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Meet Maria Lewis Kussmaul, CFA
Maria Lewis Kussmaul, CFA
Co-Founder and Partner - Boston
Mobile / Comms
Maria Lewis Kussmaul, CFA LinkedIn Profile
Maria, a Co-Founder and Partner at AGC Partners, leads the firm’s investment banking efforts in the IT security sector. A recognized domain expert, Maria is a frequent contributor to industry events, panelist/presenter at the RSA Conference, Security Innovation Network (SINET) Advisory Board Member, Naval War College Roundtable Participant and has facilitated numerous “Blue Sky” strategic planning sessions with leading security teams. Prior to co-founding AGC, Maria was a co-founder, general and venture partner of Castile Ventures, a seed and early stage venture capital firm. Maria’s early Wall Street career spanned three firms – Smith Barney, Shearson Lehman and Cowen & Co., culminating as global head of Cowen’s data networks & Internet investment banking activities. Working for more than 30 years as a sell-side equity analyst, venture capitalist and investment banker, Maria has advised on hundreds of telecom equipment, networking, internet and security transactions. Previously, she was named to the Institutional Investor All-American Research Team for 13 consecutive years. Maria holds a B.A. in Economics from Rutgers University, an M.B.A. from Wharton School of Business and a Chartered Financial Analyst designation. She was the 2013 recipient of the Boston Joseph Wharton Award.
Maria's Featured
Maria is a Trustee of the Museum of Science (MoS) in Boston, MA, and chair of the Museum’s Discoverers’ Committee. She is also an Overseer with Boston Baroque. A former marathoner, Maria now restricts her running to shorter distances and has adopted the annual Washburn Climb of Mt. Washington, New Hampshire’s highest peak, as her chief fundraiser for MoS. Maria and her husband Wes are empty nesters and reside in Boston, MA.
“Maria and her team at AGC served as BreakingPoint’s trusted advisor through a comprehensive and highly efficient process that culminated with the successful sale to Ixia. Through every step of the way, including complex final negotiations, AGC led BreakingPoint with professionalism and a deep commitment to our shareholders. My team and our investors couldn’t be more pleased with the results, and we look forward to working with AGC again in the future.”
— Des Wilson, CEO of BreakingPoint
(AGC Partners acted as sole financial advisor to BreakingPoint)
"We are very pleased with Maria, Russ and the team at AGC, who worked diligently with us from start to finish and secured the best outcome for our shareholders. Maria's extensive knowledge of the industry and personal guidance throughout the entire term of our engagement was invaluable, and I would welcome the opportunity to work with Maria and her team again."
— Mike Dager, CEO of Arxan
(AGC Partners served as sole financial advisor to Arxan Technologies in September, 2013)
"AGC did a fantastic job advising Xceedium during the M&A process. The management team, Board, and shareholders were all thoroughly impressed by Maria’s deep industry knowledge and close relationships with the major security players. The entire AGC team served as a trusted advisor and helped make this transaction a success. We look forward to working with Maria and her team again in the future."
Glenn Hazard, CEO of Xceedium
(AGC Partners acted as sole financial advisor to Xceedium in August 2015)
Security Flash Report – April 2019
Security Orchestration & Automation
Cyber Risk Insurance
Connected Car Security
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By Zoe Conville on August 8th, 2016 - comments
Adam Peaty, coached by Lincolnshire’s Mel Marshall, is an Olympic swimming champion.
Early this morning Team GB swimmer Adam Peaty broke his own world record to take the gold medal in the 100m breaststroke at the Olympics Aquatic Stadium in Rio.
Peaty, who had already broken a world record in the heats with a time of 57.55 seconds, swam even faster in the final, finishing 1.5 seconds ahead of the rest of the field with a time of 57.13 seconds.
Peaty is the first British man to win an Olympic gold medal in swimming since the Seoul 1998 games when Adrian Moorhouse won gold in the same event.
Adam’s coach, former GB swimmer Melanie Marshall, who was born in Boston, has been recognised for her impeccable coaching skills since she retired at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
Mel has been honoured with the British Swimming Coaches Association Coach of the Year Award in 2015 and 2016, was named Swimming World magazine International Coach of the Year and was also nominated for the Coach of the Year at the prestigious BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards.
Just minutes after Adam secured gold, Jazz Carlin from Wales took second place in the 400m freestyle final, doubling Great Britain’s medal tally with an impressive swim time of 4:01.23.
Earlier in the day fencer Richard Kruse came close to a medalling in the Men’s Foil competition, narrowly losing to out to Russian Timur Safin – the final score was 13 – 15.
Lizzie Armitstead looked strong in the Women’s Road Race too, but dropped off in the final stages, coming 5th overall.
Despite a strong start for Wimbledon champ Andy Murray in the Men’s tennis singles, he and brother Jamie were beaten in the first round of the doubles competition.
Day three of the Olympic Games gets underway later, and with Team GBs women in the Rugby sevens final, and Tom Daley and Dan Goodfellow, chances of Team GB increasing its medal tally look promising.
Find a schedule of all of today’s sports on the BBC website.
Alford golfer Ashton Turner selected for Olympic youth squad
Fri, 14th December, 2012 - 13:00
Thu, 11th August, 2016 - 11:42
Lincolnshire Hockey Quartet Set for Rio Olympics
Casey Stoney
Lizzie Simmonds
Team GB Hockey Women Reach Olympic Final
How much did the Rio Olympics cost you?
Mon, 22nd August, 2016 - 15:45
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Renaissance Schaumburg Convention
Center Hotel in Chicago, Illinois
Grand Prize
The Baking Academy
Demonstration Schedule
Hands-on Class Schedule
Chef Bios
Chef Joel Reno
Joel Reno is a Chef Instructor at The French Pastry School who teaches in L’Art de la Pâtisserie, the 24-week Professional Baking and Pastry Program. As a chef instructor at The French Pastry School, Reno brings years of experience within many types of establishments in the pastry world: from yachts in the Caribbean; to four-star restaurants in Chicago; to small, artisan bakeries in Southern California. He believes that a pastry chef’s biggest responsibility is to give customers the best experience they can possibly have and that experience is dependent on the chef’s willingness to continuously challenge themselves to become better. “Pastry is a beautiful craft and I love getting people excited about it,” Reno explained. “When students of pastry get equally as excited about learning the process and science behind making the recipes, magic can happen.”
Friday November 11
10:00am-11:00am: Chocolate Marshmallows
11:30am-12:30pm: Cupcakes
1:00pm-2:00pm: Chocolate Brownie
2:30pm-3:30pm: Honey and Lemon Madeleine
4:00pm-5:00pm: Chocolate Caramels
Sally McKenney
Sally McKenney, of Sally's Baking Addiction, has made the internet a sweeter place! She is a full-time blogger, cookbook author, photographer, and baking addict sharing her favorite recipes with over 8 million monthly blog readers. Sally also blogs for People magazine's website and has a massive social media following. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband, Kevin, and their dog, Jude.
4:00pm-6:30pm: Cookie Baking and Tips with Sally
Saturday November 12
10:00am-12:30pm: Perfecting Pie Crust from Scratch
Rushion McDonald
Rushion McDonald is an Emmy Award-winning television producer, motivational speaker, businessman and philanthropist. He’s also an avid and award-winning home baker and ambassador for the Perfect Bake smart scale + interactive recipe app. After discovering his love of baking through his work as Executive Producer of “The Steve Harvey Talk Show,” Rushion teamed up with Perfect Bake to share his recipes and show people how to “Bake Like a Man.” He specializes in Southern-inspired dishes like Baked Banana Pudding and Brown Sugared Monkey Bread. When he’s not baking, Rushion is known for his work as Executive Producer on television shows like “The Steve Harvey Talk Show,” “Steve Harvey’s Big Time,” and as Consulting Producer for the syndicated game show “Family Feud.” He also Executive Produced the hit movies “Think Like A Man” and “Think Like A Man Too.” He currently runs a successful marketing and media company, 3815 Media, which produces television shows, large scale events, promotional campaigns, trade shows and corporate exhibits.
Sunday November 13
10:00am-12:30pm: Thanksgiving Treats Made Easy with Rushion Macdonald and Perfect Bake
SARAH OWENS grew up in Clinton, Tennessee, and is the owner of BK17 Bakery, an artisan microbakery that began in Brooklyn, New York. After receiving a certificate from the New York Botanical Garden’s School of Professional Horticulture, she spent six years as curator of the historic Cranford Rose Garden and the Rose Arc Pool at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. She lives in Louisville, Kentucky. Learn more at BK17bakery.com.
10:00 am-11:00 am: Sour Dough Rough Puff Pastry
1:00 pm-3:30pm: Introduction to Sourdough Breads
11:30 am-12:30 pm: Apple Hand Pies in a Sourdough Cheddar Cheese Crust
Shauna Sever
Shauna Sever is a home baking expert, television host, and the author of three cookbooks on baking (Marshmallow Madness!, Pure Vanilla and Real Sweet), and is also the voice behind the award-winning baking blog Piece of Cake. Shauna is an regular contributor to the Today show and NPR's The Splendid Table. Her writing and recipes have been featured in O, The Oprah Magazine, Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, Fine Cooking, Family Circle, USA Weekend, and many more. She lives with her husband and two children in Chicago.
11:30am-12:30pm: Home Made Marshmallows
Annie Overboe
Annie Overboe is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, New York, winning the school’s prestigious “Outstanding Baker” award. As a newly minted pastry chef she baked for Dan Leader at Bread Alone Café in Boiceville, New York, and crafted desserts for the 25th anniversary of the Woodstock Festival. Following a sweet trail of success led Annie to the Windy City, where she baked artisan desserts in Lincoln Park and cafes in the suburban Chicago area. As a Daily Herald food columnist and correspondent since August 2000, she shares her culinary knowledge and experiences with readers across Chicagoland, including dessert and food presentations at festivals, events and demonstrations. Annie lives in Oak Brook Terrace Illinois, with husband Michael.
2:30pm-3:30pm: Secrets to Succesful Holiday Cookies
4:00pm-5pm: Great Tasting Gluten Free Baking
2:30pm-3:30pm: Bake Like a Pastry Chef
Erin Barden
Erin Barden is the owner and creator of Leighara Cake Company LLC which produces Simply Fondant, a line of certified organic ready-to-use fondant varieties. Erin has been creating edible works of art years and has also worked as a registered nurse for over 12 years; receiving her graduate degree in nursing in 2009. The desire to pursue organic, cleaner eating and lifestyle habits coupled with her love of all things sweet, stemmed the creation of her certified organic company. Her company’s mission is to leave our planet a little cleaner and sweeter that we found it. Erin resides in central Wisconsin with her three children and husband, Nick.
1:00pm-2:00pm: How to create a Stunning Ruffle Cake with Fondant
Sunday, November13
10:00am-11:00am: How to Create Marble Effects with Fondant and Trends for Winter 2016
Tina Selga
Tina Selga is the owner of My Sweet Kake. It's a cake, cupcake, coffee shop located in Schaumburg, IL. She's always had a "thing" for beautiful and delicious cakes. Her childhood favorite is chocolate cake with marshmallow icing, yum! She's self-taught and started making cakes at home while on maternity leave in 2009. It make her happy and enjoys every minute of it. She was inspired to open up a storefront in August 2013 with her loving husband's help. "I fly for the friendly skies and I'm a mother of four. My Sweet Kake is named after my four sweet children. KAKE is my children's middle initial from youngest to eldest. Katherine, Allen, Kay and Elizabeth. It's just the perfect name". The company's logo represent her 4 kids.
2:30pm-3:30pm: Decorate an Ombre Rosette Cake
4:00pm-5:00pm: How to make French Macarons
Andrea Nickels
Andrea Nickels is an adjunct Chef Instructor at The Illinois Institute of Art in Chicago and Robert Morris University. She teaches Intro to Baking and Pastry, Breads, Cake Decorating, Chocolates, European-Style Tortes, and Plated Desserts. With over 20 years in the Hospitality Industry, she worked as Pastry Chef for 12 years at the award-winning Piece-A-Cake Bakery in East Dundee, IL, and continues to work as a freelance decorator at Wilton Brands Inc. in Woodridge, IL for the past 6 years. Her work has been featured on the PBS show Bake, Decorate, Celebrate, the Home Shopping Network, and packaging and signage for stores such as Wal-Mart, Target, and Michael’s. Andrea Nickels inspires others by delighting the senses, “I’m always following trends and continuing my own education and professional development. I am always learning and hope that my excitement about a project will inspire others to learn and grow in their craft of baking and decorating.”
10:00am-12:30pm: Teapot Cake
1:00pm-3:30pm: Confectionary Flowers
4:00pm-6:30pm: Piping Skills on Cupcakes
1:00pm-3:30pm: Sugar Cookie Decorating
4:00pm-6:30pm: Mirror Glaze on Individual Entremet
Explore. Discover. Shop
Elise Strachan
Malika Ameen
Chef Nicolas Jordan
@BakingSweetsUSA
Main Stage Schedule
Home-Baking Recipe Competition
Home Baking Rules and Regulations
Adult Cake Competitions
Adult Cake Rules & Regulations
Peter Pan Theme Cake--Junior Division
Adventure Marketing Group
©2019 AdVenture Marketing Group Reproduction without explicit permission is prohibited. All Rights Reserved.
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Architecture of Dublin City &
Lost Buildings of Ireland
1910 – Woolworth’s, Grafton St., Dublin
1837 – St Paul’s Church, Arran Quay, Dublin
Architect: O’Callaghan & Webb
The first F. W. Woolworth store in Ireland opened in 1914 on Grafton Street in Dublin. Eventually spread over three adjacent commercial units. The southernmost was No.67, a solid redbrick building was by Charles H. Asworth. Nos.69 and 71 were part of an elaborate terrace, designed by O’Callaghan & Webb with oriel windows on two levels with large lunette windows and balconies above. All finished in red brick with a fine balustrade at roof level.
Frank W. Woolworth was one of a number of executives at the New York headquarters who claimed Irish ancestry. They were particularly proud of this opening, along with another in Belfast which opened on 6 November 1915.
Redeveloped in the late 1960 meant the demolition of all three buildings including the fine street-level facade. No.71 stands today as a reminder of the fine Edwardian commercial buildings lost creating a visual hole in the Edwardian streetscape of this part of Grafton Street.
Tags: 1910, Charles Ashworth, Dublin, F.W. Woolworth, Grafton Street Dublin, O'Callaghan & Webb
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Sleds & sleighs (1)
This footage features the 1929 Fairbanks Ice Carnival Queen contest, a flight with Ed Young, a film shot by Dan Lhamon, Howard Hughes in Fairbanks in August 1938 during his 1938 Around the World Flight in a Lockheed Super Electra, a Pan American airplane, a Pacific Alaska Airways airplane, a Wien Alaska Airlines airplane, and the 1948 Ice Carnival sled dog races. According to George Lounsbury, approximately the first five minutes of footage is a Lounsbury family film, and it contains images of George's mother in the late 1920s. Scenes of Howard Hughes were from a film obtained from Earl Pilgrim. Scenes of Russian airplanes, Juneau, and Nome were films from Dan Lhamon and Rod Wolff. The remainder is film George Lounsbury received from his brother, but the origin is unknown, and the Lounsbury family does not appear in that part of the film.
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Hill's legacy still running strong | News
Hill's legacy still running strong
Submitted by WUSA9 Web Staff
Friday, October 25th, 2013, 11:30pm
Topics: News
WASHINGTON (WUSA9) -- Darryl Hill is the first African American athlete to play football for a major university and take the field in the Deep South.
Now Maryland's Athletic Director, Kevin Anderson and Hill will witness history this weekend as they watch the Terps take on the Clemson Tigers - likely for the last time. The final match up marks a historic event 50-years ago when Hill broke new ground on the field in College Park.
Derek McGinty has more in tonight's cover story.
Some men are destined to make history whether they volunteer for the job or not. Darryl Hill is one such man. A half century ago he became the first black football player at the University of Maryland, the first in the whole ACC. But as you will see, while Hill was certainly a pioneer, he did not walk alone.
"And I just right off the bat said 'I'm not trying to be Jackie Robinson. I'd like to go to college. Have a normal college life."
He laughs about it now but after graduating from Gonzaga High as a star wide receiver in 1961 Darryl Hill's college life would never be normal. First, Hill's mom talked him into the Naval academy, where he was the first black player ever.
"There were kids on the team from the south who weren't all that happy about my being on the team."
But did I mention he was the quarterback on that team?
"I said 'hey, boy, you can really throw. What's your name?' He said 'my name is Roger.' I said 'Roger - what's your last name?' He said 'Staubach'. (laughs). I said 'well man, you're pretty good'."
The two hit it off.
"And so he said 'Look Darryl. You catch; I throw. We got this.' Pretty much, the heat was off because Roger and I were leading the team."
But only for one season. Turns the Navy was more momma's dream then Daryl's, so he looked to transfer and that's when her heard from Lee Corso who was then a coach at University of Maryland.
"I said 'Coach, you've forgotten which conference you play in, right?' He said 'that's just the point. we'd like you to come and become the first African American to play in the Atlantic coast conference.'"
But Darryl wasn't sure he really wanted to be a pioneer again.
"I just want to have some fun and go to some frat parties and drink some beer. ."
But Corso challenged him. You can have fun or you can make history.
"But most important reason is that if you don't come, there may be some years before we step up to take this step again. You were carefully gleaned out to do this. We gotta have the right guy just like Jackie Robison was the right guy."
So instead of frat parties and beer, Daryl was treated to assasination threats at the first away game, North Carolina state.
"I thought this was a prank and trying to frighten me. The opening kickoff I'm glancing up there and I dropped it."
At Wake Forest, it was even worse.
"They had organized cheers using the n word and so forth. Get the dirty so and so off the field."
But then a courageous act from a man who would later be famous for his courage.
"Wake Forest had a player who was the biggest hero ever. He came up to me during the warm-ups and apologized. He apologized for the way my fans are put his hand on my shoulder. All the crap stopped. He said you go out there and do your thing. It was Brian Piccolo. From the movie brian's song. What you saw about Piccolo and Gail Sayers was real because he did it with me."
Which brings us to the Clemson game. Back then the South Carolina school had only just admitted its first black students. The football coach Frank Howard, an avowed racist was drawing the line.
"He said they may make us integrate our school, but i'll never integrate our football athletic programs. And the name of the stadium death valley, he said a black man will never set a foot on this field."
But on November 16, 1963, one did.
"It was a circus. There were people walking around with confederate flags. People with kuklux klan hats on, organized cheers, negative cheers."
Add to all that, while warming up, Hill got word his mother was outside with a ticket but they wouldn't let her in. The stadium was for whites only. That was too much. And Hill was about leave but when he got outside to his mom;
"The president of Clemson University Robert Edwards was standing with my mother and don't know how he knew. He said Darryl don't worry. I'm taking you mom to my suite. You go play the game."
Hill caught 10 passes that day despite being double and triple teamed. And he credits his teammates who stood by him that entire historic season, even when he didn't know it.
"I learned after I left Maryland they had a team meeting about accommodating at restaurants, and the team voted unanimously that if they wont take him, we wont stay."
Breaking barriers back then means a lot to him now."It means a lot more now, looking back on it because you think maybe you've done some good. It would have gotten there whether I did it or not, I think the only thing I can take pride in is that it happened a little sooner than it would have happened."
Today, at age 70, Hill has been a successful businessman and restauranteur. Today he is the Chairman of "Kids Play USA Foundation" whose mission is to remove the financial barriers from youth sports. He is also still a huge Terps fan.
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Home » Arts
Inside Joke: Moontower closes with Pete Holmes, Jim Gaffigan & more
Disco Drag
Priscilla Queen of the Desert parades into Austin this week
Late-night Lowdown
Host Devon Tincknell discusses the comedic spin on late-night talk show TNM Tonight
Host Devon Tincknell discusses late-night talk show TNM Tonight
By Ryan Lakich
Host of TNM Tonight Devon Tincknell delivering the show's opening monologue. Photo by Philip Leach
Host Devon Tincknell (right) interviews guest filmmakers Katie Graham and Andrew Matthews. Philip Leach
A revered cornerstone of American entertainment, Austin is long overdue to give The Late-Night Talk Show its own spin. Traditional talk shows have blended class, comedy and music since the dawn of television, and now, TNM Tonight seeks to bring its own brand of entertainment by filming in front of a live audience at the New Movement Theater and posting its episodes later on YouTube.
Hosted Devon Tincknell of Smut City and the Worst Tattoo in Austin Contest, TNM Tonight employs a fairly standard format featuring a musical guest, a stand-up comedian and an interview with a celebrity.
Tincknell took the time to sit down on the other side of the interview table and chat with CultureMap about the history and style of the show, as well as preview the next episode's lineup of comedian Katie Pengra, band Kay Leotard and "Attorney Who Rocks" David Komie.
CultureMap: How did this show get off the ground?
Devon Tincknell: It has been going on since November — our first pilot episode. It was still a regular episode, we just called it a pilot in case it went horribly awry. We could sort of say, “Oh, just testing. Now we’re on track.” That’s what pilots are for, because there’s so many moving parts to the show, we just had no idea if we were actually going to pull this off.
CM: So how did the idea of a late-night style talk show come about in the first place?
DT: The truth is that I was running a personal blog for a number of years and I decided that I hated blogging. I decided that I didn’t like doing something where you’re just throwing things into the abyss and hoping somebody out there reads them. Maybe you get a spam comment and that’s pretty much the interaction you get.
I wanted to try something else that is more — there’s more feedback. You know, there’s more like there’s a sense of accomplishment, so you can finish something that’s more collaborative. It’s not just me working on it.
And then in the beginning of the fall of 2012, Chris Trew, who is the co-founder and co-owner of the New Movement Theater, asked me to put together a show. He just said, “Put together something.” So I thought about it, and I thought about what could incorporate all of these elements I want, where we have a finished product that could live on, and I get to work with other people, and it brings in a variety of crowds. I didn’t want to just harass my own social circle on Facebook over and over.
So we came up with this idea… The idea came from that of looking at those little parts and how they fit together. And then I realized, “You know, with a late night talk show we’d get to have different comedians, different bands, and guests. They would all get to bring their friends. I’d get to work with a writers’ room. That’d be kind of cool. I like hosting stuff. I like that immediacy of making a joke and having laughter, instead of writing a joke, putting it out on the Internet, and four months later someone says ‘Oh, I read your blog!’”
CM: But you wouldn’t say that the show is centered on you, like traditional talk shows, correct? The focus is more on the guests you gather from the local Austin scene.
DT: Yeah, it’s this weird thing where I’m the focus of the show because I’m the host of the show, one of the head writers, one of the producers, but I’m just there to facilitate everything else. The funniest part of the show is probably when the comedian is up there. The most interesting part is when the guest is talking.
It’s cool, because it’s fun and my show and I’m really proud of it, but at the same time it’s not called “TNM Tonight with Devon Tincknell.” It’s much more a spotlight on the community than it is a chance for me to strut around and get pats on the back.
CM: What are some of the folks that you’ve previously had on the show?
DT: Every episode we have a comedian. So we have had Duncan Carson, who was our first, Kath Barbadoro, and we have had Ramin Nazer, who is the current “Funniest Person in Austin,” but is yet to be dethroned once the current contest finishes.
And then for guests, we have had two filmmakers, Katie Graham and Andrew Matthews, who did the film Zero Charisma, which just came out at SXSW. And then we had Chris Trew on for a special thing, because it was the anniversary of the theater. We did an interview with Johnny Mars last time, who is a local filmmaker.
CM: And who do you have on tap for the next episode?
DT: In this episode, we have Davie Komie, which is really exciting. And I’m really excited about that because I think everyone’s seen the billboards and just has this idea based on that. I mean he’s a real lawyer. He’s not an ambulance chaser. He’s a professional lawyer. … And this was kind of a fun campaign that he came up with. I think it’ll be interesting to sort of “get behind the billboard.”
CM: I guess it’s not just local celebrities that you want to get on the show, but people that you think will be fun and entertaining.
DT: Local celebrities are what we’re going for. As someone who has a background in journalism, I’ve done enough Q&A’s with bands to know that it’s better to have a band that’s fun to talk to than the band that everyone wants to hear from.
So we try to do a little bit of a vetting process to make sure that, when we have a guest, we’re going to get someone who is awesome, has good stories, and is fun to talk to. … I want to have someone who is going to tell some awesome stories and be engaging.
Tickets are still available to purchase for the live recording of TNM Tonight this Saturday, May 4 with special guests David Komie, comedian Katie Pengra, and band Kay Leotard. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. and the show begins promptly at 9 p.m. If you can’t make it in, be sure to catch TNM Tonight and all previous episodes and clips on its YouTube channel.
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Tag: All Progressive Congress (APC)
Oct32018 by Bigpenngr, RotterdamNo Comments
Ogboru’s Candidacy: APC Will Pay Dearly For It – Ochei Vows
NEWS, POLITICS
Former Delta House of Assembly Speaker and a gubernatorial aspirant of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Rt. Hon Victor Ochei has said that his party would pay dearly for undermining the feelings of Anioma people in the just concluded governorship primary. The election which was held at Federal College of Education (technical) produced Chief Great Ogboru, an Urhobo but the other three aspirants in the race had expressed displeasure over the outcome, saying that they were shut out of the contest. Ochei told Vanguard on the phone that: "I would certainly not work with Ogboru, adding: “everybody saw it, I will not, because an election was not held. If an election was held and after the election, a winner emerges from the process, it is fine, but you do not coerce people to work for y
Aug52018 by Bigpenngr, RotterdamNo Comments
APC NWC Recalls Senator Shehu Sani From Suspension
The National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has lifted the suspension placed on Senator Shehu Sani by the Kaduna chapter of the party. The party has directed the chairman of the party in Tudun ward Kaduna and others to implement the directive with immediate effect. The directives was given to compliment the peace efforts being made by the national leadership of the party to bring back peace in the party in Kaduna State. This was contained in a statement by Acting National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Yekini Nabena on Sunday. The statement read: "The National Secretariat has received the news of the suspension of Senator Shehu Sani by the Tudun Wada ward Chairman and wish to clarify that the purported suspension of Distinguished Senator Shehu San...
APC NWC Annuls Cross River State Congress
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has cancelled the state congress earlier conducted in the Cross River State. The party's NWC says the conduct of the state congress was not in conformity with the party’s guideline and constitution. The NWC however upheld the conduct of the ward and Local Government Area Congresses in the state which was observed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). In resolution signed by the National Chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and the National Secretary, Hon.Mai Mala Buni, shortly after a meeting of the NWC yesterday it said: “ the National Working Committee at its meeting of 1st August, 2018 has reviewed the conduct of the congresses in Cross River State. “Consequently, the
Aug12018 by philzNo Comments
BREAKING: Tambuwal Officially Announces Defection From APC To PDP
Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, has officially defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He announced his defection on Wednesday at a press conference in the Government House, Sokoto, North-West Nigeria. This is coming as amid hundreds of supporters who stormed the Government House to declare their support for him. Governor Tambuwal explained on the state government’s Twitter handle that he took the decision after a wide consultation with the people of the state who assured him of their support for his next political move. The announcement comes after weeks of speculation that the governor was planning to leave the ruling party and one day after he called on Nigerians to reject what he described as “prison-yard democ
‘Forces Within APC Imposed My Defection On Me’ – Saraki
I wish to inform Nigerians that, after extensive consultations, I have decided to take my leave of the All Progressives Congress (APC). This is not a decision that I have made lightly. If anything at all, I have tarried for so long and did all that was humanly possible, even in the face of great provocation, ridicule and flagrant persecution, to give opportunity for peace, reconciliation and harmonious existence. Perhaps, more significantly, I am mindful of the fact that I carry on my shoulder a great responsibility for thousands of my supporters, political associates and friends, who have trusted in my leadership and have attached their political fortunes to mine. However, it is after an extensive consultation with all the important stakeholders that we have come to this difficu...
Jul312018 by Bigpenngr, RotterdamNo Comments
JUST IN: APC NWC Queries Saraki Over Breach Of Party’s Constitution Despite Announcing His Defection
The National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has queried the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, asking him to respond within 48 hours why disciplinary action ought not to be taken against him for breaching article 21 of the constitution of the party. The party in a resolution signed by the National Secretary of the party, Mai Maila Buni, said the senate president had allegedly flouted the laws of the party with his activities. Some of the allegations raised against him includes that “you encouraged and facilitated by providing an enabling environment for the defection of some senators who are members of the APC to the other opposition Parties. “That you have deliberately refused to screen nominees for appointments submitted by Mr President who are member
Bolaji Abdulllahi Says He Has Not Resigned As APC Spokesman
Mallam Bolaji Abdulllahi has dismissed report that he has resigned as spokesman of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Earlier reports say Abdullahi resigned from his position to join the Senate President who announced his defection from APC to the PDP today. Opposition party, PDP had in its Twitter handle celebrated the alleged resignation and defection. https://twitter.com/OfficialPDPNig/status/1024367341151416320 But Abdulllahi, an ally of Saraki said he did tell anybody that he was resigning his position, saying that he knew where the speculation of his reported resignation was coming from. “But I have not tendered my resignation,” Abdullahi told Premium Times by telephone Tuesday night. “And I did not tell anyone I have done so.” “It is not true that I have resi
Onowakpo’s Defection: The Imminent Death Knell Of PDP In Isoko Nation In Delta State
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may have literally shot itself dead in Isoko Federal Constituency in Delta state when they lost their big influencer to the opposition party, All Progressive Congress (APC). This are the views of Political watchers in the wake of the defection of Joel-Onowakpo Thomas, the former Delta State Board of Internal Revenue boss to the ruling party, APC. Pundits say Onowakpo’s defection to the APC was a great loss and set-back to the PDP which had held sway in the Isoko Federal Constituency for past 16 years. Onowakpo, who dumped the PDP, few days ago as reported by BigPen Online after resigning his membership of the party at his local Emede Ward 05 in Isoko South Local Government Area of the state, is a big fish to the APC. His joining
‘APC Still Meeting With Defected National Assembly Members’
Leadership of All Progressives Congress, is still meeting with some members of the National Assembly who defected from the APC to other opposition parties. National Chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiohmole, who alluded to this, says many of the members of the NASS who left the party were 'victims of disinformation’. Oshiohmole stated this when he addressed State House correspondents at the end of a meeting between APC Senators and President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday night. The APC leader noted that the party had maintained its majority positions at both chambers of the National Assembly in spite the defections. He, however, warned that APC and the Buhari administration would not be intimidated or distracted from delivering on its
Jul232018 by Israel NwachukwuNo Comments
BREAKING: Oshiomhole Threatens To Expel Ngige, Sirika From APC
Adams Oshiomhole, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress has threatened to suspend from the party the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, and Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, for their failure to inaugurate boards of parastatals under their ministries. Oshiomhole said that if President Muhammadu Buhari can condone indiscipline by the Ministers, he will not allow them do the same to the party. He spoke with State House Correspondents against the backdrop of his recent directive to Ngige and Sirika to inaugurate Boards under their Ministries, saying when suspended, they will be booted out of the Federal Executive Council as rebels. Meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, Oshiomhole said: “If the minister refuses,
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For Some Critical Drugs, Low Prices Lead to Scarcity
Shortages of “supportive care” drugs, for chemotherapy-induced nausea or to protect the kidneys, can delay cancer treatments, said Yoram Unguru, a pediatric oncologist & bioethicist at Sinai and the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. When he gets the hospital’s list of shortages, “I scream, I shout, I shake my head”
When Andrew Archuleta’s bladder cancer returned two years ago, his doctor prescribed periodic treatments of a powerful immunotherapy designed to stave off another recurrence. But the latest round, scheduled for May, was abruptly canceled because of a severe shortage of the drug.
“I keep calling the clinic and saying, ‘Is my treatment still canceled?’ and they say, ‘Yes,’ ” said the 65-year-old Colorado resident. Now he fears the cancer might come back in an even more aggressive form, endangering his bladder – or even his life, if the disease were to spread. With his anxiety and blood pressure rising, he temporarily took Prozac.
“My doctor says he feels really bad about it, but I keep wondering: How could this happen in this day and age?” he said.
Archuleta is one of tens of thousands of people across the country affected by a shortage of the gold-standard treatment, called BCG, for early-stage bladder cancer, with potentially life-changing consequences.
…continue reading ‘For some critical drugs, low prices lead to scarcity’
Move Over, Martin Shkreli
This Pharma Exec Is Accused Of Fixing Prices On 107 Drugs
In some ways, it was the corporate world equivalent of the infamous baptism scene in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather, when, in a single 24 hours, the newly anointed don of the Corleone family executed a plan to simultaneously eliminate rivals in La Cosa Nostra.
In this case, however, the family was made up of generic-drug makers Teva Pharmaceuticals, Mylan, Actavis, Lupin, Novartis’ Sandoz, Taro Pharmaceuticals and others. On a single day, Friday, April 2014, the scheme hiked the price on 22 generic drugs—ranging from cephalexin, a bacterial infection antibiotic, which jumped 185%, to ketoconazole cream, used to combat athletes foot and jock itch, which jumped 110%, to diflunisal, an anti-inflammatory, up as much as 182%.
In annals of marketing, their concerted action was impressive. The move rubbed out price competition and profit erosion in an industry plagued by them—and created a windfall for those in on the game.
…continue reading ‘Move Over, Martin Shkreli’
Minorities Face More Obstacles to a Lifesaving Organ Transplant
Patients who experience organ failure need a transplant to improve their odds of survival and to achieve a better quality of life
However, getting an organ transplant is often accompanied by several challenges, many of which can be attributed to factors like the state of an individual’s living circumstances, their economic status and where they were born.
As a result, many racial and ethnic minorities, such as African Americans, Latinx individuals and Native Americans, must unjustly wait longer for a much-needed new organ – or never receive one at all because of these barriers to care.
Research shows that these disparities are avoidable, especially with changes at the institutional level.
…continue reading ‘Minorities Face More Obstacles to a Lifesaving Organ Transplant’
thumb image via Flickr Some rights reserved by theglobalpanorama
The War to Free Science
How librarians, pirates, and funders are liberating the world’s academic research from paywalls
The 27,500 scientists who work for the University of California generate 10 percent of all the academic research papers published in the United States.
Their university recently put them in a strange position: Sometime this year, these scientists will not be able to directly access much of the world’s published research they’re not involved in.
That’s because in February, the UC system — one of the country’s largest academic institutions, encompassing Berkeley, Los Angeles, Davis, and several other campuses — dropped its nearly $11 million annual subscription to Elsevier, the world’s largest publisher of academic journals.
…continue reading ‘The War to Free Science’
By art designer at PLoS, modified by Wikipedia users Nina, Beao, and JakobVoss – http://www.plos.org/, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5069489
Save Our Food. Free the Seed. These Are the Seeds of a Revolution.
Just 50 years ago, some 1,000 small and family-owned seed companies were producing and distributing seeds in the United States; by 2009, there were fewer than 100. Thanks to a series of mergers and acquisitions over the last few years, four multinational agrochemical firms now control over 60 percent of global seed sales
…continue reading ‘Save Our Food. Free the Seed: These Are the Seeds of a Revolution’
Image via Flickr Some rights reserved by Oculator
Legal Promise Of Equal Mental Health Treatment Often Falls Short
Many patients like Bacon struggle to get insurance coverage for their mental health treatment, even though two federal laws were designed to bring parity between mental and physical health care coverage. Recent studies and a legal case suggest serious disparities remain
Amanda Bacon’s eating disorder was growing worse. She had lost 60% of her body weight and was consuming about 100 calories a day.
But that wasn’t sick enough for her Medicaid managed-care company to cover an inpatient treatment program. She was told in 2017 that she would have to weigh 10 pounds less — putting her at 5-foot-7 and 90 pounds — or be admitted to a psychiatric unit.
“I remember thinking, ‘I’m going to die,’” the Las Cruces, N.M., resident recalled recently.
Eventually, Bacon, now 35, switched to a plan that paid for treatment, although she said it was still tedious to get services approved.
…continue reading ‘Legal Promise Of Equal Mental Health Treatment Often Falls Short’
thumb image via KHN courtesy of Amanda Bacon
Nathan Yates: I have Spinal Muscular Atropy. Critis of the $2m New Gene Therapy Are Missing the Point
As someone who has lived with spinal muscular atrophy for all 30 years of my life, I was perplexed and disappointed that the recent approval of Novartis’ gene therapy Zolgensma was immediately overshadowed by outrage over the drug’s price: $2.125 million
Monday, June 3rd, 2019
The Food and Drug Administration’s decision was a pivotal day for those of us in the SMA community. Zolgensma, approved for children under 2, is the only one-dose treatment option for any category of SMA patients and has been highly effective in clinical testing so far.
Sure, it’s the world’s priciest drug. But instead of debating the level of financial profit that is appropriate for Novartis, let’s focus on the needs of patients. How are we going to get treatments for rare diseases if there’s not a financial incentive for doing it? Therapies are being developed because people think they can sell them for a profit. We don’t like to talk about it, but pharmaceutical companies exist to make money. Don’t we realize, though, that all of society profits from each disease we cure and each baby that is saved from SMA and other deadly diseases?
…continue reading ‘Nathan Yates: I have Spinal Muscular Atropy. Critis of the $2m New Gene Therapy Are Missing the Point’
Thumbimage via STAT courtesy of Nathan Yates
When ‘Right to Try’ Isn’t Enough
Congress wants a single ALS patient to get a therapy never tested in humans. A family in Iowa believes the Food and Drug Administration will decide whether their only surviving daughter lives or dies, and they’ve been on a monthslong crusade to break through its bureaucracy. And they’re succeeding
WASHINGTON — A family in Iowa believes the Food and Drug Administration will decide whether their only surviving daughter lives or dies, and they’ve been on a monthslong crusade to break through its bureaucracy. And they’re succeeding.
Just last week, the FDA gave Jaci Hermstad, a 25-year old Iowan who is dying from a rare form of ALS, an early sign that she will receive the first dose of an experimental drug never before tested in humans. The FDA’s move, which was confirmed to STAT by Jaci’s family and doctor, is a breakthrough for the Hermstads.
For months, the family has circulated petitions, tweeted at President Trump, and called on some of Washington’s most controversial and powerful politicians — including the speaker of the House and a Republican under fire for racist comments — all to convince the FDA to waive even the most basic of studies before the drug is injected into Jaci’s already fragile immune system.
…continue reading ‘When ‘Right to Try’ Isn’t Enough’
Thumbimage via STAT – Hilary Kollasch
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Money. That’s the name of the game, and the game is well underway for the U.S. Senate race in 2014. And an expensive game it will be.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu is seeking a fourth six-year term. Her main challenger thus far is Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy of Baton Rouge. Another GOP candidate, retired Air Force Colonel Rob Maness, has also entered the fray.
The Federal Election Commission has not yet posted the contributions candidates received in the second quarter (April, May, and June), but the political camps of Landrieu and Cassidy are already touting their successes.
With less that 16 months to go before the election, Landrieu, not surprisingly, continues to lead in the money game. She reported raising $1.67 million in the second quarter, bringing her war chest total to $4.86 million cash on hand.
Cassidy, meanwhile, revealed that his campaign raised $1.1 million in the second quarter to boost his total war chest to $3.26 million.
Maness, on the other hand, said he has raised about $40,000 in 40 days of campaigning. He realizes he has a big hill to climb to match the fundraising prowess of Landrieu and Cassidy, but is hoping his grass roots effort will take hold.
One thing is for sure. There is a long way to go and much more money will be flying into the campaign coffers of Landrieu and Cassidy.
How much will the race cost the combatants? In 2010, Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter spent $12.7 million on his re-election bid. His main opponent, Democratic U.S. Rep. Charles Melancon spent $4.7 million.
Vitter won in the primary with 57% of the vote with Melancon coming in second with 38%. Ten other candidates received the rest of the vote.
When Landrieu last sought re-election in 2008, she spent $11.3 million to win in the primary with 52% of the vote. Republican state Treasurer John Kennedy received 46% of the vote after spending $4.8 million.
Nevertheless, the 2014 U.S. Senate race in Louisiana is expected to be the most expensive one in history for the state.
Democrats are determined to keep Landrieu’s seat in an effort to keep control of the U.S. Senate, while Republicans have targeted it as vulnerable and obtainable. To be sure, money will be no object for either candidate.
By the way, the job of a U.S. Senator, as well as a U.S. House member, pays $174,000 a year.
What’s Vitter up to?
Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter’s name is tossed around a lot these days in political circles. Louisiana’s junior senator, who is serving his second six-year term, is not up for re-election until 2016.
But the buzz is over whether he will run for governor in 2015. Adding fuel to that rumor mill fire is the fact that a super PAC that supports Vitter has raised a whopping $750,000 in the past six months.
The super PAC, known as The Fund for Louisiana’s Future, was set up to help Vitter with his re-election to the U.S. Senate – or a gubernatorial bid.
Those funds are not part of Vitter’s regular campaign financing committee. As of March 31, 2013, Vitter had $819,000 in his campaign war chest. He has not yet reported how much money his campaign raised over the second quarter in April, May, and June.
Already declared as candidates for governor are Republican Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne and Democratic state Rep. John Bel Edwards of Amite.
Republican state Treasurer John Kennedy said on Tom Pace’s Talk of the Town radio show last week that he will take a look at the race as it gets closer to the Fall 2015 election date.
Also making noises about running is Republican state Sen. Gerald Long of Winnfield. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s name is also in the mix.
A big question, of course, is who will loyalists of Gov. Bobby Jindal support if Vitter is in the race since Jindal and Vitter have vying factions within their party.
Campbell: Hard to beat
Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell, D-Bossier City, is the consummate politician, who is genuinely concerned about the people he represents. In other words, he is a rarity in politics these days.
He will be running for a third six-year term on the Louisiana Public Service Commission (LPSC) in 2014. He was elected to the District 5 seat on the five-person governmental body in the fall of 2002.
Prior to that, Campbell served for 26 years as the state senator from District 36. He is a lifelong Democrat and has no plans to change political parties.
Often referred to as a populist, a politician who works hard to represent the common people over the elites, Campbell regularly visits the parishes he represents to get input from his constituents.
So after 37 years in elected office, just how popular is Campbell? Florida pollster Jim Kitchens, had this to say: “He is not suffering from the anti-incumbent feeling among many voters toward their public officials.”
Kitchens conducted a poll in the 24 north Louisiana parishes represented by Campbell on the LPSC. The results: Campbell has a 91% favorable rating among voters 65 and older.
Among Democrats, his favorable rating is 59% compared with 13% unfavorable. Among African-American voters, his favorable is 60% with only 7% viewing him as unfavorable.
Among Republicans, Campbell received a 37% favorable and a 35% unfavorable. But voters who described themselves as conservatives gave him a 58% favorable and a 23% unfavorable rating.
Kitchens concluded: “Campbell has broad-based support across north Louisiana. His image is strong, and he is well-positioned to win re-election next year.”
No help for handicapped
At Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal’s urging, the Louisiana Legislature has voted not to return to Baton Rouge for a special session. The House had the votes for veto override session, but the Senate did not. Both bodies must agree.
Latest information reveals that 67 of 105 House members, a majority, voted for a special session, while only 13 of 39 senators did, defeating the effort.
Various legislators and organizations were pushing for the special session to restore line item vetoes by Jindal that struck more than $6 million from the budget that would have paid for services for the disabled.
Among the programs that felt Jindal’s veto knife were a program that provides at-home services to the developmentally disabled, domestic violence programs, and children’s health clinics.
Area House members who favored the veto session were state Reps. Roy Burrell (D), Thomas Carmody (R), Kenny Cox (D), Jim Morris (R), Barbara Norton (D), and Patrick Williams (D).
Voting against a special session were state Reps. Richie Burford (R), Henry Burns (R), Alan Seabaugh (R), and Jeff Thompson (R).
Area state Sens. Robert Adley (R), Barrow Peacock (R), and Greg Tarver (D) voted against having a special session.
Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal made a surprise visit to Nicholls State University this past Friday to take his son, Shaan, to the Manning Passing Academy.
And he came with a check in hand for $1.2 million for improvements to the 20-acre plot of land that holds 25 football fields the Academy uses.
“I am excited to be here not only at Nicholls, but to be here with Mannings,” Jindal said. He noted that the $1.2 million was needed to ensure the future of the Manning Passing Academy.
Former Saints quarterback Archie Manning hosts the camp with his sons Peyton (Denver Broncos), Eli (New York Giants), and Cooper.
To be sure, Shaan had to receive a lot of special attention from the Mannings and Nicholls officials.
The revelation of the money gift caused one political wag to speculate about why the Mannings did not make a monetary gift to Nicholls, which they surely could afford, which would have allowed the governor to use the taxpayers’ money for other needed purposes.
Lou Gehrig Burnett is a seasoned veteran of national and local politics. He publishes Fax-Net Update, a weekly political newsletter.
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Bratri orff ove
The Orff Brothers
The Orff Brothers - Alternative music in the Czech Republic
Their official website is at www.bratriorffove.cz
Previously, this website was about a electro-folk music band based in Czech called the Orff brothers. They abandoned the site years ago and the migrated to http://www.bratriorffove.cz/. I have decided to bring this website to life once more.
The Culture of Music
Music has a way into the heart of many people. In one time or another, you will find yourself listening to a particular song or working while you are still listening to music. There is a kind of therapy or encouragement that we get from music and this induces us to attend music festivals and show or just relax at home and listen to some cool music.
I have grown up listening to particular genres of music such as classical souls, hip hop and rock. However, my favorite music has always been country music. This could have been influence by my dad whose had several LP of the classical bands such as Alabama and particularly loved one of their singles – ‘Dixieland Delight’. He also loved John Conlee, Loretta Lynn, Reba McEntire and many other artistes. In the evening and in the weekends when he was not going out, he would spend the entire day listening to these classics in his old wooden stereo. Time may have gone too first, but the memories of these artistes never fade in my heart.
I’m going to sing a song, and I have really nice hair.
Clearly, I’m the drummer. I’m the only one who has a ponytail. I must be awesome.
Trumpet makes a nice addition to the band, don’t you think?
I fell in love with electric folk music in 2007 when I visited Czech Republic on a vacation. Being summer, it was the best period to stay outdoors and to partake in various outdoor activities. One such visit was to a night out that I went with some other tourist that I had met to Cloud 9 Sky Bar and Lounge in Prague for an evening dinner and probably a round of the finest cocktails of Europe. It was really an awesome experience as we tuned ourselves to adapt to the culture of Prague.
Emerging trend of Music Genres
Among the music playing that day was some electro-folk songs from the Orff Brothers and other renowned artistes like Gruff Rhys and Sorten Muld. Like I said, prior to that evening, I had never loved this genre of music, but by being in the company of friends and other revelers who were thrilled with the music my interest sprouted. We enjoyed the company and ended spending more time at the lounge than I had anticipated.
I’ll play extra keyboard and percussion, and my hair is making a statement, something about not having decided what to do with my hair.
Awwwe, look at you all playing Band Hero…. How cute.
Shhhhh.. This is serious!!!
Electric folk is a kind of music that developed from the folk rock music that pioneered in Europe a few decades ago, although it has lately undergone a series of revolutionary changes adopting the culture of European music genres. This has greatly improved its taste and appreciation among its diverse fan base across the globe with its popularity growing by the day. The aforementioned artistes have also claimed several musical awards and earned great recognition in the music industry.
Take the Orff brothers for instance. The group was founded in 2002 with Lukas Novotny, Matthew Godik and Ivan Gajdos who were all lovers of folk music as well as rock music decided to team up and do music together. Although today the band members have increased, the trio shot into limelight soon after the first release of their album. In their second album, Sero won the Apollo Award by Czech music critics for the best recording in 2013. They have also been receiving massive airplay for their songs as well as visiting most of the European countries to stage concerts.
The music scene may have changed greatly in recent times, but what happens today is that different genres of music intermarry to produce a new music culture. I expect that maybe one day electric music might join hand with polka or maybe hip hop and would love to hear the electrifying effects that may be produced by such collaborations.
As I remake this website, I will be seeking to detail more about the influence of various music genres in our lives and our culture. Already there are several posts that I’ve already published and can be assessed by clicking through the various topics below.
A Career in Music
A Dance Festival
My Love for Music
Hey Tyler, weren’t you in a band? Like…. Actually?
Yeaa…. Ohhhhh the good ol’ boy band days….
I decided to follow my grandfather’s footsteps, as he was the drummer in his band, called ‘The Knarks’. He used to be quite a big guy actually, until he followed this awesome diet called The Dukan Diet.And let me tell you, this diet WORKS! I have lost 15 pounds over the past five and a half months, and I feel great.
Anyways, back to topic. I miss hanging out with my grandfather, he was such an inspiration to me. He made me realize how important life really is, from when I was a little boy playing in my sand box, until now. He may not be around anymore, as he passed a few short months after he got diagnosed with Gynecomastia, but he is still, and always will be, my role model.
He used to do everything with me… bike riding, play at the playground, swimming, he taught me how to kick a ball, and shoot a puck. Every time I was at home with my parents, I wanted to just be with my grandfather. He was my best friend. Oh how I wish he was still around, he would have loved my music. It was a lot like his.
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You are here: Home » Church Security » Drexel Hill man charged with taking church’s money collection
Drexel Hill man charged with taking church’s money collection
CSI | March 5, 2010
UPPER DARBY — The man accused of stealing the money collection at St. Andrew the Apostle Church in Drexel Hill is in custody, police said.
James Joy, 22, who was picked up inside an apartment Wednesday morning on the 3400 block of Garrett Road, Drexel Hill, admitted taking the bag of cash and checks to support his heroin addiction, officials said.
“When we entered the apartment, he was sitting on the couch texting,” and taken into custody without incident, police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said.
The chief expressed his confidence there would be an arrest in the robbery the same day the incident was reported about 10 a.m. Feb. 28 at the church on School Lane.
“I was extremely confident we would make an arrest on this case from the get-go,” police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said. “We felt he was from the neighborhood since he was wearing a ski mask trying to hide his identity and knew the layout of the church and how they deliver the collection money to the rectory. He went to that church numerous times. And normally in these cases when there is a lot of media attention, we get a lot of calls and we did.
“Thanks to the tips from members of the community and the aggressive police work, it led to his arrest.”
According to Chitwood, Joy has been “flopping” at different apartments and houses of friends since the robbery and told police he got about $325 in cash out of the canvas collection bag and threw the checks away.
“After the robbery, he went to the Summit Motor Inn and stayed the night,” Chitwood said. “He said he discarded the checks in a trash can across the street from the hotel. He said he needed the money to support his drug habit.”
Chitwood commended Detective Capt. George Rhoades and detectives for getting Joy off the street and into custody.
Joy is facing charges of robbery, theft, receiving stolen property and simple assault.
“The brazenness of the robbery fits the pattern of someone addicted to drugs,” Chitwood said. “He’s a local hard-core drug addict who has to steal to survive. Drug addicts not only destroy themselves, they destroy the community because they don’t care who they steal from and don’t care who the victim is. He needed the money to buy heroin.”
Joy served jail time for previous criminal offenses for theft in 2006 from his own mother, a drug violation in 2007 and burglary and theft last year, Chitwood said. The defendant’s mother reported her son to police twice for allegedly taking $400 and $500 worth of household goods and using her credit card to charge $70 in 2006, and again the next year after finding suspected heroin and drug paraphernalia in his bedroom.
http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2010/03/04/news/doc4b8f33a1cf938324306004.txt
Mount Pleasant Church Employee charged with taking money from church
Video: Mount Pleasant Church Employee charged with taking money from church.
Thieving church treasurer told to pay money back
Man charged with robbing women at church
Tags: Church, Financial Crime, theft
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Imprisoned Imperceptions: Inaccuracy in Incarceration Demographic Stereotypes
Unformatted Document Text: Incarceration Beliefs McCauley, C. R. (1995). Are stereotypes exaggerated? A sampling of racial, gender, academic, occupational, and political stereotypes. In Y.T. Lee, L. Jussim, and C.R. McCauley (eds), Stereotype accuracy: Towards appreciating group differences. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association. Miller, D.T., & Turnbull, W. (1986). Expectancies and interpersonal processes. Annual Review of Psychology, 37, 233-256. Nisbett, R. E., & Ross, L. (1980). Human inference: Strategies and shortcomings of social judgment. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice-Hall. Rosenthal, R. (1991). Meta-analytic procedures for social research (2 nd ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Ryan, C. (1996). Accuracy of Black and White college students’ in-group and out-group stereotypes. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 22, 1114-1127. Ryan, C. S. (2002). Stereotype accuracy. European Review of Social Psychology, 13, 75-109. Schultz. P. W., & Oskamp, S. (2000). Social psychology: An applied perspective. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Skogan, W. (1986). Fear of crime and neighborhood change. Crime and Justice, 8, 203-229. Stangor, C. (1995). Content and application inaccuracy in social stereotyping. In Y. T. Lee, L. Jussim, & C. R. McCauley (Eds.), Stereotype accuracy (pp. 275-292). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association. Tajfel, H. (1981). Social identity and intergroup relations. London: Cambridge University Press. Tonry, M. (1999). Why are U.S. incarceration rates so high? Crime & Delinquency, 45(4), 419- 437. U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics. (July 1999). Mental Health and 31
Authors: Ragusa, Laura.
Incarceration Beliefs
McCauley, C. R. (1995). Are stereotypes exaggerated? A sampling of racial, gender, academic,
occupational, and political stereotypes. In Y.T. Lee, L. Jussim, and C.R. McCauley (eds),
Stereotype accuracy: Towards appreciating group differences. Washington, D.C.: American
Psychological Association.
Miller, D.T., & Turnbull, W. (1986). Expectancies and interpersonal processes. Annual Review of
Nisbett, R. E., & Ross, L. (1980). Human inference: Strategies and shortcomings of social judgment.
Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice-Hall.
Rosenthal, R. (1991). Meta-analytic procedures for social research (2
ed.). Newbury Park, CA:
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Ryan, C. (1996). Accuracy of Black and White college students’ in-group and out-group
stereotypes. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 22, 1114-1127.
Ryan, C. S. (2002). Stereotype accuracy. European Review of Social Psychology, 13, 75-109.
Schultz. P. W., & Oskamp, S. (2000). Social psychology: An applied perspective. Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Skogan, W. (1986). Fear of crime and neighborhood change. Crime and Justice, 8, 203-229.
Stangor, C. (1995). Content and application inaccuracy in social stereotyping. In Y. T. Lee, L.
Jussim, & C. R. McCauley (Eds.), Stereotype accuracy (pp. 275-292). Washington, D.C.:
Tajfel, H. (1981). Social identity and intergroup relations. London: Cambridge University Press.
Tonry, M. (1999). Why are U.S. incarceration rates so high? Crime & Delinquency, 45(4), 419-
U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics. (July 1999). Mental Health and
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'Frozen' Moves Into First Place with $31.6 Million; 'Catching Fire' Falls to Second with $26.2 Million
on December 09, 2013 by Daniel Garris
In its second weekend of wide release, Disney's Frozen moved into first place with $31.62 million. With the 3D computer animated blockbuster from Walt Disney Animation moving ahead of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire in the weekend rankings, this weekend played out similarly to the post-Thanksgiving weekend frame back in 2010 when Tangled moved ahead of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 in the rankings (albeit with significantly higher grosses this time around). Frozen fell a solid 53 percent from last weekend's three-day frame and continues to exceed its already lofty expectations with $134.25 million after twelve days of wide release. That places Frozen 39 percent ahead of the $96.57 million twelve-day start of Tangled, which fell 56 percent in its second weekend to gross $21.61 million. With strong word of mouth and a relatively limited amount of new competition for family audiences in December, Frozen is likely to hold up very well going forward.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire fell to second place with $26.19 million this weekend. Lionsgate's blockbuster sequel was down a hefty 65 percent fall from last weekend, which was understandable given the film's record breaking performance over Thanksgiving weekend. In comparison, Deathly Hallows: Part 1 fell 65 percent the weekend after Thanksgiving weekend to gross $17.02 million. With a 17-day start of $335.85 million, Catching Fire is running 37 percent ahead of the $244.52 million 17-day take of Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and 11 percent ahead of the $302.45 million 17-day gross of last year's The Hunger Games (which fell 43 percent in its third weekend to gross $33.11 million). It will be interesting to see whether or not Catching Fire is able to stabilize this coming weekend with the arrival of Warner's anticipated The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug in the marketplace on Friday.
Relativity's Out of the Furnace debuted in third place with a soft $5.22 million. Despite a strong ensemble cast headlined by Christian Bale and Woody Harrelson, moviegoers simply weren't interested in the film. The weekend after Thanksgiving weekend is a notoriously tough frame to open new films, as audiences typically need a break after Thanksgiving weekend and before Christmas season releases enter the marketplace. Out of the Furnace opened 23 percent softer than the the $6.81 million start of last year's Killing Them Softly. While Out of the Furnace may hold up a bit better than Killing Them Softly did, it likely won't hold up all that well going forward given the amount of new competition for adult moviegoers entering the marketplace throughout the rest of December and the lackluster C+ rating it received on CinemaScore.
Disney's Thor: The Dark World placed in fourth with $4.81 million. Marvel's blockbuster superhero sequel was down 57 percent from last weekend. With a 31-day take of $193.71 million, Thor: The Dark World is running 14.5 percent ahead of the $169.12 million 31-day gross of 2011's Thor and is currently $6.29 million away from reaching the $200 million domestic milestone.
On the platform front, CBS Films' Inside Llewyn Davis was off to a very impressive start this weekend with $405,411 from just 4 locations. That gave the awards season hopeful from The Coen Brothers a massive per-location average of $101,353 for the frame. Inside Llewyn Davis easily delivered the largest per-location average ever for a Coen Brothers film in platform release and opened 61 percent stronger than the $251,337 six-location launch of 2009's A Serious Man (which had a per-location average of $41,890). Inside Llewyn Davis will begin expanding into additional locations on December 20.
In other box office news, Paramount's Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa surpassed the $100 million domestic mark on Sunday after grossing $0.82 million this weekend. The domestic total for the Johnny Knoxville led comedy stands at $100.02 million through Sunday.
Tags: Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa, Inside Llewyn Davis, Thor: The Dark World, Out of the Furnace, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Frozen
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La luchapor la justicia global
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Casos y situaciones de la CPI
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You are hereHome #GlobalJustice Weekly - Syrian chemical attack | Escalating violence in DRC | South Africa ICC hearing
Countries and ICC cases
#GlobalJustice Weekly - Syrian chemical attack | Escalating violence in DRC | South Africa ICC hearing
A man carries the body of a dead child after a suspected gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in Syria © REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah
CICC
#JusticiaGlobal Semanal
Syrian chemical attack prompts calls for UN action
Syria’s rebel-held Idlib province has been hit by what appears to be a chemical attack, with estimates of between 70 and 99 people killed and over 550 injured overwhelming the region’s hospitals.
In the aftermath, the United States, Britain and France have blamed Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s forces for the chemical attack, which is prohibited under international law. The three countries, backed by organizations such as Human Rights Watch, have called for an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting to decide on a resolution demanding an international investigation into the attack and monthly UN reports thereof.
“Targeting of civilians is inexcusable and a breach of international humanitarian law,” the International Rescue Committee (IRC), which has assisted over 1 million people in Syria since starting work there in 2012, has stated. “There must be accountability for attacks like this one.”
Meanwhile, the representatives of over 70 countries have gathered in Brussels this week for a conference discussing continued assistance to Syrians, as the war tears through its sixth year. However, this “post-agreement assistance”, with its focus on reconstruction before humanitarian recovery, has been heralded by some as “putting bricks before human beings”.
ICC Prosecutor: DRC violence may constitute war crimes
The top prosecutor at the ICC, Fatou Bensouda, has stated that the recent reports of escalating violence in parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) could amount to war crimes.
Her statement was made amidst news of the discovery of numerous mass graves, a total of 23 having now been found according to the UN Human Rights office in Kinshasa. This follows the discovery of the bodies of two UN experts and their Congolese interpreter who were investigating possible human rights abuses in the Kasai-Central region.
Within this area and the surrounding provinces, there have been escalating clashes between local militias and government forces, leading to large numbers of civilian deaths according to Bensouda, and she has urged the Congolese authorities to conduct a full investigation.
“I shall not hesitate to take action if acts constituting crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court are committed and to take all necessary measures to prosecute those responsible” she stated.
There has been growing pressure from Human Rights Watch and other international organisations for the ICC to investigate reports of human rights abuses in the region, amidst worsening tensions in the country ahead of upcoming elections next year.
South Africa prepares for ICC hearing
All eyes will be on The Hague this Friday, 7 April, for South Africa’s appearance before International Criminal Court (ICC) judges to explain the country’s failure to arrest Sudanese president and ICC suspect Omar al-Bashir while attending an African Union summit in June 2015.
The Court’s first ever public non-compliance hearing, at which civil society and Darfuri victims are expected to be present, reflects head-of-state immunity as a continued challenge to the efficacy of the Court and the means by which current leaders such as al-Bashir and Uhuru Kenyatta have escaped ICC custody.
“The case is critical for ensuring the effectiveness of the ICC as an institution. The only means the ICC has of enforcing its orders is through the cooperation of States” said Sam Zarifi, the Secretary General of the ICJ. “The failure to arrest President Bashir and the subsequent efforts to withdraw from the ICC Rome statute raise important questions about South Africa’s commitment to the fight against impunity in Africa and globally” added Zarifi.
ICC investigations
Sudan: Despite efforts by civil society organizations, Jordan failed to arrest Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir during his recent visit to Amman. A UN statement expressing regret that the ICC member state had broken its treaty obligations was met with strong criticism from Sudan that “the UN has no mandate to talk about the ICC” and accusations of the ICC as a “colonial tool” against Africa. Meanwhile, South Africa will appear at the ICC this week, also for allowing al-Bashir entry into the country in 2015.
Côte d'Ivoire: As the ICC trial of former Côte d'Ivoire politicians Laurent Gbagbo and Charles Blé Goudé resumed after a week’s suspension, witnesses were questioned on the security forces training they received.
Uganda: A key communication aide to LRA commander Joseph Kony has surrendered, whilst questions have been raised as to whether Dominic Ongwen’s own kidnapping as a young boy by the rebel group should mean that he is granted amnesty from his crimes.
ICC preliminary examinations
Nigeria: A desert highway in Niger is playing host to more than 130,000 refugees fleeing the violence caused by Boko Haram in neighbouring Nigeria. The isolated stretch of tarred road, built several years ago by a Chinese oil comapany, is seen as a safe haven due to its consistent use by the Niger military who patrol the highway.
Burundi: There is growing pressure for the ICC to open a full investigation into alleged human rights violations committed by Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza before the state withdraws from the Court later this year, as it has promised to do.
A senior Kenyan prosecutor has revealed the challenges of prosecuting sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). In the aftermath of the 2007 post-election violence in the east African country, 150 such cases were reported to police, but litigation thereof can be difficult due to the mishandling of both reluctant victims and of the DNA and scientific evidence critical for a conviction.
The president of the ICC has praised Japan for its commitment to the Court during a recent visit to northeast Asia, but expressed concern at the overall lack of ICC representation in the region, where just one-third of states are ICC members.
Thursday 30 March 2017 marked Land Day, a commemoration of the Palestinian citizens who protested in 1976 against Israeli settlements, resulting in six Palestinians being killed and a hundred more injured.
The Bangladeshi minister for law and justice, Anisul Huq, has stated that Bangladesh will take steps to bring back and try 195 Pakistani soldiers for war crimes committed during the 1971 War of Independence, a conflict that ended in a Pakistani defeat and Bangladeshi independence.
The loss of civilan life during the ongoing operation by the Iraqi army and their allies to liberate Mosul from Islamic State has been the focus of public outcry recently. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein has condemned the terror group’s strategy of using civilians as human shields whilst human rights lawyer, Amal Clooney, has spoken about the urgent need for international courts to punish the perpetrators.
The Trump administration may soon announce its withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council, according to Amnesty International, a move that the organisation claims would be “ill-advised and badly timed.” The conlusion of the council’s 34th session in March produced resolutions that were all adopted unanimously, including one condeming civilian killings in Syria.
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers have taken a further step towards becoming operable after adopting the Rules of Procedure and Evidence. The move comes two months after the justices were appointed and now awaits a decision in the Constitutional Court of Kosovo to decide the legality of the adopted procedures.
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Deadmau5 Tour Dates & Concert Tickets
Deadmau5 Tour Dates and Concert Tickets
Dubstep / Trance / House
Deadmau5 (pronounced "dead mouse") is far and away one of the most popular and talented DJs and producers working in the business today. He's mastered a number of electronic styles, including dubstep, Neo-trance, and different varieties of house music. The outspoken DJ has not onl... read more
Deadmau5 Tickets
Jul 28 7.28 DEADMAU5 @ KAOS NIGHTCLUB FREE SHOW! TEXT 303.437.9559 FOR GUESTLIST Kaos Dayclub and Nightclub Las Vegas, Nevada
Aug 23 Creamfields Festival 2019 - Friday Daresbury Estate Daresbury, GBR
Sep 12 Deadmau5 The South Side Music Hall Dallas, Texas
Sep 13 deadmau5 / CUBE V3-2019 Tour The South Side Ballroom Dallas, Texas
Sep 19 Deadmau5 Austin City Limits Live @ Moody Theater Austin, Texas
Sep 25 Deadmau5 Hollywood Palladium Los Angeles, California
More About Deadmau5
Recommendations Similar to Deadmau5
Deadmau5 VIDEOS
MORE INFO ABOUT Deadmau5
Deadmau5 (pronounced "dead mouse") is far and away one of the most popular and talented DJs and producers working in the business today. He's mastered a number of electronic styles, including dubstep, Neo-trance, and different varieties of house music. The outspoken DJ has not only released a slew of solo albums, but also contributed to amazing collaborations with the genre's biggest names, including collaborations with vocalists on tour dates. He has been one of the top sellers on Beatport for the past few years, and fans have worked themselves into a frenzy deadmau5's epic, world renown concert dates. Deadmau5's concert dates feature stunning visual and auditory experiences that can only be seen to be believed. Fan's who haven't witnessed a deadmau5 show are in luck; he has a number of ongoing, international tour dates in 2011.
Deadmau5 (born Joel Zimmerman) became interested in electronic music in the mid-90's when he began making chip music (a form of music made using old computer chips). His moniker is derived from an incident that began when he was replacing his computer's video card, discovering a dead mouse in the tower. Zimmerman released his first EP, Project 56, in 2005, which featured fifty-six short demo tracks. Most of the tracks were short little bits of beats and none lasted more than three minutes; drastically different from deadmau5's current work. His second album, Get Scraped, was released in 2006 and showcased Zimmerman's talent in diverse styles. Deadmau5 followed up the success of the album later in the year with the release of Vexillology.
Deadmau5 released his first mixed album, Random Album Title, in 2008. The album featured the track "I Remember", the hit collaboration with Kaskade that reached #1 on Billboard's Hot Dance Airplay; it began a trend of deadmau5 collaborations reaching #1 on the chart. His 2009 album, For Lack of a Better Name, featured some of his most popular and lucrative tracks, including "Hi Friend!", "Strobe", and "Ghosts N Stuff". While the 2010 album, 4x4=12, featured popular hit songs, album sales suffered due to deadmau5 playing the unfinished tracks on tour dates, which were subsequently released onto the internet by fans.
That's why deadmau5 is keeping the development of his upcoming album under wraps. While deadmau5 has lost many an unfinished track while playing it live, it is these tour dates that have contributed so heavily to his success. Deadmau5 sells out tour dates at arenas and stadiums around the world, with thousands of people grooving and dancing along to incredible light shows. Without anything to go on, these same fans are anxiously awaiting the release of the album, which is rumored to drop before the end of 2011. Meanwhile, deadmau5 is lighting up European concert dates on his current tour. As of April 21, deadmau5 is in New Zealand before heading to Australia for tour dates until the end of April. On May 7, the DJ will be headed to Malaysia for tour dates before heading to South Korea and Taiwan; then off to Europe until the end of 2011 tour dates on July 10.
Categories: Music | Dance | Electronic
http://www.deadmau5.com/
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You Are Here: Fingal Open Data >> Blog >> July 2015
Open Data Strategy for Ireland & Open Data Technical Framework Submission
Posted by Dominic Byrne on Sat, 22 Aug 2015 22:02:56 BST
As part of the public consultation process in respect of an Open Data Strategy and Open Data Technical Framework for Ireland, Fingal County Council made a submission to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in July 2015.
The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform launched a public consultation on 15th June 2015 in respect of the following documents -
a Foundation Document for the development of Ireland’s Open Data Strategy; and
a Technical Framework to underpin the publication of datasets in open data format on the Government’s open data portal data.gov.ie
The following is Fingal County Council's submission in respect of this consultation -
Fingal County Council Submission to Open Data Strategy for Ireland & Open Data Technical Framework Consultation
Fingal County Council has been to the forefront of Open Government Data in Ireland. In 2010, the Council became the first Government body in Ireland to publish Open Data via the Fingal Open Data website http://data.fingal.ie There are now over 240 datasets published on Fingal Open Data in open, machine-readable formats under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
Fingal County Council has three main objectives for publishing Open Data -
Transparency - citizens can access the data that assists the Council and other public sector bodies in making decisions. Citizens can also use this data for additional social value.
Participation - citizens can increase their participation in the county of Fingal by using the data to analyse issues, to propose new ideas, to gain an insight into local government and to enrich their lives and their community.
Collaboration - citizens and businesses are encouraged to suggest ideas about additional data that could be published, what applications or services could be built using the data and how access to the data might be improved. Citizens and businesses are encouraged to turn this data into apps, websites or other useful products
Fingal County Council welcomes the publication of the Open Data Strategy foundation document and the Open Data Technical Framework by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The Council made a submission in September 2014 as part of the public consultation process in respect of the development of a national Open Data Strategy for Ireland, which contained a number of recommendations. The Council is pleased to note progress in relation to these recommendations as follows -
1. Outline a Vision for Open Data in Ireland.
Progress:Vision Statement included in the Open Data Strategy foundation document
2. Develop the National Open Data portal (data.gov.ie) as a comprehensive Open Data catalogue for all public sector agencies including Local Government.
Progress:A new version of data.gov.ie was launched on 30th June 2015 incorporating Local Government Data including data from Fingal County Council
3. Develop a cross-public sector data infrastructure to enable a standardised and sustainable approach to data sharing by the public sector.
Progress:Unclear
4. Collect details of the datasets held by each public sector body through a standardised Data Audit procedure and publish the results of the audit output.
Progress:A Data Audit process has been included in the Open Data Strategy foundation document
5. The national Open Data strategy should be aligned with fulfilling Ireland’s obligations under the INSPIRE directive.
6. Agree an Open Data license to use for all Irish Open Data.
Progress:The Open Data Technical Framework document includes a recommendation that all data and metadata linked to data.gov.ie will be associated with the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) Licence, at a minimum
Strategy Recommendations
The following are Fingal County Council’s recommendations regarding the Open Data Strategy Foundation document -
1. The scope of Open Data covered by the Strategy should be extended to all sectors.
Section 3 specifies that the scope of the strategy in relation to the benefits of Open Data covers all sectors of society. However, the scope of Open Data to be published is restricted to Public Sector Open Data. While Government can only be responsible for the publication of Open Government Data, a national Open Data Strategy has the capacity to provide a framework to encourage and support the publication of data by other sectors including Business, Scientific, Culture, Charity and Not-for-Profit organisations. Similar to Open Government Data, the publication of Open Data from other sectors can also provide economic, social and democratic benefits, as outlined by the World Bank. There is also the potential to derive cumulative benefits from the combined reuse of Open Government Data and non-Government Open Data.
2. Establish a mechanism to identify and address issues arising from Open Data.
In Section 4, the aims of the Open Data Strategy should include a mechanism to address issues arising from publishing Open Data. The benefits of Open Data are frequently cited when advocating the publication of Open Data. However, the potential also exists for Open Data to give rise to privacy issues and to the emergence of a ‘Data Divide ... the gap between those who have access to and are able to use Open (Government) Data and those who are not so enabled’ (https://gurstein.wordpress.com/2011/07/11/a-data-divide-data-%E2%80%9Chaves%E2%80%9D-and-%E2%80%9Chave-nots%E2%80%9D-and-open-government-data/)
3. The lifecycle approach to publishing Open Data should include updating of datasets.
Section 4 outlines a lifecycle approach to Open Data, and Section 10 and 11 outline publication plans and standards. However, the updating of published datasets is not addressed. Once an Open Data dataset is published it is important that it is updated at a frequency appropriate to the dataset. The Strategy should include a requirement that Public Bodies put in place mechanisms to ensure that published datasets are regularly updated.
4. The Vision, Goals and Benefits for Open Data should include Community Development as an aim.
Sections 5 and 6 outline a Vision, Goals and Benefits for the Open Data Strategy - including economic and democratic objectives. Open Data can also play a key role in supporting community development and engagement. The “Putting People First” Action Programme for Effective Local Government sets out a comprehensive framework for supporting community development. The publishing of relevant Open Data by Local Authorities, public bodies and other service providers can support the community-led bottom-up approach to community development envisaged in “Putting People First”.
Suggested amendment to the Vision – “This Open Data Strategy aims to create an environment where, by opening up Government data, new opportunities for research, innovation, transparency, engagement, community development and greater efficiency are delivered and realised by public bodies, businesses, researchers and citizens.”
Suggested amendment to the Goals – “4. For Citizens and Civil Society to participate in the Open Data process and utilise datasets for transparency, democratic purposes and community development.”
Suggested amendment to the Benefits – add “Support community development” to the list of social and democratic benefits.
5. The Open Data strategy should be aligned with fulfilling Ireland’s obligations under the INSPIRE directive.
Under the EU INSPIRE directive, public sector bodies are required to participate in establishing a Europe-wide Spatial Data Infrastructure including data-sharing and metadata services for public service spatial data. The requirements in respect of the relevant datasets are similar to the requirements for publishing Open Data. Therefore it would be an efficient use of resources if each public sector body, when making their datasets available for INSPIRE, were to also publish them as Open Data.
Section 7 outlines how the Open Data Strategy is aligned with various other initiatives and legislative requirements. A paragraph on INSPIRE should be included in this section.
6. The scope of the Open Data Strategy should include Open Content and Open Access data types.
Section 10 includes a definition of a dataset for the purpose of the Open Data Strategy which is essentially restricted to tabular or geospatial data. This definition excludes Open Content including text documents, photographs, video and other media. It also excludes Open Access i.e. scientific information. There is wealth of Open Content and Open Access data held by public bodies which could realise great benefits if released as Open Data. The European Commission’s Communication on Open Data includes reference to these data types.
Technical Framework Recommendations
The following are Fingal County Council’s recommendations regarding the Open Data Technical Framework document -
1. Publishing Open Data should include updating of datasets.
The “Publishing Open Data” section of the document sets out a “planned and structured approach to the publication of datasets as Open Data”. However, the updating of published datasets is not addressed. Once an Open Data dataset is published it is important that it is updated at a frequency appropriate to the dataset. The Framework should include a requirement that Public Bodies put in place mechanisms to ensure that published datasets are regularly updated, and the Decision Process Map should incorporate update and review of datasets as part of the publication lifecycle.
2. The Open Data Checklist/Audit should incorporate INSPIRE.
Annex 2 sets out an Open Data Checklist. Additional item(s) should be added to this checklist to cover INSPIRE e.g. Is this dataset covered by the INSPIRE Directive? If so, (i) is INSPIRE metadata available for this dataset and (ii) has this dataset been published under the INSPIRE Directive?
Responses to Consultation Questions
The following are Fingal County Council’s response to the Consultation Questions in the Open Data Strategy foundation document -
The Council agrees with the use of the Open Knowledge definition of Open Data.
The principles itemised would be acceptable to the Council. The Council would suggest the inclusion of additional principles as follows -
The release of Open Data aims to improve governance, facilitate innovation and support community development
Open Data will be published to specified standards in respect of quality, completeness, consistency and persistency.
The Council welcomes the inclusion of auditing and publication approaches which will facilitate participation by public bodies. The training events referred to in Section 13.3 are also welcome, but these should be complemented by awareness briefings for all Public Servants including the benefits of Open Data and the responsibilities of public servants.
It is not clear from the document which COMSODE methodology is being referenced or if this is related to the Open Data Checklist in the Technical Framework document.
The Council would suggest prioritising the various elements of the Technical Framework in the following order -
Audits and Publication Process
Metadata Schema
Unique Resource Identifiers
Any dataset published on data.gov.ie should comply with minimum standards. However, it may also be appropriate to publish a version of the dataset in a non-Open format for the purpose of providing context (e.g. a CSV file of data and the corresponding PDF document with the formatted version of the data), but only if an Open version of the dataset is also published.
The datasets included in the following should be prioritised -
High value datasets itemised in Section 4 of the foundation document
High value data listed in the G8 Open Data Charter
Datasets associated with the strategic priorities of Government, Local Authorities and Public Bodies
Datasets requested by citizens or businesses via the various Open Data Portals including Fingal Open Data, Dublinked and data.gov.ie
The datasets included in the following should also be considered for prioritised publishing -
Datasets listed in the Open Knowledge Global and Local Census
Datasets identified by the Open Knowledge Ireland community
The appropriate formats are outlined in Section 4.2 of the Technical Framework
The Council would strongly encourage the use of Pilot Projects and Use Cases in relation to Open Data. Fingal Open Data includes examples of Open Data reuse on its Apps page at http://data.fingal.ie/Apps/
Yes, Fingal County Council would be happy to participate in any outreach or dissemination activities organised to promote the Open Data Strategy and would also be happy to contribute to the identification and planning of such activities. The Council has previously organised such activities and is also involved in on-going Open Data activities through the Dublinked partnership.
The Council would be interested in the following activities -
Public Sector Awareness
Business Awareness
Local Community Awareness
Challenges and Competitions
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Vulnerable Native Breeds Launch - Crufts 2005
On the 10th - 13th March 2005 the Kennel Club will be staging the "Greatest Dog Show in the World" - Crufts, at the NEC Birmingham.
At the Birmingham Press Launch of Crufts at the NEC at 10.30am on Tuesday 8 March 2005, the Kennel Club will be featuring vulnerable breeds, which in turn will be promoting themselves, proving what a joy they are to own and demonstrating their many skills and talents.
There are 28 British or Irish breeds that are in decline for various reasons such as an influx of new breeds from overseas and breeders not continuing their bloodlines. To redress the balance and to protect and promote these breeds, a Working Group has been formed and various initiatives are underway such as promotion and education to prospective owners and a parade of vulnerable breeds throughout the four days at Crufts.
Said Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary: "These vulnerable native breeds are a very important issue for the Kennel Club and we feel dog lovers themselves hold the key to arresting the decline by giving serious thought to owning one of them and instigating a new era for British Breeds at their best. With over 200 breeds available to UK dog owners and nearly 180 breeds appearing at Crufts, dog lovers really are spoilt for choice, but we should not forget these well established breeds, as it would be a travesty if they became extinct from our shores."
Crufts 2005 will welcome over 24,000 dogs and 120,000 visitors from all over the world, where the best dogs on the planet will be competing for the prestigious title - Best in Show. They will be accompanied by other top pedigree and crossbreed dogs striving to gain awards in disciplines such as Obedience, Agility and Flyball.
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Qld Labor Govt feared IBM payroll backlash
news New cabinet documents released by the Queensland Labor Party pertaining to the payroll systems disaster at Queensland Health have revealed the then-Labor administration in 2010 feared that IBM would pursue its own lawsuit if the State Government terminated its contract over the botched IT systems overhaul.
The project was first kicked off in late 2007, when Queensland Health determined there was a need to look at a new payroll platform to replace the previous platform, based on Lattice and ESP software, which had been progressively implemented from 1996. However, the project, implemented by prime contractor IBM, Queensland Health itself and government shared services provider Corptech — quickly went off the rails as poor governance and the complexity of Queensland Health’s award system kicked in, with the result that many of Queensland Health’s 85,000 workers have gone without pay, or were overpaid, at various periods from early 2010, when the system went live. The issue was raised repeatedly during the recent Queensland State Government election, which the LNP won in a landslide, virtually obliterating Labor in the polls.
An Auditor-General’s report filed in 2010 found that all concerned in the implementation — prime contractor IBM, Queensland Health and CorpTech — significantly underestimated the necessary scope of the project. IBM had initially told the Government that a “relatively small” amount of functionality would be required to implement a similar new payroll system at Queenland Health as a previous build at Queensland Housing — despite the fact that the Housing rollout only catered for 1200-1300 staff, compared with Health’s then-78,000. IBM had initially prepared a statement of scope for the replacement of the project, providing an estimate of $6.13 million to replace the previous LATTICE system. The latest estimates into the cost of the project show that it will cost a further $836.9 million for the project to be overhauled over the next five years, adding to a total of $416.6 million which has already been spent on it since 2010.
The current LNP administration in Queensland has been examining whether to pursue legal action against IBM over the debacle, however it has claimed that it been hampered in its examination of the situation by the fact that the previous Bligh Labor administration has not released legal advice provided to the then-Cabinet over the situation.
After what she said was “a great deal of soul-searching and deliberation” (PDF transcription here), late last week Queensland Labor Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk tabled the 2010 legal advice received by the then-Labor administration in parliament, defying long-standing Queensland Government convention to do so, “for the benefit of all Queenslanders”.
The documents (available in full online in PDF format) contain several sets of legal advice provided to the then-Bligh Labor administration in 2010 with respect to the payroll disaster at Queensland Health and IBM’s role in it. Law firm Mallesons Stephen Jacques advised the Government that it had at that time four possible courses of action with respect to IBM’s contract in the matter. It could terminate the contract, suspend it, negotiate a settlement, or continue with the contract.
Although IBM’s arguments at the time that it wasn’t in breach of its contract were “vague” and Big Blue “provided no supporting evidence” for its claims, Mallesons wrote, if the contract was terminated and it was found later that IBM had not breached the contract, then Queensland might face a claim from IBM for wrongful termination. A similar but smaller risk would be entailed if the contract were merely suspended.
Crown Law, a division of the Department of Justice and the Attorney-General, also provided legal advice to Queensland regarding the IBM contract. It wrote that if Queensland began proceedings against IBM for breach of contract, it would be “almost inevitable” that IBM would bring counterclaims against the state for breach of contract and unpaid fees.
“If such counterclaims were successful,” Crown Law wrote, “the amounts claimed would be set off against any amounts successfully claimed by the State. The possibility remains that the outcome of any litigation would be a payment in favour of IBM. Care should be taken to detect and investigate any claims that IBM may make, particularly as foreshadowed in correspondence between the parties.”
There were also other risks if Queensland got involved in legal action against IBM. For example, there would still be the need to find a third party to rectify the defects in Queensland Health’s payroll system, which IBM was still working on; and even that if the contract continued while the legal action was ongoing, that IBM might “cease cooperating” with Queensland on issues where it had no contractual obligation to do so.
Despite all of this, Crown Law told the Government that it was “reasonably confident” that IBM’s response to the Government’s initial notice of remedy issued to IBM were not sustainable, and that IBM did indeed remain in breach of its contract to work on Queensland Health’s new payroll system. In fact, Crown Law suggested that the Government seek to obtain further information from IBM as to why Big Blue believed it had not breached its contract, with a view to allowing the Government to feel “comfortable with its decision to terminate”.
“A failure by IBM to provide information might also be used to support the conclusion that IBM has failed to show reasonable cause,” Crown Law wrote. And it noted that even if IBM’s contract was terminated, the Government would still retain some rights under the contract to require IBM to continue to provide some services, even in that case.
Ultimately the Labor Queensland Cabinet opted to sign a supplemental contract with IBM with relation to the issue; although the future of the relationship with Big Blue has yet to be fully explored under the current LNP administration, which is still keeping its legal options open with respect to the company.
Development and maintenance work on the Queensland Health payroll systems implementation is still under way. A report in June found that at that stage, the platform required just over 1,000 staff performing some 200,000 manual processes on an average of 92,000 forms to make sure Queensland Health’s staff are paid the approximately $250 million they are owed each fortnight.
IBM wrote to the LNP Queensland administration in early September this year, claiming it “successfully delivered” against milestones agreed with the previous Labor administration with respect to the project.
However, the LNP may not agree with this stance. With respect to the milestones which IBM said it had delivered against, Queensland Health Minister Lawrence Springborg told the Parliament in mid-October that he imagined “they must have been pretty ripper milestones”. “IBM is actually indicating to us that it consistently delivered against the scope of the contract,” he asid. “What sort of a dodgy contract allows something to blow out by 20,000 per cent? I would have thought there would be a whole lot of benchmarks and processes along the way that were not actually met.”
LNP parliamentarian Stephen Davies told the parliament at the time that from his perspective, having been involved in the corporate sector before his career in politics, it was “extraordinary – in fact, it is beyond the pale” that it could be said that the disastrous payroll implementation could be said to have achieved its milestones as agreed. “It is just bananas. It still does not even pay people,” he said.
“IBM itself is now saying that they met all of their benchmarks,” Springborg added. “If you signed a building contract like that, if you signed an insurance contract like that, if you signed any other contract like that, would you be happy if you had such dodgy benchmarks, such dodgy wording in your contract, whatever it may have been?”’
A spokesperson from IBM has not yet responded to an invitation for the company to respond to the release of the legal advice last week; any response the company gives will be added into this article.
Weaving between the lines of the legal advice provided to the Queensland Government in 2010 about the Queensland Health payroll systems disaster is the unwritten question of who should ultimately be held responsible for it. Should it be IBM? Queensland Health itself? The Labor political administration? Shared services provider CorpTech? The list goes on. At that stage, it seems clear, the Labor administration was still attempting to come to grips with a disaster of epic proportions which had suddenly blown up in its face, and it wasn’t sure whose fault it was.
Thankfully, we do now know whose fault it was. Numerous audit reports published since that time have found that all concerned in the implementation can share some blame for significantly underestimating the necessary scope of the Queensland Health payroll overhaul project.
With this in mind, and considering the legal advice which it received in 2010, I feel strongly that the Bligh Labor administration took the best path available to it at the time with respect to the project. Firing IBM would not have been the best option; put simply, this might have (counterintuitively) cost the Government money rather than saving it, thanks to the prospect of an IBM counterclaim, and it would not have resolved the underlying issue of the project not being delivered. Likely the Government would have struggled to find new partners that could achieve a better outcome for the troubled project than the one IBM was already working on.
Reading through the legal advice provided to it, it seems apparent that Bligh’s Labor Cabinet of 2010 didn’t have any good choices with respect to the project; only bad ones. To my mind, in finding a middle ground with IBM that allowed it to continue working on the project and avoid lawsuits, the Government probably made a good decision. By that stage the project was already about as off the rails as it was going to get.
However, one does also have to admit that even this path didn’t end up with a satisfactory resolution for anyone. The project is still a disaster; it’s still not fully functioning; and it is still costing more and more money to deliver. This, perhaps, poses some troubling questions for the current LNP administration in Queensland. After all, the choices it faces with the Queensland Health payroll systems project today are not so different from the ones Labor faced two years ago in 2010. One wonders whether the LNP, as it is often wont to do in Queensland, will choose a radically different path from Labor with respect to the project and IBM’s role in it, and whether that approach will be a better one.
Image credit: IBM Australia. The photo above is of former IBM Australia managing director Glen Boreham, who led the company locally from 2006 through 2010.
Qld Health payroll: The lawsuit may be back on
‘It’s not our fault’:
IBM blames Govt for payroll disaster
Payroll disaster: Queensland sues IBM
IBM says it “successfully delivered”
Qld Health payroll
Qld may hold Royal Commission into payroll bungle
payroll disaster
jingo 05/11/2012 at 7:34 pm
I wasn’t aware of the exact figures and sheer scale of the blowout… wow…
Rainier Wolfcastle 06/11/2012 at 8:11 am
How did they let things get so out of hand? Surely they could see some of these issues building up.
Flat Earther 06/11/2012 at 8:17 am
Renai, this is an interesting summary and I agree that the government had no choice but to settle with IBM. (Their other choice was to lose). But there is a much bigger story that explains (but does not excuse) what went on.
Ask your self this. Why would IBM estimate $6M for something that the current government says will cost $800M? Because those numbers are for completely different things.
Having seen what went on at CorpTech in the immediate aftermath of the go-live and in the subsequent projects to try and make it work, I think the major causes were
1. The QH decision to completely change their work processes around rostering and time sheet collection (including centralising all the related manual processing in Brisbane). Under the old system the rostering and time sheeting was done on the ground in every hospital and health centre by people who new how staff really worked.
This led to a number of outcomes. The huge staff cost of manually adjusting pays that makes up the majority of the $800M got worse due to the loss of knowledge and on the ground experience and the cost became exposed. Previously much of this cost was hidden by those same on-the-ground staff. Remember the old payroll system was even more inaccurate that the new one, but everyone had got used to it.
2. The decision to incorporate Rostering/TIme sheeting into the new system. A lower cost and lower risk alternative would have been to simply replace the payroll function without blowing out the scope with lots of new functionality.
3. Deciding to integrate WorkBrain and SAP when nobody had done it before. This caused huge technical problems and led to a lot of functionality being implemented in both systems. It also led to the need to purchase a huge amount of additional processing capacity as both systems were inefficiently implemented
4. Persisting with the payroll arrangements where staff were paid in advance for work they were scheduled to do and then having to adjust the pays after the fact for work they actually did. This is the cause of most of the incorrect pays since the time window for adjustment was so small. (Note they’ve recently changed this, but three years too late).
5. Underestimating the sheer complexity of the awards including the hundreds of different types of allowances leading to much greater development effort. This also resulted in inadequate testing since there were so many possible combinations.
6. Poor contract. IBM ran rings around them. IBM probably did do what they promised. Trouble is they didn’t promise very much (in contractual terms, anyway).
7. Poor communications, training and management of change. QH and Corptech just handled it badly. Staff were not told what to expect, so their expectations were not met.
Overall poor management, not heeding the lesson of a multitude of failed software projects, over reaching on scope and attempting something beyond their capabilities.
Northern Blue 06/11/2012 at 8:50 am
I’d add to that hiring an international Accounting Firm to audit the disaster with clearly little IT project experience or will to take on the government. The solutions proposed focussed a significant part on hiring even more staff to be able to answer phonecalls from concerned employees worried about their pay and gave less focus on actually trying to fix the underlying problem with good directional advice. Their efforts effectvely just pushed the problem back another 2 years and blew a heap more money.
Thateus 07/11/2012 at 11:35 pm
The wonders of 20/20 hindsight – I’m sure the same auditors would also have won the Oz Lotto 100M too (albeit a year later).
Oh yes -where’s the Ovum cloud guy to tell us how the cloud would have prevented this project disaster? (and delivered the entire thing for 20 cents).
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KGK Group Recognised as the Outstanding Enterprise of the Year-India at JNA Awards 2018
The KGK Group had been nominated under the three categories competing amongst the record-breaking entries of 127 submissions from 16 countries.
Sep 19 2018 5:36PM
KGK Group, one of the few conglomerates covering the entire spectrum of mining, sourcing, manufacturing and distributing coloured stones, diamonds and jewellery was recognised as the Outstanding Enterprise of the Year, India Award at the seventh annual JNA Awards that was held alongside the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair on Monday, 17 September.
Delighted on this occasion, Sanjay Kothari, Vice Chairman of KGK Group, remarked, “We would like to express our gratitude to the respected jury who acknowledged us with the Outstanding Enterprise of the Year-India Award. It was truly an honour to receive this award amongst industry’s elite and eminent personalities, recognizing KGK’s exemplary business practices & standards. With years of hard work and fore-vision, I am proud to dedicate this award to the persistence diligence and dedication of KGKians”.
The KGK Group had been nominated under the three categories competing amongst the record-breaking entries of 127 submissions from 16 countries – Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and Vietnam. Established more than a century by the Kothari family of Jaipur (India), the KGK Group, now in its fourth generation, operates a vertically integrated portfolio spreading from mines to brands, with a global presence across 17 countries spanning Asia, Australia, North and South America, Europe and Africa.
The glittering gala event, which honoured industry forerunners and ground-breakers is one of the most prestigious award programmes in the international jewellery and gemstone industry, has been declared a spectacular success. Organised by UBM Asia, the JNA Awards were dedicated to the promotion and enhancement of excellence, leadership, innovation and best business practices in the field of jewellery and gemstone.
44 Honourees or finalists across 12 award categories that made exceptional contributions to the industry were acknowledged at the grand celebration. The occasion witnessed an independent judging panel of industry experts and the presence of many prominent industry leaders and influencers.
Letitia Chow, Chairperson of the JNA Awards, Founder of JNA, and Director of Business Development – Jewellery Group at UBM Asia, said, “Our industry is facing some challenging times, but we should not be discouraged. Instead, this is the time to be innovative. This is the time to seek business opportunities with a different light and angle, and form alliances and collaborations to create win-win situations. Our Honouree companies and individuals embrace this mindset to drive their businesses forward. Once again, I would like to express my deep appreciation and sincere congratulations to all companies and individuals who took part in this year’s Awards. Together, we can make this industry flourish.”
In addition to Headline Partners Chow Tai Fook, SDE and DANAT, the JNA Awards is supported by Honoured Partners KGK Group, Guangdong Gems & Jade Exchange, and Guangdong Land Holdings Limited (GDLAND).
KGK, Kiran Gems Wins at JNA Awards 2018
SYNTHdetect Wins Industry Innovation of the Year at JNA Awards
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Tag Archives: computer
Geek Alert — The Computer History Museum
We visited our Kiwi friends Alistair and Dallas in Mountain View, California. Located in the heart of the Silicon Valley near the Googleplex, their comfortable home has fruit trees and chickens in the back yard, and our motorhome just fit in their driveway. They were gracious hosts, even though they learned of our arrival on short notice through this blog.
Is all Kiwi beer this size?
On our way out of town we went to the Computer History Museum. My career was (past tense?) in computer consulting and outsourcing, so I was excited to check it out. Diane, not so much.
The Computer History Museum explores the history of computing and its ongoing impact on society. It has the largest collection of computing artifacts in the world (over 90,000) including hardware, software, documentation, photographs, and video.
The museum has had various incarnations over the last 20 years, but settled in to its current building (previously occupied by Silicon Graphics) in 2003.
A very cool exhibit at the museum is The Babbage Engine. In 1834, Charles Babbage designed Difference Engine No. 2, an automatic computing engine, but failed to build it. It was designed to tabulate polynomial functions based on the method of divided differences, which Diane demonstrates here:
Babbage died insisting future generations would prove his idea was sound. His difference engine was faithfully built to plan in 1991, and during a demonstration in the museum, we saw it function exactly as Babbage predicted.
Much bigger than an iPad!
A current special exhibit at the museum is Going Places: Google Maps with Street View. You can get up close to the mobile devices they use to capture Street View images.
A Google Maps Street View Camera Car
A Google Maps Street View Camera Bicycle
The museum’s main exhibit is Revolution: The First 2000 Years of Computing. It covers the history of computing in 20 galleries, from the abacus to the Internet, with informative and interesting displays. Leveraging their subject matter, the entire exhibit is also available online.
Some highlights for me included:
A Cray-1 Supercomputer with convenient built-in bench seat
At 135 MFLOPS the Cray-1 was the best known and most powerful computer in the world when I began tinkering with personal computers in 1981.
A $10,000 cutting board
Neiman Marcus introduced a kitchen computer based on the Honeywell 316 in 1969 as part of a continuing series of extravagant gift ideas. It stood on a pedestal and had a built-in cutting board. Entering recipes would have required a 2-week course to learn to use the device, using only toggle switch input and binary light output. At a cost of $10,600 each, none were sold.
The Apple I, signed by Woz
One of only 40 to 50 Apple I computers in existence, now worth about $50,000 each. This one is signed by Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple Computers.
The first mouse?
I owned a Merlin
The first personal computer
The Altair 8800 is considered by many to be the first personal computer.
An early acoustic coupling modem
Do you remember the Radio Shack TRS-80 nicknamed “Trash 80’?
My visit rekindled the excitement I felt in my youth, when I first got my hands on an Apple II computer at my high school (thanks Mr. Sutcliffe) and wrote my first program, a text-based adventure game called “Prince Pat” – lame, I know.
The Apple II — the first computer I programmed
After reading this ode to tech, you may think that I’m a nerd, but if you’re in the San Jose area, I would still recommend a visit to the Computer History Museum.
This entry was posted in North America, Travel and tagged Altair, Apple, Babbage, California, computer, Computer HIstory Museum, Computing, Cray, Google, history, Mountain View, museum, Palo Alto, Revolution, San Jose, Street View, travel, United States on March 5, 2013 by dreambigliveboldly.
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How close was the Moon to the Earth when it formed? (Intermediate)
Answered by Matija Cuk
Given the fact that the Moon is moving away from the Earth, could you please tell me how close the moon was when it was at it's closest to Earth, presumably when it formed? I am curious to know how big the moon would have looked at that time. Also, do you know if the rate of departure has ALWAYS been constant?
The Moon is thought to have formed when an object roughly the size of Mars hit the Earth. The impact was so violent that it threw large amounts of the Earth's mantle into orbit. This material evenually coalesced and formed the Moon.
It is not easy to estimate how far away from the Earth the Moon was when it formed, but simulations suggest is was about 3-5 times the radius of the Earth, or about 20 to 30 thousand kilometers. (The Moon is currently about 384,000 km or 60 Earth radii away from Earth, which is about fifteen times further away than it was when it first formed.) The Moon probably couldn't have formed closer than 3 Earth radii because tidal forces from the Earth would just pull it apart again, and it is unlikely that the impact could have ejected material further than 5 Earth radii. It's not a totally easy questions to answer though as it depends a lot on the (unknown) details of the impact and how the hot material behaved in space.
The exact rate of the Moon's movement away from Earth has varied a lot over time. It depends both on the distance between the Earth and the Moon, and the exact shape of the Earth. The details of continents and oceans moving around on Earth actually change the rate, which make it a very hard thing to estimate. The rate is currently slowing down slightly, and it is estimated that in about 15 billion years the Moon's orbit will stop increasing in size.
This page was last updated on July 18, 2015.
Matija Cuk
Matija works on the orbital dynamics of the lesser moons of Jupiter and Saturn. He graduated with his PhD from Cornell in November 2004 and is now working at the University of British Columbia in Canada.
Why does the Earth have only one moon? (Intermediate)
What happens to the Earth as the moon gets farther away and will it ever go away entirely? (Intermediate)
Will we ever stop having solar eclipses because of the moon's motion away from the Earth? (Intermediate)
Why do some eclipses take longer than others? (Intermediate)
Was the Sun made in a supernova? (Intermediate)
Non-baryonic Matter Camera Eclipses The Universe Momentum Saturn Angular Momentum Acceleration Jets Leonids Gravity Local Supercluster Day Spacecraft End of the World Habitable Planets MACHOs Tides Refraction Galactic Center
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help transcription
The editor of the Abingdon Democrat judged that in the election of delegates to the Virginia Convention on February 4, 1861, "The immediate secession candidates have been badly whipped—in fact, have been almost annihilated."
Convention of 1861 (Richmond) , Elections and Politics , Southwest region
« Return to Election of Delegates
"The immediate secession candidates have been badly whipped"
Editorial in the Abingdon Democrat, February 8, 1861.
The editor of the Abingdon Democrat judged that in the election of delegates to the Virginia Convention on February 4, 1861, "The immediate secession candidates have been badly whipped—in fact, have been almost annihilated,—and the gentlemen representing the 'wait-a-bit' ticket triumphantly elected." John Arthur Campbell and Robert E. Grant, who were elected to the convention from Washington County, both opposed secession at that time. The editor had anticipated that Washington County and the other southwestern counties would have elected more supporters of secession than they did, but his characterization of the victorious candidates accurately represented the attitudes of a majority of all of the delegates elected on that day. He took heart, though, that opponents of secession were not inclined to submit without objection to what he and supporters of secession believed would be the intolerable policies of Abraham Lincoln and the Republicans.
Election on Monday.
As will be seen by the return from this county, the immediate secession candidates have been badly whipped—in fact, have been almost annihilated,—and the gentlemen representing the "wait-a-bit" ticket triumphantly elected. We were, at first, rather down in the mouth, and felt as though the State had deserted the cause of the South and tacked herself on to the doctrine of unconditional submission; and we honestly believe that such will be the verdict of all men of both extremes of the Union. But, from conversations with many voters who opposed our doctrine of instant separation, and favored the plea of procrastination, we are bound to believe, and now assert, that unconditional submission was an idea entertained by but very few. We were told by many—among whom were large slave-owners—that they were willing, nay anxious, to exhaust every argument, and to wait any reasonable length of time which might be demanded by Northern sentiment, before consenting to resort to an appeal to arms for the settlement of the question.
Another cause for the recent vote may be found in the fact that the people were unprepared for the question. The time for its decision was too short, and the opportunities for a full understanding of all the issues involved had not been sufficient to reach a large mass of the voters; and thus, it ought not to have been expected that they would willingly hazard so much as to vote for what they considered an entire dissolution of the present state of government for any cause less than a direct invasion of our soil by an armed body of soldiers.
But an important step has been taken, and an important truth brought out. No single ultra submissionist has dared yet to offer himself as a candidate for a seat in the Convention; nor could one have been successful if he had done so.— Some few, it is true, asserted, that they were for the Union on any terms, and would fight for it "as long as there was a square yard left,"—but they were men who had but a slight and imperfect knowledge of the duty they owed to their State, or of the claims of honor by which all are bound to stand up for the rights and interests of their fellow citizens and countrymen. The position of the successful candidates in our county, (secession, if necessary,) has been indorsed by a heavy majority, and a large vote given for secession, now.
Let the North ponder this truth well, and let her take heed therefore how she attempts the use of coercion. "Tories" and "traitors" in the South of Virginia will be "very few and far between," after "the argument has been exhausted," and the advocates of abject submission not sufficient in number to form a corporal's guard.
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Friday Flash: Shooting Stars
by Eric J. Krause
Timothy and Abby lay on the soft grass of Towerbell Hill, ready for the start of nature's firework show. Tonight was the night of the Quinn-Baines Meteor Shower, a once in a lifetime event. There were other meteor showers that could be tracked, but this one took the scientific community by surprise. Once it was determined that the rocks would burn up in the atmosphere, the event captured the population's imagination. Everyone wanted to view the spectacle. All around the half of the world where it was night, even in major metropolitans, the shower would be visible. And for the other half of the world, or if there were clouds in the area? The Internet, of course, had viewing options.
As luck would have it, Timothy and Abby both had the evening off, him from his job at Milton's Burgers 'N Ice Cream, and her from school. She technically had class until ten, but her professor knew he'd get no sort of attention out of his students, if they even bothered to show, so he canceled. They agreed that he wanted to watch the show, too. And it certainly was a spectacular night for it. Not a cloud in the sky, and their town, not large, but large enough to pollute the sky with its multitude of man-made lights, made way for the special night by turning off as many non-essential lights as possible. That brought out more stars than either could remember seeing since their senior class trip to the mountains three years ago.
"What time is it?" Abby asked, and Timothy held out his phone for her to see. A quarter after nine. The sun had set, and the stars were in full bloom. According to the media, the show would begin right about now. It would be a few trickles here and there, and then by 9:30, the meteor shower would begin in earnest.
Timothy pointed up. "Did you see it? A short one, but that was the first."
"Yeah, cool. Did you make a wish?"
He kissed her neck, murmured that he had, and squeezed her breast. She giggled and knocked his hand away in case anyone could see. Not that everyone wasn't focused skyward, but a girl couldn't be too prudent.
As the minutes ticked away, dozens upon dozens of shooting stars flashed across the dark night sky, some at the same time, previewing the awesome show to come. The ooh's and ahh's came from all over the hill, and Abby couldn't help but smile. The crowd reaction reminded her of a Fourth of July Fireworks Extravaganza. And, truth be told, this would likely blow any man-made show away.
More and more shooting stars streaked across the night sky, but then Timothy's arms stiffened around her. "What?" she whispered back to him.
"One of them changed directions," he said. "And I don't mean like a light bend. It turned a hard right."
"Maybe two collided. Or it hit something else."
"Another one did it," he said, fear in his voice. Why would that upset him? She noticed others around the hill shared his worried tone, though she couldn't hear their conversations.
She stared up, determined to see one change directions with her own eyes. She didn't have to wait long, nor did she have to concentrate hard. A half-dozen of the shooting stars turned, as if on cue, a hard 90 degrees to their right. The crowd on the hill now raised a ruckus.
"It's on the news," someone shouted. "They aren't just falling rocks."
"What does that mean?" someone else yelled. "What are they?"
Before the first man could answer, the shooting stars stopped and hovered in the sky. All hell broke loose.
Posted by Eric J. Krause at 3:15 PM
Labels: #fridayflash, Friday Flash, science fiction, speculative fiction
Set Goals and Reward Yourself
You have plenty of ideas about what you want to write, how much you plan to write each day, and other tasks that will further your writing career. But how often does the day slip away? All of your good intentions to write are easily erased by other things that pop up in your day, both important and trivial. This is why you need to set goals. And not only set them, but write them down where you'll see them. That way they'll seem official to your mind, something not to be missed or ignored.
Personally, I write down my goals in a notebook that I keep by my desk. That way when I see it, I know I have writing to do. And inside, I've written down exactly what that writing entails. I have my weekly time goal (which, at the moment, is 25 hours dedicated to writing type stuff), my daily word goal (which is 500 words, though that usually turns into over 1000), a reminder of which blog posts I want to publish that week, a reminder to read at least a chapter in a book each day, and a reminder to publish something fun on my Facebook author page each day, and other such things. You can see not all of these are pure writing, but marketing of sorts, too. In my 25 weekly hours, for example, I allow myself to count my time on Twitter provided I'm clicking on links, commenting on posts or links when I have something to add to the discussion, retweeting, and generally marketing myself as a writer. Since using social media is a part of being a writer nowadays, I have no problem counting this time as part of my weekly hours.
As you can see, goals don't have to be overly specific - I don't break down how I spend each of those 25 hours, and as long as I'm writing some type of fiction, be it a full piece of flash fiction or a part of a longer story, I don't worry about tracking those words. I also called some of my goals reminders. Anything to make the writing day and week productive. Try it yourself. Start small so you simply get in the routine of not only setting goals, but following through on them.
And speaking of following through on goals, the best way to keep yourself honest is to offer yourself a small reward if you complete them. Pick something that will motivate you. Personally, if I finish all of my goals (note I said all - if I get my 25 hours, but haven't finished my words, I didn't earn my reward), I download an episode of a television show on Amazon. I've been doing this for a month, and so far I've earned the first three episodes from Season One of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. For me, I figure I can afford to spend $1.99 for a week of completing all of my writing goals. You may do something like this, or you might choose to allow yourself to watch a completely frivolous movie on Netflix or DVD or whatnot. You may treat yourself to a movie in the theater, a new book download, a decadent cupcake from a local bakery, or whatever else you can think of. As long as it motivates you to complete your daily, weekly, or monthly goals.
Set goals. It'll help you accomplish more. And reward yourself, even if it's just something small. But don't cheat, either on your goals or your rewards. The main point is to become a better author. So good luck, and get started!
Posted by Eric J. Krause at 11:22 AM
Labels: rewards, writing goals
Writing Prompt #130
Here is this week's speculative fiction prompt. I'm not labeling it this week, so take it whatever direction you choose. Have fun with it!
Your new running shoes have a special feature which allows you to run further and faster, but it comes with a unique price.
Labels: speculative fiction, writing prompt
Here is this week's speculative fiction prompt. I'm labeling it as science fiction this week, but, as always, take it whatever direction you choose. Have fun with it!
A strange new social movement was actually started by space aliens (or time travelers).
Labels: science fiction, speculative fiction, writing prompt
Chapter 4 Part 3: Dragon Guard
Click here to read Chapter 4 Part 2
Dragon Guard
"I'm a dragon, and so is my dad," Andi blurted out. "Don't hate me."
"If he hated you, or was even frightened by you, he'd be long gone," Mr. Thomas said. "Not sitting here sharing an afternoon snack. As meager as it is."
"Yes, Lee, I'm well aware you want me to go to the grocery store," Mrs. Thomas said as she rolled her eyes. "I'll do it tomorrow."
Ben and Andi's eyes met, and she gave him a shy smile before concentrating on her soda can. What Mr. Thomas said was true, though. Andi being a dragon, whatever that meant, didn't frighten him one bit. And he certainly didn't hate her. Quite the opposite. But it did confuse him to no end.
"Besides," Mr. Thomas said, "he's your guard. He's programmed to not hate you, and you him." He gave Ben a hard stare. "But just because I acknowledge it doesn't mean I condone you putting your hands all over my daughter."
"Daddy!"
"Lee!"
Ben could only sit there and wonder what was going on. He hadn't even been close to putting his hands all over her. They'd almost kissed, sure, but she started that, not him. And what did he mean that Ben was her guard? None of this made any sense.
"What?" Mr. Thomas said to his wife. "I'm stating my feelings. I thought you liked it when I displayed them."
"I also know you understand the concept of tact, but you're choosing not to show any of that at the moment."
"Excuse me," Ben said, hoping he spoke loud enough to be heard. He had, as all three looked at him. "Uh, well, I mean…" He took a deep breath, and though Mr. Thomas kept his sour expression trained on him, smiles on the faces of both Mrs. Thomas, and more importantly, Andi urged him on. "What do you mean I'm her guard?"
"It's fate, dear," Mrs. Thomas said. "You're destined to be Alexandria's Dragon Guard."
Click here to return to the Preview Hub
Labels: Dragon Guard, fantasy, preview, sample chapter, speculative fiction
When he did, Mr. Thomas frowned, looking every bit as menacing as he had yesterday morning. "You again? Are you spying on us?"
Ben shook his head and tried to say he'd come to warn them, but he couldn't get the words out. He glanced at Andi. Her face held an expression that was both horrified and embarrassed, and he couldn't blame her. If he was some sort of monster and she found out, he'd feel the same way. But she didn't need to. For reasons he couldn't figure out, he didn't care. He still felt the same about her as when she almost kissed him a few minutes ago. How in the world was he not more freaked out about this? About any of this?
"You know darn well he's not spying on us, Lee," Mrs. Thomas said. "And you know why he's here, too. Even if he doesn't." She flashed a warm smile his way which made him feel a lot better.
"Fine," Mr. Thomas said. He growled something under his breath, and then barked, "Andi, lighter fluid. The damn things are moving closer."
And they were. The body parts had been strewn across the backyard in heaps, but now looked like they'd been carefully placed for future reattachment. Ben guessed burning them was the only way to actually kill them. Had Mr. Thomas torched the ones from yesterday?
Andi came out with the lighter fluid, but wouldn't meet Ben's eyes. Did she think he wouldn't like her after what he saw? Or did she not like him anymore? He wanted to say something, but didn't dare in front of her parents, especially her dad. They were all silent until the zombies were well on their way to becoming ash.
Mr. Thomas spoke first, his voice calmer than Ben had yet heard it. "Zombies burn easily. It's one of the few ways to ultimately stop them." Ben realized it was directed at him, so he nodded to show he understood. In fact, even though he had no business knowing, he could have told them that. And he didn't think that knowledge came from watching zombie movies and playing video games.
"Since you haven't run off," Mrs. Thomas said, "you're obviously who we think you are."
He glanced over to Andi, saw her blush, and then back to Mrs. Thomas. "What do you mean? Who am I?"
"Let's discuss it in the house where it's not as smelly." She wrinkled her nose and looked at the burning bodies to emphasize her point. "I know Andi and Lee will agree with that."
Once inside, everyone sat around the kitchen table. Ben sat next to Andi and across from her mother's chair, while she sat opposite her dad. Mrs. Thomas placed a basket of potato chips in the middle. "What would you like to drink, Ben? I'm afraid all we have is soda, milk, and tap water. I haven't had much of a chance to grocery shop yet."
"Doesn't matter. I'll have what Andi's having." He cringed inside when he said it and wished he'd just made a decision. Mrs. Thomas hid a smile, Andi blushed and again refused to meet his eyes, while Mr. Thomas frowned.
She pulled four cans of soda out of the refrigerator and set them down in front of everyone. They each popped the tops and took sips, no one saying anything for a few beats. Mrs. Thomas broke the silence. "There's no need to hide anything, Ben, but I'm curious as to what you think you saw."
He grabbed a chip to give himself a few extra seconds to think. Should he go with the truth, or would they hold that against him? They were a different sort, that was for sure, and they might cover it up at any cost, including burying him in the backyard. No, he'd seen too many movies and cop procedurals. Whatever Andi was, and he honestly had no clue, she was a good…person or whatever. Her mom, too. He glanced at Mr. Thomas as he swallowed his chip; the jury was still out on him, though he couldn't imagine he'd be evil when Andi and her mom were so nice.
"I, uh, felt the zombies, and when I turned, I saw four at the front of your house, moving to the side gate."
"You felt them?" Mr. Thomas said.
"Yeah, like pins and needles on the back of my neck. Just like yesterday morning."
Mr. Thomas started to say something else, but Mrs. Thomas jumped in. "Lee, let him finish. What next?"
"I figured I should warn you guys, so I followed them into the backyard to see what they were up to. But you were already there, waiting."
"I noticed them right after I got in the house," Andi said. She finally looked at him, and they shared a smile.
Mrs. Thomas prompted him to continue. "And you saw us…"
"I saw you chop two up with a couple of swords, just like yesterday morning, and I saw…"
"Say it, boy," Mr. Thomas said. It sounded like a dare.
"I saw you and Andi turn into…" He almost said monsters, but caught himself. "…something."
Mr. Thomas flashed a wicked grin that proved he knew what Ben almost said.
Click to read Chapter 3 Part 3
"You didn't," Andi said, her hand pressed to her mouth. They'd walked home together and were almost to her house.
"Yeah. He all but asked for it by being an ass. So Randy and Vince filled a lunch sack with dog doo, and Jay borrowed one of his dad's lighters. I rang the doorbell as soon as Jay had the bag lit, and we ran like hell. We couldn't see from our hiding spot, but by the way he cursed, we knew he stamped it out. Hopefully with his indoor slippers."
"Oh no," Andi said, this time not successfully holding back the laughter. "I've made friends with a hooligan. Not doing homework yesterday, and telling me about lighting dog poop on fire today."
He winked at her. "Yeah, you better watch out. I'm dangerous."
She lost it even more and gave him a half-hug to keep from toppling over as she laughed. Ben took a deep breath and held it, but he didn't think she noticed. Good.
They walked a little ways further, and she wiped away some tears that had spilled out. By the time she regained control, they were in front of her house. "Thanks for walking me home," she said. "It's nice to have company."
"Glad to. You're fun to be around." And nice to look at, he thought, but didn't dare say it aloud. She dressed like most girls at school, with jeans and a tight white shirt, but he had to admit he liked the way she looked in the clothes better than any other girl.
"I don't know about that." She nudged his arm. "I've never even thought about leaving a flaming bag of poop on a doorstep."
He nudged her back. "I'm guessing you have some secrets you haven't told me yet."
"Maybe. You'll have to wait and see if I share."
Had she hesitated and looked nervous before she said that? No, he was being silly and reading too much into everything. "I can be patient," he said.
"We'll see." She turned towards her house, but before she moved, she looked back at him. "Hey, since you walk this way anyway, would you mind if I joined you on the way to school?"
His breath caught in his throat, but he managed to nod and choke out, "I'd like that."
"Me too." She moved her face close to his, then stopped, blushed, and hurried up to her house. Whoa, she almost kissed him. Too bad she stopped. That would have been cool.
He started towards home, not sure his feet were even touching the ground. He hadn't felt this good the time he and Melissa had made out, and Andi's lips hadn't even touched his. Weird. And she was so easy to talk to. He always ran out of stuff to say to Melissa, but with Andi he felt like he could talk for hours without repeating anything. And it was even better that they could be silly together. Melissa didn't tolerate that. They spent half of lunch today coming up with new ways to shorten different names after she said she went by Andi because no one expected Alexandria to be shortened like that. Everyone, predictably, tried to call her Alex.
Before he lost himself in more thoughts, he spun back towards her house. That strange tingling sensation assaulted his neck again, just like yesterday morning. No, that was impossible. All of that seemed like such a dream. How could the zombies be back now?
There were four shuffling around the house. Like people, each had different features and such, but all shared the same limping stride and pale bluish-green skin tone, just like the two yesterday. This group moved around the front porch and pushed through the side gate to the backyard. Ben dropped his backpack on the front lawn and followed at a safe distance. He'd see what they were up to and then ring the doorbell to warn Andi.
A quick peek into the backyard showed Andi and her parents already waiting for the zombies. Her mom had the same two short swords she used yesterday morning, but neither Andi nor her dad had any weapons at all. As the zombies lumbered forward, none of the Thomas's looked frightened. But that was okay because Ben's heart beat fast enough for everyone put together.
Without warning, Mrs. Thomas leapt, skewering a zombie's torso with one sword, while decapitating it with the other. In the same motion, she lunged at a second. While that was going on, something happened to Andi and her father. Their necks stretched, his about ten feet, hers not quite as long, and their heads morphed into some sort of blue reptile. No way. He was hallucinating again. But that wasn't true, and he knew it.
As her mother decimated the second zombie, Andi and her father each bit the remaining two in half. When all four lay in still wiggling pieces, Andi and her dad reverted back to normal. Ben blinked hard to see if all of this had really just happened.
"Andi, the lighter fluid is in the garage," her dad said. "It's next to the box marked BBQ. Go grab it before they start to regenerate."
"Wait," Mrs. Thomas said. She looked towards Ben, and Andi and her dad tensed, ready to jump back into action. Ben pulled his head back and hoped she hadn't seen him. He thought about running, but before he moved, she said, "It's okay, Ben. Come on out."
Click to return to the Preview Hub
Friday Flash: Russian Roulette
Ryan took a deep breath and tried to remain invisible. He'd already revealed that he asked Hannah Bailey, the prettiest girl in school, out on a date. She'd been polite about it, but still turned him down faster than a rocket accelerating out of the Earth's atmosphere. He'd never told anyone, not even James, his best friend, and now everyone at the party knew. No doubt that would equate to the entire school. Why had he come tonight? He'd have been much happier mining and blacksmithing in World of Warcraft while watching a MythBusters marathon. But, no, he had to be stupid and show up in the hopes that a girl would somehow notice him. He should wait for college when girls actually took brains into account when judging guys. At least that's what Brandon, his big brother, and maybe the only person he knew who was smarter than him, said.
Now he just had to stay hidden in the background and hope no one noticed. It worked well at school, and since these were his classmates, there was no reason it shouldn't work here. He hoped. After all, in this game of Truth or Dare, if someone didn't answer a truth or perform a dare, they'd be held down, pummeled, and who knows what else. From the stories he heard, the last part was scariest.
Diana Samson scanned the room and found Tyler Huxley. "Tyler, Truth or Dare?"
Tyler flipped his hair and flashed a smile that made the girls swoon. Ryan didn't get it, as Tyler was a slacker who did nothing with his life but smoke pot, drink booze, and skateboard. What sort of future was that setting up? He probably wasn't even going to college, which Ryan had planned for himself since the second grade.
"Dare, baby," Tyler said. "And I hope it involves you."
Diana giggled, blushed, and looked at her friends, who giggled back and nodded. "Yeah," she said. "I dare you to go into one of the empty bedrooms with me."
Tyler shrugged and stood. "Accepted." The two headed for the back of the house amid cheers and cat-calls. If Ryan could be assured of a dare like that, especially with a hottie like Diana Samson, he'd try to be noticed.
"Okay," Henry Rogers said, "we're not going to wait for them to come back, so I'll choose the next person." No one objected. "How about you, Ryan? Want to tell us about more girls who were out of your league?"
Ryan's face ignited as all eyes turned to him. He looked to James for support, but found him staring at his shoes. Thanks for the support, bro.
"What's it gonna be, lover-boy? Truth or Dare?"
Everyone expected him to choose Truth, but there was nothing safe about that. By the twinkle in Henry's eyes, the question wouldn't be comfortable, and maybe a bit dangerous. Besides, since Henry, who was quite popular, teased him about girls, maybe he'd pick one of his lady friends to do something with Ryan. And if not, Henry had the imagination of toast and would probably come up with a lame dare on the spur of the moment. Ryan wasn't a gambler, but this bet was worth taking.
"Dare." He again glanced to James, and this time his friend stared back, but his expression didn't exactly send Ryan's confidence soaring.
"Wow, didn't think you had the balls, Egghead. But let's see what you're really made of. If you do this, Hannah Bailey might even go out with you." Henry reached into the backpack lying at his feet and pulled out a pistol. The room gasped and went silent. "This is a six-shooter with one bullet loaded. You ever hear of Russian Roulette?"
Ryan nodded, his mouth too dry and his throat clenched too tight to answer.
"Good. I dare you to play. Just one time. Spin the chamber, put the barrel to your head, and pull the trigger. That's it."
"No, come on, that's stupid," James said, leaping to his feet. "Where'd you even get the gun, Rogers?"
"What does that matter? He doesn't have to play. But, remember, there are consequences."
"No, Ryan, don't do it" James said. "It's better to get beat up than risk your life. C'mon, man, you got MIT waiting for you. Take the black eye, and we'll get out of here."
Ryan almost agreed, but then he looked around the room. Some of the girls had lust in their eyes. If he did this, it might mean a date before high school was over. Maybe more than a date. Sure, the one in six odds were bad, but still. Five out of six were safe.
He strode over to Henry. "Fine. Give it here." Ryan had been smart his entire life, and he'd received great grades and entry into a pristine university because of it. But right now he wanted a girl. A hot girl. And this was his best bet.
Henry popped out the chamber, showed him that there was indeed only a single shot loaded, and spun it before popping it back in. Ryan couldn't tell where the bullet went. He took the gun and saw the fear in Henry's eyes despite a desperate attempt to remain cool. No doubt he'd expected Ryan to not only decline but to try to run to get out of the punishment. It wasn't too late, and now he had the gun in his hands. No one would grab him while he held a gun.
Another quick peek around at the girls drove him to continue this stupidity. He'd be a legend, right? And girls loved legends. James again tried to talk him out of it, but Ryan ignored his buddy. Henry gave him a shrug which said, "Whenever you're ready," and Ryan put the gun to his right temple. Sweat beaded up on his forehead, but he barely felt it. He cocked the hammer back, took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger.
Labels: #fridayflash, flash fiction, Friday Flash, short story
One of the books in the library glows.
Final #NaNoReMo Post for 2013
It's a week into March, and I'm just now calling National Novel Reading Month done for me. Yes, it took an extra week than it should have, and since I finished one book (see here if you're interested) in the allotted time, I feel I'm well within my rights to extend the reading month a bit. If you disagree, I guess you can always call the Literature Police on me, eh?
Anyway, last night I finished Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera. I enjoyed the heck out of it. You can visit my review at Goodreads, or you can simply read here what I said about the book:
"Really enjoyed this one. I had no idea what to expect from it; yes, I know all about the movies and the big Broadway musical (which I saw many, many years ago in LA), but I honestly knew nothing about the original book. I thought it was a very smooth, fast read. The characters were fun, and the phantom was an excellent villain, well worth being an iconic horror figure (though for different reasons than I first thought). I found the main story enthralling - the love triangle between Raul, Christine, and the Phantom - while the portion of the Phantom vs. the Opera House managers to be quite funny. I read that portion as more comic relief than anything. Even if you don't like to read classics, give this one a shot. I highly recommend it!"
So I view this year's National Novel Reading Month a success, even if I did add a week to it. I don't know if I ever would have gotten to the two books I did if it hadn't been for this kick in the pants. And I enjoyed both reads immensely. I've already planned on reading The Picture of Dorian Gray next year (unless I get to it sooner, though it is unlikely). If you also participated, I hope you got as much out of the experience as I did!
Quick update on A Princess of Mars: I said I had put John Carter, the big budget movie from a couple of years ago based on the book, at the top of my Netflix queue. That is true, and the movie is even now here at my house. I haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but I plan to soon. (I also have the movie based on the Broadway musical based on The Phantom of the Opera here, too.) I doubt I'll blog about my experience watching it, but if you're interested in my views, feel free to ask me in the comments of this post or contact me on Twitter or Facebook. I did watch a movie called Princess of Mars on the SyFy Channel last week, which was loosely based on the book - it was a present day retelling where John Carter went to a planet called Mars in a distant galaxy, not our solar system's Mars. Both the acting and the story were awful. Though many pieces of the movie were taken from the book, the overall story was changed. If it had been done well, that might have been okay, but it wasn't. I don't recommend that particular flick to anyone.
Labels: #NaNoReMo, A Princess of Mars, classics, Phantom of the Opera
Here is this week's speculative fiction prompt. I'm labeling it as horror this week, but, as always, take it whatever direction you choose. Have fun with it!
A mummy's curse falls over an entire town.
Labels: horror, speculative fiction, writing prompt
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Home > Research > Give Us a Fake
Give Us a Fake
How ABC News Fabricated One Lab Study and Distorted Another To Debunk Organic Food
View and download the full report here: Give Us A Fake
On Friday, February 4, 2000, ABC News’ highly rated magazine program 20/20 broadcast a devastating investigation that created uproar in the rapidly growing, $6 billion organic food industry.
“The Food You Eat—Organic Foods May Not Be As Healthy As You Think,” as the segment was entitled, was introduced by ABC News Anchor Barbara Walters as a “special and surprising report” by correspondent John Stossel, a departure from his trademark ‘Give Me A Break’ contrarian commentaries that are a fixture on 20/20.1
Based on the evidence presented, the millions who watched the original broadcast might well have answered Walters’ questions in the affirmative. After viewing the segment, Walters said she might “cry.” The ABC News investigation seemed to offer compelling proof that millions of consumers were very wrong, indeed, about the benefits of organic food. Even more consumers saw the program when ABC News re-aired Stossel’s investigation on 20/20 on July 7, or in the somewhat condensed form the news division distributed July 11 for use by its affiliates, through ABC World News Now.
Taken on its face, Stossel’s hard-hitting story showed that organic food, far from being safer or healthier, was no different with respect to pesticide contamination than regular food, because neither one had any pesticide residues. Buying organic to avoid pesticides, the show conveyed, was a waste of money.
And when it came to the bacteria that cause food poisoning, 20/20 viewers might have been shocked to hear the show report that organic food is actually more dangerous than “regular” food. At the story’s dramatic high point, Stossel held up a bag of organic lettuce and confronted the head of the organic industry’s trade association: “Shouldn’t we do a warning that says this stuff could kill you and buying organic could kill you?” he demanded.
In contrast to Stossel’s scornful treatment of the organic industry representative, 20/20 featured on-camera interviews with Dennis Avery, a conservative writer whose controversial alarms about organic food formed the framework of the story, and two university-affiliated scientists in the field of food safety: Dr. Michael Doyle of the University of Georgia, and Dr. Lester Crawford of Georgetown University. Brief “man on the street” style interviews with enthusiastic organic food shoppers were woven throughout the piece. The shoppers expressed views about the health and safety of organic food that Stossel or his experts then roundly debunked. To bolster the shopper interviews, Stossel announced that 20/20 “did a poll on organic foods” to further contrast popularly held views with the contrarian facts and expertise he marshaled.2 The dire health risks posed by organic food were underscored by a brief but poignant recounting of the tragic food poisoning of a three-year-old girl, Haley Bernstein. The cause, Stossel said, was organic lettuce.3
What gave “The Food You Eat” its exceptional investigative heft, however, were the original laboratory tests that Stossel reported early in the broadcast. Specially commissioned and paid for by ABC News to compare the safety of organic and conventional food, the tests lent powerful scientific authority to a story that otherwise might have been just another televised duel between opposing experts.
ABC News’ own studies showed that neither organic nor regular produce had pesticide residues, Stossel reported. Likewise, the network’s lab studies turned up “the real bad news for organic consumers” that Stossel emphasized in the program: the risk of serious, even fatal food poisoning from bacteria-contaminated organic produce.
What made the ABC News lab studies even more significant and more central to his reporting was Stossel’s explanation that they were the first of their kind. “We searched the records and found there have been no tests done that actually compare bacteria counts in organic vs. normal food,” Stossel told 20/20 viewers. “So we did our own laboratory testing.”
In fact, the pesticide tests that Stossel claimed were conducted for ABC News to examine pesticides on produce—the results of which he reported on 20/20––were never conducted at all, according to the scientists the network hired to perform laboratory studies for Stossel’s investigation. ABC News broadcast the fabricated results four times in the course of airing Stossel’s investigation on three separate dates.
Laboratory analyses for bacterial contamination were conducted for ABC News. But according to the scientists who conducted and evaluated them for ABC News, those tests were incapable of proving the food safety problems Stossel attributed to the results. Moreover, 20/ 20’s Executive Director Victor Neufeld was informed of this crucial shortcoming, and Stossel’s serious distortion of the test results, three months in advance of the original broadcast.
In this document, we review the use of ABC News’ laboratory evidence in the 20/20 report on organic food (See “EWG’s Investigation of 20/20”). Our investigation makes clear that the distinguished scientists hired by the network for the 20/20 story are in no way to blame for ABC News’ abuse of their work. From everything we have learned, Dr. Doyle of the University of Georgia and Dr. Crawford of Georgetown University conducted and communicated their work for ABC News in an accurate and straightforward manner. Moreover, they have been forthright in describing the tests they performed for ABC News and the limitations of those tests. For the lab analyses that actually were conducted on E. coli bacteria, both Dr. Doyle and Dr. Crawford have made clear that their interpretation of the findings differs dramatically from the very strong conclusions that ABC News reached and broadcast about the dangers of organic food. Their professionalism as scientists is in stark contrast to Stossel’s practice of journalism in this episode.
The Environmental Working Group is on record in support of organic food and farming as a means of reducing pesticide residues on food, a goal the U.S. government has embraced since the enactment of the landmark Food Quality Protection act of 1996. Nevertheless, organic agriculture surely deserves a greater measure of scrutiny than it has received to date from scientists, the government, public interest groups, and journalists, particularly now that organic production methods are beginning to play a more important role in the U.S. food system.4 In a sense, the ABC News investigation was a missed opportunity to examine some very legitimate issues about organic food.
When the journalistic abuses 20/20 committed are taken into account, however, almost nothing of substance remains of ABC News’ sweeping indictment of the health and safety of organic food.
What does remain is a stunning example of journalistic fraud. Left uncorrected, the 20/20 story has the potential to do significant and lasting damage to the organic food industry, which depends on the integrity of its production claims to maintain its appeals to consumers. The fabrication and distortion of laboratory studies constitute impermissible violations of journalistic ethics and conduct on behalf of John Stossel and ABC News. Those abuses, the focus of this review, deserve a full public airing, and justify strong corrective actions on the part of ABC News.
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High level navigation
Evaluation of Environmental Noise Directive
Directive 2002/49/EC relating to the assessment and management of environmental noise (the Environmental Noise Directive) has been in place for more than 10 years. Recently, the Commission identified it as one of the Directives "to be evaluated with a focus on regulatory fitness" in the context of the Regulatory Fitness and Performance initiative (REFIT) and the Better Regulation programme of the European Commission.
This evaluation took place in 2015 and 2016 and addressed questions relating to effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, relevance and EU added value. The results are summarised in a Staff Working Document with and Executive Summary in English, French and German.
Summary of the evaluation
The Directive remains highly relevant for EU policy-making as noise pollution still constitutes a major environmental health problem in Europe. A common approach to the noise management and harmonised data provide a high-quality evidence base for understanding the issue and further developing EU noise-at-source legislation.
The Directive is coherent in itself and with other relevant EU legislation (environmental and noise-at-source legislation).
Regarding effectiveness, some progress has been made towards a common approach throughout the EU, but effects materialised only partially due to the delays in adopting common assessment methodologies. Noise population exposure data was so far not used for legislation on noise at source. The Directive is however increasingly drawing attention to the significance of the harmful effects of noise on health.
The administrative costs are low (€0.15 for noise maps and €0.03 for action plans per citizen, every 5 years). Cost-benefit analysis showed that where action plans - including measures for noise management - have been implemented, the Directive was efficient with a favourable cost-benefit ratio of 1:29.
The Directive can generate EU added value by providing a level playing field across the EU in which transport infrastructure operators can compete, and by better informing EU policy-making. As a result of delays in implementation, the Directive has not yet delivered all its potential EU added value.
The evaluation is based:
on a study prepared by a consortium led by the Centre for Strategy and Evaluation Services (CSES). This study with all Annexes as well as Country Reports providing more details regarding the implementation of the Directive can be downloaded from the EU Bookshop. The study, its Executive Summary in English and French, its Annexes as well as the Country Fiches can also be accessed directly.
on a public consultation (available in 23 official EU languages), which was opened from 21.12.2015 to 28.03.2016.
The conclusions of this evaluation also provided important evidence which has been considered for the Commission's 2nd implementation report on this Directive. The report, which is required at least every five years as provided for in Article 11 of the Environmental Noise Directive, has been submitted to the European Parliament and Council in March 2017. The first implementation report was published in 2011, summarising progress in implementing the Directive and outlining possible improvements to enhance its effectiveness.
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Os voy a contar mi vida
Esther Ferrer
SPAIN/FRANCE | 40 MIN
February 7 | 18 hours
SALA 2. GAIÁS CENTRE MUSEUM
16 people take part in the action Os voy a contar mi vida, 8 of which are deaf or master sign language, and another 8 speak each one in their own language. The performance combines the visual and sonic aspect of language and rounds up into a chorus of gestures and voices in which different languages, cultures and sensitivities interact in a single visual and sound ensemble. An action with which Esther Ferrer endeavours to contribute to the visibility of sign language and to celebrate the diversity of ways of thinking, of expressing oneself and of communicating proper to each language.
From the beginning of her career at the end of the 1960s, Esther Ferrer (Donostia-San Sebastian, 1937) has developed her lines of thought through a wide variety of forms and materials, becoming a pioneer artist in performance, a genre that she defines as “an art that combines time and space with the presence of an audience that is not a mere spectator, but, if it wishes, it may take part in the action.”
The artist values, above all, the freedom of the viewer, so she does not offer any conclusions, but questions and doubts so that, independently, audiences will generate their own personal interpretations.
In 1967, Esther Ferrer started to take part in the activities of the group Zaj, making action art her main means of expression ever since. As of 1970, she retook the realization of visual works through intervention photographs, installations, paintings and drawings, based on the series of prime numbers, objects and sound pieces. Her work with ZAJ continued with very direct actions until 1996, when the group dissolved after a retrospective exhibition at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. In 1999, she represented Spain at the Venice Biennale; and she has been awarded the National Prize for Visual Arts and the Velázquez Prize.
COOPERATION: Federación de Asociacións de Persoas Xordas de Galicia
Poor theatre, radical poetry.
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e-Leadership - Digital Skills for SMEs: There is a job to do! – Latest figures and results from the European initiative
Innovative e-leadership positions in Europe are estimated to be around 620,000 in 2015. Demand is estimated to reach 776,000 in 2020. Europe requires up to 200,000 e-leaders by 2020, i.e. 40,000 per year. Without further action Europe will not be in a position to create this number. There is a job to do!
According to the e-leadership scoreboard which correlates closely with GDP data as well as the NRI (Networked Readiness Index) countries like Ireland, Belgium and the UK perform better on e-leadership maturity than indicated by economic and technology maturity. Policy makers in the other EU member states may want to learn about how different policies may affect e-leadership practice.
There is growing recognition in digital skills and e-leadership skills policies prompted by the e-Skills Agenda and subsequent e-leadership skills initiatives of the European Commission. Member states have started to engage in public debates and develop appropriate responses.
Development of multi-stakeholder partnerships in the e-leadership field requires key stakeholders to agree on action, help promote awareness of the topic and boost training. Today, only eight member states have taken decisive initiatives on e-leadership education and training. Elsewhere the extent and consistency of policy-making is still limited and most countries lack a master strategy and continuous attention to e-leadership in policy-making.
Policy recommendations address the topics: research and training, stakeholder coordination, monitoring and benchmarking and policy commitment.
These are some of the results from the European Commission initiative ‘e-Leadership Skills for SMEs’ which has (November 2015) released the final report and the brochure summarising these.
Brochure and Final Report: e-Leadership - Digital Skills for SMES available for download here.
A service contract has been awarded in December 2013 by the European Commission to a consortium led by empirica to undertake this work.
The event is supported by the EC in the scope of the service contract to promote e-leadership in Europe (LEAD)
© 2015 empirica GmbH
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Mr Tuyen Nguyen
Mr Tuyen Nguyen is the Chairman of the Board and the founder of EMASI schools. He owns the vision and the strategic development plan of the group of schools. His belief is that education changes life, and every child deserves equal opportunity for quality education which enables the student to reach his / her full potential. Having successfully founded and developed the Renaissance International School Saigon since 2007, Mr Tuyen Nguyen has continued to research, invest and develop a unique and affordable school education concept for Vietnamese children, called EMASI International Bilingual Schools that will help them to develop critical skills for the modern world and become fluent in English.
Mr Tuyen Nguyen has significant and diverse industry experience in both Vietnam and international market. Tuyen was the Chairman, CEO and founder of Saigon Gas Holdings Corporation, established in 1998, one of the largest gas distribution company in Vietnam. In 2008, he made a successful exit by an M&A transaction with Total Oil and Gas, the world giant in oil and gas industry. He is a board member of a few other companies including Chairman of Viet Huong J.S.C., a leading flavor and fragrance company in Vietnam established in 1995, co-founder and Director of Rivermark Development Company from 2012, a property development business in Houston, Texas, U.S.A.
Mr Tuyen Nguyen was graduated from the University of Hochiminh City and currently lives in Houston, Texas, U.S.A with his wife Ms Quynh Nguyen, founder of the Nguyen Art Foundation, and their 4 children. Tuyen’s favourite quote is the one from Margaret Thatcher: “Plan your work for today and every day, then work your plan”.
Ms Quynh Nguyen
The Board Treasurer
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