consider contracts, a business lawyer could make sure you don’t sign any documents that could put your business at risk. An attorney would suggest adding certain clauses and language to protect you if the other party breaches the contract.
They could also help you map the business’s future. If you plan to sell your business, an attorney could complete a valuation of the company, write acquisition and purchase agreements, and transfer permits and licenses. On the flip side, they could help with an acquisition if you decide to purchase another business.
When you exit the company, an attorney could assist with succession planning. Even if you don’t expect to leave the business for years, they could put a strategy in place to account for unexpected events.
Building a relationship would give you an expert to lean on, Jordan said. As an attorney becomes more familiar with your business, they would be better suited to provide strategic guidance and legal defense.
How to hire a business attorney
When searching for outside legal counsel, take the time to find the right match for your business. Follow these steps to ensure you hire an attorney who can manage your business’s needs.
Do background research
Look for a business lawyer with experience in your field, especially if you operate in a highly regulated industry like health care, Jordan said. Some things vary from city to city, like real estate regulations, so you may need to hire an attorney who works in your immediate area, he said.
Review an attorney’s biography and professional experience — information you can likely find online — and consider checking their LinkedIn profile. Look for terms such as business law, corporate law, emerging growth, startups, tax or mergers and acquisitions to get a sense of their experience in the field.
If you hire an attorney to handle a specific issue, you may need to hire another attorney if a different problem surfaces later, Jordan said.
“Every problem you have is not going to necessarily be in the wheelhouse of the attorney,” he said.
Set up a meeting
Most attorneys will take an introductory call or meeting at no cost to hear you out, Jordan said. That first meeting would help you and the attorney determine if the relationship would be a good fit, or if you should consider a different lawyer or firm.
“For most attorneys, that’s just part of developing business and meeting people,” Jordan said. “Most of the time, people will have that conversation with you without charging.”
During the preliminary meeting, ask about the attorney’s or firm’s experience working with businesses similar to yours. Consider asking who would handle the bulk of your legal work, whether it would be the attorney themselves or associates, paralegals or interns. It may not be a deciding factor, but it wouldn’t hurt to know who would be dealing with your files.
Be prepared to discuss the details of your business
A prospective business attorney would need to gather information about your business before deciding to take you on as a client, so be prepared to share details. An attorney would want to understand your business plan, as well as how the business operates from day to day, Jordan said.
Your short-term and long-term goals would also be important to the attorney, he said, as they could determine how those goals would affect the company’s overall growth. Any concerns you have about the business would be useful to an attorney as well, Jordan said.
“All of that is going to help you get the best advice,” he said.
Review billing and fee structures
When considering an attorney, understand how they bill clients and what the expectations would be for making payments. Most attorneys bill by the hour, Jordan said, but other fee structure could be available:
Flat fee: Lawyers may charge a flat fee for simple projects and services. The costs of services required to set up a business entity, such as a corporation or LLC, are often packaged together and priced at a flat fee. Attorneys could also bundle services for projects like starting a new business because they already know what the task would entail.
Retainer fee: An attorney may ask for a monthly retainer fee, which allows you to pay in advance for services you would need throughout the month. You could work with your attorney as needed without getting billed afterward.
The cost of services would depend on a number of factors, and it may be difficult for an attorney to give you an exact price upfront, Jordan said. The number of partners in the business or contract modifications, such as provisions outlining profit allocations among those partners, are things that would impact overall cost, he said. Make sure the attorney understands your expectations.
Are you looking for business funding? Learn more about small business loans here.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions
Transparency is key to getting the most out of your relationship with a business lawyer. Don’t hesitate to ask for clarity or more information, Jordan said.
“The only way you’re going to get the best advice from the attorney is to ask questions,” he said. “Let them know what your concerns are and what you have been thinking about, and have a conversation about those things.”
Red flags to watch out for when hiring an attorney
Before getting too far into the process of hiring an attorney, there are some signs to watch for that could indicate the attorney in question might not be the right choice.
Lack of responsiveness. When you reach out to an attorney as a prospective new client, you should hear back within a day or so, Jordan said. If they don’t have time to set up a meeting right away, an attorney should at least respond to say they received your call or email, he said.
“If someone is not being responsive to you when you’re a potential new client, then they’re not going to be responsive down the road,” he said.
Not asking you questions. You should have a back-and-forth interaction with a business attorney, especially in the early stages. As you get to know an attorney, they should equally become acquainted with you and your business, Jordan said. If you don’t have that communication and interaction early on, it may be a sign you should consider a different attorney, he said.
Hiring a business lawyer now can save you later
Business owners often hire an attorney when something goes wrong. But working with an attorney from the start can often keep you out of legal trouble, Jordan said.
Many lawyers are open to alternative fee arrangements to make their services more accessible, Jordan said. You may be able to work out a deal that would allow you to make payments in a way that works for your budget.
Although a business lawyer could provide useful guidance, there are instances when you don’t necessarily need to hire legal counsel. For instance, setting up a business doesn’t require a lawyer since you could file your articles of organization yourself to form an LLC. You may be able to consult an online service provider like LegalZoom when filing documents rather than hire an attorney.
However, it could be beneficial to hire a business attorney to handle more significant legal matters. It’s important to be open and honest with the attorney you choose to hire, Jordan said. You should be on the same page regarding the goals for the business and how you can work together to achieve them.
“It’s like most relationships,” he said. “It’s about communication.”
Get Small Business Loan Offers Customized for You Today
Compare Business Loan Offers
Select Business Type Sole Proprietorship Partnership Corporation S Corporation Limited Liability Company (LLC)
The Newbie’s Guide To Managing Small Business Finances
Minority Business Loans: 11 Top Options for Securing Minority Business Financing
Everything You Need to Know About Buying an Existing Business
Guide to Owning a Medical Practice
Business Loans Refinance Calculator
What Business Does Every Small Town Need? 10 Small Town Business Ideas
The Ultimate Guide to Starting an Event Venue Business
Hard Money Business Loans: What Are They & Should You Get One?
How to Find Small Business Grants
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2563
|
__label__cc
| 0.658574
| 0.341426
|
Management of Ocular Diseases
Eye Emergency Services in North Charleston
Eye Nutrition
NUTRITIOUS RECIPE of the MONTH
Your Eye Health Library
Glossary of Eye Care Terms
Healthy Sight
Vision Over 40
Lens Treatments
We are located on Remount Rd, North Charleston.
Home » Our Eye Care Clinic
Our Eye Care Clinic
The Leading Eye Doctors in North Charleston, SC
Lesslie Vision Care specializes in caring for all your vision needs. We handle everything from eye exams and hard-to-fit contact lenses, to computer vision problems, specialty lenses and eye surgery. By staying current with the latest developments in eye care, prescription lenses and advances in contact lens technology our vision center can provide you with the best vision, advice and fit today—and in the years to come. We take pride in building lasting relationships with our patients, which is why we take the time to get to know you, your vision requirements and your lifestyle needs. Contact our eye care clinic today to find out how we can help.
Our staff speaks English and Spanish.
Community Outreach & Charity Initiatives
It's important to give back to the community in which we live and work, which is why we are involved in a number of local outreach and charity initiatives.
Our Optometry Videos
Informative and educational Eye Health videos.
We've created our Eye Health Library, a comprehensive library of vision-related information, for you to easily browse through and find information that will help you better understand how your vision works, common eye conditions, surgeries and how your vision changes as you age.
Our eye doctors are always available to answer your questions and to provide you with all of the information that you need to make educated decisions about your eye health.
We value your input and invite you to complete our Customer Satisfaction Survey.
Charleston Flavor
There's no place on earth like Charleston. Charleston, SC was founded in 1670 in honor of King Charles II. With a rich history, well-preserved architecture, distinguished restaurants, and mannerly people, Charleston is one of the most unique cities in the United States.
Lesslie Vision Care - Located at 1370 Remount Rd, North Charleston, SC, 29406. Phone: 843-747-7663. http://www.lesslievisioncare.com/
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2565
|
__label__cc
| 0.531828
| 0.468172
|
Frances Sullivan
About LGNZ » LGNZ and EquiP team » Operations » Frances Sullivan
Pacific TA Programme Manager
Frances is the programme manager for the PacificTA programme, a local government technical assistance facility for Pacific Island Countries which has been operating since 2002 and is currently funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade until 2022. PacificTA supports local and central authorities in Pacific Island Countries to deliver more efficient and effective services at the local level.
Frances, has worked for LGNZ since 2008 primarily as a Principal Policy Advisor, before taking on the programme manager role fulltime in June 2017. Frances brings a wealth of knowledge and advice in sector advocacy and stakeholder management in the key areas of building regulation and earthquake prone building policy, climate change, emissions trading scheme, natural hazards, flood risk management, solid waste, biosecurity, biodiversity, Commonwealth Local Government Forum.
Prior to LGNZ Frances worked for Environment Canterbury as a Programme Manager for land, pests, water and air and the regulation group. Frances has GIS and remote sensing expertise which was utilised in her role as Land Resources Scientist at Environment Canterbury. She has also worked in Tanzania as a Community Development Advisor for a development association under the VSA umbrella and managed a family beef farm in South Westland.
Frances has a strong passion for travelling and enjoys reading science fiction.
Email Frances Sullivan
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2568
|
__label__wiki
| 0.735619
| 0.735619
|
Philippe Coutinho: I'm studying my Brazilian heroes to try to get better
Ronaldinho and Kaka inspiring Reds playmaker
Philippe Coutinho celebrates his goal
Philippe Coutinho has revealed how he’s been studying the qualities of his Brazilian heroes in a bid to improve his game.
The Liverpool FC playmaker, who was crowned Standard Chartered Player of the Month for December, is determined to continue the progress he’s made at Anfield since his arrival from Inter Milan two years ago.
“I am a football fanatic,” Coutinho said.
“I love everything about it, both playing and watching. During my spare time I try to watch as many games as possible.
“Or if I’m on the internet I’ll be looking at videos of players such as Ronaldinho and studying the way he played. He is one of my heroes and Kaka too.
“I try to do all I can on the training pitch to get better every day. I’ll watch DVDs of games and try to see where I did something wrong or could have made a better choice.
“I speak to the coaching staff and the manager too. Or I’ll chat to my father or my wife about my game because advice from everyone can help.”
Coutinho endured a slump in form earlier in the campaign but he never lost heart and has shown signs of getting back to his best in recent weeks.
“I’m a positive person so that helps,” he told the official Liverpool FC magazine.
“Sometimes in football you are trying your best but it doesn’t happen the way you want it to.
“To get through any bad spell in life or football you have to stick together and work hard. That is how you get to a better moment, so that’s how I approach it.
“I always approach games in a positive way because I believe it’s important if you want to be successful.”
Philippe Coutinho season stats 2014/15
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2574
|
__label__wiki
| 0.690025
| 0.690025
|
Aston Villa 1 Everton 3 (Echo)
YOU know something special is happening when Evertonians leave Villa Park with smiles on their faces.
The last time was back in 1987 and came just weeks before the Blues secured their most recent league title.
There's little chance of that feat being repeated this season.
But what David Moyes' men are on course to achieve would be equally meteoric in the context of the modern top flight - and would give Everton the chance to play in Europe's top competition for the first time since 1971.
While those of the red persuasion were focused on cup matters in Cardiff this weekend, Moyes' troops produced their most emphatic away performance of the campaign to extend their lead over Liverpool - their most likely challengers for the final Champions League place - to a whopping eight points.
"We shall not, we shall not be moved," was the chant from the magnificent away contingent of almost 6,000 fans as this contest entered its latter stages.
It is hard to argue with them. Call me mad, call me unhinged. But I have developed a crazy theory about this Everton side - that they ARE the fourth best side in the Premiership.
Wild, I know. And finding evidence to back up that assessment was difficult.
But then I stumbled across a little thing called the Premier League table - and realised maybe that bold claim isn't such a ridiculous one.
No other side outside the top three can claim to have played with the same consistency as Everton this season.
No other side outside the top three can claim to have displayed the same resilience and character.
No other side outside the top three has such a mouth-watering away record.
And no other side has gone to Villa Park and outshone David O'Leary's men so emphatically.
There were no "Champions League, ya 'avin a laff" catcalls from the Villa crowd.
Those that were left at the final whistle actually took time out from their booing of the home players to applaud Everton's lionhearts.
And rightfully so. You see, Villa don't get beaten very often in their own back yard. Before Saturday, the only teams to manage it had been Arsenal, Manchester United and fierce local rivals Birmingham in a tight encounter.
"Only Arsenal have taken them apart like that this season," was the subdued comment from one local hack in the wake of the final whistle.
Who said Everton were just about muscle, brawn and good fortune?
No side has ever found itself in fourth spot in the league with just 10 games remaining through good luck. It is time Everton received the credit they deserve.
In recent weeks there has been the suggestion that the honeymoon was over.
But on this evidence, it was simply a case of the Blues' enduring the 'blip' which, if you believe the likes of Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson, every side endures duringa campaign.
The catalyst for Everton rediscovering their best form on Saturday was undoubtedly the return of Tim Cahill.
He was compared to Robocop by Moyes earlier this month because of his ability to play on through any injury.
Maybe The Terminator would be a more fitting description. The Aussie was a dynamo, linking the play together magnificently.
Scoring the crucial second goal and playing a prominent role in the other two - which Leon Osman converted with glee as he demonstrated yet again what a handful he can be in the final third of the field.
The loss of Thomas Gravesen in January rocked Everton. And since the Dane's departure Moyes has struggled to recapture that same balance in the centre of the field.
But the equilibrium was perfect on Saturday. Cahill was the vital component, while Mikel Arteta's influence should not be underestimated.
Remember the Paul Power factor? The Spaniard distributes the ball intelligently, gets forward and - as his grapple with Lee Hendrie in the final minutes proved - he is not scared of the physical demands of the English game.
Moyes has rarely put a foot wrong in the transfer market. And it seems he has produced another gem.
In the three months before Christmas the Everton side picked itself: Martyn; Hibbert, Weir, Stubbs, Pistone; Osman, Cahill, Carsley, Gravesen, Kilbane; Bent.
Saturday was as close as Moyes has come to reproducing that side in the last month - with Arteta for the Dane and Joseph Yobo for the injured Alan Stubbs.
As a result, the play and passing was more fluent. This was the first half display against Norwich maintained for the entire 90 minutes.
The most influential players of the whole campaign were back to their best in this familiar line-up.
The midfield took a grip of the game in the first few minutes and never let it go.
And now that the yellow card amnesty has passed, the sword of Damocles is no longer hanging over Lee Carsley and Kevin Kilbane.
Elsewhere, Marcus Bent was outstanding, providing another reminder of how important he has been this season by leading the line intelligently and holding the ball up well.
He pushed Cahill close for the Man of the Match accolade.
And his tantalising chipped cross from the right edge of the area which teed up the Aussie for the second goal to restore the lead less two minutes after Nolberto Solano's equaliser deserves special praise.
That goal, and its timing, was crucial. Everton were guilty of failing to translate their first half dominance into goals.
And that failure was punished less than 20 seconds after the restart following some sloppy play at the back - the only sloppy play of the game.
A side feeling the pressure of challenging for a Champions League berth would have buckled.
But this side simply dusted themselves down, redoubled their efforts, restored the advantage and never looked back.
Cahill's goal was good. But the strike which gave Everton their first two-goal winning margin on the road since the August victory at Selhurst Park was one of the finest of the campaign.
Not surprisingly, Bent and Cahill were at the heart of it, combining to pass their way through the Villa defence before the Aussie teed up Osman for his second of the afternoon.
There could, and maybe should, have been others. Villa couldn't have complained if the winning margin had been four or even five.
But when you have waited 18 years fora victory, who cares. It was the performance, not the number of goals, which will have sent a chill down the spines of the sides in the chasing pack.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2575
|
__label__wiki
| 0.866371
| 0.866371
|
Skip to Navigation, Content, Search
Artist Categories
TV & Radio Entertainers
Comedy & Cabaret Acts
Speciality Music & Theme Nights
Corporate & Speciality
Family - Childrens Entertainers
LMG are an Entertainment Agency that represent artists and provide clients with a diverse range of entertainment.
Search for an artist or category
Enquire now Leave a review Go back
Former Professional Footballer, Football Manager, After Dinner Speaker, Guest Apperances
Martin Allen former professional footballer and manager known affectionately as 'Mad Dog' to his fans. Martin enjoyed his playing career with spells at Queens Park Rangers, West Ham United, Portsmouth and Southend United.
He has also managed a number of clubs including Barnet, Brentford, Milton Keynes Dons, Leicester City and Cheltenham Town.
Martin Allen comes from a family with a great tradition of producing footballers.
His father Dennis Allen played for Reading, Charlton Athletic and Bournemouth. He also has three cousins (Paul, Bradley and Clive) who were all players as well as an uncle. His son Charlie has also followed in the family tradition and now plays professional football.
Martin signed as a professional in 1983 making his debut for Queens Park Rangers, after a spell of 6 years he moved across London to West Ham United where he spent another 6 years. After brief spells with Portsmouth and Southend United Martin finally hung up his boots in 1999 and decided to have ago in management.
Martin Allen is a superb and very popular after dinner speaker, speaking at events up and down the country entertaining audiences with his stories from his varied career as player and manager.
To hire Martin Allen ex professional footballer as the after dinner speaker or top table guest for your next event please “enquire now” or call us on 01522 508355
Fees quoted are only an indication of what you might have to pay, and in no way constitute an offer of any kind. In some cases overnight accommodation, travel expenses and VAT may be charged in addition to the fee.
Find out more about LMG and what we have to offer.
Are you an artist or entertainer?
Why not join us and let us do the work for you.
Useful information about LMG, our artists and our entertainers.
Read our latest news articles.
Category of Interest Category of Interest After Dinner Speakers TV & Radio Entertainers Comedy & Cabaret Acts Live Music Speciality Music & Theme Nights Corporate & Speciality Family - Childrens Entertainers Tribute Acts
Just like to say a big thank you to all our artistes, acts, and speakers that braved the elements last weekend. You all deserve a medal !
Calling all Robbie Williams fans.... https://t.co/s4DGshIspM
If you're out and about in Scunthorpe, Boston or Grantham then drop into Aldrids or Downtown and get serenaded by o… https://t.co/tksyQxPvRs
George Boole House
D1/D2 The Point
Weaver Road
LN6 3QN
or email: entertainment@lmg.uk.com
Copyright © 2020 LMG Entertainment | Site developed by DBS
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2577
|
__label__cc
| 0.597086
| 0.402914
|
The Lobby Drink List
The Lobby Menu
History is Hott Prix Fixe Menu
Curtain Call Prix Fixe
Restaurant Week Menus
Afternoon Tea Service
Curtain Call Prix Fixe Menu
Magic Menu
History is Hott!! Lunch & Tour
Lockwood Restaurant and Bar - Palmer House Chicago (16753), Chicago / Illinois Reservations
News and Updates » Phil Vettel recommends: Chicago Restaurant Week
Phil Vettel recommends: Chicago Restaurant Week
Chicago Restaurant Week is back — bigger and extended.
Running a full 14 days (Friday through Feb. 6), this seventh annual rendition is officially the longest ever. In practice, though, the promotion, in which participating restaurants offer three-course lunches for $22 and/or three- and four-course dinners for $33 or $44, always tends to linger a few extra days, as restaurants keep those deals in force.
To me that’s a good thing. It tells me that the menus are discounted low enough to attract customers, but not so low that it’s a hardship for restaurants to offer them. The fact that there are more than 250 participating restaurants (about the same as last year) tells me that too.
Chicago Restaurant Week is primarily a city event, but there are at least 20 suburban participants, many of them sequels of city-based concepts, including the Morton’s The Steakhouse locations in Northbrook, Schaumburg and Rosemont; McCormick & Schmick’s in Oak Brook and Rosemont; Catch 35 in Naperville; and Farmhouse Tavern in Evanston. But such independents as Quince and Oceanique in Evanston, Atwater’s in Geneva, Carlucci in Downers Grove and Whitney’s Cafe in Oak Lawn are participating as well.
Lockwood Restaurant & Bar
17 E. Monroe Street, Chicago, IL 60603
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2578
|
__label__cc
| 0.607277
| 0.392723
|
Oldham Royal
'She really is our little miracle, we couldn't have asked for more this Christmas'
Tiny Darcey Grace Clegg was born weighing less than a bag of sugar, and is now fighting fit and ready to go home
A baby born three months early weighing the same as HALF a bag of sugar has given her parents the best Christmas present ever.
Little Darcey Grace Clegg’s mum and dad hardly dared hope their tiny miracle would survive after she was born in September, 12 weeks premature.
But the battling baby is now a healthy weight and fighting fit - and should be at home with her family in the coming days.
“She really is our little miracle,” said mum Gill Clegg, 45. “We couldn’t have asked for anything more for Christmas.”
Darcey Grace Clegg with mum Gill Clegg (Image: Eddie Garvey)
Gill, of Littleborough, was rushed to the Royal Oldham Hospital when she was 28 weeks pregnant for an emergency Cesarean section, after a scan revealed Darcey was not receiving enough blood and there was a placental abnormality.
She was born safely on September 27, but weighed just 628 grams - less than 1lb, 4oz - and needed emergency care at the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit to help her through her crucial first months.
At three weeks old she suffered an infection, but since then has gone from strength-to-strength and, despite not quite making it home for Christmas, should be able to leave the hospital in time for the New Year.
Darcey Grace Clegg with mum Gill Clegg and dad Mark Moscrop (Image: Eddie Garvey)
“We want our story to inspire others who might be going through the same thing,” added Gill, a carer, who has three other children - Karl, 25, Olivia, 15 and Jack, 13.
“It was a really frightening time for us, but the staff at the hospital have all been absolutely amazing and looked after us and Darcey so well.
“You can be sure if your child needs to come here, they will end up with the best possible care.”
Darcey’s dad Mark Moscrop, 53, a taxi driver, said: “We really can’t thank them all enough.
Darcey Grace Clegg when she was born 12 weeks early
“They get a lot of bad publicity and we want to say a big thank you to them for all they’ve done.
These are our true Christmas Heroes
“Darcey is the best little girl you could ever hope for.
“She is so good and she hardly ever cries. We love her to bits.”
Gill and Mark have been spending each day by Darcey’s side at the hospital, counting the hours before she is allowed home.
“She is doing really well now and she’ll be home any day,” said Gill. “We’ll spend Christmas Day with her in hospital, get the family down and have a little party. And however long it takes, we’ll keep the Christmas tree up until she comes home.”
What you need to know this Christmas
When will bins be collected?
Trafford Centre Xmas opening times
Manchester's Boxing Day sales
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2582
|
__label__cc
| 0.552286
| 0.447714
|
Patreon update #52: FREE Blade Runner 2049 conversation w/ Max Clark plus preview of Civil War Cinepoem
This is my last update of the year, and only the second that doesn't feature a new podcast episode. From now on, updates will continue on a weekly basis but podcasts will not (although when they do appear they will be consistently jam-packed with material).
This entry includes a look back at 2018 and a sneak peek of 2019. I had three guests on the show and two of those episodes have been made partially and entirely public on YouTube. Now it's time to present the first, and as yet patron-only, conversation, a great-in-depth discussion with friend of the show Max Clark on Blade Runner 2049, the compelling sequel to the beloved 1982 sci-fi classic. If you're a patron who enjoyed this episode before, feel free to share it with others; and if you're not a patron who's curious what you missed, jump right in!
The sneak peek for the coming year is my first video preview since January: a minute from an upcoming resumption of my long-stalled Cinepoem series, featuring two excerpts from two Civil War poems (one by Walt Whitman, the other by Herman Melville) intersecting with a variety of impressionistic film clips. I was really excited to return to this form, and hopefully you like this glimpse as well.
Civil War Cinepoem video clip (last "See the Future" 2nd tier reward - December Preview #2
Cross-posting the Blade Runner 2049 public upload
See you in 2019.
Labels: american civil war, cinepoem, lost in the movies podcast, lost in the movies preview, patreon update, podcast, ridley scott, sci-fi, video essay
Patreon update #51: Before Sunset (+ Twin Peaks season 3 blu-ray special features, It's a Wonderful Life, 2000s politics: Bush administration/Obama campaign & more)
At the end of Before Sunrise, Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) hatch a plan to meet on the six-month anniversary of their rendezvous. Well, six months ago I cross-posted my podcast review of Before Sunrise on this site so here we are: the characters are reunited! Of course, it took them a bit longer than it took us - nine years to be exact. Choosing Before Sunset as my last film in focus for 2018 not only serves as a sequel to my earlier episode but also a continuation of my month-to-month Ethan Hawke series, which began with him as Dead Poets Society's shy young prep school student in early autumn and will conclude with him as First Pastoral's fanatical pastor in the dead of winter. By the way, it won't take nearly as long for us to reach the next chapter in Jesse's and Celine's ongoing relationship; my plan for January is to review a Hawke/Richard Linklater double feature of Before Midnight and Boyhood.
Indeed, this is my last weekly episode of Lost in the Movies for the forseeable future; from now on, a somewhat beefed-up podcast will drop once a month for all patron tiers. I will also be debuting a Twin Peaks rewatch/introcast podcast for the second tier (the first tier will get access to each episode six months after they premiere, and eventually - years later - I will publish the episodes as a weekly public podcast). I'll have more information in upcoming Patreon updates, because I still plan to write about what I've been up to and link what's available every week on this site. This will include some form of wrap-up/look back at the past year, which not only saw extensive work on Patreon and in-depth retrospective activity for my tenth anniversary, but also my busiest year ever on this site, with over two hundred posts.
For now, in addition to the Before Sunset review and a more detailed announcement about 2019, I (finally!) dive into the blu-ray special features for Twin Peaks: The Return (er, Twin Peaks season 3, er, Twin Peaks: The Limited Event Series); finish my viewing of the CNN documentary series The 2000s, which leads to some thoughts on the previous decade's political landscape; catch up with the last batch of Twin Peaks feedback from the past few months; and conclude with an Opening the Archive entry on the Christmas movie, although of course it's much more than just that.
Thanks for following along this year, and see you again soon.
Episode 50: Before Sunset (+ Twin Peaks season 3 blu-ray special features, It's a Wonderful Life, 2000s politics: Bush administration/Obama campaign & more)
Line-up for Episode 50
ANNOUNCEMENT FOR 2019
TWIN PEAKS REFLECTIONS: Twin Peaks season 3 blu-ray special features
FILM IN FOCUS: Before Sunset
OTHER TOPICS: CNN's 2000s documentary - Mission Accomplished/Quagmire/Yes We Can, NY Times Magazine Afghanistan article, podcast recommendation
LISTENER FEEDBACK: Hands in Twin Peaks, Fire Walk With Me book interview, is the Evolution of the Arm a good guy?, The Return's connections to seasons 1 & 2, Maddy's murder and Laura's spirit, podcast recommendation, Red
OPENING THE ARCHIVE: It's a Wonderful Life
Labels: christmas movie, david lynch, documentary, frank capra, it's a wonderful life, lost in the movies podcast, patreon update, podcast, richard linklater, twin peaks, twin peaks the return
Patreon update #50: Requiem for a Dream (+ The Blue Rose Magazine in 2018, The Green Book, A Charlie Brown Christmas/It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown, Sherilyn Fenn in Twin Peaks season 3, who is Red? & more) and preview of Mary Shelley review
Christmastime is (almost) here with the first of two archive pieces paying tribute to the holiday. This one doubles up a couple Charlie Brown Christmas specials, one from the sixties and one from the nineties, to find out what they tell us about changes in both pop culture and Peanuts canon across the years. I also reflect on Requiem for a Dream over the span of nearly two decades to revisit the early millennium's zeitgeist, much as I did with The Social Network last week. To continue this running theme of cinematic historiography, yesterday's biweekly preview explores how a Mary Shelley biopic straddles the eras of Reason and Romance (which bleed together more than we sometimes remember).
For "Twin Peaks Reflections" I survey a great year of issues for The Blue Rose magazine (including an amazing interview with Sheryl Lee), other topics include The Green Book and Richard Ojeda, and as always there's a ton of compelling listener feedback on Twin Peaks (this week perhaps a bit more than usual).
Stay tuned for one more podcast in a couple days, my last of the year before I take a revamped approach in 2019.
Mary Shelley, 2017, dir. Haifaa al-Mansour (December "See the Future" Preview #1 - 2nd tier reward)
Episode 49: Requiem for a Dream (+ The Blue Rose Magazine in 2018, The Green Book, A Charlie Brown Christmas/It's Christmastime Again Charlie Brown, Sherilyn Fenn in season 3, who is Red? & more)
WEEKLY UPDATE/Patreon: 2nd tier biweekly preview - Mary Shelley
TWIN PEAKS REFLECTIONS: The Blue Rose Magazine in 2018
FILM IN FOCUS: Requiem for a Dream
OTHER TOPICS: The Green Book, Conspiracy Theory, Richard Ojeda, podcast recommendation
LISTENER FEEDBACK: The Owl Cave ring and Annie's nurse, Sherilyn Fenn in season 3, did Lynch care about the Audrey/Cooper romance?, who is Red?, is Audrey dead?, "Mike is the man" & Halloween
OPENING THE ARCHIVE: A Charlie Brown Christmas & It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown
Labels: a charlie brown christmas, american classic, animation, christmas movie, darren aronofsky, frankenstein, lost in the movies podcast, lost in the movies preview, patreon update, podcast, twin peaks
Patreon update #49: The Social Network (+ the Angela Nagle immigration controversy, LeftTube, Fire Walk With Me as Twin Peaks episode, the RR counter/the ring in season 3, Disney's aesthetics/ideology, the Hollywood War and Peace & more)
The Social Network - which I've been planning to make a film in focus since June - is a movie I've covered a couple times before, first in a review/discussion disguised as a Facebook page and later as a visual tribute alternating between the film's images of paper and plastic as methods of communication. This time I take a more straightforward approach and reflect on the film's triple status: as a document of the early 2000s when Facebook was born, as a reflection of the turn-of-the-decade when the film was released, and as an artifact explored in today's context when Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg have become deeply entangled in our political and cultural landscape.
Speaking of politics and culture, I've been waiting a couple weeks until I could devote an entire "other topics" section to the backlash against Angela Nagle, author of the popular but controversial Kill All Normies, who recently wrote an essay attacking the left's position on open borders. I think both her approach and the reaction to her speak of a growing rift on the left, a phenomenon I've already begun to explore on previous episodes. I've had a lot to say about this on Twitter and hopefully here I'm able to organize various responses into a cohesive analysis of what's going on, with Nagle and with the left and the issue of immigration more broadly.
This podcast also concludes the exploration of my "4 Ways to Watch Fire Walk With Me" study by examining that film in relation to a dozen Twin Peaks episodes, continues a conversation with listeners about Sherilyn Fenn's and Audrey Horne's on/offscreen stories in The Return, and follows up my two-part review of the Soviet War and Peace by dipping into the archive for my review of the Hollywood adaptation, directed by King Vidor and starring Audrey Hepburn, Mel Ferrer, and Henry Fonda.
Episode 48: The Social Network (+ the Angela Nagle immigration controversy, LeftTube, Fire Walk With Me as Twin Peaks episode, the RR counter/the ring in season 3, Disney's aesthetics/ideology, the Hollywood War and Peace & more)
WEEKLY UPDATE/recent posts: added Christmas highlight to the sidebar
WEEKLY UPDATE/work in progress: Twin Peaks blu-ray features & John Thorne interview for podcasts
TWIN PEAKS REFLECTIONS: Fire Walk With Me as Twin Peaks episode
FILM IN FOCUS: The Social Network
OTHER TOPICS: Controversy over Angela Nagle's "The Left Case Against Open Borders", podcast recommendation
LISTENER FEEDBACK: LeftTube recommendations, the RR counter scene, Leland/Bob, Teresa's ring, the Pink Room & the Red Room, Twin Peaks truckers, the aesthetics & ideology of Disney
OPENING THE ARCHIVE: War and Peace
Labels: american classic, david fincher, david lynch, fire walk with me, king vidor, lost in the movies podcast, patreon update, podcast, the social network, twin peaks, war and peace, war film
Patreon update #48: Training Day (+ Fire Walk With Me as Lynch project, the Soviet War and Peace - 1812 & Pierre, Jonathan, CNN's The 2000s, Twin Peaks fan theories, Ocasio-Cortez clapbacks, Bernie 2020? & more) and preview of Lady Bird review
Just in time for November, my monthly Ethan Hawke series continues with Training Day - a film mostly celebrated for Denzel Washington's iconic performance as a corrupt LAPD cop but also including an Oscar-nominated turn by Hawke as the rookie protagonist. My "Twin Peaks Reflections" attention to the recent Fire Walk With Me essay resumes; I analyze the Twin Peaks movie as a David Lynch project. I also conclude the reading of my War and Peace essay for "Opening the Archive." There are two long sections this week, as I delve into political subjects I discussed on Twitter in "Other Topics" and share extensive listener feedback for my last couple episodes. At the outset of the episode I lay out more specific plans for 2019, as some tiers will shift and a new Twin Peaks project will launch; meanwhile, for my biweekly preview I share parts of an upcoming review of Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird.
Lady Bird, 2017, dir. Greta Gerwig (November "See the Future" Preview #2 - 2nd tier reward)
Episode 47: Training Day (+ Fire Walk With Me as Lynch project, the Soviet War and Peace - 1812 & Pierre, Jonathan, CNN's The 2000s, Twin Peaks fan theories, Ocasio-Cortez clapbacks, Bernie 2020? & more)
ANNOUNCEMENT - 2019 Plans for 1st/2nd tier restructure & Twin Peaks rewatch
WEEKLY UPDATE/Patreon: 2nd tier biweekly preview - Lady Bird
WEEKLY UPDATE/work in progress: Cinepoem, Mad Men viewing diary, Mary Shelley review
TWIN PEAKS REFLECTIONS: Fire Walk With Me as Lynch project
FILM IN FOCUS: Training Day
OTHER TOPICS: Jonathan, Ollie Klublershturf vs. the Nazis, random TV viewings, CNN's 2000s documentary - I Want My MP3/The iDecade/The Financial Crisis, CGI Lion King, CBS sports montage, John Carpenter's special effects, Dr. Amp's early musical, The Magnificent Ambersons on Criterion, Evangelion on Netflix, Nicolas Roeg & Bernardo Bertolucci died, ridiculous Dear Prudence letter, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez clapbacks, Stephen Hawking vs. Joe Lieberman at 2000 Democratic convention, "Thomas Jefferson" disses Ocasio-Cortez, donut Twitter celebrates the new Democratic Caucus chair, Bernie Sanders' "not racist" statement, should Sanders run in 2020?, Eric Erickson celebrates Augusto Pinochet, podcast recommendations
LISTENER FEEDBACK: my disclaimer about how I'll respond, Michael & Us covers Donnie Darko, Judy as repetition, different versions of the Palmer house, One Eyed Jack's & spirit world, Teresa & the dirt mound, Cooper leading Carrie to her death?, Laura & the ring, Lynch vs. Frost on Judy, do theories overlook flaws?
OPENING THE ARCHIVE: War and Peace (Soviet adaptation)
Labels: david lynch, ethan hawke series, fire walk with me, lost in the movies podcast, lost in the movies preview, patreon update, podcast, russian cinema, twin peaks, war and peace, war film
Patreon update #47: Steamboat Willie's 90th anniversary & 9 other classic Mickey Mouse cartoons (+ Lindsay Hallam's Fire Walk With Me book, the Soviet War and Peace - Andrei & Natalya, Democrats in the midterms, Vic Berger's Walkaway video, Nazis vs. MAGA normies, Armistice Day, Halloween/political podcast recommendations & more)
Mickey Mouse, Laura Palmer, and Leo Tolstoy star in this week's eclectic podcast episode (with guest appearances by Vic Berger, Kurt Vonnegut, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez). In some ways, though, the lead subject is Lindsay Hallam, an author whom I interviewed last week about her new book on Fire Walk With Me. "Twin Peaks Reflections," continuing its synchronization with my "5 Weeks of Fire Walk With Me" series, discusses that book and the talk we had about. My film in focus becomes films in focus as I celebrate not just the ninetieth anniversary of Steamboat Willie, the first-distributed and first-sound-designed Mickey Mouse cartoon, on November 18, 2018, but also nine more Mickey shorts from the thirties, ranging from sharp black-and-white to lavish Technicolor. These were a lot of fun to revisit.
The bulk of the episode, however, is consumed by a mammoth "other topics" discussion, my first in about a month. There are a few readings or viewings to touch on but, aside from a lengthy segue on Halloween podcasts, the topics are mostly political. A couple weeks after the fact, I finally offer my response to the "blue wave" (or was it?) midterm elections and some of the spillover into the already-coalescing new Congress. I share a hilarious Vic Berger video about a rally gone wrong (including some audio), muse on the ridiculous but unsettling exchanges between fascists and run-of-the-mill Republicans on Twitter, and reflect on the centenary of Armistice Day. And of course, I offer another big round-up of podcast episodes, all featuring a political context but with subjects ranging from existentialism to the Haitian Revolution.
The podcast closes with part one of my War and Peace review from ten years ago, discussing the Soviet adaptation's structure and the parts focused on the characters of Andrei and Natalya. I'll pick up with the 1812 and Pierre sections next week - see you on the other side of Thanksgiving.
Oh and one more thing - early on the episode, I discuss some potential ideas for my approach to both Patreon and Journey Through Twin Peaks in the new year. Expect more concrete plans for this in the next few weeks including some public Patreon posts.
Episode 46: Steamboat Willie's 90th anniversary & 9 other classic Mickey Mouse cartoons (+ Lindsay Hallam's Fire Walk With Me book, the Soviet War and Peace - Andrei & Natalya, Democrats in the midterms, Vic Berger's Walkaway video, Nazis vs. MAGA normies, Armistice Day, Halloween/political podcast recommendations & more)
THOUGHTS ON MY APPROACH TO PATREON & TWIN PEAKS VIDEOS IN 2019 (plus a brief update on my Lindsay Hallam interview)
TWIN PEAKS REFLECTIONS: Lindsay Hallam's Fire Walk With Me book & my interview with her
FILM IN FOCUS: Steamboat Willie (+ 9 Mickey Mouse shorts from the 30s)
OTHER TOPICS: The 2018 Midterms & Democrats in the House, Hill Street Blues, Mary Shelley and biopics, Frankenstein LIFE special edition, Halloween podcast recommendations, Vic Berger's Walkaway video, Nazis vs. "normie conservatives", Kurt Vonnegut & a centenarian on Armistice Day, political podcast recommendations
OPENING THE ARCHIVE: War and Peace (Soviet version)
Labels: american classic, animation, david lynch, disney, fire walk with me, lost in the movies podcast, patreon update, podcast, russian cinema, twin peaks, walt disney, war and peace, war film
Finding the Missing Pages: interview w/ Lindsay Hallam, author of Devil's Advocates - Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
This is the fifth entry in 5 Weeks of Fire Walk With Me, concluding the series.
With the explosion of Twin Peaks literature following Brad Dukes' 2014 oral history Reflections, it's become easy to forget how thin that library was for several decades. Despite its presence in David Lynch monographs and the occasional TV history, virtually no books broached the series as their central subject. Now, thankfully, our shelves have been well-stocked with scholarly studies, episodes guides, fan theories, and historical overviews. Even so, until very recently there remained a glaring blind spot in this collection. The 1992 prequel film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, has grown in reputation since its initial critical savaging and box office disaster, but most Peaks books still - of necessity - treat it as an offshoot of the series (occasionally, it's even sidelined as an irrelevant tangent). Certainly no tome took the film as its sole focus until now. Two books have been published since the premiere of The Return in 2017, one by Maura McHugh for the Midnight Marauders series (which I've not yet read but am looking forward to) and the other by Lindsay Hallam for the Devil's Advocates series.
Devil's Advocates - Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me is primarily divided into four big chapters: "Filled With Secrets: Fire Walk With Me as a Twin Peaks Film"; "Cherry Pie Wrapped in Barbed Wire: Fire Walk With Me as a Horror Movie"; "'Since I was Twelve': Fire Walk With Me as a Trauma Film"; and "We Live Inside a Dream: Fire Walk With Me as a David Lynch Film". These thematic studies are interspersed with a selective study of the film's plot (not exactly chronological, different scenes are aligned with different topics) and make ample use of both an overflowing bibliography and Hallam's own keen insight; the book manages the neat trick of being a grand survey and a personal perspective. Hallam, a British film scholar who specializes in horror and trauma cinema, doesn't just cite her fellow authors, she engages directly with their words: amplifying arguments, contesting claims, and connecting different points of view. She concludes her study by looking at the paratexts that surround the film (including not just the original series and supplemental spin-offs but Showtime's 2017 third season) and, perhaps most interestingly, tracing Fire Walk With Me's echoes in recent art horror films like It Follows and Personal Shopper.
While her scholarship breaks new ground, Hallam's enthusiasm is also contagious. She's a diehard Twin Peaks fans going back to her teenage years in Australian suburbia. We decided to start our conversation not in the bracing clarity of her final analysis, but the intoxicating confusion of her first encounter...
Labels: 5 weeks of fire walk with me, david lynch, fire walk with me, interview, twin peaks, twin peaks interview
Patreon update #46 (Fire Walk With Me in season 3, Pyaasa & more) and preview of Renee/Jade/Knox character studies
I planned to have a big "Other Topics" section this week covering the midterms, lots of podcast recommendations, and some random subjects that came up recently on Twitter or elsewhere, followed by more listener feedback next week. However, each of those efforts have been pushed back a week because my "Twin Peaks Reflections" and "Opening the Archive" segments are both longer than usual. For the first, I delve into my recent piece on Fire Walk With Me mofits in The Return; for the second, I revisit a 2013 review of an Indian film that has just been added to MUBI. See you next week - before Thanksgiving - for a 90th anniversary film in focus!
Twin Peaks characters: Renee, Jade, and Knox (November "See the Future" Preview #1 - 2nd tier reward)
Episode 45: (Fire Walk With Me in Season 3, Pyaasa & more)
WEEKLY UPDATE/recent posts: Twin Peaks: The Return & Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
WEEKLY UPDATE/Patreon: 2nd tier biweekly preview - Renee/Jade/Knox
WEEKLY UPDATE/work in progress: Lady Bird review, Cinepoem, picture galleries
TWIN PEAKS REFLECTIONS: Fire Walk With Me in season 3
OPENING THE ARCHIVE: Pyaasa
Labels: asian cinema, david lynch, fire walk with me, indian film, lost in the movies podcast, lost in the movies preview, musical, patreon update, podcast, twin peaks, twin peaks the return
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me and Twin Peaks: The Return
This is the fourth entry in 5 Weeks of Fire Walk With Me. Next week I will conclude this series by interviewing Lindsay Hallam, author of a book about the film in the Devil's Advocate series.
Sixteen and a half episodes into Showtime's revival of Twin Peaks, FBI Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) - the unquestioned (if multifaceted) hero of this series, as well as the old one (two seasons, 1990-91) - is speaking to a character who never appeared in the old show yet whose familiarity is taken for granted. Portrayed by a monstrous steam-spewing machine, and articulated by voice actor Nathan Frizzell, yet visualized in flashback as none other than late pop legend David Bowie, this "Phillip Jeffries" is sending Cooper back to a particular date: February 23, 1989. Cooper's one-armed companion (Al Strobel, Jr.) intones, "Eeee-lec-tric-ity..." - a curious motif for anyone who came to this decades-delayed third season after close study of seasons one and two (in the old series owls, not electrical currents, were the harbingers of spiritual energy between two worlds).
And then our protagonist closes his eyes as the camera pushes toward him, a whoosing sound filling the soundtrack before we realize it belongs to a ceiling fan. Another sound emerges - a motorcycle - and we are faced with perhaps the most important, if infrequently-glimpsed, location in this two-part finale, perhaps in the whole series. It is, we have previously been told (in parts two and twelve), the Palmer family household even though it's a distinctly different house than the one used in the classic first and second season. And then we see actors: Sheryl Lee, Ray Wise, and James Marshall (as Laura and Leland Palmer and James Hurley, respectively); all have been glimpsed in earlier parts of The Return but now they look much younger, much younger than CGI or makeup could achieve. What's going on here?
This whole passage - the Bowie-initiated time travel, the view of a tall foreboding "Palmer house" ascending from a sidewalk, the actors who've leapt back in time a quarter-century - represents not only a return to the winter of '89. It is a return to Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, the controversial 1992 spin-off film that was for years left out of many discussions of Twin Peaks, often treated as an odd footnote at best and an irrelevant cast-off at worst. This crucial sequence of the "third season" (as Lynch and co-creator Mark Frost call it, though Showtime's designation The Return remains catchy and telling in its own right) begins with overt references to Lynch's onetime bete noire and concludes with direct immersion into that very work.
For most of the next five minutes David Lynch (who directed only six episodes of the first two seasons, but all of the third season as well as Fire Walk With Me) will play footage from his own movie, with color and score extracted and some new shots (along with a few previously unused old ones) sprinkled throughout. Having promised (or warned) viewers before the season's May premiere that his prequel film would be very important to the new work, Lynch certainly delivers. And yet this time, his Fire Walk With Me ideas are filtered through Frost's own strong vision (rather than reinforced by Robert Engels, co-writer of the film, who came closer to Lynch's own sensibility and was generally more deferential towards him). Frost was not involved at all with the film, but now he has been able to re-interpret its motifs in collaboration with Lynch. How does this impact the prequel project's legacy as well as the new material?
What follows is an exploration of all the Fire Walk With Me references in The Return.
Labels: 5 weeks of fire walk with me, david lynch, fire walk with me, twin peaks, twin peaks the return
Patreon update #45 (Fire Walk With Me as art film, Sherilyn Fenn in Twin Peaks season 3, what is Judy? & more)
This week mostly consists of listener feedback, as readers pour forth their thoughts on Judy, Diane, Richard/Linda, Red, and much more (including a few non-Twin Peaks topics too, believe it or not!). A particular highlight is one listener's recounting of Sherilyn Fenn at a recent Eraserhead Q&A in which she divulged the most in-depth account yet of what happened in season three. I also discuss Fire Walk With Me in conjunction with several European art films and offer updates on recent work, including the next "5 Weeks of Fire Walk With Me" entry which will be published within twenty-four hours (stay tuned).
Episode 44 (Fire Walk With Me as art film, Sherilyn Fenn in Twin Peaks season 3, what is Judy? & more)
INTRO following quick corrections/disclaimer
WEEKLY UPDATE/recent posts: 4 Ways to Watch Fire Walk With Me
WEEKLY UPDATE/Patreon: 2nd tier biweekly preview - The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
WEEKLY UPDATE/work in progress: Mad Men viewing diary, Cinepoem, Fire Walk With Me & season 3
TWIN PEAKS REFLECTIONS: Fire Walk With Me as art film
LISTENER FEEDBACK: Sherilyn Fenn talks about season 3, listener's #1 horror film (Phantasm), Halloween & Fire Walk With Me, what is Judy?, did Lynch become more straightforward?, Deer Meadow & dream theory, season 3 behind-the-scenes documentary, who is Linda?, Diane & Cooper's mission in Pt. 17 & 18, "federal prison" = Black Lodge, uncles & cousins, Red & Richard Horne, circuitry in the mythology, Cooper is pathetic in Pt. 16, Twin Peaks & Eyes Wide Shut, ep. 17 wake fits non-response to trauma in s3, Maddy's "Fire Walk With Me" face in ep. 14, 4 Ways to Watch Fire Walk With Me
Labels: david lynch, fire walk with me, lost in the movies podcast, patreon update, podcast, twin peaks, twin peaks the return
Patreon update #44: Halloween (+ Fire Walk With Me as horror movie, The Old Dark House & more) and preview of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari review
Halloween horror dominates this special podcast episode; taking the week off from other topics and postponing most of the extensive listener feedback I received since Episode 42, I focus on the holiday theme in almost all sections. The film in focus was an obvious pick, with John Carpenter's unforgettable theme music leading into my musings on the first Michael Myers slasher flick. For Opening the Archive, I picked James Whale's evocatively-titled but dazzlingly idiosyncratic horror comedy The Old Dark House, reading my review from seven years ago. And "Twin Peaks Reflections" emphasizes one section of my recently published essay 4 Ways to Watch Fire Walk With Me, exploring the film's links to the horror genre. The one piece of feedback, meanwhile, shares a listener's favorite horror film (expect at least one more in the next episode).
Even the biweekly preview participates in the spooky mood with a full (and longer than usual) review of early Expressionist horror film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Although I got both podcast and preview up on Patreon in time for the eve of All Hallow's Eve, by the time you're reading this cross-post we're several days into November. But like The Shape himself, the spirit of Halloween is always ready to spring out from the shadows just when you think you've finally put it to rest.
Episode 43: Halloween (+ Fire Walk With Me as horror movie, The Old Dark House & more)
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, 1920, dir. Robert Wiene (October "See the Future" Preview #3 - 2nd tier reward)
WEEKLY UPDATE/recent posts: 5 Weeks of Fire Walk With Me resumes
WEEKLY UPDATE/work in progress: lost Mad Men review, re-recorded Lindsay Hallam interview, Fire Walk With Me & season 3, finalizing 4 Ways to Watch Fire Walk With Me
TWIN PEAKS REFLECTIONS: Fire Walk With Me as a horror movie
FILM IN FOCUS: Halloween
LISTENER FEEDBACK: Listener's #1 horror film
OPENING THE ARCHIVE: The Old Dark House
Labels: david lynch, fire walk with me, horror, james whale, lost in the movies podcast, patreon update, podcast, twin peaks
4 Ways to Watch Fire Walk With Me: Art Film, Horror Movie, Lynch Project, Twin Peaks Episode
This is the third entry in 5 Weeks of Fire Walk With Me. Next week I will discuss connections between the film and the new Showtime season last year.
David Lynch's Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992) is a confounding experience for many viewers because it can be so hard to contextualize. Cinephiles may feel too alienated from its connections to a TV series to appreciate its qualities as an art film; horror enthusiasts may be tripped up by its reliance on surreal experimentation over genre tropes; Lynchheads may be perplexed by its raw, grisly intensity, its ingredients less balanced than they are in other, equally strange entries in his oeuvre; and Twin Peaks fans may be the most bewildered of all. This is all the more true if those TV viewers came to the beloved ABC series thanks to soap opera, sci-fi, or quirky comedy but are unfamiliar with the more abrasive work of its auteur. Haunted for many years by its undeserved bad reputation, the Twin Peaks prequel wandered in the wilderness like a lost soul, a film without a home. The truth, however, is not so much that Fire Walk With Me doesn't belong in any of those contexts - in fact, it belongs to all of those contexts. If the movie doesn't fit neatly into any one category, it still spills over into many, in deeply fascinating ways. Here are four ways to watch Fire Walk With Me, each gripping on its own but even richer when viewed in conjunction with the others.
Inevitably, major plot points will be discussed below. And if you're hungry for an additional "Four Ways" analysis, in this case placing the movie inside different junctures of the series, check out the brilliant "The Four Placements of Fire Walk With Me" by Julius Kassendorf. My own analysis will eventually explore Fire Walk With Me's connections to the series (in the most extended section of them all), but first I want to start as far away from that perspective as possible.
Labels: 5 weeks of fire walk with me, david lynch, fire walk with me, horror, images, movie review/film essay, twin peaks
"5 Weeks of Fire Walk With Me" (finally) resumes this week
Just over a year ago, I announced a loose series of posts: "5 Weeks of Fire Walk With Me" to celebrate the release of the Twin Peaks movie as part of the Criterion Collection. Some of these pieces were more ambitious than others, and I had to pause my schedule after a couple weeks. I never thought it would take an entire year to come back!
Now, however, the remaining entries are either completely or almost ready and Halloween seemed like a good time to return, not only because the first post discusses the film within the horror genre (among several contexts) but because the last day of Fire Walk With Me's production happened to fall on October 31, which is also - believe it or not - the birthday of both the actors who played Bob and the Man From Another Place.
So this Wednesday, look for "4 Ways to Watch Fire Walk With Me," a study of the film in light of art cinema, horror, Lynch's filmography, and Twin Peaks. The following week, hopefully by Wednesday, I will publish "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me and Twin Peaks: The Return," a collection of connections between the film and the third season (which featured many callbacks). And finally, in a concluding entry that wouldn't have been possible if the series stayed on schedule last year, I will interview Lindsay Hallam, author of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, a new book in the "Devil's Advocate" series.
See you in three days.
Labels: 5 weeks of fire walk with me, david lynch, fire walk with me, twin peaks
Patreon update #43 (The Shining, Cooper & Mr. C, the year after Twin Peaks, Hill Street Blues early season 4, Mimi, Schitt's Creek, "race vs. class" on the left, podcast recommendations & more)
This was intended to be a light episode but it ended up being kind of packed. The "other topics" section is vast this week, despite mostly limiting itself to very recent media intake. This includes the unsettling French film Mimi, the comedy series Schitt's Creek, and an extended discussion of Hill Street Blues' early fourth season, including another Mark Frost-penned episode (although he was also story editor for all the episodes this season). There are also a load of new podcast recommendations alongside a reflection on some recent Twitter beef involving the hoary "race vs. class" debate that has only worsened since 2016 while taking on new (and in my mind lopsided) manifestations.
For "Twin Peaks Reflections" I go broad, surveying the past year for a general discussion of what the fallout from The Return has looked like. I read some listener feedback on that Showtime season and close out the program with an apropos reading of my 2010 essay on my "#1 horror film" The Shining (although a year later, it didn't even show up in a top 100 films of all time list alongside Rosemary's Baby or Fire Walk With Me - so who knows about these things). I'm hoping there will be much more Halloween programming in a few days but it might be difficult to complete the work in time. Wish me luck and maybe I'll have a treat instead of a trick for listeners early next week.
Episode 42 (The Shining, Cooper & Mr. C, the year after Twin Peaks, Hill Street Blues early season 4, Mimi, Schitt's Creek, "race vs. class" on the left, podcast recommendations & more)
WEEKLY UPDATE/Patreon: thread of biweekly previews
WEEKLY UPDATE/work in progress: Mad Men viewing diary, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari review, notes on Hill Street Blues
TWIN PEAKS REFLECTIONS: the past year of post-Return Twin Peaks fandom, plans for season 1/2 rewatch
LISTENER FEEDBACK: Cooper & Mr. C, Leland & Cooper
OTHER TOPICS: Mimi, Schitt's Creek, Hill Street Blues, Blue Rose magazine's Women of Lynch, Twitter arguments about race & class, podcast recommendations (including Stalin podcast)
OPENING THE ARCHIVE: The Shining
Labels: david lynch, hill street blues, horror, lost in the movies podcast, patreon update, podcast, stanley kubrick, the shining, twin peaks, twin peaks the return
Patreon update #42: Gattaca (+ The Contender, Kavanaugh hearings, Twin Peaks interviews, podcast recommendations & more) and preview of Daguerréotypes review
The Ethan Hawke film in focus series continues for its second month; October's selection is Gattaca, the 1997 sci-fi film in which Hawke plays a genetically "deficient" young man who passes as someone else. Enmeshed in a murder mystery while awaiting an imminent trip into outer space (and romancing Uma Thurman in a very hip nineties pairing), he's pulled in two directions at once. At the end of this podcast, after discussing podcasts about the recent Brett Kavanaugh judicial confirmation, I revisit my 2008 review of The Contender about a scandal-plagued vice presidential candidate tormented by a Republican political inquisition (this is a film I thought for all the world had been written by Aaron Sorkin until about three hours ago). I also have quite a lot of listener feedback this week, in response to several different episodes, and for "Twin Peaks Reflections" I look back over the interviews I've conducted with Twin Peaks scholars since 2014.
The biweekly preview, meanwhile, is an Agnes Varda documentary about shopkeepers - another full review, and the twentieth preview this year. Now is a good time to become a $5 patron because I have yet to publish any of the pieces I've previewed since January: that's roughly thirty-five pages of written material, a dozen or so images, and a couple minutes of video essay footage only available to members of the second tier. Be the first one on your block to get a sneak peek!
Daguerréotypes, 1976, dir. Agnes Varda (October "See the Future" Preview #2 - 2nd tier reward)
Episode 41: Gattaca (+ The Contender, Kavanaugh hearings, Twin Peaks interviews, podcast recommendations & more)
WEEKLY UPDATE/recent posts: updated TV/director directories & Top Posts
WEEKLY UPDATE/Patreon: 2nd tier biweekly preview - Daguerreotypes
WEEKLY UPDATE/work in progress: Boyhood for Patreon, choosing next Cinepoem, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised review, finished Twin Peaks character runners-up
TWIN PEAKS REFLECTIONS: history of Twin Peaks interviews
FILM IN FOCUS: Gattaca
LISTENER FEEDBACK: patrons switching places at the diner, the actor in Carrie's house is not the loan shark, Frost's knowledge of casting, Dead Poets Society, the existence of good and evil, Great Expectations, season 1/2 rewatch for Twin Peaks Reflections?, FWWM early draft, I Love the 90s w/ Twin Peaks theme
OTHER TOPICS: Podcast recommendations, Judge Kavanaugh's confirmation
OPENING THE ARCHIVE: The Contender (w/ 2018 reflections)
Labels: ethan hawke series, lost in the movies podcast, lost in the movies preview, patreon update, podcast, sci-fi, twin peaks
Patreon update #41: Mark Twain (+ the 2000s decade/documentary, the French Revolution, Nicaragua, podcast recommendations, early Fire Walk With Me draft & more)
Bit by bit over the past month, I've been watching Ken Burns' fascinating documentary Mark Twain. I didn't know many details of Twain's life before watching so both the style and the story made for a captivating experience. In this episode, the 2002 Twain is my film in focus, while "Twin Peaks Reflections" focuses on an early (and apparently contested, as I only found out after recording) draft of Fire Walk With Me. The latter half of Episode 40 is dominated by podcast recommendations, covering Nicaragua, Washington congressional candidate Sarah Smith, animator Ub Iwerks, and the French Revolution - among many other topics. You can watch Mark Twain here and here.
Episode 40: Mark Twain (+ early Fire Walk With Me draft, the 2000s decade/documentary, the French Revolution, Nicaragua, podcast recommendations & more)
WEEKLY UPDATE/recent posts: updated a couple 2017 Twin Peaks cross-posts
WEEKLY UPDATE/work in progress: interviewed Lindsay Hallam, Mad Men season 2 viewing diary, Daguerreotypes, Twin Peaks characters runners-up (limo driver), watched Gattaca for upcoming podcast
TWIN PEAKS REFLECTIONS: early draft of Fire Walk With Me
FILM IN FOCUS: Mark Twain
OTHER TOPICS: CNN documentary on the 2000s, Back to the Future Part II, PBS book program, Vice segment on Nicaragua, podcast recommendations (including French Revolution, identity politics, and electoralism)
Labels: documentary, fire walk with me, ken burns, lost in the movies podcast, patreon update, podcast, twin peaks
Patreon update #40 (The End of Evangelion, Carrie Page as the dreamer, American Made, The Children Act, Wire's 154 & more) and preview of Zama review
What would you be interested in hearing from "Twin Peaks Reflections" in the future? With the Return rewatch over, I consider some different options and also ask for your input. Additionally, I survey all of the Twin Peaks subjects I've covered so far. Elsewhere on the podcast, I finish reading my 2015 End of Evangelion review, read some follow-up feedback from the listener who discussed Cooper as the dreamer (now she's focusing on Carrie Page as Laura's dream), and run down the films, books, and music I've experienced in the past several months. For the biweekly preview, I share a full review for the first time, of the Argentine film Zama.
Zama, 2016, dir. Lucrecia Martel (October "See the Future" Preview #1 - 2nd tier reward)
Episode 39 (The End of Evangelion, Carrie Page as Laura's dream, American Made, The Children Act, Wire's 154 & more)
WEEKLY UPDATE/recent posts: updated Twin Peaks directory, from now on focusing on my backlog
WEEKLY UPDATE/Patreon: 2nd tier biweekly preview - Zama, discussing biweekly preview backlog
WEEKLY UPDATE/work in progress: Ethan Hawke films for Patreon, The Unseen: La La Land, Devil's Bride review, Fire Walk With Me early draft, read Lindsay Hallam's Fire Walk With Me book, Mad Men season 2 premiere viewing diary
TWIN PEAKS REFLECTIONS: Where should I go with this section?
LISTENER FEEDBACK: Twin Peaks/Neon Genesis Evangelion, Double R counter patrons - is that shift/cut a continuity error & does it matter, Carrie Page as Laura's dreamer, remembering what Ethan Hawke was in
OTHER TOPICS: American Made, The Children Act, other films I've watched for online work, Dead Poets Society special features, still playing DVDs & CDs, Alan Splet, Roku menu, Spielberg bio, Lynch's Room to Dream bio, Blue Rose Magazine including Women of Lynch episode, Fire Walk With Me book, Classics Illustrated (90s editions), Time Machine books, Common Ground photo book, 154 (Wire album), Live at the Witch Trials (The Fall album), Sister Ray
OPENING THE ARCHIVE: The End of Evangelion (2 of 2)
Labels: animation, anime, asian cinema, david lynch, end of evangelion, hideaki anno, japanese film, lost in the movies podcast, lost in the movies preview, neon genesis evangelion, patreon update, podcast, sci-fi, twin peaks, twin peaks the return
Patreon update #39: Dead Poets Society (+ Twin Peaks for new viewers & more)
Fall is the perfect time to focus on the richly autumnal Dead Poets Society but I'm emphasizing the film for another reason as well. I've recently watched three Ethan Hawke films: Before Sunset and Before Midnight, to finally follow up on the first Before film I covered back in June, and coincidentally First Reformed, in which he plays a Protestant clergyman seized by growing fanaticism. I decided I might as well make this a thing, so I added Dead Poets Society, Gattaca, and Training Day to the mix with plans to cover one a month in chronological order until February. In an admittedly very rambling monologue, I touch on the film's vivid location, its place in the "inspiring teacher" genre, the cringe factor of its romantic storyline, and the ambiguity of Robin Williams' character. For a more jaundiced (and more disciplined) take on the film, Roger Ebert's 1989 takedown is worth reading. Many of his points (and those of the commentators) are quite solid, but I have a soft spot for this film. What are your thoughts on it?
From now on, episodes will be a little shorter and I'll tend to shift between categories each week rather than running through all of them every time.
Episode 38: Dead Poets Society (+ Twin Peaks for new viewers & more)
WEEKLY UPDATE/work in progress: Zama review, The Unseen: La La Land, character bonus: Johnny Horne
TWIN PEAKS REFLECTIONS: my dugpa comments round-up & first time viewer companion
FILM IN FOCUS: Dead Poets Society
Labels: ethan hawke series, lost in the movies podcast, patreon update, podcast, twin peaks
Patreon update #38 (Twin Peaks season 3 finale - Listener Feedback, The End of Evangelion, additional listener feedback & more) and preview of Jeffries & the Woodsmen in Fire Walk With Me/season 3
The long break between episodes was still filled with activity, including a Patreon update sharing video "slide-show" versions of an earlier podcast (as well as a couple biweekly previews - the second one, on a couple Fire Walk With Me motifs dragged into season 3 - is featured below). Part of this episode covers those videos as well as other material released during this time - September saw more individual posts than any other month in the site's history. However, most of Episode 37 is devoted to listener feedback, primarily (although not exclusively) for my last episode, covering Parts 17 and 18. Topics include Cooper's responsibility for Mr. C, Lynch as a trickster or naif, and the Doppleworld of season 3, along with surprising - at least to me - revelations about Mark Frost's initial seed for The Return, Sheryl Lee's perception of Maddy, and Sherilyn Fenn's knowledge of her character's storyline. This podcast concludes with the first part of an End of Evangelion essay from my archive series. It was published in 2015, but perhaps has new relevance after The Return's own conclusion.
Fire Walk With Me influences in season 3 - Phillip Jeffries and the Woodsmen (September "See the Future" Preview #2 - 2nd tier reward)
Episode 37: Twin Peaks season 3 finale - Listener Feedback (+ The End of Evangelion, additional listener feedback & more)
WEEKLY UPDATE/recent posts: Twin Peaks comments from spring 2015 & first time viewer companion, the full archive, added 4 Fandor videos to YouTube, updated The Passion of Anna K. YouTube link
WEEKLY UPDATE/Patreon: 10th anniversary videos, 2nd tier biweekly previews - Get Out & Jeffries/woodsmen in FWWM/s3, ep. 15 YouTube takedown
WEEKLY UPDATE/work in progress: phone videos for Journey Through Twin Peaks, corresponding with viewers on Journey Through Twin Peaks
TWIN PEAKS REFLECTIONS & LISTENER FEEDBACK: responses to my coverage of Pts. 17 & 18 (as well as pre-s3 predictions, Pt. 16, old Twin Peaks episodes, Maddy, comic-con panel, ring in s3, David Learns to Fly, etc)
Labels: animation, anime, asian cinema, david lynch, end of evangelion, fire walk with me, hideaki anno, japanese film, lost in the movies podcast, lost in the movies preview, neon genesis evangelion, patreon update, podcast, sci-fi, twin peaks, twin peaks the return
The Full Archive for Lost in the Movies
Earlier this year, Lost in the Movies celebrated its tenth anniversary. I had been hoping for a while to post a fully illustrated archive featuring a small picture, tweet-size blurb, and link for each of the fourteen hundred posts I'd published over a decade. This approach yielded way too much content for one page so I divided it into thirty chapters; it also entailed way too much work to complete on schedule, so here we are a couple months - and another chapter - later. Recently, I also illustrated a podcast video outlining my history, suggesting my future, and emphasizing particular works in my two most popular categories (Twin Peaks and video essays).
For this post, I've reproduced each chapter's introduction (suggesting the spirit of that period, surveying several trends and topics, and choosing a particular highlight), along with a link to that chapter's page, and links to pages organized by year as well. This archive doubles not only as a resource for my site, but an overview of my evolution across multiple platforms, media, sensibilities, and approaches. Maybe "evolution" is misleading because while growth may be part of this story, the journey has been more of a winding path through the woods than a steady hike up a mountain.
If you're looking to quickly find particular titles or subjects, you can check out my many other directories which are organize film titles alphabetically, chronologically, geographically, and by director, as well as within particular categories like Twin Peaks, video essay, and TV viewing diary (the picture gallery can also lead to some interesting discoveries, aside from being fun to take in on its own terms, while Top Posts isolates what I think is my strongest work). These archive pages, on the other hand, offer a sense of the context from which these pieces arose; they are at least as much about surveying the big picture as they are exploring individual pieces.
Patreon update #37: FREE Public 10th Anniversary Videos and preview of Get Out review
This was supposed to be my week "off" but I thought it would be nice to mark the time by opening up an old podcast episode to the public as a video - in this case, the tenth anniversary episode from July. (You can read more about the episode, including the full line-up/timecodes, here.) I would just add a few illustrations to accompany the audio track. Easy, right? Well...
For those who just want to watch/listen to the part about my plans for the Journey Through Twin Peaks series, I've isolated that here. It's the only part I've shared on YouTube for now (I may add more later):
Labels: lost in the movies podcast, lost in the movies preview, patreon update, podcast, video, video essay
TWIN PEAKS First Time Viewer Companion: episode directory
This series serves as a friendly companion for first-time viewers of Twin Peaks, meaning they can read about each episode directly after watching - to consider interesting questions, perhaps learn a bit of context, and hear a different and/or complementary perspective - without worrying about spoiling upcoming episodes. This series is not a formal guide that meticulously breaks down the plot and character relationships; it's a far more casual, spontaneous form of reflection, sometimes as short as a paragraph, sometimes as long as several pages, sometimes descriptive of several events, sometimes ignoring the narrative altogether to discuss style or mood.
These entries were originally written as comments on a Reddit rewatch in the summer before the third season was released. They cover each episode of seasons one and two, the film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, the deleted scenes from the film, and a few other topics (preparing yourself to see the film, my interpretation of the film's ending, and the overall structure of the series). Although there's some controversy over how episodes should be titled, since most people now watch the series via Netflix or other streaming formats, I used that model, citing the pilot as "S1E1" and employing the unofficial titles, chosen by a German TV station in the early nineties, which have somehow become permanently affixed.
After each entry, I share links to my other work on that given episode (noting when they do and don't contain spoilers), including chapters of my popular video series Journey Through Twin Peaks, as well as my 2008 episode guide, my 2015 ranking of episodes, and other comments, essays, or visual tributes when applicable. I have probably one of the largest personal archives of online Twin Peaks analysis, so if you've just stumbled across this site as a first-time viewer, you've come to the right place! And hopefully these short entries are a good starting point on your journey.
(Oh and also, although they weren't published as entries in the first time viewer companion and are generally much longer than these other reviews, my viewing diary for Twin Peaks' third season is also included in this directory since each entry was written without spoilers for the next. In fact, in that case I too was a first-time viewer.)
Labels: david lynch, twin peaks, twin peaks first time viewer companion
TWIN PEAKS First Time Viewer Companion: The structure of the original Twin Peaks
These short Twin Peaks episode responses are spoiler-free for upcoming episodes, presented here for first-time viewers who want to read a veteran viewer's perspective on each entry while remaining in the dark about what's to come. They were first published as comments on a Reddit rewatch in 2016.
On the thread for a late season two episode, Iswitt wrote the following comment in reply to one of my own (which it quotes at the outset):
This episode really hammers home how unnecessary the entire mid-season stretch was, and it contributes to why people look back at those episodes so scornfully. Now they we've moved on to a whole new set of subplots (aside from Nadine, who we don't see much of in this or the next few episodes), can we say anything from those episodes really mattered?
I see people say things like this a lot, not just in reference to this TV show. There will be a subplot within some TV series that someone happens to dislike and they ask, "Did this matter?" I find this an interesting question. Does it matter in the context of what? The overall series? What you think things ought to be like?
In the case of Twin Peaks, I think people are comparing these middle plots to things that happened in season one and what happens at the very end of season two (Owl Cave, the Lodge stuff, etc.). To me, so what if these middle plots had any bearing on the last few episodes' events? Why is that so important? TV shows that go on for any length time always have certain plots that come, they happen, and then they go away (The Walking Dead is a good, modern example). People often use phrases relating to subplots such as "it didn't go anywhere" or "it didn't matter", but this is entirely opinion based (where's it supposed to go to and what makes it matter to someone?). Obviously I'm speaking as someone who really enjoys the "slump" in season two, so I'm biased, but it irks me that people look at Dead Dog Farm, the Marsh plot or others and say "These plots don't matter. They aren't the Lodge or Laura so they're unimportant."
I disagree. I found them to be a fascinating look at what was going on in and around Twin Peaks as a whole. That's what I wanted out of this show. What is life in this town like? Who are these strange people? The murder mystery and the final sequences of the show are just icing on the cake to me. To me they did go somewhere (or perhaps take me somewhere) and they did matter (I was entertained and I learned more about the town, like I wanted to). So I contend those events did matter, as much as any long-term TV show's plot events can matter (yes, this show did get canceled, but they obviously intended for it to go on longer). To use TWD as an example again, we're entering season seven. Does anything in basically the first 4-5 seasons matter anymore? Go back and watch season two and try to feel like any of it matters. It really doesn't in the context of what's happening now. And that's okay. Pretty much all shows go through this kind of thing, some faster/sooner than others.
This was my response...
That's a great answer to what is a (slightly) more open-ended question than it may have initially seemed. I've actually been enjoying those midseason episodes more than usual but there does seem to be a widespread dissatisfaction with them which I’ve often shared. For me personally, this has something to do with a preference for “film” over “TV” storytelling. There are advantages to both – film usually has a stronger sense of purpose and momentum, reaching cathartic moments that can carry greater dramatic weight, while television can build attachment and investment in a way that a two-hour film usually can’t. Serialized shows attempt to bridge this gap by telling one ongoing story but usually stretching that story out by telling smaller chapters with their own dramatic arcs (sometimes as long as a season, sometimes as short as a single episode).
The tension between those two approaches will be present in any serialized show, but is especially sharp on one which aired on an early nineties network, where the format was also pressured to function on an episodic basis. And it’s especially sharp on Twin Peaks for a very specific reason: because Lynch came from the world of film and Frost came from the world of TV, and their sensibilities (maybe for other reasons too) really, really reflected this. It’s even apparent in the dichotomy of their interest: Lynch, much as he loves all the eccentric characters, repeatedly hones in on Laura and her singular mystery whenever he has the chance, whereas Frost is all about the town as a staging ground for various, perhaps unrelated dramas. Lynch is also a painter, which means he has an eye for the overall shape – the big picture – in a way a TV writer, under pressure to produce week to week and take the story in ever-new, ever-expanding directions, does not.
If you listen closely to Lynch’s seemingly TV-friendly statements about “a neverending story” or “the mystery shifting to the background” it becomes increasingly apparent that he isn't talking about abandoning movie structures so much as taking one part – the middle – and extending it perpetually. This avoids the finality of the ending while maintaining the momentum a fixed endpoint implies. It’s essentially a massive cheat code in which a destination creates a sense of purpose, but that destination is placed so far on the horizon that it allows an unusual amount of immersion in the journey. (And, in terms of the audience of the time at least, it didn't work - they demanded the ending any movie requires but any TV show dreads.) For Frost on the other hand, the narrative model seems not to have been an extension of a middle but a perpetual, interwoven succession of beginnings, middles, and ends in a consistent environment. In other words, something closer to the traditional TV model but perhaps more intricate and inventive than usual (the essay you and Somerton were discussing does a good job of laying this out).
The mid-season epitomizes the crisis in Twin Peaks between these two different, essentially contradictory modes. We could also argue about the effectiveness of its execution, but that’s immaterial to this particular point. These episodes are attempts to create a much looser serialized structure for the show, one which theoretically could have carried it into multiple seasons. There are some big threads that trickle information to us – Windom, the Lodges – while other stories carry the show week to week. Obviously the proposed Cooper-Audrey romance was supposed to form a stronger central axis, but even that would have a different nature than the Laura mystery, more of an in-the-moment sense of discovery than a perpetual hungering for more. My – and others’ – frustrations with this development may partly be due to a preference for more filmic types of storytelling, but I think they are also fostered by the show itself, because it begins very differently.
The pilot of Twin Peaks puts forward a much more cinematic conception: here is this terrible incident that is haunting everything else, and all the events of the story are driven by and/or circulate around this event. To then abandon this story, as the show does at its midpoint, would be a bit like The Godfather veering off to Las Vegas to explore the travails of the Frank Sinatra character (which the Puzo book actually does!!). Yes, a lot of the characters are still the same (although many aren’t, and that’s its own problem) and – other than the Evelyn stuff - the setting remains, but the premise of Twin Peaks wasn’t about characters or setting, it was about a particular traumatic event and its effect on the characters. To abandon the centrality of this event feels like a violation to a lot of us. For others, due perhaps to a greater fondness for TV than film, or a general affinity to a Frost-like narrative conception, or simply some inclination difficult to articulate/pin down, the other aspect of the pilot – its world-creation and fondness for character sketches – outstrips the impact of the narrative device, and is enough to sustain the show on its own.
I think all Twin Peaks fans, wherever they fall in terms of their preferences, should recognize that the show exists in the tension between these two poles. Eventually, it seems, Lynch did win the tug-of-war by changing the final script, creating the feature film without Frost, and even writing the Log Lady intros which frame the show as a single, cohesive work in a way the episodes themselves do not. Now that Frost is involved again, will the show shift back toward his conception (of a universe of stories that needn’t fall within one single frame)? I have my doubts for a few reasons: a) as director, Lynch has a sort of final say, no matter how collaborative he and Frost are as writers and producers; b) the new season was shot in a fashion far more similar to film than TV, suggesting a cohesive, bounded story, however sprawling; c) Frost himself has given statements over the years that place him much closer to the “filmic” type of storytelling than he used to be. We’ll see. For the show as it exists now [prior to the release of season three], questions of quality/execution aside, whether one fundamentally accepts the mid-season episodes will depend on how much that viewer desires an overarching sense of purpose, and how much they are willing to accept that a storyline or event “matters” and “goes somewhere” even if it doesn’t bring us any closer to a dramatic conclusion.
Read the thread surrounding the Reddit comment I responded to
Next: "My log has a message for you."/"The stars turn and a time presents itself." • Previous: The Missing Pieces
Here is a chapter of "Journey Through Twin Peaks" in which I traced the effect of Twin Peaks on David Lynch's later work (spoiler for Blue Velvet):
Here is the final "Journey Through Twin Peaks" chapter on the original series/film before season three:
I also created a preview for the whole video series with clips from all the chapters:
Here's one of the last comments I left on the Reddit rewatch, linking many of my pieces on the series. Since then I have also begun a character series
Having shared my previous work relevant to each step of Twin Peaks, I've left out a lot of material that approached the show/film as a whole entity. (I also have some work treating Lynch's entire filmography the same way but I'll save those for the film threads this sub will hopefully tackle.)
If you are a fan of the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion (and the film The End of Evangelion) or don't mind spoilers for it, here is my side by side video comparison with Twin Peaks. These shows are very different on the surface yet they have a striking relationship.
Side by Side video analysis: Neon Genesis Evangelion & Twin Peaks
Just before work on my Journey videos began, I created a screencap visual tribute to Laura & Cooper featuring all the moments they share or in which one is coming into contact with traces of the other:
Cooper & Laura: a visual tribute
Last year I made a meme/set of memes to clarify who contributed to the creation of Laura Palmer and how they contributed, as best I know:
The Creators of Laura Palmer
On the 25th anniversary of Twin Peaks I shared some thoughts on why Twin Peaks was both influential and misunderstood:
Twin Peaks 25th anniversary commemoration
Round-ups of other writers
Two years ago, while preparing for a conversation about Fire Walk With Me, I underwent massive research into the show and film and ended up gathering over 100 pieces of commentary from newspapers, magazines, scholarly journals, blogs, and videos from 1989 to 2014. I organized quotes chronologically and included links wherever possible. This is a good ground zero for anyone hoping to expand their understanding of how Twin Peaks has been discussed over the years:
Gone Fishin': media commentary round-up
Later I revisited the Usenet forums of 1990-92 to recover some of my favorite pieces of Twin Peaks commentary from the time it aired. This is a great look at how viewers responded in real time:
alt.tv.twin-peaks archive highlights from early 90s
Finally, I went to fans today (on the dugpa forum) and asked them to recall how they had reacted to key moments on the first run-through:
Memories of Twin Peaks from fans on dugpa
In addition to all of this I have conducted several interviews with authors of Twin Peaks/David Lynch publications or documentaries, only one of which has been linked so far. If you want to explore more, I have created a massive list of every Twin Peaks post - or even fleeting mention - on my blog, from podcast appearances to news updates to image round-ups. Enjoy.
The comments section below may contain spoilers for season 3.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2585
|
__label__wiki
| 0.805082
| 0.805082
|
Home UFC News Israel Adesanya Opening Betting Favorite Against Yoel Romero
Israel Adesanya Opening Betting Favorite Against Yoel Romero
Jon Fuentes
Mandatory Credit: Jasmin Frank-USA TODAY Sports
Israel Adesanya is expected to make the first defense of his UFC middleweight championship against Yoel Romero this year.
Adesanya took the title from Robert Whittaker this past October in Australia. Now, he has called out Romero, one of the most feared competitors at 185 pounds. According to Betting Insider Journal, “The Last Stylebender” is listed as a -174 favorite, with Romero as a +142 underdog. Early rumors suggest their bout will go down at UFC 248 on March 7.
The show goes down live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. While the UFC has not yet made the fight official, in a recent interview, Adesanya suggested the fight is a done deal.
“The fight’s done. … Make no mistake — I’m still putting work in,” Adesanya said. “I’m still getting ready for my second title defense against a veteran of the game. A veteran in wrestling, a tough motherf*cker, the boogeyman of the division. The guy nobody calls out — except for ‘Stylebender.’”
When asked if the bout would, in fact, take place at UFC 248, Adesanya confirmed it would.
“Yep, that’s the one,” Adesanya said. “That’s me.”
What do you think about a potential matchup between Adesanya and Romero? Who are you picking?
Paulo Costa Early Return Could Spoil Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero
Israel Adesanya Confirms Yoel Romero Fight Will Take Place At UFC 248
yoel romero
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2588
|
__label__wiki
| 0.818353
| 0.818353
|
Donovan Plomp
Filter by Authors Filter by Authors Donovan Plomp
Filter by Topics Filter by Topics Human Capital Privacy Recruiting
Privacy Commissioner investigates Criminal Records Checks
On July 25, 2012 the British Columbia Information and Privacy Commissioner released an investigation report regarding the use of employment related criminal record checks by the Government of British Columbia. The Commissioner concluded that the Government’s current policy with respect to criminal records checks contravenes the Freedom of Information and Protect of Privacy Act as, among other things, it fails to achieve the balance required between the government’s business needs as an employer and the privacy rights of employees. She made a number of recommendations and concluded by expressing her concern about the societal trend towards increased employment related criminal record checks without clear evidence as to their benefit.
The Commissioner noted that a growing number of employers are using criminal record checks and police information checks as employment screening tools, and that such checks are highly privacy invasive. She indicated that in her view, there should be a nexus between job requirements, duties and the proposed record check and, where record checks are used, controls must be in place to minimize the privacy implications for affected individuals.
The report contains an appendix listing Best Practices for Public Sector Record Checks. While the legal framework of this investigation occurred in the context of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, which applies only to “public bodies” in British Columbia, the best practices listed provide a good reference point for all employers considering their privacy practices and obligations. The Commissioner indicated that her office will be releasing best practice for private sector record checks at a future date and we will keep you posted.
background check criminal record police information check policy privacy Privacy Commissioner privacy investigation
Learn more about Donovan Plomp
Ryan MacIsaac Technology
Christine Ing Cybersecurity, Privacy & Data Management
Read Onward and Upward: GDPR a year later Onward and Upward: GDPR a year later Onward and Upward: GDPR a year later
By Charles S. Morgan ...
Charles S. Morgan
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2594
|
__label__wiki
| 0.935196
| 0.935196
|
Google fires four employees days after big S.F….
Google fires four employees days after big S.F. protest
Tech giant accuses workers of violating data security policies
Laurence Berland, a suspended Google employee, speaks at a rally Friday, Nov. 22, 2019, at the company’s San Francisco offices. (Levi Sumagaysay/Mercury News)
By Levi Sumagaysay |
PUBLISHED: November 25, 2019 at 3:26 pm | UPDATED: November 26, 2019 at 6:51 am
Google on Monday fired four employees who it said engaged in “clear and repeated violations” of the company’s data security policies.
Two of those employees were Rebecca Rivers and Laurence Berland, who were suspended a couple of weeks ago and spoke at a rally attended by a couple of hundred people outside one of Google’s San Francisco offices last week. Rivers, who worked in Boulder but made a trip to San Francisco for the rally Friday, tweeted Monday that she was being terminated. A public relations firm representing the organizers confirmed Monday that Berland was also fired.
A Google spokeswoman said Monday that she could not confirm the names of the four fired employees. But she said an internal company memo obtained and published by Bloomberg, which detailed findings of Google’s investigation, was accurate.
The memo, sent by Chris Rackow, Royal Hansen and Heather Adkins on behalf of Google’s security and investigations team, said, “We want to be clear that none of these individuals were fired for simply looking at documents or calendars during the ordinary course of their work.”
They went on to say that their “thorough investigation found the individuals were involved in systematic searches for other employees’ materials and work,” which were sometimes shared outside the company. “This is not how Google’s open culture works or was ever intended to work,” they wrote in the memo.
At the rally in San Francisco, Google employees demanded that Berland and Rivers be reinstated. Berland and other workers talked about fighting to “save Google’s open culture,” and refusing to be silenced or intimidated. The employees who spoke were activists who had urged Google not to bid on a contract with Customs and Border Protection, had protested against YouTube’s policies at the San Francisco Pride Parade, and more.
Tech Workers Coalition, made up of workers from Google and other companies, on Monday dubbed the four fired workers the “Thanksgiving Four,” and urged others to offer them jobs. In a tweet, the coalition called on “those remaining @Google to speak out against this draconian act. This is meant to scare workers, don’t let it.”
Levi Sumagaysay
Black market fuels brazen Bay Area laptop thefts in cafes
California sues billionaire to force public beach access
Bay Area scientists use gene tools to fend off bioterrorism
Report: Bay Area shouldn’t hog tech jobs
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2598
|
__label__cc
| 0.608887
| 0.391113
|
NYSE:SYF - Synchrony Financial Stock Price, Forecast & News
Adding Synchrony Financial
Synchrony Financial operates as a consumer financial services company in the United States. The company offers private label credit cards, dual cards, general purpose co-branded credit cards, and small and medium-sized business credit products; and promotional financing for consumer purchases, such as private label credit cards and installment loans. Read More…
Industry Nondepository credit institutions
Current SymbolNYSE:SYF
Webhttp://www.synchronyfinancial.com/
Receive SYF News and Ratings via Email
Sign-up to receive the latest news and ratings for SYF and its competitors with MarketBeat's FREE daily newsletter.
SYF Rates by TradingView
A Rare Upcoming Change to Bitcoin Could Yield Profits of 2,752% (Ad)
Free Report: In a few months the Bitcoin network will undergo a major change that will make it more scarce than ever before. Historically, this event has been correlated to a major price increase.
Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) Frequently Asked Questions
What is Synchrony Financial's stock symbol?
Synchrony Financial trades on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker symbol "SYF."
How often does Synchrony Financial pay dividends? What is the dividend yield for Synchrony Financial?
Synchrony Financial announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, October 23rd. Investors of record on Monday, November 4th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share on Thursday, November 14th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 1st. View Synchrony Financial's Dividend History.
How were Synchrony Financial's earnings last quarter?
Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF) released its earnings results on Friday, October, 18th. The financial services provider reported $1.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters' consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.10. The financial services provider earned $4.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.33 billion. Synchrony Financial had a return on equity of 20.05% and a net margin of 19.54%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.91 EPS. View Synchrony Financial's Earnings History.
When is Synchrony Financial's next earnings date?
Synchrony Financial is scheduled to release their next quarterly earnings announcement on Friday, January 24th 2020. View Earnings Estimates for Synchrony Financial.
How can I listen to Synchrony Financial's earnings call?
Synchrony Financial will be holding an earnings conference call on Friday, January 24th at 12:00 AM Eastern. Interested parties can register for or listen to the call using this link or dial in at Not Available.
What price target have analysts set for SYF?
13 Wall Street analysts have issued 1-year target prices for Synchrony Financial's stock. Their forecasts range from $34.00 to $43.00. On average, they anticipate Synchrony Financial's stock price to reach $39.08 in the next year. This suggests a possible upside of 9.3% from the stock's current price. View Analyst Price Targets for Synchrony Financial.
What is the consensus analysts' recommendation for Synchrony Financial?
13 Wall Street analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Synchrony Financial in the last year. There are currently 4 hold ratings and 9 buy ratings for the stock, resulting in a consensus recommendation of "Buy." View Analyst Ratings for Synchrony Financial.
What are Wall Street analysts saying about Synchrony Financial stock?
Here are some recent quotes from research analysts about Synchrony Financial stock:
1. BTIG Research analysts commented, "We are raising our 2019 EPS estimates for Buy-rated Consolidated-Tomoka Land Co. (CTO) ahead of CTO’s 2Q19 earnings after CTO closed on a number of dispositions (both of land and multi- tenanted buildings) in late 2Q19 in addition to executing a number of new acquisitions. Our 2Q19 EPS estimate is increasing from $0.27 to $2.04, while we are also raising our 2019 EPS estimate from $8.20 to $9.55; our 2020 EPS estimate is declining modestly from $5.25 to $5.13. CTO’s previously announced land sales pipeline represents ~60% of the company’s remaining land holdings under purchase and sale agreement (aggregating ~$87M), and ~68% is expected to close in 2019." (7/15/2019)
2. According to Zacks Investment Research, "Synchrony Financial’s shares have outperformed its industry year to date. It has witnessed its 2019 estimates move upward over the past 60 days. Its concerted efforts in forging alliances and effecting consolidations are likely to drive the shares going forward. It has been witnessing strong revenue growth since its inception in 2013 on the back of rising interest income. Moreover, its Retail Card platform has consistently performed well over the last several quarters. Its steady capital position also impresses. However, the company has been witnessing a steep rise in expenses since 2013, which has been weighing on its bottom line. The company has been taking up several organic and inorganic strategies with a view to expand which in turn, has resulted in higher marketing expenses and acquisitions-related costs. Its high allowance for loss remains another concern. Loss of Walmart continues to bother." (3/27/2019)
Has Synchrony Financial been receiving favorable news coverage?
Media coverage about SYF stock has trended negative recently, InfoTrie Sentiment Analysis reports. The research group identifies negative and positive media coverage by reviewing more than six thousand news and blog sources in real time. The firm ranks coverage of publicly-traded companies on a scale of negative five to five, with scores nearest to five being the most favorable. Synchrony Financial earned a daily sentiment score of -2.0 on InfoTrie's scale. They also gave news articles about the financial services provider a news buzz of 0.0 out of 10, indicating that recent media coverage is extremely unlikely to have an impact on the company's share price in the immediate future. View News Stories for Synchrony Financial.
Are investors shorting Synchrony Financial?
Synchrony Financial saw a increase in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 16,780,000 shares, an increase of 9.0% from the December 15th total of 15,400,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 4,610,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.6 days. Currently, 2.6% of the company's shares are sold short. View Synchrony Financial's Current Options Chain.
Who are some of Synchrony Financial's key competitors?
Some companies that are related to Synchrony Financial include Zurich Insurance Group (ZURVY), Ally Financial (ALLY), HARGREAVES LANS/ADR (HRGLY), SBI (SBHGF), LexinFintech (LX), Walker & Dunlop (WD), Qudian (QD), Green Dot (GDOT), 360 Finance (QFIN), Mr. Cooper Group (COOP), Blucora (BCOR), Yirendai (YRD), Oportun Financial (OPRT), America First Multifamily Investors (ATAX) and Curo Group (CURO).
What other stocks do shareholders of Synchrony Financial own?
Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some companies that other Synchrony Financial investors own include Bank of America (BAC), General Electric (GE), Micron Technology (MU), Alibaba Group (BABA), AT&T (T), NVIDIA (NVDA), Intel (INTC), Cisco Systems (CSCO), Ford Motor (F) and Wells Fargo & Co (WFC).
Who are Synchrony Financial's key executives?
Synchrony Financial's management team includes the folowing people:
Ms. Margaret M. Keane, CEO & Director (Age 60)
Mr. Brian D. Doubles, Pres (Age 43)
Mr. Henry F. Greig, Exec. VP, Chief Credit Officer & Capital Management Leader (Age 56)
Mr. Thomas M. Quindlen, Exec. VP & CEO of Retail Card (Age 56)
Mr. Neeraj K. Mehta, Exec. VP, CEO of Payment Solutions & Chief Commercial Officer (Age 48)
Who are Synchrony Financial's major shareholders?
Synchrony Financial's stock is owned by a variety of of institutional and retail investors. Top institutional shareholders include Artemis Investment Management LLP (0.24%), PGGM Investments (0.14%), Wedge Capital Management L L P NC (0.13%), Heritage Investors Management Corp (0.08%), Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC (0.05%) and Nisa Investment Advisors LLC (0.03%). Company insiders that own Synchrony Financial stock include David P Melito, Henry F Greig, Laurel Richie, Margaret M Keane, Neeraj Mehta, Paul Whynott, Roy A Guthrie, Thomas M Quindlen and Will W Graylin. View Institutional Ownership Trends for Synchrony Financial.
Which institutional investors are selling Synchrony Financial stock?
SYF stock was sold by a variety of institutional investors in the last quarter, including Artemis Investment Management LLP, DNB Asset Management AS, Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC, Meag Munich Ergo Kapitalanlagegesellschaft MBH, Wedge Capital Management L L P NC, IFM Investors Pty Ltd, IFP Advisors Inc and Heritage Investors Management Corp. Company insiders that have sold Synchrony Financial company stock in the last year include David P Melito, Henry F Greig, Margaret M Keane and Will W Graylin. View Insider Buying and Selling for Synchrony Financial.
Which institutional investors are buying Synchrony Financial stock?
SYF stock was purchased by a variety of institutional investors in the last quarter, including PGGM Investments, Bowling Portfolio Management LLC, State of Alaska Department of Revenue, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC, Penbrook Management LLC, Trinity Legacy Partners LLC, Appleton Partners Inc. MA and Beirne Wealth Consulting Services LLC. Company insiders that have bought Synchrony Financial stock in the last two years include Laurel Richie and Roy A Guthrie. View Insider Buying and Selling for Synchrony Financial.
How do I buy shares of Synchrony Financial?
Shares of SYF can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Vanguard Brokerage Services, TD Ameritrade, E*TRADE, Robinhood, Fidelity and Charles Schwab.
What is Synchrony Financial's stock price today?
One share of SYF stock can currently be purchased for approximately $35.76.
How big of a company is Synchrony Financial?
Synchrony Financial has a market capitalization of $23.11 billion and generates $18.25 billion in revenue each year. The financial services provider earns $2.79 billion in net income (profit) each year or $3.74 on an earnings per share basis. Synchrony Financial employs 16,500 workers across the globe.View Additional Information About Synchrony Financial.
What is Synchrony Financial's official website?
The official website for Synchrony Financial is http://www.synchronyfinancial.com/.
How can I contact Synchrony Financial?
Synchrony Financial's mailing address is 777 LONG RIDGE ROAD, STAMFORD CT, 06902. The financial services provider can be reached via phone at 203-585-2400 or via email at [email protected]
MarketBeat Community Rating for Synchrony Financial (NYSE SYF)
MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Synchrony Financial and other stocks. Vote "Outperform" if you believe SYF will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote "Underperform" if you believe SYF will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2600
|
__label__cc
| 0.607005
| 0.392995
|
Recognize Benefits of Your Powerlessness and God's Power (Insights in Psalms)
The benefits of recognizing your powerlessness and God's power in city-wide kingdom ministry include:
1. Preserve unity of spirit by listening to counsel of older mentors
2. Resist subjection to unrighteous leaders by resisting over-confidence and pride
3. Defeat spiritual enemies by calling upon God as your leader
4. Prevent men from prevailing by recognizing His power
5. Be rewarded for your work being strong and not giving up
6. Be strengthened and delivered when fully committed to God
7. Produce fear of Lord and financial provision by mobilizing teaching ambassadors and spiritual warriors
Preserve Unity of Spirit by Listening to Counsel of Older Mentors
Israel asked Rehoboam to lighten the harsh labor and heavy yoke his father, Solomon, put on them. Rehobaum consulted the elders who served Solomon. They said to be kind and give them favorable answer so they would always serve him. He rejected that advice and listened to the young men he grew up who said to make their yoke heavier. Rehoboam did not listen to the people as these events were from God to fulfill God's word spoken to Jeroboam. They had no partnership with David and looked after their own house instead. So Israel was in rebellion against the house of the David to this day (2 Chron. 10:1-19). Preserve unity of the spirit by listening to counsel of older mentors so you can rule in your sphere of influence.
Prevent Subjection to Unrighteous Leaders by Resisting Over-Confidence and Pride
Rehoboam listened to God's word and did not war against Israel. He fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin, strengthened their defenses and put commanders in them supplying them with food, shields and spears. The priests, Levites and those who set their heart on seeking God came to Judah and Jerusalem. Jeroboam rejected the priests and appointed his own priests for the high places and made goat and calf idols. After Rehoboam became established as king, he and all Israel abandoned God's law. Their unfaithfulness led to Shishak king of Egypt attacking Jerusalem and capturing the fortified cities of Judah. When Israel's leaders and Rehoboam humbled themselves, God sent deliverance instead of pouring His wrath through Shishak. They became subject to him to learn the difference between serving God and the kings of other lands. Shishak carried off the treasures of the temple and royal palace including the gold shields. Rehoboam did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking God. There was continual warfare between Rehoboam and Jeroboam (2 Chron. 11:1-12:16). Prevent subjection to unrighteous leaders by resisting over-confidence and pride.
Defeat Spiritual Enemies by Calling Upon God as Your Leader
Abijah king of Judah told Jeroboam he forsook God who was his leader. His priests with their trumpets sounded the battle cry against Israel. Abijah warned them not to fight against the Lord, the God of their fathers, since they would not succeed. When Judah cried out to the Lord after being attacked from the front and ambushed in the rear, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel. He delivered 500,000 dead among Israel's able men in Judah's hands. Jeroboam did not regain power during the time of Abijah (2 Chron. 13:1-22). Defeat spiritual enemies by calling upon God as your leader.
Prevent Men from Prevailing by Recognizing Your Powerlessness and God's Power
Asa did what was good and right in God's eyes. He removed the foreign altars and high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He commanded Judah to seek the Lord and obey His commands. The kingdom was at peace under him. He build up the fortified cities of Judah and put walls, towers, gates and bars around them. They sought the Lord, had rest and prospered. Asa called to the Lord to help the powerless against the mighty army of Zerah the Cushite with 300 chariots so man would not prevail against Him. They were crushed for the terror of the Lord fell upon them and plundered their villages (2 Chron. 14:1-15). Prevent men from prevailing by recognizing your powerlessness and God's power.
Be Rewarded for Your Work Being Strong and Not Giving Up
God was found by those who sought Him. He forsook those who forsook Him. Azariah reminded Asa that Israel was without the true God, priest to teach and the law but in their distress they turned and were found by Him. He told Asa to be strong and not give up since his work would be rewarded. Asa took courage, removed the detestable idols from Judah, Benjamin and towns captured in Ephraim. He repaired the altar in front of the Lord's temple. He assembled large numbers of people and they sacrificed 700 cattle, 7000 sheep and goats from the plunder they brought back. They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord with all their heart and soul. Asa deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother and burned the Asherah pole she made. He did not remove the high places, but his heart was fully committed to the Lord. He brought into the temple silver, gold and articles that he and his father dedicated (2 Chron. 15:1-19). Be rewarded for your work by being strong and not giving up.
Be Strengthened and Delivered When Fully Committed to God
Asa paid Ben-Hadad king of Aram to break his treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he would withdraw and stop building Ramah. Asa used those stones to build up Geba and Mizpah. Hanani the seer told Asa that he relied on the king of Aram and not the Lord. He reminded Asa that God delivered him from Cushites' and Libyans' mighty armies when he relied on the Lord. The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. Because Asa did a foolish thing, he had continual war. He became angry with the seer and brutally oppressed some of the people. Asa sought help only from the physicians and not the Lord when he had severe disease in his feet. He died two years later (2 Chron. 16:1-14). Be strengthened and delivered when you are fully committed to God.
Produce Fear of Lord and Financial Provision By Mobilizing Teaching Ambassadors and Spiritual Warriors
Jehoshaphat stationed troops in all the fortified cities of Judah and put garrisons in Judah and Ephraim. He walked in the ways his father David followed and did not consult the Baals. He sought the Lord and followed His commands rather than the practices of Israel. The Lord established the kingdom under Jehoshaphat's control and Judah brought great gifts so he had wealth and honor. His heart was devoted to the ways of the Lord and removed the high places and Asherah poles from Judah. He sent officials, certain Levites and two priests to teach the people the Book of the Law of the Lord throughout Judah. The fear of the Lord fell on all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah so they did not war against Jehoshaphat. Some Philistines brought him gifts and silver as tribute and Arabs brought 7700 rams and 7700 goats. Jehoshaphat became more powerful and built forts and store cities with large supplies. He kept experienced fighting men in Jerusalem who served the king. Others were stationed in the fortified cities throughout Judah (2 Chron. 17:1-19). Produce the fear of the Lord and financial provision by mobilizing ambassadors to teach God's word and stationing spiritual warriors in every city.
Recognize your powerlessness and God's power by praying what the Holy Spirit brings to your mind regarding kingdom ministry in your particular circumstances.
How to Rule in Your Sphere of Influence as God's Friend (Insights in Psalms)
We have a great challenge to meet the spiritual hunger of those under 40 where 3% are Christians who reflect Christ (51% are unbelievers) compared to 9% of those over 40 who are Christians that reflect Christ.
In the first chapter 1 Chronicles, the writer lists a genealogy highlighting the descendants of Abraham who ruled in his sphere of influence as a friend of God (James 2:23). In 1 Chron. 2-7, the writer tells how to rule in your sphere of influence as God's friend.
Rule in Your Sphere of Influence as God's Friend
Historical records listed the sons of Adam and Noah including Shem, Ham and Japheth. Descendants of Japheth included Gomer, Magog and Tarshish. Descendants of Ham included Cush, Canaan, Nimrod, a mighty warrior on earth, Philistines, Sidon, Hittites and Jebusites. The descendants of Shem included Meshech, Terah and Abram whose sons were Isaac and Ishmael. The descendants of Hagar (Ishmael), Keturah and Sarah were listed. The descendants of the Edomites included the people of Seir and rulers of Edom before any Israelite king reigned (1 Chron. 1:1-54). Rule in your sphere of influence as God's friend.
Live in Purity Without Worldly Compromise
The sons of Israel included Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Napthali, Gad and Asher. The sons of Judah included Er, born to him by a Canaanite woman, wicked in God's sight and put to death. Tamar, Judah's daughter, bore him Perez and Zerah. One descendant was Achan who brought disaster on Israel by violating the ban on taking devoted things at Ai. Other descendants of Judah were Boaz, Jesse and David. David's sister had three sons including Abishai, Joab and Asahel. Another sister was the mother of Amasa. Caleb's descendants included Gilead, Jair, Geshur and Aram who controlled 23 towns in Gilead and 60 in Havvoth Jair and Kenath. The descendants of Jerahmeel first-born son of Hezron included Ram, Nadab, Nathan, Jehu and Azariah. The clans of Caleb included Hebron, Shammai, Kiriath and Jearim leading to the descendants of Zorathites and Kenites (1 Chron. 2:1-55). Live in purity without worldly compromise.
Live in Purity Without Sexual Sin
The sons of David were Amnon from Ahinoam, Daniel from Abigail, Absalom from Maacah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur, Adonijah from Haggith, Shephatiah from Abital, Ithream from Eglah. These six were born to David in Hebron where he reigned seven years and six months. Children born to him in Jerusalem where he reigned 33 years were Shammua, Shobab, Nathan and Solomon from Bathsheba. Nine additional sons were born to David besides others by his concubines. Tamar was their sister. From Solomon's son Rehoboam, the kings of Judah included Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, Ahaziah, Joash, Amaziah, Azariah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon and Josiah. The sons of Josiah were Johanan, Jehoiakim, Zedekiah and Shallum. The successors of Jehoiakim were Jehoiachin and Zedekiah. The royal line after the exile included the descendants of Jehoiachin and Pedaiah. The sons of Pedaiah were Zerubbabel and Shimei. A descendant of Zerubbabel was Obadiah (1 Chron. 3:1-24). Live in purity without sexual sin.
Ask God to Bless and Enlarge Your Sphere of Influence
A descendant of Judah included Jabez who was more honorable that his brothers because he cried out that God would bless him with enlarged territory so His hand be on him to keep him from harm and pain. God answered his prayer. Other descendants included Othniel and Joab whose children became the valley of craftsmen. Another descendant married Pharaoh's daughter Bithiah. Clans of linen workers came from Beth Ashbea. Joash were among others who ruled in Moab. They were potters who worked for the king. The descendants of Simeon were not as numerous as the people of Judah. They lived in Beersheba and Ziklag among other towns until David's reign. Leaders of clans were listed whose families increased greatly. They went to the outskirts of Gedor and found rich, good pasture in spacious and peaceful land during Hezekiah's reign. They attacked and completely destroyed the Hamites and Meunites. They settled in their place because there was pasture for their flocks. They killed the remaining Amalekites who had escaped in Seir (1 Chron. 4:1-43). Ask God to bless and enlarge your sphere of influence with His hand on you to prevent harm and pain.
Train Believers in Purity and Spiritual Warfare
Reuben's rights as firstborn were given to the sons of Joseph because he defiled his father's marriage bed. Assyria's king took Beerah, leader of the Reubenites, into exile. The descendants of Gad lived next to them in Bashan, Gilead and outlying villages. The Reubenites, Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 able-bodied men ready for military service who handled shield, sword and bow while trained for battle during Saul's reign. They were helped in fighting them and God handed the Hagrites and their allies over to them because they cried out to Him during the battle. God answered their prayers because they trusted in Him. They took 100,000 people captive with others killed because the battle was God's. They occupied the land until the exile. The half-tribe of Manasseh were brave warriors, famous men and heads of families but were unfaithful to God. They prostituted themselves to the gods of the peoples of the land whom God had destroyed. Assyria took Reuben, Gad and half-tribe of Manasseh into exile (1 Chron. 5:1-26). Train believers in purity and spiritual warfare not to compromise with the world's false gods.
Discover Mentors in Major Cities Through Corporate Prayer
The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath and Merari. Kohath's grandchildren through Amran were Aaron, Moses and Miriam. Other descendants of Kohath were Amminadab, Korah, Elkanah, his son, Samuel, and Uzziah.
David's men were listed that he put in charge of the music before the tabernacle until Solomon built the temple. From the Kohathites were Heman, the musician, and his associate, Asaph, who served at his right hand and the Merarites at his left hand. Their fellow Levites were assigned to other tabernacle duties. Aaron and his descendants presented offerings on the altar of burnt offering and on the altar of incense in connection with the Most Holy Place making atonement for Israel. The descendants of Aaron were given Hebron and Shechem (cities of refuge) and parcels of land from the other tribes (1 Chron. 6:1-81). Discover mentors in major cities through corporate prayer who are surrendered to God.
Equip Ambassadors Prepared for Spiritual Battle
The genealogical record for Issachar had 22,600 fighting men from Tola's descendants, 36,000 men ready for battle from sons of Izahiah and 87,000 total relatives as fighting men. The genealogical record for Benjamin listed 22,034 fighting men from sons of Bela, 20,200 fighting men from sons of Beker and 17,2000 fighting men ready for war from sons of Bilhan. The sons of Naphtali, Manasseh and Ephraim were listed. Ezer and Elead were killed by men of Gath when they seized their livestock. Ephraim mourned many days and gave birth to another son named Beriah, because of his family's misfortune. His daughter built the Lower and Upper Beth Horon and Uzzen Sheerah. Their lands and settlements included Bethel and its surrounding villages. The descendants of Asher were listed including heads of families, choice men, brave warriors and outstanding leaders with 26,000 men ready for battle (1 Chron. 7:1-40). Equip ambassadors prepared for spiritual battle and persecution.
The following explains how to rule in your sphere of influence as God's friend:
1. Live in purity without worldly compromise
2. Live in purity without sexual immorality
3. Ask God to bless and enlarge your sphere of service with His hand on you to prevent harm and pain
4. Train believers in purity and spiritual warfare not to compromise with the world's false gods
5. Discover mentors in major cities through corporate prayer who are surrendered to God
6. Equip ambassadors prepared for spiritual battle and persecution
Complexity of Leadership (Insights in Prophets)
Leadership is not simply anymore because today's problems are complex and interconnected. No one person can know what to do. To understand issues, all parts of a system must participate and contribute. Leadership must expand from isolated, role-based actions of individuals to innovative, contextual interactions that occur across an entire social system. David faced a complex leadership problem when he tried to unite the 10 tribes of Israel with the two tribes of Judah. When Absalom, David's son and rebel ruler of Israel, was killed and the nation defeated, a system of complex relationships between Israel and Judah began. Observing components of Godly leadership in 2 Sam. 18-19 will help us navigate in the complex systems we face today.
David numbered the people, set commanders of thousands and hundreds with one third under Joab, Abishai and Ittai the Gittite, respectively. With David staying back, he told the three commanders to deal gently with Absalom (2 Sam. 18:1-5). Godly leaders organize the right quantity and command structure for warriors in spiritual battle.
The servants of David defeated and killed 20,000 Israelites in Ephraim when the battle spread over the whole countryside. The forest devoured more people than the sword. Joab thrust three spears in Absalom's heart after finding him hanging in the air when his hair was caught in over-hanging branches. People cast Absalom in a deep pit and all Israel fled to their tents (2 Sam. 18:6-18). Godly leaders deploy spiritual warriors on many battle fronts until they defeat the enemy.
Ahimaaz and Cushite ran to tell the news to David. He wept when he learned of Absalom's death and said, "Would I had died instead of you, Absalom" (2 Sam. 18:19-33). Godly leaders allow passions and emotions to get out of balance occasionally.
Joab said David's excessive grief over Absalom's death showed ungratefulness by loving those who hated him and hating those who loved him even though his servants saved David and his family's lives. Joab exhorted David go out and speak kindly to his servants, which he did. Israel quarreled about bringing David back as king. They reflected how he saved them from the Philistines, but fled from Absalom (2 Sam. 19:1-10). Godly leaders heed correction from others to enhance their effectiveness.
David asked his close brothers, Zadok and Abiathar the priests, why they were the last to bring him back as king. David turned the hearts of Judah as one man in supporting his return as king (2 Sam. 19:11-15). Godly leaders unify others to work toward a single goal.
Shimei who had cursed David earlier admitted his sin and wanted to be first of the house of Joseph to meet him. David did not allow Zeruiah to kill Shimei (2 Sam. 19:16-23). Godly leaders discern their followers' mixed motives for serving.
When David asked Mephibosheth why he didn't go with the king, he said his servant deceived and slandered David by not preparing a donkey for him to leave. Mephibosheth expressed his gratefulness about eating at David's table. He said Mephibosheth would divide the land with Ziba (2 Sam. 19:24-30). Godly leaders care and serve the less fortunate.
David blessed Barzillai, an old man who sustained the king while he stayed at Mahanaim. He requested that Chimham cross over with David who agreed to do good for him. All the people and David crossed over the Jordan (2 Sam. 19:31-39).
Godly leaders develop close friendships and are approachable.
After David, Judah and half of Israel crossed over the Jordan, Israel asked why Judah stole him away and treated them with contempt when David, his family and men were brought over the Jordan. Israel argued that with ten parts in the king (ten tribes) and being the first to suggest bringing back the king, they had more claim than Judah. Judah's words were harsher than Israel's (2 Sam. 19:40-43). Godly leaders face division and quarrels as they seek to fulfill their kingdom purpose.
Which of the following components of Godly leadership are most important for you to apply right now?
1. Organize the right quantity and command structure for warriors in spiritual battle
2. Deploy spiritual warriors on many battle fronts until they defeat the enemy
3. Allow passions and emotions to get out of balance occasionally
4. Heed correction from others to enhance their effectiveness
5. Unify others to work toward a single goal
6. Discern their followers' mixed motives for serving
7. Care and serve the less fortunate
8. Develop close friendships and are approachable
9. Face division and quarrels as they seek to fulfill their kingdom purpose
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2603
|
__label__wiki
| 0.883987
| 0.883987
|
Who is Nintendo’s saviour DeNA?
MCV Staff 26th March 2015 Consoles
On Tuesday March 17th, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata surprised a gathering of press with a major announcement about the future of its business.
In recent years, with the spread of smart devices, we’ve increasingly heard a variety of opinions on the future of the dedicated video game system business, and in particular relatively pessimistic ones,” he said, adding that issues impacting the performance of 3DS and Wii U has sparked analysts to suggest that dedicated game systems too may be consumed by smart devices since the latter has already been said to have consumed a variety of dedicated devices such as digital music players, cameras and car navigation systems.”
Iwata doesn’t agree with that analysis, to the point that he announced the NX – a dedicated console that will be revealed next year. But, he does view smart devices as the next generation of the TV and said: It would be a waste not to use these devices.”
Nintendo said it would be developing mobile games. It is something some critics and analysts have longed lobbied the company to do. Yet the economics of mobile gaming is something that has never sat well with Nintendo.
Mobile games rarely cost more than a 1 – Nintendo would have to sell a lot of Super Mario iOS to generate significant money – which is why so many mobile developers have adopted the free-to-play (or ‘free-to-start’ as Iwata calls it) model. Perhaps Mario runs out of energy after a few levels, and gamers will either have to wait until he’s refreshed, or pay some money to buy him a power-up. Or perhaps fan will have to pay micro-transactions to access extra monsters in Pokmon.
It would work, but would it go down well with Nintendo’s die-hard fans? Or, more to the point, how well would it sit with parents, who are already wary of mobile gaming’s ‘free’ business model?
It’s something Iwata is clearly concerned about. In subsequent interviews, he has suggested that Nintendo may have to come up with entirely new business models.
And this is perhaps where Nintendo’s new friend can come into play. The Japanese smartphone giant: DeNA.
"Nintendo can help with our global expansion.
Its IP will bring the best gaming experience to
players around the world."
Tomoyuki, Akiyama, DeNA
Nintendo has partnered with DeNA to launch its smartphone games platform, and as part of the deal Nintendo has taken a ten per cent share in the firm, while DeNA has taken a 1.24 per cent share in Nintendo.
DeNA is one of the biggest mobile games companies in the world. It employs some 2,000 people and generated almost $1.8bn last year – primarily from mobile games. Meanwhile, almost $2bn was consumed by DeNA mobile games in 2013. It is on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and even owns a Japanese baseball team.
It wasn’t always a mobile games business, however. It began life in operating online actions, before moving into online retail, then mobile auctions, mobile advertising, mobile social networks and then finally entering the gaming space.
It launched a platform called Mobage – a bit like Xbox Live for mobile – which has over 30m users.
DeNA shifted its business focus to mobile as early as in 2004 – three years before the iPhone – and built its expertise,” says global corporate communications chief Tomoyuki Akiyama.
Akiyama says there are three key strengths to DeNA, including its metrics-driven operation, the ability to develop mobile-optimised service for small screens and ‘in-between time’ and technology that is able to handle massive data traffic.”
But it’s not all about technology and analytics. DeNA knows a thing or two about publishing and making games. It released Kaito Royale, a mobile hit in Japan, and it’s published Rage of Bahamut and Blood Brothers, which have topped the App Store and Google Play charts in the West.
DeNA also has ambitious goals of its own.
We want to be the world’s No.1 mobile internet company,” says Akiyama. Mid-term, we want to establish our position as a mobile gaming leader, and to launch multiple new non-gaming businesses for sustained growth.”
It’s the global element that is key to DeNA. The mobile market has become saturated in Japan, but the company’s attempts to launch globally have had mixed results. It has a Western presence, and has invested in developers, but not to much success. Although it’s learned some valuable lessons.
We found out what does and doesn’t work for users in the West,” continues Akiyama. The difference includes lower revenue per user, higher drop-out rate and the different competitive landscape.
He adds: Nintendo can help with this global expansion.
Its IP will help bring the best gaming experience to over a billion mobile users globally. We will also continue to share knowledge between our offices around the world.”
It’s not the only thing Nintendo can help with. DeNA admits there are challenges in the mobile space, including intensifying competition, worsening discoverability for apps and increased user-acquisition cost – all of which, Akiyama says is something Nintendo can help solve, because it has the games and the software to help DeNA rise above its competitors and get the visibility it wants worldwide.
"We want to be the world’s No.1 mobile internet company."
Tomoyuki Akiyama, DeNA
Of course this all sounds great for DeNA. But what about Nintendo?
Listening to Akiyma, DeNA sounds nothing like Nintendo. This is a company that talks about metrics, user acquisition and technology. These are not the sort of buzz words typically mouthed by Nintendo executives, who prefer to use words like ‘creativity’ and ‘fun’. Nintendo is run by creators; it’s why it often makes brilliant games, but not always astute business decisions.
Yet it’s because DeNA sounds like the antithesis of Nintendo that this partnership could work. Iwata says that: DeNA’s strength is its world-class internet service construction and operating know-how.” And says that the two will work together to construct a bridge between mobile and dedicated game hardware.”
DeNA can build something that Nintendo has repeatedly struggled to do: an online network that keeps gamers engaged with both the company and its games. Nintendo may not make billions from Mario Kart on Android, but if it can convince a fraction of those gamers to go and buy Mario Kart 7 on 3DS or Mario Kart 8 on Wii U, it could prove to be a lucrative initiative.
Tags christopher-dring dena interview interviews iwata mobile nintendo satoru iwata
About MCV Staff
Previous Kickstarter Spotlights let devs tell their crowdfunding success story
Next International Factfile 2015: Denmark
Big in Japan: Nintendo Switch Lite sells over one million units in just three months
2019 ‘was a record-breaking year’ for Jagex and RuneScape
Building a British Ubisoft – CEO Dominic Wheatley on the Catalis Group’s ambitious plans for growth
PlayStation’s E3 snub is damaging to the broader console games industry
From FIFA to Untitled Goose Game, the console industry must sometimes chant, or honk, together.
|
cc/2020-05/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line2604
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.