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Art Concept Packaging Design
Creating illustrated concept boxes describing the world of Absolut Art.
PACKAGING PRINTWORK CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
"I love the packaging,
love the feeling of it…
I want to do something…"
These are the words of Andy Warhol, on his iconic design of the Absolut bottle from 1986. Warhol's famous words marked the beginning of Absolut's association with art and artists.
When it comes to shopper marketing, the correct positioning of the product on the shelves has the utmost importance. With the right positioning, brands that can create the right sensations and emotional responses in the consumer's mind. For this reason, a localized creative project matching Absolut's artistic world was necessary.
We set 3 main goals for the project.
Art Effect
These special packages, coinciding with Absolut's art-embracing world, also carry the signatures of our designers.
Supermarket shelves are critical for sales, being noticeable alongside competing products. Therefore, newly designed Absolut bottles should create this sense of separation.
Traditional Texture
According to neuromarketing principles, localization holds an important role in visual presentations as people look for a part of themselves while perceiving optical stimuli. Illustrations should also be providing a hint of localization according to these principles.
Iconic Bottle
We've been inspired from the past and turned to traditional Turkish Art for inspiration. The four illustrations we created were modernized with different techniques and applied to the selected packages and bottles.
Artistic touch
These special packages, which overlap with Absolut's art-embracing world, also carry the signatures of our designers.
The creative packages prepared by Absolut were also very appreciated by the global team. Our designers were asked to sign their work. This special series, both in Turkey and abroad were quickly sold out, being purchased by Absolut collectors and consumers around the world.
Leading brand in luxury chocolate market,
enjoyed in more than 100 countries worldwide.
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT AD MANAGEMENT CONTENT DEVELOPMENT VISUAL DESIGN MODERATION
Copyright © Designneuro 2019
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Best Places To Go Apple Picking This Fall Near Detroit
Filed Under:Apple Charlie's Orchard and Cider Mill, autumn, Blake Farms Orchard and Cider Mill, Detroit Apple Picking, fall, Family & Pets, Family Events, Jennifer Walker, Spicer Orchards, Westview Orchards, Wiard's Orchards & Country Fair
(credit: Thinkstock)
As summer ends and fall encroaches, take advantage of the lingering warm weekends to spend some time with the family out in the fresh, crisp fall air. While Michigan’s numerous apple orchards mean you can always find apples at your grocery store, picking your own not only ensures you’ll get exactly the apples you want, but it can help teach kids where their food really comes from. Consider a trip to one of these Detroit-area orchards for a day of family fun, entertainment and education.
Apple Charlie’s Orchard and Cider Mill
38035 S Huron Road
New Boston, MI 48164
applecharlie.comFamily-owned and operated since 1952, Apple Charlie’s sits on 95 acres in Wayne County. The orchards feature a dozen varieties of apples grown on dwarf trees for easy picking. The harvest season for apples begins on September first and runs through mid-October, depending on the type. Kids can enjoy meeting the residents of the animal farm and taste cider and donuts at the cider mill. Apple Charlie’s also offers a pavilion with a cafeteria and live entertainment after noon on Saturdays and Sundays in the fall, and the haunted “Barn of Blood” in October.
Blake Farms Orchard and Cider Mill
17985 Armada Center Road
Armada, MI 48005
blakefarms.comSince its beginning in 1946 as one of Michigan’s first “pick your own” orchards, the Blake family has expanded its farm to over 500 acres at three separate facilities. Apple picking is available at the original cider mill location and at the Big Apple orchard on North Avenue, also in Armada. Blake’s apple harvest season runs from late July through mid-September. Most varieties are available at both orchards but some are only at one location. The orchards also offer a Barnyard Funland where an admission fee allows kids to pet and feed a variety of farm animals, take a ride on the tricycle track, find their way through the giant straw or cornfield maze and climb Straw Mountain. Pony rides, train rides and hayrides are also available to purchase.Related: Best Places to Pick Fresh Fruit in Metro Detroit
Spicer Orchards
10411 Clyde Road
Fenton, MI 48430
spicerorchards.comFor five generations, the Spicer family has produced fresh fruits, apples and cider in southeast Michigan. The original farm was located near Detroit, moved to Linden and is now in its current location in the Fenton/Hartland area. In addition to apple picking, Spicer’s has a petting farm, corn maze and a fall festival every weekend in September and October that includes inflatables, face painting, arts and crafts, train and pony rides and a bee keeping display. A cider mill is on site as well with the obligatory cider and donuts; kids can watch the cider presses at work and see donuts being made. Apples are available for picking from mid-August through the end of October and can be purchased in the market through mid-January.
Westview Orchards
Washington Township, MI 48095
westvieworchards.comWestview Orchards is one of Michigan’s oldest orchard that began in 1813 as a small garden and orchard. Throughout the years, and six generations, Westview has grown to span 188 acres and has been a leader in innovation and improvement in the farming and orchard industry. In the fall, Westview offers not only apple picking and cider mill fun, but a petting farm pavilion, a three-acre playground, wagon rides, a 40-foot slide, a six-acre corn maze, an apple slingshot, pony rides and a log obstacle course. Westview holds a variety of festivals on fall weekends, celebrating things such as hometown heroes, pumpkins, cider, peaches and America’s farmers. A nighttime corn maze ends in a campfire with kettle corn, hot cider, caramel apples and donuts available. Apple picking season kicks off on Labor Day weekend.Related: Best Parks For Kids In Detroit
Wiard’s Orchards & Country Fair
5565 Merritt Road
wiards.comAnother old orchard, Wiard’s began in 1837 as a “u-pick” apple orchard and cider mill. Seven generations later, Wiard’s has expanded to include a variety of family-fun activities including a petting farm, hayrides, corn maze, pumpkin patch, miniature golf and a sports facility, all situated on nearly 100 acres. Wiard’s is also well known for its haunted thrill park “Night Terrors,” the largest such park in the state. The orchard itself contains 4,000 apple trees featuring 10 varieties of apples which change from year to year as new trees take the place of older trees that have died off. Picking is part of the Country Fair, open from mid-September through the last weekend in October.
Jennifer Walker is a freelance writer living in Detroit. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in animal science from Michigan State University. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.
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Posted on January 13, 2020 by palbietz
New Jersey Devils (17-21-7) @ Toronto Maple Leafs (24-16-6)
7:00 PM ET • Scotiabank Arena • MSG+ / TVAS / SNO • Devils Hockey Network
*Links for Devils Hockey Network can be found on newjerseydevils.com and on Devils’ social media channels.*
Check @NJDevils on Twitter for Morning Skate Interviews
Pre-Game Availability *subject to change
11:30 AM Media Availability at Scotiabank Arena*
LAST GAME vs. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
The Devils defeated the Lightning, 3-1, in the second of three contests of the 2019-20 regular season series. New Jersey improves to (1-0-1; 3 pts) against Tampa Bay this season. New Jersey will face-off against Tampa for the third and final time, March 15 at Amalie Arena.
Tonight concludes the clubs 11th of 16 sets of back-to-back action. The Devils improve their 5-6-1 record in second games. The victory marks the first time the Devils have won both games in back-to-back play this season (last: 11/15 vs PIT, 11/16 @ MTL).
New Jersey improves to 6-6-2 (3-3-2 home) against Atlantic Division opponents this season. The Lightning outshot the Devils, 27-20. The 20 shots on goal ties a season low for the Devils in one game. New Jersey was 23-37 (62%) in face-offs tonight. The Devils are 4-3-1 at Prudential Center and 5-8-1 overall against the Lightning since the 2015-16 season.
Andy Greene notched the Devils first goal of the game, 3:10 into the second period assisted by Miles Wood and Jack Hughes. The tuck gives Greene his first of the season, and is now two goals away from his 50th of his NHL/NJD career.
Travis Zajac tallied the game winner for the Devils 9:52 into the second frame, assisted by Nikita Gusev and Damon Severson. Zajac is now two goals shy from tying Zach Parise for fourth place on the Devils all-time goals list. Gusev extends his point streak to three games (1/9-12; 1G-2A).
Wood notched the empty net goal, 19:59 into the third frame, the latest recorded goal in a period this season for New Jersey. Wayne Simmonds and Greene assisted Wood’s tuck. Wood extends his goal streak to two games, Greene notches his second multi-point game this season (1G-1A) and Simmonds extends his assist streak to two games.
Louis Domingue got the start for his seventh of the season (second consecutive). Domingue stopped 26 of 27 shots faced, and improves to 3-4-0 this season (2-1-0 vs. Atlantic).
TONIGHT’S GAME @ TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
Tonight’s contest marks the second of three contests between New Jersey and Toronto in the 2019-20 regular season series. The Leafs defeated the Devils in the first matchup at Prudential Center, Dec. 27, 5-4, in overtime.
The club opens up a three game road trip before the All-Star break. After Toronto, the Devils will travel to Washington and end in Columbus on Saturday.
New Jersey is 2-4 on the penalty kill, and 1-3 on the power play through one contest. The Maple Leafs are outshooting the Devils, 37-28. New Jersey is 24-46 (52%) in the face-off circle through one game played.
Nico Hischier (1G-2A), Kyle Palmieri (1G-2A) and Jesper Bratt (1G-2A) lead New Jersey in scoring against Toronto, tallying three points each in the late December matchup.
Mackenzie Blackwood fell in overtime in the first matchup. Blackwood stopped 32 out of 37 shots against. Louis Domingue is a career 1-0-0 against Tampa Bay, allowing two goals on 39 shots against (.949 SV%). Cory Schneider is 7-1-4, posting a 2.05 GAA in his career against the Leafs.
William Nylander (1G-2A) and John Tavares (1G-2A) lead Toronto in scoring against the Devils. Nylander notched the game winner for the Maple Leafs in the contest. Michael Hutchinson earned the victory allowing four goals in 62:30 minutes of action. Frederik Anderson is a career 6-2-0 against the Devils allowing 15 goals posting a 1.87 GAA.
The Devils are 1-2-3 at Scotiabank Arena and 4-5-4 overall against the Maple Leafs since the 2015-16 season. New Jersey will face-off against Toronto for the third and final time this season, March 17 at Scotiabank Arena.
Ben Street (I.R.) – 2 games missed; Upper-body injury sustained Jan. 9
Mackenzie Blackwood (Day-to-day) – 2 games missed; Upper-body sustained Jan. 9
Kyle Palmieri (Day-to-day) – 1 game missed; Lower-body sustained Jan. 11
Total Man-Games Lost to Injury: 84
PRIDE NIGHT
The New Jersey Devils will host their Fourth Annual Pride Night on Saturday, Jan. 4 vs. the Colorado Avalanche (7:00 p.m. game. In honor of the NHL’s “Hockey is For Everyone” initiative, the Devils will hold a pregame Panel featuring gold medalist and U.S Women’s Ice Hockey Team Captain Meghan Duggan and LGBTQ athletes and coaches. Proceeds from the sales of player-used sticks wrapped with pride tape, pride-themed hats, shirts and more will benefit You Can Play and Garden State Equality. This year’s game is being held in collaboration with Newark Gay Pride, a volunteer organization that engages in advocacy, education, programming and recreational events in support of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in Newark.
Pre-Game Pride Night Panel:
The Annual Pride Night Pregame Panel, in partnership with OutSports, featured Centenary University wrestler Alec Donovan, former student-athlete Arman Bashiri and Greenburgh North Castle UFSD Athletic Director and Basketball Coach Anthony Nicodemo and U.S. Women’s Olympic Team Captain and Gold Medalist Meghan Duggan as moderator. The diverse panel of athletes shared their insights on the challenges facing the LGBTQ community, recent successes and milestones, and ambitions for the future.
Pride Tape Stick and Drum Auction:
Devils players warm-up sticks and Mascot “N.J. Devil’s” drum, wrapped in Pride Tape, will be will be autographed and auctioned off following the game at NewJerseyDevils.com/Auction. The online auction is live through Jan. 18, 2020 with proceeds benefitting You Can Play and Garden State Equality.
Game Presentation Honors for LGBTQ Community Leaders:
In celebration of local LGBTQ community and industry leaders, the National Anthem will be sung by long-time Devils National Anthemguest singer Max DeFrancesco, a member of the LGBTQ community; Newark Gay Pride will act as Honor Guard; and Backward Flag Brewery owner Torie Fisher will be honored as Hero of the Game.
Mystery Hats and Andy Greene Meet & Greet:
Fan who purchase a mystery hat outside Section 20 on Prudential Center’s Main Concourse, will receive a Devils hat signed by a “Mystery Player” on the team and five random fans who purchase will receive a “Golden” Mystery Hat, which grants them access to a post-game meet and greet with You Can Play Ambassador and Devils Captain Andy Greene. A portion of proceeds from Mystery Hat purchases go to You Can Play and Garden State Equality.
Devils Pride
On Monday, March 23, the New Jersey Devils will host Hockey is for Everyone: Gender Equality Night. The night will include an all-women pregame panel and networking event titled, Women in the Business of Hockey. The panel will feature influential women who hold various roles on the business side of hockey. Proceeds from 50/50 sales will benefit Devils Care Foundation with funds earmarked for Girls Youth Hockey Initiatives.
2020 WORLD JUNIOR PROSPECTS
Player Team Pos GP G A PTS PIM + / – TOI
BAHL, Kevin Canada (Gold) D 7 0 1 1 6 4 –
SMITH, Ty Canada (Gold) D 7 0 3 3 2 0 –
PASIC, Nikola Sweden (Bronze) F 7 0 1 1 0 -1 –
MISYUL, Daniil Russia (Silver) D 6 0 0 0 12 2 –
Goalie Team Pos GP GA SVS SVS% GAA W L
SCHMID, Akira Swtizerland G 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
*Jesper Boqvist – 1st NHL goal (Nov. 26 vs. MIN)
*Will Butcher – 200th NHL GP (Jan. 11 @ WSH)
*Blake Coleman – 200 GP NJD/NHL (Nov. 19 vs. BOS)
*Andy Greene – Passed Scott Niedermayer for 7th place all time in Devils/franchise GP (893)(Dec. 3 vs. VGK)
-900th NJD/NHL GP (Dec. 20 vs. WSH)
-2 G to 50 NJD/NHL
-5 A to 200 NJD/NHL
*Nikita Gusev – 1st NHL goal (Oct. 4 vs. WPG)
*John Hayden – 1st Devils point (1A; Nov. 23 vs. DET)
-1st Devil goal (Dec. 23 @ CHI)
*Nico Hischier – 100th NHL/Devils career points (Oct. 5 @ BUF; 1A)
*Jack Hughes – 1st NHL point (Oct. 17 vs. NYR; 1A)
-1st NHL goal (Oct. 19 vs. VAN)
*Kyle Palmieri – 500th NHL GP (Oct. 10 vs. EDM)
–100th Devils assist (Nov. 1 vs. PHI)
-300th NHL point (Oct. 30 vs. TB; 3G)
-50th PPG (Oct. 30 vs. TB)
-150th NHL assists (Nov. 28 @ MTL)
*Damon Severson – 400th NHL/NJD GP
*Ben Street – 1st NJD point (1A; Jan. 7 vs. NYI)
*P.K. Subban – 100th NHL goal (Nov. 2 @ CAR)
*Sami Vatanen – 100th Devils GP (Jan. 15 @ CBJ)
-400th NHL GP (Nov. 4 @ WPG)
*Miles Wood – 200th NHL/NJD GP (Oct. 4 vs. WPG)
*Travis Zajac – Passed John MacLean for fifth place in GP in NJD franchise history with 935 (Nov. 5 @ WPG)
-Tied Kirk Muller for third place on the Devils all-time points list (520) (Jan. 2 @ NYI; 1A)
-Passed Muller for third place on the Devils-all-time points list (522)(Jan. 9 @ NYR; 2A)
-2 G to tie Zach Parise four fourth place on the Devils all-time goals list
October 6: Signed Joe Morrow to a one-year, two-way contract
-Placed and cleared waivers, to Binghamton (AHL)
October 12: Placed Andy Greene on I.R. retroactive to Oct. 9 @ PHI
-Recalled Matt Tennyson from Binghamton (AHL)
October 25: Placed Connor Carrick on I.R.
November 1: Acquired G Louis Domingue for a conditional seventh round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft
November 15: Placed Sami Vatanen on I.R.
-Recalled Colton White from Binghamton (AHL)
November 17: Assigned Colton White to Binghmaton (AHL)
November 18: Placed Cory Schneider on waivers (cleared waivers, to Binghamton (AHL))
-Recalled Louis Domingue from Binghamton (AHL)
November 22: Placed Kevin Rooney on I.R.
November 23: Recalled Brett Seney from Binghamton (AHL)
November 29: Assigned Brett Seney to Binghamton (AHL)
December 5: Placed Matt Tennyson on I.R. retroactive to Dec. 3 vs VGK
December 6: Assigned Connor Carrick to Binghamton (AHL) on a conditioning stint
Dec. 10: Placed Nico Hischier on I.R.
-Recalled Michael McLeod from Binghamton (AHL)
Dec. 13: Activated Nico Hischier off of I.R.
-Assigned Colton White to Binghamton (AHL)
Dec. 14: Placed Louis Domingue on I.R.
-Recalled Evan Cormier from Binghamton (AHL)
Dec. 16: Traded Taylor Hall and Blake Speers to Arizona in exchange for Arizona’s first-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft (top-three protected), Arizona’s third-round selection (conditional) in 2021, defenseman Kevin Bahl and forwards Nick Merkley and Nate Schnarr
Dec. 17: Assigned Evan Cormier to Binghamton (AHL)
-Recalled Gilles Senn from Binghamton (AHL)
Dec. 18: Activated Connor Carrick off of I.R.
Dec. 24: Assigned Michael McLeod to Binghamton (AHL)
Dec. 28: Activated Louis Domingue off of I.R. and assigned to Binghamton (AHL)
Dec. 30: Signed prospect Nikita Okhotyuk to a three-year entry level contract.
Jan. 1: Assigned Gilles Senn to Binghamton (AHL)
Jan. 4: Recalled Ben Street from Binghamton (AHL)
Jan. 5: Activated Matt Tennyson off of I.R. and placed on waivers
Jan. 6: Matt Tennyson cleared waivers, assigned to Binghamton (AHL)
Jan. 11: Recalled Evan Cormier from Binghamton (AHL)
Jan. 12: Placed Ben Street on I.R.
-Assigned Evan Cormier to Binghamton (AHL)
-Recalled Cory Schneider from Binghamton (AHL)
NIC-OT
On Feb. 9th,2019, Nico Hischier (1G-1A) scored with 1:41 remaining in overtime to help the Devils overcome a three-goal deficit to win for the second time this season (also: Dec. 14 vs. VGK). The first-overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft (20 years, 42 days) became the first player in Devils franchise history to record three overtime goals before his 21st birthday. Among all active NHL players, only Ilya Kovalchuk (4) and Sean Monahan (4) scored more overtime tucks prior to turning 21. Hischier has scored the game winner in the clubs three overtime wins.
HOW THEY WERE BUILT
In the System:
Jesper Boqvist (2017, 2nd round, 36th overall)
Mackenzie Blackwood (2015, 2nd round, 42nd overall)
Jesper Bratt (2016, 6th round, 162nd overall)
Blake Coleman (2011, 3rd round, 75th overall)
Nico Hischier (2017, 1st round, 1st overall)
Jack Hughes (2019, 1st round, 1st overall)
Damon Severson (2012, 2nd round, 60th overall)
Miles Wood (2013, 4th round, 100th overall)
Pavel Zacha (2015, 1st round, 6th overall)
Travis Zajac (2004, 1st round, 20th overall)
Free Agency: Will Butcher, Andy Greene, Kevin Rooney, Wayne Simmonds, Ben Street
Trade: Connor Carrick, Louis Domingue, Nikita Gusev, John Hayden, Mirco Mueller, Kyle Palmieri, Cory Schneider, P.K. Subban, Sami Vatanen
New Jersey Devils 3 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning 1
Three Stars: Louis Domingue 2. Travis Zajac 3. Andy Greene
TEAM NOTES
The Devils defeated the Lightning, 3-1, in the second of three contests of the 2019-20 regular season series. New Jersey improves to (1-0-1; 3 pts) against Tampa Bay this season.
New Jersey improves to 6-6-2 (3-3-2 home) against Atlantic Division opponents this season.
The Lightning outshot the Devils, 27-20. The 20 shots on goal ties a season low for the Devils in one game.
New Jersey was 23-37 (62%) in face-offs tonight.
The Devils are 4-3-1 at Prudential Center and 5-8-1 overall against the Lightning since the 2015-16 season.
New Jersey will face-off against Tampa for the third and final time, March 15 at Amalie Arena.
Travis Zajac tallied the game winner for the Devils 9:52 into the second frame, assisted by Nikita Gusev and Damon Severson. Zajac is now two goals shy from tying Z. Parise for fourth place on the Devils all-time goals list. Gusev extends his point streak to three games (1/9-12; 1G-2A).
Miles Wood notched the empty net goal, 19:59 into the third frame, the latest recorded goal in a period this season for New Jersey. Wood’s tuck was assisted by Wayne Simmonds and Greene. Wood extends his goal streak to two games, Greene notches his second multi-point game this season (1G-1A) and Simmonds extends his assist streak to two games.
Face-off Summary
Face-off Comparison
Roster Report
Shot Summary
TOI Report – New Jersey Devils
UPCOMING SCHEDULE *Subject to change
Tomorrow: Travel to Toronto
New Jersey Devils (16-21-7) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (27-13-4)
7:00 PM ET • Prudential Center • MSG+ / SUN • Devils Hockey Network
4:30 PM Media Availability at Prudential Center*
LAST GAME @ WASHINGTON CAPITALS
The Devils defeated the Capitals, 5-1, in the second of four contests of the 2019-20 regular season series. New Jersey improves to (1-1-0; 2 pts) against Washington this season. New Jersey will face-off against Washington for the third time, January 23 at Capital One Arena.
New Jersey improves to 5-6-2 (3-4-0 road) against Metropolitan Division rivals this season. The Capitals outshot the Devils, 34-22. New Jersey was 32-58 (55%) in face-offs tonight. The Devils are 2-7-1 at Capital One Arena and 4-12-2 overall against the Capitals since the 2015-16 season. Before tonight, the clubs last win at Capital One Arena was Dec. 29, 2016 (2-1 Wso).
Tonight opened the clubs 11th of 16 sets of back-to-back action. The Devils improve to 2-6-3 in first games.
Will Butcher suited up for his 200th NHL/NJD contest tonight. Butcher tallied 17:16 TOI and notched two helpers. Through 200 games played the Wisconsin native has tallied 13 goals and 78 assists for 88 points.
Nico Hischier opened the scoring 5:27 into the first period assisted by Butcher and Connor Carrick. Butcher’s helper snaps a six game pointless streak (12/27-1/9) while Carrick tallies his first assist since 10/10 vs. EDM (1A).
Nikita Gusev notched the game winner, 3:28 into the second frame assisted by Butcher and Wayne Simmonds. With his two assists, Butcher tallies his second two-assist game in his 2019-20 campaign.
Blake Coleman notched the clubs fifth shorthanded goal of the season, assisted by Travis Zajac and Andy Greene. Greene is now just six helpers away from his 200th NHL/NJD. Coleman’s short-handed tuck marks his second of the season and is now one shy of tying his season high of shorthanded goals (3).
Hischier tallied his second goal of the contest, 12:11 into the second assisted by Kyle Palmieri. Hischier’s two goal night marks his first of the season.
Miles Wood tallied the empty net goal 15:04 into the third frame. The goal went unassisted.
Louis Domingue got the start for his sixth of the season. Domingue stopped 33 of 34 shots faced, and improves to 2-4-0 this season (1-0-0 vs. Metropolitan).
TONIGHT’S GAME vs. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
Tonight’s contest marks the second of three contests between New Jersey and Tampa Bay in the 2019-20 regular season series. The Lightning defeated the Devils in the first matchup at Prudential Center on Oct. 30, 7-6, in overtime.
New Jersey is 0-1 on the penalty kill, and 1-5 on the power play through one contest. The Devils are outshooting the Lightning, 42-23. New Jersey is 29-44 (66%) in the face-off circle through one game played.
Tonight’s matchup concludes the Devils 11th of 16 sets of back-to-back play. The club improved to 2-6-3 in first contests last night, and now look to get back to .500 and improve their 4-5-1 record in second games this season.
Wayne Simmonds (3A) and Kyle Palmieri (3G) lead New Jersey in scoring against Tampa Bay, tallying three points each in the late October matchup. The Montvale, NJ native is the only Devils to record a hat trick this season so far. Palmieri’s opening goal is the fastest goal to start a game for New Jersey this season (1:10). Andy Greene, Will Butcher, Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt all notched two points in the tilt, too.
Mackenzie Blackwood has yet to matchup against the Lightning in his career. Blackwood looks to improve his 7-5-1 record against Atlantic Division opponents this season (.900 SV%). Louis Domingue is a career 1-2-0 against Tampa Bay, allowing six goals on 110 shots against (.945 SV%)
Tyler Johnson (1G-2A), Ondrej Palat (2G-1A) and Brayden Point (1G-2A) lead the Lightning in scoring against the Devils, tallying three points each through one game played. Curtis McElhinney saw 61:16 minutes of action allowing six goals on 42 shots against.
The Devils are 3-3-1 at Prudential Center and 4-8-1 overall against the Lightning since the 2015-16 season. New Jersey will face-off against Tampa Bay for the third and final time this season, March 15 at Amalie Arena.
Jack Hughes (Day-to-day) – 5 games missed; Upper-body injury sustained Dec. 31
Trade: Connor Carrick, Louis Domingue, Nikita Gusev, John Hayden, Mirco Mueller, Kyle Palmieri, P.K. Subban, Sami Vatanen
New Jersey Devils 5 @ Washington Capitals 1
Three Stars: Nico Hischier 2. Louis Domingue 3. Will Butcher
The Devils defeated the Capitals, 5-1, in the second of four contests of the 2019-20 regular season series. New Jersey improves to (1-1-0; 2 pts) against Washington this season.
New Jersey improves to 5-6-2 (3-4-0 road) against Metropolitan Division rivals this season.
Tonight opened the clubs 11th set of back-to-back action. The Devils improve to 2-6-3 in first games, and look to improve their 4-6-1 record in second games when they face-off against the Lightning tomorrow night at Prudential Center.
The Capitals outshot the Devils, 34-22.
The Devils are 2-7-1 at Capital One Arena and 4-12-2 overall against the Capitals since the 2015-16 season. Before tonight, the clubs last win at Capital One Arena was Dec. 29, 2016 (2-1 Wso).
New Jersey will face-off against Washington for the third time, January 23 at Capital One Arena.
Nikita Gusev notched the Devils second goal of the contest 3:28 into the second frame assisted by Butcher and Wayne Simmonds. With his two assists, Butcher tallies his second two-assist game in his 2019-20 campaign.
Tomorrow: 7PM Game vs. Tampa Bay @ Prudential Center
New Jersey Devils (15-21-7) @ Washington Capitals (30-10-5)
7:00 PM ET • Capital One Arena • MSG+ 2 / NBCSWA • Devils Hockey Network
11:30 AM Media Availability at Capital One Arena*
LAST GAME @ NY RANGERS
The Devils fell to the Rangers, 6-3, in the third of four contests of the 2019-20 regular season series. New Jersey falls to (1-2-0; 2pts) against the NY Rangers this season. New Jersey will face-off against the NY Rangers for the fourth and final time, March 7 at Madison Square Garden.
New Jersey falls to 4-6-2 (2-4-0 road) against Metropolitan Division rivals this season. The Devils outshot the Rangers, 49-37, the most shots New Jersey has recorded on net this season (prev. 12/2 @ BUF; 45). New Jersey was 27-59 (46%) in the face-off circle. The Devils are 2-6-1 at Prudential Center and 9-8-2 overall against the Rangers since the 2015-16 season.
Kevin Rooney got the Devils on the board, 8:06 into the first game assisted by Pavel Zacha. Rooney’s tuck marks the Devils fourth short-handed goal of the season, his first since Mar. 15, 2019 @ VAN and first of his 2019-20 campaign.
Blake Coleman tallied the second goal for New Jersey assisted by Damon Severson and Travis Zajac. Severson extends his point streak to two games, while Zajac passes Kirk Muller for sole possession of third place on the all-time Devils points list.
Coleman went on to notch his second goal of the contest, 8:56 into the second frame, assisted by Severson and Nikita Gusev. The helper gives Severson his third multi-point game this season, and second two-assist game this season.
Mackenzie Blackwood got the start for his 31st this season (Eighth consecutive). Blackwood stopped 20 of 25 shots faced, and falls to 14-12-6 this season (4-4-2 vs. Metropolitan). Louis Domingue came into relieve Blackwood at 35:02, marking his first appearance since returning from I.R. Domingue stopped 11 of 12 shots faced.
Tony DeAngelo tallied a hat trick and game-winner in the contest against the Devils.
TONIGHT’S GAME @ WASHINGTON CAPITALS
Tonight’s contest marks the second of four contests between New Jersey and Washington in the 2019-20 regular season series. The Caps defeated the Devils in the first matchup at Prudential Center on Dec. 20, 6-3.
New Jersey is 1-1 on the penalty kill, and 1-3 on the power play through one contest. The Capitals are outshooting the Devils, 29-27. New Jersey is 24-45 (52%) in the face-off circle through one games played.
Nikita Gusev (2A) leads the Devils in scoring, tallying two helpers on the December matchup. Blake Coleman, Kyle Palmieri and Miles Wood all tallied one tuck against Washington in the first contest. Coleman leads New Jersey in shots, tallying six in 17:10 minutes of action.
Mackenzie Blackwood saw 48:25 minutes of action in the first contest. Blackwood allowed five goals on 26 shots against. The Thunder Bay, ONT. CAN native is a career 0-3-0 against the Capitals with a 3.94 GAA. Blackwood looks to improve his 4-4-2 record against Metropolitan Division rivals this season (.899 SV%). Louis Domingue is a career 1-1-0 against Washington, allowing six goals on 82 shots against (.927 SV%)
Nicklas Backstrom (2G-2A) leads the Capitals in scoring and in goals against the Devils. Backstrom tallied four points, and two goals against New Jersey in 17:35 TOI. Ilya Samsonov played the full 60 minutes against the Devils in the first contest, stopping 24 of 27 shots against (.889 SV%). Braden Holtby is a career17-3-3 against the Devils, posting a 1.94 GAA in 1389:34 TOI.
The Devils are 1-7-0 at Capital One Arena and 3-12-2 overall against the Capitals since the 2015-16 season. The clubs last win at Capital One Arena was Dec. 29, 2016 (2-1 Wso). New Jersey will face-off against the Washington for the third time this season, January 16 at Capital One Arena.
Jesper Bratt (Day-to-day) – 3 games missed; Lower-body injury sustained Jan. 2
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Home » Economy » Choice Bank has New Liquidator, Again
Choice Bank has New Liquidator, Again
Kareem Michael
The third liquidator has been appointed by the Central Bank for Choice Bank Limited. The offshore bank was forced to fold and thrown into receivership in June 2018, after the Central Bank pulled its international banking license. The new liquidator is Kareem Michael and his appointment, which was announced on Friday, became effective on Monday. He resigned his post as Deputy Governor of the Central Bank to take up the post as liquidator and is reportedly set to earn fifty thousand dollars per month. Michael takes over from Accountant Cedric Flowers who was appointed as the liquidator in July 2018. Reports reaching our newsroom are that Flowers and the Central Bank were bucking heads concerning the liquidation process. According to a statement from Central Bank, Flowers’ term of engagement has come to an end. The statement says that “the Central Bank has the power to appoint a liquidator from either the private sector or an officer of the Central Bank, who meets such qualifications as prescribed by the Central Bank.” The Central Bank says that Michael possesses the knowledge and experience required to bring the liquidation to an effective close. It further states that “after careful consideration of potential candidates, the Central Bank decided that this course of action was necessary for the successful resolution of the matter and would be least disruptive to the ongoing liquidation process.” Information, however, is that Michael will receive assistance from a senior staff of the Central Bank, which would mean that the Central Bank will be more deeply involved in the liquidation process. That process has annoyed many staffers. Long term employees are up in arms after they were told that they would be receiving less than two percent of their pension plan. For instance, an employee who was expecting to receive a little over twenty thousand dollars is now being told that he will be receiving less than six hundred dollars. The decision to revoke Choice Bank’s license was taken by Prime Minister Dean Barrow, who is also the Minister of Finance, on the advice of the Central Bank. In April 2018, the bank began experiencing a grave liquidity crisis.
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New hymn selected for “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday
CHICAGO — A hymn titled "God's Work, Our Hands" was selected as the winning entry in the ELCA's "God's work. Our hands." Sunday hymn contest. The selected hymn, written by Wayne Wold, references the official tagline of the ELCA and expresses how the people of this church live in service for the life of the world.
More than 120 entries were submitted to be considered as a hymn for "God's work. Our hands." Sunday, the ELCA's annual dedicated day of service. Designed to celebrate the mission and ministries of this church, "God's work. Our hands." Sunday provides an opportunity for congregations to gather together in service to their neighbors.
Wold is a professor and chair of the music department at Hood College in Frederick, Md., where he also serves as concert manager and college organist. Wold is also the director of music ministry at First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ellicott City, Md.
The selected hymn includes music to a familiar tune as well as music to an original composition. The hymn is available as a year-round worship resource.
More information about "God's work. Our hands." Sunday is available here.
About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with nearly 3.5 million members in more than 9,100 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
ELCA News
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The Shape of Things to Come: Britain Through the Interwar Years 1919-1939
This history course will look at various aspects of life in Britain in the 1930's and examine these using film, original documents and discussion. It will look at the roots of various issues which still affect life in Britain today.
To explore various aspects of inter war Britain using contemporary and modern sources and explore how changes in Britain in this period echo life today.
Review the political, social and economic situation in Britain at the end of the first world war
Have an initial appreciation of how domestic life was changing in the period
Review the political and social challenges faced by the government and how they reacted to them
Entry 2 (level information)
Wed 10:30
Kate Antoniou
Epsom & Ewell Branch
Bourne Hall
KT17 1UF
View venue website
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Facility ID:168812WANN-CD
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BDCCDTL-20070514AAD Digital Companion Channel Granted, In-Active Status Date: 07/31/2007 05/14/2007
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Digital Class A
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Xenoblade Chronicles 2 for the Nintendo Switch Slated for Holiday 2017 Release
Loknath Das June 13, 2017 0
2, 2017, Chronicles, for, holiday, Nintendo, release, Slated, Switch, the, Xenoblade
Nintendo at E3 2017 started proceedings with Xenoblade Chronicles 2. The open-world Japanese role-playing game is slated for a Holiday 2017 release. This comes days after it was suggested that the game would be delayed to February 2018.
Developer Monolith Soft showed off the game’s character designs which seemed quite similar to what we’ve seen in past games in the series. The cel shaded art-stye seems endearing and the open-world on display appeared substantial. Combat on the other hand did not seem as polished with some slowdowns.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 follows a band of heroes setting out for the land of Elysium. Its protagonists are swordsmen named Rex and Pyra who feature heavily in the trailer.
When it first released on the Nintendo Wii, Xenoblade Chronicles was applauded for being the rare lengthy Japanese role-playing game on the platform. After the New Nintendo 3DS hit the shelves in 2014, a port called Xenoblade Chronicles 3D was made available. Expect more of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 during the year. Unless of course, Nintendo choose to show more of it during the Nintendo Treehouse Livestream that follows its E3 2017 presentation.
[“source-gadgets.ndtv”]
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Earlier this year, Sennheiser released its flagship PC 373D gaming …
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Beta and Alpha Reading, Critiques, Copyediting, and other services for genre writers, specializing in Fantasy and Speculative Fiction.
Beta Reading, Critiques, Copyediting, and other Services for Fantasy and Science Fiction Writers.
Beta Reading & Critiques
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Home Esports Mobile Supercell launches Clash Royale League with $1m prize
Supercell launches Clash Royale League with $1m prize
Lydia Mitrevski
Clash Royale developers Supercell announced recently the official launch of the long-awaited Clash Royale League set to begin next week.
Teams have been forming for the past couple of months representing North America, Europe, China, Asia and Latin America. While the Asian and Chinese region already begun league play in the Spring, North America, Europe and Latin America will begin their seasons in the next week. European and North American teams have both converged to Los Angeles where league play will be held live in studio for the inaugural season. At the end of the fall season, top teams will meet at a World Championship shelling out $1m (£783,000) in prize money.
Supercell has been working on the formation of the league for quite some time, announcing back in March the development of the league along with the first look at organisations involved such as names like Cloud9, Team Liquid, Immortals, Team Dignitas, and 100Thieves. These North American and European organisations have been required to house their players in Los Angeles during the season and provide certain salary parameters much like other esports with league formats.
In order to fill these rosters teams were allowed to sign players as they had already been in contact with but Supercell also held the Clash Royale League Challenge open to anyone that wanted a shot at playing in the league. 25 million players competed with about 7,000 advanced to the next round. More online matches and live combine events were held for organisations to scout players to fill their 4-6 player roster.
Immortals yields a team that will compete in the North American region and while the organisation also holds a team in Arena of Valor, CEO Noah Whinston told Esports Insider there were many factors that came into play when decided to invest in another mobile game: “When we’re looking at games to invest in there are multiple different axes that we look at. First: it’s about the game itself. I love Clash Royale. I play it all the time and I think the game itself already has so many fans. More importantly than that, the structure and the approach from Supercell has been really important for us. It’s not just Supercell coming in and saying ‘we want to make an esports and we’re gonna throw a massive tournament with a huge prize pool.’ They’ve really taken a thoughtful approach on what a centralized league ecosystem looks like, how do we make this really good for the long-term for players, for fans, and for the organisations that are involved.”
Until now, Clash esports has typically been an individual game with one single player versus another. There is a 2v2 mode in the game and the league is implementing a format that’s never been done before with a team style of play. Multiple 1v1 and 2v2 matches will be held with teams able to rotate players making it more of a team based game rather than individual.
Tim Ebner, Head of Esports at Supercell, told Esports Insider accessibility for viewers will be key when it comes time for league play: “We noticed a large number of our viewers are on mobile so that got us thinking what can we do to make content better on mobile. We’re optimizing for that mobile audience meaning we’ll be broadcasting in portrait mode instead of landscape so we’ll see how it goes with production. We’ve had to look at a lot of different factors such as knowing that the screen is smaller to view on but we’re all in on producing in portrait.”
The fall season of 48 teams from five regions begins with Latin America on August 13th, China on August 17th, North America on August 20th, Europe on August 21st and Asia on August 24th. All games will be available to watch on Clash Royale’s Esports YouTube channel.
Esports Insider says: Mobile gaming may very well be “the future” as it is much more accessible than PC or console gaming, but will it be successful in a major esports route? The fan base for Clash Royale is certainly there and while it is a competitive game we’re cautiously optimistic about such a major move Supercell has taken in an industry like mobile esports which is far less popular in the west compared to the east. If anything, having the support from these massive organisations and the talented players behind it will make for an entertaining inaugural season to witness.
mobile esports
Noah Whinston
Tim Ebner
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FlipSid3 Tactics crowned the world’s best Rocket League team
Sam Cooke - December 4, 2016
The second season of the Rocket League Championship Series (RLCS) was won by FlipSid3 Tactics after an exciting finals weekend in Amsterdam. The winning team walked...
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How Europe can push back against Putin's aggression
Russia’s oil and gas sales to Europe provide a valuable source of revenue for the Kremlin’s oligarchs (Photo: kremlin.ru)
By Guy Verhofstadt
Brussels, 30. Nov 2018, 08:51
Russia's recent intimidation and violence against Ukraine - the capturing of three Ukrainian naval vessels and the blockade of the strategically important Kerch Strait - is yet another breach of the international world order and an attack on European values.
From the Salisbury nerve agent attack, to the use of chemical weapons in Syria, Russia's president, driven though he may be by falling poll ratings, is testing Western unity and our ability to respond.
Austrian foreign minister Karin Kneissl invited Russian leader Vladimir Putin to her wedding (Photo: kremlin.ru)
It would be highly regrettable if the global response to Russia's military aggression against its neighbour consisted of a slap on the wrist.
As has been clear for many years now, the Russian president respects action more than words. President Vladimir Putin does not care about strongly worded statements and virtue signalling, he probably takes comfort from them.
A military response is clearly off the table, which begs the question - how should the West respond?
Firstly, it is imperative the West is united.
In the days following the attacks in Ukraine, the EU, Nato, and the US state department issued statements.
But it was a disgrace that US president Donald Trump, distracted by the FBI investigation into Russia collusion, found time to comment on the Brexit deal, but not to condemn Russia's actions.
It was positive that Austria spoke of further EU sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine conflict, despite Austria's foreign minister Karin Kneissl's personal ties to Putin and her far-right party's links with Putin's United Russia party.
The EU will discuss further sanctions in December.
Until now, there has been considerable push-back against the existing EU sanction regime from EU countries led by far-right populist parties.
It is a blow to Moscow that this climb-down is being reversed and the EU position is hardening.
Our priority in any new diplomatic and economic sanctions should not be to punish the Russian people, nor European businesses.
If anything, we should send a message of openness and freedom to young Russian people.
We should, however, go after the billionaire cronies of the Kremlin who really set policy in Moscow, while laundering money in the West.
Money laundering and golden visas
The finances and opulent lifestyles of Kremlin-linked tycoons should be fiercely scrutinised in line with EU anti-money laundering legislation.
Backchannels to EU citizenship exploited by wealthy Russians, through so-called 'golden visa' schemes in Malta and elsewhere, must be reformed in the European interest.
The Kremlin has also long weaponised Russia's abundant supplies of fossil fuels.
Russia's oil and gas sales to Europe provide a valuable source of revenue for the Kremlin's oligarchs.
Europe's addiction to imported fossil fuel creates dependence and lends undue influence to Russian companies.
This dependence, particularly in the Baltics and in Central and Eastern European countries like Hungary, is abused by the Kremlin to corrupt politicians and influence the media. This must be curbed.
President Trump was right to query the support in Germany and elsewhere for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which will serve only to entrench this abusive relationship.
Politicians in Germany and further afield should commit to Europe's proposed Energy Union and prioritise energy independence.
Russia's active measures, including its online disinformation campaigns, for instance, on vaccine skepticism, could also be better countered with the right investment and EU coordination.
This is particularly important ahead of next year's European elections, which threaten to provide a platform for Kremlin-aligned far-right parties.
In the US, Robert Mueller, the FBI's special counsel on the Russia collusion probe, has already handed down dozens of indictments.
Europe needs to catch up
Europe needs to catch up, first by establishing its own special prosecutor to investigate attacks by foreign powers on elections and other votes in recent years.
It also needs robust national and EU-level structures to track Russian disinformation campaigns.
It needs to do this in all EU languages because Russian media targets audiences all over Europe in its bid to undermine our democracies.
On the EU level, the East StratCom Task Force, an anti-disinformation cell in the EU foreign service, should be transformed into a stronger asset.
It should be independent of the EU diplomatic service and have the resources to analyse and debunk disinformation in the service of the EU as a whole.
In the days since the attack on the Ukrainian navy, there has been far too much shoulder shrugging and hesitation.
In the days after the Salisbury nerve agent attack, the EU and the US stood side by side when they expelled dozens of Russian diplomats from their capitals.
This unity showed there is a way to respond to Russian aggression that does not risk a military confrontation or undermine our economic interests.
Guy Verhofstadt is leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, member of the European Parliament and former prime minister of Belgium
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author's, not those of EUobserver.
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The presence of the Russian president at the wedding of the Austrian foreign minister risks to undermine Austria's efforts to act as bridge builder between East and West.
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A nation, Reinhold Niebuhr wrote, is not capable of altruism. Even less so, if such a group has formed on the basis of strong emotions and casts itself as the "saviour of the nation".
Maltese murder - the next rule-of-law crisis in EU?
While Poland's government is escalating its rule of law crisis by introducing even more drastic measures against the country's judges, another problem is looming over the EU's commitment to upholding the rule of law: Malta.
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The Theme Team
I’m super-excited to announce to you today that WordPress.com now has an official Theme Team. In a nutshell, we’re a bunch of people who really care about WordPress Themes and want to see them get better and better—on WordPress.com and for every WordPress.org user. And yes, that means we’re getting more themes, more often. 🙂
You’ll be hearing more from us individually in the coming weeks but I thought, to get started, it’d be a good idea to share a few of the Theme Team goals we’ve been discussing. Just some rough thoughts really. But I’m hoping that by sharing them here you can get a better idea of what we’re up to—and get as excited as we are about it all.
Every WordPress.com user should feel like there’s a theme that fits them perfectly, that is exactly how they want to present themselves to the world, that they’re excited to show to their friends.
We want everyone to feel a sense of momentum and ever-increasing possibilities, and to do so we will present as many perfect-fit WordPress themes to as many WordPress.com users as we can.
We will ensure all of our public work represents the best in coding practices, web standards, and technical excellence.
We will craft all of our themes to have a consistent user experience and meet our users expectations and hopes.
We will teach WordPress developers to become the best theme developers in the world. If you’re a WordPress theme developer—commercial or 100% free—we want to help you be the best.
We will ensure all our improvements make it back to the open source community.
I love the idea of meeting the “expectations and hopes” of everyone here by delivering to you the best in WordPress themes. Pretty, painless, perfect-fit ones that just plain work.
Keep watch here for more announcements—and more new themes!
General, WordPress.com
New Theme: Inuit Types
Hook, Line, and Sinker
橘 Apr 15th at 5:53 pm
yes!!!!!!!!! thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this is great great great news!
Stanciu Floryn Apr 15th at 5:54 pm
perfect, i need a new theme, i love wordpress!!
Sven Seebeck Apr 15th at 5:56 pm
Read this earlier today on Twitter already. I think this is great news and looking forward to find some nice new themes!
Munda Sanichari Apr 15th at 5:56 pm
Ya kewl ..waiting for it !!!
sally Apr 15th at 5:56 pm
This is fantastic. I look forward to seeing what’s on the horizon!
Adz Apr 15th at 6:00 pm
Excellent. Point 5 got my attention the most. I look forward to seeing this in action 🙂
Thema Felix Apr 15th at 6:02 pm
Sounds good! Do you think some of the older, less flexible or attractive themes might be retired?
Ian Stewart Apr 15th at 6:50 pm
There aren’t any plans to retire older themes just yet—only plans to bring more and more attractive and flexible ones to you.
escada0206 Apr 15th at 6:02 pm
Sounds great! I look forward to seeing more new themes! 🙂
ileaneb Apr 15th at 6:04 pm
Congratulations on being part of the team! Looking forward to new themes.
planejaner Apr 15th at 6:05 pm
Thanks! I love seeing new themes, and experienced that “a-ha” moment, myself, when coming across the theme I am currently using.
thanks for all your hard work!
StarSpry Apr 15th at 6:05 pm
This sounds great! I’m excited to see all the new themes 🙂
Mika Karhulahti Apr 15th at 6:07 pm
Wow, that´s great news! I´m looking forward to seeing more variety on the themes, I like my current theme, but I would also love to have the possibility to add graphic on the header. I also look forward to having more flexible-width choices..
Beanie Apr 15th at 6:07 pm
Looking forward to the themes! :3
tiffaneydanielle Apr 15th at 6:08 pm
can u make sure u incorporate themese with 3 columns, because I have a lot of widgets
More 3-column themes are on the horizon.
sickr Apr 15th at 6:08 pm
You have delivered some brilliant new themes over the past few weeks. Glad to hear that there are even more coming.
Sajib Apr 15th at 6:09 pm
Good. I love WordPress and I think forever I will be doing. 😀 WordPress.com is the best free blogging platform in the world with the features that should not be given for free. 😉 And the idea of open-sourcing the entire script on WordPress.org is just awesome.
WordPress has the greatest contribution for what we have zillions of active blog sites on different niches. Thank you WordPress team.
Mark Penrith Apr 15th at 6:10 pm
You guys are so cool, and you make blogging fun. Thanks!
Keep up the stellar work.
Mary Apr 15th at 6:10 pm
What we’ve been waiting for!
DOPE Apr 15th at 6:11 pm
Really cool! I hope that with this great team we could possibly see a few upgrades like a integrated Twitter and Facebook share button. Also the ability to place a Facebook Fan Page widget. Thank you for your hard work!
Lee Apr 15th at 6:12 pm
“Every WordPress.com user should feel like there’s a theme that fits them perfectly” sadly there isn’t one that fit me.
We’re trying, Lee! Stay tuned to the news blog for more theme announcements.
captainquaker Apr 15th at 6:12 pm
Jan O'Hara (aka hope101) Apr 15th at 6:12 pm
Really appreciate the energy and sense of mission I get from you guys. Awesome!
ChickNamedHermia Apr 15th at 6:14 pm
Fantastic!!!! That’s great to hear!!!
timethief Apr 15th at 6:16 pm
What would be great news is the news that wordpress.com has installed an editor that allows us to change fonts and background colors by clicking buttons. Just saying … it’s very hard to fathom why these features aren’t available to us here at wordpress.com when they could be. It’s very difficult to explain why there is such a glaring difference between those who have free hosted blogspot (Blogger) blogs and can do these things free of charge by clicking buttons, butt we can’t do them at wordpress.com without paying for a CSS editing upgrade that must be renewed annually.
We’re thinking hard about ways to make theme customization painless. Expect more and more customizable themes in your dashboard.
ravikaushik Apr 15th at 6:16 pm
Great news! please carry on with your awesome work! WordPress rocks!
memsaab Apr 15th at 6:18 pm
Great!!!! I would really love to see more themes that give us the ability to add a custom header graphic 😉
Us too! You’ll be seeing more of them.
helenhudsonhere Apr 15th at 6:22 pm
Love this idea! Had a blog now for 2 weeks & already almost 600 hits–but tired of same old tags….file me under: Hopes & Expectations
….in other words….
THEME ME UP, SCOTTY!!
June Malone Apr 15th at 6:23 pm
Pinch me! WordPress Dream Team more like!
Kam Apr 15th at 6:28 pm
Sounds good !!! :-]> WordPress rocks ^_- Thanks
alex wyler Apr 15th at 6:29 pm
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees! I’m happy!
Tito Salgado Apr 15th at 6:29 pm
Awesome! wordpress themes are kickass.
Adam Apr 15th at 6:30 pm
Very cool theme team!
One request in keeping with “Every WordPress.com user should feel like there’s a theme that fits them perfectly,”: could we see more themes with custom headers?
You guys are doing a great job! Keep up the great work!
Absolutely. More themes with custom headers are coming.
Reggie Apr 15th at 6:37 pm
I really like that idea, and I look forward to seeing some new themes.
Although I’m *very* fond of the theme I use on my blog (Mistylook), I do sometimes experiment with using other themes.
So far, though, I haven’t found any that make me jump up and down with excitement, shouting “Yes, that’s the one I want to make permanent!”
Regardless, I’m still a HUGE fan of WordPress!
الهام - روح پرتابل Apr 15th at 6:38 pm
hey new team, I love you for your goals and hope to love you for your amazing works soon
fotdmike Apr 15th at 6:39 pm
Oh yes, excellent news. I’ve tried out quite a few themes and although some have come pretty close I’ve yet to find one that’s “just right”. More choice is definitely the way to go. Well done.
Colleen Young Apr 15th at 6:39 pm
I am continually astonished at what WordPress offers all for free – fabulous.
June is right.
I love WordPress!
Now I shall just have to create more blogs so I can have all the beautiful themes!
admin. Apr 15th at 6:43 pm
I love this. What I’m using now is soooo close to what I want, but not quite! Thanks for all the work guys!
I agree w DOPE re: the 3rd party widgets or buttons – please!
thecatsman Apr 15th at 6:45 pm
Sounds fantastic to me. I know that my experience here has been a totally positive one and I look forward to seeing what the team comes up with. You people do a fantastic job with this place and you certainly have my most profound thanks …
TheresaZphotography Apr 15th at 6:47 pm
AWESOME! Thank You Theme Team!
As a photographer I would love to see more themes for photo bloggers. That
would be great.
pbeug Apr 15th at 6:49 pm
Wow, this sounds great! I’ve been looking for a theme that I really like. The one I have now is okay, but I can’t wait to see what you guys come up with! I can’t wait…
troy Apr 15th at 6:49 pm
I think offering more customization options for existing themes would be a huge help with finding the ‘right’ one.
phrenzy84 Apr 15th at 6:49 pm
This is amazing news. You guys really know where to focus your efforts. Look forward to your future developments.
Christian Apr 15th at 6:53 pm
Great! Hope to see more themes localized too.
cmc0 Apr 15th at 6:55 pm
Well done Theme Team…well done!
besserEsser Apr 15th at 6:56 pm
Thats really great. Thanks Theme Team.
musicofourheart Apr 15th at 6:56 pm
I like the “theme” of this initiative. You have me enthusiastic and very interested.
Please give thought and consideration to WordPress 3.0 themes that are:
– HTML 5.0 and CSS 3.0 based
– Complement and enhance an iPad blogging experience 😉
I would love a theme that incorporates the above suggestions and is ideally suited to a music journalist like myself. I am also interested in a theme that tells people visting my blog that I am an instructional technologist.
“If you build it they will come – Field of Dreams”
Moses Apr 15th at 6:58 pm
Go T – Team!!!! Make us proud! =)
Birdwhisperer Apr 15th at 7:02 pm
Wow, this is great! I can’t wait for the new themes!
efratkashat Apr 15th at 7:05 pm
Such good news!
Please give us more customization options! It will be SO great if we can change the background, the text size, the font, the colors etc. And of course – a custom header is a must! I want my blog to look unique and not just the same as lots of other blogs, so more customization options will be really really great.
miroslodki Apr 15th at 7:06 pm
Very Cool Ian
can i put forward a theme request
hoping to see a format condusive to longer…and/or more scholarly posts
akin to a professional publication/magazine where the text on a page is split into two (or three) columns
to help the reader’s eye traverse shorter horizontal spans.
another way of expressing it is to achieve the same impact of a word document with a page layout modification from single to multicolumn.
naturally one would still need a column (or two?) for widgets and with the addition of a customizable header would end up making this a perfect complement to the stable
hoping someone takes up the challenge
have seen it rendered by other bloggers using customized CSS
Zeenat Apr 15th at 7:07 pm
This is awesome! I am yet to find a theme that fits me best. I am making do the best i can with Vigilance. Which is my fav so far. The most customizable without knowing any css 🙂
BUt few things i would love to suggest:
-i love the thesis theme-any 3 column version of that would be great.
-three column with a customizable header and yes customizable font sizes.
-I love vigilance…but i wish i could make the font size a bit smaller for thr the posts 🙂
-a theme thats SEO ready
But i am so gald you guys are on with a team! Means more fun for us here at wordpress.com!YAY!
Pingback: WordPress Launches Theme Team, Challenges Blogger For Theme Supremacy | The Blog Herald
the rufus Apr 15th at 7:08 pm
Dream team – yeeeeeeaaaaaaaah.
I’d like to have a theme with a costom-header image not too small sized and in some kind of 3:4 or simila aspect ratio … some other details to follow – where can I post this?
Good question! You can either contact support with the request or drop a line in the Themes Forum.
Car Apr 15th at 7:10 pm
sorta like the A team but themes
retrovintageantiques Apr 15th at 7:13 pm
Cool. Could you do a vintage/retro toys looking theme? But I do like the one I am using now. Thanks!!
jord Apr 15th at 7:23 pm
Looking forward to finding my perfect theme! Thanks WP!!
Vanilla Bean Baker Apr 15th at 7:25 pm
Thank you and your team for continually working to improve WordPress. I appreciate all your efforts, known and unknown and look forward to seeing new and exciting themes choices.
hannie96 Apr 15th at 7:29 pm
I’d really like a new theme! That’s great!
Adrienne Apr 15th at 7:38 pm
I love to change my themes from time to time to shake things up a bit; it helps me ‘clean house’ periodically, and is a nice change to viewers! Thank you and keep ’em coming! I love 3 column with color options. God Bless!
Rokugatsu Apr 15th at 7:38 pm
Finally more themes! Hope I can find something nice for me 🙂
ivankay Apr 15th at 7:42 pm
OMG…excited. I hope we have more themes that have more widgets..so we can do add and do more stuff to our blog(s).
Pingback: WordPress.com Fonts and Background Changes « onecoolsitebloggingtips.com
rich Apr 15th at 7:57 pm
Is it possible to get involved in some way? I love the post and the thoughts but feel it would be good to contribute in whatever way possible.
Theme suggestions! We love hearing them. Contact support with a request or drop a line in the Themes Forum.
Joyce Apr 15th at 8:04 pm
Awesome news! Kudos.
T3CK Apr 15th at 8:07 pm
This is Gr8 news! I am excited to see what the theme team has to offer x 3 🙂
coolponds Apr 15th at 8:07 pm
Thank you!! Can’t wait to see them!!
mrasherkade Apr 15th at 8:08 pm
oh yea, forgot to mention….FONTS! we nned more fonts!!!!!!!!!!
danny bleed Apr 15th at 8:09 pm
Great! We need to see more themes based in media and news lay out!
Hinano Apr 15th at 8:15 pm
excellent, i hope more themes also have the custom banner option as well.
the EB duo Apr 15th at 8:16 pm
Flexibility rules. Lots of options, epsecially for lesser-minded folks who don’t know how to edit their css scripts (sigh… ): ). – E from EB
George Apr 15th at 8:17 pm
More themes to choose from sounds great. I’d like to suggest that it become a firm standard that all themes should allow flexible-width content and custom headers.
aerosol Apr 15th at 8:18 pm
Great news indeed!
sylviahubbard1 Apr 15th at 8:20 pm
Is there a spot for an official cheerleader
(jumping up in the air)
GooOOOOOO! Theme TEAM!!! YEAH!!!
Anne Lessing Apr 15th at 8:25 pm
Yay WordPress!! You guys are the best! I can’t wait to see what you come up with!! 😀
It always makes my day when a new theme is released.
Jeremy Irish Apr 15th at 8:35 pm
Good deal. I had been hoping more would come along.
便当小兔儿 Apr 15th at 8:36 pm
fantastic!!! look forward to more beautiful themes!
mauricio aguirre Apr 15th at 8:41 pm
Great news for all of us!!! Thanks!
Moon Man Two Apr 15th at 8:45 pm
I can’t wait for the new themes. I’ve been switching between Digg 3 Column and Tarski becuase those themes are awesome. Is there some way you can make a theme like Tarski, but with 3 columns?
Ian Stewart Apr 16th at 12:44 pm
More 3-column themes (and 2-column, and 1-column) are on the way.
Denise Apr 15th at 8:54 pm
Aaaaahh, weeping with joy over this…FINALLY!
Big, big, thanks and much gratitude for finally nailing this side of blogging for all of us who enjoy decorating, and re-decorating, our spaces often. For a long time now I’ve wanted to be able to change themes at least each season to reflect the changing colors, energies, moods and attitudes etc.
Under the hood can totally rock but if the car body is painted a dull grey primer, it just doesn’t catch the eye or heart. Seriously, thank you for this. XOXOXO
Disciple Apr 15th at 9:01 pm
You’ve made me a very happy camper with this announcement! And three columns? With custom headers? And more customization? I may swoon! Or maybe just smile really really big. 😀
dom Apr 15th at 9:02 pm
sounds amazing! great idea. 🙂
Jennifer Apr 15th at 9:15 pm
THANK YOU! I am so excited about this. I always check out the new themes but still haven’t found “the one” yet. I agree with some of the above comments which mention more easily customizable fonts for free. Thanks for everything yall do!
John Hicks Apr 15th at 9:23 pm
Hooray! Thank you, WordPress! Now… Please create more themes with customizable headers that users can replace with their own image; Been waiting and waiting, praying each time when a theme is released that it has that option. Much love, and thanks again.
Лита Apr 15th at 9:25 pm
Thanks!! Fantastic news 🙂
I wish all the people of the team good luck with the job 🙂
Thanks, guys 🙂
Kelly 유켈리 Apr 15th at 9:32 pm
OMG this is why i love wordpress 😀
please think about more themes where bloggers can be creative and free to express their own designs. im using vigilance right now and i love having the ability to change colors, adjust columns, etc. THANKS~!
Dan North Apr 15th at 9:41 pm
Oh, yeah! I always settle with my theme and then a prettier one catches my eye and I get tempted to stray. I need theme counselling.
Does the theme team get a uniform?
Jim Apr 15th at 9:45 pm
brilliant. can you put together a mozart theme? and how bout a ‘dead sea scrolls’ theme for the biblical scholars among us?
shamballa9944 Apr 15th at 9:49 pm
I think you guys do an outstanding job of keeping new technologies and options coming! I am always excited to read about new gizmos you guys come up with…especially themes!
danyasteele Apr 15th at 9:49 pm
I *LOVE* WordPress.
Denise Duguay Apr 15th at 10:01 pm
More photo themes please, and thanks, ian, for confirming: “More 3-column themes are on the horizon.”
Pingback: WordPress Theme Team
barbara Apr 15th at 10:06 pm
singing, dancing happy, happy HAPPY
Love you people
AA Apr 15th at 10:12 pm
I left below comment at your other site.. Here it is and it was meant for the wordpress.com blogs.
I think it is also important to update/upgrade the themes that’s been in use for long time. It is fine to introduce new themes, but the old ones shouldn’t be left alone and should be updated to reflect the changing trends and new features. If an old theme cannot be updated, than it should be dropped with ample notification. Just a personal suggestion.
Sara Apr 15th at 10:16 pm
Fantastic! I’m still looking for my perfect theme. I’m using regulus because I love the theme options and the custom header, but I wish there were more themes like it!
I hope you guys will create my perfect theme one day!
joyceandnorm Apr 15th at 10:20 pm
Very exciting! Thanks for your hard work.
YesWeCan CamperVan Apr 15th at 10:25 pm
Wonderful news.
How do you guys provide all this for free?
Jones Apr 15th at 11:05 pm
You guys need more Three Column themes 🙂
danliew Apr 15th at 11:06 pm
That’s more like it. I’ve been barking on my Twitter lamenting the poor collection of themes WP now has. Good job Theme Team for listening to our grouses. 😉
elenaramirez Apr 15th at 11:11 pm
Thank you, I love WordPress…..This is an awesome place. May God bless you all. You do a lot for us writers.
Where else can we find such great and talented, technical people, who give of themselves like you folks do?
I am telling you, I haven’t found any one, or anything like WordPress. And so I just say thank you….
eruvierda Apr 15th at 11:23 pm
It would be great if WP developer bring more great themes to us. I suggest more personalized themes. Like music, art, sport, culture or nationality. We wait your creativity in themes making art… VOILA!
An Automattic Production
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Pieces published in the collection:
Mazurka in F sharp minor, Op. 6 No. 1
Mazurka in C sharp minor, Op. 6 No. 2
Mazurka in E major, Op. 6 No. 3 Op. 6 No. 3
Mazurka in E flat minor, Op. 6 No. 4
Title: Souvenir de la Pologne. Eight Mazurkas, for the Piano Forte, Book 8, Op. 6.
Title page:
L'AMATEUR PIANISTE, No. 8 et 9.|SOUVENIR DE LA POLOGNE.|EIGHT MAZURKAS,|for the|PIANO FORTE,|BOOK 8, OP. 6.|Dedicated to|MADLLE. LA COMTESSE PAULINE PLATER,|BOOK 9, OP. 7.|Dedicated to|MONSR. JOHNS DE LA NOUVELLE ORLEANS|par|FRED. CHOPIN.|Ent. Sta. Hall BOOK I [wpisane odręcznie] Price 2/6 each.|LONDON,|WESSEL & Co. Importers & Publihers of FOREIGN MUSIC,|(by special Appointment) to H. R. H. the Duchess of Kent,|No. 6, Frith Street, Soho Square
Dedication: A Madlle. la Comtesse Pauline Plater
Publisher: Wessel & Co.
Place of publication: United Kingdom, London
Plate number: W & Co. No. 958
The edition does not include Mazurka C major No. 5. The title page is common for both Mazurkas Op. 6 and Op. 7.
There is an earlier, unlocated impression, without any information about the series: L'Amateur Pianiste No. 8 et 9 and consequently - with a different numbering of books - Book 1 Op. 6 Book 2 Op. 7.
Mazurkas Op. 6 (French, M. Schlesinger)
Mazurkas Op. 6 (German, Kistner)
-- empty -- Austria Czech Republic France Germany Italy Poland Switzerland Ukraine United Kingdom Country -- empty -- Ad. Catelin et Cie. A.M. Schlesinger Bote & G. Bock Brandus & Co. Breitkopf & Härtel Brzezina Chabal Chappell Cramer, Addison & Beale Cramer, Beale & Co. Cramer & Co. Éditions Richard-Masse Édition Henn Edition Peters Ewer & co. E. Troupenas & Co. Francis, Day & Hunter Ltd. Gebethner i Wolff Haslinger Hofmeister Ignace Pleyel et Cie Josef Kaufmann J. Hamelle J. Meissonnier Kistner Leitgeber Les Fils de B. Schott M. Schlesinger Pacini Pietro Mechetti Polish Musical Publishing House joint-stock company (PWM Edition) Prilipp et Cie. Richault Ricordi Robert Cocks & Co. Schonenberger Schuberth & Comp. Stanley Lucas, Weber & Co. Stern & Co. Towarzystwo Muzyczne we Lwowie Towarzystwo Wydawnicze Muzyki Polskiej Wessel & Co. Wessel & Stapleton Publisher
- Year of publication
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Kashmiris observing Black Day today on both sides of LoC and world over
08:49 AM | 27 Oct, 2019
ISLAMABAD - Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) and the world over are observing Black Day today to convey to the world that they reject India's illegal occupation of their homeland on this day in 1947. It was on this day when Indian troops invaded Jammu and Kashmir and occupied it ...
FATF expresses satisfaction on measures taken by Pakistan, its progress in 20 out of 27 points
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UN chief reiterates concerns over grave situation in Kashmir
11:45 PM | 4 Oct, 2019
UNITED NATIONS - A U.N. spokesman said Friday that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' remains concerned over the grave situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir. The official quoted the UN chief as urging that India and Pakistan should hold dialogue to resolve the crisis. "The secretary-general's ...
Munir Akram replaces Maleha Lodhi as Pakistan's Permanent Representative to UN
WASHINGTON - Pakistan appointed Ambassador Munir Akram as Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations in New York, in place of Dr Maleeha Lodhi on Monday. Munir Akram had already served as Pakistan Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 2002-2008 after serving on a ...
Pakistan urges UN chief to urgently take steps to deal with worsening situation in IoK
11:23 AM | 10 Sep, 2019
NEW YORK – Pakistan's permanent representative at the United Nations Dr. Maleeha Lodhi has urged UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to urgently take steps to deal with the worsening situation in Indian occupied Kashmir. In a tweet, she said she met the UN Secretary General and told him that ...
UN rights chief deeply concerned about Kashmir lockdown, calls on India to ease restrictions
06:20 PM | 9 Sep, 2019
GENEVA - The United Nations Human Rights chief said on Monday that she was 'deeply concerned' about the impact of recent actions by the Indian government on the human rights of Kashmiris. In her introductory address for the start of the Human Rights Council's latest session, Michelle Bachelet ...
UN Secretary-General monitoring worsening situation in Occupied Kashmir
09:52 AM | 28 Aug, 2019
NEW YORK - The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that he is monitoring the worsening situation in Indian occupied Kashmir, especially tightening restrictions and mass arrests, the Radio Pakistan reported. In a statement, a spokesman to UN Secretary-General, Stephane ...
India playing with fire in Occupied Kashmir by changing territory status and suppressing people's will: President
ISLAMABAD - President Dr Arif Alvi has said that India is playing with fire in the Indian Occupied Kashmir by changing the status of the territory and suppressing the people's will, the Radio Pakistan reported. In an interview with a Canadian-American media outlet, Vice News, he said if India feels ...
Kashmir issue must be resolved peacefully under UN resolutions, China emphasizes again
BEIJING - China has categorically stated that Kashmir issue is a dispute from colonial history and it should be resolved peacefully under the UN Security Council resolutions, the Radio Pakistan reported. This has been stated by Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his ...
UN expresses concern over Indian move to revoke special status of Occupied Kashmir
10:16 AM | 6 Aug, 2019
NEW YORK - The United Nations (UN) has expressed concern over Indian government's move to revoke the special status of Kashmir, a UN-recognized disputed territory. The concern was expressed by U.N. Secretary-General's Spokesman Stephane Dujarric while talking to reporters at the regular briefing at ...
Pakistan proposes six-point plan at UN to address faith-based violence, Islamophobia
10:16 AM | 25 Jun, 2019
NEW YORK - Pakistan has proposed a six-point plan at United Nations to address faith-based hatred and Islamophobia, the Radio Pakistan reported. The plan was proposed by Pakistan's Permanent representative to the UN, Maleeha Lodhi at an event “Countering terrorism and other acts of violence based ...
Solution to challenges facing Muslim Ummah lies in unity, joint efforts: FM Qureshi
09:42 AM | 30 May, 2019
JEDDAH - Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that solution to the challenges facing Muslim Ummah lies in unity ad joint efforts, the Radio Pakistan reported. He was talking to Secretary General Organization of Islamic Cooperation Yousef Al-Othaimeen on the sidelines of OIC Foreign Ministers ...
Pakistan urges India to come to negotiating table for regional peace
ISLAMABAD - Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has called upon India to come to the negotiating table with Pakistan for the sake of regional peace when a new government takes office in New Delhi after the general election, the Radio Pakistan reported. Speaking on Pakistan Television, the foreign ...
UN adopts resolution, condemns violence based on religion, as Pakistan warns of threat to global peace from Islamophobia
09:44 AM | 3 Apr, 2019
NEW YORK - The United Nations (UN) General Assembly has adopted a resolution strongly condemning continuing violence and acts of terrorism targeting individuals belonging to religious minorities, based on or in the name of religion or belief, the Radio Pakistan reported. The resolution, presented ...
India continues to spread disinformation to mislead international community: FO
12:15 PM | 10 Mar, 2019
ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan Foreign Office said that Indian government and media continue to spread disinformation to mislead the international community, and the Indian people, for domestic political gains, while trying to cover up its failures and resultant embarrassment. According to a press ...
India's narrow political agenda marginalizes Muslims and other minorities: UN Human Rights chief
10:01 AM | 7 Mar, 2019
NEW YORK – UN High Commissioner for Human rights Michelle Bachelet said that Indian divisive political agenda has extensively marginalized Muslims and other minorities in the country. In her annual report to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, she said they have received reports about ...
Balochistan doctors allowed to carry out private practice in ...
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Digital Marketing Audits
Everything You Need to Know About Facebook’s Algorithm Change
By Engenius Team August 17, 2018 8 months ago Uncategorized
Facebook kicked 2018 off with a bang — right at the start of the year they announced some sweeping changes to their algorithm. The main focus of the changes: downplaying the amount of branded content that appears in your News Feed and prioritizing what Facebook describes as “meaningful interactions.”
Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook provided a great deal of explanation in their own posts, but many people were left wondering: what does this mean for my business? What exactly are “meaningful interactions?” How should I adjust my content now that the algorithm works differently?
And we’ve noticed, both from our own clients and others in the industry, that website traffic from Facebook has been steadily declining all year. The good news is that there are other digital advertising platforms you could use, and of course advertising on Facebook is an option as well.
But people want to know why this is happening and what they can do to fix it. In this post, we cover the basics of how the Facebook algorithm works, outline the major changes that have happened as a result of the algorithm change and provide some actionable tips on how you can improve your organic reach on Facebook.
How Does Facebook’s Algorithm Work?
Anytime you visit Facebook there are thousands of posts that could be displayed in your News Feed. The algorithm takes these posts and arranges them based on how likely you are to interact with the content. That means, as a business, it’s rare that 100% of your followers are seeing the content you post. In fact, it’s more likely that only about 10% of your followers are seeing what you put out there unless you’re putting money behind it.
The algorithm uses specific metrics to determine which posts appear in your feed and which are buried and unlikely to see the light of day. Before the algorithm change, Facebook prioritized what they now describe as “passive interactions.” These are things like:
Amount of time spent on the platform
Click-throughs — clicking on a link that sends the user to another site
How has the Algorithm Changed?
While the results of the algorithm change are more noticeable now, organic reach on Facebook has been declining for a while. Facebook’s announcement in January was simply the first time they publicly acknowledged these changes.
The primary thing that has shifted is that Facebook is using different metrics to determine what posts appear in your News Feed. Instead of focusing on “passive interactions” they look at “active interactions” or “meaningful interactions.”
What is a “Meaningful Interaction”
The crux of all these changes is that Facebook wants you to be engaged in a conversation when you’re on their platform. That means instead of mindlessly scrolling through your feed, liking a post here and clicking on a link there, they want you to sit with a post, comment on it, and have a discussion with other people.
Facebook has framed this as prioritizing content from “friends, family, and groups” because you’re more likely to engage with a post from these people. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t steps you can take as a business to make the algorithm work for you.
By understanding what actions Facebook considers meaningful you can create content that meets those requirements and engages your audience.
Some actions that Facebook considers meaningful include:
Comments: Business pages that post content that don’t get reactions or comments have seen the biggest decreases in distribution. Combat this by creating content focused on sparking conversations between users. Ask questions, write about timely and relevant topics, and ask for the opinion of your audience.
Reactions: While getting someone to “like” your post is valuable, it’s even more valuable to get them to react. You want someone to “love” your post or be “wowed” by it; all reactions are given more weight than the standard “like.”
Comment Replies: Again, it’s all about generating a conversation. If someone is replying to comments on your post that means there are discussions that are branching off of the content you made. That’s exactly what Facebook wants.
Sharing Links over Messenger: Getting someone to share your post is awesome, but getting them to send a link to their friends, which you shared originally, is even better. This is mainly because it takes more effort and shows a genuine desire to continue the conversation.
Engagement on Shares: Try to take a share one step further by getting people to comment and react to the shared post
How to Increase Your Organic Social Reach
While there is no way to “game” the Facebook algorithm, there are specific steps you can take to improve your content and increase the chances that your audience will see it. This mainly comes down to the type of content you post and the way you post it.
Video is favored in the new algorithm, especially live video. On average live videos get six times as many interactions as regular videos
Posting in Facebook groups has always been an effective way of getting your content in front of the right audience, but it’s even more important now that the algorithm has changed. Posting in a Facebook group lets you focus on specific topics and answer questions, increasing the likelihood of sparking a larger discussion.
Localize your content. People are more likely to engage with your content if they can relate to it.
Get users to follow your page. Be providing incentives for following you, or just creating great content that people genuinely want to see, your posts are much more likely to appear in front of people. Running Facebook ads can also generate more page follows and get your organic content in front of more people
From working with numerous businesses and keeping an eye on our industry, we see a lot of mistakes when it comes to Facebook strategy or lack thereof. So in addition to the things you should be doing, you should avoid the following:
Posting just for the sake of posting. We see a lot of small businesses that have a social presence for no other reason than, well, everyone else is doing it. Before posting anything you need to determine if your audience is even on Facebook. Then come up with a strategy, actionable goals, and a consistent voice.
Posting too frequently. It’s better to post once a week than five times a week if that one post is high quality and generates a conversation.
Baiting engagement. Explicitly asking people to comment for irrelevant reasons is a signal to Facebook that you’re trying to manipulate the system and will result in your content being demoted.
Driving people off of Facebook. Facebook used to prioritize click-throughs as a valuable action, but that is no longer the case. Having links in your posts isn’t universally bad, but if you’re only posting links to other websites you should mix it up.
Posting the same content on all social platforms. What you post on Facebook should be different than what you put on Instagram and Twitter. Curate your content to the strengths of each platform and their respective audiences.
If you’ve been posting every single day just to get something out there, take a break and think about the big picture: where does your audience spend their time, what kind of content would they engage with, and what do you hope to achieve on social? Posting every single day just to do it will ultimately hurt more than help, so it’s critical to answer these questions first.
Already addressed these questions? Then start facilitating conversations with your audience! Post videos, relate an upcoming event with your community and answer questions on Facebook groups. Take things one step at a time and gauge what content and groups generate the most engagement. Keep an eye on your metrics and continually tweak things to create an optimal approach.
Keeping up with the Facebook algorithm is no simple task because it is changing constantly. The strategies that work today may be ineffective in a few months. For that reason, it’s important to continue educating yourself and to keep an eye on the news coming from Facebook and other social platforms.
No strategy is foolproof, but the tips covered here will give you a place to start.
Jakob’s Law
Von Restorff Effect
Serial Position Effect
Law of Prägnanz
Miller’s Law
Zeigarnik Effect
Parteo Princple
Doherty Threshold
Hick’s Law
Postel’s Law
1. Search & SEO Trends
1a. What Are Local Services Ads?
1b. The Importance of Your Google My Business (GMB) Profile
2. Content Marketing Trends
2a. 10x Content
3. Social Media Trends
3a. Decline of the News Feed
3b. Rise of Stories
3c. Growth of Instagram
4. Transparent Marketing
5. Other Trends for 2019
1. Marketing Returns to People
2. Newsletters
3. Conversational Marketing
4. Building Private Communities
5. Social Media Detoxes
6. Interactive Content
7. AI + ML in Email
8. Crowded SERPs for Local Biz
9. Evolution of Skyscraper Content
10. Smart Bidding in Google Ads
11. In-Person Attribution + Tracking
12. Microinfluencers
13. Stories Keep Growing
14. Importance of Marketing Tech
15. Google Focusing on NLP
16. Serifs + Branded Illustrations
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2020 Digital Marketing Trends
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Using Social Platforms to have Conversations with Your Audience
TJ Deluccia1 month ago
What Is a Consultative Sales Approach?
Taylor CraigDecember 18, 2018
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Top Guangzhou Hospital Does Roaring Trade in Executed Prisoner Organs
Jan. 27, 2005. Chinese police escort a group of 30 prisoners for a public sentencing rally in Hangzhou, as part of a lunar new year anti-crime campaign. Photo: AFP
HONG KONG—A top university hospital in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou is carrying out a lucrative trade in liver transplants using organs harvested from executed convicts.
The No. 1 and No. 3 Hospitals affiliated to the prestigious Sun Yat-sen University have a reputation for the highest success rate in kidney and liver transplant operations in the country, but their business thrives on a shady source—the organs of executed prisoners, which are often removed even before they are dead.
Organs from the execution ground
In an interview with Radio Free Asia's Mandarin service, nurse at the No. 3 Hospital said: "Mostly, yes," when asked if transplant organs were taken from the bodies of executed prisoners.
Asked if the organs were removed from the bodies before death, she replied: "Of course they are."
"They are living organs...very healthy," the nurse told RFA reporter Fang Yuan.
Rights groups have long charged China with a deliberate policy of linking the criminal justice system and local hospitals in an attempt to meet growing demand for transplants since Chinese hospitals became proficient at them in the early 1990s.
They also accuse the authorities of skipping over the question of consent, either with coerced agreements before the prisoner is executed, or simply by cremating the bodies of those executed so no evidence remains.
'We've been doing it like that for ages'
Rights groups say China executes more people than the rest of the world put together, with some estimates putting the number executed at around 10,000 annually. Some reports say the rise in transplants has mirrored the rise in executions.
An official who answered the phone at the No. 3 Hospital's Transplant Center said a liver transplant could cost between 200,000 and 300,000 yuan (U.S.$24,000-36,000) "if all goes smoothly."
Asked if the organs came from executed prisoners, he said: "Please don't ask questions concerning these issues of supply. Anyway, we've been doing it like that for ages."
He said patients waiting for transplants could receive a liver in just a week, or if they were unlucky in a month.
Free and informed consent unusual
Asked if the organs came from living people, he said: "You don't need to concern yourselves with that. All our patients undergo the same procedures."
Beijing has previously angrily denied reports by Chinese doctors, rights groups and U.S. government officials of a system-wide trade in the organs of executed prisoners.
The official Xinhua news agency reported in March on a scarcity of transplant organs at a different hospital in the same university.
"Some people die waiting for an organ," the agency reported.
Chinese doctors giving testimony to the U.S. Congress say that wealthy foreigners traveling to China for transplants make finding an organ more difficult for Chinese patients.
Many of China's transplant customers are from Taiwan, although Taiwan hospitals have warned of a lower success rate on the mainland.
Amnesty International issued a report on organ harvesting in 1993, calling on the Chinese government to ban the practice, which it said rarely happened with the free and informed consent of the prisoner.
"The use of organs from this source continues in China, reportedly on a widespread scale," the organization reported in 1995, citing a paper suggesting that as many as 90 percent of organs used in transplantations in China came from executed prisoners.
A 1994 report from the New York-based Human Rights Watch gave further evidence of the practice, including the text of a government decree on the subject.
Original reporting in Mandarin by Fang Yuan. RFA Mandarin service director: Jennifer Chou. Translated and produced for the Web in English by Luisetta Mudie.
Original reporting in Mandarin
Just Listen: Fang Yuan's report as broadcast
RFA Mandarin's Asia Pacific Report
Related news in English
The Case of the Missing Liver: A Petitioner Speaks
Former Prisoners Describe Forced Labor in China's Coal Mines
Chinese Migrants Get Short Shrift Over Brain-Damaged Daughter
Rights Group Slams China's Execution of Uyghur Man
Human Rights Watch on organ harvesting in China
Amnesty International on executions and transplants
Official news story on organ scarcity (in Chinese)
Criminal reform in China: the official view
Sun Yat-sen University Web page
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25 Oct Best Running Backs for Week 8
Posted at 20:06h in Articles by Jon Helmkamp
Best Running Backs for Week 8
by Jon Helmkamp
Assuming you make it to your championship game (and every one of my readers should, I mean obviously), then we are halfway through this fantasy football season. Some very obvious studs are emerging, and there are some real “bust” concerns around several others. It’s time to take stock and pivot where necessary.
This week is full of outstanding running back matchups. I won’t touch on all of them, but here’s a quick list:
Dalvin Cook vs Washington (tweeted about it Thursday morning, and yeah he dominated.)
James Conner vs Dolphins
Saquon Barkley vs Lions
Aaron Jones vs Chiefs
Leonard Fournette vs Jets
There are some very, very juicy matchups this weekend. Behind those six, here are some other matchups to target and some to fade.
Let’s get into some matchups for this week.
The Best Running Backs for Week 8:
Todd Gurley – RR: 49.45
vs CIN – vsRR: 27.51
The questions around the health of Todd Gurley’s legs have been well documented, and for good reason. Clearly his usage is nowhere close to what it was in his league-shattering 2018 season. In his first eight games last year he saw 17 or fewer carries only twice, and eclipsed 20 carries in five of eight games. He also averaged 5.25 targets per game over that stretch.
In the six games that he’s appeared in this season, he has seen 15 or less carries in four of those six games, and has yet to eclipse 18 carries. In three of those games, he’s also seen only one target. He is not the RB1 of last season, but coming off that 18 carry game from last week, he’s trending in the right direction.
Against the worst run defense in the league in the Bengals, I expect his best performance of the year so far. He’s a high-end RB1 with a strong chance at an RB1 finish.
Austin Ekeler – RR: 33.71
vs CHI – vsRR: 61.43
“Jon, you’re suggesting we play a RB against Chicago?! It’s Chicago! They have the best defense in the league!” True. Chicago has an elite defense, but paired with an offense that can’t get anything going, the Bears defense is on the field a LOT. A defense can only hold up for so long. The Bears defense is on the field, on average, for 67.3 plays per game (8th worst). Compare that to the Niners, who are the league best at 50.3 plays per game.
Last week, Latavius Murray (LATAVIUS MURRAY!) put up 119 rushing yards against the Bears, and that was coming off a bye week. Two weeks ago, Josh Jacobs got his first career 100+ yard game against them with 123 rushing yards. The Bears vsRR is being heavily buoyed right now by early-season performances. When you factor in Ekeler’s high usage in the passing game (7.57 tg/game), Ekeler has a very safe usage floor. He might not put up huge rushing totals for you, but his overall involvement against a tired defense bodes very well. Ekeler is an RB2.
The Worst Running Backs for Week 8:
Christian McCaffrey – RR: 51.14
vs SF – vsRR: 52.85
I know, I know, it’s Christian McCaffrey. I get it. If you own him, you play him, no matter the matchup, and especially in PPR formats. That said – against strong rushing defenses, his numbers have taken a dip this season. They’re still strong, but they’re not as strong. Tampa Bay held him to 37 and 31 rushing yards in the two games they played him this season. His passing game usage, like Ekeler, gives him a higher floor and a higher ceiling, but this Niners defense is unreal. They get off the field in a hurry, opposing offenses don’t get many opportunities to score against them, and they have elite playmakers at every level.
Like I said before, you always play CMC, no matter the matchup – but his floor is lower in this game than it is in most. With the other great matchups across the league this week, I think it’s possible we see CMC outside the top-12 at the position.
Chris Carson – RR: 53.57
vs ATL – vsRR: 62.95
I’m going against the grain on this one. Most experts have Carson ranked very highly this week, and for good reason. The offense as a whole has been putting up a lot of points, and the Falcons passing defense has been soft, which could set the tone for a lot of red zone opportunities this weekend. I get it. When you look at Atlanta’s vsRR score, which is 7th best in the league, it paints another story. They’ve been very efficient against the run this year, and if their pass rush can make life difficult for Russell Wilson against a banged up offensive line, they might find themselves getting off the field more than they have lately.
I think this game is going to be closer than most expect (with a huge caveat on Matt Ryan playing for Atlanta in this one). Carson still holds good upside, but expectations should be tempered to an RB2 level.
David Johnson – RR: 38.29
vs NOR – vsRR: 50.01
There was nothing more infuriating in all of fantasy football last week than the cloak and dagger that the Cardinals pulled on all of us with David Johnson. He was active, he was supposed to be ready to go, he saw the first carry of the game… and then never touched the ball again.
It was a great reminder that these teams are not out there for our fantasy football amusement, but rather to strategize and try to win real life football games. Some took offense to their move, but I laughed and applauded their sportsmanship. Declaring David Johnson out early would have given the Giants the opportunity to plan accordingly, but instead, they kept them on their toes and Chase Edmonds had a career day (27 carries, 126 rushing yards, 3 TD).
This week, the Cardinals signed not one, but two running backs to their roster – Alfred Morris and Zach Zenner. It bodes very poorly for David Johnson, both from a weekly perspective and also potentially in the long term as well. Johnson has been declared a game-time decision for this week. Even if he’s active, I can’t possibly trust that the Cardinals will use him and give him a viable workload for fantasy purposes. Much like last week, it’s very possible he sees only a handful of touches. I’m avoiding Johnson at all costs, especially against the Saints defense, which hasn’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in 33 straight games. Leave Johnson on your bench.
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Austin Ekeler, best running backs for week 8, Christian McCaffrey, David Johnson, Fantasy Football, Phillip Lindsay, Rush Rating, Saquon Barkley, Todd Gurley
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Kygo Raises Over $110,000 for LBGTQ Community
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Gia’s Track of the Week
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UFC 66: Liddell vs. Ortiz 2
The Ultimate Fighting Championship explodes from Las Vegas's MGM Grand Garden Arena as light heavyweight champ Chuck "the Iceman" Liddell defends his title in a rematch against Tito Ortiz. In undercard showdowns, Forrest Griffin faces off against Keith Jardine, Chris Leben takes on Jason MacDonald, Andrei Arlovski is pitted against Marcio Cruz, Michael Bisping battles Eric Schafer, and Thiago Alves goes up against Tony DeSouza.
Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Keith Jardine, Forrest Griffin, Andrei Arlovski, Marcio Cruz, Jason MacDonald, Chris Leben, Eric Schafer, Michael Bisping, Tony DeSouza, Thiago Alves, Carmelo Marrero, Gabriel Gonzaga, Yushin Okami, Anthony Perosh, Christian Wellisch
Sports & Fitness, Extreme Sports, Extreme Combat & Mixed Martial Arts
Violent, Exciting, Gritty
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19 OCT | 18H30 | PASSOS MANUEL
Collage or compilation. Found footage film or recycled cinema. Remix or détournement. Whatever one might call it, the practice of incorporating preexistent media into new artworks engenders novel juxtapositions, new ideas, and latent connotations… often entirely unrelated to the intentions of the original makers. In that regard, such works are truly “inappropriate.” Indeed, the act of (in)appropriation can reveal unimagined relationships between past and present, here and there, intention and subversion, artist and critic, and perhaps even compel us to reexamine what it means to be the "producer" or "consumer" of visual culture itself.
Founded in 2009 and curated by Jaimie Baron, Greg Cohen, and Lauren Berliner, the Festival of (In)appropriation is a yearly showcase of contemporary, short-form, audiovisual works that appropriate existing film, video, or other media and redeploy them in “inappropriate” and inventive ways. This year marks the culmination of the Festival’s first decade, with a program that ranges from militant political documentary, uncanny TV supercuts, and raucous re-mix juggernauts, to quasi-DIY orphan film animations, haunting YouTube mash-ups oozing with existential teen angst, and a brooding digital experiment performed upon a single, black-and-white, still photograph.
GERARD FREIXES RIBERA
2017 | spain | EXP | 4’
A private conversation between a couple at a costume ball gets increasingly bizarre as the two characters reveal their true faces to each other, again and again. Delving into the archive to forage for found footage, Ribera deploys the tools of digital manipulation to warp the time and space of film history. Identity Parade, in turn, asks us to imagine the many masks we wear and how they shape our most intimate interactions. (Lauren Berliner/Greg Cohen)
NOTHING A LITTLE SOAP AND WATER CAN’T FIX
JENNIFER PROCTOR
2017 | USA | EXP | 9’
In films, as in life, the bathtub is often considered a private space for women – a place not only to groom, but to relax, to think, to grieve, to be alone, to find sanctuary. For Hollywood, though, it’s also a place of naked vulnerability, where women narratively placed in harm’s way have no escape. Using appropriated movies, this experimental found footage work deconstructs the representations of women in this domestic space as historically framed in popular film. (Jennifer Proctor)
ACTING ERRATICALLY
TUFF GUTS, HAZEL KATZ, DANIEL GOODMAN
2018 | USA | EXP | 15’
“Acting erratically” is a term typically used by law enforcement when they believe they are encountering someone experiencing mental distress. This short film explores the connections between freedom of movement and state sanctioned violence in the lives of NYC-based women and gender-non-conforming people of color by critically engaging with the archive and using found footage as metaphorical architecture. A narrative of resistance is explored through the first person by Mecca, who re-appropriates the idea of Acting Erratically as a powerful and performative response to systemic oppression and police violence. This film was made collaboratively with members of Picture The Homeless and Black Youth Project 100 (NYC Chapter). (Tuff Guts, et. al.)
NORMAL APPEARANCES
In Normal Appearances, Penny Lane’s nearly-silent recut of the reality TV show The Bachelor, we see a series of different women perform the same gestures in succession, thereby exposing not only the scripted nature of all of the movements in the show, but also the ways in which femininity itself, as narrowly defined by popular culture, is a set of performed elements that – once isolated and repeated – reveal its arbitrary nature. Even when the emotion appears to be real, the way in which the women brush away their tears indicates their learned compulsion to perform their gender according to the unspoken rules of contemporary “romance.” (Jaimie Baron)
ANNA MALINA ZEMLIANSKI
2018 | Germany | ANI/EXP | 2’
In the unearthly world of E, hand-made meets hi-tech as characters appear to consume one another with their own, trafficked likenesses. Constructing her work entirely from laser-printed film stills (approximately 770 in total) lifted from Niklaus Schilling’s 1972 horror film, Nachtschatten, Zemlianski rips, layers, and paints these images with pastels and charcoal, then scans them back together into a bracing animation set to the eponymous song (E) by the Berlin-based band, Comb. (Lauren Berliner/Greg Cohen)
ONLY THE DEAD
AARON VALDEZ
Repetition gives rise to hilarity as a dramatic male voiceover pronounces the word “dead, the phrase “where he dies,” or variations thereof over and over again in Aaron Valdez’s Only the Dead. Yet, the silliness of the supercut form is countered by the awareness that we are looking – however briefly and obliquely – at images of actual dead bodies aired previously on the reality show The First 48. The televisual iconography of real human death – a motionless hand or foot, a spatter of blood, a slumped body only partially visible behind a door – is articulated as an impoverished vocabulary for representing genuine trauma. In this film, each cut is literally correlated with the extinguishment of a human life. (Jaimie Baron)
DERIVATION OF THE MEAN LIFETIME
PHOEBE TOOKE
A single black and white photograph of scores of children sprawled in a field of grass, shot from overhead and at an appreciable distance. Slowly, subtly, a series of “meditative gestures” (as the artist refers to them) begin to “animate” the stillness of the original image. Something has gone awry. Time and loss pervade the stillness, though nothing appears to have changed… or has it?.. The result is a deeply evocative, disquieting investigation of attention, memory, disappearance, and human folly, made all the more poignant (if no less mysterious) by the revelation of the photo’s title and date at the end of the work. (Greg Cohen)
DRIVE WITH PERSEPHONE
MILLE FEUILLE
2018 | Canada | EXP | 10’
On the most basic of levels, Drive with Persephone recasts the ancient myth of Persephone’s abduction in the language of YouTube “drive-with-me” vlogs. On closer inspection, the work is so much more, perhaps above all in its compassionate register of the perils and exultations of adolescence, and the wisdom and cruelty of old age. A timely, potent rumination on the enduring, immutable cycle of life and death, Mille Feuille’s video confronts—with a mixture of stoicism and defiant hope—the unmooring of social life in our apparently hyper-connected world. (Greg Cohen)
BRICE BOWMAN
At the outset of Brice Bowman’s Sand, the frame of the rephotographed home movies that furnish the raw material for his film appears shunted slightly towards the lower right quadrant of the screen. It is a harbinger of the spectral, mesmerizing experiment to ensue, alerting us to the uncanny sense of loss that comes with the recovery of private documents. Here, the medium of film is adapted to the format of the family album… in this case one that is scavenged from an estate sale, a flea market, a rummage store somewhere. To the vaguest sounds of beach-goers and ocean waves, we scroll and scan, sift and sort—turning slowly here, flipping more quickly there—through a humble catalogue of past lives and forgotten places, in all their affecting, comforting anonymity and triviality. (Greg Cohen)
THE WAS
2016 | Australia | EXP | 13’
A sample-based video for now, about the time before now. Part experimental film, part music video and concept album, The Was is the collaborative meeting of Australian sample artists Soda_Jerk and The Avalanches. Constructed from over a hundred rotoscoped film samples, The Was is a de/tour de force through the neighborhoods of collective memory. (Soda_Jerk)
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HomeArticlesBanjoATCHawthorneWebAboutContact
Why I Continue to Use Expression Web
June 6, 2017 - It's All About Projects
Microsoft's Expression Web product, the descendant of Vermeer Technology's FrontPage Web site editor, was discontinued nearly five years ago. Upon its demise, Expression Web 4 (EW4) was posted on Microsoft's Web site as a free download and is still there.
I'm still using it to build Web sites. (So are a lot of others.)
Most PHP developers will consider it heresy that I'm not using a "serious" tool, like JetBrains' PhpStorm IDE, to do my work. They have a point. I have my reasons.
Let's get one thing out of the way right away. Am I somehow locked into using Expression Web? Is that the reason I'm still using it?
Dynamic Web Templates
The answer is yes. I am using a feature introduced in FrontPage (FP) 2003 called Dynamic Web Templates (DWT), a feature also supported to this day by Adobe Dreamweaver. Despite the name, DWTs are static templates that EW4 knows how to manage. It's a very simple idea - pages are attached to templates and whenever the master template is updated, so are all the attached pages.
The key disadvantage of this kind of template comes with sites having a very large number of attached pages. A template change means that each page must be updated and then uploaded to the live site. The update process is dependent on the speed of the developer's computer; ten years ago that would have been painful for a site with several hundred attached pages but today it's a minor inconvenience. The same is true for uploading; ten years ago I had DSL and now I have FIOS, 100 times faster.
The truth is that the sites I build don't have hundreds of pages. A more typical number is 25, sometimes less. Why? Because the sites I build are driven by a content management system (CMS). A site with hundreds of product pages actually has one or sometimes two actual PHP-driven, template-attached pages that serve all product-related pages. For example, product X and product Y are displayed using the same page. It is back-end CMS code that determines the content of the page at any given time.
It is also the case that my DWTs do not have a lot of content. Instead of placing all the code for a main menu into the template, the template includes a PHP file that contains the code needed to emit the menu. Changes to the menu are made to that file, not the template. This means the template changes very rarely. And that means the primary use of the template is to create new pages when necessary.
This may seem old-fashioned but it is very simple and very effective. It has a singular advantage over truly dynamic template systems (e.g., Smarty) in that all the template work is done with EW4, at "compile" time. With a dynamic system, the work is done in real time, on every served page.
I am not really locked in to DWTs. I could easily adopt one of the popular template systems or build my own. I just don't see the need to bother.
A Web site is a collection of files that are interrelated. As a simple example, an HTML file may reference a CSS file or a JavaScript file. The collection of files represents a project. For FP/EW, a project is contained in a single folder.
The single-folder organization is helpful because backups and archives are as simple as they could be. More important, FP/EW know the scope of a project and can thus perform operations (such as searching) within that strict context. For straight HTML/CSS/JS sites (i.e., not heavy PHP), EW4 understands that a CSS file applies to a given page, can preview the page, and can open files by clicking on their links in other files.
This is simple project management but it has proven itself for as long as I've been using FP/EW. It is vastly better than using a standalone editor with no project context and there are a lot of such programs. I rely on EW's handling of projects and, for now, do not want to walk away from it.
FrontPage primarily had an HTML editor, with some provision for JavaScript and CSS. After six years in the Microsoft camp and the release of FrontPage 2003, the editor had evolved to be closer to the Visual Studio style. In 2003 I considered it excellent and today I consider it very good. I have never felt a strong need to use a different editor for my code. I still consider this a strong point of EW4.
That said, a key feature of a programmer's IDE is extensive knowledge of the language(s) being used. This is where EW4 is weakest because, as a dead project, it is not getting updated as languages advance. EW4 knows about HTML5 and CSS3 to an extent but not fully. EW4 has IntelliSense for PHP but not for the most current versions of the language.
The fact that I continue to use EW4 tells you that I am getting journeyman's work out of the EW editor and could continue to use it as is. Nonetheless, my productivity is falling a bit because after building sites for so long I have a deep reservoir of code with hundreds of functions and classes and methods. I need better support for PHP than EW provides and I'll be writing about what I've decided to do in a following article.
I confess to a certain amount of laziness with respect to EW4. It meets most of my needs, is straightforward, and I'm very used to it. If I decided to do something differently, perhaps to abandon the DWT in favor of another method, I'd have to consider what that meant for all the sites I've deployed for clients. Those sites are running fine and it's very easy for me to install updates to my core software at any time, usually with no disruption. What would be gained by changing my approach now?
For the moment, at any rate, I plan to continue to use Expression Web as my central tool. What I will be changing is the editor I use. Because EW can launch an external editor for any file type, I can use a third-party editor to deal with PHP, the most important language I use and the one where programming productivity is crucial.
I only see one risk, a new version of Windows in which EW4 will not run. I am expecting this to happen at some point. I'll deal with the problem when it's a problem.
Tags: Expression Web, PHP, Programming
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From VHS
V/H/S: Viral is a Weird, Wild Ride
V/H/S: Viral. 2014. Directors: Marcel Sarmiento, Gregg Bishop, Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead, and Nacho Vigalondo (the Blu ray release will include the segment “Gorgeous Vortex” directed by Todd Lincoln).
Starring Emmy Argo, Emilia Ares Zoryan, Justin Welborn, Amanda Baker, Gregg Bishop, Nick Blanco, Dan Caudill, Stephen Caudill.
Magnet Releasing.
Rated R. 82 minutes.
Click on the titles for my previous reviews on the Blu ray releases for V/H/S & V/H/S/2. So apparently a few people, for some reason, can’t get why I’ve given this movie such a high rating. I’ll attempt to explain it even further than I already have just in case any anonymous people once again have problems reading my review.
This is probably the most misunderstood and maligned entry in the V/H/S series. I never judge a movie by its rating online, or anywhere for that matter, but IMDB for instance has this somewhere around a 4 out of 10 star rating (IMDB, unfortunately, is mostly only great for finding titles/actors/et cetera – the ratings are ridiculous on there). I think that is such a nonsense rating. This is a worthy entry in the series, and it’s also a good, innovative horror movie. People don’t see it right now. I get that – or no, no – I don’t get it, actually. I really don’t understand because I think this is the film where the whole concept of the V/H/S series comes to life, full steam blowing ahead.
I think it’s misunderstood simply because I don’t know why people prefer the other V/H/S films over this one. I love them all, but this installment has the most unique segments, and it’s definitely the most exciting in terms of energy; I never felt any sort of lag in this movie.
But who am I? Just a lowly cinephile in a horde of horror fans.
The wraparound segment in V/H/S: Viral is definitely an interesting one. I wasn’t sure on the first viewing if I really dug it or not; things felt very chaotic and I wasn’t sure if it worked. Then, once I went back and watched this once or twice more, I started to really get into the whole segment (its official name is “Vicious Circles”) because it sets up the whole viral angle from the title; not only the main character’s intentions of being “a part of something bigger” than himself, but also just in how the videos come to is, as if transmitting around through cell phones wireless by way of this strange ice cream truck that’s rampaging through the streets on the run from authorities. It felt weird on the first watch, but second time around I started to really pay attention more, and I thought it worked very well to setup the whole film’s theme.
There are some real brutal moments in this segment, as well. Particularly, I really loved the scene where one kid is being dragged along from the back of the ice cream truck – his feet are flailing around awhile until finally they start scraping wildly along the pavement, and the sound is just disgustingly great, becoming only flying flecks of blood and bone. It’s one of the few moments in any film where I’ve literally cringed because of how it made me feel. A painful-looking moment. Loved it.
The first short directed by Gregg Bishop is called “Dante the Great”. It centers around a magician, Dante (Welborn), who came into possession of a mysterious cloak (one formerly owned – apparently – by the great Harry Houdini but got sold because it frightened him). The cloak allowed him to do crazy, normally unattainable feats. But soon, it’s obvious there is something sinister driving the cloak and behind all its magic. Eventually, Dante kills people in pursuit of being the ultimate magician. I won’t say any more – you need to see this for yourself!
I really loved this segment. It’s my second favourite of the lot. The story itself is just really innovative in terms of horror – there aren’t too many horror movies out there (though a couple of questionable quality do exist) dealing with magicians. Why is it innovative? First off, “innovation” is defined as being “something new or different introduced”. So for starters, I began with saying there aren’t too many magician-themed horror movies. A user on IMBD had a particular problem with my review, which is fine. However, he commented that nobody wants to see a horror movie about magic “because it sucks and no one wants to see that *beep*” – I guess if that’s considered an explanation, then sure. For some of us, “Dante the Great” was unique in that a horror story about a magician is rarely done & I don’t think we’ve ever seen a found footage film about magic – correct me if I’m wrong. If this is the first magic-themed found footage movie then that alone is fairly innovative. It didn’t suck for me in any way. In a sea of horror movies, there are so many fast-forward-worthy films; the ones you just want to skip over until they’re done. For me, V/H/S: Viral had none of those moments. If it did for you, that sucks. “Dante the Great” in particular is one of the better offerings in this installment.
I really dig this one. Bishop really uses the camera in some interesting and fun ways. A lot of people seem to get their brain in a twist over “who has the camera” and such things – but by using a magician and a supernatural-type cloak as the center of the plot, Bishop is able to not worry about all those little things. Because it’s about the magic! Dante can do anything. He proves this time and time again. Some of the scenes involving the police, specifically when they cuff Dante and put him in the back of the car, are just absolute perfection. The plot is great enough, but just the visual effects and the camerawork alone are worth the price of admission here. Really impressed by Bishop here, and hope to see some more fresh work from him in the near future.
Right off the bat, I absolutely love Nacho Vigalondo’s filmmaking. He is a special voice in a sea of horror films. Of course he loves time travel, so it’s no surprise his segment “Parallel Monsters” draws on elements of time travel, alternate universes (et cetera) to help him craft an expertly creepy, odd, and at times weirdly funny horror short. This one is about a guy who has built some sort of machine which allows him to essentially open a door and look into an alternate universe; through the door, he sees himself. We begin here as the man decides to finally switch places with the alternate version of himself on the other side. They agree to meet back there and switch over once more at a certain time. However, things get very weird for the man when he discovers the alternate universe into which he’d been peering is not at all what it seems. On the surface, at first it seems a little sexy, but slowly it devolves into the man’s discovery of a terrifying universe where nothing is sexy – and everything, especially sex, is awfully scary.
Vigalondo really knocks it out of the park with this one. I don’t know where he came up with this, but that man’s brain is genius – when he passes away, hopefully at a very old age, we should take that brain and preserve it, let future filmmakers study it/him. I can’t get over this segment. I really love, and own a copy of, his film Timecrimes. He does such an amazing job with the concept of time travel, et cetera. I don’t know if it’s just something he’s always been interested in, or it’s a concept he got into because it lent itself to very interesting horror movies – whatever the reason, I’m glad he loves it. When we finally get a look at some of the ‘people’ in this alternate universe, after they appear in their true forms, it is some of the scariest shit I’ve ever seen. Honestly. I was horrified. Once again, apparently this makes me crazy. I’m 30-years old, I’ve seen over 4,000 films, but because I’m terribly creeped out by something another person finds subjectively unscary I must be 12. OH – I’m sorry – have you been to the alternate universe where people have glowing faces, women’s vaginas are huge claw-like traps, and dicks are dripping, hair werewolf arms? Well, I apologize. The rest of us were disturbed by this. We’ve not yet been granted the ability to cross over into other universes and experience what life is like for the people there. Guess I’ll have to book a trip before watching any of Vigalondo’s movies from now on.
This segment is the best one in this film. It’s also the best segment overall in any of the V/H/S movies so far (I hope they continue to make more) – without any doubt. Anybody who disagrees? That’s fine. I love when people have differing opinions. I just agree to disagree. Even if they make another great V/H/S movie I doubt I’ll have a new favourite. “Parallel Monsters” is just so creepy, and a lot of fun.
The next segment is “Bonestorm” directed by Justin Benson & Aaron Moorehead, of whom I’m a fan (they did the excellent modern horror Resolution and the fantastic Spring). I enjoyed this one mostly because of nostalgia – I spent a lot of my teen years beating around the streets in my town skateboarding with my friends although that was in the late 90s and we mainly just had actual cameras. I actually still have some of the snapshots I took of my buddies and I doing lame tricks. Loved that stuff. “Bonestorm” is basically just the story of some skateboard kids, one who of course has a gun (maybe a little gun commentary on America in there? I don’t know but it works!), who end up going into Mexican cult territory just across the border where they encounter some very scary people. This ends up in an all out blood bath where the young skateboard kids, the two who aren’t immediately killed, fight for their lives against a creepy group of cult-like worshippers (whose blood boils and catches fire, et cetera). It’s pretty wild.
I liked this segment, but it wasn’t all perfect. Though a lot of the young kids’ dialogue worked because they were young, some of it felt so forced and awkward. I wasn’t totally put off. Some of what they said was awesome, especially once the big fight starts going down. I loved how one kid went and switched on their music – says so much about our culture nowadays, and more so the younger kid – can’t even murder a bunch of weird skeleton people without putting on some tunes.
On the surface, “Bonestorm” sort of looks to be a real big excuse for blood and guts without much to it, but it’s more than that. First, we get a natural reason for the cameras, which sometimes is often an aspect fumbled in found footage; with the kids being skateboarders, especially in modern day, it’s only normal at least one of them has a GoPro or some type of recording equipment. I mean, one of them has a gun – not hard to believe they’d also have access to cameras. Second, I found it to be a good subversion of what we often see in horror – the monsters, or the villains (whatever they happen to be), don’t just rise up and obliterate everything, or at least not in total dominance. Instead of turning and running, the skateboard kids fight back. One even switches on their music, so they’ll have something to fight to – a soundtrack. Benson and Moorehead could’ve simply stuck with the kids running away, trying to escape all this scary stuff going on. Instead, they turn and fight. One of them sort of goes mental, which was hilarious. But it’s the end that caps it all off.
I thought the end of this segment was really awesome. Some people think it ripped off “Safe Haven” from the previous film, however, I think it went well with the whole cult vibe going on, and maybe it was more so meant as an homage. I don’t think, other than one part of the end, this resembled Gareth Evans & Timo Tjahjanto’s short from V/H/S/2. It fit well here for me because just as the two skateboarders think they’ve really kicked some ass and driven all those skeletal cult members into the ground, this (I don’t want to ruin anything so I’m keeping it vague) “thing” appears. Very cool.
This is absolutely my favourite of the three V/H/S films. I can say that in absolute confidence. Not only are the ideas big, they are well-executed. I don’t know why I’ve seen some of the complains about this entry into the series that I have, granted some of that is mostly banter I see around the internet. I think all three of the shorts are great. The wraparound segment is pretty good, but there are also some parts I didn’t like a whole lot. I wasn’t a big fan of the moment in “Vicious Circles” where we land with the Latino gangsters – not that I have anything against the Latino gangsters, I just felt it sort of went too stereotypical, and also made them look really bad (misogynistic and very trash all around). It just didn’t flow with the rest of the wraparound. They should have tried to include less switching from camera to camera stuff, which is why they put this portion in, but it just comes off as too much; trying to cram all these bits into one. They might as well have just went ahead and included Todd Lincoln’s segment anyways, and cut some of the fat off those spots.
Regardless, I think V/H/S: Viral is easily the best in all aspects of the three films, so far, in this horror anthology series. I know I’m in the small minority, but usually I am when it comes to underrated films, or at least films I see as underrated. I think the ideas in the shorts themselves, mainly “Parallel Monsters” and “Dante the Great”, are so unique. That’s what a series like V/H/S needs if they want it to continue to have any sort of longevity. Otherwise, people will really bore with the whole concept. To me, it seems like a lot already are tired by it, but I think this is going to see better life on Blu ray, et cetera. Once people give the three films more time to sink in (it feels to me like they were almost rushed out in succession though I really love the series anyways), I really believe it’s going to hit people differently. I already love them. However, sometimes you have to give the general public awhile to digest certain movies. Maybe this will be one of them.
Right now, I suggest you watch it. I hope you’ll enjoy it. And either way, hit me up – we’ll discuss. Don’t just talk shit on the message boards. Don’t just say “the movie sucks” & half-quote what I’ve said trying to make your case. If you think it’s bad, share your thoughts – tell me! I know I’m in the minority, but that being said don’t expect me to give your opinions any type of equal weight in consideration if you can’t sensibly and sociably discuss a film. That’s what movies are all about.
Words: Father Gore
Horror Anthology
V/H/S: Viral
VHS Viral
Aaron Moorehead
Brad Miska
Dante the Great
V/H/S 2
V/H/S Viral
Seek & Ye Shall Find
The Juiciest Gore
The Twisted Parallels of Cinema— A Series
Father Son Holy Gore’s Interview with Larry Fessenden
[Trailer Debut] NEW WOMAN: Newfoundland Short Film Goes Gothic
SUSPIRIA Bathes in (Blood &) the Power of Women
“No more pain, no more death”: Fatalism, Free Will, & Fighting the Past in THE RITUAL
Destructive Legacies of Fatherhood in Larry Fessenden’s DEPRAVED
Jenn Wexler’s THE RANGER: A Punk Rock Manifesto for Women
BLOOD RAGE’s Gory Freudian Nightmare
Make a Case #2— Wes Craven’s SHOCKER (1989)
FEAR: Queasy Male Jealousy and Patriarchal Control
PEEPING TOM Implicates Us All
STARFISH’s Apocalyptic Grief and Unexplored Spaces
An Interview with STARFISH Director Al White
HEREDITARY’s Dark Heart of Grief and Mental Illness
Trip Into a Horror of ’80s Fears with MANDY
UPGRADE: The Abject Anxieties of Bodies + Technology
[Essay]”Fear is a place”: SESSION 9’s Gothic Madness in Uncanny Places
KILL LIST: Gothic Nationalism’s Violent Erasure of Modernity
UNSANE Exposes Our Sad Society of Disbelief for Women’s Realities
Violent Evolution + Cycles of Life/Death in ANNIHILATION
VENOM: Socialism’s Accidental Super-Antihero
BORGMAN: Kabbalah and Marx in the Garden of Eden
[Video]Father Gore’s 5 Scary Flicks
SLEEPAWAY CAMP and the Horror of Enforcing Gender Roles
SLICE: Mediocre Horror Doubles as Killer Modern Satire
PYEWACKET— Or, How to Destroy Yourself + Others with Grief
Unhealthy Fetish + Sexualised Trauma in Brett Leonard’s FEED
FRONTIER(S): Post-WWII Gothic and Political Invasion of the Body
Prayers to a Consumer God: American Decay + Ideological Control in THEY LIVE
Taking Back the Night with MS. 45: Gendered Fear in City Spaces
Multicultural Hope from the Gutters of America in LOWLIFE
[Essay]Stephen King— Modern Folklorist and Old School Storyteller
The Male Gaze & Violent Religion in REVENGE
BLOODLANDS: An Albanian Parable
ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK: Carpenter’s Hyperviolent Dystopian Prison State
[Essay]FUNNY GAMES: Confront Yourself
THE FIRST PURGE is a Dark Mirror of Current America
Hidden Digital Lives in SEARCHING
SADIE and the Child Soldiers of America
TYREL: Relative Terror in Black/White
CAM: This (Postmodern) Woman’s Work
Mackenzie and Pine De-Mythologise Robert the Bruce in OUTLAW KING
Damaged Masculinity + Small Town Fates in BACK ROADS
“We should have never come to this house”: Freud’s Uncanny & the Modern Gothic in SINISTER
Transgenerational Wounds of Post-Pinochet Chile in TRAUMA
The Gorgeous Face of Catharsis in HAPPY FACE
Dichotomies of Violence: Abuse, Autonomy, and BDSM in Nicolas Pesce’s PIERCING
HBO's The Outsider
Siren— SEASON 2 FINALE: "New World Order"
Siren - Season 2, Episode 14: "The Last Mermaid"
The Hills Have Eyes II: Horny Mutants
The Outsider - Episode 2: "Roanoke"
Father Gore on FB
Father Gore
Father Gore is first and foremost a passionate lover of film— especially horror. He's also a PhD candidate at Memorial University of Newfoundland with a concentration in postmodern critical theory. He wrote for Film Inquiry frequently during 2016-17, and is currently contributing to Scriptophobic in a column called Serial Killer Celluloid focusing on film adaptations about real life murderers. As of September 2018, Father Gore is an official member of the Online Film Critics Society, and as of April 2019 he's currently listed as a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. He has covered major film festivals such as Fantasia Festival and Fantastic Fest. During September 2019, Father Son Holy Gore will be one of several media outlets helping to present Randfilmfest in Germany.
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FinTech Plays a Crucial Role in Singapore’s Economy; Be Part of it
by Company Announcement August 7, 2018
Despite being small countries, both Switzerland and Singapore are renowned for a high degree of innovation.
In 2018, Switzerland has been ranked number one by the Global Innovation Index for the eighth year in a row while Singapore is the most innovative country in the world outside Europe and ranked fifth in this year’s ranking.
According to the Business Times, the Southeast-Asian state was “the best performer for political stability and safety, market capitalisation, foreign direct investment inflows, high and medium-high tech manufacturing and high-tech net exports.”
Switzerland on the other hand scores particularly high in the category ‘knowledge and technology outputs’ as the Swiss have the highest ratio of European patent applications to population. One goal of the F10 FinTech Hackathon in Singapore is to join forces in technological innovation and facilitate an exchange between experts in FinTech.
Singapore is Switzerland’s most important trading partner in South East Asia and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs states that “Singapore and Switzerland enjoy excellent relations.
Over 400 Swiss companies, particularly software companies and banks specialising in wealth management or private banking, have a regional office in Singapore thanks to the favourable conditions they are offered. The sponsors of the F10 FinTech Hackathon SIX (the Swiss Stock Exchange), Julius Baer, Zuhlke, and ERI Bancaire have regional offices in the city-state and play an important part in bridging the gap between Asia’s and Switzerland’s FinTech ecosystems.
Financial stability is a key prerequisite for the functioning of a national economy and an investment-friendly environment. Switzerland is one of the world’s most stable economies with the Swiss franc being one of the strongest currencies and Singapore’s financial system is also highly stable, the International Monetary Fund finds. Of particular relevance for the Swiss as well as the Singaporean economy is the finance industry.
In Singapore, the financial services sector grew 4.9 percent in 2017, according to the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). Ravi Menon, head of the MAS, said in a speech that
Ravi Menon
“the growth momentum has been sustained in the first half of this year and we are looking at another good year for financial services.”
He further stated that Asian economies were in a stronger position to absorb financial shocks than other regions of the world.
“Foreign reserves and bank capital buffers are larger, while financial regulatory frameworks are more robust. In addition, policymakers in Asia are more prepared to make macro-policy adjustments as needed”,
Ravi Menon explained at the media conference where the MAS annual report was presented.
Nearly one quarter of new jobs in the finance industry created by FinTech
Singapore saw a net increase of 7,800 jobs in financial services in 2016 and 2017, as stated in the MAS report.
“IT has emerged as a key functional area driving hiring demand across financial services. Some of the fastest growing job roles are in software development, cyber security, data analytics, artificial intelligence, as well as business process engineering and FinTech alone is estimated to have contributed close to 2,000 of the net jobs created during these two years”,
Ravi Menon said. In Singapore, 210 Startups operate in the FinTech area (count from the end of 2017), while there have been counted 264 FinTech Startups in in Switzerland as of July this year.
PwC’s global FinTech survey 2017 found that more players of Singapore’s finance industry see FinTech as an opportunity to differentiate their services and gain a stronger competitive advantage than their global peers. To support the growth of Singapore’s FinTech sector and help companies bring their finance technology innovations to the market more rapidly, the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) launched the so-called FinTech Fast Track initiative which provides expedited patent application-to-grant processes for FinTech inventions in April 2018.
Daren Tang
“Singapore is a place where great ideas from anywhere in the world can be commercialised. By significantly reducing the time needed to grant a FinTech patent, our innovative enterprises will be able to compete effectively through their intellectual property and use these intellectual assets to scale up and enter the world’s market”,
IPOS Chief Executive Daren Tang was quoted by Fintechnews Singapore.
Fintech is for all
Higher technology development can only happen in the long run when people from various backgrounds come together to contribute ideas and work collectively.
Fintech itself already provides opportunities from innovators from all backgrounds to collaborate on solving common real-world problems. For many who may already have a day job, hackathons make that opportunity a realisable one, providing a novel platform for designers, marketers and entrepreneurs to communicate and contribute their know-how to new problems.
Marketers may be able to use the hackathon experience, for example, to formulate new ways of designing marketing campaigns, building on the ideas and input of designers and entrepreneurs they may work with at the hackathon. Although each contributes their own particular expertise to the ideation process, they come away also understanding how collective but diverse perspectives work together to make a single product work.
Women too, provide the diversity necessary for the fintech industry to continue thriving. Although only eight percent of fintech directors in the world are said to be women, this dynamic will need to change if the industry’s long-term growth and profitability are to be maintained.
More female fintech leaders need to be raised in order to foster the entry of more women into his space. Initiatives like the Women in Fintech group within the Singapore Fintech Association or internal mentorship programs like the Women at Grab, for instance, intend to train young women leaders to be future influences on the fintech landscape.
The entry of more women leaders into fintech could also herald the entry of more fintech products designed for a female clientele. Such products are likely to see daylight only when women, who understand the target market are also those who participate in the ideation behind the offering.
Hackathons, like fintech, can’t be limited to men if customised fintech solutions are to be built for this market.
Worldwide number one in FinTech cooperation agreements
In the PwC survey, 89 percent of the Singaporean respondents – from both financial institutions and FinTech companies – expected to increase FinTech partnerships in the next three to five years. The first half of 2018 was marked by several collaborations and partnerships that are aimed at bridging FinTech ecosystems between Singapore and other jurisdictions, writes Fintechnews Singapore. The latest partnership is the deal between the Singapore FinTech Association and the FinTech Association of Japan announced in March this year.
At government level, a partnership was signed earlier this summer between government agencies from India and Singapore to boost cooperation in financial innovation with focus on cross-border payments. According to Fintechnews Singapore, India’s Department of Economic Affairs, the government of India, and MAS will establish a joint working group. MAS has also formed partnerships with the State Bank of Vietnam, the Central Bank of Egypt, and the Bank of Lithuania as well as signed numerous bilateral FinTech agreements with Hong Kong, the UK, and Australia. The MAS has signed more FinTech cooperation agreements than any other regulatory body in the world.
As written in a Business Times article, the MAS furthermore encourages collaborations between FinTech companies and financial institutions, “as smaller Startups use more agile technology to fix some deep plumbing issues plaguing traditional banks and insurers”. F10 FinTech Incubator & Accelerator has the same goal and provides financial institutions access to the most promising international FinTech Startups, radically new technologies, and business models.
The F10 Accelerator Programs have been designed for financial firms that want to reach the next level of innovation. They ultimately reduce corporations’ risks of being disrupted by new market players and to stay ahead of the fast-paced changes in the financial industry. At the Hackathon in Singapore, F10 is looking for talents beyond national borders to boost innovation, bundle the forces, and use the synergies between the Swiss and Asian ecosystems.
The best performing teams can win a golden ticket for the F10 Accelerator’s Top 25 selection of the “Prototype to Product” program and have the opportunity to become one of the Startups that are guided and supported on their journey to successful companies with sellable products or services and paying customers. The program members receive six months of training in Zurich, in close collaboration with specialists and experts from various fields.
Swiss based F10 FinTech Incubator & Accelerator will hold the first FinTech Hackathon in Singapore in September 2018. F10’s aim in organizing the 48-hour event in Singapore is to bridge the gap between the Swiss and Asian FinTech ecosystems.
Apply now for the F10 FinTech Hackathon in Singapore.
This article first appeared on f10.ch
f10 F10 FinTech Incubator & Accelerator Fintech Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) PwC
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← ON THIS DAY: March 23, 2017
Word Cloud: CONTRARY →
Our long National Shake-down continues … Whatabout The Don?
Posted on March 23, 2017 by ann summers
By ann summers
“Whataboutism,” with its sly equivalences, false parallels, and misleading analogies, can exhaust and frustrate those who confront it. Putin is an especially skillful practitioner. Now something new is happening. The American president is taking Putin’s “what about you” tactic and turning it into “what about us?” He is taking the very appealing and very American impulse toward self-criticism and perverting it.
Just watched the totally biased and fake news reports of the so-called Russia story on NBC and ABC. Such dishonesty!
â Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 23, 2017
It’s not a smoking gun, it’s a smoldering armory.
Shakedowns are always tests, whether evaluating a prototype or making a moral decision about the limits of trust, reputation, and wealth.
The nation may have finally reached that moment when reason may prevail over a slippery slope of compounded lies rather than interest. The nation might even say no to being shook down, and not soon enough.
The unicorn of “Fake News” is the whatabout of media discourse, where a claim of “total bias” trumps(sic) the normalized alternate facts of a POTUS45* White House. Whatabouting the media has tried to become the blood sport it has become in Russia. Americans have even accommodated that as RT/Sputnik becomes FoxNews/Breitbart’s “daddy”.
Devaluing rhetoric does not erase its promissory value and Trump has squandered US political and social capital, apparently 140 characters at a time.
We are now at a moment, perhaps even at that “tipping point” where the crony capitalism normalized at national scales under colonialism and imperialism, has become assimilated into the world system and the governance of kleptocrats has finally come up against democratic rule.
Lord Dampnut has shown himself to be a second rate apprentice compared to Putin because of democratic processes and even a public sphere. Trump’s failure comes from his willing sacrifice of the republic for personal gain. Similarly, the GOP has succumbed to picking up the vigorish of his racketeering and extortion, even as his AHCA threats to the GOP caucus now resemble a gangster’s threat to break limbs.
If there can be a “democratic capitalism” that can rehabilitate a failed neoliberalism, it should appear soon in the form of plea bargaining. And there will be Trump team defections with subsequent revelations.
Trump’s bagmen are now being hemmed in and these people dressed as they are, have come to the legal marketplace of America … let’s make a deal.
As The New York Times reported after Comey’s testimony:
“Mr. Comey placed a criminal investigation at the doorstep of the White House and said officers would pursue it ‘no matter how long that takes.’ ”
The lie these people promoted about Clinton and shielded about Trump are two of the biggest lies ever told in this country in service of electoral advantage.
No act of this presidency — good or bad, beneficial or detrimental — can ever be considered without first contextualizing that this presidency itself was conceived in deception and is being incubated under an extraordinary lie.
The Trump presidency is a corruption that flows from corruption. It is damned by its own damned lies.
Thanks Twitter: “Birth of the Biggest Lie” is trending! Read the column here: https://t.co/PmjGk9Vn03
â Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) March 23, 2017
Whataboutism is a term describing a propaganda technique used by the Soviet Union in its dealings with the Western world during the Cold War. When criticisms were levelled at the Soviet Union, the response would be “What about…” followed by the naming of an event in the Western world.[1][2] It represents a case of tu quoque (appeal to hypocrisy),[3] a logical fallacy that attempts to discredit the opponent’s position by asserting the opponent’s failure to act consistently in accordance with that position, without directly refuting or disproving the opponent’s initial argument.
There are a lot of killers. We’ve got a lot of killers. What do you think — our country’s so innocent?”
And so Donald Trump once again rushed to Vladimir Putin’s defense. Trump’s comments to Fox’s Bill O’Reilly this weekend closely echoed a 2015 conversation with MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough, in which Scarborough observed that Putin “kills journalists that don’t agree with him,” and Trump replied: “Well, I think that our country does plenty of killing, too.”
Apparently when someone calls Putin a killer, Trump’s response is to call Americans killers. It’s a chilling thing that our own president doesn’t seem to know or value that, in America, we don’t kill journalists or political opponents like Putin does.
But I want to focus on a different aspect of Trump’s remarks.
As others have noted, Trump isn’t simply embracing Putin’s preferred talking points. He’s adopting Putin’s favorite propaganda device — a refurbished Soviet tactic that Edward Lucas, who spent years as the Economist’s bureau chief in Russia, named “whataboutism.” foreignpolicy.com/…
Trump has in the constant iteration of the whatabout technique, now confused the normative and normalization, most recently in his ham-fisted attempt to parley his recent visit with Robert Kraft into an attack on Colin Kaepernick. The obvious goal was to divert the impeachment meme by exciting the dull sameness of Trumpian racial animus projected onto a sports entertainment medium.
And what about wasting taxpayers’ money…
Ivanka Trump has sparked outrage for the cost of her family’s spring break ski holiday in Colorado.
President Donald Trump’s daughter, her husband Jared Kushner, their children and the President’s other son Eric reportedly required 100 Secret Service agents to travel with the group for the trip.
The US Secret Service, funded by the US taxpayer, is reported to have spent $12,208 on rental ski equipment and clothing at the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club.
No, #GOP you’re not the party of fiscal conservatism with #TrumpTower & #TrumpGolfing at Mar-A-Lago on the teet. https://t.co/iEyjBdHFSg
â Ina Winona Tanka (@LadyLiberty1491) March 22, 2017
Denis Voronenkov: Former Russian MP who fled to Ukraine shot dead in Kiev https://t.co/JI0b0776aH
â The Guardian (@guardian) March 23, 2017
This entry was posted in 2016 Election, Barack Obama, Congress, Conspiracy, Corruption, DOJ, Fascists/Corporatists, Government, Government Propaganda, History, House of Representatives, Jurisprudence, Logic, Media, Philosophy, Political Science, Politics and tagged Conspiracy Theories, Crony Capitalism, Donald Trump, impeachment, kleptocracy, Media, Politics, trumprussia. Bookmark the permalink.
4 Responses to Our long National Shake-down continues … Whatabout The Don?
Chuck Stanley says:
Camp David, the traditional Presidential weekend retreat since Eisenhower first built it, has gone unused. Not glitzy enough, not enough gold painted false facade.
Most important, visitors and Secret Service don’t pay rent into the Trump family business if Camp David is used. Camp David is owned by the government and controlled by the Secret Service–so where’s the profit in that.
ann summers says:
he’s trying to low-ball them so he can buy it as surplus
wordcloud9 says:
Unfortunately, the Trump base will never believe any of the real facts about him – they have far too much invested in their belief that he will make America “Great Again” – white-racist, sexist and toting assault rifles – these are the three (wink-wink-nudge-nudge) campaign ‘promises’ he has to keep to maintain their support.
The only completely true thing Trump has said is that he could shoot down someone on the street and they would still vote for him.
However, the people who voted for him only because they believed all the fake news stories about Hillary Clinton might now be willing to listen.
Current news says that his proxies are shooting people in the street. I am beginning to lose track of the body count, but as of today, it stands at ten (10). Those are just the ones we know about.
Former Russian Lawmaker Shot Dead In Broad Daylight In Ukraine Capital (WARNING: extremely graphic photos)
As I wrote a few days ago, Trump, aka Dolt45™, is not in a position to quit even if he wanted to. He became a willing member of a club that has only one exit policy. The office of Director of the US Secret Service has suddenly become the least enviable job in the country.
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Branch Launches New Debit Card, Zero-Fee Banking
10 Oct Branch Launches New Debit Card, Zero-Fee Banking
Partners with Mastercard and Evolve Bank & Trust to offer free instant pay access, increase savings for hourly workers
MINNEAPOLIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#financialwellness–Branch, the mobile-first technology that helps employees grow financially, today announced the launch of new financial wellness tools developed specifically for hourly workers. In partnership with Mastercard and Evolve Bank & Trust (“Evolve”), Branch now offers a free, digital checking account and debit card for hourly workers to increase their financial stability.
With the new Branch Mastercard debit card and account, Branch will become the first early wage access technology to offer instant paycheck advances at no cost. Branch debit card holders can instantly access a portion of their earned wages ahead of their paycheck for free. Users will also have the ability to deposit and receive their funds without any fees or minimum balance requirements. These additions build on the application’s other features that help hourly workers address their financial challenges including budgeting tools and the ability to boost earnings by picking-up shifts.
“We’ve seen that once an hourly employee joins the workforce, their employer is their first entry into the financial system,” said Atif Siddiqi, Branch CEO. “Most traditional financial services actually make it more challenging for hourly workers to balance their finances, whether it’s expensive overdraft fees or minimum balance requirements. Given their income volatility and limited access to the support they need, we want to provide hourly workers a strong start on their financial journey and offer services that help them improve their financial wellness and save.”
“The way people work today has evolved significantly and as such we need to ensure that we are also evolving the means in which they get paid so that they continue to have access to stable and flexible solutions,” said Sherri Haymond, EVP of Digital Partnerships for Mastercard. “We are thrilled to further extend our partnership with Evolve and Branch in order to ensure that workers can receive their hard earned pay on their terms in a means that works best for their personal financial management approach.”
Branch works with employers to provide financial wellness benefits to attract and retain their hourly workforce. The enterprise program can help employers save on turnover, overtime, and paper check costs, which can cost employers up to $2-$4 per check. Branch is working with the Mastercard network and Evolve, which is FDIC insured, to issue the debit card.
“Evolve recognizes the void Branch is filling by offering this new debit card,” said Scott Stafford, President and CEO, Evolve. “We continue to sponsor partners who are leading the way in developing much needed financial services and making them available to underserved segments of the workforce.”
Users can sign up for the debit card within the application, available for download on both iOS and Android. Branch is currently working with selected enterprise partners on debit card deployment and open to all new employers for sign-up.
About Branch
Branch is a mobile-first technology that helps workers grow financially. Filling the gap for low-income working Americans that are underserved, Branch provides transparent and equitable financial services. Employees that sign up with Branch can receive a zero-fee bank account, free instant access to earned wages, and budgeting tools to help them manage their cash flow between paychecks. Employers are turning to Branch to help them attract and retain the best hourly workers, offering Branch as a free voluntary financial wellness benefit to their hourly employees. They have partnered with some of the nation’s largest employers and are adding new employers daily in retail, restaurant, logistics, manufacturing, and healthcare.
To learn more about Branch, please visit http://www.branchapp.com and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
About Evolve Bank & Trust
Founded in 1925, Evolve Bank & Trust is a best in class financial institution offering specialized services in Payment Processing Solutions, Banking, Mortgage, SBA Lending and Trust. Evolve is recognized as a global leader in the Payment Processing Industry delivering ACH, Debit/Credit Sponsorship, Card Issuance and unique technology strategies to clients around the world. Headquartered in Memphis, TN, Evolve operates retail branches throughout the Mid-South and mortgage production offices nationwide. Evolve has been voted a Top Workplace five years in a row and has been named in Inc. Magazine’s 5000 List of the fastest growing companies.
Mastercard (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com, is a technology company in the global payments industry. Our global payments processing network connects consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. Mastercard products and solutions make everyday commerce activities – such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances – easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter @MastercardNews, join the discussion on the Beyond the Transaction Blog and subscribe for the latest news on the Engagement Bureau.
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UK Foreign Office urged to update UAE travel warnings
British legal group Detained in Dubai has urged the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to update its UAE travel warnings to UK tourists in an open letter penned by the organization’s head, Radha Stirling.
“We have frequently called upon the FCO to provide more accurate information to Britons about the many risks they face in the UAE which the current advisory does not cover,” Stirling said. “It is simply not enough to warn people to obey the laws and customs, when very often the legal system itself poses a threat even to law-abiding tourists who may be subjected to false arrests, fabricated cases, forced confessions, torture, and lack of representation.”
Stirling’s letter specifically highlights the dangers inherent in the UAE’s Cybercrime laws, under which Laleh Shahravesh was prosecuted. In the letter to Permanent Under Secretary of State Sir Simon McDonald, head of the FCO, Stirling said:
“This warning is insufficient in light of the Shahravesh case, insofar as it does not explain that a British citizen can, in fact, be prosecuted if they ever visit the UAE, for posting material online in the UK which anyone inside the UAE may deem offensive.
It is vital for British citizens to be aware before traveling to the UAE that their entire social media history must adhere to UAE standards of acceptable content before they risk entering the country.”
The Cybercrime laws, she says, are irresponsibly vague and can easily be misapplied, as in Laleh’s case, in matters that have nothing to do with public endangerment, hate speech, or incitement to violence. “UAE Cybercrime laws subordinate the police, prosecutors, and courts to the tyranny of individual egos,” Stirling explained.
“If anyone in the UAE is offended by someone’s online content, even if they do not know that person, and even if that person posted the content in a different country; a criminal case can be made and an arrest warrant issued. It is an enormous threat to free speech well beyond the borders of the UAE.”
Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, arrest, arrests, Aware, Borders, Breaking Travel News, British, British citizens, britons, case, citizen, citizens, commonwealth, Content, country, courts, cover-up, criminal, current, customs, Cybercrime, dangers, Deem, detained, different, Dubai, even, explained, face, false, fco, Feature, forced, foreign, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Foreign Office, free, Free Speech, Government Affairs, Group, hate, head, highlights, history, Human Rights news, in, individual, information, inside, International Travel News, issued, IT, lack, law, laws, legal, letter, light, May, media, News articles, office, online, open, open letter, organization, People, People in Travel, permanent, police, posted, public, representation, Risk, risks, s, said, says, Secretary, Sir, social, social media, speech, standards, State, Stirling, system, threat, to, TO BE, TO DO, torture, tourism, tourists, Travel, Travel & Tourism Organizations News, Travel Destination News, travel warnings, traveling, Travelwire News, UAE, UAE Cybercrime, UAE travel news, UK, UK tourists, UK Travel News, update, violence, visit, Vital, warning, warnings, We, WHO
Keeping Alitalia airline afloat: 900 million euro bridge loan conversion
Italy’s last council of ministers have approved a new decree law with 11 new rules presented by the Minister of Economic Development, Luigi Di Maio. Among these, at the last minute, is the regulation allowing for the conversion of part of a bridge loan – 900 million euros granted to Alitalia airline in May 2017 – into equity, and, therefore, into a share package (about 15%) of the new company that will be presented by Italia Railways (FS).
In short, the go-ahead for the Treasury to become a shareholder of the new Alitalia in a scheme is official, but all has yet to be defined. At the same time, in fact, an okay was given to the extension of another month (from March 31 to April 30) to FS for the presentation of an industrial plan to the extraordinary commissioners.
The company led by Gianfranco Battisti would have preferred a longer margin that would also cover the month of May, in order to have more time to contract the entry of the other partners.
Between the Ministry of Economy and Finance (15%), FS (30-40%), and Delta (10%), a large percentage is still uncovered which has not yet met stakeholders’ approval.
With CDP, (a loan banc) Poste (the Mail Group) and Fincantieri, which have repeatedly confirmed their lack of interest in the operation, the tracks leading to China Eastern and Atlantia (Autostrade concessionaire and reference shareholder of Aeroporti di Roma) would still be alive.
Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, approval, approved, April, Aviation News, aviation-website, Battisti, Breaking Travel News, bridge, China, China Eastern, commissioners, company, confirmed, contract, council, council of ministers, cover-up, Delta, development, Di Maio, Eastern, economic, economic development, Economy, entry, equity, Euro, euros, extension, Extraordinary, Feature, Finance, Fincantieri, FS, GO!, Group, in, industrial, interest, Italia, Italy, Italy travel news, lack, last, law, leading, LED, Loan, Luigi Di Maio, mail, march, May, met, million, minister, ministers, ministry, month, more time, New, new Alitalia, new rules, News articles, official, operation, order, package, partners, percentage, plan, Preferred, presentation, railways, regulation, rules, s, scheme, Share, shareholder, short, stakeholders, The Minister, The Ministry, The Treasury, time, to, TO BE, Transportation News, Travelwire News
Arab Hotel Investment Conference is back: Why it’s so amazing
Last year, the move of the 14th Arab Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC) from Dubai Jumeirah Madinat to the neighboring Emirate Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) was a huge challenge.
Ras Al Khaimah is where? It is one-hour drive from Dubai Airport.
Arriving at midnight at Dubai Airport, and driving on a sheer endless straight highway through the desert, it certainly was an entirely new experience: no skyscrapers, no traffic jams, nothing but a totally empty highwa which is normally clogged up during the day, with only some camels walking along enroute during the night.
After the one-hour drive, all of a sudden there was a wake-up call as lights of a monumental building like a Fata Mogana (mirage) emerged from the horizon. Getting closer, it was not a Fat Mogana but the newly-opened Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
Photo © Elisabeth Lang
As the function rooms at the Waldorf Astoria hotel were not big enough to host the AHIC event with nearly 2,000 delegates, a gigantic fully-airconditioned tent was built just for this event and only for the 3 days of the conference.
We are talking about a cost of nearly 2 million dollars set in the sand for a humongous fully-equipped tent with the latest technologies – Wi Fi, a TV broadcasting studio, and a revolving stage. Just amazing!
BBC Hard Talk presenter Stephan Sackur, who had just arrived from ice-cold Moscow, was interviewing Russia’s Foreign Secretary, Sergej Lavrov, and then found himself on the beach on a revolving stage the next day with a colorful audience and an outside temperature of 45 Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit).
A red carpet was rolled out for the rulers and dignitaries of Ras Al Khaimah and the entire region with people rushing towards the AHIC village on the beach.
Ras Al Khaimah is the most authentic and UAE’s second-smallest emirate and is quietly boosting its tourism, free zones, and real estate.
Despite being the second smallest emirate in the UAE with a population of just 400,000, strong real estate and hospitality sectors, as well as corporate giants such as RAK Ceramics and Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries (Julphar) have helped RAK avoid the oil-related economic crisis of its neighbors.
During AHIC 2019’s opening, the Ras Al Khaimah ruler launched a contest to create a “unique” resort.
The ruler, Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi of Ras Al Khaimah, launched the Grand RAK Project competition which is open to delegates registered at the event.
Sheikh Saud said: “We support projects and concepts that spark creativity and place Ras Al Khaimah at the forefront of the tourism sector which aims to create a new resort that is unique to the emirate.
“Sustained growth is already the hallmark of Ras Al Khaimah’s tourism industry, and we seek to ensure this continues by utilizing our strategic tourism plan to reach well-defined targets.”
Working in teams combining hotel designers and operators, entrants will have 3 months to prepare a preliminary concept vision supported by a high-level feasibility appraisal.
The winning project will be allocated a coveted beachfront location.
The judging panel for the Grand RAK Project includes Abdullah Al Abdooli, Managing Director and CEO, Marjan; David Daniels, Director of Architecture, SSH; Filippo Sona, Managing Director, Global Hospitality, Drees & Sommer; and Kevin Underwood, Principal, HKS Hospitality Group.
While the UAE remains RAK’s strongest market, representing about 40 percent of total visitors, Europe is gaining ground. The number of German tourists to RAK grew by 53 percent last year, followed by 28.5 percent growth from the UK, 25 percent from India, and 4 percent from Russia.
The Government of Ras Al Khaimah has an established history in the tourism sector commencing with the opening of the first internationally-branded hotel back in 2001 and is galloping forward on a large scale.
With the launch of the first Arabian Hotel Investment Conference last year, the spotlight shone on Ras Al Khaimah. The program, featuring more than 100 speakers from around the world, has been curated around this year’s theme with a focus on addressing the current tensions in the owner-operator relationship, uncovering innovative approaches to business, analyzing future market demand trends, and fostering harmonious relationships between all stakeholders in order to sustain growth and prosperity
In his speech, Jonathan Worsley, Chairman of AHIC, said:
“It is evident to me that we are going through transformational change within the Middle East’s hotel investment market. As more supply comes online and the market becomes increasingly competitive, the dynamic of the owner-operator relationship has shifted. As the landscape becomes more competitive it is key that all parties are working together towards the same goals. With this backdrop in mind, together with our advisory board and partners at Insignia, we concluded that evolution in 2019 is not about creating disruptive moves but about finding constructive steps that create an environment of clarity and collaboration. Hence, we came to our 2019 theme, Synchronized for Success.
“Synchronicity not just in relationships but in the alignment of business strategy with what is happening in the broader macro-economic environment as some of the most ambitious projects of our generation are announced and social transformations, technical innovations, and shifting consumer behavior are changing the hotel investment landscape at a staggering pace.”
How can business be synced with these new dynamics?
The visionary industry leader, Stardom Speaker Sebastien Bazin, Chairman & CEO of ACCOR, will address the AHIC community on “What is your compass during times of disruption, innovation, and global turmoil?”
Conference Chair Stephen Sackur will take a break from his day job as host of HARDtalk and head back to the beach as he has been assigned one job at AHIC 2019 – to ask the questions the industry wants addressed the most so that attendees walk away with the insights they need.
Synchronized for success? Three owners and three operators will sit down with Stephen Sackur to discuss how they are “Syncing for Success.” Never in the history of the hotel industry has there been such a rapid build-up of hotel rooms. How does the industry cope and what business models are evolving that will help retain and attract more owners and investors? Stephen Sackur will present these tough questions to the operators.
Who else is there? Among the speakers are:
The Managing Director & CEO of Marjan responsible for creating and designing Ras Al Khaimah’s key freehold master plans including the spectacular Al Marjan Island, a world-class tourism development offering excellent opportunities for investors.
Abdullah Al Abdouli, Head of Investment & Finance, The Red Sea Development Company which is creating an exquisite ultra-luxury destination within a pristine 28,000 km² area that includes an archipelago of more than 50 unspoiled islands, volcanoes, desert, mountains, nature, and culture.
Jay Rosen, Chief Executive Officer, Public Investment Fund, Amaala, and ultra-luxury development that is part of an integrated approach to developing Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast focusing on wellness, healthy living, and meditation. The development will cover an area of more than 3,800 sq. km. and will target more than 2,500 hotel keys.
The Chief Executive Officer of RAK Properties has drawn regional and global interest for launching state-of-the-art luxury hotels, resorts, and malls. With more than $540 million worth of available capital, the company is behind the Anantara Mina Al Arab, Ras Al Khaimah, and the 350-key InterContinental Ras Al Khaimah Mina Al Arab Resort.
The AHIC 2019 is taking place from April 9-11 at the AHIC Village, Ras Al Khaimah.
This copyright material, including photos, may not be used without written permission from the author and from eTN.
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From airport terminal to glamorous holiday destination: Designer pop-up shop
April 6, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease
Marie France Van Damme, the Hong Kong-based designer known for her globally influenced line of luxury resort, swim, and ready-to-wear, continues to expand her presence worldwide with the opening of a Paris pop-up shop inside Le Bon Marché on May 1, which will operate through June 1. Best known for her silk caftans and timeless collection of elegant resort wear, Marie France Van Damme’s designs have become a “must-have” for the jet set and those who appreciate a timeless luxury product.
Located on the second floor of Le Bon Marché (24 Rue de Sevres, 75007 Paris, France) in the Savoir Faire department, the new 100 square-foot pop-up shop will offer Marie France Van Damme’s summer 2019 collection of ‘Dolce Vita’ essentials, including luxe day resort wear, elegant summer dresses and evening wear, glamorous bathing suits, and flowy silk caftans. The pop-up shop will be designed to mimic an airport, complete with a dashboard listing departure flight numbers. Inspired by the legendary Splendido hotel and Hotel du Cap, the installation will transport its clientele to a glamorous beach destination replete with silver coated palm trees, inflatable buoys, and branded metallic beach bags.
Designed by renowned lifestyle curator Marie France Van Damme, the shop is inspired by a concept she calls the MFVD holiday jet-set ‘Jet Pack,’ which represents a selection of featherweight garments designed to pack in a small travel bag that you don’t have to check in. As the designer guides you through her world with the perfect ‘Jet Pack’ this summer, the pieces available in the pop-up shop will take the Marie France Van Damme woman from city to resort and resort to city, and provide the best of both worlds: luxe day resort wear and chic evening looks.
“Packing can be stressful and most people are guilty of stuffing their suitcases full of items they’ll never wear, just in case. The answer is, of course, to think carefully about what to bring, and to buy cleverly. The challenge is getting the right mix, to buy things that slide perfectly from day to night, items that can be dressed up or pared down,” says Marie France Van Damme. “Like me, our customer travels around the world, and she needs to find things that will look beautiful during the day as well as at night; from the beach to a cocktail or dinner in the evening. We are honored to open a pop-up in time for the holiday season in one of the world’s most exclusive luxury shopping destinations.”
Marie France Van Damme’s new Summer 2019 collection is a return to the glamorous roots of resort wear and offers striking essentials, designed to have a wear-anywhere appeal from Portofino to Paris. Signature pieces from the new collection include metallic swimsuits, vaporous cover-ups, silk boubou caftans, and effortless summer dresses.
For the perfect look, the pop-up shop will also offer onsite beach makeup services for customers, and an opportunity to design their own one and only boubou caftan. Customers can choose from a selection in a book, one fabric and one trim, which Marie France Van Damme will then produce in her atelier. Customers who purchase the limited-edition caftan can enter a raffle to win a two-night stay at a One&Only Resort. To celebrate the opening, the store will host a series of special events.
Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: amp, and, appeal, around the world, bag, bags, based, beach, beautiful, best, book, Breaking Travel News, buy, cap, case, celebrate, challenge, check, check-in, chic, city, collection, complete, concept, continues, course, cover-up, Cultural Travel News, customer, customers, day, department, departure, design, designed, designer, designs, Destination, Destinations, Dinner, down, edition, elegant, Events, exclusive, expand, Fashion News, find, flight, floor, foot, France, France Travel News, full, getting, globally, guides, guilty, holiday, holiday destination, holiday season, Hong, Hong Kong, honored, host, hotel, in, including, inside, inspired, installation, items, jet, June, just, known, Kong, Le Bon Marché, Lifestyle, like, Limited, line, listing, Luxury, luxury resort, makeup, Marie, Marie France Van Damme, May, MFVD, most, most exclusive, needs, New, News articles, night, numbers, offer, offers, only, open, opening, operate, opportunity, pack, packing, Paris, People, presence, product, purchase, raffle, ready, represents, resort, return, right, roots, Rue, s, says, season, second, selection, series, services, Shop, shopping, shopping destinations, signature, small, Special, special events, Square, stay, stressful, striking, suitcases, summer, terminal, The Jet, The World, things, think, through, time, to, transport, Travel, Travel Destination News, travels, Travelwire News, trees, trim, up, UPS, Van, vaporous, We, WHO, win, woman, World, worlds, worldwide
1st Global Gastronomy Tourism Startup Competition: Who made the list?
The 1st Global Gastronomy Tourism Startup Competition recognizes the contribution of startups in the development of a more competitive and sustainable gastronomy tourism sector that works towards achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and its 17 SDGs.
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and Basque Culinary Center (BCC), with the support of PromPeru have announced the finalists of the 1st Global Gastronomy Tourism Startup Competition, which recognize disruptive, inspirational projects having made an invaluable contribution to innovation in gastronomy tourism.
Over 300 initiatives were submitted from over 84 countries. Finalists were selected from Japan, Spain, Israel, Italy and the Czech Republic, ranging from new technologies, community-based tourism development projects, software initiatives and innovation-driven agricultural sustainability projects; all contributing to the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The five selected startups will present their pitches to investors, gastronomy tourism experts and sector stakeholders within the framework of the 5th UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism (San Sebastian, Spain) on 3 May 2019 where the winner will be selected by a jury.
The winning startup will be invited to take part in the Culinary Action accelerator programme during the second semester of 2019, where it will benefit from the mentoring and advice of the network of experts of BCC Innovation, a workspace in LABe’s Digital Gastronomy Lab project incubator, and a grant of up to 5,000 euros to cover the cost of accommodation and travel during this period. All finalists will also be invited to present at the Ibero-American Gastronomy Fair (Miami, USA, 9-11 May 2019).
List of Finalists (in alphabetical order):
ARB (Italy)
ARB provides farms, institutions, organisations and associations with technical assistance and support for multifunctional agriculture, diversification of agricultural activities, and innovation projects in agriculture.
ARTHYLEN (Spain)
ARTHYLEN combines deep-learning and augmented reality technologies to facilitate the recognition of fresh products exposed in supermarkets, restaurants or warehouses in real time for hotels and restaurants.
BITEMOJO (Israel)
Bitemojo is an award-winning innovative mobile app that offers a self-guided culinary experience via smartphone.
DINIFY (Czech Republic)
Dinify offers a multilingual menu platform in which restaurants can publish and manage menus in multiple languages in order for travelers to read and order from restaurant menus in their native languages, no matter where they are and what their languages are.
GINKAN (Japan)
GINKAN (SynchroLife) is the world’s first social restaurant review app with artificial intelligence based restaurant recommendations and cryptocurrency token rewards.
List of Semi- Finalists (in alphabetical order):
BOTBOT (Singapore)
CLOUDSALE (Lebanon)
COOKLY (Thailand)
CULTIVIUM (Mauritius)
DINEER (Brazil)
ECOMMUNIA PLANET(Spain)
ESCAPPY TRAVEL (Colombia)
FOLLOW THE FOLK (Spain)
GET UP AND GO COLOMBIA (Colombia)
KIMEGASTROBOT (Spain)
LIMAFOODANDBOAT(Peru)
LINGVO&FOOD (France)
PLANT ON DEMAND (Spain)
POLOGASTRONOMICO (Portugal)
TERTULIA ALGARVIA (Portugal)
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D.R. Congo: African Tourism Board is a place to be according World Heritage Kahuzi-Biega National Park
The African Tourism Board welcomes Kahuzi Biega National Park as a new member. The Kahuzi-Biega National Park is a protected area near Bukavu town in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is situated near the western bank of Lake Kivu and the Rwandan border.
“The African Tourism Board is a place to be, we have been undercover for long. When you search for Congo tourism, all you hear is information about Virunga or news about poacher. We want to make a difference. Let’s unite our efforts to promote the African tourism industry.”
These are the word by De Dieu Bya’Ombe, director of the Kahuzi Biega National Park.
He explains on his membership information:
Kahuzi-Biega National Park is home to more species of mammals than Any Other Site Albertine Rift. It is the second major MOST website in the area for Both endemic species and in terms of species richness. The park HAS 136 species of mammals, Including the eastern lowland gorilla is the star and 13 other primates like chimpanzees Including endangered species, red colobus monkey, and monkeys L’Hoest and Hamlyn.
• Other extremely uncommon species of the forests of eastern DRC are present aussi Such As the giant genet ( Genetta victoriae ) and aquatic genet ( Genetta piscivora ). Characteristic mammals of the central African forests aussi live in the park as the forest elephant, forest buffalo, giant forest hog and the bongo.
• The KBNP Is located in significant year endemism zone (Endemic Bird Area) for birds APPROBATION by Birdlife International. The Wildlife Conservation Society HAS compiled a list of birds to the park in 2003 with 349 species Including 42 endemic.
• Similarly, the park aussi Was Recognized As a diversity center for plants by IUCN and WWF in 1994 with at least 1,178 species listed in the high altitude area, the lower portion still remaining in inventory.
• The park is one of The Few sub-Saharan African websites Where flora and fauna transition from low to high altitude is observable. It included courses, in fact, all of the forest vegetation from 600 m to more than 2600 m, bass Moist Forest and medium altitude forest sub mountain up montane forest and bamboo. Above 2600 m to the top of Kahuzi Biega and mountains, Has Developed montane vegetation heather harboring endemic plant Senecio kahuzicus.
• The park houses aussi Generally, not Widespread vegetation Such As swamps and altitude bogs and swamp forests and riparian areas are waterlogged at all altitudes.
Due to all above specificities of the Kahuzi – Biega national park, we are looking forwards to develop eco-tourism activities and sustainable conservancy concept which are going to inspire the next generation.
Kahuzi Biega is a world heritage site created in 1970 for the main purpose of protecting low land gorillas. Kahuzi-Biega National Park is divided into two zones connected by a narrow corridor: Rainforest Mountain (Afro-montane forest gold) on one hand, and the lowland rainforest (Guinea-Congo Relatively wet) on the other hand.
It is a scarce African region where the transition entre thesis two kinds of rain forests remained largely intact. So far, over 1178 plant species have been recorded at high altitude, making it the third Albertine Rift website in terms of species richness partner after the Virunga National Park in DRC and the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda. For cons, the lowland flora is still little known. The inventory of species endemic to the Kahuzi-Biega National Park is far from full, and we Even Discovered Many new species Belonging Mainly to the families of Balsam Orchidaceae & Purple Spurge, Araliaceae, Anacardiaceae, and many others families with one Particular species ( Fischer, 1995).
Conservation targets are the wildlife and communities at risk, and critical habitats and declining to protect. The subsidiary or auxiliary targets are a more detailed level of the target to which they are attached (parts of habitat, landscapes, media, etc.). The term key ecological attributes of the main natural characteristics of species, populations or ecosystems developed over time or as a result of natural disturbances and allow maintaining the range of conditions under which species are adapted. Furthermore, the exceptional forest cover KBNP an important carbon sink to contribute to the fight against climate change.
Talking about tourism, we offer gorilla trekking as our main attraction. Hiking, mountain accession and birds watching are complementary to the main attraction. We are proudly the only site where visitors can trek low land gorillas in the wild. We put our efforts to maintain all our tourism activities sustainable and ecological.
More information: www.kahuzibiega.org
More information on African Tourism Board:www.africantourismboard.com
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WTTC 19th Global Summit final program: Changemakers including President Obama meet in Seville
The World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) will be heading to Seville, Spain this week to attend the 19th Global Summit of WTTC on April 3 and 4. WTTC members are the chief executives, presidents, or chairs of the 100 largest companies from different sectors and regions within the travel and tourism industry. This year non-members are able to attend for a $4,000.00 ticket per delegate.
The event will be centered on the theme of ‘Changemakers’, harnessing the 500th anniversary of the first circumnavigation of the world from Seville and the world-changing impact of that achievement.
WTTC aims to inspire delegates with change-making individuals and ideas to craft the future vision of Travel & Tourism. Entrepreneurship, creativity, innovation, diversity, and inclusivity will drive the conversation. Delegates invested heavily to bring one of the “changemakers” to the summit. He is former U.S. President Barack Obama.
This is the final version of the program as it stands today:
DAY 1: Wednesday 3 April
Christopher J. Nassetta, Chairman, World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) & CEO, Hilton
Hon Pedro Sánchez, President, Spain
Juan Espadas, Mayor, Seville
Juan Manuel Moreno, President, The Regional Government of Andalusia
Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General, UNWTO
1010 Opening speech: ‘Shaping the Future’
Gloria Guevara, President & CEO, WTTC
1025 The Future is …
Three leaders will give short presentations followed by rapid-fire Q&A. The leaders will give their perspectives on what’s next in the world of communications, technology, and sustainability and the challenges and opportunities for Travel & Tourism as a leading force for change.
Keynote: José María Álvarez-Pallete, Chairman & CEO, Telefónica S.A.
Keynote: Michael Froman, Vice Chairman and President, Strategic Growth, Mastercard
Keynote: Gary Knell, Chairman, National Geographic Partners
Q&A: Kathleen Matthews, Journalist & Presenter
1115 In the Hotseat
Back to back interviews with industry leaders who will share their vision of the future and what it will take for the Travel & Tourism sector to keep ahead of the curve
Hotseat 1: Mark Okerstrom, President & CEO, Expedia Group
Interviewer: Glenda McNeal, President, Enterprise Strategic Partnerships, American Express Company
Hotseat 2: Keith Barr, CEO, IHG
Interviewer: Tanya Beckett, Journalist & Presenter, BBC
1145 BREAK
1215 PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE: Seamless Traveller Journey
WTTC’s Seamless Traveller Journey initiative aims to revolutionise travel security and facilitation by providing a seamless end-to-end journey which incorporates not only airports and airlines but cruise, hotel, car rental and other elements of the journey. Now in its second phase, the focus of Seamless Traveller Journey is on how the private sector and governments can work together to ensure increased security and less friction go hand in hand.
Scene setter: Kevin McAleenan, Commissioner, Customs and Border Protection, US Government
Panelists: Sean Donohue, CEO, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
Richard D Fain, Chairman, and CEO, Royal Caribbean Cruises
Tadashi Fujita, Executive Vice President, Japan Airlines
Tony Smith, Former Director General, UK Border Agency
John Wagner, Deputy Commissioner, Customs and Border Protection, US Government
Manel Villalante, CEO, Renfe Operadora
Moderator: Isabel Hill, Director, National Travel and Tourism Office, US Department of Commerce
1300 The View from Spain
Reyes Maroto, Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Spain
Hotseat 3: Fritz Joussen, CEO, TUI Group
Hotseat 4: Luis Maroto, President & CEO, Amadeus
1335 The Speed of Change…
Geoffrey J W Kent, Founder, Chairman & CEO Abercrombie & Kent, in conversation with Formula One racing legend Sir Jackie Stewart.
1400 LUNCH
Special Lunch Session: Innovating the Traveller Experience
The reality of an integrated, frictionless traveler journey is upon us, paving a path to a seamless experience, improved facilitation and security, operational efficiency for travel providers, and the opportunity for elevated and personalized service throughout the journey. Our panelists are leaders in the fields of biometrics, digital identity, security, and travel technology. They will provide their views on the current state of biometrics and digital identity, paths to implementation broadly across the travel journey, and opportunities that this new technology presents to the future of travel and tourism.
Panelists: Diana Robino, Senior Vice President, Global Tourism Partnerships, Mastercard
Virginie Vacca Thrane, Head of Strategic partnerships – Digital Traveller ID, Amadeus
Gordon Wilson, President, WorldReach Software
Moderator: Jimmy Samartzis, Senior Principal, Oliver Wyman
1515 A Conversation with President Barack Obama
Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States of America
A global political leader will give their perspective on the current state of the world and the important role Travel & Tourism plays as one of the world’s largest economic sectors.
Interviewer: Christopher J. Nassetta, Chairman, WTTC & CEO, Hilton
1615 Ahead of the Curve: The Consumers of Tomorrow
This session will look at different spectrums of the new global consumer and how T&T companies can ensure they are preparing for the consumer of tomorrow.
Part 1: How Young China and its Millennials want to see and feel the world
Zak Dychtwald, Founder & CEO, Young China Group
Part 2: The New Boomer Experiential Consumer
Ken Dychtwald, Founder & CEO, Age Wave
Moderator: Matthew Upchurch, CEO, Virtuoso
1710 PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE: Are Cities Future Ready?
Destination Stewardship is a strategic priority for WTTC. Huge tourism growth in cities over recent years has shone the spotlight on the need for good planning and management. WTTC has partnered with Jones Lang Lasalle on new research on cities and their preparedness for future growth. This session will look at the report’s findings and how cities around the world are planning and engaging communities in future growth.
Keynote: Dan Fenton, EVP, JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group
H.E. Ahmed Al-Khateeb, President, Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH)*
H.E. Elena Kountoura, Minister for Tourism, Greece
Steffan Panoho, Head of Tourism. Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development
Enrique Ybarra, CEO, City Sightseeing
Moderator: Mark Wynne Smith, Global CEO, JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group
1745 CLOSE
DAY 2: Thursday 4 April
0905 PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE: Today’s Traveller: Authenticity, Values and Instagram
This session will explore what iconic landmarks and destinations can and are doing to ensure they connect with the consumers of the future. Today’s traveller has standards for authenticity, wants to do more than just consume, and then wants to Instagram about it. How do destinations adjust to satisfy the market? The discussion will highlight examples of engagement from retail to destination attractions and also cover how sustainability initiatives help tell a compelling story and elevate authenticity in the traveller’s experience.
Keynote: Anthony Malkin, Chairman & CEO, Empire State Realty Trust, Inc
Panellists: Desiree Bollier, Chair, Value Retail
Jean-François Clervoy, ESA Astronaut & CEO Novespace
Jeremy Jauncey, CEO, Beautiful Destinations
Anthony Malkin, Chairman & CEO, Empire State Realty Trust, Inc
Kike Sarasola, President & Founder, Room Mate Hotels & Bemate.com
Moderator: Jacqueline Gifford, Editor in Chief, Travel + Leisure
1000 Africa on the Rise
H.E. Margaret Kenyatta, First Lady of the Republic of Kenya
1015 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards Ceremony
WTTC’s annual Tourism for Tomorrow Awards ceremony will showcase and celebrate the very best in sustainable tourism from around the world.
Fiona Jeffery, Founder & Chairman, Just a Drop and Chair, Tourism for Tomorrow Awards
Jeffrey C. Rutledge, CEO, AIG Travel
1100 BREAK Draft as at: 27 March 2019 (Please note all sessions, times, and speakers may change *=tbc)
1130 Strategic Insight Sessions PART 1
In recent years, the global Travel & Tourism industry has been redefined by changemakers who are constantly evolving and shaping our travel experience. In a special series of Strategic insight sessions, we explore just what these changemakers are doing to shape the industry and what our direction of travel might be in the future.
1) Embracing product diversity and inclusion – making business sense
2) Cyber-threat: you are compromised
3) What does it take to build successful future destinations?
4) The business case for sustainability
Alberto Durán, Executive Vice President, ONCE
Billy Kolber, Founder, HospitableMe
Deepak Ohri, CEO, lebua Hotels & Resorts
Stacy Ritter, CEO, Fort Lauderdale
Prof Graham Miller, Executive Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Surrey
Suzan Kereere, Global Head, Merchant Sales & Acquiring, Visa
Daniel Richards, CEO, Global Rescue
Earl Anthony Wayne, Public Policy Fellow, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Paul Mee, Partner, Oliver Wyman
Fred Dixon, President & CEO NYC & Company
Aradhana Khowala, Managing Director, Tourism, NEOM
Desiree Maxino, Group Head – Government Policy and ASEAN, Air Asia
Aoife McArdle, Global Head of Business Affairs and Social Impact – Experiences, Airbnb
Eric Resnick, CEO, KSL Capital Partners
Peter Greenberg, Travel Editor, CBS News
Katie Fallon, EVP Global Head of Corporate Affairs, Hilton
Ana Gascón, Director of Corporate Responsibility,
Coca Cola (Spain)
Philippe Gombert, President International, Chairman of The Board, Relais & Châteaux
Simon Heppner, Director, The SRA (Sustainable Restaurant Association)
Geoff Townsend, Industry Fellow, Ecolab
Wendy Purcell and John D. Spengler, Harvard
1415 WTTC FOCUS: Climate & Environment Action in Progress
Felipe Calderón Hinojosa, President of Mexico, 2006-2012
1430 WTTC FOCUS: Social Responsibility
This session will feature the latest updates on the WTTC Buenos Aires Declaration & action against the Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) followed by the launch of a new human trafficking initiative.
1450 PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE: The Future of Jobs in the Age of Automation
As more and more jobs are at increasing risk of being automated or rendered obsolete by other technological changes in the next twenty years, this session will look at the opportunities and challenges around employment within the sector and wider society.
Keynote: Andrés Oppenheimer, Author & Presenter, CNN
Panellists: Greg O’Hara, Founder &, Managing Partner, Certares
Andrés Oppenheimer, Author & Presenter, The Miami Herald / CNN
Hiromi Tagawa, Chairman of the Board, JTB Corp
Claudia Tapardel, Member of the Committee on Transport and Tourism, European Parliament
Joan Vilà, Executive Chairman, Hotelbeds
Moderator: Kathleen Matthews, Journalist & Presenter
1545 Vision of the Future
A special stream of keynotes will outline their vision of the future from high-speed transport to pushing the boundaries of disruption and innovation
Keynote: Dirk Alhborn, CEO, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies
Keynote: Chandran Nair, Founder & CEO, The Global Institute for Tomorrow (GIFT)
Keynote: Matthew Devlin, Head of International Affairs, Uber
1630 Closing Ceremony
eTurboNews is a media partner with the Summit and will be represented by Elisabeth Lang, who is based in Munich, Germany.
More coverage on WTTC
More on WTTC summits
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largest, worth, Worth International Airport, WTTC, year, years, young, Zurab Pololikashvili
Ghana Tourism over Mining? Should Atewa Forest Reserve be a National Park?
In Ghana, a Rocha Ghana and Concerned Citizens of Atewa Landscape (CCLA), both non-governmental organizations (NGOs), have urged the government to designate the Atewa Forest Reserve as a national park, to generate additional income for the country.
The NGOs asked the government to review its stance of allowing mining in the Atewa Forest, considering its importance to the livelihood of humans and biodiversity.
Mr. Oteng Adjei, the Public Relations Officer, CCAL, made the call at a press conference on Friday in Accra.
Mr. Adjei said that Atewa Forest is the source of three rivers, Densu, Ayensu and Birim, and there was the need to protect the reserve from any activity that could put these rivers at risk.
He asked the government to consider the environmental impact above temporary economic conditions, regarding mining in the forest reserve.
Mr. Adjei noted that activities in forest reserves in the Eastern and Western regions of the country are creating serious environmental problems.
He said it was difficult to deal with miners because they operated in thick forest reserves.
Mr. Adjei cautioned government against allocating forest reserves for mining activities because it contributed to the depletion of Ghana’s forest cover.
“We must relinquish the stranglehold on the Atewa Forest and allow for development partners waiting anxiously to turn the reserve into an eco-tourism attraction that will rake in the quantum of money the government is claiming bauxite mining will bring and even bring more in a sustainable way,” he said.
Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, Atewa Forest Reserve, attraction, biodiversity, Breaking Travel News, citizens, conditions, conference, country, cover-up, deal, development, Eastern, Eco Tourism, economic, environmental, environmental impact, even, forest, forest reserves, Ghana, Ghana travel news, government, Government Affairs, impact, importance, in, income, IT, landscape, mining, money, Mr, national, national park, need, News articles, Non, nongovernmental, officer, organizations, over, park, partners, Press, press conference, problems, protect, public, Public Relations, regions, relations, reserve, reserves, review, Risk, rivers, Rocha Ghana, s, said, serious, Source, sustainable, temporary, to, tourism, Travel Destination News, Travelwire News, turn, way, We, Western
India stakeholders focus on sustainable development of Heritage Tourism
PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) organized the 8th India Heritage Tourism Conclave with the theme “Sustainable Tourism Management at World Heritage Sites” on March 27, 2019 at WelcomHotel The Savoy, Mussoorie. The program was supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.
Inaugurating the Conclave, Dr. Sanjeev Chopra (IAS), Director, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, said: “A country as diverse as India is symbolized by the plurality of its culture and heritage. Heritage tourism in India is a real treasure as there are numerous cultural, historical and natural resources. There are immense possibilities of heritage tourism in India. This type of event can prove to be a milestone for increasing the tourism business of the country.”
H.E. Chung Kwang Tien, Ambassador, Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India; H.E. Fleming Duarte, Ambassador, Embassy of Paraguay; H.E. Dato Hidayat Abdul Hamid, High Commissioner, High Commission of Malaysia; H.E. Eleonora Dimitrova, Ambassador, Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria; and H.E. Jagdishwar Goburdhun, High Commissioner-Designate, Mauritius High Commission were also present at the program and shared the heritage tourism potential of their respective countries.
PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry and its Knowledge Partner- Auctus Advisors have jointly released a Knowledge Report ‘Sustainable Heritage Tourism in India’. The report gives a holistic view on heritage tourism across the world and in the country. The report says that while growth in Indian tourism needs to be aggressively taken up, the sustainability dimension of tourism also needs to be viewed with equal importance.
Radha Bhatia, Chairperson – Tourism Committee, PHDCCI, said that the ancient past of India has ensured that the present and subsequent generations have abundant of historical and cultural inheritance to be proud of. “The restoration efforts to safeguard valuable heritage assets at government’s end in association with various agencies and organizations are visible at places of historic significance but there are so many places which still stand apart and require immediate attention. Preserving India’s cultural heritage for the enrichment and education of present and future generations is crucial,” she said.
Kishore Kumar Kaya, Co-Chairman – Tourism Committee, PHDCCI welcomed all the dignitaries and expressed his desire to host more such programmes in future at WelcomHotel The Savoy, Mussoorie.
Ruskin Bond, Leading Indian Author; Bill Aitken, Travel Writer and Dinraj Pratap Singh, Owner, Kasmanda Palace were felicitated during the program.
While setting the theme of the Conclave, Rajan Sehgal, Co-Chairman – Tourism Committee, PHDCCI, said, “India’s World Heritage Tourism Sites have an added advantage for attracting international tourists. Nearly 85% of all visitors to India visit one or the other heritage sites of the country in their course of the vacation. Tourism in India has shown a phenomenal growth in the past decade and is expected to emerge as the most important revenue earner for India in the years to come.”
Panel Discussion on ‘Creating a Sustainable Ecosystem for promotion of Heritage Tourism’ had Vinod Zutshi (IAS Retd.), Former Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India as the moderator and witnessed Bhavna Saxena (IPS), Special Commissioner, Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board; Pronab Sarkar, President, Indian Association of Tour Operators; Dr. Lokesh Ohri, Convenor – Dehradun Chapter, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage; Anil Bhandari, Chairman, A B Smart Concepts; Ganesh Saili, Indian Author; Kulmeet Makkar, CEO, Producers Guild of India; Virendra Kalra, Chairman – Uttarakhand Chapter, PHDCCI; Sandeep Sahni, President, Hotels & Restaurants Association of Uttarakhand; Sumit Kumar Agarwal, Secretary General, Tribal India Chamber of Trade Agriculture and Commerce; and Manish Chheda, Managing Director, Auctus Advisors.
Heritage tourism in India with 37 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and numerous other natural sites has immense potential that need repeat visits to cover all of them. The challenges are very demanding keeping in mind conservation and environmental protection. ‘Adopt a Heritage Scheme’ by Ministry of Tourism and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is one of the best practices to showcase our monuments and drive sustainable growth.
The panelists highlighted that the need of the hour is to have a clear vision and a well-defined execution plan with the goal of sustainable development that provides conservation and growth, clean air, water, energy and heritage at large. Technology, documentation, capacity building and regulation are the way to go for sustainable development of heritage tourism.
A Heritage Walk was also organized during the program for all the delegates to enjoy the heritage of Mussoorie not only as past, but as a living tradition.
Yogesh Srivastav, Principal Director, PHDCCI, said that PHDCCI is committed to create such meaningful platforms to do its bit in enabling all the parameters of the tourism industry to grow and flourish further. The Conclave was attended by over 150 delegates.
Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: amp, ancient, and, archaeological, art, assets, association, attracting, author, B, best, best practices, bill, Bit, board, bond, Breaking Travel News, building, Bulgaria, Business, capacity, center, CEO, Chairman, chairperson, challenges, chamber, chamber of commerce, Chapter, clean up, Clear, come, commerce, commission, commissioner, Committee, conclave, conservation, countries, country, course, cover-up, create, cultural, cultural heritage, Cultural Travel News, culture, decade, delegates, development, dimension, director, discussion, Dr, drive, economic, economic development, ecosystem, Education, efforts, embassy, end, energy, environmental, environmental protection, event, execution, expected, future, general, generations, GO!, goal, government, grow, Growth, heritage, heritage tourism, Heritage Walk, high, High Commissioner, historic, historical, holistic, host, Hotels, importance, important, in, increasing, India, India Heritage Tourism Conclave, India Travel News, Indian, Indian Association, Indian tourism, Industry, inheritance, International, international tourists, knowledge, leading, Living, Malaysia, management, Managing, managing director, march, Mauritius, Mauritius High Commission, milestone, mind, ministry, Ministry of Tourism, monuments, most, national, natural, natural resources, nearly, need, needs, News articles, numerous, only, operators, organizations, over, owner, Palace, panel, Paraguay, partner, past, PHDCCI, places, plan, platforms, potential, practices, present, president, program, promotion, protection, proud, provides, real, regulation, released, repeat, report, republic, require, resources, Responsible Tourism News, restaurants, restoration, Revenue, s, said, Savoy, says, scheme, Secretary, secretary general, setting, showcase, Singh, sites, Special, stakeholders, survey, Sustainability, sustainable, sustainable development, sustainable growth, sustainable tourism, Taipei, Technology, The Ministry, The World, theme, to, TO BE, TO DO, tour, Tour Operators, tourism, tourism business, Tourism Industry, tourism management, tourism potential, tourists, Trade, tradition, Travel, Travel & Tourism Organizations News, Travel Destination News, travel writer, Travelwire News, treasure, Type, UNESCO, UNESCO world heritage, up, uttarakhand, vacation, view, vision, visit, visitors, visits, water, way, welcomed, were, World, World Heritage, World Heritage Sites, writer, years
Attention Airport Officials: Naked man on the tarmac
Is this the new way to fly? Naked? A male passenger dressed only in his birthday suit was spotted trying to board his flight completely naked while walking across the tarmac at Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
The bizarre scene happened just days after a similar incident saw another traveler attempt to board a plane without any clothes on.
A tweet, which was shared by ORD Airport Insider, reported that the passenger was allegedly detained at Gate C10 after walking from E12 at Chicago O’Hare’s Terminal 1. According to the tweet, the naked individual had been attempting to board a Delta flight – although this hasn’t been confirmed.
In the photo, the man appeared to have been given a safety vest to wear around his waist to cover himself up.
Another tweet said: “Multiple witnesses say he walked off a Delta flight at Terminal 2, but that hasn’t been confirmed. He was quickly apprehended by airport authorities. ”
It is unclear how the man got onto the tarmac or when he got naked.
Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: attempt, authorities, Aviation News, aviation-website, birthday, Bizarre, board, Breaking Travel News, Chicago, confirmed, cover-up, Days, Delta, Delta flight, detained, Feature, flight, fly by, Gate, Got, in, incident, individual, International, International Airport, IT, just, Male, man, naked, New, new way, News articles, officials, only, passenger, photo, reported, s, Safety, said, scene, suit, tarmac, terminal, Terminal 2, to, Transportation News, Traveler, Travelwire News, trying, tweet, unclear, up, walked, walking, way, Witnesses
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Who would you buy?
Thread starter Zinedine Biscan
First Prev 1150 of 1353
Lynch04
Smeg Head
I think apart from replacing the potential outgoing players we are not far off. I am a bit unsure whether we need a Fekir type player as Firmino likes to drop deep which would swallow his space. But then again, maybe this would bring the CB and free up space for a through ball for mane/salah.
In my opinion a Firmino type player is what we need most. I know it wont happen but a Suarez type player, someone who could play with Firmino but also the same role would be ideal. I dont watch much football aside from us so i cant name anyone. Maybe Insigne??
Zoran said:
I thought his development stalled a while ago? Possibly one of the reasons why he's coming to the end of his contract now, not something that happens often at Bilbao, they use their situation well with new contracts/different clauses. Certainly not the type of player/quality Klopp would use centrally so you're looking at "only" a possible Mane backup. I don't want too many of these lower level backups (I admit Shaq is doing well so far, doesn't mean we have to go for the cheap option again), look at what we need to fight against in the league (City having Bernardo and Mahrez/Sane on the bench when they have their strongest XI). It's like when a kid plays FM, enjoys success, has a few bobs to spend and then suddely finds all players on the transfer list/free attractive to bolster the squad. When you do well like we did and are, there will be plenty of options. Certainly more than when we finished outside the top 4. In that case it's very important to pick the right ones, not forget that we always need to focus on trying to find the best quality (yeah, sometimes we do it considering quality/potential and money, like with Shaq) we can.
The rumours are almost certainly the players agent dropping his clients name out there to get him a better contract extension with Bilbao. The same thing happened with Inaki Williams not too long ago too.
Lynch04 said:
Could go either way. Firmino could play as the No. 9, in which case a Fekir or AM would make sense. Alternatively, the plan could be to move more towards a 4231 with Firmino in the No.10 position, in which case a RW would make sense (with Salah up top), or a CF with Salah playing off the right.
Koon
Very bad englando. I'm so sorry.
GermanRed said:
Iker Muniain on a free transfer at the end of the season anyone? CAM/LW
Spoke with a Barcelona fan who's a friend of mine about Muniain. According to him, not a good player, although he's been looking better playing the 8 position.
I think it's been a few years since I last saw him playing.
lfc.8
Midfield pretty much anonymous. No control, no composure, no creativity nothing. Matip and Alexander-Arnold both not up to it. Front three not firing. Too many passengers.
No attacking midfielder. A lack of suitable options up top whether to rotate or just offer something different when Mane, Firmino and Salah are not quite there. Question marks over Alexander-Arnold despite what the future may hold.
Only Alisson so far is regularly contributing despite all the money spent. November now and so far we're not really playing that great. Plenty of investment required.
Reactions: MW2833
Iluvatar
Allez (x6)
Our attack has been poor since we lost Oxlade (who took over from Coutinho) i.e. A player who runs from deep and provides that injection of pace into the attack, breaking the midfield line etc.
I had hoped Keita or Shaqiri would be that player, Lallana was probably 10 years ago but he needs taking out back and then his parts shipped for glue.
That’s what we need in Jan, a no.10 who can hold their own in midfield. That Fekir guy..
ILLOK
In the Danger Zone.
Iluvatar said:
Once Shaqiri and Keita start delivering regularly, which they will, this talk with die down.
There are solutions within the squad.
Reactions: Anfield rd Dreamer, Scott Jones and Caradoc
ILLOK said:
Pretty such I specifically mention both.. as of yet neither are delivering or being trusted to deliver. that’s ok guess you have someone’s iPad in your face so you can’t read.
Solutions in the squad is the attitude which has us watching Lallana, Sturridge and Matip horror shows.
Reactions: ILLOK
What are you upset for? It was a comment about football transfers, hardly the most emotional of topics.
Keita and Shaq have only been here a few months and Keita has been disrupted by injury whilst Shaqiri has played well. There's hope for them yet is all I'm saying.
Reactions: Anfield rd Dreamer and Iluvatar
Just joking fell (the iPad bit) I agree yes there is hope for them.. only I don’t think Keita will fit like Oxlade though, I think he’ll be excellent but as an upgrade on Milner and Gini as the no.8 meaning we still need another body (I doubt Oxlade returns personally) alongside Shaq.
The obvious solution to me is going 4231. Any 2 of Fabinho, Gini and Henderson sitting with Keita, Shaq or Firmino as the 10 depending on who's fit and who else is playing.
The midfield currently isn't compact enough, the 8s are too wide but they're not offering the threat that Chamberlain did either and we clearly aren't making an effort to press like we did last season. Change the system to suit the players we have and the difference in approach. I'm not sure where that leaves Milner but I think it suits everyone else well enough.
Reactions: The Elusive 19th, Iluvatar and Anfield rd Dreamer
FilthyBloke
Undervalued member.
The way I see it is we should try to improve our weakest link. Currently that is our midfield.
We could upgrade on Henderson/Milner/Wijnandum/lallana in January no problem at all.
Ox deserves a chance to come back. Fabinho and keita need time to settle.
Shaqiri and needs to find his position (well klopp does).
I have the habit of start following clubs that have some rumoured (to LFC) players or simply players that I like. It's the case of Lyon (Aouar, Ndombele and Fékir), Marseille (Thauvin), Barcelona (Arthur and Dembele), PSG (Neymar), Ajax (Ziyech, De Jong and Neres) etc.
I was watching PSG x Lille this weekend and a Lille player really caught my eye: Nicolas Pepe.
His first half was amazing, the best Lille player. In the second his team was smashed so he barely played football. It was the first time I saw him so I can't say whether he is good or not, but my first impression was that of a poor man's Dembele. Great dibbling skills, tricks, pace, pass... looks like he has everything. He is 23 now and has an impressive 8 goals and 5 assists in 12 games this season. In 16/17, 31 starts (+5 from the bench), 13 goals and 4 assists.
As I said before, I don't know how good he is, but if he keeps on this level, at the end of the season maybe we could target him? At the right price we could have a good backup for our wingers.
Reactions: Red over the water
Yep, strange as anytime we've employed 4231 we've looked massively more improved. Ultimately I think Fabinho/Keita will be a worldclass double no.6 in that set up.
I also think Firmino needs to be told to stay up top, so get someone behind him.. Shaqiri etc.
Where does it leave Milner? An impact player from the bench.. He is overplayed and when you do that he becomes a complete liability.
Our midfield completed zero tackles last night, criminal that.
https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/shocking-statistic-emerges-liverpool-midfield-15381438
During the game it was clear that the team was REALLY struggling to play through Red Star. All the passes were side to side, and then down the line, often aerially.
Judging by the signings of Ox, Fabinho, and Keita it seems that Klopp is aware of the problem in midfield, so I wouldn't be too concerned.
That said, of the midfielders, the performance last night would be most condemning of Lallana given that his strength is supposed to be link play which was totally non-existent. Needless to say, if he's not capable of linking play at all against second-tier opposition then he doesn't serve much purpose in the team. Harsh to say that given that he's not 100% fit, but football is a results based industry, and he's not delivering.
I really wish we had stole Richarlison from the bitters. He would of been perfect for our front 3.
Reactions: big noyd
Caradoc
I’m coming around to the conclusion that Klopp’s requirements are so specific that any outfield signings that we make are likely to take time to fully integrate into his system.
What that then means (for me at least) is that we are not going to see the full benefits of that signing until several months further down the line. This may of course add in another good reason why January signings are so unattractive because they are unlikely to make any significant contribution for us between then and the end of that particular season (VvD excepted of course).
Also, it will probably impact on what if any signings he makes next summer. I’m now thinking that we may only see 2-3 outfield signings, one of which will possibly be at left-back as these will take a number of months to fully integrate into Klopp’s system.
Reactions: Kloppelgänger, eng.amohd and Anfield rd Dreamer
Anfield rd Dreamer
Caradoc said:
So therefore buying them in Jan so they are fully integrated by the start of the next season is the smart thing to do?
Reactions: Limiescouse
Anfield rd Dreamer said:
No because you are entering the business end of the season and need players who will make a rapid difference whether that be added quality and/or cover in a key position. As a transfer window it is renowned for its inflated fees. It just doesn’t suit Klopp’s approach.
Yours for £1m. Need to make room for Dean Saunders
I think this is 100% bang on. Midfield in particular - Klopp seems to want his lads to be multipurpose. He’s screamed Anfield down at Fabinho for dropping too deep. I think Klopp thinks as midfielders as attacking when they need to attack and defensive when they need to defend. He needs them to be able to do it all.
Generally I agree, but I think if Klopp has the ability to steal a march on a signing he’ll take it. For example Rabiot is a free agent in the summer and likely to be coveted by a few clubs. If PSG are happy to be bunged £20m, and Rabiot is up for it, I can see him doing something like that.
Reactions: Scott Jones and Anfield rd Dreamer
Sorry I'm confused are you trying to say no player at all is better than a player still integrating? Klopp has done all his business really cheaply. If a player that would cost 50 million in the summer is available for 65 or even 75 in the winter I'm fine with paying the extra if it means that player is good to go from day 1 of next season. They may be useful here or there till end of season too which would be a benefit but you're getting them ready for all of next season not just half of it. Don't you see the benefit? If Keita and Fabinho had come last winter and were firing on all cylinders and fully integrated within the squad by the start of this season we would probably be doing even better by now. They're still not fully integrated now and it's making our season hiccup.
Work it out for yourself. All of the information is there!
Mascot88 said:
But if it was Rabiot there would be no transfer fee. He signed Matip early. If in the case of Rabiot if it only takes a relatively small fee to bring him in even earlier why not? Its a question of using your common sense.
I was merely pointing out why January signings are not ideal generally, but perhaps even moreso in Klopp’s case. I clearly used the word ‘may’ and I did that for a very good reason. Unfortunately posters like ArD have to twist mere suggestions into definitive statements so that they can turn a perfectly innocent post into a reason for pedantry and smart-arsery.
I’ve said what I’ve said and it should be perfectly clear what I mean if posters actually read the words that I have used instead of selectively ignoring them or inserting imaginary words that I haven’t used. I do take your point, although I’m not sure why it needed saying. I’m going to leave it there.
Reactions: Kloppelgänger
Ok apparently my last response somehow pissed you off so I will try again.
"No because you are entering the business end of the season and need players who will make a rapid difference whether that be added quality and/or cover in a key position."
Some impact is still better than no impact. Going without or going with something that isn't perfect yet then the decision should be clear. One choice doesn't help you at all the other should help at least a little bit here and there.
"As a transfer window it is renowned for its inflated fees."
I really don't care. We are being intelligent enough with our money and hardly splashing the cash so if sometimes we spend a bit more to do business in a more convenient way for us then so be it.
"It just doesn’t suit Klopp’s approach."
I completely disagree with this vague generalisation. It suited Klopps approach bringing Van Dijk in during last winter. It's also by far the mid season point that has worked best for us under Klopp with regards to how the squad has been doing. VvD provided a real boost without which last season may well have failed off. And to go to my other posts VvD is now a rock solid foundation at the core of the squad. He's not a new player integrating in. All that was ironed out last season.
Reactions: Trollerballer
Limiescouse
Yeah, targeted recruitment in Jan can pay dividends for the following year, even if he doesn't contribute much that season. A signing for the purpose of having an effect that season = unlikely. One that is part of our long term strategy anyway, going for them in Jan makes it like they have a long pre-season.
It is also potentially going to be easier for new signings next year if we assume we will make fewer of them and so the group as a whole they walk in to will be a bit more up to speed than the one Naby and Fab came into
Reactions: Anfield rd Dreamer and Dave-D
Claymenza
Limiescouse said:
Weigl is no more a product of their youth team than Danny Ings is of ours. Even Pulisic is only if you have a very generous definition seeing as he was in the first team squad almost immediately upon being signed by them.
If we want to talk about development, I think what they have shown is that they are good at that final stage of turning promise into first team talent, but with rare exceptions these are not kids who have been produced by their academy.
If you're coaching players from the age of 18 into the first team, you're developing them.
Reactions: lfc.eddie
Perth Red
Rolling with crocs in Darwin
Been mentioned before but Hirving Lozano is apparently interested in a move to the Premier League. Could play on the right and allow Salah to move in to the striker role and I'm sure could play on the left if less effectively, so could cover for Sadio too! Certainly improves the front three, in my opinion. 8 in 11 for PSV plus 4 assists this season. Also scored against Spurs which is just a bonus!
17 goals and 11 assists last season in 29... them's some good stats even if it is Eredivisie
Perth Red said:
The problem with it being the Eredivisie can't be highlighted enough. You do get some good players from there like Suarez but it's so hard to tell. Jahanbakhsh did better than Lozano with 21 goals and 12 assists. Moved to Brighton and so far no goals or assists in 10 premier league appearances.
Reactions: Zinedine Biscan
Zinedine Biscan
Spreading the word of St Igor
Lozano also looked very good in the WC. I think it would largely depend on the cost, though, a big fee would be too much of a gamble.
Reactions: Anfield rd Dreamer
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‘Do you have any pup pics to share?’ Hartland girl with inoperable brain tumor asks for letters from dogs
Posted 9:50 am, February 28, 2019, by Ashley Sears, Updated at 10:22PM, February 28, 2019
MILWAUKEE -- The world is wrapping its arms around a 7-year-old Hartland girl with a love for dogs. Emma Mertens is terminally ill, but in order to raise her spirits, she's getting a lot of letters.
For Mertens, some of her biggest smiles these days, have been brought on by strangers and their precious pups.
"Emma, you are awesome. I bet you are super smart too," one letter reads.
In the last couple of weeks, it seems like the whole world has been reaching out to the Hartland first-grader.
Emma Mertens
"It's just nice to see so many kind people taking time just to try and cheer her up," said Emma's mom, Tammy Mertens.
In late January, Mertens was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), a rare brain tumor. A family friend thought it would be nice to raise the spirits of the little animal lover with a letter from her dog. She asked her friends to do the same.
"Those friends shared it with their friends and so on and so on and it just literally went viral to where it's been shared, I can't even imagine how many times it's been shared," said Geoff Mertens, Emma's father.
In just a few weeks, Mertens has received more than 75,000 notes from all over.
"Every state and I'm going to guess, 50 countries," Geoff Mertens said.
The first-grader has been getting treatment surrounded by her loving family.
"She's very brave because even doing radiation entails a lot and it's scary," said Tammy Mertens.
Geoff, Emma and Tammy Mertens
For a few moments each day, the letters have has helped a little girl with a big heart find kindness is sometimes the best medicine.
"I think the letters give us an opportunity to forget about it," said Geoff Mertens.
Emma gets about 3,000 emails per hour along with a truckload of mail.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help cover the Emma’s medical expenses has almost reached its $100,000 goal.
To share your dog pictures with Emma, send them to:
emmalovesdogs7@gmail.com
Her mailing address is:TeamEmmaPO Box 230Hartland, WI 53029
Visit Emma's CaringBridge website
Topics: Wisconsin Humane Society
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Identical twin babies delivered by identical twin nurses at Georgia hospital
Snowmobilers rescue three lost puppies living in sheep carcass on Utah mountain top
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Kadin last won the day on July 26 2015
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About Kadin
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[NPO][FA]Imperial Decree - Regarding BK
Kadin replied to Roquentin's topic in Alliance Affairs
Oh, GOONS. Putting yourself in my line of fire like that. 😧
Official GOONS Announcement
Kadin replied to Do Not Fear Jazz's topic in Alliance Affairs
Man I thought you were banned. How've you been?
Hey I still owe Black Knights a beatdown. If you do fight them, you're not allowed to destroy them completely.
Bank Heists
Kadin replied to Lord Tyrion's topic in Alliance Affairs
No sympathy for me, and personally I don't really care if someone goes and does something like that. It's 100% the fault of the alliance leadership for allowing someone who would do that to have that kind of bank access in the first place. With that said, the alliance should definitely crush anyone who does this to them, preferably without mercy.
[TREATY] Let's be Drinking Buddies!
I'm the newer model Kadin, modified by years of dedicated research & development. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but them's the breaks. Sorry to disappoint.
Hey man I don't really have a dog in this fight but I gotta ask how you managed to get more negative karma than posts? Do you like carefully craft your replies in order to farm the most negative reactions possible or did it just happen that way? 🤔
Sorry but I have to disagree, there is nothing fun about drinking - It tastes like crap, the buzz itself leaves a lot to be desired, and it really messes with your decision-making. Believe me, none of you want to deal with drunk Kadin, and I'm not too big on the idea myself. Now, a little marijuana on the other hand, that's what I call a good time. Where's the smoking buddies treaty? I'll sign onto it right away.
[MULTIPLE] GOONS On Vacation
Oh lord this paperless meme still exists? The sooner that nonsense fades out of this world, the better. If ever there was a clear indication that an alliance feels incapable of planning ahead, it is being "paperless." The fear of commitment is a powerful force it seems.
Kadin is recruiting disciples in leadership!
Kadin posted a topic in Alliance Recruitment
Hello world, Today, I am here to make a once-in-a-lifetime offer. I, Kadin, master in alliance-building and alliance leadership, am officially looking to take some eager future world leaders under my wing and teach them the ways of building a game-dominant alliance from the ground up. I have many years of experience doing just that, and although you may or may not have heard of me, I have all the knowledge and tools needed to show you the way to becoming the leader of an alliance that is both respected and feared. We will, of course, be learning by doing - And you will play an instrumental role, under my guidance, in making it happen. Don't worry, I'm not asking anyone to drop everything right away and join me. After all, I only just recently returned to the game, so my nation isn't even large enough just yet to establish an alliance. What I am doing today is seeking to find just the right people with just the right energy and motivation. Those who fit will be introduced to the framework I already have in place and given a brief explanation of the underlying philosophy of alliance-building that has proven successful. From there, our team will be officially organized, the alliance officially established, and we will get into the business of building an alliance that is destined for greatness. To anyone with a genuine interest and passion in leadership, and especially to those who feel their current alliance does not have the flexibility or capability to allow them to shine in a leadership role, you are invited to message my nation. All inquiries are confidential, so you do not have to worry about your current alliance or anyone else finding out. This is a great opportunity for anonymous lurkers, unappreciated workers, or just people stuck in inflexible or inexperienced alliances in general.
Now this is the content I came back to the game for. Thanks, friend.
Can I get a briefing plez
Kadin replied to Insert Name Here's topic in Orbis Central
Peace has never been anything more than a period of preparation and planning for war.
KERCHTOGG Coalition Announcement on Peace
Kadin replied to Princess Adrienne's topic in Alliance Affairs
Hate to break it to ya, but formal surrender or no, if you're losing - And I have to assume that to be the case if surrender is even an option open for discussion - Then the message has already been sent as far as it ever will. I'm a huge believer in treaties. Many wars are won or lost before the first shot is ever fired due to the power a strong foreign policy approach can wield. But, hey, these things happen sometimes, and to me it sounds like perhaps someone should have worked to cultivate a stronger relationship with their allies so that this wouldn't have happened. Without that, no treaty is worth the paper it's printed on. But, really, I just came back - I don't know jack about what's going on right now.
Was the condition that they make a post in this forum saying this? Maybe I'm just missing something but I don't really see why alliances are announcing their intention to begin surrender talks. Also, I hope they know there is no shame in surrender. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
Who the heck wrote this? This is so poorly written it's barely coherent, no offense. As someone who just came back to the game the other day and has no idea who is fighting who or why, this entire statement just comes off as garbledegook. It's not even clear who is surrendering to who. With that said, I have long believed that the proper course of action for the losing side of any war is a quick surrender (assuming reasonable terms). Any less is simply delaying the rebuild and revenge process.
[POLL] Do You Want Dial Up War to End?
Kadin replied to Malleator's topic in Orbis Central
What you're describing is bad leadership, not an inevitable consequence of non-democratic government. If you're blocking a skilled and hard-working person from advancing simply because of a disagreement on a particular issue, then you are no longer acting to the benefit of the alliance so much as you are acting to the benefit of maintaining the status quo. I can tell you that I have worked with many people who I had disagreements with on major issues, even at the highest levels of alliance leadership, and I've personally facilitated the advancement of members who I inevitably clashed with on occasion once they got into government. That's not meritocracy, it's just dictatorship and inflexible leadership. I don't blame anyone for leaving under those circumstances, and frankly, it seems to be more the rule than the exception. The number of times I've found myself bored or even openly antagonized in alliances with inflexible leadership or no true opportunities for growth is much higher than the number of alliances I've seen that are truly committed to doing the right thing. Either way, what you're talking about here is a problem of leadership rather than government type.
Create Your Nation
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View Your Nation
Politics & War is a free to play browser based persistent massively multi-player online game where you create your own nation and rule it. Forced to make grueling political decisions you are truly in charge in Politics & War. Play together with friends and strangers, pit your armies against each other and wage war, or work together cooperatively for mutual prosperity. In Politics & War you call the shots.
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What are you playing right now?
By Naila, February 13, 2015 in General Ranting
Iris_Lockspur 32
I spend a lot of time in FFXIV, mostly. Other than that I've been playing We Happy Few every few nights, and I finished off the Nathan Drake Collection this past week in preparation for Uncharted 4.
I spend a lot of time playing Red Orchestra 2/Rising Storm, as well.
Naila 35
Compulsion Team
@Otherbuttons I've been dying to play Stardew Valley, it's totally my type of game but I don't have a computer at home just a crappy laptop. I think it could run it but I don't enjoy playing on it
@Iris_Lockspur How good is Uncharted though? I can't wait for the 4th one.
I've been playing Pikmin 3 lately on the Wii U (Nintendo is having a cool sale on Wii U games, they are around 30$ CAN or 20$ US), it's great but kinda dark. When night falls, if you don't gather all your Pikmins back to the ship, you see them get eaten by creatures :'(
@Naila, I'd been putting off playing it for so long. So I figured it was time to remedy that when I found a bundle deal on a PS4 and the NDC for $290 this past November. I've beaten them all on Hard, now to go back and do it again on Crushing, and while playing as Donut Drake. >:-3
@Iris_lockspur LOL Donut Drake! I had no idea this was possible, that's hilarious.
This week I finished Day of the Tentacle remastered, it was my first time playing it. I enjoyed it but not as much as Full Throttle or Grim Fandango, but probably because I didn't grow up playing it. The characters were great though, as they always tend to be in Lucas Arts games.
For my next game I am still debating between Earthbound on the 3DS, revisit Ocarina of Time or try Unravel
I just played Day of Defeat: Source for the first time in something like 6-8 years. It's still great. Loved it. Crawling under tanks to shoot Germans/Americans in the foot, intense feelings of inadequacy as I get destroyed by people older than me... good times
Sooo Earthbound 3DS is for the NEW 3DS, that is some bullshit.
I bought and played Unravel, it was okay. I was a bit bothered by the family and memories theme, I would have preferred a more fantasy adventure for the little yarn man.
I am going back to Rise of the Tomb Raider and probably Left4Dead 2 since it is now backwards compatible on Xbox One.
Oh and can't wait to play the FFXV demo tonight!
shmerl 0
Just Finished Firewatch (GOG released it recently). Original game, though somewhat short.
I just found this song, which plays in the intro of Shadow Warrior (remake). It's Kawaii Hana:
@shmerl I finished Firewatch too a while back. I was kinda disappointed. I thought there would be much more to it.
Do you like Shadow Warrior? They had a beautiful booth at PAX this year with a cherry blossom tree in the middle
(I'll update this post with a pic)
I am currently re-playing The Last Of Us on Survival Mode (I started on Grounded but my aim is bad enough with the reticle) while I await the release of Uncharted 4. And doing so rather poorly. I'm pretty much just sneaking about and punching people until they die because I never have ammo to deal with non-Infected enemies.
(Seriously, what's up with that Naughty Dog? Human enemies never drop ammo despite half of them having guns, yet I get ammo from just about every 3rd infected? I can suspend my disbelief for many things, but guns inexplicably disappearing the moment you kill someone carrying one is a bit of a stretch when trying to simulate "scarce ammo". I still love you, though. <3)
(Also a pretty accurate depiction of my health 90% of the time.)
@Naila: I also expected more from Firewatch. More than the fact that it was too short, it felt lacking because the story was too linear to my taste. Apparently, dialog choices don't really affect the outcome. But still, the game is original enough.
About Shadow Warrior - I like the remake. They made it old school FPS / hack-n-slash style quite well. I mostly used katana though. And the story was great too. They even managed to turn it from comedy to drama towards the end (if you didn't play the game - I wouldn't spoil it). Soundtrack is also very well done. It's by the same composers who worked on music for the Witcher by the way.
Not to mention, that they released a high quality and very well performing Linux version, DRM-free The main credit for the Linux version here goes to Edward Rudd and Aaron Melcher from Knockout Games.
I hope they'll deliver with the second one as well. Without Hoji it will be harder for them
Since I've conquered Survival mode in The Last Of Us, I'm now playing Stories: The Path of Destinies. I heard that the resident narrative director @Alex was the writer for it, and who could pass up another chance to listen to Julian Casey narrate everything you're doing?
Shibou 2
I've been playing Ben and Ed, where you play a zombie competing in a game show. It's weird but strangely addicting, probably because I like puzzle and obstacle games.
@shibou This looks awesome and hilarious! Thanks for bringing it to our attention
TheTeaWolf 0
Fallout 4 is my life
I'm now replaying Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines (GOG release) and also still in the middle of my first playthrough of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords.
Just started Dark Souls 3 yesterday, didn't play a lot as I started late and I take a lot of time making characters but I can't wait to play more!
Recently I started playing a classic text adventure Nine Princes in Amber (after rereading the books). Kind of fun, especially figuring out what to do using text commands. You can for instance run it in vice, commodore64 emulator. DOSbox is another option.
Just started Dex (I've been waiting for a while for it). Linux version just came out on GOG.
Fans of cyberpunk shouldn't miss it.
Horrorshow 0
"Join the mafia, meet interesting people! Then, whack 'em."
I've recently been replaying, "Guns, Gore & Cannoli," a clever little beat-'em-up where you make your way through a zombie outbreak set in the Roaring Twenties:
I discovered Broforce recently. It's surprisingly very well done.
@Horrorshow omg that's hilarious! I am going to try it.
@shmerl It was free on PS+ not long ago, super fun!
@Naila: Did you play Dex? What do you think about the endings?
Otherbuttons 10
'What am I playing?'
i'm a pokemon trainer now
catching them is my life
there is no return
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July 10 + 11 at the Schomburg Center in Harlem, NYC
Sponsor Expo Archives GDC Scholars Location Code of Conduct
2017 Expo Schedule Archive
Opening message
The Game Devs of Color Expo Team welcomes you to the event!
Catt is a product designer, game maker, and developer. She is currently making awesome things at Etsy. She started programming interactive games around the age of 10 and has been going ever since.
Chris Algoo
Chris Algoo is a game developer, project manager and event organizer. By fostering diversity with games and events, he hopes to make gaming more inclusive and more interesting.
GDoCExpo events team
This event would not be possible without Shawn Alexander Allen, Brian Carr, Jarryd Huntley, Kirk Musngi and Jason Vega. We love you all and are so happy you could be such a big help!
Arcade opens
Check out the regularly-updated games section to see what we offer!
Microtalks
In this hour-long session, five game developers will share their thoughts about a variety of topics:
12:00–12:10PM: Indie Game Postmortem: Four Horsemen
12:14–12:24PM: REDD TO RADD: From Wannabe to Sorta-Am
12:28–12:38PM: VR in Games And Beyond
12:42–12:52PM: Unity, Collaboration, Inclusion: A Primer
12:56–1:16PM: Life Beyond Games
Nuclear Fishin' Software
Nuclear Fishin' Software is a tiny independent games studio in Brooklyn, New York, founded by NYC game industry veteran Kevin Chen in 2015. They are best known for the SLG/visual novel Four Horsemen.
Ethan Redd
Multimedia Designer/Developer
Ethan Redd is an independent multimedia designer, artist, developer, and consultant currently based in Buffalo, NY and New York City. Forged in the fires of the aesthetics of the mid-1990s, Redd boasts a signature style sporting bold colors, sharp silhouette, and lively, life-affirming charm. A self-taught jack-of-all trades and one man juggernaut, Redd believes in the power of art and media to inspire people to reach higher and push further in their own lives.
Hessvacio Hassan
IAC Apps
Games are an amazing window into another world and with the progression of VR designing new worlds can now be a reality. Hessvacio has been working in VR for the past year creating prototypes and releasing Don't Look Away VR for the Gear VR. With his knowledge from the release of such a successful project, Hessvacio would like to share his insight on making a VR project in Unity and finishing it. Hessvacio is a software engineer at IAC and builds out games as the tech lead in EOS Interactive.
Stephanie Andrews
Brilliant.org
Stephanie is a software engineer at Brilliant.org, an enthusiastic game jammer, and one half of Jello Moat Studio. She started programming and making games at 24, with no prior experience doing either. At 26, she is now very experienced at being super confused but sticking with it and figuring out what it all means. She hopes to make the game development process more accessible to people like her.
Auriea Harvey
Tale of Tales
Auriea Harvey has been a prominent figure in independent gaming as part of Tale of Tales, her studio founded along with Michael Samyn. They released titles such as The Endless Forest, The Path, The Graveyard and Luxuria Superbia; And introduced new concepts to the scene with the Realtime Art Manifesto and notgames. After over a decade of making games Auriea radically stopped after their last release ’SUNSET’ in 2015. But the tale goes on, she feels there is abundant life after videogames.
Lunch time - go experience Harlem!
We encourage you to spend 45 minutes outside and explore the neighborhood. There are delicious restaurants right by the Schomburg Center! Snacks and refreshments will also be available throughout the event.
Surviving the games industry
This panel will feature six game developers who will share ways to get into and thrive within the game development industry as marginalized people. Topics to be covered will include how diversity can affect the game development process as well as ways to create games while navigating the industry and preserving your mental health.
Cierra McDonald
Cierra is a Senior Program Manager for Team Xbox. As the owner for Xbox Live Achievements systems on every device since the Xbox 360, she loves working on gaming platforms to help game designers and developers bring their ideas to life and to customers. She has presented at GDC and organizes Xbox's annual Blacks in Gaming GDC event. Cierra is passionate about encouraging others to embrace gaming as both a hobby and a career. She is also on a mission to increase her Gamerscore by 25,000 in 2017!
Keith Jordan
Keith Jordan is an indie game designer from The Bronx, New York. Through his education and employment, he has worked with several local game projects including Flu Busters, an educational survival game about the flu shot for Winthrop Hospital, and Orbital Round Bits for mobile devices. When he is not making games (or playing them), he teaches game design to children and teens. He also enjoys camping, swimming, and studying name etymology.
Jo Fu
Pillow Fight Games
Jo founded a small company to make visual novels for nice people. She uses Twitter for cat pics, indie game screenshots, and threaded rants about being a woman in professional spaces. She ships Pharmercy, and is basic in other ways too.
Mitu Khandaker
Spirit AI + NYU Game Center
Mitu Khandaker is CCO of Spirit AI, making tools to help game developers use tech to make games more accessible and intriguing in various ways: from rich autonomous characters to procedural narratives to even mitigating online harassment. She is also founder of indie microstudio The Tiniest Shark, and an Assistant Arts Professor at the NYU Game Center. Her research interests include social simulation, the aesthetics of interactivity and its relationship to critical play, in which she has a Ph.D.
Case Commons
Laura Simpson is a user experience designer and game designer. She has designed Driving to Reunion and Companions’ Tale. With her expertise in interaction design and interactive art, Laura brings a formal design process and a dedication to frequent iteration to her games.
Jennifer Estaris
Astra Rise and Urthworx
Jennifer Estaris’ days are spent game designing, writing, producing, and chasing after her child. Her credits include games for Nickelodeon, Disney, and Dreamworks, and she has spoken at IGDA NYC, WonderCon, L.A. Comic Con, and DragonCon, among others. She is currently running indie studio Astra Rise with fellow Filipinos.
Diverse character design and representation in games
Five games industry professionals will further the case for diversity in character design during this panel. Topics to be discussed will include the portrayal of dark skin in games, representation of Arabs in video games, queer people of color in games, whitewashing, and cultural appropriation.
Sande Chen
Sande Chen is a writer and game designer whose career has spanned over 15 years in the game industry. Her credits include 1999 Independent Games Festival winner Terminus, MMO Hall of Fame inductee Wizard101, and the 2007 PC RPG of the Year, The Witcher, for which she was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award in Videogame Writing. She writes about game design and other topics on her blog, Game Design Aspect of the Month, and can be found on Twitter @sandechen.
Tanya DePass
I Need Diverse Games
Tanya DePass is the founder and Director of I Need Diverse Games, a not-for-profit foundation based in Chicago, that is dedicated to better diversification of all aspects of gaming. She’s the Founder and EIC of @OutofTokensCast, the Diversity Liaison for GaymerX and often speaks on issues of diversity, feminism, race, intersectionality & other topics at conventions. Her writing appears in Uncanny Magazine, Polygon, Vice Gaming, Waypoint, Wiscon Chronicles, Paste Games and other publications.
Yussef Cole
Writer + Visual Artist
Yussef Cole is a writer and visual artist from the Bronx, NY. He is of Arab and African-American descent. His specialty is graphic design for television but he also deeply enjoys thinking and writing about games. Yussef has written for many online publications including Paste, Waypoint, The Ontological Geek, and ZAM. He recently cowrote "Black Skin is Still a Radical Concept in Games" with Tanya DePass for Waypoint, which will be his main platform for this panel.
Dina Abou Karam
Game Designer / Artist
Dina is a game designer and artist. No stranger to travel, they have lived, studied and worked on games in cities from Beirut to Paris to Oslo to Cologne to Osaka. They've rubbed elbows with numerous industry titans, and tried their hand at mobile and console titles. Ask them about their latest project: a VR empathy game on what it's like to be an Arab when a bomb goes off in your city. (Photo credit: Terence Tolman)
Music, sound, and choreography in game design
Music and sound are a crucial part of video games, but they are often considered later in the process. In this panel, game designers and musicians will convene to discuss game design, audio design, and what game creators can learn from disciplines outside their own.
Shawn Alexander Allen
Shawn makes (often political) art in the way of games (both digital and non), photography, poetry, and dystopian fiction. He also writes media criticism, with a focus on race/class and representation, as well as game design critique. He is currently making the political dark comedy & tactical beat ‘em up Treachery in Beatdown City, and is perpetually working on the graffiti turf warfare game Corporate Vandals. Always support #blackgamedev
SAMMUS
Rap artist, producer, and PhD student
SAMMUS is an Ithaca, NY based rap artist, producer, and PhD student in the Department of Science & Technology Studies at Cornell University. Known as much for her rousing stage presence as she is for her prowess as a beatmaker and lyricist, Sammus has spent the past several years cultivating a strong following of activists, hip hop heads, punks, and self-proclaimed nerds and geeks, among others. As noted by the Los Angeles Times, Sammus "has a gift for getting a message across." (Photo credit: Andrew Doench)
Shawn Pierre
OriGaminc
Shawn Pierre doesn't do much. Currently, he lives in Philly, and helps run the local meetup, currently known as Philly Dev Night. He also tries to make games.
Sean Han Tani
Sean Han Tani is a game developer known for the games Anodyne and Even the Ocean. He also writes music for these games and other musical projects. Currently he is interested in using themes relating to race and diaspora in his work. He also teaches game development at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Haleek Maul
Haleek Maul is a Brooklyn born rapper and digital artist. He has collaborated with the numerous artists including Deniro Farrar, Shady Blaze, Hot Sugar, and Saul Williams. Haleek has made a name for himself as an artist with sites such as Noisey, The Fader, and FACT by crafting a unique musical viewpoint fueled by his eclectic musical upbringing and his personal life. In 2015 he debuted a VR video to commemorate the release of his album, Prince Midas, at the art space Babycastles.
Polishing and launching your game
Looking to take your game to the next level? Join five industry professionals to discuss ways to best share your game with the world. Topics to be discussed will include garnering press, marketing, protecting yourself from legal issues, and getting a publisher for your game.
Darren Shield
Mazzeo Song P.C.
Darren Shield is an associate attorney at Mazzeo Song LLP, where his practice includes securities and corporate law, copyright and trademark licensing, counseling, prosecution and litigation, and data privacy counseling. His clients include crowd funding and social media startups, award winning video game companies, and other technology startups. Mr. Shield received his Juris Doctor from New York Law School, and is licensed in New York State, and the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.
Charles Babb
Fairchild Consortium
Charles Babb is a game lover. He has developed properties for TOKYOPOP. He has also produced eight game titles published by Warner Bros., Activision, Sony PlayStation, and Koei Tecmo. He’s considered a well-connected futurist working on a few AR and VR projects. Currently, Charles is a co-founder and Chief Experience Officer at Fairchild Consortium, a small studio focusing on developing inventive and innovative interactive entertainment experiences for augmented, virtual and mixed realities.
Jenny Jiao Hsia
Jenny Jiao Hsia is an independent game developer who lives and works in New York City. She worked with AP Thomson to make Beglitched, which won Best Student Game at the IGF in 2016. Jenny is currently making personal games about doing yoga, dieting, and putting on makeup in 10 seconds or less.
Wase Qazi
Megastorm Games
Wase Qazi is a solo independent game developer who streams the creation of the art and the code for his games live on Twitch as QaziTV. Qazi is currently working on Shotgun Farmers, the multiplayer shooter where your bullet grow the guns.
Microsoft (Xbox)
James is an Account Manager with Xbox 3rd Party Publishing who works with several tremendous independent developers in the ID@Xbox Program. With experience in XBLA Publishing and internal development, James enjoys collaborating with developers and teams of all sizes and backgrounds. James is proud to work with the Gaming for Everyone team at Xbox to encourage diversity in both games and their creators, as well as to help organize the annual Blacks in Gaming GDC event.
Arcade closes
It’s all fun and games ‘til it’s not fun and games anymore.
Closing message
After a long day, it’s time to say goodbye... to the Schomburg Center!
Afterparty at Babycastles
Feeling social? Come to Babycastles for an afterparty! The lineup and additional details are on Facebook. Tickets sold at the door – get a discount with your expo badge!
Game Devs of Color Expo is open to people of all genders, races, and sexual orientations. Please let us know if there’s anything we can do to make you feel comfortable attending this event.
Read our Code of Conduct
Thanks to our 2019 sponsors!
Pricing and Sponsorship
Game Devs of Color Expo is a labor of love, organized by a small handful of volunteers. We can’t do it alone. Ticket sales and sponsorship will help make Game Devs of Color Expo 2019 bigger, better, and as momentous as possible.
Want to do more to support the community? Sponsor the event.
Interested in donating? Contact us at gdocexpo@gmail.com, send us direct donations via PayPal (our preferred method), or use the Donation field available under ticket types.
COLLABORATING SPONSORS
Experience a new generation of games and entertainment with Xbox. The best games and entertainment on all of your devices.
Join us in putting smiles on the faces of millions around the world. We’re welcoming, approachable and respectful – we’re Nintendo. All characters welcome!
Playdate is a brand-new handheld game system, shipping next year. Our small, yellow console-with-a-crank is the perfect platform for indie games of all kinds, made by people of all kinds. Sign up to be a developer today and let us help you tell your story! Learn more at https://play.date/dev
We are the world’s leading augmented reality company with an initial focus on augmented reality games. We see a future where our technology paves the way for new entertainment experiences, advanced robotics, and scaled adaptive computing — and games are where we incubate some of our most audacious thinking.
Looking Glass Factory is a team of developers, inventors and artists creating holographic displays for the future. Last Summer, they launched The Looking Glass, an interactive, holographic display for 3D creators. Real 3D in real life, no headgear required. Founded in 2014, the company is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York with an R&D and production lab in Hong Kong.
Kickstarter helps game developers, artists, musicians, filmmakers, designers, and other creators find the resources and support they need to make their ideas a reality.
MailChimp is an always-on marketing platform for small businesses. We make innovative, beautiful products that empower those businesses to find more customers.
Humble Bundle sells games, ebooks, software, and other digital content. Our mission is to support charity while providing awesome content to customers at great prices.
Twilio powers the future of business communications. Enabling phones, VoIP, and messaging to be embedded into web, desktop, and mobile software.
FRIEND SPONSORS
Eko is the home for choice driven, live-action storytelling.
Mozilla creates people-centric web technologies for everyone. Keep the internet open and accessible to all.
NYU Game Center: Learn how to make video games at New York University.
Unity: Thank you, GDoCExpo! Unity's success is rooted in our community.
Thanks to Adafruit, Brace Yourself Games, Codecademy, Code Liberation, Games for Change, Ilya Zarembsky, Maximum Crash, and Schell Games for supporting the community.
Thanks to astro for providing equipment.
More sponsors are being added! If you're interested in sponsoring, learn more on our website.
@ChrisAlgoo
ChrisAlgoo.com
Chris is an event organizer, web developer, game designer, and speaker who believes in lifting each other up.
Shawn Allen
@aNuChallenger
Nuchallenger.com
Shawn’s 11+ years in games includes producer, designer, artist, animator, writer, trailer editor, and music publisher. Habitual tweeter, lover of action movies, sneakers and hip-hop.
Brian Carr
@t3amBrian
briancarr.com
Tech co-founder | Indie Game Socialite | Gallery Hopper | UX Designer | Loves video games and the people who make them.
Brian S. Chung
@BrianSChung
thesheepsmeow.com
Brian has over a decade of experience designing and producing games for millions of players. He is a co-founder and director at The Sheep’s Meow.
GJ Lee
@whereisgj
GJ is a game developer and educator. She is a co-founder and director of The Sheep’s Meow, an independent game studio and community organization.
@cattsmall
cattsmall.com
Catt is a product designer, game maker, and developer who enjoys creating interactive experiences and helping people to become their best selves.
Very special thanks to our contributors (Reynaldo Vargas, Mattia Sicuro, Kat Thompson, Kirk Musngi, Emperatriz Ung), and the many volunteers who work on bringing the expo to life before, during, and after the day of the event.
Here is our 2019 Press Kit.
Apply for your Press Pass! Professional photography and videography is prohibited on-site without consent from The GDoCE Organization Team and the attendees being recorded.
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“And It’s a Hard, It’s a Hard, It’s a Hard, It’s a Hard: And It’s a Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall!”
It was her first fall in LA-LA.
“What is — this place, out here?” she thought, when she noticed that beauty wasn’t throwing itself, suicidally, into her face. Or, humanity, for that matter.
“May I, at least, have some humanity, around here?”
On those first mornings when she woke up in soaked sheets, she would slide open the windows to air-out her bedroom. But it made no difference. The heat would keep hanging at the ceiling of her top floor apartment — much more spacious than the one she dwelled in, back in New York. And by the end of the day, its molecules smelled of smog — and of her own sweat.
And the sweat was different here, too. In the heat of August that made New Yorkers flee the City, she loved to venture out into the streets, still just as crowded, but mostly with baffled tourists — not locals — who would jump out of her way, startled by her outraged footsteps. She would walk around for hours, feeling the unmistakable humidity that made the City smell like rotten garbage and, yes, human sweat. And while she stood on subway platforms, she could feel the drops of her own perspiration slide slowly from her ass cheeks to the back of her knees, under her long skirts. She felt the whiff of sex, hers and others’: And it promised — more life.
There seemed to be some unexpected romance in those days: For the first time, she finally felt like she was belonging. But how could she belong in a place she was leaving, so soon?
The one-way ticket already had been bought by her mother, who upon hearing the news of the divorce, put away her dramatics and got stoic, for a change:
“You’re coming to California,” motha said over the phone.
“You make me sound like a folk song,” she thought, in response. Yet, she obeyed.
It was the wisdom of the women of her motha’s clan — to never plead or grovel for a man to change his mind.
She was going to California.
There would be plenty of chaos upon her landing: Finding an apartment seemed easier; for there always seemed to be plenty of departing who packed up their shit into double-parked U-Halls, sweating and swearing at the city’s expense. But the city’s leasers seemed indecisive and slow.
“Everyone keeps acting as if they’ve got better choices, out here,” she told her best friend in New York. “Or, they just namedrop.”
Like the little man with glistening eyes who, despite being bound to a wheel-chair, managed to lurk over her when interviewing her for a roommate position. On his living-room wall, she could see a framed, autographed poster of a recently released indie flick that was pretty well reviewed in The Times, that summer.
“I produced that,” the little man said, reminding her of one those exotic birds on the Discovery Channel that puff themselves up into alien shapes — just to get some tail. From under the smeared lenses of his glasses, his narrow eyes were sliding up and down her body. His face was glistening with sweat. She got up, feeling like she needed a shower at the closest motel she could find, on Sunset Boulevard.
“Well, what do you think?” the little man wheeled after her, to the door, lurking. “I could make you a star!”
She walked out.
“Really?” her best friend said calmly. “Do they actually say things like that, out there?”
And then, there was the job search, in which every lobby looked like a waiting room for an audition or a cattle call. And no one else seemed to be breaking a sweat, after driving in the apocalyptic-degree heat.
“We aren’t making any decisions right now,” the interviewers kept saying. “But we’ll keep your resume on file.”
“Then, why did you waste my time?” she actually said to a group of young entrepreneurs who looked like the cast of Entourage and, after sliding their eyes up and down her body, asked her to tell them “something they couldn’t have known — by looking at her”. (She told them she was good at harakiri.)
She walked out, got back into her car and wasted more time. The heat outside was still insatiable! And in the midst of it, everyone was always up for a hike. Or “a coffee date, sometime”.
The rain would finally come by the end of October. And it wouldn’t stop.
The roads would get shiny at first, and for the first time, since landing, she would smell the nearing of another season — not of her own sweat. The nights would get cold, and she would insist on walking, to any outside cafe, on Sunset Boulevard, and getting soaked. It was the first time she would cry the tears worthy of the women of her motha’s clan: They weren’t filled with self-pity anymore, but with rage. And rage — was always better, for survival.
Finally, there would be a callback for a maitre d’ position at some pretentious overpriced restaurant, on the West Side, with a diva-chef in the kitchen. She would swim in her motha’s decade-old clunker to other side of the city. Driving in the middle lane seemed safer, but some maniac in a German car would always honk and zoom past her, on the right, and give her car a full rinse with the filthy water from the gutters.
“You’re terribly overqualified,” the general manager with a bulldog’s jaw would tell her, at the end, after the two-hour drive.
She got up and tried to make it to the door without breaking down into another outraged tear shed. Her scuffed shoes made a chomping sound: Her feet were soaked. So was her hair.
He would follow her, to the door:
“We’ll keep your resume on file though,” he’d say.
“Please, don’t!” she actually said.
Because it was the wisdom of the women of her motha’s clan to never plead for a man to change his mind.
Posted in Break-Up, Love, Self, Sex, Travel
Tagged "A Hard Rain's A Gonna Fall", anger, auditions, autumn, beauty, Bob Dylan, California, callback, choices, competition, courage, departure, despair, divorce, fall, heartbreak, heritage, humanity, interviews, local, Los Angeles, mother, moving, New York, Paz de la Huerta, pride, rage, rain, rainfall, seasons, self-pity, spirit, strength, Sunset Boulevard, survival, tourists, waiting rooms, West Coast
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Is the Heart of the SW Local Enterprise Partnership delivering value for money? "Its below average performance - from unlocking investment to falling productivity - surely can only be seen as a failure?"
You might have heard of the acronym HotSWLEP (!?)
It has over-relied on Hinkley:
Futures Forum: The weakening business case for nuclear energy
It is opaque in its activities:
Futures Forum: Scrutiny and accountability > local government and local enterprise partnerships
It is part of the fabric of talking up 'growth':
Futures Forum: The Greater South West Local Enterprise Partnership >>> of 'mis-speak' and the unrealistic expectations of growth
And it not exactly democratic, despite its considerable powers and budget:
Futures Forum: District Councils must be 'fully represented' on Local Enterprise Partnerships
Here is an excellent overview of 'progress' so far, from the East Devon Watch blog:
“HEART OF THE SOUTH WEST, OUR LOCAL ENTERPRISE PARTNERSHIP, GETS ITS FIRST SCHOOL REPORT AND IT’S NOT GOOD”
Local David Daniel, a former senior government strategist, who has done much work on the East Devon economy, Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership (HotSWLEP) statistics and forecasts and county growth figures (and presented these to EDDC and Devon County Council) has provided this analysis of the current “achievements” of HotSWLEP.
It must be recalled that HotSWLEP is sucking up vast amounts of money that in the past would have gone direct to local authorities and its board members (apart from a few councillors) have vested interests in housing development, the nuclear industry, commercial banking and Hinkley C recruitment.
Here is the report:
"As a result of the 2017 Mary Ney review of Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Governance, a newly formed Joint Scrutiny Committee is to scrutinise Heart of the South West’s (HotSW) annual performance review. This will take place on
Thursday, 14 February, in County Hall at 2.15."
There will, however, be no opportunity for public engagement or speaking and this Scrutiny Committee is not politically balanced but appointed by the very councils that agreed HotSW’s strategy in the first place.
Credit where credit’s due, this is progress! Remember, HotSW was appointed by the Government to act as our “devolution body in waiting” in 2011. It didn’t publish minutes of any meetings in the public domain until 2015. Yet it had already agreed a growth deal with the Government on our behalf the year before, 2014.
It has since published wildly ambitious strategy papers culminating with its Productivity Strategy in late 2017 aimed at doubling our local economy first in 18 years, later revised to 20 years, through transformational growth in the “Golden Opportunity” economic sectors of: Aerospace; Marine; Nuclear; Data Analytics and Healthcare. Economic growth comes from increasing the labour force and/or increasing productivity.
Demographically, the population is set to grow 0.8% p.a. but it is an ageing one and the growth of those of employable age will only be a fifth of this at 0.16% p.a. HotSW intends to “limit growth” in employment to 0.8% per annum and concentrate on raising productivity way above the national average. But even this “limited” growth in employment is five times the trend and will need substantial inward migration.
When this strategy was written, productivity in the HotSW area ranked 7th worst in England. An Office of National Statistics (ONS) report last week said: “The lowest labour productivity in 2016 was in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly. Other largely rural LEPs with relatively low labour productivity included Heart of the South West, Greater Lincolnshire, and The Marches”. The ONS now places HotSW lower at 4th worst, 18% below UK average.
We now have the opportunity to lift the lid and peer into how successful HotSW has been in meeting the targets it agreed, by reading the HotSW annual performance review for 2017, commissioned from Ash Futures.
HotSW has secured a total of some £245M to date from central government funds, though, when assessed on a per head basis, HoSW has actually received one of the lower allocations across the LEP network. These funds are supposed to be matched by funding from other sources.
LEPs have to be business-chaired and business-led and it was intended that LEPs would unlock private investment. However, the bulk of this matched funding is forecast to come from public bodies including 17% from local authorities. Only 23% will come from the private sector. In regard to this the report says: “Our consultations have also highlighted that the strategic plan is not perceived as having had any significant influence over private sector investment plans.”
Only seven of the 56 funded projects are yet complete in spending terms and so the bulk of the benefits are yet to come. Though this needs to be read in the context of a continuous stream of past funding previously distributed through Regional Development Agencies.
Of these projects, 30 are designed to create conditions for growth e.g. transport and digital infrastructure; 17 are designed to capitalise on distinctive assets in expected high growth sectors such as low-carbon and nuclear energy, marine, big data and photonics; and seven on maximising productivity and growth such as opening up employment space.
Several stakeholders feel that rural areas have been ‘overlooked’ by LEP investments and much of this due to this original identification of urban-based transformational opportunities. However, this should not come as a surprise given the composition of the original HotSW board which was dominated by individuals from a construction/development; defence/nuclear or big education background.
Here are some examples of the sort of projects submitted in the bid proposals:
> £13 million to provide Hinkley C infrastructure and £55 million of pump priming to provide Hinkley housing;
> a Nuclear Training College;
> and one of the deals agreed includes £13.7 million loan funding to three developers to accelerate home building at: Frome, Brixham, Exeter and Highbridge. (You may ask why developers need such funding).
Much is made of the “Golden Opportunity” offered by Hinkley C. This is not the first nuclear power station to be built on the site. Hinkley A was constructed between 1957 and 1965 and Hinkley B between 1967 and 1976. So there should be plenty of historical evidence of the short and long-term economic benefits of such developments. Where are they or are they too insignificant to be found? It is no longer obvious that this is a growth industry.
Economic Measures and Growth
Lack of progress in making any significant changes to our economy are best illustrated by two direct quotes from the review:
“…….the review of economic data leads to the overall conclusion that the HoSW economy, at best, continues to track the ‘baseline’ growth scenario. That is, there is no firm evidence that it is achieving either ‘strong’ or ‘transformational’ growth as aspired to in the Strategic Economic Plan.” [Baseline – continuing to fall behind UK average; Strong – keeping pace with UK average; Transformational – faster than UK average]
“The plan outcome measures and objectives in the current economic environment do not currently look achievable, certainly in the short-term. Some of this is outside of the LEP partnership’s control (with more muted conditions nationally). However, the fact that many of the Strategic Plan outcome measures are expressed in relative terms does means that even if significant absolute improvements have been made to the HoSW economy, they may still never meet their outcome measures given that other areas will grow more quickly, notably London and South East. It is our view that some of the outcome targets, particularly those associated with the ‘transformational’ target, now look very aspirational in their nature.”
The only areas on track appear to be in the delivery of broadband coverage and in housing development density (development rates against existing stock).
For an unelected body that made a pitch to Government eight years ago that it could transform the local economy, including, initially, delivering health and transport, this below average performance from unlocking investment to falling productivity surely can only be seen as a failure?
The review catalogues the “critical issues” (excuses) for shortfalls: the economic context has changed; the expected ‘freedom and flexibilities’ have subsequently been rolled-back by Government; parameters [strings] have been tied around what could be funded; HoSW is a relatively new ‘construct’ and does not naturally represent a functional economic, or political, area as found elsewhere in the UK.
But that’s life. Any worthwhile strategic plan needs have been developed to be robust against a set of likely future scenarios. The “critical issues” listed above shouldn’t have come as surprise and the sensitivity of the plan to these sorts of “issues”, some use the term risks, should have been examined and reported. Another essential component, given the extreme uncertainty of how to improve productivity, should have been the development of a set of metrics and a feedback mechanism. So it is heartening to see that the reviewers make this recommendation:
“Currently, there is no ‘feedback loop’ back to the Strategic Investment Panel to develop its understanding of ‘what has worked well, and what not’ with investments made. Whilst we recognise that many projects are still at an early stage of development, we feel this is a missed opportunity. A better understanding of how investments have developed would lead to better long-term decision-making.”
On the basis of this review, is HotSW delivering value for money (our money)?
Joint Scrutiny Agenda and Ash Futures Review reports pack:
https://democracy.devon.gov.uk/documents/g3570/Public%20reports%20pack%2014th-Feb-2019%2014.15%20Heart%20of%20the%20South%20West%20HotSW%20Local%20Enterprise%20Partnersh.pdf?T=10
Office for National Statistics latest productivity data:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/labourproductivity/articles/regionalandsubregionalproductivityintheuk/february2018#results-for-local-enterprise-partnerships-and-city-regions
HotSW Productivity Strategy:
https://heartofswlep.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/HeartoftheSouthWestProductivityStrategy.pdf
HotSW Strategic Economic Plan
https://heartofswlep.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Non-tech-summary-FINAL.pdf
“Heart of the South West, our Local Enterprise Partnership, gets its first school report and it’s not good” | East Devon Watch
Labels: development, east devon watch, finance, local enterprise partnership
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Adventure!: Driving Your Car Over A Terrifying No-Rail Bridge In Siberia
This is a video of adventure seeker Martin Remiš driving what appears to be a tiny meth lab on wheels halfway across a 1,640-foot bridge spanning the Vitim River in Siberia. Great place to cook. The bridge was originally built for trains as part of the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM -- great name for a railway line), but the rails were removed after building a safer version (seen to the right). Would you drive it? Personally, I feel the only way to approach a bridge like this is WITH THE PEDAL TO THE METAL. Know what I'm saying? "You're saying you have a death wish." Death is the only adventure I have left. "Did you just quote Hook?" It's a great movie! Also when I said pedal to the metal I meant the brake, then turning around and going home.
Keep going for the video, actual drive starts at 1:20.
Thanks to Terrance, who agrees if you don't hit that thing at full speed you're never gonna make it.
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\n\nThis is a video of adventure seeker Martin Remiš driving what appears to be a tiny meth lab on wheels halfway across a 1,640-foot bridge spanning the Vitim River in Siberia. Great place to cook. The bridge was originally built for trains as part of the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM -- great name for a railway line), but the rails were removed after building a safer version (seen to the right). Would you drive it? Personally, I feel the only way to approach a bridge like this is WITH THE PEDAL TO THE METAL. Know what I'm saying? \"You're saying you have a death wish.\" Death is the only adventure I have left. \"Did you just quote Hook?\" It's a great movie! Also when I said pedal to the metal I meant the brake, then turning around and going home.\n\nKeep going for the video, actual drive starts at 1:20.
Read More: adventure, and this is allowed?, bridge, death wishes, driving around having a terrible time, i don't know what's on the other side of that bridge but it can't be worth it, i'll pass, meanwhile in siberia, no thank you, nope, setting sail for adventure, siberia, so that's what that looks like, train, transportation, video, you've got to be kidding me
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Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Choke Point
Peter Telep
Protection: DRM
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Choke Point by Peter Telep is a brand new tie-in title to the phenomenal game series.
The U.S. Army’s Special Forces are known for their highly specialized training and courage behind enemy lines. But there’s a group that’s even more stealthy and deadly. It’s composed of the most feared operators on the face of the earth-the soldiers of Ghost Recon.
When a CIA agent operating in Colombia is kidnapped, the Ghosts battle their way through rebels to rescue the man. But during the operation, they discover evidence of a new Islamic fundamentalist group that is being backed by South American drug cartels and rebel groups.
The Ghosts follow a trail that leads them around the world in a struggle to uncover the group’s true purpose, one that could mean billions to the South Americans, aid terrorists seeking to wreak havoc on American soil, and cause economic chaos all over the world.
But as the team chases down their quarry, they soon realize that their true foes have yet to reveal themselves…
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Choke Point is one of a series of books that tie-in with the unbelievably popular video game Ghost Recon. Fans of Clancy and Cussler will love this as well as fans of the game.
Praise for Tom Clancy:
‘There’s hardly another thriller writer alive who can fuel an adrenaline surge the way Clancy can’ Daily Mail
‘The action comes thick and fast’ The Times
Clancy has established himself as an undisputed master at blending exceptional realism and authenticity, intricate plotting, and razor-sharp suspense.
Peter Telep is the New York Times bestselling author of over forty novels spanning many genres including film adaptations, medical drama, and military thrillers.
When a CIA agent operating in Colombia is kidnapped, the Ghosts battle their way through rebels… (more)
© 2020 Free download books — On our site we have placed complimentary annotations of books.
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Why does everybody hate Tottenham? Understanding London football rivalries
Posted on February 8, 2010 | 46 Comments
London's football territories as seen by 'The Soccer Tribe'
The short answer is that you can’t . London’s football rivalries are as impenetrable as Jamie Carragher’s accent. They do not obey the strict rules of geography, they shift over time as relegations dent ambition or minor grudges get blown out of shape, and even at the same club, different supporters will have different rivals, some reflecting age, others temperament.
Take Chelsea. Chelsea are based in south-west London, just a mile away from Fulham – the two clubs share a postcode and after many years apart have now shared a division for the best part of a decade. But while Fulham hate Chelsea, I have never met a Chelsea fan who considers Fulham their rivals. How can they? Fulham are lovely, probably the cutest club in England. Every time I look at Roy Hodgson, I want to tickle him.
Most Chelsea fans instead plump for Tottenham, who brood far way in north-east London. The reasons for this rivalry are, like William Brown’s feud with Hubert Lane, lost to history but may have something to do with a) Jimmy Greaves; b) the 1967 FA Cup final; c) anti-semitism.
It doesn’t end there, though.
Other Chelsea fans, those with loftier ambitions, choose to hate Arsenal, the biggest and most successful club in London by far. A third batch, the type with scary faces and nicknames like ‘Doom’, go for West Ham, that den of resentment and blown dreams along the District Line, for reasons that have much to do with certain off-pitch incidents that have taken place over the years in pubs and stations all over London. But also because Chelsea and West Ham share certain psychological frailties that bigger clubs like Spurs and Arsenal do not understand.
Most London clubs have similarly confused rivalries. Arsenal are the most straightforward – they hate Spurs. And Spurs hate them, although some Spurs fans have a marked dislike for Chelsea, who have all but usurped their place as the second biggest club in London and aren’t shy to remind them of it.
Rounding off London’s distinctive strain of anti-Spurs feeling, West Ham also hate Tottenham – like Chelsea, they know Arsenal are untouchable at the top of the London pyramid, but feel Spurs are gettable. But West Ham fans also hate Chelsea and Millwall. Now Millwall hate West Ham, but Charlton hate Millwall. Charlton also hate Crystal Palace, who hate Brighton, which really screws things up. Nobody really knows who Leyton Orient hate – although Wiki says Southend.
You might think that’s already quite enough hate for one post – in fact, you might even be wondering why we should discuss hate at all – but it gets even more confusing over in West London. Fulham’s Fayed-inspired rise through the divisions has seen them mount a stepladder of hate – first Brentford, then QPR, now Chelsea. QPR have made a similar trip in the opposite direction, but while they refuse to get involved in any sort of rivalry with Brentford, they haven’t got much choice because nobody else will pay them the slightest bit of attention.
And we haven’t even started on non-league clubs yet.
It’s a soap opera, isn’t it?
Why all the hate? Well, most football fans are aware that their chosen club is unlikely to win anything in any given season, so if they ‘unsupport’ (a term conceived by When Saturday Comes many years ago) another club, preferably a local rival, they can take vicarious satisfaction when they lose. It’s a form of hedge betting and means that even though Spurs haven’t won anything substantial for decades and regularly get beaten by Arsenal, they can take tremendous pleasure in each and every defeat experienced by their bigger rivals.
Personally, I hate hate.
And Spurs.
This entry was posted in Football, London and tagged Arsenal, Chelsea, derbies, London football club rivals, Millwall, Spurs, West Ham. Bookmark the permalink.
46 responses to “Why does everybody hate Tottenham? Understanding London football rivalries”
Jason Cobb | February 8, 2010 at 10:29 | Reply
A tricky conundrum, wonderfully explained. I also prefer the phrase ‘unsupport,’ as opposed to hate.
It’s not quite as complicated in the East Midlands, but the basic pecking order is:
Forest hate Derby
Derby hate Forest
Leicester hate Forest
Forest dislike Leicester
Derby and Leicester dislike each other
Notts County hate Forest
Forest LOVE Notts County.
I’ve seen the super Pies play at Wembley more times than I’ve seen Forest. The poor old Notts’ boys hate it that we don’t actually hate them.
As for Mansfield Town? I think they hate Hucknall Town.
peterwatts1975 | February 8, 2010 at 10:38 | Reply
Ah, the County-Forest relationship seems very like Chelsea-Fulham.
I guess all regions have complicated rivalry infrastructure when it gets down it. The West Midlands seems quite straightforward but the North-West Corridor is a minefield.
A friend of mine is a Blackpool fan and says long hours are spent in the pub arguing about who they dislike more, Preston or Burnley.
Rabbler | February 9, 2010 at 09:28 | Reply
As a Dulwich Hamlet fan there is no question I will HATE t*****g * mitcham until I die! Or the ‘thugs & muggers’ as we ‘affectionatley’ call them!
People ask me why we hate each other so much. I can olny reply honestly…I have no idea. It’s just the way I was brought up as a child! 😉
Baldassaro | February 11, 2010 at 15:53 | Reply
Excellent article. I’ve discussed it with Chelsea, Spurs and West Ham fans, all of whom agree that the analysis is spot on. It’s also interesting to spot the boundaries between territories – a friend tells me that Sydenham is traditionally Palace country, but Forest Hill is Millwall.
Your East Midlands correspondent has missed the rivalry between Leicester and Coventry (which admittedly is in the West Midlands). I’m told that Coventry hate Leicester, but Leicester reserve their spite for Forest and Derby. I can personally attest that Coventry fans spent an awful lot of time abusing Leicester the last time I was there, in spite of the fact that they weren’t playing them at the time.
peterwatts1975 | February 11, 2010 at 16:10 | Reply
Hi Baldassaro, thanks for the comment. The boundaries thing is definitely interesting. If you look at the map attached you’ll see that in the middle of the big blue band across South London, there is a claret blob in Croydon. That’s because according to Chris Lightbown, the journalist who inspired the map with a piece he wrote on London football gangs in 1972, there was a hardcore of exiled East Enders and West Ham fans in the middle of Chelsea Croydon. I have no idea if this is still the case.
On the Midlands – I always thought Coventry had it in for Villa, but it was unrequited. Poor Cov, one of those clubs that just don’t have a natural rival.
KC | March 18, 2010 at 12:22 | Reply
Spurs v Chelsea is the main rivalry & has been since the 1960`s. The press have stirred up the Arseanl factor, which does exist, but as a Spurs fan – we hate Chelsea & always will
Zaman Siddiqui | October 1, 2010 at 20:06 | Reply
I think that West Ham United are a team that are very good and never cheat.
Personally, I think that Tottenham Hotspurs are a team who influence rivalries is because their fans are a disgrace. In an old match against West Ham in 1980, were throwing garbage and bottles to the West Ham squad. West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur are teams who have stadiums approximately 10 miles of distance. They are quite far apart stadiums/teams. As a West Ham supporter, I am not proud of the decisions that Tottenham has made in past decades.
White D | November 7, 2010 at 16:33 | Reply
Here in Yorkshire it’s a lot more simple than London or the Midlands! –
Bradford hate Leeds
Huddersfield hate Leeds
Hull hate Leeds
Doncaster hate Leeds
Barnsley hate Leeds
Sheffield United and Wednesday hate each other, but they also hate Leeds
Leeds hate Man Utd
peterwatts1975 | November 8, 2010 at 13:40 | Reply
Ah, Leeds.
Chelsea hate them too of course, but that’s a whole other story.
White D | December 25, 2010 at 19:32 | Reply
Indeed. We have an old rivalry with Chelsea as well as Millwall and Cardiff, but that’s off the pitch stuff. Forst and Derby aren’t particularly fond of us either.
Just a few comments on your map, which for the most part seems to be covered by the four teams you mentioned.
– Obviously North London is for the most part Arsenal and Spurs country, but there’s also a small number of Barnet fans up there too.
– West London seems to be split between Chelsea, Fulham and QPR, with Brentford, like Barnet taking up a small spot.
– You’re more likely to find Palace, Millwall and Charlton in South London than Chelsea or Arsenal, especially Croydon which seems to be Palace’s heartland.
– Most people in East London do indeed support West Ham, but there’s small pockets of Orient fans as well.
JohnnyL | January 4, 2011 at 11:15 | Reply
This is BRILLIANT. When was this scarf map date back to? I can only imagine it would have been at Chelsea’s peak, around 1969-70, cos by the late 70s and 80s there were hardly any Chelsea fans left around the boroughs of Ealing, Hillingdon, Harrow or Hounslow. But I am fascinated by the stray red blobs of Arsenal, especially in Hayes (possibly an Irish thing) and Lewisham (is this some hangover from Woolwich Arsenal?). It’s a bit frustrating that they left out the whole complex Charlton/Millwall/Palace territory.
peterwatts1975 | January 5, 2011 at 13:00 | Reply
The scarf map comes from Time Out in 1972 from Chris Lightbown’s seminal piece Football Gangs about the hooligans of the four big London clubs.
Here’s a more recent and inclusive attempt to do the same thing.
http://www.qprdot.org/viewtopic.php?t=45754&sid=559be7ba1805073843649a6bf00fccf5
Dominic | January 18, 2011 at 14:03 | Reply
“Most people in East London do indeed support West Ham, but there’s small pockets of Orient fans as well.”
And even smaller pockets of Dagenham and Redbridge fans.
Although only really in some bits of Dagenham.
Not Redbridge.
They hate Boston. With good reason. And Peterborough (a legacy of their fans destroying part of the then Dagenham Utd ground in a distant FA cup tie in the mid-80s).
Distant rivalries, perhaps, but still sort of East Anglian.
Used to hate Barking, but (many relegations and bankrupcies later) now they’re not worth it. Nor are Grays Athletic.
Don’t hate Orient, or Charlton. Quite glad to be drawn against either of them, in fact as it brings in money from their fans. Whereas normally that only comes from the ground sponsors, the local council, and the team sponsors, the local funeral parlour.
Long may the Daggers reign.
Hornchurch Gooner | November 29, 2015 at 04:33 | Reply
And hornchurch hate dagenham,a little bit,it’s died down now,we also hate romford but not as much as they hate us.
We used to hate Canvey a lot but not so much anymore and grays are not liked very much….ok,I hate them too.
For me,I hate Tottenham first,as a Gooner….and because of my allegiance to hornchurch I hate romford nearly as much….I really hate Tottenham fans from romford though.
Old Higsonian | October 24, 2011 at 20:38 | Reply
Carra’s accent isn’t impenetrable! Unlike that of his manager.
Entertaining article. My neighbour here in SE15, a lifelong CFC fan and all round good man told me there has always been a huge Chelsea fanbase in SE London and they all hate Arsenal. I can understand that. He said it was also something to do with Milwall but never went into specifics.
Gg the o | December 2, 2011 at 17:03 | Reply
There are loads of yids in east London,Infact if you pushed me IMO I think spurs have the most fans in London from londoners,
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gringo | May 20, 2012 at 15:15 | Reply
In the east mids,Leicester hate Forest,Derby and Cov in that order.Unless you live out near Hinkley,then you`ll hate Cov more than the rest.If you live around Coalville you`ll probably hate Derby the most.Everybody quite likes Notts County.
Keith | May 21, 2012 at 13:13 | Reply
Ah retype that its Chelsea who are the most successful team in London come back to us when you have actually won major honors in Europe you gooner scum!!
John Saunders | June 26, 2012 at 18:54 | Reply
Its a much more complicated picture than most of you think. London is not just divided into North,South,East, and West. The river,too, is no boundary in West London. Thus Fulham and Chelsea draw much of their support from south of the river, and are looked on as South London teams. Geographically, they QPR,Brentford, and AFC Wimbledon form a geographical grouping as do Spurs, Arsenal,Barnet,in North London, West Ham,Orient,Dagenham in the East and Charlton and Millwall in the SE. Palace our ‘out on a limb’, but if anything are rivals for fans with Fulham and Chelsea in areas like Sutton and Mitcham. London geography is ,ai state, quite complicated!
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Matt Wilson | February 28, 2013 at 11:21 | Reply
Brilliant article!
I saw a comment above saying the Hounslow Borough has few Chelsea fans left? That’s crazy. Obviously the community is overwhelmingly Asian who don’t tend to go to football but other than that.. I live in Feltham and this and the surrounding area is 100% recognised as a ‘Chelsea’ area. There’s lots of QPR too, a fair amount of Fulham and of course Brentford. Other London clubs do have their followings here too, Richmond/Twickenham has a big, big Spurs following.
Proper football fan territories are gonna be all mixed because these days the football club you support is generally drummed into you before you even understand what geography means. For example if you’re Hounslow-Chelsea and you re-locate to the midlands and have children, are you gonna let your kids grow up to support the local team or are you gonna be watching Chelsea games with them, subliminally making it very likely they’ll grow up to support Chelsea too.
As for the rivalries. Of course it varies from individuals but I’d say it’s something like this… (only London rivalries included)
Arsenal HATE
1: Tottenham
2: Chelsea
3: West Ham
Tottenham HATE
1: Arsenal
2: (very close 2nd perhaps other way round for many Spurs) Chelsea
Chelsea HATE
3: West Ham (Could argue this as 2nd due to off-pitch rivalry)
4: Millwall (off-pitch reasons)
5: QPR
West Ham HATE
1: Millwall
3: Chelsea (2 and 3 could be switched but I think due to proximity the Tottenham rivalry is slightly more heated – nowadays at least)
Millwall HATE
3: Luton (not exactly London I know… near enough)
QPR HATE
2: Fulham
3: Luton
4: Brentford
Fulham HATE
The other London clubs I wouldn’t like to comment on as I don’t know nearly enough about them, plus I’ve said ‘hate’ far too many times for one post.
sky blue sam | September 12, 2013 at 00:00 | Reply
The west midland’s is hugely different from the rest of the football league.
Coventry City hate Aston Villa with a passion as like no other, also Leicester city, notts forest, derby county, WBA, b,ham city are all also disliked by the sky blues, & the feelings are mutual towards Coventry City. If the truth is known the sky blues are disliked by most of the football league especially Tottenham hotspurs for the winning own goal by Gary mabbut in the 1987 FA cup final at Wembley
Charlotte Hamilton | May 5, 2014 at 13:41 | Reply
AS a QPR fan you’re brought up hating these clubs: Chelsea, Fulham, Leeds and Cardiff. You could argue Brentford but they aren’t really on our radar, just like we aren’t on Chelsea’s radar so Chelsea don’t hate us as per say.
I’m based in Heston and a lot of Hounslow, Cranford and Hillingdon are QPR and Brentford based actually.
This whole London Rivalry is really complicated and it’d probably best not to get involved really
PeterC | May 18, 2014 at 21:25 | Reply
Chelsea, being north of the river, is a west London club, despite the postcode. I know, because I live in southwest London. Wimbledon to be exact. Massive Chelsea area too. I work in teddington and can’t say I’ve ever noticed, as someone said above, a big spurs following in Richmond or Twickenham. One thing left out of this is the very modern antipathy between Chelsea and Liverpool, which partly dates back to some sources claiming Chelsea fans had a role in the hysel disaster (ridiculous), and partly to recent games in Europe.
imunionjack | January 1, 2015 at 01:57 | Reply
I live in Brixton and have since I was 13 and as my Uncle was one of those who got their kicks following Chelsea I was dragged along for the ride. It was once solid Blue but now theres a mix of supporters in Brixton with Chelsea being the most supported Id say with Arsenal and splatterings of Hammers and Eagles.
Brixton Boy | January 14, 2018 at 01:59 |
I live in Brixton as and can confirm there are chelsea everywhere. Also a lot of Arsenal with quite a few Crystal Palace..
Elecktrickgreatcoatman | June 23, 2014 at 11:33 | Reply
Enfield Town fans deserve a mention for their ability to continue to hate Barnet, even though Enfield Town have never actually played them, due to not being the same team as the Enfield FC who were the undisputed kings of non league football in the seventies.
lee1113uk | October 26, 2014 at 20:12 | Reply
Never figured it why football fans in Croydon support Chelsea,yet Crystal.Palace is only a bus ride away!
Dave | October 16, 2018 at 10:00 | Reply
Because a lot of people from Wandsworth, Battersea, Fulham etc moved from those Chelsea supporting areas in the 60s, 70s & 80s to the likes of Croydon and Sutton and the club they supported came with them.
Are Manchester United the most hated?
Ciaran | December 6, 2014 at 16:03 | Reply
I grew up in Barnet and now live in Enfield and nearly everyone I have met in my life supports either Arsenal or Spurs (Probably 50/50). I work in Hammersmith and Fulham and it seems it is mostly a three way tie between QPR, Chelsea and Fulham fans. I know a couple of West Ham supporters but have never encountered a fan from another club on that list (but I don’t go south of the river; it is in my experience that most people in S london support Arsenal and/or their local club).
Most people in Brent support chelsea but Brent has a very large South Asian population who mostly support Liverpool or Man Utd. And the same pattern is seen in East London where there are West Ham fans but most immigrants opp for Liverpool or Utd.
When I studied in Bournemouth I was surprised by the amount of spurs fans that lived there. Is there areason for this?
Ian | February 4, 2016 at 19:33 | Reply
Harry Redknapp lives in the Bournemouth area and managed Spurs from 2008 to 2012, maybe that’s why???
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Martyn James | October 11, 2015 at 11:49 | Reply
I appreciate this is an old article but can anyone attempt to explain exactly why Arsenal “hate” Tottenham?
History shows why Tottenham fans would, and should hate Arsenal (the under handed actions of Arsenal through the years is actually quite disgracegul) but I can find no good reason for the reverse. If Arsenal fans hate spurs “because spurs hate us” as I have frequently been told by Arsenal people, well this seems a bit pathetic to me.
Surely there is a better reason but don’t make it up please.
Ian McColm | February 4, 2016 at 19:57 | Reply
As someone who lived close to Kenilworth Road the night Millwall supporters attempted to destroy it (1987 ? or thereabouts), could any Millwall supporter tell me why they hate Luton so much ?
Essex Joe | February 9, 2016 at 23:06 | Reply
Wikipedia is right, Leyton Orient do have a rivalry with Southend, although Southend’s main rivals are Colchester. I don’t think Dagenham and Redbridge have much of a rivalry with anyone locally, maybe that will change if they stay in the league for a while.
Scott Ebbz London | February 16, 2016 at 13:29 | Reply
It would be interesting to see an international version of this, i think we are all unified in saying we all hate Germany 😉
Goatygav | April 24, 2016 at 17:18 | Reply
What makes me laugh the most is Wycombe Wanderers hate for Colchester United. No reason whatsoever. No proximity. No specific rivalry. Don’t get it. What’s it all about? Can someone give me a better explanation than “both teams were vying to get in to the football league at the same time?”
Spudz is a much older rivalry for West Ham than most people realise. When my father was watching West Ham in the ’30’s they were the ‘Arch Enemy’ as he described it.
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Mike | May 6, 2016 at 11:39 | Reply
As a lifelong Hammer, I can categorically state that I don’t hate Millwall, and I don’t know any other Hammer that hates Millwall. They’re nothing to us, we’ve played them very little down the years, and the only Millwall fan I’ve ever (knowingly) met (and I’m a headbanger & he was a mod!) agreed – he considered Charlton & Palace (and in that order, if I remember aright) to be their main rivals.
The notion that this hatred hangs on a dock strike in 1926 (as is commonly reported), or another one even further back around the turn of the century, is nonsense. As far as I’m concerned, any hatred between the clubs is A) a result of the thug element rivalry outside of football in the 70’s, and B) blown out of proportion by the press.
As evidence, I offer my dear old (dead) Dad. He was born in Kennington Lane in 1927, so he grew up supporting Millwall. In 1953, he married Mum, moved to East Ham, and started going to Upton Park. For the rest of life, he was an avid Hammer, attending every game he could (including the various Cup Finals), and still held an affection for Millwall. If there was any deep-seated antipathy between the clubs, in either direction, is that likely to have happened? No. It’s all about the hooligans, and no-one else cares.
Goatygav is right – Spurs is an older rivalry than people realise and, really, it’s our only rivalry. I don’t know any Hammers who hate Arsenal or Chelsea (except the latter latterly for being the first super-rich club (and lots of fans hate them for that) and the hooligan rivalry again). There’s always a bit of extra spice in derbies because they’re local, but nothing especially beyond that.
As for Leyton Orient, they hate West Ham! At least, the two or three Orient fans I’ve ever known did. I think it’s down to resentment – they might have the been the big end East End club, but they’re not. And yes, it pre-dates the Olympic Stadium saga…
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Basil | August 15, 2016 at 16:14 | Reply
I understand that the coppers think the most hate-filled derby in England is Blackburn and Burnley, although why it’s so intense I don’t know. Something to do with two zombie ex-industrial towns being too close to each other, perhaps. Burnley have been called the “Inbred Dingles” for years (“I thought incest had six legs until I visited Burnley”), but some comedian of a Burnley mole at the Blackburn law courts recently scheduled two unrelated cases of bestiality with horses on the same day. As a result, Blackburn Rovers are now known as the “horse-f***ers”.
You could write a book about the chains of hate linking the towns of England through their football clubs, and why. Notts County hate Mansfield Town who hate Chesterfield who really hate them back (a relic of the miner’s strike). Hull hate York, Darlington hate Hartlepool, Lincoln hate Grimsby, Cambridge hate Peterborough. But who do Carlisle hate? Used to be Workington, back in the days when the latter had a league club, and Workington hated Barrow (ditto). Even small clubs are at it -Margate hate Ramsgate and Earby hate Barnoldswick.
Comfy Slippers | October 17, 2016 at 21:52 | Reply
Now why can’t we all just get along?
Mike N | February 20, 2017 at 09:00 | Reply
I’d always understood that the ones Millwall fans really hate – REALLY get out of bed for – are Tottenham, dating back to before the hooligan Panorama investigation into Millwall’s different tribes, Treatment, the one at the halfway line, Harry the Dog etc and so on, in the 70s. Of course the fixture rarely happens and Tottenham probably don’t care, but the forthcoming FA Cup quarter final should be interesting for police with leave booked.
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Ecological constraints on phenotypic evolution: a case study with Lake Malawi's 'prototype' cichlid fish
Lead Research Organisation: University of Bristol
Department Name: Biological Sciences
By studying 'model systems' we are gaining a better understanding of how biological diversity has evolved and is maintained by sexual and natural selection. However, we know little about why evolution of new species takes place in some environments, but fails in others. For example, many fishes have evolved new forms in lakes, but not in rivers, including sticklebacks, trout, perches and catfishes. Understanding this may help us to know how environments mediate the type of evolution that takes place, and address how future environmental changes, for example in frequency of extreme events and presence of alien species, may change evolutionary pathways. The type of process that mediates population size influences the strength of competition among offspring, and decides which individuals eventually get to mate. If populations are limited by space or food, then competition between members of the population will be strong, and it should pay to produce young that are good competitors for that environment, leading to the evolution of locally specialised fish. In such habitats it would not necessarily pay to disperse to locations where these specialisations are less effective. If populations are limited by occasional catastrophic events, such as droughts, selection will favour generalists that take opportunities as and when they arise. In these habitats selection may favour evolution of high dispersal, to prevent females losing all offspring should unfavourable conditions arise. In Lake Malawi hundreds of cichlid fish species have evolved in the lake, but this has not happened in surrounding rivers, but we have no clear explanation for why. The proposed research will explore if the types of selection imposed by contrasting environments have influenced patterns and rates of evolution. The work will study the only fish in the Malawi cichlid radiation that is present in both rivers and the lake, Astatotilapia calliptera (=the 'prototype'), a species with functional morphological differences (tooth, jaw) between populations. The studentship will involve four components: 1) field surveys to test if river and lake cichlid population sizes are controlled differently, with river fish populations being subject to annual catastrophic events, while lake fish are stable over long periods of time and controlled by food and space availability. 2) an analysis of dispersal of river and lake populations, by quantifying gene flow using genetic (microsatellite) markers. 3) an analysis of morphological and ecological specialisation in river and lake populations. This will involve collecting fish in the field and measuring functional traits. To test if differences are a consequence of selection, fish from four populations will be reared in a common garden experiment in laboratory aquaria, enabling quantification of the extent of variation that is explained by underlying genetic differences. 4) A study of evolutionary relationships of populations using genetic (AFLP) markers, enabling tests of whether the same morphology has evolved only once, or perhaps multiple times in parallel. Together this information will: a) help explain why new species evolve in some environments, but not in others; b) contribute to the development of a model system for studying how environmental variability influences evolution; c) help explain patterns of biodiversity over regional spatial scales, and d) help determine how evolutionary processes may be altered by modern environmental changes. The skills, experience and enthusiasm of three relatively newly appointed academics of the University of Bristol and the Natural History Museum will provide a positive learning environment for the student. In addition to generic training in scientific expertise that will be provided, specific training will be gained in numerous skills, including tropical fieldwork, quantitative morphology, ecological surveys, population genetics, experimental ecology and molecular phylogenetics.
Funded Value:
Funded Period:
Oct 10 - Sep 14
NE/H018115/1
Martin Jones Genner
University of Bristol, United Kingdom (Lead Research Organisation)
The Natural History Museum, United Kingdom (Project Partner)
Martin Jones Genner (Principal Investigator)
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Cheerleader in Africa
Published on September 29, 2013 April 22, 2017 by gwenborg1 Comment
The confluence of three seemingly disparate events last week has my mind returning to the time I spent living and working in Africa more than twenty years ago. My book group in Hong Kong chose Aayan Hirsi Ali’s book Infidel as our first book of the season. Ali was born the same year as I, but at Digfer Hospital in Mogadishu, the very same hospital our medical team set up shop when we arrived to help in Somalia twenty-two years later. Our book discussion took place one evening as the stand off at the Westgate mall, just miles from my former home in Nairobi remained unresolved. Learning that the attack was likely planned by radicalized Somalis, precisely those Ali had described in her memoir, was disheartening. Finally, reading Kathy Eldon’s new memoir, In the Heart of Life, makes it all seem like it was yesterday. It makes me want to share this part of the story myself…
Twenty-two years ago, a recent college graduate, I was hired to join the first American medical relief team to respond to the growing humanitarian crisis in Somalia. Siad Barre had fled the country and clans were aligning around two main rivals, Ali Mahdi and General Aideed, vying for power in a chaotic and dangerous war. By November our team was doing the best they could under severe conditions at Digfer Hospital in Mogadishu. Despite our best efforts and those of a few intrepid journalists, no one was paying attention to Somalia. By the spring of the following year, more international relief agencies had arrived and the situation had worsened as signs of famine were appearing along with the war casualties. Jane Perlez, a New York Times reporter based in Nairobi was finally successful in placing a story, and the world began to take notice. Seasoned Africa journalists and youthful stringers flocked to Somalia demanding international security to enable food distribution into the countryside. Eventually, President Bush authorized U.S. intervention and some of our staff were among those Somalis waiting on the beach on December 9, 1992 when the Marines made their night landing. The next few months were a honeymoon period as caravans of CARE’s food were escorted out to the worst hit areas like Baidoa and Belet Weyne and signs of the worst of the famine abated. We all felt good. Yes, there were turf battles between relief agencies, Somalis and the military, but the daily coordination meetings in Mogadishu were cordial and Operation Restore Hope was working. I left Africa and moved to Los Angeles for a new role with the same organization, naively emboldened by a job well done.
Most people blame the turning point in public opinion of Somalia on the fateful day, October 3, known as Blackhawk Down when Somalis shot down a US helicopter and dragged a Marine through the streets. To me, the turning point was nearly three months earlier on July 12 when an angry mob of Somalis, rightly furious at the UN for attacking a meeting of Somali elders erroneously thought to be a safe house for Aideed, turned on a group of journalists, stoning four of them to death. My friend, twenty-two year old Dan Eldon was among those killed. I kept working to try to help in Somalia, but the honeymoon was over.
Dan and I had bonded over dinner at the IMC compound in Baidoa one night as he teased stories of my hidden life as a high school cheerleader out of me. He was playful, passionate and beguiling. Both in our early twenties, the youngest expats in Somalia by at least five years, I always thought of Dan and me as the little brother & sister to the older, more experienced relief crowd. I thought that kept us out of trouble. One day back in Nairobi, Dan took me to lunch at the Muthaiga Club where I tasted my very first oysters. We giggled at how the pink décor matched the ruddy cheeks of the older British expatriate crowd. After lunch Dan darted out for an appointment at Nairobi hospital where he had arranged to x-ray the posterior of a Kenyan woman who could move her hips in a way he’d never seen before. He wanted to know if she was physiologically different from other people. Dan was curious about everything, afraid of nothing and genuinely interested in everyone’s story.
Years later, still living in Los Angeles, I attended a book signing by author, former Reuters reporter and dear friend of Dan’s, Aidan Hartley. As he spoke about his book, Zanzibar Chest, he gave credit to international journalists for having roused public attention to Somalia. Then he proceeded to talk about how the international community had royally screwed it all up. He remains among the most critical of international intervention in Somalia today and one of the few who is still paying attention. Later that night over drinks with some friends I asked Aidan, given how it all turned out, would he still have done the same thing? He didn’t say so directly, but I suspect not.
That’s the fundamental question we all face. Knowing that humanitarian intervention is imperfect, that unintended consequences of well-intended efforts can often make things worse, and that donating to a relief organization feels like renting instead of buying your home, whereby the immediate benefit is clear, but over the long term you feel like you’re throwing money away. Still, what’s the alternative? It is easy for journalists to criticize interventions without offering a solution and for those of us who see the system as flawed to armchair quarterback and keep our money in the bank. I applaud the imperfect interventions by those still drawn to do something, even as I yearn for a different model altogether.
This week Dan’s mother, Kathy Eldon, published her own memoir, In the Heart of Life, as a way to share her journey from grief to creative activism in Dan’s memory. The launch of her story of hopefulness and resilience poignantly coincides with the horrific attack at the Westgate shopping center last week, only miles from Dan’s childhood home in Nairobi. While Kathy has spent the intervening twenty years since Dan’s tragic death methodically rebuilding her life in a vision of engagement and hope for the future, Somalia sinks deeper into a twenty-five year spiral of turmoil and despair, continued violence and destruction. It makes me wonder if Kathy’s Creative Visions Foundation approach, one that works to engage youth just like those Ali describes in her memoir and the nightly news describes at the Westgate mall, might just be Dan’s greatest life’s work?
Categories Inspiration•Tags aayan hirsi ali, Africa, Aidan Hartley, Creative Visions Foundation, Dan Eldon, Kathy Eldon, Mogadishu, Nairobi, Somalia, Zanzibar Chest
Published on September 11, 2013 September 11, 2013 by gwenborgLeave a comment
“Run as fast as you possibly can at any given moment, and don’t stop.” I repeated this phrase to myself thousands of times over the course of the four hours, two minutes and 13 seconds it took me to complete the New York Marathon in November 2001, just six weeks after hijacked airplanes toppled the World Trade Centers right across the Hudson from the start of the race. This being my third New York Marathon, I knew that it would be different from the two before because every marathon is a new experience, but I had no idea that showing up to participate would turn out to have as much of an impact as did finishing the race itself.
Living in Los Angeles, I had felt almost entirely detached from the events of September 11th. Of course witnessing it “live” on CNN, I felt profoundly sad and horrified, but in that “saw it on TV” kind of way. We sat in our comfortable living room on one of the most beautiful Southern California September mornings and watched the clips play over and over for hours, waiting to see what would happen next, but not feeling any sense of personal danger or fear. Then, to get our toddler out of the house, we went to the playground by the beach. It was empty…and beautiful. Our family and friends were safe and accounted for, and our lives were not immediately disrupted. I have never felt more disconnected from the rest of the world then I did at that very minute. So standing on Staten Island in the crowd of 25,000 waiting for Mayor Guliani to share a word of encouragement and sound the gun to start the race, I felt fear for the first time. Myopically, I wondered if the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge would blow up when we crossed it?
It didn’t. The crowd got moving quickly and I began to settle into my marathon mode. “Not too fast, you don’t want to burn out …Shake out your arms and stretch your neck…I hope my son’s OK with the babysitter…Please let me get back to him quickly…Take off your hat and throw it on the dumpster ahead…and so it went for the first few miles. My running pace was entirely erratic and undisciplined. I watched the timer clock as each mile passed. More than ten minutes for the first mile, then an eight minute mile…eight-and-a-half minutes…seven minutes and fifty seconds…and so on. I knew this was faster than my usual pace and that I probably couldn’t keep it up for the whole race. I also knew that this kind of erratic pace made me a dreadful running partner, but that didn’t turn out to matter. I lost track of my husband in the first quarter mile when he stopped to pee. My in-laws, preferring a slow and steady pace, hung back and disappeared into the crowd by the end of the first mile. Even my best friend and running partner of 15 years got a stitch in her side at mile six and said I should go on without her. So, there I was, mother of a not-yet-two-year-old, casually trained, and coaxing myself through the marathon alone.
It’s often said that marathon running is 10% physical and 90% mental. In my own experience, I have found this to be entirely true. As the time wore on and everything began to ache, my body begged for relief, but I was determined not to drop out. After all, my friends were watching my progress on the Internet and I had told so many people I was going to do this, I couldn’t not finish. Not to mention the fact that my son was at my friend’s place with a new babysitter and I was desperate to get home to him. In this marathon, like none other before, I found a powerful new voice inside, coaching me to “run as fast as you possibly can at any given moment, and, don’t stop.”
As I ran with my head down staring at the pavement before me to avoid an emotional reaction to the crowds that would derail my breathing pattern and preclude my completion of the race, I found myself in need of very different motivations at different times. Sometimes I would get a rush of euphoria and energy thinking of crossing the finish line, of how good the bath after the marathon would feel. Then, seconds later, I’d realize there were still so many miles to go and feel an overwhelming desire to quit right then and there, sure that I couldn’t finish. My mantra worked under both these circumstances. When I was feeling energetic, I picked up the pace moving more quickly toward that goal I had in mind. For those times I wanted to quit, the second half of it, and, don’t stop became a bottom line as I shuffled along at a snails pace, but moving just the same.
Brooklyn, for me, is the best part of the race. I’m still feeling good enough to look around and enjoy the bands and the crowds. I love Lafayette Street and all the children who come to cheer us on. The mixture of reggae blaring from 4th floor windows and Hassidic Jewish families dressed in somber black coats, but always with chairs to sit for the duration, I find incredibly invigorating. I am amazed by how many fire stations there are along the route in Brooklyn, and how many firemen are out cheering us on. The first ten miles pass in a blur and, just as the first wave of fatigue arrives, the crowds die out and we move into Queens for the most silent and solitary phase of the marathon. The red carpet on the Pulaski Bridge signals the approaching half marathon mark, a huge milestone. I cross the half marathon at one hour, fifty-eight minutes and change. If I keep up this pace I’ll beat four hours! Now I have a bigger goal, but a lot of work ahead of me.
In the three NY marathons I have run over the years, the end of the Queensboro Bridge as it empties out into Manhattan to the roars of the largest crowd along the entire route is always the most difficult part for me. On the one hand, I’ve finally reached Manhattan and the marathon is technically more than half over. On the other hand, I know miles of 1st avenue lay before me, and a dismal trek through upper Manhattan and the Bronx separates me from the Central Park finish line that, as the crow flies, is only blocks away. I always hyperventilate a bit as I come over the bridge. I think it’s partly being overwhelmed by the crowds and partly the road ahead that does it, but I find I really have to put my head down and block out all noise around me to keep my breathing steady and even (this compared to my friend who enjoys socializing, munching on bananas, sipping beer and stopping to chat right at that spot). I find hunkering down and focusing on the road ahead to be my only recourse for this mental hurdle. I make it up 1st avenue, across the Willis Avenue Bridge into the Bronx and round the turn back into Harlem, realizing I’ve reached the ultimate mental battle of the race.
The last four miles are excruciating. Not only do I have the requisite fatigue and sore toes, but I’m also getting a strange ache in my stomach every time I run downhill. I find myself wondering if I could be causing permanent damage that might preclude producing a sibling for my son? My mind plays heavy, powerful tricks to try to coax me to stop running and drop out of the race. The pressure to quit is relentless, even down to the last quarter mile I struggle to keep going, but my mantra is stronger. It’s amazing the clarity that can go hand-and-hand with pain and struggle. The constant stream of thoughts, the monkey mind, disappears, replaced by a clear focus on and don’t stop. Simple. Then, with the finish line finally in site, a flood of euphoria comes over me and I pick up the pace, take off my sunglasses and raise my arms in victory sprinting to the finish line as if I had run a fifty-yard dash.
Exhausted and elated, I finished and achieved a personal best time for the NY Marathon, though I missed my goal of beating four hours by just over two minutes. As I file out with hundreds of other runners, I reflect on the marathon itself and my accomplishment. In the initial minutes following the end of the race, it is all about me. How exciting it had been… How proud I am to have finished… How great my finish line photo will be… How terrific the celebration dinner will be… How to cut out of the line and get to 85th Street as fast as I can… How sore my legs are already.
Yet, as the immediate euphoria subsides, a new sensation begins to creep in. Throughout the marathon, I had kept emotion at bay, trying to push aside any thoughts of sadness or personal grief of my fellow runners or spectators. Now, with the luxury of the race behind me, I allow myself to absorb the sites I had witnessed along the way. I had heard stories before the race started of people running in memory of friends who had died in the attacks, but nothing had prepared me to run along side a man wearing a t-shirt listing dozens of friends he knew and lost, or a single photograph of a loved one bobbing ridiculously on the back of a runner’s t-shirt. As we passed fire trucks seemingly every mile or two, hoards of firemen stood outside the trucks cheering us on. I couldn’t believe they were clapping for us. They were the heroes – we should have been clapping for them, and many of us were. There were hundreds of signs thanking us for showing up, and more expressions of solidarity and patriotism than I had ever seen displayed before. American flags decorated the route and the runners. Collectively, we were a diversion for the morning, a few hours off from the weight of grief that hung palpably over the city.
Looking back more than a decade later, I realize that in many ways, I ran the marathon in the same way I witnessed the events of September 11th; with detachment. Not as the result of apathy, but as an ultimate defense mechanism. Maybe deciding to get on a plane when the country was at high alert and go to New York to run the marathon was, in my own way, an effort to be present there and to gain some kind of understanding and connection to an event that was so defining for the world, but seemed so unreal to me? These days we all face busy, overscheduled personal lives, an over-heating planet, crumbling financial markets and struggling politicians. We’re bombarded with so much daily tragedy that we are becoming desensitized to the grief and suffering of others. The magnitude of these challenges coupled with the entertaining formats via which they are conveyed, makes it easy to sit back and watch the spectacle with detachment, as I did that day. Opting out altogether is the most comfortable option, but also the most vacant. I’m beginning to see that making the conscious decision to participate rather than just sit back and watch, might just turn out to be the greatest accomplishment of all.
Categories Inspiration•Tags New York City Marathon, September 11, World Trade Center
Trip Report: Yunnan Province, China
Our suitcases are barely unpacked, but I fear if I don’t write this update immediately I might forget a detail from our eye-opening trip to Yunnan Province in Southwestern China with the Shetty family this week. Yunnan is home to half of China’s ethnic minorities and hosts the most diverse terrain imaginable, from green, fertile rice terraces in the south on the Myanmar and Laotian border to soaring peaks of the snow capped mountains bordering Tibet in the North. Our trip traced the southern trade route where tea from the Kunming area was picked, taken to Dali to be made into cakes and then transported up to the higher elevations where Tibetans exchanged meat and jewels for the desired tea that they couldn’t grow at elevation.
I did my research before we left, but it did not prepare me for the stunning beauty of the region. Bright blue skies, crisp autumn air, wide vistas and sparkly blue lakes, as well as a window into China’s rapid transformation has finally ignited an honest interest in China for me.
We began our trip in Kunming, the capital of the province, home of the Yi people, and the endpoint of the infamous Burma Road. Larger than I anticipated (as all Chinese cities inevitably are), Kunming is a city of 7.2 million that is vying for “spring city” green capital status. Last year alone the government planted 5 million trees and continues to plant more even as construction moves at an equally rapid pace. We arrived in Kunming late in the evening and immediately encountered two other HKIS families in the lobby of our hotel. We headed out to find some dinner and ended up at a bar with some lame Halloween decorations on Green Lake where we wolfed down some surprisingly tasty “across the bridge noodles” while a Chinese man sang Mandarin pop in a smoky room. Tobacco is a hugely profitable crop in Yunnan, and smoking is still epidemic in the area. The kids were beat, so we headed quickly back to our Green Lake Hotel down the street.
We were up early the next morning to meet our tour guide Mike and head to the Bamboo Temple about an hour’s drive from downtown. This Tang Dynasty Buddhist temple perched on the side of a hill overlooking the city is peaceful and green. It is known for the 500 arhats (statues) that were made of clay by famous sculptor Li who renovated the temple in the 19th C. He went into the town and captured the expressions of local people, creating the life-sized statues that seem to stare as you walk by. A bit eerie, but cool and the setting of the temple is great.
Back in the van we drove two hours to the Stone Forrest in Shilin. We had a passable lunch at a tourist spot outside the park then went in on foot to explore this geological wonder. Reminiscent of Stony Batter in New Zealand, huge rock outcroppings littered the horizon for as far as the eye could see. These, however, used to be under the sea rather than volcanic as were those in NZ. Our guide was skilled at leading us off the beaten path to explore the park without the throngs of Chinese tourists, but every once in awhile our paths met and we became the primary attraction. Mr.E’s blond hair was like a magnet to the Chinese tourists and they aggressively sought photographs with him and the other children. While the others were happy to oblige, Mr.E was not. He thought they were laughing at him and would yell, “Tell them to shut up.” He even rightly shoved one person who got too close in trying to cozy up to him for a shot.
After the Stone Forest we headed back to town with a stop at a touristy shop where we were presented with demonstrations of both silk and tea. Rod couldn’t resist the purported health benefits of a pillow made from the excrement of silkworms and bought one. We also bought some pu’er tea that looks like a cow pie, and headed out as quickly as we could. We found a great restaurant on Green Lake for dinner that night called 1923 and our guide and driver joined us for the meal, helping with the ordering. Kunming is known for its delicious produce and specifically its mushrooms, so I feel a special affinity for the region being from the mushroom capital of the world. We ate some truly exceptional mushrooms on this trip!
Our final event of the evening was a show called Dynamic Yunnan at a theatre in town. Like most Chinese mega performances, it is perfectly choreographed and this one is particularly innovative. It’s a fusion of traditional ethnic folk music and modern dance created by world famous performance artist Yang Liping. It was a little long. Sidewalk, in particular, loved it.
The next morning we were up early for our flight to Dali. Our guide, Elena, met us at the airport and from that moment on we were in great hands. We would be treated to Mandarin lessons, the best food in the most unlikely locations and an earnest and thoughtful tour of some of the world’s most beautiful territory, all while driven around in a comfortable Toyota van for our two families with a skilled driver whose family had been wealthy home owners in Lijiang, then lost everything in the Cultural Revolution.
We started our adventure in Dali at a really tasty restaurant (Shui Shang Ren Jia) near the Dali Prefecture Museum on the edge of Erhai Lake. All the kids upped their vegetable consumption quotient on this trip in spades. Next we went to Erhai Park. We climbed 287 steps (how do you think we got the kids to the top?) to a beautifully manicured scenic park perched above the lake and surrounded by mountains. From that vantage point, Dali New Town looked just like Queenstown. The kids got their first Mandarin test as we looked at the gate and they had to name the animals and colors. Elena had trained as a teacher before she changed professions to tour guide, so we hit the jackpot in finding her.
We descended the stairs and got back in the van to head to Dali Old Town for a walk about. Dali Old Town is authentic and low key. It feels “real” despite some tourist shops and, to me, has a Berkeley vibe. Dali is predominantly home to the hard-working and sensible Bai people. Elena referred to them as the “Jews of China.” Hmm? I had forgotten my coat on the trip, so I picked one up there and the kids had fun running around the car-less cobblestone paths, crisscrossing the stone bridges over the many streams that ran through the center of town and trying fried yak cheese (not so good!).
On our way from Dali to Xizhou where we would spend the night, we made a stop at the lake where we did our most touristy thing of the whole trip. We didn’t really realize what we had signed up for and I think I would skip this if I go back, but it was beautiful to be out on the lake and certainly a memorable experience. We were suited up with bright orange life jackets and sent out on a long skinny boat rowed by a graceful old man in a cone shaped hat.
The sun was just beginning to set and, while it was chilly, it was a gorgeous time of night to be out on the water. As we rode along we looked back and behind us saw a boat with a woman rowing and a man standing up. On the rails of the boat perched about a dozen huge black birds. When we got out a bit further the man began to hit the side of the boat with a long bamboo stick and the birds jumped in the water. Then he started to yell and a bird surfaced with an enormous fish in its mouth, which he scooped up in a net and held high in the air. Another boat of Chinese tourists joined us and we all took photos as the man manhandled these birds quite aggressively.
The evening got weirder when the man came on our boat with the birds and proceeded to perch them on the head and arms of our children. All we could think was how we would answer those questions about being in contact with birds and livestock when we got back to Hong Kong?!
Elena had promised us a wonderful meal in downtown Xizhou at a local place, but when we walked up my heart sank. The restaurant was dark, dank and by western standards, grubby. It didn’t have a restroom, so we ventured down the street to the public toilets. This was the most disgusting bathroom experience I’ve had post-Africa. Having lived in China for a few years I am adept at the ‘squatty potty’ and have taught my kids to use them too, but this one hit a new low. I won’t bother to describe, but…wow.
Back in the restaurant (a lot of hand sanitizer later), I sat skeptically by as we all consulted the cabinet of fresh ingredients that would be prepared for us on the spot. A few minutes later the dishes began to arrive and we were all blown away. The food was so incredibly delicious. The kids actually said it was the best meal of their lives and the adults agreed! Perfectly spiced, fresh ingredients prepared simply but with great skill, we could not stop eating. When the owner pulled out his guest book and we read comments from travelers around the world who had had the same experience, we were convinced that we had discovered a treasure. The Golden Flower (Jin Hua) in Xizhou is a must do experience for those whojudge a book by its cover. And at about 250 yuan ($36) to feed nine of us and keep the parents in free flowing beer, it was the beginning evidence for us that price and food quality may be negatively correlated in China.
The only disappointing thing about eating dinner out that night was that we arrived at our hotel late that evening and realized that we had found another treasure that we were not going to be able to enjoy long enough. Remember earlier I referenced that David Brooks article in the NY Times about the Hamish Line? Well, this place was all Hamish. The moment we arrived the owner of the hotel, Brian Linden, approached the kids and announced that we were just in time for his son’s 16th birthday party and did they want to see the cake? He took them into the kitchen as we began to take in the exquisitely restored traditional Bai courtyard home, refurbished to be both a comfortable retreat center for guests from around the world and their home.
An American couple that spent a lot of their lives traveling in China, Brian and Jeanee Linden opted a few years ago to leave the US and to home school their two boys while operating a visionary place where visitors can experience authentic China. I loved everything about it from the twenty- something ivy-league guys who made their ways there to work with the Lindens (providing inspiration to Dudah who now wants to apprentice there as soon as he’s old enough) to the place itself and to Brian and Jeanee, whose passion for China and people is infectious. Within ten minutes of our arrival we were singing happy birthday to Shane, eating cake and signing camp and Beatles songs as Vinny, their VP of Business Development and a Dartmouth grad, played guitar. Our family will return to this place again, I am quite sure.
Reluctantly we left the Linden Centre the next morning to tour the Xizhou morning market (another thing on Sidewalk’s ongoing list of animal-related discomforts in China). Dudah’s untied shoelaces dragged through animal blood and other muck, and my husband tried to prevent the start of a new global contagion by wiping them down later with hand sanitizer.
Afterwards we got in the van and settled in for a three-hour drive up into the mountains to the picturesque town of Lijiang. The drive was bumpy, but by the time you go it will be smooth sailing. Huge road construction projects are underway to have a state-of-the-art divided highway linking these cities in order to manage the throngs of Chinese tourists flocking to this paradise. I fear, like Bali and other amazing spots that have been partially ruined by their beauty, Lijiang will suffer a similar fate, but for now it’s still lovely.
We arrived in Lijiang in time for a late lunch at yet another solid spot (Jin Sheng Li Shui), then out to tour the Old Town. Lijiang, home to the Naxi people, is a backpacker paradise. It’s a series of windy walkways along water streams filled with wifi cafes and strong coffee, bars and funky little restaurants, along with their fair share of tourist shops. It teeters on the precipice of Disneyland, but isn’t quite there yet. It’s stunning in the wood carved architecture and hillside construction. We wandered and took it all in, but eventually began to feel the fatigue of nonstop touring and opted to head to the hotel for a quiet evening.
We had decided to splurge a little bit and stay at the Banyan Tree on the outskirts of town. I had not intended to splurge quite as much as we did, as traveling with 5 people often necessitates booking two rooms. That I knew. What I didn’t realize was that we had booked two “spa rooms” that created a ridiculously huge compound and had my kids in another building in an adjoining private courtyard with two Jacuzzis; disconcerting, but very nice. They won’t forget that experience and all but Dudah may be ruined for the future backpacker youth hostel right of passage.
We all rested up and the next morning felt refreshed and ready to tour the Dongba Museum and Black Dragon Pool Park on the edge of town. It was a perfect crisp clear morning with puffy clouds and turning leaves and we spent several hours circling the lake as Elena told us about the culture of her hometown of Lijiang. We laughed at the English translation of the signs in the park like “Unrecycle” and “The Grass is Sleeping. Please don’t disturb.”
We headed to Shuhe old town close to our hotel for lunch. It’s a much smaller and quainter version of Lijiang, but still charming with waterways, cobblestones and bridges lined with shops and restaurants. Elena knew of a dumpling place she recommended (Xi’an Xiao Chi) and we headed there to sit in the sunshine while a couple from Xi’an hand-made five plates of dumplings for our crew. We devoured them along with a few beers and I must admit, they’re even better than Din Tai Fung’s! Our entire bill came to 105 RMB, less than the cost of a scoop of ice cream at the fancy hotel where we stayed.
Next we headed further out of town to the banks of Lashi Lake where we mounted horses and were led up into the hills on a trail ride through spectacular countryside. None of the adults were keen to ride horses when we arrived, but by the end we were all pleased we had done so. It was a highlight for the kids and riding to the shores of the lake was picturesque. After the horses, we headed straight to dinner in Lijiang at a place that specialized in Across the Bridge Noodles (OK, but not my favorite meal).
The next morning we were on the road again, headed this time to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Heavily controlled by the “guns” as Elena called them, this area feels like Wyoming or Colorado. Wide-open planes and soaring snow-capped mountains tower in the distance. It’s spectacular and not what I expected. We went to an extremely touristy show called Impression Lijiang that hubbie dubbed the “Propaganda Racial Harmony Show”, but was in fact visually stunning. I think he was just cold because we had to sit outside! It was OK, but not as good as the show we had seen in Kunming. Next we rode sanctioned buses through the Malibu Canyon-like terrain to the Blue Moon Valley where we spent the next few hours marveling at the turquoise waters of the pools. Elena said the color came from the copper in the mountains. It was picturesque and we had a picnic along the banks of the pools in a private little spot and enjoyed skipping stones and wandering around.
On our way back to town we went to our first Lamasery, the Yufeng Temple, where Elena gave the kids a wonderful lesson in Buddhism. I wish I had it video taped, as I think she wrapped a whole college course level into one lesson. We explored the temple and the 600-year-old camillia tree that is a significant attraction there, but a kitten in the courtyard was the highlight here for Sidewalk and Mr.E.
Our final adventure for the day was apple picking. Though intimidated by the very aggressive tied up dog on the property, we had a great time climbing into the trees and picking apples. Lijiang has the tastiest apples I’ve ever had, so it really was fun to get them ourselves, and will be a family memory that our very first apple picking experience was in China.
Dinner that night was our greatest challenge yet. Elena had talked up a Muslim beef restaurant that sounded fantastic, but when we pulled up we were squeamish. Hunks of meat hung from the ceiling and an entire wall was lined with drying cow intestines. It was gross. The place looked filthy, but we loved Elena so much we didn’t have the heart (or the guts) to decline, so we took a deep breath and sat down. True to form, the dishes that appeared on the table minutes later were delicious and everyone but Sidewalk ate well. You’d need Elena there to order for you and you have to be willing to suspend your idea of hygiene, but it’s worth it in the end. The food is cheap and good, and I have to brag that no one on our trip got sick even once, while other HK families traveling in the same region but taken to more typical tourist restaurants all suffered intestinal blues.
Saturday we had to be up before sunrise in order to get on the road to Zhongdian. If you look it up on a map it will probably say “Shangri-la” as this is the moniker the town has adopted for tourism purposes. Zhongdian is thought to possibly be that place, inspired by Joseph Rock’s National Geographic articles and popularized by a 1933 novel called Lost Horizon by James Hilton.
On the way up to 11,000 feet we had our first glimpse of the Yangtze River and then saw it’s power in the Tiger Leaping Gorge. We climbed the 500 steps down to the viewing platform above the deep gorge and then back up again while a few Chinese tourists opted to be carried in chairs by two men.
As we drove along the windy road to Shangri-La the terrain got fiercer, drier and the architecture changed. We were entering Tibetan territory. The houses are enormous, made of mud and straw pounded into two-foot thick-sloped walls. Traditionally the livestock live on the bottom floor and the families live above, but the Tibetans are generally a well-funded nation and those traditional houses are now outfitted with sun porches, glass roofs and parking lots. I think the livestock – yak, cows, buffalo, goats, more and more, are being relegated to their own separate living quarters.
Arriving in Zhongdian is like arriving in a Colorado frontier town; a little rough around the edges, but with an appealing little downtown area. We were hungry, so Elena took us to Red Heart Snacks, another one of her gems that you would never choose on your own, but is completely worth it. The food here was different. The Tibetan influence has added Yak butter tea, pizza crust-like bread and meat-stuffed buns. Still, there were delicious fresh sautéed greens and eggplants with tomatoes and perfect potatoes. They even had fire-roasted chili peppers, which made our travel companions very happy. We walked around old town and bought a few souvenirs, wandering the cobblestone walkways adorned with Tibetan prayer flags and Internet cafes. It was less charming than we anticipated, but still interesting. A good collector could score some wonderful things here, but I am a terrible shopper, so came away with photographs and memories, and a few trinkets for other people.
Just outside of town, perched on a hill is the very impressive Songzanlin Monastery, built to house two thousand monks. Undergoing renovations at the moment, it is still a dramatic site to behold, modeled almost exactly on the Buddhist temple of the same yellow branch in Lhasa. We climbed the stairs and entered the main hall. Elena again explained the pictography and customs inside. I chuckled to see a monk, seated cross-legged on a pillow counting the pile of money to his right as he talked on a cell phone and absent mindedly blessed tourists and handed them a wood prayer bracelet. Is nothing pure anymore or was it ever?
Still, it’s a lovely visual to see monks in burgundy robes walking around the grounds with their prayer beads. The monks build their own houses on the grounds of the temple, and villagers come to assist with honor. Across the pond below was a hillside that was pointed out to us, as it is the site for sky burials. Now this sounds innocuous enough by the name, but in fact, in Tibetan culture a common way to dispose of the human body after death is to chop it into 108 pieces and then place them on the hillside for the vultures to consume. We were also told that the same could be done and then placed in the stream to return most quickly to nature. I must admit I made a mental note not to eat fish that night.
Our final wow moment came when we drove around behind the Lamasery to a place called the Songstam Retreat, which would be our accommodations for the night. Set over 21 acres of land looking out on the monastery, this collection of 24 structures built of hand-cut dry stones and wood is spectacular. One building houses a Tibetan restaurant and a lounge that felt like a ski lodge out West in the US. We went for our welcome drink and met another family of dear friends from HK who were also there that night. For dinner, we set the eight kids from our three families up in one room for their first Western meal of the trip while the six adults had a Tibetan meal in the adjoining room.
We were up again before sunrise, had a quick breakfast then headed to the airport, but not before we experienced a few snow flurries. We flew back through Kunming and, though we had to kill four hours in the airport and suffer KFC for lunch, we survived and arrived home by dinnertime. The kids are off to school this morning and I can’t believe the trip has now come and gone. In every way the trip was a grand success and I can not recommend it highly enough, particularly as the region is developing at a breakneck pace and will soon replace rugged charm with bland efficiency and some of the beauty may be lost. Go right now!
And one final word; traveling with another family was a complete delight and has transformed my approach to family vacations. Though their kids are not the exact ages of ours and they didn’t know each other well before the trip, the got along famously and reduced the amount of sibling fighting that would have gone on considerably. Kids are happy when they have friends around, and so traveling with another family, particularly one as nice as theirs, was a complete delight for all of us. I took 500 photos on the trip and wish I could attach them all as each one tells a part of the story.
Categories Travel•Tags Asia, China, Dali, Erhai Lake, Kunming, Linden Center, Yunnan
Trip Report: New Zealand, Part I
Published on September 5, 2013 September 5, 2013 by gwenborgLeave a comment
Even if I posted every one of the five hundred photos I took on our first trip to New Zealand, I wouldn’t be able to convey to you the expansiveness of the country and its impact on our flat sky choked family. Everything in us expanded on this trip – our minds, lungs, hearts, comfort zones and waistlines – as we took a peek at a country we hope to explore again and again. We had only ten days, but with mom’s perseverance and many recommendations from friends who had paved the way, we came up with a winning itinerary that included Waiheke Island near Auckland, Queenstown (with a little Arrowtown and Wanaka thrown in) and Nelson’s stunning Abel Tasman National Park.
Would you be as surprised as was I to learn that New Zealand is a ten-and-a-half-hour flight and five hour time difference from Hong Kong (which changed to four while we were there)? You can get there from Los Angeles in only one hour more. Before looking into it, I thought NZ was a rounding error from HK. This was the first of many discoveries about a country I knew only as having good inexpensive wine, the Haka, a winning Rugby team, a Lord of the Rings connection and a lot of sheep.
I had resisted the idea of a trip to NZ not because I didn’t want to go, but because I thought Mr.E was too young. I’m so glad mom pushed and we went anyway because the amount of growth I saw in all the kids, but Mr.E in particular, was remarkable.
Despite stiff competition, we were all in agreement that our best day was spent on Waiheke Island. That particular day, we kicked off the morning with a much-needed run. I don’t know about you, but for us there’s nothing more fun than a run that includes getting completely lost in a new place, finding a sign that says “tramping trail,” climbing a stile through a cow pasture and ending up at the most beautiful vineyard where we easily secured reservations for dinner that night, then rounding out the run with a stop for the best-boysenberry-muffin-you-ever-tasted consumed on a stroll back along the sands of a nude beach. Meanwhile mom wrestled the kids up and we headed out to Stony Batter on the East side of the island. Without too many details, the fort is a combination of incongruous lava rocks scattered across green rolling hillsides left from a volcanic eruption, and a series of spooky tunnels carved in the hillsides to protect Auckland from enemy attacks during WWII (though completed several years after the war ended).
A scenic walk leads visitors to the tunnel entrance. A local mother and her two sons, volunteers for the Stony Batter Preservation Society, linger there with an equal number of tame sheep, one with a terrible cold. After petting the sheep, paying a fee for flashlight rental and trying desperately to decipher the ominous instructions given about which way to turn and when to ascend the series of tunnels, we headed into the darkness. We poked around the tunnels until we came to a steep staircase leading to a ladder to a gun emplacement about 100 yards from where we started. This place is wild.
With no time to spare, we made it back to the car and tore off across the island for an afternoon kayak. After some hesitation on the part of the tour operator over Mr.E’s age, he agreed and set us up with double sea kayaks. Dudah was on his own, Sidewalk was grumpy about it and Mr.E was raring to go with grand mom. You should have seen him. We handed him a paddle and he intuitively knew how to do it and proceeded to paddle like a pro the whole two hours! He was completely awesome, but not to be outdone by his big brother who had learned a thing or two at Telluride Academy last summer and handled his own kayak masterfully. Dudah even made a very impressive attempt to swallow an oyster our guide knocked off a rock, but ultimately it ended up back in the sea. We definitely saw seals, fish, starfish, shags and a baby shark on our peregrination, and possibly though unconfirmed, a penguin and a shark twice the size of the kayaks (personally, I think this was tip fishing, but who am I to say?).
Heading home, we cleaned ourselves up and were off again to Mudbrick Vineyard for one of the greatest meals of recent memory. Nestled on a hill surrounded by organic gardens, grapevines and lavender with a view of downtown Auckland in the distance, Mudbrick has the most beautiful location, excellent wine and great food. The kids were terrific and even spent time waiting for dinner to arrive rolling down the hill behind the restaurant. You can’t beat that for kid-friendly!
Waiheke Island sits in the Hauraki Gulf, a 40-minute ferry ride from downtown Auckland on the North island. Originally settled and named “Te Motu-Arui-Roa” in 950, Captain Cook sailed by the island in 1769 and the first Europeans arrived in 1818. I would describe it as half-hippy, half-wealthy second homeowner, it reminds me of so many places I’ve been and liked. A little bit Bolinas/Stinson Beach, a little bit Telluride, Bainbridge Island, Swan’s Island, ME or Salt Spring Island, BC, it has that laid back artist-community island vibe where you can putter the day away at the beach or farmer’s market, but is also teeming with award-winning wineries & restaurants when you want a refined splurge.
We had surfed the Internet to find a house to rent while we were there and ended up with a lovely, quirky cottage with its own orchard and swing in the back and great views in every direction. You never know what you’re going to get booking accommodations that way, but I was not disappointed with any of the three houses we ended up in this trip, and it’s more fun than a hotel!
Our other days on Waiheke were mostly spent on the beaches. Onetangi Beach was covered in sea life that made for interesting exploration and play. Zoë collected over 100 dead sand dollars and lined them up artistically while Ethan and I found a starfish and searched for trophy shells. We ate meals at the local beachside places, Charlie Farley’s being the best, and wandered the farmer’s market too.
As with every place, our time there was too short, but off to Queenstown we went. Queenstown is about as opposite from Waiheke as you can get. Located on the southern end of the south island, Queenstown was in the throws of an unseasonably cold fall. We built fires every day, wore every stitch of warm clothes we brought and wished we had more, but in exchange were treated to a bona fide fall, Vermont style! Snow on the imposing surrounding mountain tops, gold and red flaming trees on the hillsides and dramatic skies over lake Wakatipu. The house we rented matched the city. It was new and sleek, dramatic, vulnerable to the elements and cool though somehow a little imposing. I found myself wondering if anyone does anything but extreme sport tourism in Queenstown? My Brother-in-law would be in his element here. At any given moment you can see jet boaters, Para gliders jumping off mountain tops, helicopters and prop planes, bungee platforms, mountain bikes, luges and any other number of adrenaline-inducing events interacting simultaneously with the jagged mountains that ring the city perched on the banks of the icy lake. It feels like a “do” rather than “be” kind of place.
I loved sleepy Arrowtown. This charming to the point of precious main street town ½ an hour from QT was lined with restaurants and quaint shops. We spent a morning there then dropped Dudah and mom at the stables for frigid but great horseback riding while we went to Wanaka to explore another lakeside town that was equally dramatic, but with a Lake Havasu vibe.
Most of our time in QT was spent on bicycles, the gondola, the luge, and the trampoline at the house. We enjoyed the unstructured time to be outside, kick the soccer ball around the huge yard and improve the bicycle skills of all the kids. One morning we ventured to town to see the Kiwi Bird Park, an endangered animal sanctuary that is clever and informative. We saw a real live Kiwi and were surprised by how big they are and that they have evolved to have neither wings nor feathers. Even calling them birds is a bit of a misnomer. Who knew? They have a small Maori culture exhibit there as well. We also enjoyed great meals in QT and Arrowtown at Saffron, Joe’s Garage (for breakfast) and Jack’s Point as well as the famous Fergburger. Our best discovery was a dry Riesling from Amisfield Vineyards, which we sampled and then sent home a case to Hong Kong. It’s surprising and tasty if you’re a dry white wine drinker.
Our one adventure day in QT was unforgettably cool in my opinion. At the recommendation of friends I booked a flight to Milford Sound on a prop plane and then a two-hour nature cruise on the fjord. My entire party balked at the flight and was more scared than excited, but they all got on the plane and though white knuckled, they all made it.
I thought the views were tremendous and the cruise around the Sound was extremely chilly, but also glorious on a rare clear and sunny day. It’s an extraordinary place to see and I stand by the flight as the best way to do it. We saw the Milford Trail, the highest waterfall in NZ coming from a glacier lake we looked down upon, and so many other otherwise inaccessible sites on the way, but it was admittedly somewhat alarming to be flying straight at the mountain as the pilot often waited what seemed like too long to adjust our elevation to the seemingly quickly approaching cliff. I hold firm that it’s much more dangerous, statistically, to put your kid in the car and drive to soccer practice, but fear is fear, rational or not. You can’t reason people out of fear, and if you put me at the top of a Black Diamond on skis I’ll eat crow pretty fast. Still, I think they ended up enjoying the day.
Our final destination was Nelson. With only one full day to spend I took advice and booked an all-day charter boat on Abel Tasman National Park. I’m so glad I did. Though we had an unusually cloudy day and again were bundled as best we could, we still kayaked, waded in the water, hiked a small portion of the trail and enjoyed a nice fresh lunch on the deck of the boat. Abel Tasman is known for it’s golden sand beaches, turquoise waters and prolific sea life and parkland. Much of the territory is protected marine reserve and all a national park, so it’s teeming with sea life and kayakers who, like us, arrived to see it. From our tour guide who grew up on the bay we learned so much about the area and even a few useful New Zealand phrases like “I’m wet as a shag” which means to be soaked to the bone (the shag being a cormorant) and “shagging around” which means to look like you’re not doing anything but you’re actually quite busy.
Our house in Nelson was a riot. A turn of the century Victorian that mom suspects was jacked up a level to get a better view, it was one of those adorable charmers, but quirky beyond compare. The attic room had a bathtub sunk in the middle of the wood floor, but the house was gracefully spacious and teeming with light through its gorgeous windows. I could have sat on the porch all day.
Instead, we again took advantage of rock star grand mom to hold down the fort while we ran the hilly town to get oriented and pick a dinner spot. We ended up eating at a fantastic place located not two minutes from the house. It was called the Boat Shed and the chef’s choice menu was out of this world. We also had a solid breakfast at Lambretta’s right in town. Nelson is much more industrial than I expected and seemed more like Berkeley or Santa Cruz than Laguna Beach (as a friend described it) to me. We definitely didn’t have enough time to explore here, but I’m glad we went and got a glimpse.
Summer arrived in Hong Kong while we were away. By the time we got back the pool at the American Club has opened and the sun is shining. We turned on the air conditioners and busted out the bathing suits again for the season. While New Zealand really is the perfect antidote to Hong Kong, it’s everything that Hong Kong is not, still I was surprisingly happy to be in Hong Kong. This life, while not always fulfilling, is a blessing to be enjoyed as long as it lasts.
Categories Travel
Domestic Diplomacy: Book Proposal
Published on September 5, 2013 by gwenborgLeave a comment
A very smart writer told me once that writing a book, like running a marathon and many other difficult things to which this analogy is often applied, is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration. Well, here’s my 1%. Only 99 to go…
DOMESTIC DIPLOMACY: Keeping the peace on the home front while raising a family abroad.
I have a Master’s of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from Tufts University, but I’m neither a lawyer nor a diplomat. I’m a mom. For the past six years I have been raising my family of three children outside of the United States, first in London and presently in Hong Kong. I have always joked that I have a master’s degree in “cocktail party conversation” when trying to explain the complex utility of a Fletcher degree and the typically nonlinear career trajectory of my fellow graduates. My own career path was diverse, spanning two decades of work from humanitarian relief in Africa, to public relations in New York and LA, to directing a Center for Optimal Health for Amway and several others in-between. My degree gave me a tool kit of skills rather than a career.
Overall, international relations theory, diplomacy and the discipline of studying law translated to skills in exhaustive research, examining all sides of a situation, paying attention to details, follow through, consistency of performance, teamwork and clear analytical writing. These skills served me well in my professional career, but the real surprise, more than a decade into parenting, is how useful this training has been on the home front. Raising children is chaotic. But, view child rearing through the prism of international relations theory and a parallel discipline begins to emerge that can provide as useful an analytical framework as those offered by the latest popular child development specialist or clever mommy blogger. Returning to those principles upon which our society has been organized, namely, the rule of law and a reliable justice system supported by rational human thought and some version of the golden rule, parenting becomes not a fear-based exercise, but a logical journey.
As I began to pay attention to conscious decisions I have made as a parent, or to analyze situations that have not gone as I expected, I started to draw clear associations with my Harvard Business School case method courses and positions I had argued in law classes. Along with this realization emerged a growing sense that I was not “wasting my degree” but utilizing it in a new and profound way. Having met up with three of my dearest friends and fellow Fletcher graduates one summer for a chaotic day shepherding our ten children around Cape Elizabeth, Maine, I realized that though we were all living in the far reaches of the earth, (Hong Kong, Tashkent, Washington, DC and Luanda, Angola respectively) we shared one thing in common. We were all in the throws of parenting, applying our Fletcher degrees more to negotiating ice cream access than land usage rights, and that that was exactly what we were supposed to be doing.
STRUCTURE OF THE BOOK
In this book/series of articles, I will use my sixteen-course masters degree in law and diplomacy program as an outline and demonstrate, using real-life anechdotes, how the principles of international relations can be applied to parenting with fairness, respect and often, remarkable humor and compassion. I have been blessed with three thoughtful, independent and sometimes challenging, but always engaging children who have put me to the test daily, but whom I love all the more for it. I hope that our experience resonates for you. If I do it right, this book will be equally at home in the parenting and international relations sections of your bookstore.
Trip Report: Bali
One of the best things about living in Hong Kong is the close proximity to great travel destinations. Every time we take a trip I try to capture the experience in a narrative sent home to family. While a few are dated now, they might help you plan your next adventure. I’ll try to post a few here for the record.
I had been dreaming of visiting Bali since my friend KI told me about her adventures there more than a decade ago. Knowing that the kids had a break in mid-October and that my mother-i-law JR was planning to be in Asia at the same time, I booked a family trip. Friends in HK recommended renting a villa rather than staying in a hotel, so after a big search we settled on the Villa Dewi Sri just outside Canggu on the south west coast of the island.
With the threat of a super typhoon looming, most of the Jason Wordie walking tour of Central I’d arranged to do with JR I surreptitiously spent on the phone trying to move up our departure by a day to beat the storm. The storm never materialized, but the hype about it gave us an extra day in Bali, so no complaints! Bali is an easy four-hour flight from HK and, having decided to hire the expediter to handle the on-arrivals visa process, we were through customs and on our way in a flash.
My initial impression of Bali was formed by the relentless traffic. Though beautiful, I was dismayed that our introduction to the island was a tedious traffic jam to get across the crowded Kuta to Semanyak corridor. We eventually fought our way and ended up at this lovely villa tucked away in a rice paddy field. The house had four big bedrooms, a swimming pool and was tricked out with all the latest electronics. It was fancy. The likely kid bedroom had a fishpond feature surrounding the tub, so we relinquished the master to keep the kids from falling in the drink in the middle of the night. The villa itself was great, but we were disappointed to learn that we couldn’t really take a walk from there. The infrastructure development of the island hasn’t kept pace with the population growth, so the introduction of many vehicles and motorcycles on the tiny, shoulder less roads means that pedestrians put their lives at risk just walking down the street. At one point we saw a BMW that had fallen off the raised road trying to move over enough to pass a vehicle coming the other way.
Nonetheless we had a laundry list of recommended sites, activities and restaurants to check out and a driver, Wayan Dirya (Wayan meaning first born, so there are many Wayans around town), to show us around. We explored the beaches and the shops of Semanyak, but mostly found the crowds to be tedious and the beaches not so nice. Dudah and I had fun taking a surf lesson from the Quicksilver surf school one morning on perfect learner waves, but ironically I contracted a rash from the moldy rash guard they provided!
If you ask the kids what they remember of Bali they will say “WATERBOM!” Waterbom is a tourist trap in downtown Kuta, but I have to say that my friends were spot on. It really was fun. It was clean, well-organized, had clever locker and payment systems and nice cabanas for shady repose when we weren’t hurtling down the enormous slides on rubber rafts. True to character, Mr.E was the first to the top of the massive slide and couldn’t get enough, but the others were close behind and we all had a blast.
The greatest moment of the entire vacation was related to my awesome mother-in-law. Despite the fact that she lives at the beach, in all the time I’ve known her I have never seen her don a bathing suit. Yet she showed up in Bali decked with a stylish suit and looking better than ever and raced Mr.E to the top of the tower. Watching JR hurtle down the macaroni slide backwards at Waterbom will forever be one of my very favorite memories of our carefree fun times! She spent more time in the pool with the grand kids than you can imagine and they were totally thrilled.
Running was definitely not an option in Bali, but yoga was plentiful, so I availed myself of a local retreat center one afternoon. I expected a good meditative hatha class, but instead found (after having been dropped off) that the class on offer was partner acro yoga, more akin to circus training than yoga in my book. Within 15 minutes I had some woman’s heel in my hip socket and I was flying over her head. Later, I’d put my life in the hands of a masseuse yogi as I turned completely upside down with my legs in lotus with his heels in my hips and my arms in reverse prayer behind my back. Are you picturing this?
Bali, an anomalous Hindu island in the otherwise predominantly Muslim country of Indonesia is rich with culture and ritual. We tried our best to learn and experience what we could. Everywhere we went in Bali we saw small offerings usually hand-made, open-topped boxes filled with flower petals and incense. One rainy night we saw a beautiful young woman venture into the middle of an incredibly crowded traffic intersection and bend down to lay an offering right in the middle of the road.
There are many beautiful temples to see. We chose to visit the 16th century Pura Tanah Lot, which sits on a rocky outcropping that becomes an island at high tide. There are several picturesque views, but again, rather oppressive crowds. On the same day we went to a really creepy, but strangely enticing monkey park where a guide with a stick walked us around hundreds of monkeys and fruit bats, then facilitated photo opportunities for an extra fee holding the same. You can even touch a deadly snake if you feel so moved. Once finished touring around the park, visitors are encouraged to purchase souvenirs, including phallic wood-carvings. We capped off that day with a sunset BBQ at local favorite surf spot, Echo Beach, with Mr. E’s “twin” (a dear friend from HK) and his family, also vacationing there.
On the way to Ubud the next day we took in the traditional Barong and Keris dance performance in Denpasar. It is a classic eternal fight between good and evil spirits, but in this story neither prevails in the end. The drive to Ubud got prettier and cooler as we ascended the mountains. These were the Bali shots I had seen in the movies and anticipated. Ubud is a thriving town with unique shops, a charming art museum and its own Monkey forest. JR and I spent a morning wandering the town wishing we’d had more time there. If I ever go back to Bali, I think I’ll focus my adventure around Ubud.
A visionary artist/environmentalist, Canadian transplant named John Hardy enriched our Bali experience immeasurably, and we didn’t even meet him. Hardy arrived in Bali in the 1970s and started a line of jewelry that eventually achieved great success. JR and I spent a magical afternoon touring the jewelry factory where everything is hand-made by locals on a sustainable campus made predominantly of bamboo. The company offers an organic lunch from the gardens to the whole factory staff every day. We were fortunate to be able to join the designers and staff for an al fresco lunch where we learned a lot more about Hardy’s vision an PT Bamboo that helped create it and then we had some fun in the showroom!
JR and I were able to sneak away for our day in Ubud also thanks to Hardy. Having sold the company to his top designer back in 2008, he put his energy and resources into his latest vision called The Green School. I had heard that in addition to being an accredited private school, they offered daily “Green Camp,” so I signed my three kids up for a day of green fun. It was a little hard to drop my kids in the jungle of Indonesia with complete strangers and leave, but I decided the potential benefits of the adventure outweighed the nonspecific anxiety I felt, so I did it.
They had a total, complete and utter blast. They spent the day planting rice, climbing coconut trees, wrestling in the mud pit designed specifically for that purpose, eating organic lunch from the gardens on the property, solving a treasure hunt and, gulp, jumping from a swinging rope into a rushing river and getting pulled out downstream by the counselor. Yes, Mr.E too. Just four years old! Did I say, gulp? I retrieved them filthy and smiling, but Mr.E collapsed in my arms, proud of himself but also profoundly relieved to be reunited with mom I think.
Our final adventure in the Ubud environs involved riding elephants in the rain through a refuge safari park. It was cliché thing to do, but the place was well maintained and the elephants seemed to be well cared for. Mr.E fed the elephants sugarcane while Dudah and Sidewalk circumnavigated the park.
I have to say, overall, that the food in Bali wasn’t really what I expected either. Though others rave, we had good but not fantastic meals. La Lucciola, a beautiful beachside restaurant was fun, particularly in the midst of a torrential downpour that necessitated a glass of rose to see it out. Metis, Chandi, the Four Seasons in Ubud and The Junction all had their merits which were mostly aesthetic, but produced largely forgettable meals. Chef Will Meyrick’s innovative take on street food at ultra hip Sarong was probably the best of the meals we ate out. One of my favorite meals was at a place called Naughty Nuri’s that is all about ribs. It’s a local institution where the whole island mingles for their straightforward tasty fare.
Next time we go to Bali we’ll check out the Bukit & Jimbaran Bay. We’ll try to climb the volcano and have a meal at Ubud’s famous Mozaic. Maybe we’ll even make it to infamous Ku de Ta…or maybe we’ll just sign up for a yoga retreat and never leave the yoga center.
Though I enjoyed Eat, Pray Love, I have to say that overall I didn’t see Gilbert’s (or KI’s) Bali. We had a magical time filled with treasured memories and wonderful once-in-a-lifetime experiences, but I do worry for Bali and islands like it that its popularity may be it’s eventual downfall as it’s beauty is ultimately consumed by those who seek it.
Categories Travel•Tags #bali
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100 Women March 100 Miles in Support of Immigration Reform
100 immigrant women, faith leaders, domestic workers, and immigrants’ rights activists embarked on a 100-mile pilgrimage on foot from Pennsylvania to Washington, D.C. They hope to get the message across to Pope Francis, that immigration should be at the forefront of his address to Congress.
Juana Flores, one of the marchers, explained that they are starting their pilgrimage at a detention center in order to spread, “stories from a site of human suffering to the Pope with a message of human dignity.”
Following the marchers arrival on September 22, they will participate in a vigil and candlelight procession at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington.
They will join millions of pilgrims, in Washington D.C, eager to hear the Pope speak in front of Congress. He is expected to continue his legacy as the “Migrant Pope” and share a message of love for migrants around the world. It is hoped, that his address, will spark a greater debate on immigration and lead to the greater protection of immigrants by U.S. policy.
“Our world is far from what we are called to create, but we hope that each step on our pilgrimage is another step closer to it. Though global migration is a hallmark of our times, it is still marked by fearful reception, capsized boats and harrowing desert crossings. But Pope Francis places today’s migrants in the legacy of the holy family during their escape from Herod into Egypt and he tells us not to lose hope. Far from losing hope, we are filled with it. With each step, with each mile, with each of our stories, we will arrive in the nation’s capital the night before the Pope’s meeting with President Obama and we will be there eager to hear his message.”
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Review ~ Wicked Waves (Solsti Prophecy #2) by Sharon Kay
Title- Wicked Waves
By- Sharon Kay
Genre- Adult Romance (Steamy)
Making daggers out of raindrops is only the tip of the iceberg for Brooke Bonham. As one of four women who can control the elements, her ability to manipulate water packs a deluge of potential. Eager to learn more, she’s frustrated at the precautions she must take to avoid the wrong kind of attention on Earth.
Kai’s duties as a Lash demon have kept him busy on Earth for nearly two hundred years. Fighting? He was born to do it. Females? They’re drawn to him. And Earth? The perfect place for him to avoid supernatural bounty hunters.
Though the two of them mix like oil and water, Kai senses that beneath Brooke’s frosty exterior hides a vortex of simmering passion. He’s determined to thaw his ice princess.
Forced to work together in the immortal realm, they track a rogue Lash demon at the helm of a widespread kidnapping operation. All too soon, Kai’s dark past catches up to them. Time runs out as a second enemy, bent on revenge, vows to stop at nothing short of Brooke’s enslavement and Kai’s death. As they and their foes stalk each other in a demonic game of cat-and-mouse, will her evolving skills and their fledgling bond be enough to save them?
http://www.amazon.com/Wicked-Waves-Solsti-Prophecy-2-ebook/dp/B00HYKAOBY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1390752893&sr=1-1&keywords=wicked+waves
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wicked-waves-sharon-kay/1118139434?ean=2940148166962
http://www.amazon.com/Wicked-Wind-Solsti-Prophecy-1-ebook/dp/B00E3CDUZS/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1390754885&sr=1-1&keywords=wicked+wind
This book was Amazing!
Brooke along with her sister has always known there was something different about herself but didn’t know what until they were older. Lets just say they were in for a surprise when they found out exactly what it was, their powers where not just a simple power but an ancient form called the Solsti. A lash demon named Kai and Brooke have been at each others throat since the beginning of them meeting with good reasons. However, when a form of demons come through to Earth these two must put their feelings aside and find out who is behind sending these to the human realm and how far Brooke can push her powers.
Watch out the world is in trouble with these two go into the Demon Realm of Torth. Especially when they also have a physical attraction they have been trying to fight and Kai has a history with the place! Of all the descriptions, danger, and action the author brings to you in this book you will be wrapped in the world she creates and wanting more. With as much that happens in this book some books seem like it is thrown together but in Wicked Waves it flowed smoothly and didn’t have any blank points in the story. The story line and characters she creates in the book is remarkable and entertaining for the readers. With each book you find yourself receiving a story and a main story within itself, kind of like a puzzle.
While this book is the second one in a series, it can stand alone. Just to let you know though the first one is just as good as this one and you should read the first also because it gives you a little more on the storyline about Nicole (Brooke’s sister). I can’t wait until Wicked Flames comes out because this sister has been a little more difficult so it will definitely be interesting on how they get her to use her powers. This author has definitely became one of my favorite author.
Sharon Kay was bitten early by the writing bug. At age twelve she wrote a short story, about a magic ring,that won a statewide Young Authors contest. With her nose always in a book, she read the most novels for her age group in her local library’s summer reading program. In her teens, writing took a back seat to fashion, as she was determined to find clothes different from what everyone else bought at the mall. And what she couldn’t find, she created. She learned to sew, worked in a fabric store after school, and spent her spare time with a needle in hand. Her black and orange prom dress is still one of her favorite creations. Sharon lives in the Chicago area with her husband and son, and didn’t expect to write again. But Wicked Wind and the Solsti series formed in her head one weekend and refused to stay quiet until she put pen to paper. Her characters tend to keep her up at night, as they banter, fall in love, and slay endless varieties of power-hungry demons. Sharon loves to hear from readers! You can find her at: Sharonkay.novels@gmail.com http://www.facebook.com/sharonkaynovels Twitter: @sharonkaynovels
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Tag Archives: European airspace
In yet another incident that may feel like World War 3 but seems to actually be part of Cold War 2, two Russian nuclear bombers steered away from their planned routes to fly dangerously close to British air space, over a region that United Kingdom defense officials called the U.K. “area of interest.”
The bombers followed the disturbing pattern of many Russian military aircraft that have confronted fighter jets from NATO, Britain, and even Japan over the past year, in that they did not file a flight plan, appeared to fly with their transponders switched off, and failed to communicate with air traffic controllers in the ground.
But the RAF fighter pilots flew close enough to the Russian bombers that they could communicate with visual hand signals.
1 Comment Posted in Axis Powers, Europe, Great Britain, Military, National Security & Terrorism, Politics, Soviet Union, Ukraine Tagged British air space, Cold War II, Elizabeth Quintana, europe, European airspace, Great Britain, National Security & Terrorism, North Sea, Norway, Nuclear Weapons & Proliferation, politics, preparations, RAF, Royal Air Force, Royal United Services Institute, russia, Russian Bears, Russian Military, Russian nuclear bombers, T-95 nuclear bombers, U.K., U.K. defense think tank, ukraine, World War 3: Russian Nuclear Bombers Buzz British Air Space RAF Typhoon Jets Scramble To Respond, World War III
RAF jets scramble to intercept Russian bombers over North Sea as Nato reports dozens of planes in European airspace
Posted by aurelius77 on October 31, 2014
26 Russian aircraft ran ‘military manoeuvres’ in 24 hours including two Bear bombers followed by RAF fighters
Nato steps up its defences as it says two planes near Britain did not file flight plans or contact controllers
Alliance reported ‘unusual’ activity after intercepting 100 Russian planes in 2014 – triple the number in 2013
Nato has sounded a warning after 26 Russian bombers, tankers and fighter jets on military exercises were intercepted around Europe in just 24 hours.
Jets were scrambled by the RAF and allies in Germany, Portugal and Turkey after the ‘unusual’ spike in activity, which saw two giant Tu-95 Bear H bombers fly close to Britain yesterday.
The alliance said Russia had conducted ‘significant military manoeuvres in European airspace’ – though it then added none of the planes had strayed into any specific country’s territory.
The two Bear bombers had been part of an eight-plane formation which was first intercepted by Norwegian F-16s over at 2am yesterday. Continue reading →
Comments Off on RAF jets scramble to intercept Russian bombers over North Sea as Nato reports dozens of planes in European airspace Posted in Axis Powers, Europe, Great Britain, Military, National Security & Terrorism, NATO, Politics, Soviet Union, USA Tagged Bear bombers, European airspace, Germany, Great Britain, Moray, National Security & Terrorism, NATO, Northumberland, Outer Hebrides, Portugal, RAF, RAF Boulmer, RAF jets scramble to intercept Russian bombers over North Sea as Nato reports dozens of planes in European airspace, RAF Lossiemouth, Royal Air Force, russia, Scotland, Sheila MacCormick, sonic boom, spike in activity, Turkey, Typhoon jets, United States, US Air Force
NATO says Russian jets, bombers circle Europe in unusual incidents
MOSCOW — NATO said Wednesday that it had intercepted a large number of Russian aircraft flying close to European airspace in the past two days, in an “unusual” series of incidents that brought Russian bombers as far afield as Portugal.
The aircraft — at least 19 in all — offered reminders of Russian air power at a time of the worst relations between the West and Russia since the Cold War. Russian military aircraft have significantly increased their activity in Europe since the conflict in Ukraine began earlier this year, with NATO scrambling to intercept aircraft more than 100 times in 2014. But a NATO official said the scale of the latest incidents was the most provocative this year.
Over the Atlantic Ocean and the North, Black and Baltic seas, Russian bombers, fighter jets and tanker aircraft were detected flying in international airspace, NATO said. There were no incursions into national airspace, a violation of sovereignty that would have significantly amplified the seriousness of the four incidents, three of which took place on Wednesday.
“We’re raising it as an unusual level of activity,” said Lt. Col. Jay Janzen, a spokesman for NATO’s military command in Mons, Belgium. “The flights we’ve seen in the last 24 hours, the size of those flights and some of the flight plans are definitely unusual.”
Comments Off on NATO says Russian jets, bombers circle Europe in unusual incidents Posted in Axis Powers, Europe, Military, National Security & Terrorism, NATO, Politics, Soviet Union, Ukraine Tagged Atlantic ocean, Baltic Sea, Belgium, Black Sea, Cold War, europe, European airspace, fighter jets, Il-78 tanker aircraft, Kaliningrad, Lt. Col. Jay Janzen, MiG-31 fighter jets, Mons, national airspace, National Security & Terrorism, NATO, NATO says Russian jets bombers circle Europe in unusual incidents, Norwegian F-16 fighter jets, Norwegian Sea, politics, Portugal, Portuguese F-16s, russia, Russian aircraft, russian bombers, Russian Military, Tu-95 bombers, ukraine, violation of sovereignty
Hundreds evacuated after more than 300 earthquakes herald ANOTHER ASH CLOUD
Posted by aurelius77 on August 21, 2014
Scientists detected about 300 earthquakes in the area around the Bardarbunga volcano since Tuesday, which could herald an eruption.
The volcano, in the north-west region of Iceland’s Vatnajokull glacier, could be set to spew out a huge ash cloud.
It said: “It cannot be ruled out that the seismic activity in Bardarbunga could lead to a volcanic eruption.”
Comments Off on Hundreds evacuated after more than 300 earthquakes herald ANOTHER ASH CLOUD Posted in Business & Economics, Europe, Politics Tagged ash cloud, aviation industry, Bardarbunga volcano, Business & Economics, europe, European airspace, Eyjafjallajokull, Hundreds evacuated after more than 300 earthquakes herald ANOTHER ASH CLOUD, Iceland, politics, risk level, volcanic eruption
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Sustainability in the Dining Hall: Where does your food go?
Stephen Herrera
Every day, Jewell students choose a side of the dining room, eat their food, laugh with friends and scrape their plates into the small trashcans by the tray line. But what happens next? Fresh Ideas Food Service at William Jewell College has fully committed itself to sustainability through recycling, expediency…
University Innovation Fellows members announce five projects to promote positive change at Jewell
Alyssa Young
University Innovation Fellows (UIF) is a program that trains college students to foster creativity and change at their schools. The program has trained students on over 100 campuses across the nation. Fellows hope to create a lasting impact on their campuses. At William Jewell College, there are UIF members ranging in year and discipline. Landon…
The Campaign Trail: Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio
From Henry Clay to John McCain, being a senator has been a popular career for presidential candidates. In this election, Republicans Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio are continuing the tradition. Cruz is the junior senator from Texas. He is currently the chairman of United States Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight,…
Character Values: What they mean to students
Sarah Crosley
The character values of William Jewell College are posted around campus. You can see them on the flags, RAs have them on their shirts and now you can find them on a poster that is part of a campaign headed by Jewell faculty and staff members. Those involved with this…
Letter to the Monitor: Paola Paci on Paris and the recent attacks
Paola Paci
French TA Paola Paci reflects on the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris How hard it is to think right now, even a few days after. And I am someone who likes thinking and not feeling. I don’t like doing both at the same time. Maybe this article won’t make any…
Humans of Jewell
Cole Allee
Dr. Rose Reynolds, biology professor, gave this week’s 500 words. She focused on achieving goals and the luck it takes to do so. I had to opportunity to talk to Reynolds after chapel and began the conversation by asking her how William Jewell College has helped her achieve her goals.…
Time for a new quarterback in Kansas City
Taylor Tummons
I remember the day Kansas City traded for Alex Smith. It came at the price of two second round draft picks, which seemed a little pricey, but I shrugged this off as I, along with every other Chiefs fan, was happy to finally have a competent quarterback (QB) in town.…
“Master of None,” new master of Netflix
Hannah Garner
Comedian Aziz Ansari, most commonly known for his role in NBC’s “Parks and Recreation,” debuted his Netflix-exclusive sitcom “Master of None” this month. While a comedy taking place in New York City may seem overdone with examples including “Girls,” “How I Met your Mother” and “Broad City,” this is one…
Russian Doping Scandal: Olympic Problem
Alexandria Acord
In the midst of the lead-up to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics, Russian track-and-field runners Mariya Savinova-Farsonova, Ekaterina Poistogova, Anastasiya Bazdyreva, Kristina Ugarova and Tatjana Myazina have been “provisionally sanctioned” by authorities who claim these and others were involved in a massive doping scandal. Other parties being implicated…
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Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, 1894, With the Annual Message of the President, Transmitted to Congress, December 3, 1894
Mr. Denby to Mr. Gresham.
Legation of the United States,
Peking, October 8, 1894.
No. 1992.]
Sir: In my dispatch, No. 1986, of the 30th ultimo, I had the honor to inform you of the steps taken to impress upon the Yamên their responsibility for the protection of foreigners in Peking and the acceptance of this responsibility by them.
I have the honor to state that the proclamations which they promised to issue have now appeared. These proclamations, a translation of which is inclosed, are couched in language most calculated to have a beneficial influence on the populace. They are of enormous size and are stamped with the seal of the commandant of the gendarmerie. One or more copies have been posted on the walls of every missionary establishment, every legation, and every foreign residence in the city.
I inclose herewith a translation of a note from the ministers in which they forward me a copy of the proclamation. In this note they refer to the punishment which has been inflicted on the assailant of two American missionaries in a street disturbance, which it was recently necessary to bring to their attention.
A copy of a note, expressing the gratitude of this legation for the Yamên’s action in these matters, is inclosed.
I have, etc.,
Chas. Denby, Jr.,
Chargé d’Affaires ad interim.
[Inclosure 1 in No. 1992.]
Proclamation issued by the Yamên of the general commandant of the gendarmerie for general information.
Whereas since the treaties of commerce between China and foreign countries were entered into peace has long continued to reign, the reigning dynasty has regarded all foreigners with equal kindness, making no discrimination against any.
The Japanese, however, have now abrogated their treaty and commenced hostilities. They are employing their forces on our coasts. This, however, is a matter that does not involve foreigners of other nationalities. It is China’s duty to take special care in giving protection to missionaries and their churches in Peking. But there have been loafers who have circulated rumors for the purpose of creating trouble in the vicinity of the Erh Tiao lane, inside the Anting gate, where there is an American missionary establishment. There has been much improper talking, which has put the missionaries in a state of apprehension and fear, and has decidedly affected the friendly relations existing. If such things occur in this locality other localities will not be free from similar rumors, and it is necessary that proclamations be issued strenuously warning the soldiery and people that they must continue to live quietly and peacefully, to attend to their own affairs, and not foolishly listen to wild and unfounded stories, thus taking part in their circulation.
If there be rowdies who outrage all propriety, and have no respect for anyone, and stir up a row and excite people to creating a disturbance at any missionary establishment, the police authorities of the places concerned are hereby ordered to suppress them. Any who dare to act in disobedience of orders issued are at once to be put into fetters and brought to the gendarmerie to be rigorously punished. No leniency whatever will be shown.
Strenuous instructions were issued to the police authorities for the arrest of the rowdies who insulted and attacked the Reverend Mr. Headland and wife outside the Chi Hua Gate. The vagabond who committed the outrage, Wang Tao-erh, has been arrested, and the Yamên will administer to him vigorous punishment for the offense committed.
Let this official notice be given to all, in the hope that a state of peace and mutual good feeling may continue to prevail. The police authorities of all the wards are to take action in earnest and to zealously investigate all cases. If any dare to be idle or remiss in their duty and connive at offenses committed, on ascertaining such to be the case, they will be reported for impeachment.
Let all tremblingly obey and not disregard this special proclamation.
Kuang Hsii 20 year 9 month 6 day. (October 4, 1894.)
The Tsung-li-Yamên to Mr. Denby.
October 6, 1894.
Note.]
Sir: Some time since we had the honor to receive your note with reference to the assault made upon the Reverend Mr. Headland and wife outside the Chi Hua Gate, wherein you stated that the Yamên had promised to cause the arrest and punishment of the leader in the affair, and also to put out proclamations, but that, up to the present time, you had not been informed what had been done, and you requested that the gendarmerie be urged to take action in these matters.
The Yamên were about to address the gendarmerie, urging that these matters be dealt with, when the minister received a communication from that office stating that, in regard to the assault made upon the Reverend Mr. Headland and wife by rowdies outside the Chi Hua Gate, and the rumors that had been circulated around the missionary establishment at the Erh Tias Hu-tung, whereupon the issuance of proclamations has been requested, the police officers, in obedience to instructions, had apprehended one Wang Tao-erh, a rowdy, who had assaulted the missionary, and he has been severely punished and ordered to wear the cangue so that his offenses may be made known to the public. Proclamations also have been cue and issued and sent to the local authorities concerned, with instructions to have them posted at the foreign legations and the missionary residences as a means of repressing evil doers.
The man Wang Tao-erh, above referred to, is an inexperienced, stupid fellow, and the severe punishment, besides being cangued, meted out to him by the gendarmerie should be sufficient warning to other foolish men like himself, and cause the laws to be respected.
The posting of proclamations at the various missionary establishments and other places should be sufficient to cause the people to know that they should observe the [Page 133]injunctions therein contained, as well as to remove all doubts and misgivings and prevent the circulation of all false rumors.
The action taken we regard as very satisfactory and proper.
We inclose herewith a copy in Chinese of the proclamation, and request you to transmit it for the perusal and information of the foreign representatives at Peking.
Cards of ministers inclosed.
Mr. Denby to the Tsung-li-Yamên.
Your Highness and Your Excellencies: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note of the 6th instant inclosing a copy of a proclamation posted by the general commandant of the gendarmerie at the various American missionary establishments and at other places in this city.
This legation is deeply grateful for the efforts of your highness and your excellencies to prevent any trouble befalling the citizens of the United States who are under your protection, and for the punishment of the rowdies who recently made an attack upon them.
A translation of your note and of the proclamation inclosed has been sent to the honorable Secretary of State for his information.
Argentine Republic. (Documents 1-14)
Austria-Hungary (Documents 15-28)
Belgium (Documents 29-34)
Bolivia (Documents 35-38)
Brazil (Documents 39-76)
Chile (Documents 77-88)
China (Documents 89-183)
Protection of foreigners (Documents 141-148)
Colombia (Documents 184-191)
Denmark (Documents 192-196)
Dominican Republic (Documents 197-199)
France (Documents 200-215)
Germany (Documents 216-238)
Great Britain (Documents 239-284)
Greece (Documents 285-291)
Guatemala and Honduras (Documents 292-319)
Haiti (Documents 320-353)
Hawaiian Republic. (Documents 354-357)
Italy (Documents 358-368)
Japan (Documents 369-379)
Mexico (Documents 380-433)
Nicaragua (Documents 434-479)
Persia (Documents 480-504)
Portugal (Documents 505-507)
Russia (Documents 508-553)
Salvador (Documents 554-578)
Spain (Documents 579-659)
Sweden and Norway (Documents 660-668)
Switzerland (Documents 669-695)
Venezuela (Documents 805-825)
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What’s the PCAOB’s Next Move on China?
Earlier this week, we learned that the PCAOB was dealt a blow last month when their negotiations with China fell through. Paul Gillis weighed in earlier today with a grim prognosis: There are no good options left for the PCAOB. Successful short seller attacks indicate that fraud and auditing failures continue to be a problem […]
Audit November 3, 2015
So Much for the PCAOB Inspecting Audit Firms in China
Welp. After years of negotiation and Chairman Jim Doty saying this past summer that the PCAOB was "very close" to reaching an agreement to inspect audit firms in China, this happened: Last month, a final agreement that would have allowed a U.S. regulator to examine the audits of Chinese companies listed on American stock exchanges […]
Big 4 February 10, 2015
The SEC Folded Like a Cheap Lawn Chair in Its Settlement With Big 4 Chinese Affiliates
As you know, the much-awaited SEC settlement with Big 4 China affiliates hit the pages on Friday. This particular dust-up came about over some workpapers the SEC has waiting on since the Ming Dynasty or thereabouts. Here's the TL;DR ICYMI: The Securities and Exchange Commission today imposed sanctions against four China-based accounting firms that had refused to […]
Big 4 February 6, 2015
The SEC Finally Got Around to Sanctioning Big 4 Firms in China
The SEC has been pretty busy lately, what with tongue-lashing the PCAOB about their duties and all. But somehow they found time in their busy schedule to get around to that whole sanctioning Big 4 affiliates in China thing: The Securities and Exchange Commission today imposed sanctions against four China-based accounting firms that had refused […]
E&Y September 24, 2014
Mark Weinberger Is Still Obsessed With His Speech No One Remembered
When you die, no one is going to come to your funeral and declare "wow, that guy could tie out like no one's business!" But your kids will certainly remember whether or not you showed up to 12 of their 55 soccer games. EY Global Chairman and CEO Mark Weinberger is all about the work-life. […]
E&Y July 15, 2014
Mark Weinberger Can Top Your Best Work-Life Balance Anecdote
When we talk about accounting firm culture, we often talk about the tone at the top. Besides being a really good buzzword that helps HR wonks convince the lowly serfs that The Powers That Be really care about their well-being, it basically means that what's good for the goose is good for the gander. Or, […]
PCAOB February 6, 2014
Forget Auditor Rotation, the PCAOB Has Bigger Fish to Fry in China
As you know, I sat through the SEC Open Meeting webcast yesterday just to catch the copious number of thank yous, Doty giving the prepared remarks I already had, and the conclusion we all knew the SEC would come to, which was approving the 2014 PCAOB budget. BOR-ING. Well out of that meeting, everyone seemed […]
After an Afternoon of Thank Yous, the SEC Has Approved the PCAOB’s 2014 Budget
In case you missed the thank fest that was today's SEC Open Meeting, the PCAOB showed up to get its 2014 budget of $258.4 million approved by the Commission after everyone went around the room and thanked one another for their hard work for capital markets. Repeatedly. Chairman Jim Doty validated the $12.8 million increase […]
Audit January 27, 2014
The SEC and Deloitte Are Cool on That Whole Longtop Thing Now, Guys
In the ongoing battle to get their paws on Chinese workpapers, one battle seems to be won… er, solved? I don't know what you'd call this, exactly, but as long as the SEC has the "substantial volume of documents" it has been asking for all this time, then I guess everything is cool (for now): […]
Big 4 January 23, 2014
The SEC Bans Big 4 Member Firms in China For Failing to Show Their Work
There's a storm a-brewin' in China and isn't a "fake" sun going viral. In a massive 112-page opinion, SEC judge Cameron Elliot has brought the hammer down on Chinese units of Big 4 firms, ruling that these units should be barred from auditing U.S.-traded companies for six months. The ruling comes after these member firms […]
A PwC Lawyer Who Recently Left the Firm Is Missing in China
Ugh. This doesn't sound good. An in-house lawyer for PwC has gone missing in China. Steve Leavenworth is American but has lived China for 17 years, according to the Telegraph. He recently left PwC after 15 years and was on a solo backpacking trip through Yunnan province when the bus he was believed to be on […]
Financial Reporting September 12, 2013
Study: Once You Get Past the Accounting Fraud, Chinese Reverse Merger Companies Are Great
A paper presented in August at the annual meeting of the American Accounting Association in Anaheim, Calif., found that “the current Sino-phobic reaction to Chinese reverse mergers may be overblown.” In an effort to assess the performance of these often maligned companies, the study concluded that “as an asset class, Chinese reverse-merger firms (CRMs) have performed […]
Audit July 10, 2013
China Ready to Turn Over Audit Workpapers for Some Company at Some Point
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has been struggling to obtain papers from China to investigate possible accounting fraud at dozens of Chinese companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges. China has resisted for years turning over documents because of state-secrets and sovereignty concerns. The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) is now ready to transfer audit papers […]
Audit June 20, 2013
Another One of Deloitte’s Former Chinese Clients Has Been Charged with Fraud
When fraud allegations first arose in 2011 against China MediaExpress, CEO Zheng Cheng countered with confidence, telling shareholders that everything was tip-top and the company had a 'reputable and well-known' audit firm behind them. Of course, later that firm — Deloitte — resigned, along with the CFO. I suppose when you're in a situation like […]
PCAOB May 29, 2013
Deal Between PCAOB, Chinese Is a Lose-Lose Situation
Yes, the PCAOB got a lousy deal by putting Jim Doty's name on the Memo of Understanding with China's Securities Regulatory Commission and Ministry of Finance, but Professor Paul Gillis writes in the Wall Street Journal that the Chinese don't have any room to talk, either: Without inspections, investors can't trust Chinese audits. Investors in Chinese […]
Deloitte May 29, 2013
Deloitte Is the Audit Firm That Has Had the Most Trouble in China… By Far
Cruising around el Twittero this morning, we came across something interesting shared by Francine McKenna: Which auditor has most China fraud problems? Deloitte by a landslide. RT @chinajinrong: @retheauditors tradingfloor.com/posts/china-fi… — Francine McKenna (@retheauditors) May 29, 2013 This post by Fredrik Oqvist, founder of China RAI, has a table that shows which audit firms have had […]
Deloitte Suggests SEC Call the PCAOB If It Wants Those Longtop Documents
Last Friday, the PCAOB announced it had reached Memorandum of Understanding on Enforcement Cooperation with Chinese Regulators. While not a great deal for the Board, most people agreed that, at the very least, it's good for formally asking the Chinese, "Pretty please with sugar on top, may we have a peek at these documents?" Which […]
The PCAOB’s Disappointing Deal with Chinese Regulators
As is its wont, the PCAOB has made a major announcement in very close proximity to a major American holiday. I've been assured in the past that this bad timing is not intentional, but from a PR perspective, it has the tendency to soften the thunder of an important message. But whatever, we'll go with […]
Deloitte April 22, 2013
Judge: Deloitte Can Handle Two Chinese-related Court Cases Just Fine
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu CPA Ltd. lost a bid to delay a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission seeking documents in an investigation of the auditor’s former client Longtop Financial Technologies Ltd. U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler in Washington today rejected Shanghai-based Deloitte’s argument that the case should be put on hold while an […]
Deloitte February 19, 2013
Oh Look, Deloitte Has More Trouble Thanks to a Chinese Audit Client
Just when you thought Deloitte's China rash had gone into remission, some investors come along who don't think too highly of the audit performed by D to the T. In this particular case, the investors are a group of investment funds including Columbia Pacific Opportunity Fund LP and Fir Tree Value Master Fund LP who, according […]
PCAOB February 13, 2013
The PCAOB Is Really, Really Serious About Checking Chinese Auditors’ Work
Oh are we still on this?: The head of the U.S. audit watchdog said on Wednesday his organization may need to resort to enforcement actions against auditors based in China if they fail to hand over documents to U.S. regulators. Jim Doty, head of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, told the U.S. Securities and […]
Busy Season Problems: An Awful Cafeteria; The Power Goes Out; Clients Drop the Ball
Welcome to this week's edition of busy season problems. Got a busy season problem? Email us at tips@goingconcern.com with "Busy Season Problems" in the subject line. The final days of January are upon us so that means that for many of you, your lives are about to get infinitely worse. What that all entails will […]
BDO December 5, 2012
SEC, China Will Probably Compromise Over Big 4 Chinese Affiliates Someday, Says Guy
The SEC's move against the Big 4's Chinese affiliates on Monday has people all worked up. On the one hand, yes, if the SEC were to delist a lot of Chinese companies that would make a lot of people sad. Also, if fewer Chinese companies were to consider accessing U.S. markets because they aren't so […]
SEC Finally Gets Around to Losing Patience with the Big 4’s Chinese Firms
China has been a thorny issue with the SEC and the PCAOB over the last couple of years. You see, there's been some concern that some Chinese companies have accessed U.S. markets through dubious means and then provided financial reporting and disclosures that weren't accurate in material respects. Audit firms charged with providing an opinion […]
PwC October 17, 2012
Not Quite Layoffs Watch ’12: PwC China, Hong Kong
Does anyone think that this sounds strange? This week, accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers announced that to help avoid layoffs, employees in mainland China and Hong Kong will be offered a chance to take an additional 12 days’ holiday in the coming months, of which eight of them will be unpaid. The company is also launching a […]
PCAOB September 21, 2012
China Agrees to “Look But Don’t Touch” PCAOB Visits
Board member Lewis Ferguson tells of China's teasing ways in a speech that he's giving at the California State University SEC Financial Reporting Conference in Irvine: As a first step toward further cooperation [with China], we are working toward and have tentatively agreed on observational visits where PCAOB inspectors would observe the Chinese authorities conducting […]
Grant Thornton May 21, 2012
Grant Thornton Is the Latest Firm to Join the Chinese Auditor Resignation Jamboree
SGOCO Group, Ltd. issued a press release this morning to let everyone know that Grant Thornton's Chinese affiliate decided to take a walk on May 14th. They disclosed this with the SEC around 10 am on Friday, but with the Facebook circus going on, no one noticed. What's interesting is that the company filed Form […]
Big 4 May 11, 2012
Big 4 Firms Are Totally Down with China Locals Taking the Wheel
As you may have heard, the Chinese government has told the Big 4 that they only want homers running their audit firms that are located within the Big C. While you might think that this might be problematic – what with all the troubles over there – the Big 4 obviously saw this coming because not […]
BDO May 11, 2012
BDO Joins the Auditor Resignation Party
The firm has had about all the fun it can handle trying to audit Chaoda Modern Agriculture. In a statement Thursday, Chaoda said that in a letter on Apr. 26, BDO said that despite continuing with the audit for a prolonged period, it was not in a position to conclude. It said the move was […]
Audit May 3, 2012
Auditing in China Sounds Like Pure Hell
Muddy Waters Director of Research, Carson Block wrote an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal today and he sheds some light on problems that Big 4 auditors are facing in China. And from the sounds of it, if you're used to the auditing standards in the west, then you have your work cut out for […]
Is the Next Wave of Auditor Resignations Coming?
Floyd Norris notes: Several Chinese companies that are registered in the United States missed the May 1 deadline for filing their annual reports and received two-week extensions. There are many reasons that a company’s report can be delayed, but given the recent history there is speculation that one or more companies might be fighting with […]
Deloitte March 22, 2012
Anyone Wanna Try and Ballpark the Number of Auditor Resignations From Chinese-listed Companies for 2012?
Earlier today we learned that Deloitte resigned as the auditor of Daqing Dairy Holdings Ltd, a Hong Kong-listed Chinese company. It was notable because this is the second resignation for Deloitte in [counting on fingers] seven days! That's not good! The other one was "baby products maker" and licenser of Harry Potter and Bob the […]
Oh Great, Now The Chinese Pass the CMA Exam Better Than We Do
And it's probably just a matter of time before they start winning all the Elijah Watt Sells awards. Here's the ICMA with the spectacular news: Of the approximately 4,200 individuals who took the two-part CMA exam during the September/October 2011 testing period, medals were awarded to the following individuals for their exceptional performance: Wen […]
PCAOB January 11, 2012
PCAOB Has an Extra $20 Million to Spend on Field Trips to China
PCAOB Chairman James Doty shot the breeze with the SEC for awhile today, speaking about, among other things, how the Board would handle this boatload of Chinese filers who don't seem to know their asses from their elbows when it comes to accounting and their auditors who are similarly clueless. Doty assured the Commission that […]
Deloitte January 5, 2012
Judge Would Like Someone To Look Her in the Eye and Explain Why Deloitte Isn’t Complying with a SEC Subpoena in Relation to a Company That Held Audit Workpapers Hostage
Remember Longtop Finanical? That's the Hong Kong-based company that Deloitte kicked to the curb last May for a number of sketchy reasons that included the "the unlawful detention of DTT's audit files." We came to learn later that not only were the precious audit files taken hostage but that Deloitte auditors were thisclose to becoming hostages themeselves. […]
KPMG December 20, 2011
CEO Finds KPMG Hong Kong Auditors to Be Arrogant, Incompetent, Ignorant, Indifferent OH! And Unprofessional, Can’t Forget Unprofessional
It's not really that odd that someone would sue an auditor for $100 million. It's also not unusual that a company (usually through some PR flak) would publicly rebuke the auditor in a news report or press release. What is unique is a company issuing a press release announcing their lawsuit against their audit firm that […]
Focus Media Management: Muddy Waters Has It All Wrong, Should Be Sued For Being a Rumor Monger
Focus Media Chief Financial Officer Kit Low disputed Muddy Waters’ claims on a conference call Tuesday with analysts, saying that the firm’s report misinterpreted LCD-display numbers and financial data. He said Muddy Waters concentrated largely on Focus Media’s mergers and acquisitions, but the company hasn’t made any “major acquisitions in the past three years” because it is putting more emphasis on its core business. Focus Media Chief Executive Jason Jiang criticized short-sellers in a message posted on his verified account on China’s Sina Weibo microblog service. “Why isn’t anyone suing these short sellers who are just spreading malicious rumors everywhere?” the message said. “These people should be punished according to the law!!!” [WSJ]
Big 4 October 19, 2011
Report: Chinese Government Asking Big 4 Firms to Take Another Look at Their Audits
The request, sources said, is seen as a direct response to the move by the U.S. regulators in the case of scandal-hit Longtop Financial Technologies Ltd, and to ensure that firms do not succumb to pressure to hand over documents to regulators outside of China. Last month the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) asked an American court to enforce a subpoena it sent to Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu’s China practice for documents from its audit of Longtop.Two sources from the audit industry told Reuters that the Ministry of Finance and China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) met last week with the so-called ‘Big Four’ audit firms — KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young and Deloitte — along with two smaller firms. The firms were requested by the government to conduct an urgent review of all audits they had done on U.S.-listed Chinese firms in 2010 along with work on U.S. initial public offerings by Chinese companies. [Reuters]
Audit October 14, 2011
Muddy Waters CEO: There Are Some Big 4 Partners in China Conspiring to Defraud Investors
As you probably heard, the PCAOB officially put out a proposal earlier this week for audit partners to be named in the annual reports of public companies. It would also require “registered firms to disclose the name of the engagement partner for each audit report already require the form” and “disclosure in the audit report of other accounting firms and certain other participants that took part in the audit.”
While most Big 4 audit partners are probably feeling a little chapped by this whole proposal, there is at least one person going on record (by way of PCAOB comment letter) that feels that it doesn’t go far enough. That would be Carson Block, the CEO and founder of research firm Muddy Waters. In Block’s letter (in full on page 2) to the Board he writes that not only should the engagement partner be identified but that he or she should be putting their name on the audit opinion because “[it] will decrease investors’ future losses to fraud and gimmicky accounting by billions of dollars.”
That on it’s own is enough to get more than a few people riled up. But as we indicated, there are some conspiracy and fraud accusations as well:
Even the most reputable auditors in China seem to be in a race to the bottom. We believe that there are particularly egregious situations in which some Big Four partners in China offices have actually conspired with their clients to defraud investors. Further, it is a reasonable proposition that the conflict of interest inherent in the Chinese auditors’ business model also affects the quality of US company audits.
Now before your knickers in a twist, don’t forget that this is the guy who called Sino-Forest a “Ponzi Scheme for the 23rd Century” which more or less looks to be accurate. Further, if you consider all the trouble Big 4 firms have had with Chinese companies listed in the U.S. and elsewhere, it doesn’t seem to be that much of a stretch that some partners would just say fuck it and work with their clients to keep a lid on the shenanigans than go through the pain of actually doing their jobs.
Regardless, with these accusations the PCAOB may try to make another run at getting the Chinese to play ball.
Carson Block 102011
Chinese Gold Company ‘Respects’ Deloitte’s Decision to Kick Them to the Curb
Your auditor-of-a-Chinese-company-resignation news du jour:
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd , the world’s largest accounting and consulting firm, has resigned as auditors of Hong Kong-listed Real Gold Mining , more than four months after the Inner Mongolian miner was reported to have filed conflicting accouting [sic] reports.
Real Gold, which halted trading in its shares on May 27. is under investigation by the Securities and Futures Commission for corporate governance breaches. The miner’s announcement to the Hong Kong stock exchange late on Thursday said it was looking for a replacement for Deloitte, which resigned on October 12.
“The company is disappointed that Deloitte has decided to resign at this time but respects its decision,” the firm said.
Deloitte resigns as auditors of China gold firm [Reuters]
CPA Exam October 4, 2011
China Freaks Out Over Five CPA Exam Questions Illegally Posted to the Internet
Can you guys imagine what would happen if this were to go down in the good old USA?
According to China Daily, answers to China’s national accounting exam (similar to the CPA exam in that it’s an exam professional accountants take to work in accounting, duh) were leaked over the Internet last week and some are concerned that this unfortunate turn of events might erode trust in the exam and – worse – the profession. As if China’s sketchy accounting practices didn’t already achieve as much.
Answers were posted to an Internet forum just before the 2011 Chinese National Uniform CPA Examination was to be taken on September 17 and 18.
Here in America, CPA review providers are given retired CPA exam questions to distribute to their students but are not allowed to share actual exam content. Not like they’d know what’s on the exam anyway – many major review course providers haven’t taken the CPA exam in 10, 15 or even 20 years. Back in those days, they’d hand out copies of old exams to study. Like actual exams. Since the CPA review crew is a close-knit bunch of OGs, it’s highly unlikely that any one of them would risk their close relationship with the AICPA to hand out exam questions to needy students.
In China, a former writer of architect exam questions was sentenced to 18 months in prison for leaking state secrets after he was caught giving his students copies of exam questions during tutorials. Different world, eh?
Anyway, according to the few Chinese media reports we’ve seen, five audit multiple choice questions and answers were posted to the Internet and the Chinese CPA exam folks are understandably in a tizzy over this. To put it in perspective, their audit section consists 47 questions worth a total of 105 points, and candidates must answer at least 60 correct to pass. So really? Five questions?
That’s not all. Apparently some candidates received texts asking if they might be interested in, er, peeking at the upcoming exams’ content.
“I began to receive at least five text messages a day selling exam questions a month before the exam took place. All of them claimed they could provide genuine questions and answers. They also promised a full refund if the questions were not genuine,” 28 year-old Zhu Hua told China Daily. “I wonder how they got my number in the first place, because I only provided my contact information when I registered for the exam.”
Was this an inside job?
The Chinese Institute of Certified Public Accountants (CICPA) has sworn to conduct an investigation into the leaks and to prosecute anyone found to have leaked this information to the full extent of the law. Prepare for hangings, people, this is serious shit.
Big 4 September 27, 2011
You May Now Commence Wild-ass Theories as to Who Wants to Break Up the Big 4
“Breaking up the Big Four audit firms would make them more susceptible to be taken over by emerging Chinese firms,” a UK audit official said on Tuesday on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivities involved. [ET via Francine McKenna]
KPMG September 26, 2011
Silvercorp Metals CEO Reminds Everyone That They’re a ‘Real Company’
As we’ve discussed, Silvercorp Metals hasn’t appreciated the anonymous letters floating around the Series of Tubes accusing the Canadian miner of accounting fraud and has stated that, save their assets in China, “this wouldn’t be happening.” What the company would really like is for these jerks to show themselves and cooperate with investigators. But until that happens, Silvercorp hired KPMG to poke around to calm all the fears out there. According to reports, the House of Klynveld will have a report out soon but in the meantime, Silvercorp CEO Feng Rui will address everyone who thinks that his company is just a bunch of Tonka trucks in a sandbox:
“We’re a real company and will fight against shorters and distorters,” Feng Rui, Silvercorp chief executive officer, said today at a meeting in Beijing.
Furthermore, the auditors in this matter, Ernst & Young, have carried out their duties to a T and if you think some bullshit letters are going to cause them (or Feng & Co.) to do things differently, you’d be wrong:
“Our auditing doesn’t have anything wrong, the allegations are fabrication,” Feng said today in an interview on the sidelines of the meeting.[…] “The allegations won’t prompt us to make any changes in the process of financial reporting and auditing,” he said
Frankly, it’s embarrassing that they even have to address this but you’ve given them no choice.
Silvercorp Says KPMG to Issue Fraud Allegation Report ‘Soon’ [Bloomberg]
Silvercorp Metals Chairman Would Like These Gutless, Anonymous Letter-Writing Short-sellers to Man Up and Show Their Faces
A couple of weeks ago, Silvercorp Metals responded to an anonymous letter that alleged that the company was engaged in some dodgy accounting practices. Understandably, the company was irked by this little stunt, responding that it was complete BS and due to some short-sellers trying to take advantage of the rash of sketchy accounting scandals involving companies that have a connection to China.
Now, a second anonymous letter has appeared and the company is again going on a PR offensive to calm everyone down because, really you guys, nothing is fucked here and that these reptiles need to come out and start cooperating with investigators if they’re really concerned about things outside their wallets. And so everyone gets the message loud and clear, this was not delivered by some everyday flak but by the Chairman of the company, Dr. Rui Feng:
“I ask shareholders to exercise common sense in assessing whether these allegations of “fraud” against the Company have any merit whatsoever in the face of very significant revenues, tax payments and dividends, and particularly when the accusations are made anonymously by parties whose only interest is in depressing the Company’s share price. I invite the authors of the anonymous allegations to come out of the shadows and participate with the regulators in their investigations, if their concerns truly extend beyond the profitability of their short positions.”
Furthermore, the company’s independent committee has engaged a KPMG Forensic team to help get to the bottom of this. And they certainly know the traits of fraudsters when they see them. Everyone just chill out.
[via Silvercorp Metals]
PCAOB, Possibly Fed Up with China’s Stonewalling, Goes After Some Low-Hanging Fruit
The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board today announced a cooperative agreement with the Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway for the oversight of audit work performed by public accounting firms that practice in the two regulators’ respective jurisdictions. “With this agreement, Norway’s FSA and the PCAOB are joining forces to improve audit quality and protect investors,” said PCAOB Chairman James R. Doty. “I am pleased that the PCAOB is continuing to make progress in overcoming the obstacles that have in the past prevented PCAOB inspections in Europe.” [PCAOB]
Deloitte September 10, 2011
Deloitte All of a Sudden Caught in an Awkward Three-way with SEC, Chinese Regulators
“This is one of the biggest battlegrounds in the transnational regulation of accounting firms,” said Paul Gillis, a visiting professor of accounting at Peking University’s Guanghua School of Management. “Deloitte is between a rock and a hard place. This is a major escalation.” [WSJ, Earlier]
Deloitte September 9, 2011
SEC Not Amused By Deloitte’s Failure to Produce Documents Related to Company That Held Their Audit Workpapers Hostage
Remember Longtop Financial Technologies? Deloitte resigned as auditors of the Chinese company back in May after LFT took some actions that were, shall we say, unusual for an audit client. Among them, “interference by certain members of Longtop management in DTT’s audit process; and […] the unlawful detention of DTT’s audit files.” And there may be some financial statement fraud going on, to boot. What’s even slightly weirder is Deloitte’s resig nt to Longtop’s Audit Committee that laid out the specifics:
[A]s a result of intervention by the Company’s officials including the Chief Operating Officer, the confirmation process was stopped amid serious and troubling new developments including: calls to banks by the Company asserting that Deloitte was not their auditor; seizure by the Company’s staff of second round bank confirmation documentation on bank premises; threats to stop our staff leaving the Company premises unless they allowed the Company to retain our audit files then on the premises; and then seizure by the Company of certain of our working papers.
Right. The auditors-almost-taken-hostage situation. Quite a doozy, this one. Based on the history between Deloitte and Longtop, one would think that Green Dot would jump at any chance to exact a little revenge on these shady bastards. NOPE!
From the crack squad at the SEC:
The Securities and Exchange Commission today filed a subpoena enforcement action against Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu CPA Ltd. for failing to produce documents related to the SEC’s investigation into possible fraud by the Shanghai-based public accounting firm’s longtime client Longtop Financial Technologies Limited.
According to the SEC’s application and supporting papers filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the SEC issued a subpoena on May 27, 2011, and D&T Shanghai was required to produce documents by July 8, 2011. Although D&T Shanghai is in possession of vast amounts of documents responsive to the subpoena, it has not produced any documents to the SEC to date. As a result, the Commission is unable to gain access to information that is critical to an investigation that has been authorized for the protection of public investors.
“Compliance with an SEC subpoena is not an option, it is a legal obligation,” said Robert Khuzami, Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement. “The ability of the SEC to conduct swift and thorough investigations requires that subpoena recipients promptly comply with that legal obligation. Subpoena recipients who refuse to comply should expect serious legal consequences.”
Maybe the email/hand-written letter sent by carrier pigeon (whatever method of communication the Commission is using these days) got lost OR maybe no one at Deloitte Shanghai was in the translating mood that day but it seems slightly strange that Deloitte would just blow this off especially since Longtop screwed them 70 ways to Sunday. Of course these documents could show that Deloitte was really a bunch of pansies and we’re letting LFT run the show until the gross negligence got to the point that they simply couldn’t ignore it anymore. It’s anybody’s guess, really.
UPDATE: The Journal reports that Deloitte claims to be “caught in the middle of conflicting demands by two government regulators,” which could be seen as extremely convenient.
SEC Files Subpoena Enforcement Action Against Deloitte & Touche in Shanghai [SEC]
Court Filing [SEC]
Also see: S.E.C. Asks Court to Force a Release of Papers From China [NYT]
PwC September 6, 2011
Big 4 Hiring Watch: PwC Going on the Offensive in China
You may remember that the Big 4 have BIG plans to go on a hiring binge here in the States and around the globe over the next few years. Just last year, Deloitte announced that they were adding 250,000 new employees over the next five years (although we were a bit skeptical as to what the final numbers would actually shake out). The latest in job creation PR, comes from PwC who has announced that they will be adding 15,000 new professionals in Hong Kong and China:
Accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers plans to hire 15,000 graduates and experienced professionals over the next five years in China and Hong Kong, it said Tuesday, as it capitalizes on growing business opportunities in the region, particularly mainland China.
The Big-Four firm said the new hires will be “across all lines of service,” adding it hopes to recruit more than 2,000 university graduates in the coming months in Hong Kong and China. The company is conducting campus recruitment in Hong Kong and three mainland Chinese cities this month.
Adding to this glowing news was Fitch Rating’s vote of confidence in the Big 4 who “should inspire confidence in terms of corporate governance” in Chinese companies. Right. Because it’s been clockwork so far.
PricewaterhouseCoopers: To Hire 15,000 In HK, Mainland Over Next 5 Years [Dow Jones]
Silvercorp Metals Asks That You Not Believe Anonymous Letters Alleging Accounting Fraud Just Because They Have Assets in China
As we’ve discussed, companies listed on North American stock exchanges that happen to have ties to China haven’t faired too well. The problem? Some dodgy accounting and disclosures. It’s caused a lot of angst amongst investors and there was enough concern that someone actually decided to wake up the PCAOB and SEC to let them know that something might not quite right over there.
Today’s news that Silvercorp Metals, a Canadian mining company who happens to do some work in China, is the subject of a letter that is making the rounds alleging accounting fraud probably doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone but it sure has irked the hell out of the company.
The allegations against Silvercorp are “entirely bogus,” Lorne Waldman, a Silvercorp spokesman, said today in a telephone interview. “If we didn’t have assets in China this wouldn’t be happening.”
And while they’re at it, the company will have you know that they were not created in a one those so-called reverse mergers that have everyone sketched out.
Waldman denied the mining company was created in a so- called reverse takeover, as was Sino-Forest. He said that Silvercorp’s auditor is Ernst & Young LLP, the same firm that audited Sino-Forest’s financial statements.
Oh, right. Ernst & Young. There’s no cause for concern since they’ve seen this before so they’ll probably just sit tight to see what happens. The silver lining for Silvercorp is that Roddy Boyd has written anything about them. Yet.
Silvercorp Says Accounting-Fraud Allegation in Anonymous Letter Is False [Bloomberg]
E&Y September 1, 2011
Ernst & Young Aware of This Sino-Forest Situation, Seems Content to Watch It Play Out
Jonathan Weil has a column today on the train wreck that is Sino-Forest, the Chinese-Canadian timber company. In case you need caught up, there have been some questions about the company’s ability to report accurate disclosures and accounting. This led the research firm Muddy Waters to issue a not-so-flattering analysis of the company. Things like “Ponzi scheme” and “investing for the 23rd Century” don’t exactly get people jumping up and down for your company. Ask John Paulson.
Of course Sino-Forest didn’t do this all by themselves. They had credit rating agencies and auditors telling them everything was hunky dory for years and that’s Weil’s point. He reports that Fitch pulled its rating on S-F back in July and S&P finally pulled their rating this week. That just leaves Moody’s but guess who else is still hanging in there? Ernst & Young, baby! They’re still standing behind their audit opinions and showing no sign of budging. And JW is really curious to know who’s going to jump out of this tree first.
One question lingers: Which of the company’s paid opinion merchants will be the last to step aside? Will it be a credit rater? Or will it be the company’s auditor, Ernst & Young LLP in Toronto, which has yet to rescind any of its reports on Sino-Forest’s finances?
So far Ernst looks like the favorite, with only one rating company left in the hunt. Think of it as a contest between giant tortoises to see which one is slower. This time-honored ritual — of market gatekeepers waiting to blow the whistle until long after a scam has been exposed — has become so familiar, we might as well revel in the spectacle.
So these “gatekeepers” Weil speaks of – obviously this includes the Big 4. And it’s true that we’re all used to them waving their arms, screaming “DANGER!” in front of the burning heap that everyone has been aware of for ages (I didn’t say Lehman Brothers. Did you say Lehman Brothers? Who said Lehman Brothers?).
ANYWAY, E&Y should know that they have choices:
Ernst does have options, aside from bracing for the inevitable years of litigation and investigations. It could resign, explain why it is doing so and face criticism for acting too late. It could withdraw its previous audit opinions. It could insist to Sino-Forest’s directors that it be permitted to answer questions from the public about the work it has performed, as a condition of remaining onboard. Or it could hang on in silence, as it’s doing now, and watch its reputation endure more damage.
Could be that this is just another part of E&Y’s strategy. Sit tight while things play out, wait until things get really serious (i.e. bankruptcy, severe economic turmoil, civil charges, etc. etc.) and then come out swinging.
Tree Falls on Sino-Forest, Auditor Can’t Hear It [Bloomberg]
CFOs August 31, 2011
When Booking Bogus Revenue, Ideally Your CFO Is the Type to Not Give a Rat’s Ass
James Li and David Chow used to run a shop called Syntax-Brillian Company as the CEO and Chief Procurement Officer respectively. They sold high-def, LCD TVs under the Olevia brand in China. Problem was, they didn’t really sell TVs under the Olevia brand in China. According to the SEC:
[F]rom at least June 2006 through April 2008, Li and Chow engaged in a complex scheme to overstate Syntax’s financial results by publicly reporting significant sales of LCD televisions in China, when in fact the vast majority of these sales never occurred. Li and Chow initially concealed the scheme through the use of fake shipping and sales documents.
Of course, they couldn’t do it alone. They needed a CFO. A CFO who would backdate things when asked and ignore obvious signs of bogus revenue. That man was Wayne Pratt who, from the sounds of it, wasn’t too concerned about ANYTHING:
The SEC alleges that Wayne Pratt, Syntax’s Chief Financial Officer, ignored red flags of improper revenue recognition and participated in preparing backdated documentation that was provided to Syntax’s auditors to support fictitious fiscal 2006 year-end sales. Pratt also ignored indications of impaired assets, agency sales, and potential collectability issues.
So, budding criminals, get on the look out for a guy/gal who is accustomed to shrugging their shoulders and responding “Meh. Whatever.” to your demands. Should work out well for you.
Litigation Release [SEC]
Complaint [SEC]
CPA Exam August 30, 2011
Becker Partners With GE China to Deliver CPA Review To Its Employees
With GE slowly but surely shipping most of its important business over to the People’s Republic of China, this could work out to be quite the lucrative deal for the folks at Becker.
Becker Professional Education announced last week that it has entered into an agreement with GE China to provide, through its licensee in the People’s Republic of China, its complete, four part CPA Exam Review course to GE employees in the People’s Republic of China. Becker will also be providing extensive assistance with the CPA Exam application process to GE China employees.
“This partnership represents a tremendous opportunity for Becker to expand our leading international position with a strong partner in GE China,” said Matt Kinnich, Vice President, International and Business Development of Becker Professional Education. “We will be able to help a great number of GE China employees achieve their career goals through our quality course offerings.”
What this means, in simpler terms, is that some guys in China will be authorized to teach out of Becker books, likely using Becker’s own “lesson plan” text which all Becker instructors receive to teach from. I wonder if they’ll edit out some of the written-in jokes to translate for a Chinese audience?
Becker already offers live courses in Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing.
Today in Sketchy Chinese Company News: Ernst & Young Suspends Audit of Zungui Haixi
It’s been quite the year for the Chinese-based, reverse-merger clients of accounting firms. There have been curious press releases, audit workpapers held hostage, and the run-of-the-mill blowing off of auditor recommendations among other things. With all that, you probably figured the fun was over.
Not so! The latest in China-doesn’t-really-know-what-the-hell-it’s-doing news is the report that Ernst & Young has walked out on Zungui Haixi, an athletic footwear and apparel company listed in Canada. Why? Well, it’s not really clear but it sounds like Zungui has some explaining to do:
Zungui said auditor Ernst & Young LLP has advised its board that its has suspended its audit for the year ended June 30, 2011, until the company “clarifies and substantiates its position with respect to issues pertaining to the current and prior year”.
Ernst & Young recommended that the issues identified be addressed by an independent investigation, the company said in a brief statement that did not provide any details on the issues.
As we all know, “issues” could be just about anything from missing cash, to a CFO resigning. Hopefully it’s nothing quite so serious and the crack squad of investigators assigned to the task will get to the bottom of it and not wait for Roddy Boyd to pick it up.
Zungui Haixi shares tumble after E&Y suspends audit [Reuters]
Harbin Electric’s Ability to Timely File Financial Statements with the SEC Falls on One Lonely CPA
Today in odd things found in SEC filings, we were pointed to this 10-Q from Harbin Electric, Inc., “a Nevada Corporation, incorporated on July 9, 2003.” However, this gives you a little better idea about what Harbin’s business is:
Through its subsidiaries, the Company designs, develops, engineers, manufactures, sells and services a wide array of electric motors including linear motors, specialty micro-motors, and industrial rotary motors, with focus on innovation, creativity, and value-added products. Products are sold in China and to certain international markets.
There it is! Another reverse merger company operation. Of course, this could be a completely legitimate business that is making money hand over fist but if Roddy Boyd is writing about you, that could be a bad sign. But that’s neither here nor there. One interesting thing we found in the company’s Q is just how much the company depends on their SEC Reporting Manager (I’ve added some italics for emphasis):
We rely on the services of our SEC reporting manager to assist us in researching and resolving certain US GAAP accounting issues and preparing our consolidated financial statements.
We employ an SEC Reporting Manager who is a Certified Public Accountant in the United States to assist our internal accounting and finance personnel in resolving complex US GAAP accounting issues. From time to time we rely on her to conduct research on complex accounting issues relating to US GAAP and to provide advice to the Company as to how to comply with US GAAP. Although our SEC Reporting Manager is not involved in our day to day operations or the management of our accounting functions, she also assists us in our consolidation process and in preparing our consolidated financial statements and footnotes. If we were to lose the services of our SEC Reporting Manager, we would attempt to hire another similarly qualified person to replace her. The loss of the services of our SEC Reporting Manager, in the absence of a qualified replacement, could adversely impact our ability to accurately prepare our consolidated financial statements on a timely basis.
There’s really no way to know who this poor, lonely SEC Reporting Manager is but based on the disclosure, it seems pretty clear that if she were to meet with an unfortunate accident, Harbin would be up shit creek without a paddle (and there’s probably a hole in the boat).
Why, exactly, isn’t there an intern, temp, custodian, someone, ANYONE that serves as the backup QB? This is not immediately known. Perhaps the company broke the piggy bank paying for the reverse merger but it seems prudent that they at least throw in Ms. SEC Reporting Manager’s best girlfriend from high school or something.
Of course if you’re job hunting and have a decent résumé, you could always ring them up.
News August 8, 2011
China Calls For a New International Reserve Currency That Isn’t the Dollar (Again)
Dean Baker of the Center for Economic and Policy Research writes via Business Insider:
The NYT told readers that:
“Beijing has few options other than to continue to purchase United States Treasury bonds, Chinese officials are clearly concerned that China’s substantial holdings of American debt, worth at least $1.1 trillion, is being devalued.”
Both parts of this statement are wrong. Beijing has the option to stop buying dollars from its exporters. The reason that the government accumulates dollars and other foreign currencies is that it buys the currency from the companies who are exporting to the United States and other countries.
If Chinese officials were that concerned about it, they wouldn’t keep selling us their useless crap, thereby continuing the vicious cycle of being forced to “cash out” in Treasurys on the difference. If we as Americans were that concerned about it, we’d stop buying the useless crap. Like the “Presidents of the United States” mugs I bought this weekend, which happened to have “Made in China” stickers slapped on the bottom.
On Saturday, after S&P downgraded the U.S. credit rating to AA+ (pretty sure you guys heard about that), Chinese officials said Washington needed to “cure its addiction to debts” and “live within its means,” harsh words considering our living beyond our means has been the main driver of China’s explosive growth in the last decade. ““The U.S. government has to come to terms with the painful fact that the good old days when it could just borrow its way out of messes of its own making are finally gone,” read the statement, released by state-run Xinhua news.
“China, the largest creditor of the world’s sole superpower, has every right now to demand the United States address its structural debt problems and ensure the safety of China’s dollar assets,” it said.
Wrong. The Federal Reserve is the largest creditor of the world’s former superpower (that’s us), and according to them, we can’t inflate fast enough.
“International supervision over the issue of U.S. dollars should be introduced and a new, stable and secured global reserve currency may also be an option to avert a catastrophe caused by any single country,” Xinhua said.
Notice a pattern here yet? GAAP isn’t good enough, we need the IASB to tell us how to recognize leases. Now the dollar isn’t good enough. Not that it ever was, at least not in my lifetime or yours.
Better learn Chinese, people.
PCAOB July 6, 2011
PCAOB, SEC to Be All Up in China’s Business Next Week
Perhaps you’ve heard that some U.S.-listed Chinese companies have had some trouble with their financial reporting. Often times this leads to CFOs quitting, auditors resigning or workpapers being held hostage. None of which are good. Occurrences such as these have been going on for a little while and more recently the SEC admitted that they had, in fact, heard something about it. Perhaps even more surprisingly, a Chinese official also confessed that some of these companies weren’t exactly on top of their shit and in some may not have the faintest idea of what they’re doing.
All this excitement has finally gotten the teams at the SEC and PCAOB worked up enough that it has been decided that they’re popping over to Beijing to meet with the country’s Ministry of Finance and the China Securities Regulatory Commission next Monday and Tuesday to see what’s what.
“This meeting is the commencement of our accelerated efforts with the People’s Republic of China to forge a cooperative resolution to cross-border auditing oversight. I believe we share a common objective with Chinese regulators to protect investors and safeguard audit quality through our mutual cooperation,” said James R. Doty, PCAOB Chairman.
The delegation will be led by Board Member Lewis H. Ferguson and include staff from the PCAOB’s Office of International Affairs and Division of Registration and Inspections, and the SEC Office of International Affairs and Office of the Chief Accountant. The delegation will meet with senior leadership of the Ministry of Finance and the CSRC.
“The purpose of this meeting is to provide an opportunity to exchange information about how each country conducts inspections of auditing firms and to move toward a bilateral agreement providing for joint inspections of China-based auditing firms registered with the PCAOB,” said PCAOB Board Member Ferguson.
Reuters reports that Ferguson considers the trip a “confidence-building exercise,” just in case you were still a little queasy on Sino-Forest, et al.
Statement on Delegation to China [PCAOB]
U.S. audit watchdog, SEC plan Beijing visit [Reuters]
Chinese Official: Some Companies Listed in U.S. Have ‘Flaws,’ May Not Know What the Hell They’re Doing
We understand that complying with financial reporting in the U.S. can be difficult, so don’t get too worried about it. But we do ask that you keep the workpaper hostage taking to a minimum.
China is looking into accounting issues involving Chinese companies listed in North America, an official at the country’s securities regulator said in the watchdog’s first public remarks since a series of accounting scandals. Corporate misbehaviour, unfamiliarity with the U.S. market and some practices involved in overseas listings had all contributed to recent investor distrust of Chinese companies, said Wang Ou, vice head of research at the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC). “First, we have to admit that some of our companies may have flaws. Second, our (companies’) understanding of the U.S. market and the measures to tackle risk there may be inadequate,” Wang said at a conference in Beijing this weekend. “We have contacts with the U.S. and its relevant regulatory bodies and we’re studying the issue together.”
Oh, and it isn’t necessary to issue a press release when your auditor ties out your cash balances.
[via Reuters]
Yes, the SEC *Has* Heard About the Trend of Accounting Problems at Reverse Merger Companies
The Securities and Exchange Commission warned investors about the risk of fraud, accounting problems and other abuses at companies that obtain stock listings through so-called reverse mergers.
The warning on Thursday comes amid a rash of accounting scandals involving China-based companies listed on U.S. exchanges through reverse mergers, or mergers with U.S. shell companies. “Many companies either fail or struggle to remain viable following a reverse merger,” the SEC said in an investor bulletin. Investors should be especially wary of reverse merger operating companies that are “nonreporting,” meaning they are not required to file reports with the SEC, the agency said. “Keep in mind that information from online blogs, social networking sites and even a company’s own website may be inaccurate and sometimes intentionally misleading,” the SEC said. [Reuters]
Grant Thornton June 9, 2011
Weikang Bio-Technology Felt Compelled to Issue a Press Release Announcing that Grant Thornton Successfully Verified Their Cash Balances with Bank Statements
Chinese companies certainly have had their share of problems with financial reporting in the U.S. but I had no idea that it would come to this.
The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of Weikang Bio-Technology Group Co., Inc. (OTC Markets: WKBT.PK – News) (“WKBT,” “Weikang” or the “Company”), a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Western prescription and OTC pharmaceuticals and other health and nutritional products in the People’s Republic of China, today announced that Grant Thornton (“GT”), one of the world’s leading organizations of independently owned and managed accounting and consulting firms, has verified that the cash amounts listed on the Company’s SEC filings for 2010 and the first quarter of 2011 are consistent with account statements obtained from WKBT’s banks directly by GT.
“Given the recent change in auditors and my new chairmanship of the WKBT Audit Committee, we authorized the Grant Thornton review to take place last week, and are now releasing the results,” said Jeffery Chuang, independent director and Chairman of the Audit Committee of WKBT. “Weikang continues to advance as a U.S. publicly-traded company and we are committed to high standards in the thoroughness of our financial information,” said Mr. Chuang, a U.S. CPA who is based in Southern California.
Obviously this is completely harmless compared to, say, threatening to take auditors hostage but as far as giant wastes of time go, it’s right near the top.
PwC May 27, 2011
Chinese Company Wraps Themselves in the Security Blanket That Is an Unqualified Audit Opinion From PwC
You may have noticed that a number of Chinese companies have had some issues with their accounting. This typically leads to the company’s auditor quitting, the CFO resigning, an SEC filing explaining all of it and then the revelation of some embarrassing details to accompany it all. Like a video of company’s employees sleeping. Or taking audit workpapers hostage. The best part about these stories is that the companies typically go on the defensive, and some make claims about their prestigious auditors just moments before the shit hits the fan.
Today we bring you Li & Fung, Ltd., a supply chain manager out of Hong Kong. L&F has reacted to a recent report from UBS that has…wait…yes, called attention to an accounting change and that “the company’s future GAAP earnings might not fully reflect the profitability of operations and that the new revenue recognition policy may distort a declining margin trend.”
Li & Fung has reacted right on cue:
“These statements are misleading,” Company Secretary Terry Wan said in the statement.
“The company has disclosed the relevant accounting policies in note 1.1 of its 2010 accounts, which have been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers and are in full compliance with the HKFRS (Hong Kong Financial Reporting Standards),” Wan said.
Li & Fung: UBS Report On Firm’s Accounting Policies Not Factually Accurate [Dow Jones]
Audit May 23, 2011
Auditor Resignation Du Jour: Deloitte Didn’t Appreciate Their Audit Files Being Held Hostage
And yes the perpetrator, Longtop Financial Technologies, is a Chinese company.
As we mentioned, Deloitte had some decent reasons for kicking LFT to curb, among them:
(1) the recently identified falsity of the Company’s financial records in relation to cash at bank and loan balances (and possibly in sales revenue); (2) the deliberate interference by certain members of Longtop management in DTT’s audit process; and (3) the unlawful detention of DTT’s audit files. DTT further stated that DTT was no longer able to rely on management’s representations in relation to prior period financial reports, that continued reliance should no longer be placed on DTT’s audit reports on the previous financial statements, and DTT declined to be associated with any of the Company’s financial communications in 2010 and 2011.
And because it seems to be the standard narrative in stories such as these, Longtop’s CFO has resigned and “The Audit Committee has also initiated a search for a new auditor.” Although were not sure if there’s a firm out there that will pick up a client who has engaged in hostage taking.
[via Longtop Financial Technologies]
Today in Chinese Company Auditor Resignations: KPMG Doesn’t Appreciate Being Ignored
The House of Klynveld resigned as the auditor Shanghai-based ShengdaTech, Inc. effective April 29th after less than three years. According to the 8-K filed yesterday, KPMG was none too impressed with management blowing off their concerns:
KPMG previously informed the Company’s Audit Committee of certain concerns arising during its incomplete audits of the Company’s consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2010, and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2010. These concerns included serious discrepancies and unexplained issues relating to, among others: (i) the Company’s bank balances; (ii) transactions with major suppliers; (iii) VAT invoices and payments; (iv) sales and payments for sales by third parties; (v) sales to the Company’s second largest customer; (vi) discrepancies between KPMG’s direct calls to customers and confirmations returned by mail; and (vii) concerns raised by directly confirming customer sales and accounts receivables.
In a letter dated April 19, 2011, KPMG informed the board of directors of the Company that in KPMG’s view the Company’s senior management has not taken, and the board of directors has not caused senior management to take, timely and appropriate remedial actions with respect to these discrepancies and/or issues, and KPMG stated that the continued lack of resolution of the issues would materially impact the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2010 and possibly prior periods.
And as you might expect, this resulted in KPMG taking its audit reports and going home:
On April 29, 2011, we were also informed by KPMG, our former independent accounting firm, that disclosures should be made and action should be taken to prevent future reliance on their previously issued audit reports related to the consolidated balance sheets of ShengdaTech, Inc. and its subsidiaries as of December 31, 2008 and 2009, and the related consolidated statements of income, shareholders’ equity and comprehensive income, and cash flows for the years then ended and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2008 and 2009.
8-K [SEC via ShengdaTech]
PwC April 25, 2011
PwC Provides Background, Q&A in Response to Reports on Shanghai Associate’s Death
It’s been just over two weeks since the death of Angela Pan, an audit associate in PwC’s Shanghai office. One report of her death have quoted doctors stating that “Based on her symptoms and her low white blood cell count, it’s reasonable to conclude that overwork led to a weakened immune system, which makes her more vulnerable to infections.” It was also reported she told a friend she was working 18-hour days and about 120 hours a week prior to her sickness and death. However, Shanghaiist (yes, that’s the Gothamist for Shanghai) published a portion of a statement from PwC that stated that Angela died from viral encephalitis not acute cerebral meningitis as had been reported. An internal email from PwC in China found its way into our inbox late last week and it seems to echo the press release and provides other details.
[Ed. note: the second paragraph included HR and press contacts for those needing them so I’ve omitted those here. It did state that the information should only “be communicated verbally.”]
The date on the email was April 20th and the Shanghaiist article is dated April 15th, so whether this communiqué provides additional details, it isn’t entirely clear. The most confusing statement for me in this email is “as a sign of respect to Angela and her family, we have made a decision not to clarify the misreporting in the media at this time.” Seems to me that the respectful thing would be to correct the “misrepresented” facts if they are in fact correct. Of course this is happening in China where we can only assume what qualifies as a “respectful” action might differ from what is respectful in the U.S. Regardless, it’s terribly unfortunate that a young woman’s death had to serve as a reminder for everyone to take a closer look at their own health and behavior, as well as how culture and working environment may cause some to feel pressure to be at work when they shouldn’t.
Did a PwC Auditor Work Herself to Death?
Pan Jie was a 25 year-old auditor in PwC’s Shanghai office, starting her career with the firm last October. She died of acute cerebral meningitis on April 10th, having “ignored the illness until a fever surged,” after catching the flu on March 31st. Reports have stated that Jie told a friend that “she had been working up to 18 hours a day and about 120 hours a week,” prior to her death.
A doctor quoted by one of the reports explained the cause:
Dr Wang Guisong, an expert in the neurosurgery department at Renji Hospital, said overwork can make people more vulnerable to infections. “Based on her symptoms and her low white blood cell count, it’s reasonable to conclude that overwork led to a weakened immune system, which makes her more vulnerable to infections,” Wang said. “When an infection worsens over time, people can develop acute cerebral meningitis.”
According to the story, PwC has denied that Ms Jie died from work-related fatigue but it’s hard to argue that her fatigue was caused by anything else. The firm is providing psychologists for employees, has sent a “team” to comfort Jie’s family and has even offered to assist with the cost of her funeral and this kind of outreach is admirable but the overarching culture within Big 4 firms is really what is of concern here.
Fatigue from overworking is not uncommon in the Big 4 life but when someone dies as a result of the fatigue, that’s will obviously get some attention (even if it’s just for a little bit). At some point it became acceptable for sleep – and health in general – to become of secondary importance when it comes to having a successful career. If you don’t believe me, look around you; everyone is exhausted and that’s part of the life inside a Big 4 firm. The pressures of performance in the name of client service are so great that people regularly come to work when they should be in bed or, in some cases, an emergency room. Of course there’s the macho contingent inside these firms that say “sleep is for the weak” and that’s the kind of attitude that perpetuates the culture of “getting the job done.” How is this acceptable? Not only can lack of sleep kill you, it doesn’t really do much for job performance. We’ve all seen people make big mistakes when they’re lacking sleep and yet no one considers the root cause. If you think skipping a few hours of sleep a night is worth to a few thousand dollars a year (at best) then you’ve got some seriously fucked up priorities.
I admit that people aren’t dropping left and right inside these firms due to lack of sleep but let’s quit pretending like working hours upon hours, putting your health at risk and coming into work looking like – pardon the expression – death warmed up is some kind of badge of honor.
CFOs April 8, 2011
Chinese Company CFO Resignation Du Jour: Qiao Xing Universal Resources Inc.
When is this officially a pattern? Or is it simply a trend? Qiao Xing CFO Jiang Aijun resigned today but have no fear investors! – the company has appointed a financial controller and is on the hunt for a new CFO.
Plus they’re planning to file their fiscal 2010 results a month ahead of schedule. The company’s stock was down 12% for the week prior to today’s announcement and unfortunately, all this fresh news doesn’t seem to have calmed anyone down. [Dow Jones, Earlier, Earlier]
SEC April 4, 2011
The SEC Is Aware That Some Chinese Companies Have Shoddy Accounting
Or in some cases, just plain fraudulent.
In prepared remarks at an investors conference, Luis Aguilar said he is increasingly concerned about the proliferation of small private companies that elect to merge with public shell companies in lieu of more rigorous methods of becoming public, such as a traditional IPO. “While the vast majority of these companies may be legitimate businesses, a growing number of them have accounting deficiencies or are outright vessels of fraud” Aguilar said, speaking at a Council of Institutional Investors conference here.
And in case you missed it the auditing isn’t so hot either:
”There appear to be systematic concerns with quality of auditing and financial reporting,” he said. “Even though these companies are registered in the U.S., we have limitations when it comes to enforcing U.S. securities laws with them.”
US Securities Regulator Aguilar Sounds Backdoor-Merger Alarm [Dow Jones]
SEC official concerned with ‘back-door’ listings [MarketWatch]
Audit March 11, 2011
Chinese Companies Want the Big 4 Magic
“Companies are under pressure from investors to get the best auditor they can,” said Paul Gillis, an accounting professor at Peking University in Beijing. More than 200 Chinese companies are listed on U.S. exchanges, and hundreds more trade on over-the-counter bulletin boards. In the last five months, at least 15 have upgraded to a Big Four auditor — Deloitte, Ernst & Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers or KPMG — from a smaller firm, according to an analysis from Audit Analytics. [Reuters]
‘Forging and Selling Invoices to Avoid Taxes’ in China Is No Longer Punishable By Death
We Americans do love a good firing squad/lethal injection/electric chair/hangin’ but the Chinese make us look like a bunch of pansies by comparison. However, after several millennia, China might be getting soft in its old age. As the Associated Press reports, some economic crimes have been pulled from the “do this and die” list:
Thirteen economic, nonviolent offenses will be removed from the list of 68 crimes punishable by death, said Lang Sheng, who heads a legal committee for the National People’s Congress, China’s legislature. The 13 crimes include forging and selling invoices to avoid taxes, and smuggling cultural relics and precious metals such as gold out of the country.
However, it should be noted, “[A]n expert said the move was unlikely to significantly reduce executions, since people convicted of those crimes in the past have rarely received the maximum penalty and capital punishment can still be used to punish other economic crimes such as corruption.”
We’re not intimately familiar with all the potential criminal tax pitfalls in China, so it’s safe to assume there are plenty of other tax crimes that will still get you the dirt nap. International tax scofflaws should tread carefully.
China drops death penalty for some economic crimes [AP via Gawker]
CFOs January 3, 2011
Google CFO: We Can’t Quit You, China
Patrick Pichette admits that, despite some less than ideal position on censorship, the GOOG still has a mad crush on those 1.2 billion searchers and their right to know who won the Nobel Peace Prize:
Pichette told The (London) Times that it was not the end. “China has 1.2 billion people. For Google to say, ‘We’re going to live on our mission, but not serve 1.2 billion people’ — it just doesn’t work. China wants Google.”
He spoke of the “great firewall of China,” where censors filter the information that China’s internet users can view.
He said: “[If] you were in China last week, two weeks ago, and you typed in Nobel Peace Prize — there were no results. Think of Google’s brand now. You’re Chinese, you know that’s not true, that the Nobel Peace Prize has not disappeared from the face of the earth. There lies the issue of brand. There lies the issue of our mission.”
BDO November 9, 2010
There’s Still Some Confusion About the BDO/Grant Thornton Situation in Hong Kong
The Wall St. Journal’s China Real Time Report stumbled upon the BDO/Grant Thornton poaching exodus merger situation (some may say, “clusterfuck”) in Hong Kong and we have no choice but to take issue with it.
The headline reads, “Missed It? Hong Kong’s Big Accounting Merger” and they mention the original report from the South China Morning Post. They manage to tone down the narrative but more or less tell the same story, full with quotes from BDO Hong Kong’s CEO Albert Au Siu-cheung:
On Wednesday, about a month after the joint press release, the South China Morning Post featured a front-page article describing the merger as a mass poaching of staff by BDO, “the biggest such raid in the city’s accounting sector.”
“It’s a bit sensational,” Au said, adding there was no raid. “Poaching is I pick a few heads here and there,” he said. “What you’re seeing here is the whole firm, meaning the partners and staff, coming to join us in BDO.”
In other words, “Sure it sounded bad but really it was just people making a choice”:
“There is no goodwill payment of any kind,” Au said. “I like to think they are voting with their feet. By that, I mean they think they’re joining a platform they have commitment to and believe in.” Clients were informed of the change and had the option to find another accounting firm. All clients have stayed with Grant Thornton for this merger.
Of course if someone at the Journal had rang up Grant Thornton International they would have likely gotten the story that we reported on last Friday which is that GTI booted the affiliate firm in Hong Kong and that BDO is kinda, sorta misrepresenting the situation:
They did not choose to leave, they were told to leave…[I]t is disingenous, or possibly wishful thinking, on the part of BDO to suggest that Grant Thornton is pulling out of Hong Kong. Many partners and staff from the former Hong Kong firm have already contacted the new Grant Thornton firm and clients will, of course, decide for themselves whether to move to BDO, which operates in the region as a loose affiliation, or remain with the more integrated, ‘one firm’ approach of Grant Thornton.
And of course there are the opposing press releases. The joint one issued by the BDO/GT firm dated October 7th that states:
Leading accounting firms BDO and Grant Thornton are pleased to announce that their firms have agreed in principle to merge their businesses and practise in the name of BDO Limited.
And the one from GTI, also dated October 7th that states something quite different:
Grant Thornton International gave its Hong Kong member firm notice on 20 September to leave the global organisation by March 2011.
With that mandate and probably few options, it appears that GTHK ran into the arms of BDOHK. BDO is using the Journal to disseminate a story that makes them look proactive and ambitious when in reality, none of this would even be happening if GTI hadn’t told their HK firm to get lost. The Journal – like the South China Morning Post – doesn’t mention that. Some people might consider that a major piece of the story.
We’ve put out a warning in the past about wandering into our corner of the sandbox without knowing what the hell you’re doing (or at least checking with us first) and you can consider this a friendly reminder about that. We’re more than happy to help because this accounting/accounting firm stuff is tricky when you don’t spend every single day reading and writing about it.
Grant Thornton: BDO Suggestion That We Are Pulling Out of Hong Kong Is ‘Disingenuous’
Following up on our post from Wednesday on the movement of 600+ Grant Thornton Hong Kong employees to BDO, we’ve received some correspondence from Grant Thornton International that clarifies the situation.
Turns out, a brief press release – whole thing after the jump – was issued by GTI last month that announced that the firm had given notice (confirming speculation in the comments) to its HK firm to GTFO by March 2011.
In email to Going Concern, GTI spokeswoman Hilary East broke it down for us:
They did not choose to leave, they were told to leave. Success in China is critical to the long term ambitions of G are committed to an integrated approach to the China market, which includes Hong Kong. While many partners in the former Hong Kong firm supported that strategy, their leadership was unable to agree amongst itself and separation became the only option. Grant Thornton China immediately set up a new firm in Hong Kong, led by a group of partners from the original Hong Kong firm with support from the 1500 partners and staff across mainland China.
The new firm that Ms East mentions, presumably is Jingdu Tianhua Hong Kong which we mentioned in our previous post that will adopt the Grant Thornton name “in due course.”
But what about this article in the South China Morning Post that quotes BDO Hong Kong’s CEO as saying, “The opportunity to have a massive admission of so much established accounting talent is rare.” ?
Ms East elaborated for us:
[I]t is disingenous, or possibly wishful thinking, on the part of BDO to suggest that Grant Thornton is pulling out of Hong Kong. Many partners and staff from the former Hong Kong firm have already contacted the new Grant Thornton firm and clients will, of course, decide for themselves whether to move to BDO, which operates in the region as a loose affiliation, or remain with the more integrated, ‘one firm’ approach of Grant Thornton.
If you read the South China article, you won’t see a single mention of GTI giving the Hong Kong firm notice, unless you count the extremely vague and misleading passage:
Grant Thornton chief executive Patrick Rozario, who led the move to BDO, said the team decided to shift because of Grant Thornton International’s directive for the mainland member firm to lead Grant Thornton’s Hong Kong office.
“We consider BDO, which is run independently in Hong Kong and China, respectively, is a model that suits us better,” Rozario said.
No mention of the GTI press release. No mention of the new firm that GTI was setting up. No mention that some staff and partners were considering their options. The headline (and sub-hed) in the article is even ridiculously misleading: “Troubled accounting firm’s staff jump ship Grant Thornton to close as BDO gains full team”.
And why the article even brings up Gabriel Azedo’s disappearance is mystifying. It’s more than hella-stretch to suggest that the trouble caused by him has anything to do with GTI’s or BDO’s moves. Plus hardly anyone (including the Financial Times) gives a damn any more about his whereabouts. The guy has been on the lam for over a year and is probably some accounting Kurtz figure by now.
Grant Thornton International Separates From HK
Will the Solution to the Big 4 “Too Few to Fail” Problem Come Out of China?
Adam Jones at the Financial Times takes a look at the Big 4’s too few to fail problem, noting that the recent green paper from the European Commission is a combination of A) lame ideas:
Its flakier suggestions included getting a regulator or another third party to appoint auditors to ease fears about their independence – a move that would disenfranchise shareholders to an unacceptable extent. A European quality certificate for auditing was also mooted as a way of helping second-tier firms show they could handle the biggest jobs. Such a badge would have limited credibility.
And B) points of discussion that need to be explored further, “[A] call for international talks on a contingency plan for the possible failure of one of the Big Four,” “enforced work-sharing also merits further discussion,” and “Brussels says it may also loosen rules requiring auditors to own the majority of an audit firm.”
All this talking gives us a headache and Jones admits that by allowing all ideas on the table it allows those happy with the status quo to distract from any real solutions:
The surfeit of ideas makes the debate comprehensive. But it also creates easy targets for those who want to preserve an inadequate market structure, detracting from more sensible suggestions made by Michel Barnier, EU internal market commissioner, and his team.
Despite the haters out there, the most interesting solution mentioned by Jones is the possibility of China – albeit a longshot – coming to the rescue:
Some think the danger might be eased by a Chinese accountant teaming up with a second-tier firm to create a new rival to the Big Four. Such an entity would face suspicion in the west, though, and it may be too soon to look to Beijing for answers.
For the market enthusiasts out there, this has to be the best idea you’ve heard even though it comes at the exception of the Chinese.
Think WeiserMazars but on a much, much larger scale. Maybe BDO’s U.S. firm is a target because of their legal troubles. Maybe Stephen Chipman will use his connections in China to parlay into some mega-international merger. We realize it’s hard to use your imagination when you’re staring at spreadsheets all day but ideas are needed people.
Solutions provided by the market will be a far better than something mandated by governments. China’s economy is still growing at a ridiculous clip and some say that’s good for the us here in the States.
Bottom line – we’re happy to entertain the possibility of China getting in the mix because as Jones says, “[W]hile this risk is broadly acknowledged, I have so far seen little evidence of a plan to deal with it.” And as it stands now, the bureaucrats are leading the discussion.
PwC Doubling Headcount in China
All the other Big 4 firms have gotten some digital ink hyping their hiring plans for the next fiscal year and beyond. Before today, PwC had only mustered some rumored poaching which isn’t ideal PR.
The rest of the firms have already made it known that they are doing their part to create jobs here and abroad – Deloitte’s numbers are dumbfounding, KPMG’s spree includes Europe and asking its alumni come crawling back, while E&Y is picking up 6,000 recruits off campus.
P. Dubs finally gets puts some hiring news out there announcing that they will double their headcount in China over the next 5 years to over 20,000 employees.
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP plans to double its headcount in China to more than 20,000 people within the next five years to meet rising demand for professional services as the nation’s companies become more international.
“We expect more Chinese companies to expand their presence overseas, and we’d like to be part of that growth,” Silas Yang, the firm’s chairman for China and Hong Kong, said today in a statement.
PwC to Double China Headcount to More Than 20,000 Over 5 Years [Bloomberg BusinessWeek]
ANR September 17, 2010
Accounting News Roundup: More on PwC Re-Branding and the Firm’s Bet on China; What Would Mitch McConnell’s Government Look Like? | 09.17.10
Warren vows end to “tricks” with consumer agency [Reuters]
“Wall Street critic Elizabeth Warren said on Friday she accepted the job of setting up a consumer financial protection agency for U.S. President Barack Obama and declared that the time for financial ‘tricks and traps’ was over.
Obama was expected to announce his appointment of Warren, a Harvard University professor and hero to liberal activists, at 1:30 pm EDT, taking a step forward in enacting the financial reform that is a signature achievement of his presidency.”
Final Seal Set for BP Well [Re-Branding at PricewaterhouseCoopers — OMG, It’s Like Totally Awesome! [Re:Balance]
Jim Peterson’s analysis on PwC’s new look takes a bit of a different angle, “When the accounting profession’s very survival rests on the ability to sell a basic core product – assurance on financial information – the essence of that delivery is the maintenance of confidence among issuers and users in consistent, solid and predictable quality service.
That has been more than challenge enough, in difficult times for the profession. But its messages can and should be pretty stolid. A slightly boring orthodoxy is not a bad thing, when the profession is the only one that requires two terms to describe itself and its core offerings: accountant and auditor – contrasted with, for example, doctor, lawyer, priest or engineer.”
When Job-Interview Questions Become Too Personal [The Juggle/WSJ]
Things you shouldn’t have to answer: 1) “Do you plan to have a family any time soon?” 2) “I love your accent; where are you from?” 3) “Are you currently using birth control?”
PwC: To Invest Around $100 Mln On China In 3-5 Years [Dow Jones]
“PricewaterhouseCoopers plans to invest an estimated US$100 million in China over the next three to five years on overall operations including recruiting and training staff to meet the country’s growing appetite for more sophisticated financial services, said a senior executive of the global accounting firm.
‘We see great opportunities in China. The world is coming out of recession and emerging markets like China and India have done so much better than mature markets,’ Nora Wu, lead partner of PwC’s Shanghai office, told Dow Jones Newswires Tuesday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Tianjin.”
Mitch McConnell, the Bush Tax Cuts, and the Future of Government [TaxVox]
“Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) wants to permanently extend all of the Bush-era tax cuts. He’s also rejected even modest efforts by President Obama to restrain the growth of Medicare. He is opposed to efforts by Defense Secretary Robert Gates to control future Pentagon spending. And he favors a constitutional amendment that would require a balanced budget. It all got me wondering: What would such a McConnell government look like?”
Accounting News Roundup: Herz Departure Is a Gift for Banks; American Apparel Blames Deloitte for Late Filings; Your Commute Isn’t That Bad | 08.25.10
Herz Leaving Marks Boon for Banks [WSJ]
“A new front has opened up in the war over mark-to-market accounting. Suddenly banks find themselves with an unexpected advantage in the fight over how they should value their vast holdings of financial instruments.
T rprise announcement Tuesday of the departure of Robert Herz as chairman of the Financial Accounting Standards Board. This will give banks an opportunity to push for a successor who is more friendly to their views on the mark-to-market question, as well as the overall idea that accounting should be for more than just investors.”
Former Chief Accounting Officer for Beazer Homes USA, Inc. Indicted on 11 Criminal Counts [FBI]
Michael Rand didn’t have a very good day yesterday.
Block ramped up federal lobbying efforts in second quarter, report says [AP]
H&RB lobbied their asses off from April to June spending $500k talking the ears off at the IRS, Treasury and SEC.
American Apparel Works To File Late 10-Q Before Nov 15 [Dow Jones]
The NYSE has put Dov & Co. on notice that they best get their act together if they don’t want to be sent slumming with the pink sheets. The company is promising to pull things together and if it weren’t for Deloitte quitting, everything would be a-okay.
Fact Checking Minority Leader Boehner’s Claims on “Small Business” and the “Bush” Tax Cuts [Tax Foundation]
In case you didn’t hear, John Boehner suggested that the President fire his entire economic team. Boehner is of the opinion that letting the tax cuts expire will hurt small businesses, citing the Joint Tax Committee. Tax Foundation takes exception with this, saying that the Ohio Congressman and House Minority Leader is misrepresenting the findings of the JTC:
“First off, the businesses that JCT is referring to are not necessarily ‘small.’ Saying the word ‘small business’ sounds good to the electorate because it brings up an image of a mom and pop store on Main Street America. But plenty of large businesses, as defined by net income or gross receipts, file their taxes under the individual income tax as opposed to the corporate income tax. Merely because a business is paying individual income taxes as opposed to corporate taxes does not mean it is ‘small.’ ”
Statement From Chairman Schapiro on Financial Accounting Foundation Developments [SEC]
“I commend the Financial Accounting Foundation for its ongoing efforts to evaluate and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the structure and operation of the Financial Accounting Standards Board by increasing the size of the Board. The Foundation has determined that this revised structure will facilitate the continuing efforts of the FASB to work with the International Accounting Standards Board on their important convergence work plan. In addition, this should enhance the ability of the FASB to address issues facing the U.S. capital markets and the needs of investors.
“I also would like to commend FASB Chairman Robert Herz for his more than eight years of service. During his tenure, Chairman Herz has served as an effective investor advocate to improve the quality of financial reporting standards around the world. I welcome the appointment of Leslie Seidman as Acting Chairman. During this interim period, I look forward to working with Acting Chairman Leslie Seidman and the FASB as they continue their important work.”
Twenty something day-trader nailed with $172M bill in back taxes, asks ‘What’s the IRS?’ [NYDN]
How does a barely surviving Spaniard end up owing over $170 million to the IRS? For starters, he really doesn’t owe the Service the money. The problem arose because he didn’t file a tax return for one year that he spent day trading. The Service concluded that he made $500 million.
China Traffic Jam Could Last Weeks [WSJ]
Today, be thankful for your commute. No matter how bad it was, at least the drive/ride ended.
Ernst & Young Risks Alienating Acrophobic Employees in China
From Big 4 Blog:
Ernst & Young China is announcing the grand opening of its new office in China’s tallest building and premier location – Shanghai World Financial Center (SWFC) in the Pudong District of Shanghai. All of Ernst & Young’s 2,500 Shanghai people (of the 9,000 total China employees) will be one single location to help provide better services to clients and laying the groundwork for our further expansion in the China market. Prior to this, E&Y was in three different Shanghai locations.
Jim Turley managed to ignore the issue entirely saying, “Our confidence in the long term prospects in China is demonstrated in the investment in our business and our people. We currently have over 9,000 people in China, and will further grow our manpower with the business.”
Accounting News Roundup: Deloitte Names Van Arsdell as New Chair, CEO of AERS; Maryland Might Be Figuring Out This Fiscal Responsibility Thing; Frank Navigates the Waters | 08.12.10
Stephen C. Van Arsdell Named Chairman and CEO of Deloitte LLP’s Audit and Enterprise Risk Services Subsidiary [PRNewswire]
Th tte vet Steve Van Arsdell replaces Nick Tommasino as the head of Deloitte’s AERS.
As is the wont of these particular announcements, SVA seems pretty flippin’ stoked about the new gig, “I am excited to take the helm of Deloitte & Touche during such dynamic times. We know that to succeed we must always be a leader in quality. This is a shared commitment from all within our organization. The goals we set for ourselves will raise the bar for quality throughout the profession.”
Barry Salzberg got in a few words too, “I am fully confident in Steve’s ability to lead Deloitte & Touche through the myriad challenges and opportunities presented by the economic recovery and regulatory environment changes. His extraordinary talent, experience and leadership style will help further the practice’s primary mission to conduct the highest quality audits. As a continuing and integral member of our senior leadership team, I know his contributions will be considerable. Nick Tommasino has demonstrated a deep sense of partnership and commitment to our organization, and we thank him for his leadership. We’re delighted to bring his client service skills back to the marketplace.”
So, Stevey. Time to get down to brass tacks – everyone’s wondering about those raises.
Microloans Helps Some Small Businesses Survive [WSJ]
“When President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law in February 2009 to create jobs and promote spending, the law included $56.1 million for microloans for small businesses, to be doled out through the Small Business Administration through September.
While some critics complain about the government’s economic stimulus efforts, some lenders and borrowers say the stimulus spending that focused on helping small businesses is working.
Targeted toward start-up, newly-established, or growing small businesses, the microloans are short-term loans up to $35,000 each for working capital or inventory and equipment purchases. The intermediary lenders who distribute the loans can choose to lend more than that limit.”
China’s Rich Have $1.1 Trillion in Hidden Income, Study Finds [Bloomberg]
“China’s households hide as much as 9.3 trillion yuan ($1.4 trillion) of income that is not reported in official figures, with 80 percent accrued by the wealthiest people, a study showed.
The money, much of it likely “illegal or quasi-illegal,” equates to about 30 percent of China’s gross domestic product, the study, conducted for Credit Suisse AG and published last week by the China Reform Foundation, found. The average urban disposable household income in China is 32,154 yuan, or 90 percent more than official figures, according to the report.”
It’s Time to Give Up Spreadsheets for Tracking Carbon Emissions [Green Biz via AccMan]
Give up on spreadsheets? The horror. “CFOs, CIOs and sustainability teams at large companies have used spreadsheets for years to track corporate carbon emissions.
We are now, however, at a tipping point where the benefits of carbon management software, also known as enterprise carbon accounting (ECA) software, outweigh the benefits of spreadsheets.
With many large companies recently completing their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reports and Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) questionnaires, and entering budget planning in the fall, it is time to move away from spreadsheets to reduce risk, save money, increase productivity, and establish an enterprise-class source of record for carbon emission data.”
Budget surplus in Maryland? Believe it. [CPA Success]
California, New York – Pay attention.
Do I Owe My Employees a Career Path? [You’re the Boss/NYT]
“Being responsible for your workers’ jobs is hard. Being responsible for their careers is harder.”
TrueBlue Named to Top of Forbes’ “Most Trustworthy Companies” List [Business Wire]
“TrueBlue, Inc. ranked at the top of the list of companies with the ‘most transparent and conservative accounting practices and most prudent management,’ according to a new ‘Most Trustworthy Companies’ list compiled for Forbes by Audit Integrity, an independent financial analytics company.
Audit Integrity’s Accounting & Governance Risk rating, or AGR, rates companies’ accounting and management practices from 0 (very aggressive) to 100 (conservative); companies with a lower rating have been more likely to suffer equity loss, issue financial restatements and face class action suits, Forbes.com says.”
Maxine Waters Whacked, Barney Frank Untouched [Jonathan Weil/Bloomberg]
JW on the Maxine Waters’ ethics violations and how Barney Frank managet to be smart enough (or just politically savvy enough) to keep himself clean-ish.
Accounting News Roundup: More Dodgy Accounting from Lehman Brothers; Deloitte Announces $100 Million Investment in China; Less Than 100% of Tea Partiers Believe They are Overtaxed | 04.13.10
Lehman Channeled Risks Through ‘Alter Ego’ Firm [NYT]
That alter-ego firm is Hudson Capital and the Times reports that while HC “appeared to be an independent business, it was deeply entwined with Lehman,” citing a Board of Directors controlled by the bank, Lehman’s 25% ownership, and many former LEH employees working at HC. Hudson reportedly provided LEH with financing “while preventing ‘headline risk’,” but the relationship was designed specifically to maximize the utility of Hudson “without jeopardizing the off-balance sheet accounting treatment,” according to memo cited by the Times.
Deloitte To Spend More Money In China For Business Expansion [Dow Jones]
Deloitte is investing $100 million in China over the next three to five years, hiring 1,000 to 2,000 new employees per year, per Global CEO Jim Quigley and Deloitte China CEO Christopher Lu. This follows a five-year, $150 million investment by the firm announced in 2004.
Quigely told Dow Jones, “When I have made my investment decisions as the CEO of Deloitte, the market where we are investing the most is in China. We’ve now expanded. So another $100 million is coming this direction as we continue to want to grow our business here, and take advantage of the opportunities available to serve China companies and to serve companies outside of China who want to invest here.”
66% Say America Is Overtaxed [Rasmussen via TaxProf]
If you needed a poll that shows that Americans hate taxes in order to convince you, Rasumussen is all over it. 66% of people surveyed believe Amecians are overtaxed, as opposed to 25% who disagree. The issue is severely divided politically with 81% of Republicans believing they are overtaxed as opposed to Democrats who were split on the issue. 73% of those surveyed that did not affiliate with either party believe they are overtaxed while 96% of the Tea Party movement believe they are overtaxed.
News March 24, 2010
Stephen Chipman Begrudgingly Wore Green on St. Patrick’s Day
Stephen Chipman’s blog post from last week got lost in the shuffle but you’ll be happy to know that you didn’t miss anything. Our lack of enthusiasm is not shared however, as the daily grind for a globe-trotting CEO seems to be enough to entertain some of the GT faithful. How do we know?
He shared one reader/fan’s thoughts this week, that’s how, “So, you really don’t just drink coffee and check e-mail!” While SC neither confirmed nor denied this particular allegation, one could assume that this is a big part of his day.
Moving on…Of the near 1,000 words in this week’s masterpiece, the only thing really worth mentioning is that the GT CEO spent his first St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago last week. And guess what Chi-town? You didn’t let him down; Steve-o was impressed.
This is my first time living in Chicago to experience St. Patrick’s Day; it was very interesting to see the Chicago community’s commitment to this holiday. Dutifully I wore my green tie, in respect of St. Patrick, which was very challenging to do for an Englishman. Nevertheless, I thought it appropriate…even though the Irish did beat the English at rugby a couple of weeks ago in the Six Nations Championships…which was a crushing disappointment…but I digress.
Digression! He’s really getting the hang of this. Maybe Chip’s blog readership is increasing?
The real question is what did SC see on St. Pat’s that piqued his interest? The green river? The turnout at the parade? The vast number of people vomiting in the streets? More details Stevey!
On the biz-nass front, SC did have a conference call with all the GT global leaders and he had to get up bright and early to get on the call at 8 am Chicago time. He did admit that this is NBD because when Steve-o was in China, he had to do the call in the god-awful morning hours to accommodate the BSDs in the U.S. and London.
Speaking of China (and digression), does anyone think Steve knows where mini-Madoff of Hong Kong Gabriel Azedo is? Dude has been missing for awhile.
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IASB Chairman Not Giving EBITDA the Time of Day
The International Accounting Standards Board thinks it's high time that we all got back to basics. Too much of this non-GAAP nonsense has people thinking they can just throw some numbers around and put labels on 'em. Well, IASB chairman Hans Hoogersvorst, for one, is ready to tighten things up a bit: The IASB, which […]
Financial Reporting July 22, 2015
IASB Can Take a Hint, Will Delay New Revenue Recognition Rules
After releasing its proposal to delay its revenue recognition rule back in April, the IASB received 100 comment letters and "virtually all" of them supported the idea. Today, they went ahead and pushed it back to 2018. Hope everyone's happy. [WSJ]
IFRS November 11, 2014
IFRS Fanboy to World: Global Adoption of IFRS Is Inevitable
"The quality of financial information produced by IFRS is very high, thanks to the work of the IASB, but also to the convergence project with the United States. And a decade of use by both advanced and developing economies has shown that our mission of a s ingle set of high global accounting standards is […]
IFRS August 13, 2014
IASB Vice Chairman Suggests Adopting IFRS Is the Only Solution to Convergence Failure
You know, I have to give it to these guys, they are nothing if not persistent. They are like that lady who is always calling me to talk about my credit card interest rates; no matter how many times I cuss her out, hang up on her, threaten to report her to the pretend federal […]
IFRS August 8, 2014
IASB Backtracks on Lease Accounting But Definitely Not Because of FASB
Funny that the IASB and FASB working together on a new lease accounting standard was totally kumbaya up until recently, when everything fell apart and both sides realized this convergadoption thing is totally never going to happen. Too bad, joining forces on revenue recognition made it seem so likely despite the fact that everyone including […]
IASB Chairman to Take His Accounting Standards and Go Home If FASB Doesn’t Want to Play
Hans Hoogervorst doesn’t sound at all passive aggressive here or anything:
IASB Vice Chairman Calls FASB a Bunch of Old Timey Back-Tracking Liars
The IASB has been frustrated with heel-dragging on this side of the pond for as long as the U.S. has been pretending to work toward adopting international financial reporting standards. Despite the fact that only a few short weeks ago, we thought progress on shared revenue recognition rules meant promise for convergadoption. At that time, […]
Financial Reporting June 3, 2014
Five Things You Need to Know About New Revenue Recognition Rules
Knowing us, you can guess where we're going with this. We're not writing a how-to guide on the new revenue recognition rules, which brings us straight to our first thing you need to know: there are folks in the know available to walk you through it. #1: A transition resource group is here to help […]
Financial Reporting May 16, 2013
Companies Wanting More Liabilities on Their Balance Sheets Will Love the New Lease Accounting Proposal
What's that you say, Hans? No one wants more liabilities on their balance sheet? "Obviously, this standard is not a very popular one," IASB chief Hans Hoogervorst said in a conference call. "Generally, companies like off-balance-sheet financing" and the standard will put an end to a major part of it, he said. Well, that's […]
You Know the Convergence of Loan Loss Accounting Is in Sorry Shape When Banks Are a Voice of Reason
Right now, the FASB and IASB are nowhere near agreeing on how loan loss accounting should be done and fifteen (!!!) banks including Bank of America, JPMorgan, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, and Wells Fargo would like the rulemaking bods to get their act together: While we acknowledge the difficulty inherent in reconciling disparate points of view, we […]
Financial Reporting March 18, 2013
Maybe We Should Just Let the Banks Write Their Own Loan Loss Accounting Rules
Banks really appreciate the effort to move away from the recognition of losses as they occur approach, FASB, but: The American Bankers Association has published a “frequently asked questions” document reacting to FASB's approach. The group sees FASB's proposal as an improvement over the existing requirement, but still has concerns. “While the incurred loss […]
IFRS February 25, 2013
IASB Practically Begging the U.S. to Join Its New Accounting Standards Advisory Forum Now
Back in November the IASB came up with the idea to start a new cool club called the Accounting Standards Advisory Forum. It was going to include 12 elite members of accounting rule wonkery that would be at the forefront of global financial reporting. There was one major to joining the ASAF, however, and that was […]
Financial Reporting February 5, 2013
IFRS Foundation’s Cool Club Doesn’t Require Support of IFRS, Rather Something That Would Closely Resemble IFRS
Back in November, the IASB threw out this Accounting Standards Advisory Forum idea that would allow a dozen national rulemaking bodies to get together and talk fancy about debits and credits. An accounting cool club, if you will. There was one small catch — anyone in the club had to sign on as supporters of […]
News December 11, 2012
ICAEW to IASB: The U.S. Is Just Not That into You
This morning we learned that the ICAEW gave up, refusing to go along with the lie that the IASB has been telling itself all this time — "They'll call. They'll realize that they've been wasting their time with U.S. GAAP all this time and they'll call." Those chartered accountants in England and Wales simply […]
KPMG November 15, 2012
The IASB Poaches a KPMG Partner and Issues a Press Release, Part I
You know, losing a partner to a larger, more prestigious rival is one thing; losing a partner to an international rulemaking body that has spent the past few years trying to convince everyone to join their cool accounting club but can't manage to convince the coolest kid on the block to join is quite another. The […]
IFRS November 7, 2012
IASB Chairman Asks G20 Task Force To Turn Up Their Hearing Aids
Accounting rule convergence is dead. I know it. You know it. Hans Hoogervorst knows it. Everyone has accepted the fact that the SEC managed to tell IFRS supporters to stick their principles-based rules where the sun don't shine in the most passive-aggressive way possible. Yes, the IASB is still coming up with pathetic ideas to […]
Oh God, The IASB Is Humiliating Itself with Some Sort of IFRS-only Cool Treehouse Club Idea
Once upon a time, a few people got together and decided that we'd all be better off if businesses worldwide were all using one harmonious set of accounting rules. In 2001, when IASB took over as the main international standard-setting body for accounting rules, it ushered in the era of IFRS to be the gold standard […]
FASB Chair Vows to Finish Term Cooperating, Condorsing, Enverging, Whatever
The last ten years haven't gone exactly the way the bookworms at the FASB wanted. The Norwalk Agreement, signed in 2002, was supposed to be the first step in resolving the differences between international financial reporting standards and Almighty U.S. GAAP. Alas, despite a lot of agreeing, disagreeing, and agreeing to disagree we've ended up […]
ANR October 10, 2012
Lease Accounting Survey Highlights Growing Demand for Competent Survey Writers
by Greg Kyte
Thank you, readers, for forwarding your spam to us. @going_concern Kindly help me complete this survey on the proposed lease reforms surveymonkey.com/s/LKFDN8P — MachO (@bakersavi) September 24, 2012 The best way to complete the survey is to click the delete button located near the top of your Outlook window. But don't worry. A less optimal […]
IFRS July 18, 2012
Europe Finally Resorts to Making Empty Threats Over U.S. Stalling on IFRS
The foot-dragging by the SEC over IFRS is a sight to behold. At some point in time – the Triassic Period, or thereabouts – the G20 requested "key global accounting standards bodies [to] work intensively toward the objective of creating a single high-quality global standard." And yet on Friday, the SEC served up a steaming pile of […]
Hans Hoogervorst Creates Unrealistic Expectations For IFRS In the US
If I didn't know any better, I'd think this story was from 2008. The head of the International Accounting Standards Board said Tuesday it is "very important" for the U.S. to embrace global accounting rules and said he believes a key regulator would soon take a position on whether to adopt them for American companies. […]
IFRS June 18, 2012
New Hans Necessary If IASB Really Wants IFRS Implemented
This is the fourth installment of our Going Concern freelancer submissions. The following is by Dylan Grey. A little bird has been whispering IFRS in my ear for years…. Discussed at every financial reporting update. Front and center of every annual SEC "Hot Topics" list. Mocked by CFOs across the US. Back in November 2008, […]
Ratings Agency with Impeccable Track Record Attempting to Predict the Progress of U.S. IFRS Adoption
Once you suck at rating bonds enough, obviously the next logical step is to start predicting the progress made by a couple of rulemaking bodies who have a solid track record of stretching out a timeline to nowhere: Fitch Ratings expects the U.S. will still move forward with plans to incorporate International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) […]
IASB Chairman: Convergence Is So Over
“The simple truth is that when you have two independent, highly competent boards, sometimes they will agree with each other, and other times they will not,” he said. “It’s not that one is right and the other wrong; they just reach different conclusions. The same would be true if I were to split my board in two and ask them to consider 10 projects. I doubt each smaller board would reach identical conclusions on all 10 projects, so convergence would require compromises to be made. Convergence therefore does not always result in the highest quality outcome. It has served its purpose, but now it is time to move on. [AT]
IASB, FASB Trying to Get Everyone in the Ballpark on Revenue Recognition
The aim is for companies across the world to recognise revenue consistently as part of wider efforts to forge a single set of global acccounting rules to help investors. The core principle that a company must recognise income from contracts when it transfers the goods or services to the customer remains unchanged. But the proposal has been simplified in parts and contains more guidance after several sectors like construction and telecoms raised concerns. “Our proposals will give analysts and investors the confidence that revenue is being presented on a consistent basis, across industries and continents,” IASB Chairman Hans Hoogervorst said in a statement. “We plan to conduct additional outreach with interested parties during the comment period to help people understand the proposed guidance and to listen to any remaining concerns,” said FASB Chairman Leslie Seidman. [Reuters]
IFRS October 13, 2011
Retired IASB Member Calls IFRS Compliance “A Must” for G20 Nations
Now, let’s keep in mind he said this at an “IFRS and Emerging Market” meeting in Lagos, and meant it in regards to African companies.
Retired IASB board member Bob Garnett said for any country seeking membership of G20, becoming IFRS compliant is a must. He also said African companies will need to work together in regional groups to have more weight as they will not gain necessary influence on their own because they do not have the IFRS track record yet.
The pre-workshop meeting at which Garnett made these comments was organized by Ernst and Young (“a leading voice in IFRS converstion,” according to Nigerian publication The Nation).
Remember it was only days ago that the IASB’s fearless fish-loving leader Hans Hoogervorst was in Boston assuring U.S. regulators they’d have a say in IFRS rules if they’d just hurry up and adopt already. No mention was made about kicking us out of G20 if we don’t embrace IFRS fully and soon.
Anyone else smelling the distinct aroma of desperation?
Also last week at the Boston conference, AICPA CEO Barry Melancon said the SEC should allow U.S. companies to use IFRS if they want “to level the playing field with their international competitors.”
IFRS cheerleading sessions are taking place all around the world at this point, and it’s only a matter of time before the SEC will finally be forced to commit to a plan and adopt. Or else?
IFRS October 6, 2011
Did You Guys Hear the IASB Wants the U.S. to Adopt IFRS?
While the world is filled with torment, class warfare, famine, racism, war and uprising, those darn kids at the IASB are still concerned with one thing and one thing only. That one thing, obviously, is the U.S. adoption of IFRS.
Anyone else get the feeling Hans and Co. are getting a tad impatient with our heel dragging?
Piggybacking off the post Caleb was too lazy to write himself yesterday, we hear IASB chairman Hans Hoogervorst said in a Boston speech yesterday that adopting IFRS would offer U.S. public companies “the same financial reporting language for both internal management reporting and external financial reporting on a worldwide consolidated basis.” Where this is a benefit for us is entirely unclear to me, but that’s why I’m not chairman of the IASB.
Ol’ Hansy also promised that the U.S. would still play a pivotal role in shaping global accounting rules if we go ahead and trust them and adopt outright now. It is unclear whether that was a threat or not, as it is also unclear if he really thinks we’re that dumb.
This is the IASB chair’s first American speech, and in it he also said that the SEC can serve as a sort of emergency switch should the IASB decide to implement a rule that just won’t work in U.S. markets. “Such endorsement mechanisms provide an important ‘circuit breaker’ if the IASB produced a standard with fundamental problems for the United States,” he told the conference.
“So there is absolutely no danger of importing different enforcement standards from abroad into the United States,” he said. You hear that, kids? Absolutely no danger. Well crap, why haven’t we adopted these fabulous standards already then? It can’t possibly fail, the IASB told us it’s all good!
Hans Hoogervorst Doesn’t Want the U.S. to Worry Its Pretty Little Head About Losing Influence Over Accounting Rulemaking
Hoogervorst said U.S. sovereignty would be protected by the SEC having a final say before any IASB rule is introduced. “Such endorsement mechanisms provide an important ‘circuit breaker’ if the IASB produced a standard with fundamental problems for the United States,” Hoogervorst told an accounting conference. The SEC would remain in full control of enforcement. “So there is absolutely no danger of importing different enforcement standards from abroad into the United States,” the former Dutch finance minister added. [Reuters]
IFRS September 21, 2011
Who Among Us Considers the IASB a “Success Story”?
Count IASB Vice Chairman Ian Mackintosh as one.
Ian Mackintosh called the IASB a success story, saying global standards are now accepted in more than 120 countries and high-profile non-signer the US will make a decision later this year.
A high-profile non-signer who increasingly sounds pessimistic about the whole exercise. Oh! India and Japan aren’t sold either. Sounds like a winner, doesn’t it?
Investors: IFRS unfit for purpose [Accountancy Age]
Surprising Absolutely No One, FASB Pushing Back Their Convergence Timeline
Floored. Just floored.
Financial Accounting Standards Board chair Leslie Seidman said that many of the priority projects slated for convergence with the International Accounting Standards Board probably will not be settled until next year at the earliest.
Les will have all you haters know that this adjusted timeline has been well received by those that are taking this shit seriously:
This is a real process with real outreach and real consideration of the issues that have been raised. And the fact of the matter is that it takes time to work through these issues. The changes which we have made to the timetable, which we have made jointly with the IASB, have been very well received among the constituents who take this process seriously. They are very supportive of our strong commitment to making sure that we end up with improved standards here that are going to stand the test of time.
So if you were expecting Fisher Price accounting rules, you can forget it. These beautiful babes will be used to line up the debits and credits when Spacely Sprockets finally breaks ground.
FASB’s Convergence Timeline Moves to Next Year [AT via Jim Peterson]
IASB Chairman: You Can’t Stop IFRS; You Can’t Even Hope to Contain It
“It is my strong conviction that the momentum behind IFRS is so strong right now it can only be delayed but it cannot be stopped any more,” IASB’s chairman Hans Hoogervorst said.
The United States has an “extremely important” decision to make this year on whether to replace its own Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)standard with IASB rules, Hoogervorst told a webcast meeting of the IASB’s trustees in New York. By next year two thirds of the world’s top 20 economies (G20) will be allowing or requiring local listed companies to use the IFRS accounting rules. [Reuters, Earlier]
This EU Guy Really Doesn’t Like the IASB’s New Magical Fair Value Plan
In case you thought the fair value debate was limited to the U.S. circa 2008, think again. A rule you probably haven’t heard of (but will likely see a version of once government debt becomes as much of a pain in the ass here as it has been in Europe) called IFRS 9 (which replaces IAS 39) would allow banks to price some government debt on their books at cost, instead of current awful prices.
Apparently the European Union doesn’t like this idea. EU Internal Market Commissioner Michel Barnier told a webcast meeting in New York this week “I do not believe this will be the first solution to the problems we face in Europe at the moment,” referring to IFRS 9‘s creative interpretation of “fair value.” Ironically, IFRS 9 accomplishes this feat by eliminating available for sale and held-to-maturity classifications for bonds, leaving only amortized cost and fair value.
IASB Chairman Hans Hoogervorst insists this plan is really only the suck less option, not some sort of magical accounting trick that will suddenly make Greece solvent and Irish banks healthy. “Under IFRS 9 impairments will still be painful but I am convinced it would be more timely done because the cliff effect is much less severe,” he said at a recent joint meeting of the IASB’s trustees and monitoring board of public officials, including Michel Barnier.
EU’s Barnier says won’t budge on accounting rule [Reuters]
IFRS July 8, 2011
Some Are Suggesting That the IASB Is Filled with a Bunch of Spineless Jellyfish
Representatives of large institutional investors told the Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday that they had serious qualms about the London-based International Accounting Standards Board replacing the U.S. Financial Accounting Standards Board as the primary arbiter of accounting rules in this country.
Speaking at an SEC panel focusing on investor views of international financial reporting standards, the representatives roundly supported the goal of establishing a single set of high-quality global financial reporting standards in the United States in the form of IFRS. But they suggested that the IASB, the current promulgator of IFRS, lacks the backbone and outreach capability of FASB — qualities that would be needed for a global system to succeed. [CFO]
FASB, IASB Making Damn Sure They Don’t Mess Up Their Revenue Recognition Proposals
Because, god, wouldn’t that be awkward?
The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and the US-based Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) agreed today to re-expose their revised proposals for a common revenue recognition standard. Re-exposing the revised proposals will provide interested parties with an opportunity to comment on revisions the boards have undertaken since the publication of an exposure draft on revenue recognition in June 2010.
It was the unanimous view of the boards that while there was no formal due process requirement to re-expose the proposals it was appropriate to go beyond established due process given the importance of the revenue number to all companies and the need to take all possible steps to avoid unintended consequences.
Sir David Tweedie admits that, “It is important that we get this right, first time,” and “the boards and staff have undertaken an unprecedented level of outreach to get us to this point, and why we are keen to treble-check that our conclusions are robust and can be implemented with minimal disruption.”
Maybe I’m reading too much into that statement but it sounds as though the Boards may be trying to stave off more nasty letters.
[via FAF/IFRS Foundation]
IFRS May 24, 2011
IASB Would Prefer If India Were to Play Ball, Adopt IFRS
The International Accounting Standards Board is none-too-pleased that India has retreated from plans to fully adopt International Financial Reporting Standards this year and is a making a public push to get the country back on track. A failure to persuade India on the issue would raise serious questions about how successful IASB can be in convincing other major economies, including the U.S., China and Japan, to make a full switch. “To put it in one sentence, we strongly encourage adoption as against convergence,” IASB member Prabhakar Kalavacherla said at a conference in Mumbai last week, according to a copy of his speech, where he urged India to take a bigger role in international standard setting to address its concerns. [CFO Journal]
We’ve More or Less Got Converged Fair Value Accounting Standards
As CFO notes, “[T]he largest differences may lie in the differences between British and American English,” but these are the ones you’ve been waiting for.
The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) today issued new guidance on fair value measurement and disclosure requirements for International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) and US generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).
The guidance, set out in IFRS 13 Fair Value Measurement and an update to Topic 820 in the FASB’s Accounting Standards Codification® (formerly referred to as SFAS 157), completes a major project of the boards’ joint work to improve IFRSs and US GAAP and to bring about their convergence.
The harmonisation of fair value measurement and disclosure requirements internationally also forms an important element of the boards’ response to the global financial crisis.
Of course what’s most important is that wily Scotsman and knight of the double-entry roundtable Sir David Tweedie will be able to call it a career knowing that he saw this thing through. He sounds pretty pleased with the effort saying, “The finalisation of this project marks the completion of a major convergence project and is a fundamentally important element of our joint response to the global financial crisis. The result is clearer and more consistent guidance on measuring fair value, where its use is already required.” Hans, you can take it from here.
IFRS April 25, 2011
FASB and IASB Hand-Holding Agenda Nears Completion, Or So We Hear
We’re sure all of you have been anxious for an update since the last FASB/IASB progress report last November, wait no longer.
Here’s what we’re proud of having accomplished since:
• Completed five projects: In the next few weeks the IASB will issue new standards on consolidated financial statements (including disclosure of interests in other entities), joint arrangements and post-employment benefits and both boards will issue new requirements in relation to fair value measurement and the presentation of other comprehensive income.
• Given priority to the three remaining Memorandum of Understanding projects, as well as insurance accounting: The Boards have made substantial progress towards completion of the three remaining MoU projects covering financial instruments accounting, leasing and revenue recognition, as well as their joint project to improve and align US and international insurance accounting standards.
• Provided for further time to finalise their convergence work: The boards have agreed to extend the timetable for the remaining priority convergence projects beyond June 2011 to permit further work and consultation with stakeholders in a manner consistent with an open and inclusive due process. The convergence projects are targeted for completion in then second half of 2011 (however, the U.S. insurance standard, which has not yet been exposed, is targeted for the first half of 2012).
Wait a second, did they really say that putting off more convergence work is an accomplishment? That’s our kind of work right there. IASB Chair Sir David Tweedie and FASB Chair Leslie Seidman didn’t let that little detail deter them from patting themselves on the back for a job well done. Said Sir David, “the convergence programme continues to raise the standard of financial reporting worldwide, delivering much-needed improvements in key areas and providing a solid platform for global high quality standards.” What is that even supposed to mean? Sounds like the same pro-convergence gibberish we’ve been hearing all along.
Someone come get us when this actually means something.
News April 21, 2011
What Are the IASB and FASB Smoking?
[T]he tediously-reported proclamation of real convergence commitment has never been more than a smokescreen behind which the divergent interests of the Americans and the Europeans have knocked heads to the point of insensibility. (For which, recall the continued fudging of the SEC as to whether, if ever, that agency is even going to confirm a date certain on which to decide if to weigh in or not […].) Why no-one has called the question on this endless charade reflects the two-level fantasy in the dialog: the IASB and the FASB both pretend to believe in the desirability of fully-converged accounting standards, and the community of financial statement issuers and users pretend to believe them. [Re:Balance]
IASB Chairman: We Don’t Issue Low-Quality Accounting Standards
Rule makers concluded this week that “we all could benefit from a few more months to develop these standards, some of which really go to the core issues of many companies,” said Leslie Seidman, chairman of FASB, in a podcast issued Thursday. Sir David Tweedie, chairman of the IASB, said rule makers still intend to finish their convergence work by year’s end. The delay, he said in the podcast, will “enable us to check whether our conclusions will last the test of time. … We would never release a standard before it is ready and ultimately it must be a high-quality standard or you just can’t issue it.” [WSJ]
IFRS March 29, 2011
EU Official Gives IASB a Paternal Driving Lecture on Accounting Standards
Did this Jeroen Hooijer character forget that he’s addressing a knight?
[Hooijer] said world leaders have extended the deadline for convergence from June to the end of this year and likened the IASB to a sports car driving at 160 kilometres an hour to the south of France. “We would like to slow down to 120. We don’t want to stop it. If you drive to the south of France and you only arrive half an hour later, the risk of an accident is 70 percent lower,” Hooijer said.
EU body tells accounting rule setter to slow down [Reuters]
Sir David Tweedie’s Patience Is Wearing Thin
He may be on his way out the door but still IASB chair David “that’s Sir David to you” Tweedie is still sick of all our heel-dragging on IFRS in the U.S. He hasn’t gone so far as to say we’ll be left in the capital market dust if we don’t adopt tomorrow but he’s clearly fed up with our procrastination.
Via CFO.com:
If they put off a commitment to international financial reporting standards beyond 2011, U.S. accounting rulemakers and standard-setters would impose “unnecessary costs and risks on U.S. companies,” Sir David Tweedie, chairman of the International Accounting Standards Board, said Wednesday at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce gathering on the future of financial reporting.
The major risks are competitive ones, said Tweedie. U.S.-based multinationals already must fill numerous sets of accounting books. Many must file their financials under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles even as they report on the activities of their overseas subsidiaries under IFRS or the standards crafted by individual nations, he pointed out. At the same time, their foreign competitors can use IFRS for all purposes, even for filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, he added.
As is, the transition to IFRS is estimated to cost American companies $35 million per year (remember 3 years of restatements will be required). We’re not sure if he has access to different estimates that somehow make qualified IFRS monkey restatements more expensive in 2012 and beyond than they would be by the end of this year but it seems painfully clear that he means business.
I’m not sure if he missed the memo but we don’t seem as enthusiastic about convergence as we did when we delayed the release of a roadmap in 2008. Three years later, we don’t appear to be any more prepared for the transition than we were then and still have three (or make that four) more good years to drag our heels according to recent statements by the SEC.
How much clearer does Tweeds need it? We’re just not that into your standards.
IFRS February 9, 2011
What’s on Incoming IASB Chairman Hans Hoogervorst’s Plate?
Your next IASB chairman, Hans Hoogervorst, already has a few things on his to do list (right after scratching Sir David Tweedie’s name off the door), one of which involves restoring investor confidence by redoing last year’s bank stress tests in Europe since it seems they were not really credible, “One reason for scepticism was that sovereign bonds on the banking book were deemed to retain their full value, despite the fact that many were trading at steep discounts in the market,” he said. “The fact that some Irish banks that had passed the test later turned out to be insolvent only served to reinforce the doubts in the market.”
Doubts? That’s a kind way to put it.
Speaking at the two-day European Commission financial reporting and auditing conference, Hoogervorst also wanted to make sure everyone is clear on who rules the IASB. Despite appearances that rules are made by a handful of influential Europeans who like to play with accounting regs, he insisted the IASB is a multi-national group in which everyone gets a say. Or rather, he insisted that he’ll be trying to make sure the IASB is perceived as such, “It’s very important that we develop a governance structure that is more inclusive. At all costs we should avoid the perception that IFRS is dominated by a small group of nations,” he said. He did not seem to clarify if he was more worried about the actual structure of the IASB or just the appearance, nor did he mention how many U.S. delegates will have at the IASB’S table if we were to stop dragging our feet and just adopt already.
While auditors are taking a lot of heat for failing to catch just how bad off European banks were, H-squared doesn’t seem to feel they deserve so much criticism as they were simply following the rules. “How critical will auditors be when they see that regulators consider that severely discounted securities carry no risk?” he asked, obviously rhetorically.
Also in attendance at the conference, Federal Reserve senior associate director and chief accountant Arthur Lindo, who is hopeful that we here on this side of the pond will “move diligently towards some form of IFRS in the near future.” What Lindo did not say was whether or not the Fed would also adopt these rules or continue to use their freakish hybrid of GAAP and government accounting that they make up each and every year. Perhaps convergence will mean throwing in some IFRS into their 300+ page financial accounting manual.
Looks like Hans is going to have his hands full for the foreseeable future. Veel geluk met dat!
Accounting chief calls for more credible bank test [Reuters]
Sir David Tweedie Confirms Your Accounting Firm Mafia Suspicions
As you probably remember, head knight of the double-entry accounting round table, Sir David Tweedie, is retiring in a few months to be replaced by this guy. Until then, however, the wily Scotsman will be running the show and he’s still pitching IFRS as if the life of the financial reporting universe depended on it. Just like Bob Herz, he’s in this thing until the very end.
CFO has a brief Q&A with SDT and despite the USA’s pussyfooting around the issue, he manages to rush to our defense at the suggestion of haters that the IASB should give us the “throw the bums out” treatment:
Some critics grumble that if the United States does not adopt IFRS, it should be ousted from the IASB and the board of trustees. What’s your opinion?
I get quite angry at some of the comments we get insisting that the United States be ousted. People say that America would have to come around because the U.S. share of global-market capitalization is falling all the time. The complaint is, “We’re not having [the United States] tell us what to do if they don’t use international standards.” I can understand that, and you can have international standards without the United States. But you can’t have global standards without the United States. So there is more work to be done on that issue.
So in other words, suck it world! You can keep your international standards. We’ve got a knighted Scotsman who even said you’ll make due without us. Call it whatever you like, just don’t call it “global” without us. Because you can’t spell “global” without “A”… which stands for…er….”America.” BASTARDS.
[BREATHE] Never mind that. The most interesting bit is that Tweeds appears to blow the lid of the Big 4 omertá:
What’s been your experience with professional judgment? Many U.S. practitioners say a heavy reliance on judgment won’t work in America’s litigious environment.
As a technical partner at KPMG, I was always being asked to evaluate situations that were outside of issued guidance. It’s the same in the United States — you get questions you’ve never thought about before, and there’s nothing in the standards addressing it. So you kick it around with the client, the client partners, and other senior partners in the firm. You come up with a position.
[My approach was to] ring up Deloitte, for example, and say, “Have you had one of these [situations]?” There is sort of a technical-partner mafia that gets together and says, “Yeah, we had one of these.” So, in a way, the profession fixes the problems.
So whether this is happening under the nose of the brass or with their full and unmitigated support can’t be determined, although we won’t be surprised if the old man ends up “retiring” early.
Tweedie Takes a Bow [CFO]
Accounting News Roundup: Hans Has His Work Cut Out; Paladino Trickster Owes Back Taxes; Rand Paul Wants IRS Abolished | 10.13.10
EC proposes mandatory rotation of auditors [Accountancy Age]
“The European Commission is proposing a radical restructure of the audit industry including a multinational regulator, mandatory rotation and caps on advisory fees.
Some proposals, audit to draw up living wills or a detailed “long form report” for regulators or hive off their audit arms, under the measures raised in a new green paper”
18,000 Tagging Errors in XBRL Filings So Far [CFO]
“Companies that have filed data-tagged quarterly and annual reports appear to be handling the task fairly well, even as the overall number of errors continues to pile up.
About 500 of the largest companies were required to use XBRL, or eXtensible Business Reporting Language, to tag data in their financial statements for periods ending on or after June 15, 2009. As of June 15 of this year, approximately 900 more companies had to do so, and the first group of filers additionally had to tag all amounts and tables in their financial-statement footnotes.”
IASB a tightrope walk for Hans Hoogervorst [FT]
“The appointment of Hans Hoogervorst, 54, as chairman of the International Accounting Standards Board raises two big questions
First, does it matter that he is not an accountant? Second, will his elevation lessen the likelihood that the US will adopt the IASB’s IFRS accounting rules in place of its own?
The lack of professional qualifications were not a concern for Michael Izza, chief executive of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
‘I don’t think that it is an issue,’ he said on Tuesday, citing the simultaneous appointment of Ian Mackintosh – a veteran accounting standards-setter with enviable professional credentials – in a supporting role as IASB vice-chairman.”
Some IRS servers down during crucial filing week [AP]
Move along, nothing to see here.
Team Paladino’s Roger a ‘dodger’ [NYP]
“Roger Stone, a key adviser to Republican gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino, owes Uncle Sam more than $400,000 in unpaid taxes, The Post has found.
The Internal Revenue Service filed a $405,035 lien for unpaid income taxes against the consultant — one of politics’ most notorious dirty tricksters — and his wife, Nydia, last fall in Dade County Circuit Court in Florida, records show.
The debt makes Stone the second high-profile Paladino adviser to run afoul of the taxman. Paladino’s campaign manager, Stone protégé Michael Caputo, recently admitted to a federal tax debt topping $52,000, although he says he’s paid back all but $9,302.”
Rand Paul supports replacing income tax with higher sales tax, eliminating IRS [LCJ]
“Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul said Tuesday the federal tax code is a ‘disaster,’ and he wants to replace the income tax with a 23 percent sales tax on goods and services.
Paul said he supports changing the federal tax code to get rid of the Internal Revenue Service and would vote to repeal the 16th Amendment that created the federal income tax.
‘The federal tax code is a disaster no one would come up with if we were starting from scratch,’ Paul said in a written statement distributed by an anti-tax group and verified by Paul’s campaign. ‘I support making taxes flatter and simpler. I would vote for the FairTax to get rid of the 16th Amendment, the IRS and a lot of the control the federal government exerts over us.’
Paul refused to answer questions on the issue during a campaign stop in Louisville Tuesday afternoon. At a previous stop in La Grange, he told reporters he’d also like to see the U.S. Department of Education eliminated.”
The Year of Magical Thinking [TaxVox]
“California is just always in a budget mess. Indeed, the state has faced operating shortfalls – or gaps between inflows and outflows – in every year since 2002.
But this year, it would seem that state lawmakers and outgoing Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger have really outdone themselves. They busted through last year’s tardiness record by enacting a budget 100 days into the new fiscal year. Like last year, they balanced the books – but with a combination of spit and polish and pixie dust. ”
Meet Hans Hoogervorst, Your Next IASB Chairman
This is the man that is going to make one high-quality set of global accounting standards a reality.
Related: The Wall St. Journal discovers that global accounting rules have been politicized. WHO KNEW?!?
The non-accountant at the IASB [FT Alphaville]
The Politicization of Global Accounting [WJS]
Quote of the Day October 8, 2010
Off-Balance Sheet Accounting 2.0
“They will help investors to better understand off-balance sheet risks, and to alert them to the possibility of so-called window dressing transactions occurring at the end of a reporting period.”
~ Sir David Tweedie talking up the new rules that were published by the IASB today.
You’d Be Wrong if You Thought Bob Herz Was Coasting into Retirement
Just because Golden Boy is assuming Roberto’s seat on Friday, don’t think Herz is spending his final days as the FASB Chairman perusing the web for the latest D-list celebrity sex tape:
The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and the US Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) today announced the completion of the first phase of their joint project to develop an improved conceptual framework for International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) and US generally accepted accounting practices (GAAP).
The objective of the conceptual framework project is to create a sound foundation for future accounting standards that are principles-based, internally consistent and internationally converged. The new framework builds on existing IASB and FASB frameworks. The IASB has revised portions of its framework; while the FASB has issued ‘Concepts Statement 8’ to replace ‘Concepts Statements 1 and 2’.
This first phase of the conceptual framework deals with the objective and qualitative characteristics of financial reporting. As part of the consultation process, the IASB and FASB jointly published a discussion paper and exposure draft that resulted in more than 320 responses.
Along with the heavy lifting that comes with the FASB chairmanship, we imagine Herz is also doing some reflecting this week as his tenure comes to an end. You know, reading some of his favorite comment letters and drafting a farewell/thanks for all the good times email to Barney Frank and the ABA. Stuff like that.
IASB and US FASB Complete First Stage of Conceptual Framework [Business Wire]
Sir David Tweedie Would Appreciate It If You Quit Complaining About the New Accounting Standards
This means you PricewaterhouseCoopers. You’re acting like this convergence/IFRS adoption is just happening too fast, well, Tweeds isn’t having it.
As for you companies out there that actually have to keep their books in tiptop shape, Sir Tweeds isn’t so amused by your bellyaching either. And for the love of God, would everyone quit playing dumb:
“Let’s look at what we’ve got out there at the moment – leases, revenue recognition and insurance. If you’re not an insurance company you’ve got two. Big deal,” he said.
“I’m not terribly sympathetic. It’s not as thought these have sprung out of no where, we’ve been working on these, they’ve seen the drafts coming, they know what we’re doing.
Furthermore, maybe if you got some of your people on this instead of writing a comment letter every two seconds, this wouldn’t seem like such monumental task.
“It’s tough, but goodness it’s tough for us too. We can’t keep getting all this advice. We always get conflicting advice. ‘You must have these done by June 2011, but don’t give them to us all at once’,” he said.
Tweedie “not terribly sympathetic” to concerns of standard-overload [Accountancy Age]
(UPDATE) Will the Herz and Tweedie Retirements Put the Kibosh on Convergence?
~ Update includes comment from IFAC President Robert Bunting of Moss Adams
Maybe! After all, anything’s possible. The Herz retirement wasn’t exactly expected but since Roberto had two years left in his terms but it’s been suggested that it’s been a rough two years since Barney Frank gave him the tongue lashing of his life over the whole mark-to-market thing.
Regardless, The Journal put it out there that the timing of Herz’s departure causes hella handwringing, most notably on the convergence efforts:
FASB will now have to replace Mr. Herz at the same time that the IASB is already cessor to its chairman, David Tweedie, whose terms expires in June 2011. This means that both bodies will have new heads as they enter what could prove to be the end game for the often-thorny process of converging two accounting standards.
This, of course, causes the U.S. GAAP Hawks to squeal with glee and those in pro-IFRS camp to get anxious and will likely lead to heavy lobbying for a replacement that will keep Tweeds dream alive for “one high quality set of global standards” or whatever they’re calling it these days.
Despite the Journal’s anxiety, International Federation of Accountants President Bob Bunting sees the change as an opportunity and things will continue to progress, “While the changes of leadership at the FASB and the IASB offer the opportunity for a fresh look at the convergence process, I would be surprised if any radical change in direction occurs,” Mr Bunting wrote in an email to GC, “The financial market forces and public interest arguments for convergence of the two standards, and possible eventual adoption of IFRS as a single standard continue to be very strong.”
However, since the FASB is expanding back to seven members, that will likely slow the process down (which makes some people happy) even further, especially with empty seats at the table:
The lack of a full board is likely to slow many of FASB’s projects, particularly the move to converge with international rules, said former FASB Chairman Dennis Beresford. “They’re not going to issue anything important on the basis of having only four board members,” he said, adding that Mr. Herz’s departure came as “a complete surprise.”
So, with those seeds of doubt planted, let’s put it to a vote.
Online Surveys & Market Research
Early Exit of FASB Chairman Raises Anxiety [WSJ]
Good Riddance to Old Lease Accounting Rules
by GoingConcern
This story is republished from CFOZone, where you’ll find news, analysis and professional networking tools for finance executives.
I see that FASB is sticking to its schedule for ending most off-balance-sheet treatment for leases, and so is the IASB. It’s about time, frankly, if only to spare us poor, I mean, intrepid financial journalists from having to sort through the particulars of the current accounting treatment a moment longer than necessary.
I speak from personal experience here, having wrestled with the false distinction between capital and operating leases for a sidebar to a piece I wrote for CFO Magazine way back when. The article delved into the details of a particularly complex variation that companies were using to finance real estate, called synthetic leases.
I swear, that sidebar itself shaved a year off my life, and at my age, every one counts, and did even a decade or so ago.
In fact, the hoops that companies must jump though to get a deal to qualify as an operating lease still make my head spin. Consider: In order to qualify, the current rule, known as FAS 13, requires that the lease fail all of four tests aimed at distinguishing the financing from being the equivalent of ownership.
The thing that puzzled me about all this is that many, if not most, CFOs claimed that accounting treatment wasn’t the reason, or at least not the main one, that they used such financing techniques in the first place.
But the reason they gave often came down to their advantageous cost, and like all off-balance-sheet financing techniques, I could never quite understand how that lower cost arose without the accounting treatment.
After all, it seemed to me the only reason operating leases were less expensive than capital leases was that the underlying asset wasn’t counted as the property of the company by a sufficient number of investors willing to therefore pay a premium for the company’s equity. And if they did that, they were ignoring the fact that the asset was indeed the property of the company on anything other than a narrow, legal basis, and that the arrangement wasn’t financing its purchase.
So tell me again how off-balance-sheet financing results in lower cost if it doesn’t really do that.
Accounting News Roundup: Big 4 Firms Looking to Cash in on Climate Change; GM Is Back from the Dead; The End of Fan and Fred? | 08.17.10
Barclays in Sanctions Bust [WSJ]
“Barclays PLC agreed to pay $298 million to settle charges by U.S. and New York prosecutors that the U.K. bank altered financial records for more than a decade to hide hundreds of millions of dollars i nto the U.S. from Cuba, Libya, Iran and other sanctioned countries.
Monday’s settlement agreement of criminal charges is an embarrassment for Barclays, which became a major player on Wall Street by snapping up the collapsed U.S. operations of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. in 2008 and has been trying to burnish the U.K. bank’s reputation on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean as a good corporate citizen.”
Cashing in on cleantech [The Guardian]
“While E&Y claims to be the first to set up a practice specifically for cleantech, in recent years PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, KPMG and E&Y have all launched dedicated practices for sustainability and climate change.
Steven Lang, who leads the cleantech division in the UK and Ireland, recently explained the attraction to Business Green: ‘We’ve seen major amounts of capital flowing into clean energy and clean technology and governments increasingly want to use the sector as a driver for international competitiveness.
‘The drivers are there for this to be a major growth area over the next five years.’ ”
GM IPO filing expected Tuesday [Reuters]
It’s like you never left, GM. “General Motors Co has completed the paperwork for an initial public offering, and timing of its filing with the U.S. securities regulators rests with the board of the top U.S. automaker, sources familiar with the process said on Monday.
The initial prospectus, expected to be for $100 million, is likely to be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday, two people said, asking not to be named because the preparations for the IPO are private.”
IASB details recruitment process for Tweedie replacement [Accountancy Age]
“In a newly created section of the IASB website, the body has outlined the process it has followed since September 2009, as it searches to replace chairman Sir David Tweedie, who steps down in June 2011.
Among the documents is a letter sent to the European Commissioner’s office on 3 December, 2009, from Sir Bryan Nicholson, who has led the IASB’s recruitment process.”
Woman due in court for pie attack on US Sen. Levin [CT]
“A woman accused of hitting U.S. Sen. Carl Levin in the face with an apple pie during the Armed Services Committee chairman’s constituent meeting in northern Michigan is due in court.
Twenty-two-year-old Ahlam M. Mohsen of Coldwater will be arraigned Tuesday. She is being held without bond after being arrested Monday on a felony charge of stalking, and misdemeanor counts of assault and disorderly conduct”
Apple?
Facebook Partnership Is Proven by $3,000 Check, Lawyer Says [Bloomberg]
“The western New York man suing over claims he owns 84 percent of Facebook Inc. has a copy of a $3,000 cashier’s check his lawyer says is proof of a contract with Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg.
The purported 2003 check is made out to Zuckerberg and dated three days before Paul Ceglia claims the two men signed a contract, according to the attorney. That agreement, Ceglia said in court papers, entitles him to control of the world’s biggest social networking website.”
Conference To Debate Future Of Fannie, Freddie [NPR]
Euthanasia seems like a good option here.
Accounting News Roundup: Tweedie’s Final Months; Lease Accounting Proposal Coming Soon; UCF Accounting Student’s Body Found | 08.16.10
Goldman CFO Viniar Gets $4.5 Million Options Windfall [Dow Jones]
“Goldman Sachs Group (GS) Chief Financial Officer David Viniar received $4.5 million by exercising more than 67,000 options as part of the investment bank’s disclosure Friday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
According to the filing, Viniar was among six top executives who have converted s ing stock options into a windfall of $24 million, cashing in on benefits they received years before the government’s 2008 rescue of the nation’s biggest financial firms.”
Tweedie faces greatest challenge in last days [FT]
“Sir David Tweedie says his staff are concerned about what he might do in his last months as head of the International Accounting Standards Board, the powerful global rule setter that he has chaired for a decade.
‘I think people are quite worried about how I might do in my last six months here, with all my vendettas and all these grudges I’ve been storing up . . . I think they are worried that I might let them go,’ he says with a laugh.”
Rulemakers Plan Global Overhaul of Lease Accounting [Reuters]
“U.S. and international accounting rule makers are planning to propose an overhaul of lease accounting as soon as Tuesday, in a move expected to affect some $1.2 trillion in leased assets.
Traditionally, accounting rules have given companies a lot of leeway in how they record leases for assets ranging from store locations and restaurant equipment to airplanes and machinery. As a result, only certain types of leases appear on the balance sheet, while a majority of a company’s leases can often be kept off the balance sheet and hidden from an investors’ view.
But the Financial Accounting Standards Board, which sets U.S. accounting rules, and the London-based International Accounting Standards Board, which writes accounting rules for more than 100 countries, will aim to change all that this week by proposing to bring many of these assets onto corporate balance sheets.
‘It’s something that needs to be done,’ said John Hepp, a partner in accounting firm Grant Thornton’s professional standards group. ‘Lease accounting is broken.’ ”
Hunt for IASB head hits hurdle [FT]
“The search for a successor to Sir David Tweedie, chairman of the International Accounting Standards Board, which sets accounting rules for most of the world outside the US, has hit difficulty in the face of opposition in Europe to how the process has been conducted.
Sir David has presided over deteriorating relations since the financial crisis, with some senior European officials raising concerns about the transparency of his decision-making amid criticism that he has prioritised an effort to get the US to adopt international rules at the expense of European interests.”
PricewaterhouseCoopers taps Kevin Kelly to head Birmingham office [Birmingham News]
Kevin Kelly is new the managing partner for PwC’s Birmingham office. He replaces David Pickett who is the new OMP in Nashville.
UCF accounting student killed [Central Florida Future]
“Orange County Sheriff’s officials have released the names of the two people who died Saturday in an apparent murder-suicide, after a woman was found dead in an apartment about five miles south of UCF, and a man was found dead at a local shooting range.
Jennifer Lynn Roqueta, an accounting major at UCF who had just turned 21 in May and a server at Buffalo Wild Wings in Waterford Lakes, was identified as the victim on Sunday.
The suspect, who was identified as Ryan Ray Scurlock, 24, was found at the Shooting Gallery gun range located at 2911 39th St. in Orlando.
The investigation stems from Saturday’s incident in which the OCSO received several calls from Scurlock’s acquaintances requesting they check on his well-being because they had received alarming text messages from him that indicated he was distraught.”
Former Fed official joins KPMG [WaPo]
Jon Greenlee is joining the Tyson’s Corner office as a managing director in KPMG’s financial services regulatory practice. He previously worked as an associate director of risk management in the Fed’s division of banking supervision and regulation.
Satyam auditors to face Sebi probe [Hindustan Times]
“Accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) will have to face an inquiry by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi). The Bombay High Court on Friday dismissed PwC’s petition challenging Sebi’s show-cause notice dated June 30, 2009 seeking to prohibit PWC from auditing accounts of listed companies.”
That’s not a tax bill, THIS is a tax bill: Crocodile Dundee star Paul Hogan hit with £8m in charges [Daily Mail]
“But in a American TV interview last year, Hogan, 70, vowed that the taxman would not get a penny more of his money and added: ‘Come and get me, you miserable b******s.’ ”
Eide Bailly merges with R T Higgins [Denver Business Journal]
Top 25 firm Eide Bailly’s merger with RT Higgins brings the the firm’s total staff to over 1,200 in nine states.
The JDA August 5, 2010
Does Anyone Care About Fair Value Anymore?
Fair value is a simple enough concept even if you aren’t an accountant: stuff is worth what you could sell it for in the normal course of business, so that’s what you value it as when you’re adding up the value of the stuff you have. Easy, right? Not so easy when it comes to convergence.
The IASB has already expressed distaste for our fair value rules (among other things) and Accounting Onion recently shared some concerns that convergence might require a reasonable definition of “High Quality Accountant Standards” (abbreviated HQAS” by AO) agreed upon by both FASB and the IASB. So far I haven’t seen it, has anyone else?
Wait, AO launches off into it f han I ever could.
Moreover, if there are some doubts as to what HQAS is, the SEC’s view could have been attended to more closely at the outset of formal convergence efforts (October 2002); for surely the SEC had convergence in mind when they published their congressionally mandated (see the Sarbanes Oxley Act, Section 108(d)) report on the feasibility of “principles-based” accounting standards in August 2003. According to the SEC, the “objectives-oriented” standards they are looking for from a standard setter should possess the following qualities:
“Be based on an improved and consistently applied conceptual framework;
Clearly state the accounting objective of the standard;
Provide sufficient detail and structure so that the standard can be operationalized and applied on a consistent basis;
Minimize exceptions from the standard;
Avoid use of percentage tests (“bright-lines”) that allow financial engineers to achieve technical compliance with the standard while evading the intent of the standard.”
Now, seven years later, the SEC’s battle plans have been subordinated by the din and desperation of convergence wars. Are any new standards from either board “based on an improved and consistently applied conceptual framework”? Obviously not, for nary a single alteration to any conceptual framework document has occurred in the last seven years. The existing definitions for assets and liabilities are like wooden ships sent to battle against nuclear submarines.
A few weeks back, I talked to David Larsen, CPA, Managing Director of global advising firm Duff & Phelps, LLP about this fair value bullshit that complicates my life by requiring comment every few weeks. David participated on the SEC mark-to-market panel in November of 2008 and serves on FASB’s Valuation Resource Group so he’s familiar with what I’m talking about.
David believes public opinion dominates the fair value argument and really doesn’t see what the big deal is. “The goal is to make financial statements more readable,” he said of fair value’s ultimate intention. He’s a fan of transparency on the face of financial statements and more disclosures. Who doesn’t like that?
He says fair value is purely measurement and disclosure, nothing to get upset about.
In my opinion, fair value was our first test to see if we could handle the principles widely used in international accounting “standards” (hopefully “HQAS”) before we actually committed to adopting them and we failed. If you wonder why the IASB wants to hold the floor when it comes to convergence, you only have to stare our treatment of fair value right between the eyes.
It should have worked but our “P for Principles” in GAAP didn’t adequately prepare us to handle it.
ANR August 4, 2010
Accounting News Roundup: Insurance Accounting Is IASB’s Latest Puzzle; Former Deloitte CEO Catches a Keeper; Small Businesses Using Foursquare for Cheap Marketing | 08.04.10
IASB proposals aim to demystify insurance accounting [Accountancy Age]
“The international accounting standard setter has released new proposals for insurance contracts which seek to demystify one of the most complex areas of company reporting.
The rules, announced yesterday, aim to transform current rules, said to be all but indecipherable for investors, to a model which helps to communicate the contract economics.”
‘Static Kill’ Appears to Be Working in Well, BP Says [NYT]
“BP said Wednesday it had brought pressure under control in its stricken well in the r pumping heavy drilling mud into it, calling the development a “significant milestone” in its efforts to permanently seal the well.
The company began the effort, known as a static kill, on Tuesday afternoon and stopped pumping the heavy mud after about eight hours, saying that the procedure appeared to have reached the “desired outcome” of controlling pressure in the well.”
American Accounting Association and AICPA Create Pathways Commission to Study the Future of Accounting Higher Education [PR Newswire]
“The American Accounting Association and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants together have formed the Pathways Commission to study possible future paths of higher education for those seeking entry into the accounting profession.
‘Interest in accounting as a career is the highest it’s ever been and underscores the need to make sure the educational infrastructure remains solid and able to meet the profession’s evolving requirements,’ said Barry Melancon, CPA, AICPA president and CEO, who served on the Human Capital Subcommittee of the U.S. Treasury Advisory Committee on the Audit Profession.”
Catch of the day: ESPN sells fishing organization [Bloomberg]
Apparently a former Deloitte CEO – Jim Copeland – is involved in a group buying the BASS fishing organization.
From Playboy to Biglaw: New Orrick CFO Has A Bitchin’ Resume [ATL]
A former Playboy CFO recently joined Biglaw firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, presumably because access to a nice grotto is a must.
Getting Customers to ‘Check In’ With Foursquare [WSJ]
“Businesses of all sizes are trying the services out, looking to tap the networks’ ever-growing fan bases—Foursquare alone has 2.4 million users globally, and is growing 30% to 40% a month—and ability to harness enthusiasm for local establishments. For a small company with a limited marketing budget, the services are attractive because they’re free or cheap, require minimal time and effort, and appeal to loyal consumers who favor local businesses over big, cookie-cutter chains.”
Another Question about Timing of NBTY Insider Stock Purchases Prior to Announcement of Carlyle Acquisition [White Collar Fraud]
Sam Antar is still a little suspicious about the timing of the two NBTY directors that purchased stock right around the time that the Carlyle Group agreed to purchase NBTY stock. According to filings, NBTY executives met with Carlyle on May 11th and the two directors in question purchased their shares on May 13th and 18th. The next regularly scheduled board meeting was on May 21st.
Soooo, Sam wonders aloud, “At what point in time did Ashner and White know anything about the discussions with Carlyle and when did they find out about the confidentiality agreement? Often, such agreements are executed after the board has been notified. In this case, the confidentiality agreement was signed before Ashner and White purchased their NBTY shares.”
At Work, a Drug Dilemma [WSJ]
Even if you are legally able to purchase pot for medicinal purposes, your employer may still prefer you to pass on grass.
PwC July 8, 2010
PwC Would Appreciate It if the FASB, IASB Would Cool Their Jets on the Accounting Standards
Christ, guys! PricewaterhouseCoopers thinks it’s nice that you’re trying to turn the entire accounting world upside down since you decided the BSDs at the G-20 were serious about this June 2011 deadline.
But then you admitted that it can’t be done and it turns out they (or the SEC) don’t give a rat’s ass. For some reason, you’re still committed to getting the job done by the end of 2011 and PwC would like you take it easy.
For starters, everyone knows that the world is ending in 2012, so this is really a futile exercise. Secondly, you’re really not being rational about the whole thing. Your gusto is admirable but you’re looking like the kid that reminds the teacher to assign homework. KNOCK IT OFF:
PricewaterhouseCoopers Calls for Slowing Down Pace of Accounting Standard Setting
NEW YORK, July 8 /PRNewswire/ — PricewaterhouseCoopers, responding to the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board’s (IASB) ambitious agenda to complete about a dozen new accounting standards (about half of which are major projects) by the end of 2011, said the current timeline is not sufficient to produce standards that meet the boards’ high thresholds for quality.
Mike Gallagher, PwC’s U.S. National Office Leader, said, “it is of utmost importance that adequate time be given to complete an effective, thorough analysis of the accounting, business and operational impacts of the proposals.” Gallagher added, “given the boards’ missions of issuing high quality standards, we believe the proposed timeline will need to be further extended to allow for appropriate due process.”
In a Point of View article released today, PwC said it fully supports an aggressive timeline and the goal of attaining a single set of high quality global standards. Yet, the firm also expressed significant concern that the current pace of standard setting does not provide enough time for companies to fully analyze the proposals and respond comprehensively. In the article, the firm’s leadership called upon standard setters to “reevaluate the current timeline and set more reasonable expectations.”
Explaining the firm’s concern about the ambitious timelines, Gallagher pointed out that “even the largest of companies won’t have the resource bandwidth to properly evaluate and respond to so many complex standards in such a limited period of time.”
The projects underway by the FASB and IASB to improve both U.S. generally accepted accounting principles and international financial reporting standards are part of a wider goal to converge U.S. and international standards in key areas.
ANR July 6, 2010
Accounting News Roundup: E&Y to Appoint Non-Exec Directors to Global Board; Accounting Remains a Hot Post-College Job; Barclays Calls New Loan Valuation Proposal ‘Potentially Misleading’ | 07.06.10
‘Big four’ auditors bring in independent directors in response to regulators [Guardian]
The Financial Reporting Counc CAEW, issued a new audit governance code back in January that recommended audit firms appoint non-executive directors to their UK firm however, Ernst & Young will go so far to appoint them to their global advisory boards.
“Although the code technically applies only to our UK business, as a globally integrated organisation, we believe it is most appropriate for us to implement the code’s provisions on a global basis also,” said Jim Turley, global chairman and chief executive of Ernst & Young. “Including individuals from outside Ernst & Young on the global advisory council will bring to the senior leadership of our global organisation the benefit of significant outside perspectives and views.”
BP Won’t Issue New Equity to Cover Spill Costs [WSJ]
But if you want to pitch in, they are happy to take you up on an offer, “BP would welcome it if any existing shareholders or new investors want to expand their holding in the company, she said. BP’s shares have lost almost half their value since the Deepwater Horizon explosion that triggered the oil spill April 20.
BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward is visiting oil-rich Azerbaijan amid speculation the company may sell assets to help pay for the clean-up of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The one-day visit comes a week after Mr. Hayward, who has been criticized for his handling of the devastating oil spill, traveled to Moscow to reassure Russia that the British energy company is committed to investments there.”
Looking for a post-college job? Try accounting [CNN]
Happy times continue for accounting grads, according to the latest survey on the matter, this time from the National Association of Colleges and Employers. The average salary listed for an entry-level accounting major is just over $50k and the article also notes that most accounting jobs go to…wait…accounting majors.
FASB, IASB Staff Describe Plans for New Financial Statements [Compliance Week]
As always, the two Boards are hoping that bright financial statement users will chime in with their suggestions but they’ve got the basic idea down, “The FASB and IASB are rewriting the manner in which financial information is presented to make it more cohesive, easier to comprehend, and more comparable across different entities. The proposals would establish a common structure for each of the financial statements with required sections, categories, subcategories and related subtotals. It would result in the display of related information in the same sections, categories and subcategories across all statements.”
Accounting rules “practically impossible to implement”, Barclays claims [Accountancy Age]
Barclays’ finance director, Chris Lucas isn’t too keen on these new loan valuation proposals. Besides the ‘practically impossible’ thing, he says, “The sensitivity disclosures…are highly subjective, difficult to interpret, and potentially misleading, particularly when the underlying data is itself highly subjective,” Lucas said.
“It is hard to see how sensitivity disclosures could be aggregated by a large institution to provide succinct data that avoids ‘boilerplate’ disclosure.”
Asking The Difficult Questions [Re: The Auditors]
“Audit committees too often rely on the auditors’ required disclosures without comment. They sometimes lack the independence, experience, or determination to ask the probing questions. It’s critical, however, that committees seek answers to vexing questions and not accept the response, ‘But that’s the way management has always done it.’ ”
Buffett Donates $1.6 Billion in Biggest Gift Since 2008 Crisis [Bloomberg]
WB continues his plan of giving away 99% of his fortune, “[Buffet] made his largest donation since the 2008 financial crisis after profits at his Berkshire Hathaway Inc. jumped.
The value of Buffett’s annual gift to the foundation established by Bill Gates rose 28 percent to $1.6 billion from $1.25 billion last year. The donation, made in Berkshire Class B stock, was accompanied by gifts totaling $328 million in shares to three charities run by Buffett’s children and another named for his late first wife, according to a July 2 filing.”
The case for cloud accounting [AccMan]
Dennis Howlett continues to provide evidence that switching to the cloud provides benefits that are simply too big to ignore, “This 2min 1 sec video neatly encapsulates why this is something you should be considering, especially if you are operating electronic CRM or e-commerce for front of house activities.”
Quote of the Day June 12, 2010
Accounting Convergence Will Claim Some Bodies
“I am proud to say that so far my fellow board members and our staff, both FASB and IASB, have risen to the occasion. But I do fear potential burnout, as it’s not so easy to be running a marathon at sprint speed.”
~ Bob Herz, admitting that maybe these accounting wonks might be working too hard.
ANR June 10, 2010
Accounting News Roundup: Volcker Says Convergence Is Looking Like a ‘Collision’; Internal Audit Battles Relevancy Question; AIG to Remain Ward of the State | 06.10.10
Volcker upbeat on “reasonable” reform bill [Reuters]
Former Fed Chair Paul Volcker took note of the FASB and IASB’s divergence on fair value and he’s not too thrilled about it, “[Volcker]…said that U.S. and international accounting standard setters must reach an agreement on how banks value the loans on their books.”
So from Big Paul’s POV, there is no option other than to get your shit together on this even though the two boards seem to be moving in the exact opposite direction. Oh, and could you do that ASAP? Reuters quoted him “What appeared to be two organizations converging … now looks like a collision. I hope they can come together by the end of the year.”
Is Internal Audit Irrelevant? [Norman Marks on Governance, Risk Management and Internal Audit]
The question about the relevancy of the Big 4’s audit business (at least for public companies) has been questioned but now the role of internal auditors is in question. Norman Marks cites a recent presentation at the IIA’s International Conference in Atlanta:
One of his points was that internal auditors have been humiliated – because nobody has held them to blame to any degree for the collapse of the banking sector, the failures in corporate governance and risk management, and the tremendous loss in value of investors’ shareholdings all over the world.
Richard pointed out that the Walker report (in the UK) on the causes of the banking crisis didn’t even mention internal audit. We are irrelevant.
Mr Marks takes exception with this, saying that internal auditors do deserve some blame and that if the NYSE and others get around to issuing some requirements around the function of internal audit, the recognition will come with it.
U.S. Faces ‘Severe’ AIG Losses, Says Panel [WSJ]
Even though the bailout of AIG probably prevented us from bartering over food in a barren wasteland with cars on fire everywhere, taxpayers ‘remain at risk for severe losses.’ A Congressional Oversight Panel also stated that the U.S. Government will continue to be a “significant shareholder through 2012.” The Beard is more optimistic however, saying “AIG, I believe, will repay.”
SEC June 3, 2010
Mary Schapiro Isn’t Too Concerned About the Convergence Delay
Earlier in the week we heard the devastating news that the FASB and IASB’s convergence efforts, despite a good hustle, would not meet the G20’s deadline of June 2011.
FASB Chairman Bob Herz indicated that this was a serious case of the Boards having bigger eyeshades than their double-entry stomachs could handle but he tried to squelch the disappointment by assuring everyone that the mission is not a failure and the Boards would “get most if not all of [the accounting standard proposals] done by the end of 2011.”
Roberto and IASB Chair Sir David Tweedie, feeling bad about how the whole thing turned out, decided to send a letter to the G20, presumably to keep them from getting their panties in knot:
It is expected that this action by the FASB and IASB will not negatively impact the Securities and Exchange Commission’s work plan, announced in February, to consider in 2011 whether and how to incorporate IFRS into the US financial system.
We appreciate the support of the G20 for the development of a single set of high quality global accounting standards. The two boards remain committed to achieving that objective. We shall continue to provide timely updates regarding our progress.
Ohhh, right. The SEC. What do they think about all this? Judging by Mary Schapiro’s attitude of “assuming completion of the convergence projects” as a precursor to IFRS, she’s totally cool with it, making her thoughts known in a statement yesterday:
The boards believe that the modified plan will contribute to increased quality in the standards because it provides additional time for stakeholders to thoroughly consider the proposals and give both boards quality feedback. I view this as time that is well invested.
Quality financial reporting standards established through an independent process are threshold criteria against which the Commission’s future consideration of the role of IFRS in the U.S. reporting system will be based. I foresee no reason that the adjustment to the targeted timeline for certain joint projects should impact the staff’s analyses under the Work Plan issued in February 2010, particularly when that adjustment is designed to enhance the quality of the standards. Indeed, focused efforts on those standards the boards consider highest priority for the improvement of U.S. GAAP and IFRS will facilitate the staff’s analyses.
Accordingly, I am confident that we continue to be on schedule for a Commission determination in 2011 about whether to incorporate IFRS into the financial reporting system for U.S. issuers.
In other words, no rush guys. Take it from Mary, this happens all the time.
IASB and FASB update to G20 Leaders [IASB]
Chairman Schapiro Statement on FASB-IASB Decision to Modify Timing of Certain Convergence Projects [SEC]
ANR June 3, 2010
Accounting News Roundup: AICPA vs. IRS on Uncertain Tax Positions; Accountants Involved in Haiti Recovery; Taxing Pot Could Yield $400k for D.C. | 06.02.10
AICPA Protests Disclosures of Uncertain Tax Positions [Web CPA]
The AICPA has come out against the IRS’ uncertain tax positions proposal, saying “it should withdraw its proposed rule that would require companies with more than $10 million in total assets to disclose uncertain tax positions on a new schedule.”
The AICPA is not so hot on the idea of the IRS wading into the financial reporting waters, “We understand that the UTP proposal does not change the underlying rules for financial reporting, but believe overlaying a tax disclosure construct on the financial reporting system introduces a dynamic which could work at cross purposes with the original and fundamental purpose of the financial reporting rules.”
Haitian recovery needs accountants [Accountancy Age]
Nearly five months after the Earthquake in Haiti things are recovering slowly. Financial records for the government and private business have had two considerably different experiences:
[T]he finance ministry’s financial controls and systems are now being restored after its headquarters were destroyed. The World Bank has helped this critical process, placing accounting experts with the ministry.
As for the private sector, Laforest said many companies’ financial systems had survived thanks to accounting software packages, whose data had been uploaded to cloud computing remote data sumps on the internet. But bills, receipts and other paper records vital for making tax returns had been lost where offices collapsed.
And creating proper controls around the donations process has been crucial for organizing those funds. According to one volunteer, “[W]ithout proper controls, the money that you and your friends and your government have given might as well be left in a big bucket in the middle of the market with a sign saying ‘biggest at the front, smallest at the back.’”
Pot could bring in $400K for D.C. [Post Now/WaPo]
The District’s Council is expected to vote on June 15th on a provision that would levy a 6% sales tax on ganj sold there. At an approximate price of $350 an ounce, each bag would yield $21 for DC and would be expected to raise $400k in the next 5 years.
Tweedie replacement must juggle dual roles [Accountancy Age]
The candidates for the IASB chair are dwindling but most people seem to agree that having the role split into “Chair” and “CEO” roles might benefit the Board. “Richard Sexton, head of audit at PwC, suggested the role should be split.” And BDO’s sometime blogger and International CEO Jeremy Newman chimes in, “It’s unrealistic to expect one person to cover both.”
Also, whoever fills the big chair can’t be a über double-entry geek or just a crafty political type to heavy one way or the other. Most think that it needs to be a balance of both, although the preference of which is more important is debatable, including one Deloitte partner’s point of view, “If you don’t understand the accounting, you won’t be able to do the diplomacy around the debate,” versus Grant Thornton, “At this stage in the IASB’s life, we would place political awareness ahead of technical [knowledge] for the chair, but of course the chair must be technically astute.”
FASB Chair: Yeah, We’re Not Meeting That June 2011 Convergence Deadline
Yes, that’s your shocking headline of the day. Despite the retripling of efforts via videoconferencing and other fancy-schmancy technology, some Frenchman losing patience, and having a Knight spearheading 50% of the efforts, they will utlimately fall short of the June ’11 goal.
We know. Catch your breath or place yourself back in your chair, and then you can read Emily Chasan’s account from Reuters:
The Norwalk, Connecticut-based FASB and the London-based International Accounting Standards Board expect to announce changes to their convergence work plan in the next week or so that would delay the completion date by about six months and allow for greater public comment on the boards’ proposals, FASB Chairman Robert Herz said in an interview with Reuters.
“We’ve been working on a revised work plan with the IASB,” Herz said.
“We’d all like to see the work done as expeditiously as possible, but we don’t want to sacrifice proper due process.”
Herz said that to issue final standards by June 2011, the boards would have to release about 10 proposals in the next two months and rush through the public comment process.
It was nice of the FASB and IASB to say, “June? No problemo,” to the G20 BSDs but many organizations, including Financial Executives International, and even Chief Accountant Kroeker said that the overachieving might lead to some shoddy accounting standards.
Mr Herz is still optimistic about finishing up before 2012 telling Reuters that the two Boards will “get most if not all of [the accounting standard proposals] done by the end of 2011,” which is probably enough time for IFRS to be adopted by everyone. But then the world is on a strict deadline to end in 2012, so why are we bothering with this again?
FASB says will not meet 2011 convergence deadline [Reuters]
ANR May 28, 2010
Accounting News Roundup: Reasons Why CFOs Are Still Stalling on Cloud Solutions; IASB Trumpets Latest Convergence Steps; OCA Gets a Deputy | 05.28.10
What’s stopping CFOs putting their money on cloud computing? [Silicon.com]
Some CFOs are still hesitant to jump into cloud computing for three main reasons: 1) They aren’t sure what they’re getting for their money 2) Security and information assurance 3) The cost of migrating their data.
All legitimate concerns, however steps can be taken and questions asked in order to address most concerns (or at least put CFOs in a better informed position than before):
1) “Ask providers to clarify how they intend to deliver your service so that you understand the risks involved and know exactly what you are getting for your money.”
2) “Undertake due diligence and ensure that cloud providers can replicate the appropriate security policies and procedures. Agree realistic [Service Level Agreements] and make certain that services are scalable enough to meet present and future requirements. Finally, ensure that everything is clearly written down in the contract.”
3) “Evaluate how much time, effort and money will be required to migrate data and rework business processes.”
IASB unveils profit and loss proposals [Accountancy Age]
It appears that Tweeds and Co. like the U.S. GAAP method of presenting Other Comprehensive Income: “If adopted, these proposals will result in further convergence of IFRSs and US GAAP in an increasingly important part of the financial statements.”
Buffett to Testify to Crisis Panel on Moody’s [WSJ]
This will be a breeze – folksy insights with a dash of sexual metaphors will clear up this area of the crisis. Plus, no one is going to scold an old man.
H & H bagel big cops to $369,000 tax fraud [NYP]
Helmer Toro simply kept the money. He’ll spend 50 weekends in jail for that little stunt.
Brian T. Croteau Named Deputy Chief Accountant for Professional Practice in SEC Office of the Chief Accountant [SEC]
Prior to the new gig, Mr Croteau was a Senior Associate Chief Accountant at the OCA. He joined the OCA after being a partner in the Assurance practice at PwC in the Auditing Services Group. He obviously wasn’t bothered by the Partner to Senior Associate title change. It must have been the “Chief Accountant” suffix.
Sir David Tweedie Is Leading U-S-A Chants
Some of you might think that Sir David Tweedie is trying evangelize IFRS all over this great U.S. GAAP land because A) he’s a wily Scotsman who isn’t afraid to wear a kilt to the office and sure as hell isn’t going to let a bunch of know-nothings tell him what’s best and B) he’s trying to throw his title.
Or maybe you just think he doesn’t care if the US of A is down with the financial reporting Kumbaya. Well Tweeds is Stateside putting everyone on notice that if that’s what you believe, you would be wrong. DEAD WRONG.
“The world is moving to a single set of high-quality global accounting standards, and this is too important an area for the U.S. not to be involved…After almost a decade of work to improve IFRS and U.S. GAAP and to seek their convergence, it’s time to finish the job.”
That’s the best he can do. And don’t bother asking him for the title, he can’t give it to you.
International Accounting Standards Board Chairman Sir David Tweedie Addresses AICPA Governing Council [AICPA]
Accounting News Roundup: Cassano Dodges Criminal Charges; Mary Schapiro Acknowledges Some ‘Convergence Gaps’; IRS Audits of Colleges May Look at Coaches Salaries | 05.24.10
Crisis Probes Fail to Meet High Bar [WSJ]
Late on Friday, former AIG executive Joseph Cassano learned that he wouldn’t face criminal charges for his actions as the head of the company’s Financial Products division. According to the Journal, prosecutors did come close to filing criminal charges against Cassano and others but it was felt that the high burden of proof that “there was criminal intent behind executives’ decisions and that they intentionally misled investors” could not be met.
The government isn’t quite finished with Cassano, as he still may face civil charges from the SEC, which has a lower standard of proof.
The SEC’s Mary Schapiro on the Myths of GAAP/IFRS Convergence: The Lady Doth Protest Too Much [Re:Balance]
Jim Peterson took a closer look at Mary Schaprio’s speech at the annual conference of Chartered Financial Analysts where she mentioned IFRS but also convergence efforts between the IASB and the FASB. The SEC has maintained that convergence should be the initial goal for reporting standards.
Jim is concerned that the gap between the ultimate goal of convergence and the reality of some of the key issues at stake are no small feat:
There is, indeed, no more eloquent concession of the “convergence gap” than Schapiro’s own admission that “US GAAP and IFRS are currently not converged in a number of key areas,” including “the accounting for financial assets (the very types of securities at the center of the financial crisis), revenue recognition, consolidation principles, and leases.”
Any other problems, Madame Chairman? These on her list are so comprehensively grave that they will keep the international standards standoff alive until the end of time.
Which would put IFRS on a even longer track to adoption.
IRS audits of schools might delve into salaries of coaches [USAToday]
The IRS’ interest in the determination of the highest paid employees for colleges and universities has a few people worried. Not necessarily because anything is wrong but because the IRS is just a scary beast, “John D. Colombo, a University of Illinois law professor who has written about tax exemption and college athletics, says he doesn’t think the IRS action will fundamentally alter college athletics business. But he adds, ‘Audits are never comfortable. Just the IRS being there asking questions makes people nervous.'”
Primarily, the IRS is concerned over the business activities that higher education institutions engage in that aren’t “related to the schools’ primary purpose.” The interest in athletic coaches’ salaries is such that these individuals are often some of the highest paid employees of the school. The IRS is interested in how colleges and universities justify these salaries and to ensure that corporate sponsorships (not considered to be a business activity) are complying with certain rules so they are not considered advertising revenue.
Accounting News Roundup: FASB, IASB May Be Overachieving on Convergence; PwC Wants Your Fat; Who’s Betting on Legal Internet Gambling? | 05.19.10
FEI Implores FASB, IASB to Slow Down [Compliance Week]
Financial Executives International is concerned that the FASB and IASB have gotten a little too ambitious in their convergence efforts and has written a letter to the Boards’ respective Chairmen that basically says, “Easy, tiger.”
Everyone knows that those knowitalls at the G-20 were insisting the accounting rule mavens to make convergence happen by next summer but FEI is trying to take pragmatic approach to this:
Arnold Hanish, chairman of FEI’s Committee on Corporate Reporting, said in his letter to the two boards the group is concerned about the “unprecedented volume as well as the complexity of proposed standards” that the two boards are developing. The committee fears the vast scope and aggressive timeline for the proposals will not allow adequate analysis of how the rules will work, which will lead to implementation problems and amendments further down the line.
In other words, this isn’t quantum mechanics, but it’s not Fisher Price either. Mr Hanish did his best to remind Bob Herz and Sir David Tweedie just how overambitious this little project is:
Our member companies are extremely concerned with the 10+ Exposure Drafts (EDs) that are in final stages and will be released for public comment through the third quarter of 2010. During any single period in time in its 38-year history, the FASB has had no more than 3 or 4 significant EDs out for public comment.
FEI doesn’t seem convinced that this unprecedented overachieving by Herz and Tweeds is going to result in the “one set of high quality standards.” They would prefer that hte Boards get this right the first time so they don’t have to slap the proverbial duct tape all over the efforts later.
Cabbies, Accountants Look to Chip-Fat Fuel on Cost, Environment [Bloomberg]
PricewaterhouseCoopers’ London office is trying to do its best for the environment by using local chip-fat converted into biodiesel to supplement its energy needs:
PwC is seeking local sources for 45,000 liters of biodiesel to meet one quarter of its monthly office fuel needs, said Jon Barnes, head of building and facilities services at the firm.
“I’m trying to locally source used chip fat from restaurants,” he said. “It’s a pretty pointless exercise of using biofuel if it’s been all round the world on a ship.”
Sounds like a bang-up idea but P. Dubs is always looking for an angle, “Having a renewable source for some of PwC’s office’s energy needs could help the company sell its services to clients wanting to do the same.”
House Holds Hearing Today on Tax and Internet Gambling [TaxProf Blog]
The House Ways & Means Committee is holding a hearing today to kick around the possibility of legalizing Internet gambling here in the US of A (and taxing it, of course). It kicks off at 9:30 am ET and with any luck, you’ll be legally losing your mortgage payments for the 2010 football season.
You Can’t Force Convergence According to the IASB (Allegedly)
IASB member Phillippe Danjou would be happy to see convergence go well and according to schedule but like most of Europe, he’s concerned that what’s good for America may not be good for the rest of the world.
Earlier in the week, the European Central Bank said nearly the same thing, going so far as to call out FASB for its archaic fair value rules that disregard liquidity (or lack thereof) in markets.
“Can we converge on everything? What’s good for America is not always seen as being good for the rest of the world, and vice versa… Convergence is the aim. It is a very desirable goal, but you cannot force it.
“If our stakeholders say we should take slightly different solutions, we will have to accept that,” he said. “If we can’t reach a solution, we can bridge.”
This brings us right back to the question of the IASB’s independence and the announcement by the SEC that funding the IASB would be a priority moving forward. Maybe that’s the bridge to which Danjou was referring; America buying its own piece of international accounting standard influence. 20% won’t cut it, people, where did the SEC get those bribe numbers from anyway?
It looks like Plan B for accounting convergence [Reuters]
SEC April 30, 2010
The SEC Wants to Help the IASB Meet its ‘Arbitrary Deadline’
The SEC is interested in securing capital markets and protecting the interests of investors by putting a new level of priority on accounting standards setters… European accounting standards setters, that is.
SEC Chief Accountant James “P is For Principles” Kroeker announced today that the SEC’s new project will revolve around securing funding for the gatekeepers of IFRS, the IASB. “A stable broad based funding system with a diversity of capital market participants providing ‘no strings attached’ funding is of great importance to establishing a structurally sound international standards setter,” he said at a Baruch College accounting conference. Earlier in the week, JP was defending GAAP and calling the planned June 2011 adoption of IFRS in the US an “arbitrary” target but this leads us to believe that he’s since changed his mind and would like to see this convergence thing get rolling once and for all.
About 20 percent of the IASB’s funding is expected to come from US sources this year – the largest chunk of funding from any single source.
While Kroeker was busy cheerleading the IASB telethon this week, SEC Chair Mary Schapiro was off doing a little fundraising of her own, except hers failed miserably when the Senate rejected a request by Schapiro and several former SEC leaders to self-fund the agency. As everyone knows, the SEC has been plagued recently with accusations of regulatory laziness, not to mention problems with employees sitting around watching porn all day when they should be guarding capital markets. No increase in allowance for you, Mary!
Anyway, the main concern is – as always – independence. Without secure funding, the IASB is exposed to excessive political pressure and if you recall the fair value debate, you have already seen what happens when standards setters cave in. With secure funding, the IASB can be bought and sold as easily as some companies A/Rs so it makes sense that Kroeker would shift the SEC’s focus from begging Congress for a raise to funneling in cash to the IASB. You know, for convergence’s sake.
US seeks secure funding of global accounting board [Reuters]
The ECB Doesn’t Like FASB Fair Value Nor Prospects for a Single Global Standard Come 2011
European Central Bank Executive Board member Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerel insists that fair value is useless in illiquid (read: dysfunctional or non-existent) markets, putting forth the all-important query “what is the use of marking-to-market when there is no market?” in a Paris speech yesterday.
Tumpel-Gugerel is also a tad concerned that the push for convergence around the globe by 2011 could mean compromised accounting standards. “The ECB strongly opposes a full fair value approach,” she said. “In this context, convergence should not come at the expense of high-quality accounting standards.”
The ECB has taken the financial crisis as a lesson in valuation, guidance, and a deft accounting system that leaves plenty of slack available for adjustments should the need arise in, say, a crisis situation. That’s all well and good but guidance only gets you so far and without a firm commitment to when and how to use fair value around the globe, we can pretty much keep debating this point indefinitely.
Her views on FASB’s fair value approach are not at all subtle. In short, it appears as though the ECB supports convergence but only if the idiotic American ways are better aligned with the IASB’s. “With regard to recent assertions made by the IASB and FASB that convergence is on track, I would like to highlight that we are not so optimistic,” she said. “In this regard, putting in place a reconciliation mechanism that simply discloses figures at amortised cost and fair value for each item on the balance sheet would certainly not achieve the aim of convergence.”
Well snap, guess she told us.
Elements for intervention on accounting issues [ECB]
Accounting News Roundup: Deloitte ‘Encyclopedia’ to Join IASB; South Carolina’s $60 Million Accounting Snafu; CFO Job Market No Longer ‘Totally Dead’ | 04.16.10
Deloitte’s Paul Pacter Appointed to IASB [Web CPA]
Paul “Financial Reporting Encyclopedia” Pacter will resign his part-time position at Deloitte to take a seat on the IASB. Since 2000, he has been on Deloitte’s IFRS leadership team and has worked as the Director for small and medium sized entities for the IASB.
Sir David Tweedie said in a statement that “Paul is a walking encyclopedia on global financial reporting. He served as the determined leader of the development of the IFRS for SMEs, is an expert in both IFRS and U.S. GAAP, and in his spare time has run one of the most popular financial reporting Web sites on the Internet. He will bring a global perspective and immense energy to the board.”
Nearly $60 million accounting error means state budget cut [Charleston Business Journal]
Relative to other states that shall remain nameless, South Carolina’s problems aren’t really a BFD but somehow $60 million being “erroneously…counted as part of the state’s general fund,” as opposed to being earmarked for specific appropriations is still not good.
As a result of this little booboo, $60 million in budget cuts must be found with less than three months until the end of the state’s fiscal year. Such a short time frame could presumably lead to some desperate slash and burn methods. And here we thought the subversive organization legislation would have been a huge revenue stream for the Palmetto State.
Is There a Pulse in the CFO Market? [CFO]
Apparently the CFO job market is no longer ‘totally dead’ as it was from December 2008 to October 2009 and since some are feeling ‘overworked and under appreciated’ (just like you!) there promises to be a bit of a CFO exodus.
Accounting News Roundup: Bank America Lands a CFO; FASB, IASB Can’t Guarantee Convergence; Maine to Tax Medical Marijuana | 04.14.10
Bank of America Names an Outsider as CFO [WSJ]
Charles Noski will be the new Bank of America CFO, effective May 11th. He most recently was the CFO at Northrup Grumman, which he left in 2005 and prior to that held the same position at AT&T. He has also served as a advisor to Blackstone Group and is currently a director at Morgan Stanley and Microsoft. It is reported that he will give up his director seat at competitor Morgan Stanley. Noski began his career at Haskins & Sells (now Deloitte) for seventeen years and was a partner.
This ends BofA’s quest to land a CFO after former finance bigwig Joe Price moved into a new role under new CEO Brain Moynihan back in January.
IASB says “no guarantee” of full US accounting convergence [Accountancy Age]
The FASB and IASB, try as they might, have announced that they simply cannot guarantee that they will pull off 100% unadulterated convergence. The two boards have struggled to get their cerebral minds together on a number of “important technical issues” and are holding out for the possibility that they may not resolve any of their remaining differences.
The two boards issued a statement which warned, “Although our recent experiences with joint meetings show that we have been able to resolve differences on several projects, there is no guarantee we will be able to resolve all, or any, of our differences on this project.” The two cite “different imperatives that pushed our development timetables out of alignment,” in the struggle for converging the two sets of rules. While the FASB and IASB are warning that accounting rule convergence may be impossible, the statement indicates that the two still aim to finalize their work by the mid-2011 deadline.
Medical pot users to pay sales tax [Bangor Daily News via Tax Policy Blog]
The Pine Tree State will taxing its medical green that is sold at state-sanctioned dispensaries. The Maine Revenue Service had argued that since marijuana is currently issued for medicinal purposes, that the it should be treated as a prescription drug and thus, not taxed. However, since a prescription isn’t necessary to obtain medical marijuana, Maine lawmakers disagreed and ultimately decided to administer a levy on the sale of state-issued grass.
Accounting News Roundup: Japan Adopting International Fair Value; GAO Not Down with PCOAB Risk Standards; Oscar Gift Bags = $91k Income | 03.08.10
• Japan embraces new fair value rule [Financial Times via Accountancy Age]
Here’s a novel idea: making a decision on IFRS! Japan’s Financial Services Agency will be allowing companies to adopt the international version of the new fair value rule developed by the IASB, starting Wednesday. Since the world’s second largest economy is opting to pull the trigger on IFRS it may throw the G20’s request/demand for the world to get all kumbaya when it comes to accounting rules.
“Fair value accounting…as unleashed one of the most divisive debates to have emerged from the credit crisis, threatening to disrupt a pledge by the G20 group of leading economies to create a single, global accounting system by mid next year,” reports the FT and judging by the SEC’s indecisiveness, they may be right. With this latest development, now leaders will be able to blame each other’s securities agencies for their particular actions that will likely lead to divergence.
The allowance of Japanese companies to adopt IFRS 9 could also give Knight of the Accounting Roundtable, Sir David Tweedie, even more leverage when dealing with countries around the world to adopt the IFRS.
Right or wrong, the Japanese are sending a signal that they are prepared to move forward while the SEC prepares to have more meetings.
• GAO Criticizes PCAOB Approach to Audit Risk [Web CPA]
The General Accountability Office, never shy to point out the faults of others (that’s kind of what they do, after all), isn’t so keen on the PCAOB’s latest “risk assessment” audit standards. This after the PCAOB originally proposed standards in 2008 and then revised and re-released them late last year.
The GAO feels that the ‘duplication and inconsistencies’ created by the PCAOB’s new standards would likely lead to…more billable hours! So, as you might imagine, some firms are on board:
PricewaterhouseCoopers told the PCAOB, “We fully support the board’s objective to update interim standards regarding risk assessment,”
And some, not so much:
McGladrey & Pullen…warned that “unnecessary differences between the board’s standards and those of other standard-setters increase the costs of performing all audits because firms must develop and maintain two, and even three, audit methodologies and training programs, with no corresponding benefit to audit quality.”
Personally, we’re skeptical of anything that has the unmitigated support of the biggest players in the industry but from a more practical standpoint, do auditors really need more rules to follow? And now this could add to the workload? Is that really necessary?
• Oscar Swag Bags to Result in $91k Income to Celebrity Presenters [TaxProf Blog]
Celebrities have enough tax trouble the way it is, how is giving them gifts going to make their tax returns easier? We’re guessing most of them have smart CPAs working for them that will suggest that they give it all to charity but we may be underestimating the temptation of free luxury swag.
The JDA March 2, 2010
Convergence of Accounting Rules Is Still a Pipe Dream
God forbid I go so far as to say this whole convergence thing is a conspiracy but it’s starting to reek like a bad Saturday morning cartoon plot. First the evil leaders start scamming for world domination, then they form shady alliances in darkened lairs and eventually the population gets sold into slavery until the hero comes and drops the villains in a vat of acid. Or something like that. If global financial “reform” were a Saturday morning cartoon, we’d be horribly overrun with villains and in desperate need of a hero.
Since it’s real life, all we can do is watch.
Compliance Week:
A spokesman for IASB said the two boards are expected to issue their first joint quarterly progress report very soon. A spokesman for FASB said the various project updates posted by the two boards demonstrates “quite a bit of progress” in recent months.
“We remain committed to working with IASB,” said spokesman Chris Klimek. “(We) appreciate the SEC’s leadership and additional guidance on this important matter, and like everyone, we will be studying the work plan carefully in the days ahead and discussing what it means for us.”
It’s cool! There’s a plan for convergence and here it goes: the SEC waits around for the FASB and IASB to figure out how to convert GAAP statement to IFRS without costing American companies billions ($35 million/year x companies converting = well you get it). Eventually, they might just figure this out. In the meantime, kick back and don’t get too worked up over it, the two bodies are still battling it out because of the same cultural barriers that have always stood in the way of a true marriage of FASB/IASB positions.
As Number Insights pointed out in 2007 (see how long we’ve been trying to do this? And what do we have to show for it?), a single set of principles might not be the bad part of this entire plan. GAAP is notoriously constrictive but principles-based accounting requires qualified accountants and I’m not sure our accountants are quite ready either, ignoring the costs associated. And a world without FASB? I can’t imagine it.
It doesn’t look like I’ll have to any time soon.
SEC February 25, 2010
SEC Votes to String this IFRS Thing Along
AS PREDICTED. And It was unanimous. Sure, it wasn’t the boldest call we’ve ever made here at GC but we thought it was worth pointing out that the SEC really didn’t have much of a choice.
The good news is that the Commission doesn’t need to sweat this for now. They’re just letting everyone know that they’re tepidly re-re-committing to International Financial Reporting Standards but ONLY if the IASB and FASB can pull off meaningful convergence and the IASB stops being a bunch of lily-livered bean counters and tells the pols to BTFO.
Web CPA reports, “In the commission’s vote Wednesday, the SEC reiterated its cautious support for IFRS, contingent upon reaching a number of milestones, including convergence of U.S. GAAP with IFRS and improved governance of the International Accounting Standards Board.”
And even if that happens, the SEC staff has to check everything out so that everyone knows exactly what will result from the U.S. adopting IFRS (probably the rapture). Once that’s settled then we can talk about how this will get done.
Mary Schapiro’s words:
“In 2011, upon conclusion of the fact-gathering and analysis set forth in the work plan – and assuming completion of the convergence projects – the commission will then be in a position to determine whether to incorporate IFRS into the financial reporting system for U.S. public companies. Until that time, we will expect staff to provide periodic written public reports to the commission on the progress of its efforts.”
Back to work everybody. There are future meetings to be planned.
SEC Votes on Work Plan for Incorporating IFRS [Web CPA]
Earlier: SEC Meeting on Roadmap Will Likely Lead to More Meetings on Roadmap
Accounting News Roundup: Is the IASB Giving Up on the FASB?; Wake Forest Grads Crush the CPA Exam; NFL Looking at Rams Buyer’s BDO Tax Shelter Connection | 02.16.10
• IASB softens stance on convergence [FT]
We’re not jumping to any conclusions but yesterday the IASB made the statement that it “would no longer pursue convergence with its US peer as ‘an objective in itself'”. Now we’re not entirely sure what “an objective in itself” means but it kinda, sorta sounds like “to hell with you FASB, we’ve got our own plans.”
This revelation was part of “constitution review” in order for the IASB “to justify its public accountability” to its critics. In this review the IASB seemed to be changing its tone on just what convergence is:
In a review of its constitution published on Monday the IASB’s oversight board addressed this concern over the convergence project and said it would “emphasise that convergence is a strategy aimed at promoting and facilitating the adoption of IFRS, but it is not an objective by itself”.
So just spreading the good word about IFRS without any stated objective? Does that sound about right? It sounds a little like financial reporting evangelism.
• Wake graduates get highest passing rates on CPA exam [Winston Salem-Journal]
This is in no way presented to make you feel bad about yourself. Here are the 2008 (the most recent data available) passing rates at WF: 93% on FAR; 87.5% on Audit; 83.22% on regulation; 93.7% on BEC. The overall passing rate was 89.7%. The University has had the highest scores five years running.
If you need to go cry in the bathroom, you may do so now.
• Rams buyer’s $85 million battle with IRS [Chicago Tribune]
Shahid Khan announced last week that he was buying 60% of the St. Louis Rams. Great news right? Ordinarily, yes but now the NFL is looking into his association with a BDO tax partner that was convicted of helping clients avoid taxes through shelters.
The IRS said in court papers that the Khans hired the Chicago-based BDO Seidman accounting firm and met with tax partner Robert Greisman. The Khans engaged in at least five questionable tax shelters, with names like Son-of-Boss and Dad, and paid BDO $8.5 million in fees, about 10 percent of the alleged tax savings, according to court documents.
Yet when the revenue agency questioned Khan about his returns, he was unable to identify what services BDO provided, an IRS agent said in court documents. In April 2007, the IRS made formal requests for information to Greisman and one of his partners in Michigan in connection with its investigation of the Khans.
Greisman pleaded guilty last July to conspiracy charges related to the creation of the shelters and BDO is currently being sued by Khan for negligence and malpractice. The NFL may have saved them themselves the trouble by letting Rush Limbaugh own part of the team…
Uncategorized December 8, 2009
Sir David Tweedie’s New Promise: To Retire in 2011
Every knight lays down his sword at some point and Tweeds is no exception. The IASB Chairman will hang up his 10-key when his current term ends in June 2011.
According to Emily Chasan at Reuters, DT thought about calling it quits last year after the pols torpedoed mark-to-market in the name of bank lobbyists. Sensing that the true Holy Grail was within reach, Tweedie stayed on:
[H]e has said he stayed because he wanted to continue the convergence process, which is beginning to reach its goal of having a single set of high quality accounting standards used around the globe. The U.S. Financial Accounting Standards Board and the IASB have redoubled efforts to complete their major convergence projects by a June 2011 deadline set by the G20 group of leading countries.
Now the International Accounting Standards Committee Foundation, which oversees the board, is on the search for the next bean counter in shining armor. Since Tweeds gave plenty of notice, it won’t likely be the shitshow search like Bank of America has on its hands (until very recently perhaps) but the IASCF is searching all the corners of the world for the replacement and they need to come up with somebody good.
If they put some empty suit in there, the likes of Silvio Berlusconi will be writing the revised contingent liabilities standard. Lord knows we don’t need that. We need someone that doesn’t mind telling pols to BTFO of accounting biznass. Pols like Eddy “If you had just involved us in the monitoring of the IASB we wouldn’t be in this mess” Wymeersch, who probably couldn’t tell the difference between his ass and the basic accounting equation. Feel me, IASCF?
Now since that’s clear, if you’ve got any suggestions or purely want to speculate on who you will be in the big chair next (Tim Flynn? Mary Schapiro? Phil Mickelson? that smug guy in the cube next to you that got a 98 on FARE?) drop them in the comments.
IASB’s Tweedie to retire when term ends in 2011 [Emily Chasan/Reuters]
Trustees seek nominations for Chairman of the IASB from 2011 [Press Release]
See also: Kroeker Stresses Importance of Investors in IFRS Decision; Search Is On For Next Chairman Of IASB When Tweedie Retires in 2011 [FEI Financial Reporting Blog]
You’d Think that Once You’re Knighted You Wouldn’t Get Hassled by Non-Knights
Does there happen to be a law in the EU that says that if you’re not a knight you have to keep your piehole shut when it comes to accounting rules? Because if there isn’t, there needs to be. We may give Sir David Tweedie a hard time here (mostly because we’re jealous of the prefix) but we hardly think that he needs pressure from anyone on double-entry accounting.
Despite the knighted one keeping his promises, Eddy Wymeersch, chairman of the Committee of European Securities Regulators (CESR) has made it known that the IASB isn’t floating his boat and he would like to go back to the bureaucratic drawing board.
Wymeersch questioned whether there was adequate accountability at the IASB, a London-based body that has already made several changes to its governance, such as setting up a new monitoring group.
“I can remind you the CESR thought it should be in the monitoring group but that did not take place. In my view, this has to be drawn up again and start from scratch,” he said.
Please, non-knight Eddy Wymeersch, remind us that you suggested that you should be allowed to stick your beak into the IASB’s business. We have trouble remembering that politicians all across the blue marble so desperately want to be involved in the oversight of accounting rules.
EU regulator calls for accounting overhaul [Reuters]
The JDA November 16, 2009
FASB’s Final Word on Fair Value Disclosures?
Editor’s Note: Want more JDA? You can see all of her posts for GC here, her blog here and stalk her on Twitter.
Of the 111 comment letters FASB published on Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures: “Improving Disclosures about Fair Value Measurements”, this one was my favorite:
Please don’t require Companies not SEC registered to spend any more money on reports under this rule.
Lloyd Amundson
Amen, brother.
The usual suspects left the usual complaints; BDO said excessive disclosures would be both costly and useless, Uncle Ernie implied it was an interesting concept but an expensive flop in practical application, and PwC prefers once a year disclosures instead of quarterly.
Verizon even got in on the action, insisting, “proposed additional extended sensitivity disclosures would unnecessarily complicate financial statement disclosures without providing any meaningful benefit to financial statement users.”
I think it is entirely reasonable to point out that FASB is feeling the pressure to converge and the IASB is encouraging slightly less optimistic financial statements. The IASB openly admits that it is under outside pressure to adopt such a stance:
Responding to requests by the G20 leaders and others, in June 2009 the IASB published a Request for Information on the practicalities of moving to an expected loss model. The responses have been taken into account by the IASB in developing the exposure draft.
The IASB continues:
The IASB will also cooperate closely with the US Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) with a view to agreeing a common approach to the impairment of financial assets.
Since when is this for the IASB to decide?
Political influences are nothing new to accounting rulemakers but what happens when those influences come from foreign bodies far outside of our control? It is a known fact that the European Union has a large stake in IASB, so how can we be sure their intentions are pure as we move forward at their urging?
The Financial Crisis Advisory Group, an international body set up by the IASB and FASB to advise them on standard-setting issues related to the financial crisis, warned recently that that political pressure on accounting standard-setters posed a threat to “the very existence of international accounting standards.”
Integrity in financial statements? Keep looking, not going to find any of that here.
Uncategorized November 13, 2009
The Knighted One Keeps His Promises
Sir David Tweedie and his fellow non-knighted wonks have released IFRS 9, Financial Instruments today to much anticipation. For those companies that were chomping at the bit, you can adopt pronto but nothing is mandatory until the end of 2012.
You got to hand it to Tweeds. The BSD at the G20 demanded that the IASB take another look (read: change) at this fair value thing ASAP and he delivered, AS PROMISED:
We have delivered on our commitment to the G20 and stakeholders internationally to provide an improved financial instrument standard for the classification and measurement of financial assets for use in 2009. Benefiting from unprecedented levels of consultation with stakeholders around the world, the IASB has made significant changes in its initial proposals to improve the standard, provide enhanced transparency and respond to stakeholder concerns.
Very impressive, so the ball is your court, Norwalk. You better get off your asses and come up with something good because none of you have knighthood and we haven’t seen much evidence of your re-quadrupled efforts. We already know that you’re talking Plan B but give us something, anything. You’re worried about Congress, sure but the Europeans are making you look bad. Is there any American knight-ish equivalent that Bob Herz could get that would help give him a boost in confidence?
If you’ve got suggestions, leave them in the comments. We’re at a total loss.
IASB completes first phase of financial instruments accounting reform [IASB Press Release]
New fair value standard rushed out by IASB [Accountancy Age]
Uncategorized November 6, 2009
Apparently Accounting Rule Convergence Is Not 100% Total Convergence
Yesterday the FASB and IASB got together and spent 23 pages convincing everyone that convergence of accounting rules will happen by June 2011. If you haven’t been convinced by the steps one paragraph statement that was issued saying how ‘encouraged’ she is about the latest re-re-affirming.
There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that there will be a single set of accounting rules — for the entire financial reporting universe — rolled out and everything will be right with the world in June 2011.
But will it be a single set of standards? Edith Orenstein of FEI Financial Reporting Blog:
It is interesting to note that the FASB-IASB joint statement speaks in some places of converging to a ‘single’ set of standards, and in other places of converging to a ‘common’ set of standards. To some, these terms can mean a world of difference. However, the terms are often used interchangably by many different parties. For example, here are some excerpts from the joint statement:
We are redoubling our efforts to achieve a single set of high quality standards within the context of our respective independent standard-setting processes.
Our goal is to develop together common standards that improve financial reporting in the US and internationally and that foster global comparability. Achieving such improvements is consistent with the objectives of the IASB that are set out in the Constitution of the IASC Foundation. It also fulfils the responsibility the FASB has under US law and the Securities and Exchange Commission’s 2003 Policy Statement to consider, in developing standards, whether international convergence is necessary and appropriate in the public interest and investor protection.
(emphasis original)
That clears it up, doesn’t it? So it’s either a “single set” or “common standards”? FEI Blog thinks it’s a progression, “Presumably, once a set of ‘common standards’ is acheived, the next step would be to officially adopt one set (again, presumably, IFRS, which is used in over 100 countries) as the ‘single’ global standard.”
While this may be the case it still doesn’t mean that everything will be the same.
CFO:
“Convergence doesn’t necessarily mean the same,” says D.J. Gannon, a Deloitte audit partner and the firm’s expert on international financial-reporting standards. In fact, Gannon says, there is no expectation that any of “the lingering differences” between rules that are already converged will be handled through standard-setting. “So the bottom line is that companies [reporting results under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles] are going to have to deal with those differences if they apply international financial-reporting standards at some point in the future.”
Good lord. So for all practical purposes, it sounds like there will still be differences. Frankly, we’re disappointed in this revelation. If someone had told us from the get-go that it wasn’t going to be 100% the same accounting rules we wouldn’t have made such a big stink about the absolute impossibility of the endeavor. Going forward we’ll be taking this even less serious.
FASB, IASB Reaffirm Convergence By June, 2011 [FEI Financial Reporting Blog]
“Convergence Doesn’t Necessarily Mean the Same.” [CFO]
IASB, FASB Are Really, Really Getting Serious About Convergence
Do you have doubts about the IASB and FASB’s commitment to accounting rule convergence? What? The name change idea didn’t convince you?
Well, David Tweedie and Bob Herz both addressed doubters attendees at a joint conference of the American Institute of CPAs and the International Accounting Standards Committee Foundation in New York to let them know that they are redoubling and in some cases, retripling their efforts to get this done.
The boards intend to hold more joint face-to-face meetings, in some cases by video conference, in order to make faster progress.
“We’re going to work on these issues together every month,” said Tweedie. “That’s why we think we’ll make our June 2011 target date.”
Monthly meetings. Some will be face-to-face. When they can’t do that, there will be video conferencing. Is there any doubt how serious they are taking this? This should be a piece of cake now. Oh sure, maybe they’re going to agree to disagree on the fair value thing but who said that’s important?
Wait a minute. Sir David Tweedie’s confidence seems shaky:
The approach may or may not work, and Tweedie acknowledged that some of the standards may take several years to be finalized. In many cases, they will be moving targets. But the goal of achieving a June 2011 convergence of the two sets of standards still seems doable, he insisted, and it would be a once-in-a-generation opportunity.
Good lord. Which is it people? Let’s just agree that accounting standards will be kinda-sorta converged by June 2011 and the rest of them will be converged “at a date yet to be determined”. We understand that the pressure is tough. No need to commit to anything.
IASB and FASB to Meet Monthly on Standards Overhaul [Web CPA]
Accounting Standard-Setters Will Get Much Chummier [Web CPA Debits & Credits]
Earlier: IASB: You Want a New Fair Value Rule? You Got It. Just Don’t Ask Us About Convergence
Accounting Rulemakers Already Talking Plan B on Fair Value
Sounds like Bob Herz and Sir David Tweedie are phoning it in with regards to fair value rules.
Herz and Tweedie and their respective accounting wonks met in Norwalk, CT on Monday and they’re all but admitting that there’s no chance that they’ll get on the same page:
At a joint meeting in Norwalk, Connecticut on Monday, members of the London-based International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and U.S. Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) sparred over whether fair value, or “mark-to-market,” accounting rules should be expanded to a broader array of financial assets, such as loans and deposits.
In a move opposed by the banking industry, the FASB has proposed that all financial instruments be valued at market levels, while the IASB has proposed to have those assets valued at “amortized cost,” which would mostly provide information about expected cash flows.
“If FASB and IASB can’t agree on mixed model or full fair value model … the next best thing is something to move between the two,” Sir David Tweedie, chairman of the IASB, said on Monday…”By the end of 2010… if we can’t get it together, we should be appreciably together,” Tweedie said.
Plan B is already in full effect! Instead of one fair value rule, the two standard setters will provide a “presentation for fair value for more financial assets on corporate balance sheets so that investors would be able to quickly reconcile numbers in U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) or International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).”
Some board members are worried that this approach may be too confusing, however. Confusing financial statements? That’s only a problem for average investors. No biggie.
Oh, well. We know 2010 is coming up fast and those politicians get impatient when the bank lobbyists are threatening to cut off the money. Thanks for trying guys. You did your best.
Accounting boards try to reconcile fair value views [Reuters/Emily Chasan]
IASB: You Want a New Fair Value Rule? You Got It. Just Don’t Ask Us About Convergence
There’s no doubt that you’ve been awaiting the IASB’s new fair value rule with feverish anticipation. Well, your wait is nearly over because when Sir David Tweedie says he’s going to do something, by God, he means it:
In an address to a meeting of European Finance Ministers, which have in the past been critical of the IASB’s response to the financial crisis, Tweedie has sought to ease concerns by announcing that he is on track to deliver a new fair value standard by the end of this year.
“I gave a commitment to deliver on this timetable. We will publish the new standard in November,” he said.
This is all very exciting for Tweedie and the IASB since it feels pretty damn good anytime you stick it to your critics but…
Small problem: The new rule still won’t require loans to be marked to fair value which is the exact opposite plan of Bob Herz and the FASB, “FASB’s proposal will see all assets measured at fair value. The IASB’s mixed measurement model would see banks’ loan books valued on an amortised cost basis.”
Obviously the two rulemakers, fresh off the tongue lashings they received from their respective governments for their part in the worldwide economic meltdown, decided that they had no choice but to put out the fair value fire pronto. Meanwhile, convergence of accounting standards (what the IASB is really serious about and could be the next Big 4 gravy train) remains a pipe dream.
Fair value standard will be released next month: Tweedie [Accountancy Age]
Hopefully the IASB Gets the Point
After learning yesterday about the Accountancy Age Awards we thought that the celebration of accounting couldn’t get any better. And by “better”, we mean incredibly lame.
Satire being a common theme here, we definitely appreciate Christian Aid‘s attempt to help accountants, most specifically the CRAPASS IASB, to reconsider their indirectly screwing of poor countries:
Continued, after the jump
The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) has been handed a tongue-in-cheek award from Christian Aid, after winning the charity’s Greatest Potential for Tax Reform award…PriceWaterhouse Coopers (PwC), KPMG, Ernst & Young and Deloitte & Touche also collected awards…Campaigners want the Board…to instigate urgent and far-reaching reforms – including forcing companies trading internationally to report profits made and taxes paid in every country where they operate. Christian Aid estimates that countries in the developing world are deprived of $160 billion annually in lost revenues by companies disguising their tax liabilities.
This is probably the closet thing to a Razzie that exists for the accounting industry so we’re happy to support them for the sake of argument.
If you’ve got other ideas about other awards that accountants deserve and who the recipients are, submit them in the comments.
Accounting Standards given tongue-in-cheek reform award [politics.co.uk]
Uncategorized August 20, 2009
Dear FASB, I’m Breaking Up With You
Editor’s note: Adrienne Gonzalez is founder and managing editor of Jr Deputy Accountant as well as regular contributor to leading financial/investment sites like Seeking Alpha and GoldmanSachs666. By day, she teaches unlicensed accountants to pass the CPA exam, though what she does in her copious amounts of freetime in the evening is really none of your business. Follow her adventures in Fedbashing and CPA-wrangling on Twitter @adrigonzo but please don’t show up unannounced at her San Francisco office as she’s got a mean streak. Her favorite FASB is 166.
I can’t take it anymore. I’m serious, this is BS. It has been nothing but up and down, agony and ecstasy for as far back as I can remember on fair value and I want off this ride.
More agony, after the jump
Via SmartBrief:
The Financial Accounting Standards Board’s updated fair-value rules will require companies to fully understand fair-value and mark-to-market concepts and extensively document their analysis of illiquid assets, as this article notes. The FASB gave companies some new latitude in applying fair-value principles but stood firmly behind the importance of fair value in preparing meaningful financial statements.
Stop, please. This is getting to be abusive.
Remember when you whispered in our ear, “Certainly, to those who say that accounting should better reflect true economic substance, fair value, rather than historical cost, would generally seem to be the better measure” in 2003, Bob Herz? We totally fell for it. Who wouldn’t? Swept off of our feet and still hurting from Enron, we needed a rebound and fair value totally worked.
I truly wish you and IASB the best of luck in whatever you two decide to do with your miserable little lives.
WebCPA:
While FASB may be pushing back in the other direction and mulling the use of fair value and mark-to-mark with bank loans in addition to assets like mortgage-backed securities, the IASB seems to be tacking in an alternative direction. That could be leading them on the road to divergence, not convergence.
And I’m defriending you on Facebook, Bob. At least you know your new girlfriend does fair value.
Uncategorized July 2, 2009
Why Do the FASB and IASB Always Insist on Mission Impossible?
Can anyone explain why accounting regulators have the annoying tendency to see a HUGE problem and insist on fixing it when the logistics are seemingly impossible to overcome? It’s commendable to try and solve big problems but it seems that the geeky egos of accountants often get in the way of reality.
CFO.com has a story about the FASB and IASB’s “dream” to get accounting standards down to one model for revenue recognition. ONE!
According to the article, the FASB’s revenue recognition rules are currently spread among 100 standards, so obviously there’s room for improvement but shrinking all that down to one model? Talk about herding cats.
We’re not hating on the standard setters (well, let’s face it, maybe a little) for considering this task but these dweebs can’t even get on the same page re: convergence timing so we’ll be taking the overs on the number of years when this single model pipe dream actually gets off the ground.
Revenue Recognition: Will a Single Model Fly? [CFO.com]
Uncategorized June 24, 2009
IASB Discusses MD&A and No One Cares
Do you spend evenings and weekends reading annual reports as opposed to doing, say, anything? We thought so. So you’re definitely familiar with the cheerleading section in those glossy marketing pieces known as “Management Discussion and Analsyis” or “MD&A”.
Well the IASB has decided that MD&A isn’t worth getting too worked up about as three board members voted “meh”, against issuing an actual proposal that would give management guidance on content. Sayeth:
Because the proposal will not result in a financial reporting standard, issuing it is not an effective use of IASB resources or those of constituents who may feel an obligation to comment, say the three board members, Robert Garnett, Prabhakar Kalavacherla, and James Leisenring.
Common sense appears to be alive and kicking at the IASB. Hoo-RAH.
International Standard Setters Have Their Say on MD&A [CFO.com]
Face It People, Nothing Much Can Be Done About the Revolving Door
There’s constant conspiracy theories bellyaching about certain companies getting their former big shots into public service and regulatory positions (we’re talking about you, Maxine Waters).
Well now there’s speculation about former Big 4 partners working at the IASB.
We get it, those who used to work at the big firms shouldn’t be writing the rules. So who the hell is going to do it? Shall we have the likes of Friehling & Horowitz appointed as the standard setters?
The large firms have the biggest pool to choose out of, so natch they’re going to have some of the better candidates to delve into this wonky rule-writing stuff. We’re probably lucky that there are people out there that actually want to serve on these boards, lots of Big 4 partners can barely turn on their computers.
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Best Baby Wipes For Cruelty-Free Cheek-To-Cheek Clean-Up
by Cristina T. | Last updated on: Jun 21, 2019 | Babies & Toddlers, Bathroom, Parenting, Parenting Products | 0 comments
1 Are baby wipes bad for the environment?
2 Ingredients to limit or avoid in baby wipes (and elsewhere!)
2.1 Fragrance
2.1.1 Fragrance-free vs. unscented wipes
2.3 Parabens
2.4 PEGs
3 The Best Cruelty-Free Baby Wipes
3.1 Baby Wipes by bloom BABY
3.2 Baby Bits Wipes Solution
3.3 Eco by Naty Hypoallergenic Baby Wipes
3.4 The Honest Company Designer Baby Wipes
3.5 WaterWipes
3.6 Babyganics Alcohol-Free Hand Sanitizing Wipes
3.7 Baby Muslin Washcloths by Mukin
4 Our favorite cruelty-free baby wipes
OUR WINNER!
Baby Wipes by bloom BABY | Unscented | For Sensitive Skin | Formulated for...
The Honest Company Designer Baby Wipes | Pattern Play | Over 99 Percent Water |...
Eco by Naty Thick Baby Wipes for Sensitive Skin, Unscented, Hypoallergenic,...
WaterWipes Unscented Baby Wipes, Sensitive and Newborn Skin, 12 Packs (720...
Babyganics Alcohol-Free Hand Sanitizer Wipes, Mandarin, 20 ct, 4 Pack, Packaging...
As a parent, you want what’s best for your child, but as a cruelty-free parent, you also want what’s best for the animals.
If you’re new to parenting or living a cruelty-free lifestyle (or both), choosing the right products for your little one can be daunting. Baby wipes are just one of perhaps dozens of baby products that you may use on a daily basis, but they’re one of the most useful.
They have to handle tough messes while being gentle enough for your baby, and they must be free of animal ingredients and animal testing. You’ve got enough to do without spending hours researching cruelty-free baby wipes, so we’ve done the work for you.
We’ll share our top picks for the best baby wipes and some useful info to make it easier to pick safe, cruelty-free products for your family.
Are baby wipes bad for the environment?
There’s no denying that baby wipes and other disposable baby products are useful and convenient, but their convenience usually comes at the environment’s expense. Most disposable baby wipes are not biodegradable and will sit in landfills for decades before they decompose, which can put a environmentally conscious, cruelty-free consumer in a bit of a pickle.
There are a few eco-friendly baby wipe alternatives on our list of reviews, but there’s nothing wrong with choosing disposable wipes if that’s what works best for you. Following a vegan lifestyle is one of the best things you can do for the environment, and using disposable wipes doesn’t negate that!
Whether you choose to use disposable wipes or not, there’s no harm in learning more about zero waste parenting and making whatever changes you’re able to. Here are some great ideas for reducing waste from The Parenting Junkie:
RELATED: BEST BABY LOTION FOR NEWBORNS | BEST DISPOSABLE DIAPERS | CRUELTY-FREE BABY SHAMPOO
Ingredients to limit or avoid in baby wipes (and elsewhere!)
Not all of the ingredients commonly used in baby wipes and other baby products are as “clean” or gentle as you’d expect. We’ve compiled a list of some of the most commonly used baby wipe ingredients that you might want to consider limiting or avoiding so you can make informed decisions about what you use on your baby’s body:
The pleasant smells of added fragrances used in baby wipes and other personal care products are often hiding something unsafe and unsavory. A vaguely named “Fragrance” or “Parfum” may be derived from a harsh, irritating ingredient, but the FDA allows this to happen due to a loophole in the Fair Packaging and Labeling Program, which states that brands do not have to list ingredients that would reveal a trade secret.
While it’s best to nix fragrances altogether, if you prefer them, opt for natural fragrances derived from natural, botanical ingredients that you can actually pronounce, like fruit and flower extracts.
Fragrance-free vs. unscented wipes
While we’re on the topic of fragrances, there’s an important distinction to be made between fragrance-free and unscented baby wipes. That’s right — they’re not the same thing! Unscented wipes may still have fragrance added to mask any unpleasant, chemical smells from the other ingredients in the wipes.
Fragrance-free wipes, on the other hand, are actually free of any added fragrance, so you’ll want to choose these over unscented wipes whenever possible.
Drying alcohols like ethanol are rarely, if ever, used in baby wipes anymore, but other types of alcohol are commonly used as preservatives and antimicrobial ingredients. The most common alcohols you’ll see in baby wipes are bronopol and phenoxyethanol. While they’re generally harmless in very small doses, overexposure to these ingredients can irritate a baby’s sensitive skin.
Bronopol has a high hazard warning from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) because it’s believed to be a formaldehyde releaser. However, it’s unclear just how much formaldehyde it actually releases, or if it even releases formaldehyde at all. If you’d rather not take your chances with exposing your baby to formaldehyde, this ingredient is easy enough to avoid, as more companies are starting to replace it with alternatives.
Phenoxyethanol is considered a “moderate hazard” by the EWG, and the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) only consider it safe at a maximum concentration of 1%. It’s been linked to allergic reactions in rare cases, but if you’d rather be safe than sorry, ditch the phenoxyethanol.
Parabens refer to a group of preservatives that are commonly used in our food and personal care items. They’re meant to discourage the growth of harmful bacteria and fungus, which seems like a good thing, but there’s reason to believe that these preservatives may do more harm than good in the long run.
Parabens — often found in the forms of isobutylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, or methylparaben — have been scrutinized in recent decades for their possible role as endocrine disruptors. While their effects are weak individually, they may be harmful in large doses. If you’d rather not take the risk, avoid parabens in baby wipes and other products.
Polyethylene glycol, or PEG, is a common additive in personal care products, including baby wipes. It’s used as a penetration enhancer, allowing other ingredients to be driven deeper into the skin, which can lead to irritation.
PEG itself isn’t necessarily considered a toxic ingredient, but it’s so often contaminated with toxic substances, such as ethylene oxide, that it’s earned itself a “moderate hazard” label from the EWG. In short, you and your baby are better off without PEGs.
RELATED: BEST DIAPER BAGS | GOOD VEGAN PREGNANCY BOOKS | WHICH VEGAN INFANT FORMULA? | VEGAN BABY FOOD PRODUCTS
The Best Cruelty-Free Baby Wipes
Now that we have a better idea of what to avoid in baby wipes, it’s time for the fun part: reviewing our favorite, cruelty-free baby wipes. Let’s get to it!
Baby Wipes by bloom BABY
These unscented wipes from bloom BABY are hypoallergenic and made with 98% natural ingredients, including pure, glacial water. Users like how large these wipes are compared to most other natural wipes. They also like that these wipes are soft and gentle enough for the most sensitive skin, but still thick and textured enough to hold up to big messes.
Each bulk case of bloom BABY wipes comes with a convenient travel pouch, which many parents find handy. Don’t expect to get multiple uses out of these pouches though; even fans of these wipes have to admit that they’re extremely flimsy and fall apart easily.
While these wipes are technically unscented, many buyers claim that they have a strong, unpleasant smell. Another common complaint is that these wipes don’t dispense neatly; pulling one out often starts a never-ending chain of wipes that have to be separated and stuffed back into the package (which is the last thing most parents want to deal with when changing a messy diaper at 2 am!).
Finally, while these wipes have mostly natural ingredients, they do contain phenoxyethanol, so these aren’t the wipes for you if you’re avoiding that ingredient.
Textured surface
Larger than most wipes
Soft, yet resistant to tearing
Comes with reusable travel pouch*
Strong scent that some find unpleasant
Don’t dispense neatly
Contain phenoxyethanol
*Travel pouch is flimsy, kind of useless
Baby Bits Wipes Solution offers an eco-friendly alternative to disposable wipes. Made from coconut oil glycerin soap and essential oils, this solution comes in small, solid blocks that dissolve in hot water, making instant wipe solution that can be poured onto reusable cloth wipes, or the disposable wipes of your choice.
Most parents find the lavender and tea tree scent of this solution to be pleasant, but it’s too strong for others. It’s also worth noting that tea tree oil is a common skin irritant, so some babies may have a negative reaction to it. For the most part, users found that this solution leaves their babies’ skin feeling clean, without the unpleasant residue that many disposable wipes may leave behind.
A common complaint among users is that it can be difficult to get the solution blocks to dissolve completely, even in very hot water and with vigorous shaking. Others noted that the solution produced an unpleasant smell when used with wipes in a wipe warmer.
If you live in a hot climate, you may want to think twice before ordering this product in the summer, or you may find yourself stuck with a melted mass instead of individual blocks.
Overall, this is a great product for the eco-friendly, cruelty-free parent.
Has a pleasant smell (compared to most)
Doesn’t leave behind residue
Tea tree oil may irritate some babies
Doesn’t always dissolve completely
May produce unpleasant smell when used in wipe warmer
Difficult to ship during hot weather
Eco by Naty Hypoallergenic Baby Wipes
The Eco by Naty Thick Baby Wipes for Sensitive Skin are fragrance-free, hypoallergenic wipes that are supposed to be suitable for babies with sensitive skin. They’re also compostable, making them more eco-friendly than other disposable products. They contain mostly water, plus aloe vera juice and chamomile extract, but some of their other ingredients may be cause for concern for some parents, such as sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate.
Many users find these wipes to be soft, thick, and great for sensitive babies. They also like that these wipes have mostly natural ingredients. Some parents, on the other hand, find that these wipes are too small, too thin, and not moist enough to get their babes’ bums truly clean with just a wipe or two. It appears that these negative qualities may be due to a recent change in the Naty wipes formulas.
Dissatisfied users state that even though this product is “unscented,” it does have an odd, chemical scent that they find unpleasant and deters some from continuing to use these wipes. They don’t appear to dispense well, either, as many users complain that simply removing a single wipe from a too-small opening can be a frustrating chore.
These hypoallergenic wipes may have been the go-to for cruelty-free parents seeking natural baby wipes once upon a time, but after a recent reformulation, it appears that you may be better off skipping these wipes.
Gentle enough for (most) sensitive babies
Too small and thin for some
Not moist enough
Unpleasant smell
Don’t dispense easily
Contains some concerning ingredients
The Honest Company Designer Baby Wipes
The Honest Company Designer Baby Wipes have set the gold standard for natural baby wipes. These wipes, available in bulk or in small, travel-size packages, are cruelty-free and packed with clean, botanical ingredients like pomegranate and cucumber extracts. As an added bonus, they also have stylish packaging (hence, the “designer” part), making them a cute and colorful addition to your bathroom or changing table.
Parents like the Honest Wipes’ simple, plant-based ingredients, which make them great for most babies (and adults!) with sensitive skin. They’re also quite thick and have a quilted texture that makes it easier to clean up big messes. These wipes dispense easily, for the most part, and don’t leave behind any unpleasant residue, whether they’re used on your baby’s hands, face, or bum.
Not all users were so pleased, however; many claim that these wipes are too dry for their liking and some found that their wipes had a strong, unpleasant smell despite their being fragrance-free. Another common gripe was the designer price tag, but many find that the quality of the wipes is well worth the steeper price.
The most common complaint among parents doesn’t appear to have to do with the quality of the wipes themselves, but where they come from: China. The Honest Company is aware of their customers’ wariness of products made in China and have written an explanation of their decision to manufacture their products there on their blog. You can read what they have to say and decide for yourself if the “Made in China” label is enough to deter you from choosing these wipes.
Clean, natural ingredients
Stylish packaging
Thick and textured
Don’t leave behind residue or slime
Gentle on sensitive skin
Dispense easily
Not as economically priced as other wipes
Too dry for some
Has unpleasant smell to some users
WaterWipes are praised far and wide for their simple, natural ingredients: 99.9% water and 0.1% grapefruit seed extract. Parents like that these wipes are free of unpronounceable chemicals. They also like that these are actually fragrance-free, unlike some other natural, “unscented” wipes that have an unpleasant chemical smell to them.
Parents of children who regularly get diaper rash or suffer from eczema were pleased to report that WaterWipes provided much needed relief.
WaterWipes stay wet, as their name would suggest, so you don’t have to worry about them drying out as easily as other wipes, even if you accidentally leave the package unsealed.
While there are a lot of benefits to using WaterWipes, there are some drawbacks as well. Perhaps the most common complaint among users is the poor packaging design of these wipes. A flimsy, sticker lid makes it nearly impossible to keep these wipes completely sealed after a few uses and, according to most users, these wipes do not dispense easily at all, leading to a lot of added frustration. Some users found these wipes too thin and delicate for their liking, and didn’t care for their smooth texture.
It’s also worth noting that WaterWipes do contain 0.02% benzalkonium chloride, which is found in the added grapefruit seed extract. This ingredient is meant to deter the growth of mold, but it’s a known skin irritant. While it isn’t proven to be harmful at such a low concentration, you may be better off avoiding this ingredient.
Stay moist even if package is left open
Gentle enough for most skin types
Flimsy packaging
Doesn’t dispense easily
Too smooth and thin for some
Contains trace amounts of benzalkonium chloride
Babyganics Alcohol-Free Hand Sanitizing Wipes
Babyganics Alcohol-Free Hand Sanitizing Wipes use natural, plant-based ingredients to kill germs on your little one’s hands. The citrus scent is derived from essential oils of orange and grapefruit, rather than artificial fragrances. While some parents find the citrusy smell pleasant, others find it overwhelming and downright gross, with some even claiming that it smells mildewy.
Users like that these wipes come in conveniently sized travel packs, making them easy to stow away in carry-on luggage, handbags, and diaper bags, but many users have complained that these don’t reseal well, which can lead to leakages and/or dried out wipes. Buyers of these wipes also aren’t too keen on the residue that it leaves behind after using.
Parents like that these wipes offer a way to sanitize their kids’ hands, toys, and pretty much anything their kids may come into contact with, without the use of harsh, drying alcohol.
While the lack of alcohol may make these wipes gentler, it’s important to note that the active ingredient in these wipes is benzalkonium chloride, at a 0.13% concentration. As little as 0.1% of this compound can cause a reaction in some people, so it’s important that you take precautions before introducing it to your child.
Convenient size for traveling
Mostly “clean” ingredients
Package doesn’t reseal well
Citrus scent is too strong and unpleasant to many
Leaves behind residue on hands
Contains benzalkonium chloride
Baby Muslin Washcloths by Mukin
For the eco-conscious parent who wishes to use as few disposable baby products as possible, these Baby Muslin Washcloths may be the perfect solution. These environmentally friendly alternatives to disposable wipes are machine washable and can be reused over and over again.
These washcloths are soft enough for most users, and many have discovered that the cloths will become even softer after washing. However, many reviewers have had completely different experiences; several claim that the cloths actually become rougher after washing, and are very prone to shrinking.
Each of these colorful muslin washcloths has a loop on one corner for hanging, which is convenient if you’re using these in the tub as opposed to the changing table. They’re multifunctional (yes, you can use them too), and many parents choose to use them as burping rags.
While these cloths are a great alternative to baby wipes, they’re not for everybody. Many users state that they are too thin, they don’t lather well, and the colors may fade and bleed after just one wash. Some reviewers also discovered that their muslin cloths weren’t well constructed and started unraveling at the seams before they were even washed.
Even if you are as gentle as possible with these cloths, you still may find yourself replacing them within the year, but if you’re determined to avoid using disposable baby wipes as much as possible, these (or something similar to them) may be the best option for you.
Soft enough (to most people)
Convenient hanging loop
Dyes fade and bleed easily
Not very sturdy
Prone to shrinking
Too thin for some
Don’t lather well
Our favorite cruelty-free baby wipes
There are a lot of great wipes on our list, but the top spot goes to The Honest Company Designer Baby Wipes.
These wipes meet all the most important criteria: they’re soft, gentle, textured, thick, and fragrance-free. Most users find that they dispense neatly and easily, they’re just the right size, and they clean up without leaving behind any sticky, slimy residue.
While these wipes are great, they’re not free from criticism.
Most users think these wipes smell just fine, but some claim that they have a strong, unpleasant smell. Their premium quality comes with a premium price tag that some may find off-putting.
The most common complaint about these wipes, though, is that they are made in China. The Honest Company has addressed these concerns openly, but if you’re set on not using products made in China, you may want to consider some of the other wipes on our list.
I totally get those concerns, too. From human rights abuses and scant regard for the environment through to criminally low wages and child labor, recommending products made in China is sure to raise an eyebrow.
However, our research and reviews put these out on top, and it would be remiss of me to say otherwise.
There’s also confusion in some quarters of the Internet regarding products made in China and the cruelty-free label. Yes, it’s true that certain products (think cosmetics) sold in China are required to be tested on animals, but items manufactured and sold elsewhere are not. The Honest Company, for now at least, falls into the latter category.
So, no matter which cruelty-free wipes you choose from our list, rest assured that you can have a clean, happy baby without contributing to animal cruelty.
← Best Vegan Baby Formula: Dairy-Free Product Reviews 2020 Vegan Baby Food: Brands And Products Guide - 2020 Reviews →
Cristina fulfills her passion for animals and writing by working as an attendant at a dog daycare by day, and writing for HappyHappyVegan by night.
Before joining HHV’s team, Cristina wrote and edited petitions that focused on animal rights and environmental issues. She’s traveled the US with PETA’s youth outreach division, peta2, and Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM) to educate thousands of college students about veganism and animal agriculture. As a vegan for nine years, she’s extremely grateful to live in Southern California, where there is no shortage of amazing vegan eats and events. She shares a home with her boyfriend, their Australian Cattle Dog, Piper, and her beloved houseplants.
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OCTOBER 16/GOLD UP $1.00 TO $1227.90/SILVER DOWN 2 CENTS TO $14.68/GLD ADDS ANOTHER 4.12 PAPER TONNES TO ITS INVENTORY AND THIS IS THE SIGN THAT WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR: GOLD WILL BE ON THE MOVE!!/HUNGARY’S CENTRAL BANK INCREASES ITS HOLDINGS BY 1000% TO 31.5 TONNES./POLAND ALSO PURCHASES 4.4 TONNES BUT THAT GOLD IS “STORED” IN LONDON/SURPRISINGLY BOTH CHINA AND JAPAN DUMP USA TREASURIES/CARTER PAGE SUES THE DNC AS WELL AS THE LAW FIRM OF PERKINS COE/
GOLD: $1227.90 UP $1.00 (COMEX TO COMEX CLOSINGS)
Silver: $14.68 DOWN 2 CENTS (COMEX TO COMEX CLOSING)
NUMBER OF NOTICES FILED TODAY FOR OCT CONTRACT: 30 NOTICE(S) FOR 3000 OZ
Total number of notices filed so far for OCT: 944 for 944400 OZ (2.9362 TONNES)
5,000 OZ/
Bitcoin: OPENING MORNING TRADE $6780: UP $335
Bitcoin: FINAL EVENING TRADE: $6785 UP 340
In silver, the total OPEN INTEREST FELL BY 386 CONTRACTS FROM 199,552 DOWN TO 199,166 DESPITE YESTERDAY’S 10 CENT RISE IN SILVER PRICING AT THE COMEX. TODAY WE MOVED FURTHER FROM AUGUST’S RECORD SETTING OPEN INTEREST OF 244,196 CONTRACTS.
1.THE 10 CENT RISE IN SILVER PRICE AT THE COMEX AND
RESULT: WE HAD A DECREASE IN COMEX OI SILVER COMEX CONTRACTS OF 386 DESPITE THE 10 CENT GAIN IN SILVER PRICING AT THE COMEX //YESTERDAY. THE CME NOTIFIED US THAT WE HAD A STRONG SIZED EFP ISSUANCE OF 1717 CONTRACTS WHICH EXITED OUT OF THE SILVER COMEX AND TRANSFERRED THEIR OI TO LONDON AS FORWARDS. SPECULATORS CONTINUED THEIR INTEREST IN ATTACKING THE SILVER COMEX FOR PHYSICAL SILVER (SEE COMEX DATA) .
i.e 1717 OPEN INTEREST CONTRACTS HEADED FOR LONDON (EFP’s) TOGETHER WITH DECREASE OF 386 OI COMEX CONTRACTS. AND ALL OF DEMAND HAPPENED WITH A 10 CENT RISE IN PRICE OF SILVER AND A CLOSING PRICE OF $14.70 WITH RESPECT TO YESTERDAY’S TRADING. YET WE HAD A GIGANTIC AMOUNT OF SILVER STANDING AT THE COMEX FOR DELIVERY IN THE BIG JULY DELIVERY MONTH OF SLIGHTLY OVER 30 MILLION OZ, IN AUGUST ANOTHER BIG 6.065 MILLION OZ IN A NON ACTIVE MONTH AND IN SEPTEMBER AN FINAL MONSTROUS 39.505 MILLION OZ OF SILVER STANDING FOR DELIVERY… NOBODY IS PAYING ATTENTION TO THE HUGE NUMBER OF PHYSICAL OUNCES STANDING FOR SILVER THESE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS.
In ounces AT THE COMEX, the OI is still represented by JUST UNDER 1 BILLION oz i.e. 0.9965 BILLION OZ TO BE EXACT or 144% of annual global silver production (ex Russia & ex China).
FOR THE NEW FRONT AUGUST MONTH/ THEY FILED AT THE COMEX: 1 NOTICE(S) FOR 5,000 OZ OF SILVER
HUGE AMOUNTS OF SILVER STANDING FOR DELIVERY (MARCH/2018: 27 MILLION OZ , APRIL/2018 : 2.485 MILLION OZ MAY: 36.285 MILLION OZ ; JUNE/2018 (5.420 MILLION OZ) , JULY 2018 FINAL AMOUNT STANDING: 30.370 MILLION OZ ) FOR AUGUST 6.065 MILLION OZ. , SEPT: AN INITIAL HUGE 39.505 MILLION OZ./AND NOW OCTOBER:1,805,000 oz
IN GOLD, THE OPEN INTEREST ROSE BY A CONSIDERABLE SIZED 4981 CONTRACTS UP TO 481,088 WITH THE RISE IN THE COMEX GOLD PRICE/YESTERDAY’S TRADING (A GAIN IN PRICE OF $8.45).THE CME RELEASED THE DATA FOR EFP ISSUANCE AND IT TOTALED A VERY GOOD SIZED 7534 CONTRACTS: ALWAYS, ON THE WEEK PRIOR TO FIRST DAY NOTICE IN ANY ACTIVE MONTH WHETHER GOLD OR SILVER THE OI COLLAPSES. IT IS HERE THAT THE MIGRANTS RECEIVE THEIR FIAT BONUS FOR ENGAGING IN THIS EXERCISE. WE HAD THE FOLLOWING EFP ISSUANCE FOR TODAY:
OCTOBER HAD 0 EFP’S ISSUED AND, DECEMBER HAD AN ISSUANCE OF 7534 CONTACTS AND ALL OTHER MONTHS ZERO. The NEW COMEX OI for the gold complex rests at 481,088. ALSO REMEMBER THAT THERE WILL BE A DELAY IN THE ISSUANCE OF EFP’S. THE BANKERS REMOVE LONG POSITIONS OF COMEX GOLD IMMEDIATELY. THEN THEY ORCHESTRATE THEIR PRIVATE EFP DEAL WITH THE LONGS AND THAT COULD TAKE AN ADDITIONAL, 48 HRS SO WE GENERALLY DO NOT GET A MATCH WITH RESPECT TO DEPARTING COMEX LONGS AND NEW EFP LONG TRANSFERS. . EVEN THOUGH THE BANKERS ISSUED THESE MONSTROUS EFPS, THE OBLIGATION STILL RESTS WITH THE BANKERS TO SUPPLY METAL BUT IT TRANSFERS THE RISK TO A LONDON BANKER OBLIGATION AND NOT A NEW YORK COMEX OBLIGATION. LONGS RECEIVE A FIAT BONUS TOGETHER WITH A LONG LONDON FORWARD. THUS, BY THESE ACTIONS, THE BANKERS AT THE COMEX HAVE JUST STATED THAT THEY HAVE NO APPRECIABLE METAL!! THIS IS A MASSIVE FRAUD: THEY CANNOT SUPPLY ANY METAL TO OUR COMEX LONGS BUT THEY ARE QUITE WILLING TO SUPPLY MASSIVE NON BACKED GOLD (AND SILVER) PAPER KNOWING THAT THEY HAVE NO METAL TO SATISFY OUR LONGS. LONDON IS NOW SEVERELY BACKWARD IN BOTH GOLD AND SILVER AND WE ARE WITNESSING DELAYS IN ACTUAL DELIVERIES.
IN ESSENCE WE HAVE AN OI GAIN IN TOTAL CONTRACTS ON THE TWO EXCHANGES OF 14.157 CONTRACTS: 6623 OI CONTRACTS INCREASED AT THE COMEX AND 7534 EFP OI CONTRACTS WHICH NAVIGATED OVER TO LONDON. THUS TOTAL OI GAIN: 14,157 CONTRACTS OR 1,415,700 OZ = 44.03 TONNES. AND ALL OF THIS DEMAND OCCURRED WITH A RISE IN THE PRICE OF GOLD/ YESTERDAY TO THE TUNE OF $8.45.
YESTERDAY, WE HAD 8,309 EFP’S ISSUED.
Result: A CONSIDERABLE SIZED INCREASE IN OI AT THE COMEX OF 4981 WITH THE GAIN IN PRICING ($8.45) THAT GOLD UNDERTOOK YESTERDAY) //. WE ALSO HAD A GOOD SIZED NUMBER OF COMEX LONG TRANSFERRING TO LONDON THROUGH THE EFP ROUTE: 7534 CONTRACTS AS THESE HAVE ALREADY BEEN NEGOTIATED AND CONFIRMED. THERE OBVIOUSLY DOES NOT SEEM TO BE MUCH PHYSICAL GOLD AT THE COMEX. I GUESS IT EXPLAINS THE HUGE ISSUANCE OF EFP’S…THERE IS HARDLY ANY GOLD PRESENT AT THE GOLD COMEX FOR DELIVERY PURPOSES. IF YOU TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE 7534 EFP CONTRACTS ISSUED, WE HAD A STRONG GAIN OF 12,515 CONTRACTS IN TOTAL OPEN INTEREST ON THE TWO EXCHANGES:
7534 CONTRACTS MOVE TO LONDON AND 4981 CONTRACTS INCREASED AT THE COMEX. (in tonnes, the GAIN in total oi equates to 38.92 TONNES). ..AND ALL OF THIS DEMAND OCCURRED WITH A GAIN OF $8.45 IN YESTERDAY’S TRADING AT THE COMEX.
we had: 30 notice(s) filed upon for 3000 oz of gold at the comex.
WITH GOLD UP $1.00 TODAY: /
ANOTHER BIG CHANGE IN INVENTORY
ANOTHER BIG DEPOSIT OF: 4.12 TONNES (NO DOUBT THAT THIS IS A PAPER GOLD ENTRY)
(THIS IS A GREAT SIGN THAT THE CROOKS ARE HAVING DIFFICULTY CONTAINING GOLD)
WITH SILVER DOWN 2 CENTS TODAY
1. Today, we had the open interest in SILVER FELL BY 386 CONTRACTS from 199,552 DOWN TO 199,166 AND MOVING A LITTLE FURTHER FROM THE NEW COMEX RECORD SET LAST IN AUG.2018 AT 244,196 WITH A SILVER PRICE OF $14.78/(AUGUST 22/2018)..THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS SET ON APRIL 9/2018 AT 243,411 OPEN INTEREST CONTRACTS WITH THE SILVER PRICE AT THAT DAY: $16.53). AND PREVIOUS TO THAT, THE RECORD WAS ESTABLISHED AT: 234,787 CONTRACTS, SET ON APRIL 21.2017 OVER 1 1/3 YEARS AGO. THE PRICE OF SILVER ON THAT DAY: $17.89. AS YOU CAN SEE, WE HAVE RECORD HIGH OPEN INTERESTS IN SILVER ACCOMPANIED BY A CONTINUAL LOWER PRICE WHEN THAT RECORD WAS SET…..
1597 CONTRACTS FOR DECEMBER AND AND ALL OTHER MONTHS: ZERO. TOTAL EFP ISSUANCE: 1717 CONTRACTS . EFP’S GIVE OUR COMEX LONGS A FIAT BONUS PLUS A DELIVERABLE PRODUCT OVER IN LONDON. IF WE TAKE THE OI LOSS AT THE COMEX OF 386 CONTRACTS TO THE 1717 OI TRANSFERRED TO LONDON THROUGH EFP’S, WE OBTAIN A NET GAIN OF 1051 OPEN INTEREST CONTRACTS. THUS IN OUNCES, THE GAIN ON THE TWO EXCHANGES: 5.255 MILLION OZ!!! AND YET WE ALSO HAVE A STRONG DEMAND FOR PHYSICAL AS WE WITNESSED A FINAL STANDING OF GREATER THAN 30 MILLION OZ FOR JULY, A STRONG 6.065 MILLION OZ FOR AUGUST.. A HUGE 39.505 MILLION OZ STANDING FOR SILVER IN SEPTEMBER…AND NOW 1.805 million OZ STANDING FOR THE NON ACTIVE MONTH OF OCTOBER.
RESULT: A DECREASE IN SILVER OI AT THE COMEX DESPITE THE 10 CENT PRICING GAIN THAT SILVER UNDERTOOK IN PRICING// FRIDAY.BUT WE ALSO HAD A GOOD SIZED 1717 EFP’S ISSUED TRANSFERRING COMEX LONGS OVER TO LONDON. TOGETHER WITH THE STRONG SIZED AMOUNT OF SILVER OUNCES STANDING FOR SEPTEMBER, DEMAND FOR PHYSICAL SILVER CONTINUES TO INTENSIFY AS WE WITNESS SEVERE BACKWARDATION IN SILVER IN LONDON.
i) TUESDAY MORNING/ MONDAY NIGHT:
SHANGHAI CLOSED DOWN 21.77 POINTS OR 0.85% //Hang Sang CLOSED UP 17.20 POINTS OR 0.07% //The Nikkei closed UP 277.94 OR 1.25%/ Australia’s all ordinaires CLOSED UP 0.50% /Chinese yuan (ONSHORE) closed DOWN at 6.9187 AS POBC RESUMES ITS HUGE DEVALUATION /DELEGATION COMING TO THE USA TO SEE TRUMP IN NOVEMBER CANCELLED/Oil DOWN to 71.13 dollars per barrel for WTI and 80.14 for Brent. Stocks in Europe OPENED RED EXCEPT GERMAN DAX//. ONSHORE YUAN CLOSED SLIGHTLY DOWN AT 6.9189 AGAINST THE DOLLAR. OFFSHORE YUAN CLOSED SLIGHTLY UP THE DOLLAR AT 6.9122: HUGE DEVALUATION/PAST SEVERAL DAYS RESUMES// TRADE TALKS STOPPED : /ONSHORE YUAN TRADING WEAKER AGAINST OFFSHORE YUAN/ONSHORE YUAN TRADING WEAKER AGAINST USA DOLLAR/OFFSHORE YUAN TRADING STRONGER AGAINST THE DOLLAR /CHINA RETALIATES WITH TARIFFS/ TRUMP RESPONDS TO NEW TARIFFS AND IT NOW A FULL TRADE WAR COMMENCED
i)ITALY
The war of words continue and yet Juncker states that the EU cannot survive without Italy and he is right.
Pompeo takes a 12 hr flight to see King Salman of Saudi Arabia. The meeting lasts 15 minutes
It sure looks like some innocent underlings are going to take the fall for the murder
ii)TURKEY/SAUDI ARABIA
Supposedly Turkey finds evidence of the killing of Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate
iii)It looks like this one is spiraling out of control” Republican senators are threatening sanctions against Saudi Arabia
iv)the Saudi Prince MbS, totally denies knowledge of the killing and promises a complete investigation( zerohedge
This is good for gold: Both China and Japan dumped treasuries. Saudi Arabia and Brazil were purchasers of the treasuries.
i)As explained below, the crypto markets are foiled as traders question tether’s dollar’s peg
ii)This book will have dandy quotes as it exposes the crookedness of Goldman Sachs
( New York Post/Dugan/Carmen Segarra)
iii)Huge story: Hungary which hardly had any gold to its credit, purchased 3.1 tonnes last month and now a stunning 28.4 tonnes to hold 31.5 tonnes an increase of 1000%. Poland also increased its holdings by 4.4 tonnes but all of its gold is stored in London and you can bet the farm that it has all be leased out.
(courtesy Ronan Manley)
Another indicator to suggest that the USA economy is now faltering: industrial production growth beats the street but slows to its weakest level since May
a)Tom Luongo on the upcoming midterm elections. Julian Assange now has internet connections. Luongo discusses what this means:
b)Project Veritas exposes Missouri Democrat McCaskill for hiding a true liberal agenda form moderate voters
c)Carter Page sues and me may get considerable unredacted stuff. If justice is failed, will the 5 to 4 Supreme Court come into action
d)Have fun with this: Trump will now go after both Stormy Daniels and her lawyer Avenatti
The total gold comex open interest ROSE BY A CONSIDERABLE SIZED 4981 CONTRACTS DOWN to an OI level 481,088 WITH THE RISE IN THE PRICE OF GOLD ($8.45 GAIN IN YESTERDAY’S COMEX TRADING). FOR TWO YEARS STRAIGHT WE HAVE NOTICED THAT ONE WEEK PRIOR TO FIRST DAY NOTICE OF AN ACTIVE DELIVERY MONTH THE COMEX OPEN INTEREST CONTRACTS AND EFP’S NOTICES EXPONENTIALLY INCREASE AS WELL AS WE WITNESS THE COMEX OPEN INTEREST COLLAPSE. ONCE WE GET TO FIRST DAY NOTICE, THEN THE OPEN INTEREST RISES AND AGAIN THEY DID NOT DISAPPOINT US.
ON A NET BASIS IN OPEN INTEREST WE GAINED THE FOLLOWING TODAY ON OUR TWO EXCHANGES: A 12,515 TOTAL CONTRACTS IN THAT 7534 LONGS WERE TRANSFERRED AS FORWARDS TO LONDON AND WE GAINED 4981 COMEX CONTRACTS.
NET GAIN ON THE TWO EXCHANGES: 12,515 contracts OR 1,251,500 OZ OR 38.92 TONNES.
Result: A CONSIDERABLE SIZED INCREASE IN COMEX OPEN INTEREST WITH THE GAIN IN PRICE/ YESTERDAY (ENDING UP WITH THE RISE IN PRICE OF $8.45). THE TOTAL OPEN INTEREST GAIN ON THE TWO EXCHANGES: 12,515 OI CONTRACTS..
We are now in the active contract month of OCTOBER. For the October contract month, we lost 159 contracts to fall to 1099 contracts. We had 60 notices yesterday, so we lost 99 contracts or 9900 oz will not stand for delivery at the comex and these guys marched over to London as they received London based forwards on top of a fiat bonus for their hard work.
The next delivery month is the non active NOVEMBER contract month and here the OI FELL by 67 contracts down to 421. The next delivery month after November is the very big December contract month and here the OI ROSE by 5842 contracts up to 379,187 contracts.
WE HAD 30 NOTICE FILED AT THE COMEX FOR 3000 OZ.
Total silver OI FELL BY 386 CONTRACTS FROM 199,552 DOWN TO 199,166 (AND FURTHER FROM THE NEW RECORD OI FOR SILVER SET ON AUGUST 22.2018. (THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS SET APRIL 9.2018/ 243,411 CONTRACTS) AND TODAY’S OI COMEX LOSS OCCURRED DESPITE A 10 CENT RISE IN PRICING.
FOR DECEMBER: 1597 CONTRACTS AND ZERO FOR ALL OTHER MONTHS. THESE EFPS WERE ISSUED TO COMEX LONGS WHO RECEIVED A FIAT BONUS PLUS A DELIVERABLE PRODUCT OVER IN LONDON. THE TOTAL EFP’S ISSUED: 1717. ON A NET BASIS WE GAINED 1051 SILVER OPEN INTEREST CONTRACTS AS WE OBTAINED A 386 CONTRACT LOSS AT THE COMEX COMBINING WITH THE ADDITION OF 1717 OI CONTRACTS NAVIGATING OVER TO LONDON.
NET GAIN ON THE TWO EXCHANGES: 1051 CONTRACTS…AND ALL OF THIS DEMAND OCCURRED WITH A 10 CENT RISE IN PRICING YESTERDAY.
We are now in the non active delivery month of October and here we had a LOSS of 20 contracts to stand at 22 contracts. We had 20 notices filed YESTERDAY so we gained 0 contracts or NIL oz will stand for delivery at the comex as these guys refused to accept a London based forward plus as well as a fiat bonus
After October, is the non active delivery month of November and here we GAINED 114 contracts up to 825 contracts. After November, we have a December contract and here we LOST 795 contracts down to 159.592
We had 1 notice(s) filed for 5,000 OZ for the SEPTEMBER 2018 COMEX contract for silver
100.000 oz
30 notice(s)
(106900 oz)
944 notices
94400 OZ
total gold entering dealer: NIL oz
total gold withdrawing from the dealer; NIL oz
i Out of Brinks: 100.000 oz ???
total customer withdrawals: 100.000 oz
we had NIL adjustments
Today, 0 notice(s) were issued from JPMorgan dealer account and 0 notices were issued from their client or customer account. The total of all issuance by all participants equates to 30 contract(s) of which 0 notices were stopped (received) by j.P. Morgan dealer and 23 notice(s) was (were) stopped/ Received) by j.P.Morgan customer account.
To calculate the INITIAL total number of gold ounces standing for the OCT/2018. contract month, we take the total number of notices filed so far for the month (944) x 100 oz or 100 oz, to which we add the difference between the open interest for the front month of OCT. (1099 contracts) minus the number of notices served upon today (30 x 100 oz per contract) equals 201,300 OZ OR 6.2612 TONNES) the number of ounces standing in this non active month of OCT
No of notices served (944 x 100 oz) + {1099)OI for the front month minus the number of notices served upon today (30x 100 oz )which equals 201,200 oz standing OR 6.2612 TONNES in this active delivery month of OCTOBER.
We lost 99 contracts or 9900 oz of gold will not stand as these guys morphed into London based forwards and received a fiat bonus for their effort. THE REASON THEY MORPHED TO LONDON IS BECAUSE THERE IS NO GOLD AT THE COMEX.
1,313,321.23 oz
5,000 OZ)
21 contracts
(105,000 oz)
i) Into Brinks: 1,238,898.03 oz
total dealer deposits: 1.238.898.03 oz
total dealer withdrawals: nil oz
JPMorgan now has 143.721 million oz of total silver inventory or 49.4% of all official comex silver. (143.6 million/289 million)
i) Out of CNT 612,633.900 OZ
iii) Out of Scotia 700,687.330 oz
total dealer silver: 75/351 million
The total number of notices filed today for the OCTOBER 2018. contract month is represented by 1 contract(s) FOR 5,000 oz. To calculate the number of silver ounces that will stand for delivery in OCT., we take the total number of notices filed for the month so far at 340 x 5,000 oz = 1,700,000 oz to which we add the difference between the open interest for the front month of OCT. (22) and the number of notices served upon today (1 x 5000 oz) equals the number of ounces standing.
Thus the INITIAL standings for silver for the OCT/2018 contract month: 340(notices served so far)x 5000 oz + OI for front month of OCT (22) -number of notices served upon today (1)x 5000 oz equals 1,805,000 oz of silver standing for the OCT contract month. This is a huge number of oz standing for an off delivery month.
ESTIMATED VOLUME FOR TODAY: 65,612 CONTRACTS …
YESTERDAY’S CONFIRMED VOLUME OF 67,890 CONTRACTS EQUATES TO 339 million OZ OR 48.4% OF ANNUAL GLOBAL PRODUCTION OF SILVER
1. Sprott silver fund (PSLV): NAV FALLS TO -3.93% (OCT 16/2018)
2. Sprott gold fund (PHYS): premium to NAV FALLS TO -1/40% to NAV (OCT 16/2018 )
OCT 3WITH SILVER FLAT, A GOOD INCREASE OF 1.879 MILLION OZ INTO INVENTORY
Major gold/silver trading /commentaries for TUESDAY
GOLDCORE/BLOG/MARK O’BYRNE.
(Reuters) – Poland raised its gold holdings to the highest in at least 35 years, data from the International Monetary Fund showed on Monday.
The country increased its holdings by 4.4 tonnes from August to about 117 tonnes in September, a record, according to data going back to January 1983.
“We have a really exciting announcement coming this Thursday, learn more about it here…”
“While the exchange-traded funds (ETFs) were losing tonnage, the central banks were buying since they had to maintain domestic currency values against a rising dollar,” said George Gero, managing director at RBC Wealth Management.
“I think you will see that continuing. Central banks are trying to maintain some hold on their currencies by storing gold.”
Holdings of SPDR Gold, the largest gold-backed ETF, have registered declines of more than 4 million ounces since hitting a peak in late April as investors have preferred the safety of the U.S. dollar against a backdrop of rising interest rates and as a U.S.-China trade tussle unfolds.
The trade dispute and rising dollar have in turn weighed on emerging markets, with the Polish zloty declining more than 6 percent this year.
Avoid Digital & ETF Gold – Key Gold Storage Must Haves
Poland raises gold holdings to record high in September – IMF (Reuters.com)
Gold hovers near 2-1/2 month high as investors seek safe haven refuge (Reuters.com)
Gold Rises To Near 3-month High (RTTNews.com)
West-Saudi tensions lift safe havens; world stocks slip (Reuters.com)
U.S. budget deficit jumps to $779 billion (MarketWatch.com)
Goldman Sachs’ seedy underbelly exposed in shocking tapes (NYPost.com)
How to avoid being ruined by nasty stockmarket surprises (MoneyWeek.com)
‘Great Depression’ Ahead? IMF Sounds Dire Warning (ATimes.com)
We Saw Similar Setups In 2000 & 2007 (ZeroHedge.com)
Oil Jumps After Saudi Official Floats “Trial Balloon” Op-Ed Envisioning “Oil Weapon” Devastation (ZeroHedge.com)
Last Week Was Just A Taste Of The Coming Gold Short Squeeze (SeekingAlpha.com)
Listen on SoundCloud , Blubrry & iTunes. Watch on YouTube below
– Brexit To Burst Dublin and London Property Bubbles? GoldCore Video
– Perth Mint’s Gold and Silver Bullion Coin Sales Soar In September
– “I’m Favouring Equities and Gold Over Bonds” – Stepek
– Poland Buys Gold For First Time In 20 years
– This Week’s Golden Nuggets – Central Banks, Goldman, Bank of America Positive On Undervalued Gold
ANDREW MAGUIRE’S KINESIS WHICH IS A”BITCOIN’ BACKED 100% BY ALLOCATED GOLD AND SILVER
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(Andrew Maguire)
Dear Harvey Organ,
Thank you for your participation in our webinar on June 7th with our host and CEO of Kinesis, Thomas Coughlin.
The response we received has been incredible, we appreciate you taking the time to join us and hope you found it to be beneficial.
Due to such a high influx of questions we received we were unable to have them all answered. Nevertheless, if there was anything which requires more clarification, or you have a query which needs to be rectified, we invite you to join our telegram group:
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We apologize for the technical issues we incurred during the webinar which resulted in it running a little over schedule, we hope that the next one we host will run seamlessly.
A video has been put together and uploaded onto our YouTube channel which can be found here:
Kinesis Webinar
Please share and subscribe to our YouTube channel to be notified of all the latest videos as they become available.
The rapid growth that we are currently experiencing has been incredible and with your support, is only going to get better.
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The following is self explanatory
(courtesy GATA/Chris Powell and Harvey Organ)
GATA asks bank regulator to check risks of gold futures maneuver
Submitted by cpowell on Sun, 2018-06-10 16:17. Section: Daily Dispatches
12:21p ET Sunday, June 10, 2018
GATA has appealed to the U.S. comptroller of the currency, who has regulatory authority over banks, to review financial risks certain banks may have incurred through derivatives in the monetary metals markets, particularly through the recent heavy use of the “exchange for physicals” mechanism of settling gold and silver futures contracts on the New York Commodities Exchange.
The appeal was made in a letter sent May 5 to the comptroller, Joseph M. Otting, whose office is part of the U.S. Treasury Department, by your secretary/treasurer and GATA futures market consultant Harvey Organ.
“Exchange for physical” settlements of futures contracts long were considered emergency procedures when a seller was not able to deliver metal from an exchange-approved warehouse and wanted to settle with delivery elsewhere. But now such settlements appear to constitute most gold and silver futures settlements on the Comex. It is a strange development that appears to have been necessitated by the increasing difficulties of central banking’s gold and silver price suppression policy.
GATA has received no acknowledgment of the letter. Its text is below and a PDF copy of it is here:
http://www.gata.org/files/ComptrollerOfCurrencyLetter.pdf
CPowell@GATA.org
Joseph M. Otting, Comptroller of the Currency
U.S. Treasury Department
400 7th Street, SW
Dear Comptroller Otting:
Please let us bring to your attention financial risks to major banks involving their possibly unreported exposure to derivatives in the monetary metals markets.
In recent months gold and silver future contracts issued by U.S. banks on the New York Commodities Exchange have been moved off-exchange for delivery through a mechanism known as “exchange for physical” (EFP) contracts. Until recently use of this mechanism was considered an emergency procedure when a seller did not have access to metal for delivery through Comex warehouses. Now the mechanism seems to be in use for a large share of front-month contracts for which delivery is sought.
Here is an example that is happening at the Comex in the front active month of April for gold and the inactive delivery month of April for silver.
In gold, there were 229,436 EFP contracts for 713.64 tonnes, an average of 10,925 contracts and 1,092,500 ounces per trading day.
In silver, there were 77,150 EFP contracts for 385,750,000 ounces, an average of 3,673 contracts and 18,369,000 ounces per trading day.
London Bullion Market Association rules suggest that these contracts may not be reported to regulators. The LBMA’s bylaws say:
“Figures above exclude any contracts not subject to risk-based capital requirements, such as FX contracts with an original maturity of 14 days or less, futures contracts, written options, and basis swaps. Therefore, the total notional amount of derivatives by maturity will not add to the total derivatives figure in this table.”
We are told that these EFP contracts are transferred from the Comex to London as what are called “serial forwards” and their duration is always less than 14 days, which exempts them from being reported.
It is our understanding that in each quarter your office prepares a report detailing risk undertaken by the banks under the comptroller’s supervision.
These risks include derivatives undertaken by U.S. banks and other obligations that may cause a bank to fail. Our concern is that your office may not be aware of large unreported derivative exposure by banks.
Could you review this matter and let us know your conclusions?
Secretary/Treasurer
7 Villa Louisa Road
Manchester, Connecticut 06043-7541
Finally, they replied and it was a complete brush off
Currency comptroller brushes off GATA’s inquiry on
gold,silver EFPs
11:35a ET Friday, August 10, 2018
The U.S. comptroller of the currency, a bank regulator, has declined GATA’s request to inquire into the strange explosion of the use of the emergency procedure of “exchange for physicals” in the settlement by banks of the gold and silver futures contracts they have sold on the New York Commodities Exchange.
Your secretary/treasurer and GATA’s consultant about the Comex, Harvey Organ, wrote to the comptroller, James M. Otting, on May 5, calling attention to the recent enormous use of EFPs, which implies derivatives risks being undertaken by U.S. banks that could cause the banks to fail:
“Our concern is that your office may not be aware of large unreported derivative exposure by banks,” GATA wrote.
As months passed without any acknowledgment from the comptroller’s office, your secretary/treasurer appealed to his U.S. representative, John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, to ask the comptroller’s office to reply. The congressman’s office made a second inquiry on Monday this week and today the comptroller’s office provided Larson with a copy of a reply written and mailed Wednesday.
The comptroller’s reply, signed by the deputy comptroller for public affairs, Bryan Hubbard, said only that the comptroller’s office has “dedicated examiners” at the largest banks who “continuously evaluate the credit, market, operational, reputation, and compliance risks of bank trading and derivative activities.”
The reply did not say anything about the use of the “exchange for physicals” procedure for settling futures contracts. That is, the reply was a begrudged brushoff and GATA’s letter would have been ignored completely if not for Representative Larson’s repeated intervention.
Of course GATA hardly expected a conscientious reply to its letter, the comptroller’s office being not an independent regulator but part of the Treasury Department, whose mandate includes administration of the Gold Reserve Act of 1934, which, as amended in the 1970s, authorizes the department’s Exchange Stabilization Fund to secretly intervene in and rig any market in the world, directly or through intermediaries:
https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/international/ESF/Pages/esf-ind…
But there’s always value in demonstrating government’s lack of candor about what it is doing, especially in regard to the monetary metals.
A PDF copy of the reply from the comptroller’s office is posted at GATA’s internet site here:
http://www.gata.org/files/ComptrollerOfCurrencyReply-08-08-2018.pdf
As explained below, the crypto markets are foiled as traders question tether’s dollar’s peg
Crypto markets roiled as traders question Tether’s dollar peg
By Andrea Tan, Eric Lam, and Benjamin Robertson
A sudden exodus from the most popular dollar-linked cryptocurrency rippled through digital asset markets on Monday, saddling some investors with losses while propelling Bitcoin to its biggest gain in more than three weeks.
Tether, the so-called stablecoin used as a substitute for the U.S. currency on crypto exchanges around the world, broke its historically tight link with the greenback, touching 85 cents on U.S.-based venue Kraken.
Transactions on Binance, one of the world’s most active platforms for Tether, recently implied a price of about 96 cents, according to CoinMarketCap.com. Bitcoin jumped as much as 8.9 percent to $6,769 as Tether holders shifted into alternative virtual currencies.
“If traders start to flee Tether, it’s a potentially precarious situation,” said Vijay Ayyar, head of business development at Luno, a cryptocurrency exchange. “It basically implies a lot of volatility ahead.” …
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-15/dollar-peg-that-under…
This book will have dandy quotes as it exposes the crookedness of Goldman Sachs
(courtesy New York Post/Dugan/Carmen Segarra)
Goldman Sachs’ seedy underbelly exposed in shocking tapes
By Kevin Dugan
Fresh dirt has spilled at Goldman Sachs — and this time it has been caught on tape.
David Solomon, who took the helm of the Wall Street giant from Lloyd Blankfein last week, once blew off criticism of Goldman’s double-dealing in a big energy merger as a matter of “perception” — a cheeky dismissal that came despite a class-action lawsuit against the deal that eventually cost Goldman $20 million in fees
That’s among the cringeworthy quotes that Carmen Segarra claims she secretly recorded behind closed doors for her new book “Noncompliant: A Lone Whistleblower Exposes the Giants of Wall Street.”
The 340-page expose expands on her previous claims that Goldman Sachs has long exploited an improperly cozy relationship with Wall Street regulators. …
https://nypost.com/2018/10/11/whistleblowers-new-book-shares-secret-tape…
Trouble with crypto currency “Tether”
Tether Tumbles Below Critical $1 Threshold As Dollar-
Pegged Crypto Doubts Soar
Update: Careful to quickly assuage any potential loss of the narrative and ‘full faith and credit’ of the ‘stablecoin’, Tether released a statement on USDT drop:
“We would like to reiterate that although markets have shown temporary fluctuations in price, all USDT in circulation are sufficiently backed by U.S. dollars (USD) and that assets have always exceeded liabilities.”
See, nothing to panic about.
The only cryptocurrency not rallying right now is the one pegged to the U.S. dollar.
The week started off green for cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ripple, and Ethereum. Collectively, the three of them rose by about 7% according to a CNBC article out early Monday morning. Bitcoin came close to topping $7,000 again, but digital currencies remain in the midst of a longer-term downtrend that has continued over the last year.
This downtrend among all cryptos was exacerbated by the sharp moves lower in equity markets last week, which prompted billions of dollars of digital currency market cap to be wiped away. But Monday kicked off a new week and cryptos are all trying to bounce or pare their losses from last week (for now, at least).
Interestingly enough, the only crypto not participating in the early week rally is Tether, a digital currency that is pegged to the US dollar. Tether was trading 2.5% lower, down to $0.965, after falling much lower earlier in the morning.
This chart of the carnage, as it happened on the Kraken exchange, was posted at about 2AM EST on Monday morning by Twitter user @Bitfinexed. It shows Tether printing as low as $0.85:
The firm that runs the digital currency, Tether, Ltd., has recently been questioned about whether or not it holds enough “reserves” to match the amount of tokens in circulation. The company claims that it does.
Charles Hayter, the chief executive of comparison site CryptoCompare, told CNBC: “There is concern about Tether and whether it is truly backed by dollars and rumors about USDT (tether) being delisted from various exchanges.”
These delisting rumors probably aren’t helping quell volatility, either. This comes after one industry publicationclaims that Bitfinex, a cryptocurrency exchange connected to Tether, has suspended deposits in US Dollars, Euros, Sterling and Yen.
Mati Greenspan, senior market analyst at eToro, told CNBC: “If the perception that tether can hold a stable value is called into question, traders who are holding USDT are most likely to shift their funds into other cryptos in order to hold their value.”
The point of Tether isn’t necessarily to appreciate in value, but rather it is known as a “stablecoin” because it is supposed to, in theory, always trade around one dollar. The digital currency is seen as a way for those worried about the volatility of fiat-to-crypto exchange rates to ensure that they can reliably convert US dollars into digital currencies.
From there, Tether can be used to purchase other digital currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum.
The question of whether or not Tether’s parent company holds enough in reserves is hardly the first controversy for the coin. We released a report days ago highlighting finance professor John Griffin, who, along with his doctoral student companion, Amin Shams, was one of the two academics that drew market-moving conclusions about bitcoin last year, while the digital currency was trading around $20,000. After sifting through 2 terabytes of trading data, they alleged that bitcoin was being manipulated by someone using Tether to purchase it.
To us, Tether seems like a counterintuitive idea in the sense that it is backed by Fiat, which is the main problem that Bitcoin initially seeked to solve. Forgive us if we are not surprised when the only digital currency that tries to be more like the dollar instead of less like it, winds up being one of the firsts to collapse.
Huge story: Hungary which hardly had any gold to its credit, purchased 3.1 tonnes last month and now a stunning 28.4 tonnes to hold 31.5 tonnes an increase of 1000%. Poland also increased its holdings by 4.4 tonnes but all of its gold is stored in London and you can bet the farm that it has all be leased out.
Hungarian Central Bank Stuns, Announces 10-Fold Jump
In Gold Reserves
Submitted by Ronan Manly, Bullionstar.com,
In one of the most profound developments in the central bank gold market for a long time, the Hungarian National Bank, Hungary’s central bank, has just announced a 10 fold jump in its monetary gold holdings. The central bank, known as Magyar Nemzeti Bank (MNB) in Hungarian, made the announcement in Budapest, Hungary’s capital.
The details of Hungary’s dramatic new gold purchase are as follows:
Before this month, Hungary’s central bank held 3.10 tonnes of gold.
During the first two weeks of October, the Hungarian National Bank purchased 28.4 tonnes of gold.
This gold purchase raised the central bank’s gold holdings from 3.1 tonnes to 31.5 tonnes, i.e. a 1000% or 10-fold increase.
The Hungarian central bank had not altered its gold reserves since 1986, i.e. 32 years ago.
The 28.4 tonnes of gold was purchased in ‘physical form’, and ‘its repatriation has already taken place‘ to Hungary.
Interestingly, Hungary now holds the same amount of gold as it held 70 years ago.
Some of the newly purchased gold bars of the Hungarian central bank. This gold has also been repatriated to Hungary.
In conjunction with today’s announcement in Budapest, the Hungarian National Bank put together a very interesting press release on its website (in Hungarian), which I have translated and edited, and which I think is worth reading in its entirety. Therefore, I have replicated it below, adding some bold and underlining in places. The press release is as follows:
“Budapest, October 16, 2018 – In view of the long-term national and economic strategy goals, the Monetary Council of the National Bank of Hungary has decided to increase the gold reserves of the country.
As a result, in October 2018 the Bank’s precious metal holdings were raised from the previous 3.10 tonnes to 31.5 tonnes, a tenfold increase.
This is the first time that the Hungarian National Bank has bought gold since 1986.
Following the substantial increase in the Bank’s gold reserves in physical form, its repatriation has already taken place. The possession of precious metal within the country is in line with international trends, supports financial stability and strengthens market confidence in Hungary.
In keeping with the historical role of gold, gold remains one of the safest instruments in the world, and, even under normal market conditions, provides a stability and confidence-building function.
With current holdings of 31.5 tonnes gold reserves, valued at approximately $ 1.24 billion, this size of holdings approaches the historical level that was held by our country at the time of the “golden train”. Within the overall international reserves of the Bank, the share of gold reserves has now risen to 4.4%, which corresponds to the average of non-euro area Central and Eastern European countries.
The role of gold reserves in the nation and in the nation’s economy strategy is becoming more and more appreciated while both the possession and the increase of nations’ precious metals holdings appears to be decisive international trends.
This gold purchase process, based on the strategic decision of the Hungarian National Bank, has increased the domestic gold reserves to 31.5 tonnes. The raising of the gold reserve and the returning of the gold in physical form to Hungary took place in the first half of October 2018.
Increasing and repatriating gold reserves can be considered a significant step in economic history. Since the founding of the Hungarian National Bank in 1924, gold reserves have been maintained, but the stock of that gold has fluctuated considerably over the decades, depending on the purpose of why it was held.
At the end of World War II, Hungary received some 30 tonnes of gold bars and gold coins on the MNB’s legendary “gold train” in the Spital am Pyhrn in Austria. This amount was fully returned to the country after the war while providing cover for the introduction of the new currency of the country, the Forint, thus supporting financial consolidation and the stabilization of the post-war Hungarian economy.
At the end of the eighties, Hungary’s gold reserves, driven by short-term investment objectives, fluctuated between 40 and 50 tons and then, at the time of the change of regime (between 1989 and 1992), the ruling central bank executives decided to reduce to a minimum level of about 3.1 tons, which was the level at the end of September 2018.
With the decision of the MNB today in October 2018, the holdings of 31.5 tonnes of gold reserves is now the same as the level of the stabilization period of 1946.
Gold reserves are held for short-term investment and / or long-term stability purposes by national central banks. The current decision of the Hungarian National Bank was led by the goal of stability, and there are no investment concerns behind the holding of gold reserves.
Gold is not only for extreme market environments, structural changes in the international financial system, and deeper geopolitical crises. Gold also has a confidence-building effect in normal times, that is, gold can play a role in stabilizing and defending.
Gold is still considered to be one of the world’s safest assets, whose characteristics can be attributed to gold’s unique properties such as finite supply of physical gold, and lack of credit and counterparty risk given that gold is not a claim against a specific partner or country.
Over the past few years, more and more countries have decided to continue to play a decisive role in the use of gold as a traditional reserve asset, and have raised their gold reserves. This course of action was followed by Poland [a neighbor of Hungary], in spite of the fact that Poland had already one of the highest gold reserves in the region.
When raising domestic gold reserves to 31.5 tonnes, the MNB also paid attention to the international and regional role played by gold in central bank reserves. As a result, the Hungarian gold reserve have now increased to 4.4% which is in line with average international reserve ratio for gold for the Central Eastern European region central banks. This move from the end of the international rankings to the middle of the rankings has progressed, both in terms of size and proportion of gold reserves.
On the occasion of the announcement, the National Bank of Hungary has also published a “Golden Book”, which gives an insight into decisive historical periods of Hungary’s gold, such as centuries of golden coins, the rescue of our national treasures by gold trains, and the recent homecoming of the country’s gold reserves.” [end of press release]
Note that Hungary is a member of the European Union (EU), and therefore the Hungarian National Bank is a member of the European System of Central Banks (ESCB). However, as Hungary is not a member of the Eurozone and does not use the Euro, the Hungarian National Bank is not a member central bank of the European Central Bank (ECB). With Hungary recently under attack from the European Parliament in September, the timing of this new gold purchase by Hungary’s central bank in early October is very interesting, to say the least.
Magyar Nemzeti Bank (MNB)
Poland, Austria, Germany, Netherlands, and now Hungary
In addition to this new Hungarian gold purchase, Reuters is reporting that updated data from the IMF shows that Poland continued to increase its gold purchases in September 2018, raising its gold reserve holdings by 4.4 tonnes during the month to 117 tonnes. This follows similar gold purchases that the Polish central bank made in the summer, when the bank bought two tonnes of gold in July and seven tonnes of gold in August.
With almost all of Poland’s gold held at the Bank of England, a relevant question now is how long before Poland also sees fit to repatriate its gold in physical form away from the fractionally-backed LBMA controlled gold trading centre of London. Another of Hungary’s close neighbors, Austria, has itself spent the last 3 years repatriating 140 tonnes of its gold from the Bank of England in London and has nearly completed this repatriation operation now.
Add to this the high-profile Germany Bundesbank gold repatriation program in recent years, and a similar gold repatriation exercise from the Netherlands central bank, and the trend is clear: central banks in Europe have been flocking to shore up their international reserves with gold, because, as in the words of the Hungarian central bank “Gold is still considered to be one of the world’s safest assets”.
Your early TUESDAY morning currency, Asian stock market results, important USA/Asian currency crosses, gold/silver pricing overnight along with the price of oil Major stories overnight/9 AM EST
i) Chinese yuan vs USA dollar/CLOSED DOWN TO 6.9189/HUGE DEVALUATION FOR THE PAST FOUR WEEKS RESUMES/CHINESE COMING TO USA FOR TRADE TALKS IN NOVEMBER CANCELLED //OFFSHORE YUAN: 6.9122 /shanghai bourse CLOSED DOWN 21.77 POINTS OR 0.85%
. HANG SANG CLOSED UP 17.20 POINTS OR 0.07%
2. Nikkei closed UP 277.94 POINTS OR 1.25%
3. Europe stocks OPENED IN THE GREEN EXCEPT LONDON FTSE
/USA dollar index RISES TO 95.03/Euro FALLS TO 1.1579
3f Gold UP/JAPANESE Yen DOWN/ CHINESE YUAN: ON SHORE DOWN/OFF- SHORE: UP
3j Greek 10 year bond yield FALLS TO : 4.28
Global Markets Rebound As Calm Returns Ahead Of
Earnings Deluge
Tue, 10/16/2018 – 06:53
European stocks rose thanks to a rebound in Italian assets, following a green session for Asian markets despite China closing red for the third day, as U.S. equity index futures rose 0.4% after a negative session yesterday and ahead of today’s earnings deluge.
U.S. equity futures pointed to a firmer open as Netflix becomes the first large technology company to report results after today’s close, while Goldman and Morgan Stanley wrap up earnings for the big banks.
In Asia, Japan’s equities outperformed, with Hong Kong and Chinese shares retreating again.
“A key concern has been the combined sell-off in equities and bonds, which has weighed on multi-asset portfolios, similar to February,” Goldman strategists wrote in a late Monday note. “At one point the initial sell-off in equities and bonds led to one of the worst periods for simple risk parity strategies since the GFC (Great Financial Crisis). Also the shift in momentum that occurred on Wednesday last week was the largest daily shift in U.S. equity momentum since 2011 by some measures.”
The timid bounce we experienced yesterday which faded all gains into the close has failed to convince traders that markets are ready to break out of the 2750-2800 “gamma gravitation” for the S&P. Volumes were low with the market needing more conviction and traction to take out important resistance levels. Additionally, credit markets have shown little signs of reassurance so far, with Europe’s Itraxx Europe still trading near the highs of the past three days.
The yen declined, while the dollar edged up from close to a two-week low ahead of a U.S. Treasury currency-manipulation report expected this week.
The Stoxx Europe 600 Index rallied, and pulled away from Monday’s 22-month lows led by Italian shares which rallied after the government reached an agreement on a budget accord, even though EU President Jean-Claude Juncker said the Eurozone would revolt if the EU gives an OK to Italy’s budget. Gains in Italy’s bond and stock markets after Italian Economy Minister Giovanni Tria defended the country’s expansionary budget helped lift sentiment. The euro also firmed. Stock market sentiment in Europe also got a boost from expectations that earnings season will deliver double-digit earnings growth for the third quarter.
“If you look at what’s happening here and now, it is an improvement from what was happening a week ago,” Alexandrovich said. “How long the stability lasts is anyone’s guess.”
Overall sentiment in Europe remains downbeat, however, with 42% of the Stoxx Europe 600 members in oversold territory, while more than a third have been oversold for three days, which Bloomberg notes should have triggered a stronger bounce.
Italian government bond yields fell as much as 12 basis points across the curve, narrowing the spread over German peers, after Italian Economy Minister Giovanni Tria defended the country’s deficit-hiking budget.
“The most important reason (for the drop in yields) is that Tria is continuing to stick to the government and defending the budget,” said DZ Bank strategist Christian Lenk. “This is taken positively by the market.”
The situation between the U.S. and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia about the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi seems to have eased a bit with the kingdom cooperating with the Turkish authorities. Press reports suggested Saudi Arabia may admit the journalist died during a botched investigation at its embassy in Istanbul and blame rogue operatives. Nevertheless, U.S. President Donald Trump said he is uncertain if his administration will participate in a Saudi investment conference. As a result, Brent faded the recent move higher, trading around $80. Investors in aircraft manufacturers and defense contractors such as Airbus and BAE are keeping a close eye on the situation.
In Germany, investor optimism slumped back in October after a two-month uptick, with the Zew Economic Sentiment sliding to -24.7 from -10.6, below the -12.0 expected.
Italy managed to agree on a budget at the last minute and submitted it to the EU for review as Finance Minister Giovanni Tria denied any talk of stepping down. The budget is set to see a deficit of 2.4%, as disclosed previously. Following in Italy’s footsteps, Spain’s Socialist government is sticking to its pledge to widen its deficit targets in 2019.
While the bid for haven assets appears to have ebbed, caution is still on display as investors look for any signal from corporates hinting at a slowdown or stronger growth that could affect the pace of Federal Reserve rate hikes. Earnings from Goldman Sachs Group, Morgan Stanley and Netflix are all due Tuesday, while minutes from the latest Fed meeting should offer more clues a day later. In the background, traders are still grappling with continuing U.S.-China trade war rhetoric and geopolitical strains.
Cyclical stocks have done less well than defensive shares, which are seen holding up better during economic slowdowns – since the summer. Over the same period, robust U.S. data contributed to a slide in Treasuries. According to Citi, that divergence is unlikely to last, Bloomberg reports.
Brexit remains firmly planted in the headlines, with European Council President Donald Tusk saying a no-deal Brexit is more likely than ever before to EU leaders ahead of their summit Wednesday. In contrast, Theresa May and Emmanuel Macron struck a positive tone. The pound is steady at $1.315. The Turkish lira was steady following seven days of gains after the country released U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson on Friday.
There was some focus was on the U.S. Treasury’s semiannual currency report due later in the day, with investors waiting to see Washington’s view on China after media reports last week that it has not labeled Beijing a currency manipulator.
Elsewhere, gold is little changed while base metals are weaker, lead by copper down 1.4%. This may have an impact on miners which showed resilience in October.
Expected data include industrial production and capacity utilization. BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, J&J, Morgan Stanley, IBM, and Netflix are among companies reporting earnings.
S&P 500 futures up 0.4% to 2,759.25
STOXX Europe 600 up 0.3% to 360.48
MXAP up 0.5% to 153.22
MXAPJ up 0.4% to 481.62
Nikkei up 1.3% to 22,549.24
Topix up 0.7% to 1,687.91
Hang Seng Index up 0.07% to 25,462.26
Shanghai Composite down 0.9% to 2,546.33
Sensex up 0.8% to 35,139.58
Australia S&P/ASX 200 up 0.6% to 5,869.88
Kospi unchanged at 2,145.12
German 10Y yield rose 0.6 bps to 0.509%
Euro up 0.09% to $1.1589
Italian 10Y yield fell 3.1 bps to 3.172%
Spanish 10Y yield fell 1.3 bps to 1.666%
Brent futures down 0.5% to $80.34/bbl
U.S. Dollar Index little changed at 95.09
Top Overnight News from BBG
President Donald Trump said he’s uncertain whether his administration will participate in a Saudi investment conference as CNN said the kingdom is preparing a report saying Jamal Khashoggi died as the result of an interrogation that went wrong.
U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May struck a conciliatory tone on Brexit a day after negotiations broke down, as she joined her French counterpart in calling for cool heads to prevail
The topic of foreign-exchange rates isn’t usually a part of trade negotiations, says Japan’s finance minister Taro Aso following comments from his U.S. counterpart Steven Mnuchin that the U.S. wants a currency clause in a trade agreement with Japan.
Australia’s central bank said a weaker currency is likely helping economic growth, while reinforcing its message that interest rates will remain unchanged, according to minutes of its October policy meeting released in Sydney Tuesday
New Zealand inflation picked up in the third quarter amid higher fuel prices and construction costs. The underlying pace excluding one-offs is closer to 0.5% q/q, so the meaningful surprise for the RBNZ is minimal,” said Sharon Zollner, chief economist at ANZ Bank New Zealand in Auckland
The U.S. budget deficit grew to $779 billion in Donald Trump’s first full fiscal year as president, the highest since 2012 amid tax cuts and spending increases. The budget gap for the 12 months through September was 17 percent wider than the same 12-month period a year earlier
Acting Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven was given the chance to form a government to extend his rule after the opposition failed to find a viable coalition following almost two weeks of talks
Italy’s fractured coalition government cobbled together a last-minute budget accord that starts delivering on costly election promises but risks a confrontation with Brussels over European Union fiscal rules. The helped Italian assets – two-year notes led gains across the curve while stocks rose for a second day.
China’s local governments may have accumulated $5.8 trillion of off-balance sheet debt, or even more, suggesting further defaults are in store, according to S&P Global Ratings. “The potential amount of debt is an iceberg with titanic credit risks,” the report released Tuesday said.
Asian equity markets partially shrugged-off the US tech-led losses and traded mostly higher as focus shifted on earnings updates. ASX 200 (+0.5%) was led by mining names after the recent strength in gold prices and with Rio Tinto shares supported following its Q3 production update in which iron ore shipments declined Y/Y but the Co. affirmed FY18 shipments at the upper end of its guidance range. Elsewhere, Nikkei 225 (+0.6%) and Japanese exporters coat-tailed on favourable currency moves, while Shanghai Comp. (-0.2%) and Hang Seng (-0.4%) initially conformed to the upbeat tone as participants brushed aside continued PBoC liquidity inaction and took encouragement from the numerous corporate positive profit alerts, although Chinese bourses then failed to sustain the gains and gradually slipped into negative territory. Finally, 10yr JGBs were lower as they tracked weakness in T-notes, with prices also subdued by the improved risk tone in Japan and reduced demand at the 5yr JGB auction.
Tycoon Piramal Said to Mull $1 Billion Contract Pharma Sale
China Ditches Deleveraging, Posing Yuan Hit, Citigroup Says
Yuan Will Weaken to 7 in 2018 and Go Lower in 2019, UBS Says
China May Have $5.8 Trillion in Hidden Debt With ‘Titanic’ Risks
China’s Forced Stock Sales Make a Bad Year Worse for Shenzhen
Most major European indices (ex-FTSE 100) are in the green, with Italy’s FTSE MIB (+1.1%) outperforming its peers amid signals the Italian government is working together after the budget was approved by Parliament. Meanwhile, the UK benchmark is pressured by a firmer currency along with heavy-weight mining names following price action in the complex. Sectors are mixed, with utilities names outperforming while energy names lag given the recent slump in oil prices.
In terms of individual stocks, Volvo shares fell over 5% after the detection of premature degradation of emission control components. On the flip side, Drax Group are up by over 4.5% after the company acquired a UK power generation portfolio with a proposed deal for GBP 702mln, while Altice share rose 5% following commentary that Co. has Mirova, Macquaries and KKR as frontrunners for a fibre JV.
May and Macron Strike Dovish Tone Before High-Wire Brexit Summit
Drax to Buy U.K. Plants From Iberdrola in Shift Away From Coal
TomTom’s Volvo Deal Ends, Casting Shadow Over Guidance
U.K. Wages Increase at Fastest Pace in Almost a Decade
In FX, the GBP derived enough momentum from higher than forecast UK average earnings to breach 1.3200, albeit briefly amidst ongoing Brexit fall-out from the failure to clinch an agreement in time for this week’s EU summit that in turn was a prerequisite for another one in November to finalise a withdrawal deal. CAD/EUR/AUD were all narrowly mixed vs the Greenback, as the DXY continues to pivot 95.000, with the Loonie rebounding from recent 1.3000+ lows after a somewhat mixed BoC business survey on Monday (are rather redundant given that it was conducted pre-USMCA), while the single currency stalled around 1.1600 again and hampered by downbeat ZEW investor sentiment readings. Eur/Usd is just holding above 1.1565 lows, but could be drawn towards hefty option expiries at the 1.1550 strike (1.3 bn ahead of the NY cut). Elsewhere, the Aud did not get any independent support from RBA minutes largely sticking to a neutral stance, but has been caught in the cross-fire from relative Nzd outperformance as that pairing retreats through 1.0900 and 1.0850, plus ‘strong’ technical support between 1.0860-35 along the way. JPY/CHF: A reversal in fortunes for the safe-havens as Asia-Pac stocks put in a relatively resilient performance after recent heavy declines and with Usd/Jpy rebounding off a Fib (111.60) to trade back over 112.00, albeit now running in to decent supply said to be layered all the way up to 112.50. Note also, some big expiry interest containing the pair, with 3.1 bn from 111.60-75 and 1.3 bn at 112.50-65. The Franc has retreated from just shy of 0.9850 to meander within a 0.9900-0.9865 range.
In commodities, WTI and Brent are both lower by over 0.5% with the prices approaching USD 70.00/bbl and USD 80.00/bbl to the downside respectively in anticipation of an increase in U.S inventories, where the EIA noted shale oil output is expected to rise to a record 7.7mln BPD in November. Traders will be keeping an eye on the weekly API crude inventory data released later today and any developments in Saudi in regards to the missing journalist. Gold is marginally higher in a continuation of market risk aversion as investors seek the yellow metal; with prices pivoting near two-and-a-half month highs. Elsewhere, copper slid 1.5% with the red metal facing its biggest one-day loss in over a week as escalating US-Sino trade tensions weighed on sentiment and demand outlook. Meanwhile, steel demand forecasts from WorldSteel have doubled for both 2018 and 2019, although trade tensions mean that industry risks remain. Finally, Chinese rebar futures pulled back from near-four-week highs, while analysts noted that steel prices in China will remain supported by the country’s resolve to reduce excess and outdated capacity.
On today’s calendar, we get September industrial production, capacity utilization and manufacturing production along with the October NAHB housing market index and August Jolts job openings and total net TIC flows. Away from data, the EU European Affairs ministers are expected to sign off on the draft of the Brexit summit conclusions and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte will address the lower house of parliament. Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Blackrock, Johnson & Johnson, IBM, CSX and Netflix will report earnings.
9:15am: Industrial Production MoM, est. 0.2%, prior 0.4%; Manufacturing (SIC) Production, est. 0.2%, prior 0.2%
Capacity Utilization, est. 78.2%, prior 78.1%
10am: NAHB Housing Market Index, est. 66, prior 67
10am: JOLTS Job Openings, est. 6,900, prior 6,939
4pm: Total Net TIC Flows, est. $60.3b, prior $52.2b; Net Long-term TIC Flows, prior $74.8b
After the excitement of the last couple of weeks, yesterday was surprisingly quiet in markets leaving plenty of room for Brexit to be a focal point. After Sunday’s negativity on the state of progress between the two sides, UK PM May addressed the House of Commons for an update on where we stand. To be fair, she was relatively upbeat vs the tone of the prior 24 hours and was confident that progress was being made. Even French President Macron (a hardliner on Brexit) was relatively dovish on the state of talks when questioned yesterday. Not all hopes are seemingly lost ahead of this week’s EU leaders Brexit summit. However, as our economists laid out in a note yesterday, Mrs May is still trying to “solve the unsolvable” with regards to Northern Ireland. Without getting too bogged down in the technicals (feel free to read it in the note), the differences are over the backstop to the backstop and solving for the EU, the DUP, honouring the result of the referendum and the Conservative Party’s hard Brexiteers.
In their note, our strategists believe that PM May will stretch the negotiation timeline to the limit in a bid to create maximum time pressure to pass a deal through Parliament. Nevertheless, they think that the market is underpricing the risk of a near-term political crisis – either a leadership challenge from Brexiteers or a breakdown in the DUP/Conservative political agreement. They argued last week that the market is pricing a minimal probability of a no deal outcome. While they still anticipate a deal being ratified by the UK parliament by year-end, the risk that they are wrong is greater than current market pricing suggests.
Turning to yesterday’s market action, equities mostly retreated – despite the lack of substantive news – and retraced most of their Friday gains. The S&P 500, DOW, and NASDAQ fell -0.59%, -0.35%, and -1.24%, respectively, as investors rotated into defensive sectors. US Consumer staples and utilities outperformed, gaining +0.60% and +0.35%, while cyclical sectors continued to underperform. Emerging markets in aggregate, which outperformed last week, fell -1.07% though EM FX continued its strong run, gaining +0.47% versus the dollar. European indexes mostly gained, with the Euro Stoxx index up +0.10%. The DAX (+0.78%) outperformed while the CAC (-0.02%) lagged behind. Italian equities gained +0.24%.
Bond yields were little changed yesterday, with the 10y Treasury yield falling -0.9bps and the 10y Bund up +0.5bps. The US Treasury announced that the FY2018 budget came in at $779bn, its widest level since 2012, but marginally smaller than the CBO’s projections 6 months ago. Our rates strategists continue to expect a big increase in the deficit and in new Treasury issuance over the next two years. Italian spreads to bunds tightened -3.6bps ahead of their official budget decision.
This morning in Asia markets are trading mixed with Nikkei (+0.23%) and Kospi (+0.04%) up while, Hang Seng (-0.23%) and Shanghai Comp (-0.15%) are down. Elsewhere, futures on S&P 500 (+0.25%) are slightly higher. Overnight, China’s September CPI was in line with consensus at +2.5% yoy, the highest gain since February while PPI came in a shade higher than consensus at +3.6% yoy (vs. +3.5% yoy expected).
Italy finalized their budget plan last night and submitted it to the European Commission, as expected. The rhetoric from politicians was mixed, with Prime Minister Conte trying to assuage market concerns by asserting that Italy is keeping its “accounts in order.” On the other end of the spectrum, Deputy Prime Minister Salvini said he does not feel bound by the EU deficit rules. This sets the stage for a confrontation between Rome and Brussels, as the European Commission can declare Italy’s budget as non-compliant and demand changes over the next two weeks. Our economists think this type of confrontation is likely, and will likely require some sort of market or political pressure to force Italian policymakers to change tack. As long as the financial stress remains confined to the BTP market, the Commission is unlikely to bend either.
In other news, oil prices have spent the last 36 hours responding to the latest headlines from Saudi Arabia. In early trading yesterday prices were +1.85% higher as investors focused on the US-Saudi Arabia tensions related to the alleged murder of dissident journalist Khashoggi. Forwards on Saudi Arabia’s currency – which is pegged to the dollar – moved to price in a possible devaluation, as investors weighed the possibility that the US deploys sanctions against Saudi officials. Oil eventually retraced most of its gains (WTI oil prices closing +0.62%) as the US President didn’t escalate things further and suggested the Saudi king wasn’t involved. However, the US have said they are yet to decide whether to send a representative to the upcoming Saudi investment meeting. After the close, CNN reported that the Saudis were preparing to declare that the journalist died in a botched interrogation without official sanction. Oil is back up around 0.5% this morning.
Economic data in the US was mixed yesterday, as headline September retail sales printed at 0.1% mom (versus 0.6% expected) and the control group printed at 0.5% mom (versus 0.4%). The control group is an input into the GDP print, so it’s a bit more impactful than the headline reading. Separately, the New York Fed’s October Empire Manufacturing survey – the first such survey for the fourth quarter – printed at 21.1 (versus 20.0). Its qualitative description of the economy was strong, though price pressures “edged down” on the month. Finally, Bank of America reported third quarter earnings, with slightly softer-than-expected net income as loans dropped a bit. The bank’s stock fell -1.35% on the session, underperforming the US banks index.
Today, we see Italy’s August industrial sales and final September CPI, the UK’s September claimant count rate and the August employment report, the Euro area’s August trade balance and October ZEW survey of expectations and, Germany’s October ZEW current situation and expectations survey. In the US, we get September industrial production, capacity utilization and manufacturing production along with the October NAHB housing market index and August Jolts job openings and total net TIC flows. Away from data, the EU European Affairs ministers are expected to sign off on the draft of the Brexit summit conclusions and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte will address the lower house of parliament. Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Blackrock, Johnson & Johnson, IBM, CSX and Netflix will report earnings.
Juncker Warns ‘The EU Cannot Survive Without Italy’
Ignoring warnings from the European Commission, the ECB and the European Commission (as well as practically every other supranational organization in Europe), the populist-led Italian government managed to submit their draft budget to the Commission before a midnight deadline – an outcome that was cheered by BTP traders, who bought back into Italian bonds, once again compressing the spread to bunds, which has blown out in recent months.
But rather than representing a deescalation of tensions between Italy and Brussels, the game of fiscal chicken in which both sides are presently engaged is instead entering its most acute phase, as Brussels now has two weeks to review the budget proposal before it can either accept the plan, or send it back with requests for revisions. And anybody who has been paying even passing attention to the populist government’s denigration of EU budgetary guidelines over the past few months should already understand that Brussels won’t just sit back and accept the budget for what it is.
In fact, European Commissioner Jean-Claude Juncker hinted as much Tuesday morning when he told Italian reporters that accepting the budget would be tantamount to inviting an widespread revolt against the EU, per Italian newswire ANSA and the FT. Juncker also blasted Italy for abandoning the fiscal commitments it made when it joined the EU. However, though they have wavered from time to time, the Italians haven’t kept their intentions to press for a budget deficit equivalent to 2.4% of GDP a secret. Even Giovanni Tria, Italy’s economy minister, defended the draft budget, saying the deficit “would be considered normal in all Western democracies, not explosive.”
Undeterred by the fact that there’s absolutely no political will in the Italian government to back down from their budget stance, despite threats from the ECB to provoke a Greece-style banking crisis if the Italians don’t yield to EU rules.
“There is a gap between what was promised and what is being presented today,” said Mr Juncker.
“We are going to have a virtuous debate with our Italian friends who know that their level of public debt is too high and that the draft budget does not fully respect the recommendations of the eurozone ministers.”
“If we accepted the slip, some European countries would cover us with insults and tirades with the accusation we are being too flexible with Italy,” Juncker told Italian media.
Meanwhile, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, one of two party chiefs who are effectively running the country, said during a news conference that this budget “doesn’t accomplish miracles, it doesn’t multiply fish and bread, but it opens opportunities to work for hundreds of thousands of youths,” Salvini said in Monday evening news conference flanked by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, Di Maio, and Finance Minister Giovanni Tria. “After 137 days of governing, I think we can be satisfied with what we’ve done.”
In reference to the festering acrimony between EU bureaucrats and populist Italian leaders, who have even threatened to sue Juncker for jawboning Italian bond yields, the European Commissioner said speculation that he’s somehow “against Italians” is “rubbish”.
“They attack me, insult me but do not ask questions. Let’s stop saying that I am against Italy. It’s rubbish, it’s a lie,” said Mr Juncker.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is set to address EU leaders at a summit in Brussels on Thursday, despite fears that he might hijack the summit’s agenda, which leaders have hoped would focus on finalizing a draft Brexit deal. But while some EU leaders have pushed to give Italy a pass, fearful of provoking an EU “showdown,” Juncker has continued to insist that the EU must abide by its rules. Conte and Tria are expected to address Italian lawmakers Tuesday afternoon Rome time.
Officials are fearful the mini eurozone summit could become a flashpoint between Rome and the EU if hawkish governments such as the Netherlands demand Mr Conte stick to Rome’s budget commitments. A senior EU official warned against an EU showdown.
“There are clear procedures on assessment of national budgets,” said the official who urged “mutual respect” on all national spending plans. “It is not the role of other member state leaders to make any assessment of the budgets. The ball is in the court of the commission.”
Mr Juncker insisted the assessment would be made without any “prejudice” against Italy’s Eurosceptic coalition government, made up of the rightwing League and anti-establishment Five Star parties.
“Europe operates according to pre-established rules. Incoming governments must respect the word of those who preceded them,” he said.
As speculation about an ‘Italeave’ scenario has continued to fester as the budget showdown has dragged on, one reporter asked Juncker if he felt that European Union could survive an Italian exit. Citing polling data showing that most Italians favor remaining in the EU, Juncker insisted that the EU wouldn’t survive the departure of its third-largest economy – and that Italy wouldn’t survive an exit from the EU.
“Europe needs Italy and Italy needs Europe,” Juncker said, answering “No” when asked if Europe could survive an Italian exit.
But will this in any way shift Brussels’ evaluation of the Italian budget? We think not. Still, we imagine markets will be ‘disappointed’ when Brussels sends the draft back covered in red ink.
Pompeo Took 12-Hour Flight To Saudi Arabia For ’15
Minute Meeting’ With King Salman
Update: After this morning’s mini-meeting, Pompeo said that King Salman had agreed to a “timely” investigation. Meanwhile, Turkish officials have told Western media inside the Saudi consulate to suggest that Khashoggi was killed there.
*POMPEO, SAUDI CROWN PRINCE AGREED TO TIMELY INVESTIGATION
*POLICE FIND EVIDENCE IN SAUDI CONSULATE KHASHOGGI WAS KILLED:AP
*AP CITES A TURKISH OFFICIAL ON CONSULATE
*POMPEO REITERATED TRUMP CONCERNS OVER KHASHOGGI, U.S. SAYS
Even before the publication of last night’s Saudi trial balloon hinting that the kingdom would soon acknowledge that the extrajudicial killing of Jamal Khashoggi – the insider-turned dissident journalist who walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last week and never walked back out – was the result of a “botched” kidnapping attempt carried out by “rogue killers” (despite reports that the US intelligence community knew that Khashoggi was being “targeted”), two realities had become increasingly clear. One: That the Saudis would avoid responsibility for the killing by pinning it on some unfortunate underling, and two: that there would be few, if any, lasting diplomatic repercussions.
And as more media organizations confirmed reports about Saudi’s plans to spin Khashoggi’s murder as a botched interrogation (we can only imagine what was said in that room to justify the use of such extreme violence), CNNcalculated the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Saudi King Salman in Riyadh for approximately 15 minutes early Tuesday, following his 12-hour-plus flight to the kingdom.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s meeting with King Salman of Saudi Arabia lasted no more than 15 minutes, CNN estimates based on the time the top US diplomat’s motorcade arrived at the royal court and departed.
The motorcade arrived at the royal court at 11:42 a.m. (4:42 a.m. ET) and left 26 minutes later.There is a fair distance to walk from where the motorcade dropped Pompeo off to where he met the king.
Fortunately, there was time for a quick photo:
To be sure, Pompeo is also expected to meet with MbS during his visit to the kingdom, per the BBC.
And while Trump said on Monday that Pompeo would travel to Turkey “if necessary”, the Saudi’s decision to “come clean” about Khashoggi’s death pretty much rendered Pompeo’s fact-finding mission unnecessary. More important are developments in Turkey, where the joint Saudi-Turkish “investigation” is turning its attention toward the home of the Saudi consul, where a black diplomatic van that departed the Saudi consulate just under two hours after Khashoggi entered was captured on camera disappearing into a garage. Some speculate that this is where the killers finished disposing of Khashoggi’s body. This comes after a “nine-hour” search of the Saudi consulate building that, according to leaks published in Al-Jazeera, turned up “evidence of tampering” by the Saudis. On Tuesday, Turkey’s foreign minister clarified that Saudi had yet to admit its role in Khashoggi’s disappearance and probable death.
Turkish investigators will carry out a search of the Saudi Consul General’s residence on Tuesday as the probe into the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi continues, according to a Turkish diplomatic source.
CCTV footage released to the media from the day the Washington Post writer vanished show movement of vehicles from the consulate building to the Consul General’s residence nearby.
As speculation mounts that the incident could unseat the increasingly authoritarian Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (who has already marginalized or incapacitated nearly every threat to his rule), it’s looking more likely that neither the US nor the rest of the Western world will do much to punish the world’s most important oil exporter, which can “weaponize” the oil market seemingly on a whim.
Any punishment for this flagrant violation of human rights will need to come, therefore, from the private sector, which, according to Bloomberg, could sabotage MbS’s grand Vision 2030 plan, which aims to remake the Saudi economy via a flood of foreign direct investment:
The economic strategy of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, known as MBS, is to make investment the main engine of economic growth instead of government spending, but the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi could frustrate these ambitions. Foreign direct investment, a key part of the plan to reinvent Saudi Arabia’s economy, declined sharply in 2017 and is unlikely to return to previous levels, leaving the government’s target for 2020 beyond reach, according to analysis by Bloomberg Economics. Increased policy uncertainty and, after the Khashoggi incident, the risk of reputational damage to foreign companies working in Saudi Arabia won’t help.
Already, BBG believes FDI in KSA will miss the regime’s target for 2020.
As if to underline this point, CNN reported that three more prominent bank CEOs said Tuesday that they would pull out of MbS’s “Davos in the Desert”. At this point, so many have spurned the conference that CNN felt it would be easier to list the attendees who haven’t already cancelled.
CNN Business
✔@CNNBusiness
Here’s who is still planning to attend Saudi Arabia’s big conference https://cnn.it/2yFj1iv
Turkey Finds ‘Evidence’ Missing Journalist Was Killed
Inside Saudi Consulate: AP
Turkish investigators have only just finished searching the home of the Saudi Arabian consul in Istanbul – a home that was, according to surveillance footage, the destination of a car with diplomatic plates suspected of spiriting the remains of journalist Jamal Khashoggi out of the country’s consulate – and already the Associated Press is reporting that investigators found “evidence” that Khashoggi, a Saudi insider-turned-dissident who occasionally wrote columns for the Washington Post, was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Here’s more from the Associated Press:
A high-level Turkish official says police have found “certain evidence” during their search of the Saudi Consulate showing that Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi was killed there.
The official did not provide details on the evidence that was recovered during the hours long search at the diplomatic mission that ended early Tuesday.
The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation.
Turkish officials say Saudi agents killed and dismembered the writer at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. Saudi Arabia previously called the allegation “baseless,” but U.S. media reports suggest the Saudis may soon acknowledge Khashoggi was killed there, perhaps as part of a botched interrogation.
This should probably go without saying, but Turkish Foreign Mevlut Cavusoglu chided the Saudi Arabians on Tuesday, saying that interrogations shouldn’t be held at consulates.
He added: “Consulates aren’t places to hold interrogations. Interrogations should take place in courts, (by) judiciary authorities.”
Meanwhile, Turkey said the Saudis have not admitted to their role in Khashoggi’s death, contrary to media reports.
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also said on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia hadn’t offered any confession to Turkey over its alleged involvement in the disappearance and feared slaying of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi.
Asked about a New York Times report that Saudi Arabia might say Khashoggi was killed in an interrogation gone wrong, the minister said: “We have not received such information.”
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was all smiles at a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman:
It looks like this one is spiraling out of control” Republican senators are threatening sanctions against Saudi Arabia
Republican Senators Threaten Sanctions Against Saudi
By now, observers in Asia and North American have probably sensed that President Trump’s threats of “severe punishment” for Saudi Arabia, should proof emerge that the kingdom masterminded the murder of Washington Post columnist and dissident expatriate Jamal Khashoggi, were disingenuous. The US intelligence community already has evidence that Saudi was targeting Khashoggi for writing some less-than-flattering things about Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. Of course, Trump knows that sanctioning the Saudis or blocking arms sales to the regime could provoke a disproportionate reaction: Worst-case, the kingdom could ‘weaponize’ oil and provoke a global recession. Best case, thousands of those manufacturing jobs that President Trump has fought so hard for could disappear.
But following reports that the Kingdom is preparing to admit its role on Khashoggi’s death (the official story: that Khashoggi was killed during an interrogation by rogue killers), Republican lawmakers are stepping up their rhetoric against the kingdom, with several Republican leaders in the Senate saying on Tuesday that the body could move to sanction Saudi Arabia, a policy that would likely find widespread purchase with liberal lawmakers. As speculation that Republicans could levy sanctions against Saudi Arabia via the Magnitsky Act, the controversial law passed to make it easier for the US to punish Russian officials for perceived human rights abuses, Mitch McConnell left the door open to this possibility, saying “it may well be.”
“I can’t imagine there won’t be [a response] but I think we need to find out what happened,” he told Bloomberg. “It may well” be worth sanctioning through Magnitsky Act.
But compared with Lindsey Graham’s comments on Fox and Friends, McConnell’s take was relatively mild.
Lindsey Graham, speaking during an interview with Fox and Friends, said that while he was once Saudi Arabia’s biggest ally, he would never again support Saudi Arabia – and that he would vote to “sanction the hell out of Saudi Arabia” – if Mohammad bin Salman remains in charge. “That guy’s got to go,” he said.
✔@kylegriffin1
Lindsey Graham: MBS is a “wrecking ball” who had Khashoggi murdered, he’s “toxic” and he’s “gotta go.”
“This guy is a wrecking ball, he had this guy murdered in a consulate in Turkey, and to expect me to ignore it, I feel used and abused.” (via Fox)
Marco Rubio has perhaps been the most consistently vocal in his demands that the US consider halting arms sales to the Kingdom, chiming in two weeks ago following initial reports of Khashoggi’s disappearance that the US should be prepared to punish KSA if reports about Khashoggi’s murder were found to be true. During a recent interview on CNN, Rubio asserted that, if Trump fails to punish Saudi Arabia (assuming the murder is verified) “there will be a very strong Congressional response.” Rubio added that he has already asked for a Magnitsky investigation, meaning that the individuals involved in the killing would be sanctioned.
But not all Republicans feel so strongly. As of Tuesday morning, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin still intends to travel to Saudi’s “Davos in the Desert” next week, though via statement’s from his office, he is keeping his options open.
the Saudi Prince MbS, totally denies knowledge of the killing and promises a complete investigation
Trump: Saudi Prince “Totally Denied” Knowledge Of
Khashoggi Killing, Promised “Complete” Investigation
While Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman was meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Riyadh..
…The two apparently conferenced in the big boss back in Washington to discuss the ongoing diplomatic crisis that has resulted from the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi’s consulate in Istanbul in what was the first conversation between the prince and Trump since the crisis broke out two weeks ago. Trump had previously spoken with KSA’s aging nominal leader, King Salman. Following the conversation, Trump tweeted Tuesday afternoon that he had spoken with MbS during the prince’s meeting with Pompeo, and that MbS had “totally denied” having any knowledge of the killing that is believed to have taken place inside the consulate. Furthermore, MbS told Trump that he had “already opened” and “would rapidly expand” an investigation into the incident, with Trump concluding by promising that “answers would be forthcoming shortly.”
✔@realDonaldTrump
Just spoke with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia who totally denied any knowledge of what took place in their Turkish Consulate. He was with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo…
· 42m
…during the call, and told me that he has already started, and will rapidly expand, a full and complete investigation into this matter. Answers will be forthcoming shortly.
The New York Times on Tuesday published a story explaining why the Trump Administration has been so cautious in its response to the killings. Per the story, the US had been depending on Saudi Arabia to increase oil production as part of a plot to sideline Iranian exports after the US reimposes sanctions on Iran on Nov. 4. While the two countries have a mutual interest in hobbling the Iranian oil industry, the Saudis also have leverage to screw over the US and mitigate the impact of its sanctions. Trump’s tweet also followed reports that the Saudis had undertaken the first retaliation against a Western company over executives abandoning its “Davos in the Desert” by pulling a deal with Virgin Hyperloop. Media reports have suggested that the Saudis intend to blame the killing of Khashoggi on “rogue operatives” who had been sent to the embassy to detain or interrogate Khashoggi.
China & Japan Dump Treasuries As Dollar’s Reserve Status Slumps To 5 Year Lows
Treasury International Capital flows showed Brazil the biggest buyer of Treasurys in August (followed by Ireland and France), but it was China and ‘ally’ Japan that dumped the most Treasurys in the month…
Brazil is Steve Mnuchin’s best friend…
As China reduced their holdings of US Treasurys for the 3rd straight month…
Japan flipped to a seller again in August back to the lowest holdings since October 2011…
And while the Saudis were buying in August…
the broad trend among other majors has been selling…
All of which has driven the USDollar’s share of global central bank reserve to its lowest since 2013…
And, according to economist Zach Pandl at Goldman Sachs, Washington’s aggressive policy against Moscow could be the biggest driver behind the recent fall of the dollar’s share of global central-bank reserves,who noted that Russia’s Central Bank sold some $85 billion of its $150 billion holding of the US assets from April through June after the US Treasury Department announced new sanctions on Russian businessmen, companies and government officials.
At the beginning of April, as RT reports, Washington expanded its anti-Russian sanction list, including seven Russian tycoons, 12 companies and 17 senior government officials over alleged meddling in the 2016 US presidential election, and according to Pandl, the co-head of global FX and emerging-market strategy, the US policy of unilateral tariff hikes and sanctions is putting at risk the greenback that is still dominating the global currency reserves.
“The Central Bank of Russia likely sold a large portion of its dollar-denominated assets, and perhaps all of its US Treasuries held by US custodians, and transferred them to euro-denominated and yuan-denominated bonds in the second quarter,” the economist said.
“This would account for more than half of the decline in the share of dollar reserves during the quarter.”
According to the recent data revealed by the International Monetary Fund, share of the US national currency in the global central-bank reserves declined to 62.3 percent in the second quarter with holdings in the euro, yen and yuan gained as a share of allocated reserves.
“Sanction risk appears to explain a significant portion of the observed decline,” the analyst said.
“The dollar’s share of reserve assets could decline further if other large reserve holders were to make similar changes as the Central Bank of Russia over time.”
Remember, nothing last forever…
Your early morning currency/gold and silver pricing/Asian and European bourse movements/ and interest rate settings TUESDAY morning 7:00 am
Euro/USA 1.1579 DOWN .0004 REACTING TO MERKEL’S FAILED COALITION/ REACTING TO +GERMAN ELECTION WHERE ALT RIGHT PARTY ENTERS THE BUNDESTAG/ huge Deutsche bank problems + USA election:///ITALIAN CHAOS /AND NOW ECB TAPERING BOND PURCHASES/JAPAN TAPERING BOND PURCHASES /USA RISING INTEREST RATES /FLOODING/EUROPE BOURSES IN THE GREEN EXCEPT LONDON
Early THIS TUESDAY morning in Europe, the Euro FELL by 4 basis point, trading now ABOVE the important 1.08 level FALLING to 1.1579; / Last night Shanghai composite CLOSED DOWN 21.77 POINTS OR 0.85%
//Hang Sang CLOSED UP 17.20 POINTS OR 0.07%
/AUSTRALIA CLOSED UP 0.50% / EUROPEAN BOURSES ALL GREEN EXCEPT LONDON FTSE
The NIKKEI: this TUESDAY morning CLOSED UP 277.94 POINTS OR 1.25%
1/EUROPE OPENED ALL GREEN EXCEPT LONDON FTSE
2/ CHINESE BOURSES / :Hang Sang CLOSED UP 17.20 POINTS OR 0.07%
/SHANGHAI CLOSED DOWN 21.77 POINTS OR 0.85%
Australia BOURSE CLOSED UP .50%
Nikkei (Japan) CLOSED UP 277.94 POINTS OR 1.25%
INDIA’S SENSEX IN THE GREEN
Early TUESDAY morning USA 10 year bond yield: 3.17% !!! UP 2 IN POINTS from MONDAY’S night in basis points and it is trading WELL ABOVE resistance at 2.27-2.32%. (POLICY FED ERROR)/
The 30 yr bond yield 3.35 UP 2 IN BASIS POINTS from FRIDAY night. (POLICY FED ERROR)/
USA dollar index early TUESDAY morning: 95.03 DOWN 3 CENT(S) from MONDAY’s close.
This ends early morning numbers TUESDAY MORNING
And now your closing TUESDAY NUMBERS \1: 00 PM
Portuguese 10 year bond yield: 1.94% DOWN 6 in basis point(s) yield from MONDAY/
JAPANESE BOND YIELD: +.15% UP 1 BASIS POINTS from MONDAY/JAPAN losing control of its yield curve/EXTREMELY VOLATILE YESTERDAY…DANGEROUS!!
SPANISH 10 YR BOND YIELD: 1.65% DOWN 3 IN basis point yield from MONDAY/
ITALIAN 10 YR BOND YIELD: 3.45 DOWN 10 POINTS in basis point yield from MONDAY/
IMPORTANT CURRENCY CLOSES FOR TUESDAY
Closing currency crosses for TUESDAY night/USA DOLLAR INDEX/USA 10 YR BOND YIELD/1:00 PM
Euro/USA 1.1588 UP .0006 or 6 basis points
Great Britain/USA 1.3210 UP .0056( POUND UP 56 BASIS POINTS)
This afternoon, the Euro was ROSE BY 6 BASIS POINTS to trade at 1.1588
The Yen ROSE to 112.16 for a LOSS of 33 Basis points as NIRP is STILL a big failure for the Japanese central bank/HELICOPTER MONEY IS NOW DELAYED/BANK OF JAPAN NOW WORRIED AS AS THEY ARE RUNNING OUT OF BONDS TO BUY AS BOND YIELDS RISE
The POUND GAINED 56 basis points, trading at 1.3210/
The Canadian dollar gained 61 basis points to 1.2932
THE USA/YUAN OFFSHORE: 6.9102 ( YUAN down)
TURKISH LIRA: 5.7294
Your closing 10 yr USA bond yield UP 0 IN basis points from MONDAY at 3.16 % //trading well ABOVE the resistance level of 2.27-2.32%) very problematic USA 30 yr bond yield: 3.34 UP 0 in basis points on the day /
Your closing USA dollar index, 94.97 DOWN 8 CENT(S) ON THE DAY/1.00 PM/
Your closing bourses for Europe and the Dow along with the USA dollar index closing and interest rates for TUESDAY: 1:00 PM
London: CLOSED UP 28.49 POINTS OR 0.41%
German Dax : CLOSED UP 160.68 POINTS OR 1.38%
Paris Cac CLOSED UP 76.68 POINTS OR 1.500%
Spain IBEX CLOSED UP 160.000 POINTS OR 1.71%
Italian MIB: CLOSED UP: 415.90 POINTS OR 2.16%/
USA DOLLAR VS TURKISH LIRA: 5.7294 PER ONE USA DOLLAR.
BRENT:81/28
USA 10 YR BOND YIELD: 3.16%
USA 30 YR BOND YIELD: 3.33%/
EURO/USA DOLLAR CROSS: 1.1577 ( DOWN 6 BASIS POINTS)
USA/JAPANESE YEN:112.26 UP .420 (YEN DOWN 42 BASIS POINTS/ .(LACK OF FOR.EXCHANGE SWAPS)
USA DOLLAR INDEX: 95.07 UP 1 cent(s)/
Canadian dollar: 1.2944 UP 51 BASIS pts
The Dow closed UP 547.87 POINTS OR 2.17%
NASDAQ closed UP 214.74 points or 2.89% 4.00 PM EST
Stocks Soar On Biggest Short-Squeeze Since Trump’s
500 Dow points – what else is there (forget the 2000 point drop last week!!)
Before we get started on how bullish the US equity rebound m
Before we get started on how bullish the US equity rebound must be… consider this – today is the biggest short-squeeze day since Nov 2016’s post-Trump election rebound…
With “Most Shorted” Stocks soaring off last week’s lows…
Sparking a panic-bid in Small Caps and Trannies…
Before you get too excited – look how dismal volume was today…
All the majors bounced off key technical levels…Small Caps remain below their 200DMA…
The Dow erased over 50% of last week’s plunge… (but is still well down from the early October highs)
In October, it’s still a sea of red led by Small Caps and Dow is least loser…
The big banks soared today. Since earnings began, Morgan Stanley is up 5.6% but JPMorgan is unchanged…
But BlackRock tumbled as Institutional investors dumped out of equities…
FANG Stocks retraced Fib 38.2% of October’s ugliness…
While VIX has slumped back from its spike highs, it remains inverted for the 7th day in a row…
China stocks were down again overnight…
But Europe continued its incessant bid…led by Italy.
While stocks soared, bonds were also marginally bid… were RP funds reloading today?
With yields pushing back to unchanged on the week…
With 10Y remaining in a tight range…
Aggregating Stock and Bond returns today was the best day since Feb 6th… (as both stocks and bonds rallied)
The Dollar Index broke briefly below 95 but ended unchanged…
PBOC fixed Yuan higher overnight and offshore yuan rallied modestly…
EM FX soared led by Peso, Lira, and Rand today…
Cryptocurrencies were modestly higher on the day
PMs faded and WTI gained on the day…
Gold ended unchanged and silver modestly lower…
Industrial Production Growth Beats But Slows To
Weakest Since May
Industrial Production has risen and beaten expectations for four straight months (up 0.3% MoM vs +0.2% exp),
but we do note that this is the slowest gain since the plunge in May.
Vehicle Production growth slowed from +4.3% MoM to +1.7% MoM in September.
Capacity Utilization missed expectations very modestly (unchanged at 78.1%).
While US ‘hard’ data has serially disappointed for the much of the year, industrial production continues to push higher, rebounding in recent months ahead of tariff turmoil…
And finally, for good measure and consistency, the gap between America’s industrial production and America’s stock market measure of industrials has never been bigger…
Tom Luongo on the upcoming midterm elections. Julian Assange now has internet connections. Luongo discusses what this means:
As U.S. Polls Tighten, The Signs All Point To Hillary
In case you haven’t been paying attention, the Republicans are going to remain in control of both the House and the Senate in a couple of weeks. Since their flawless victory over the Democrats in the fight to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, the Republican base is more energized now than at any point since November 2016.
They say pictures are worth a thousand words… so, here’s one.
The Redcoats are Coming, The Redcoats are Coming!
Source: RealClearPolitics.com
And if you don’t think the person that is most worried about this picture is Hillary Clinton, then you haven’t been paying attention.
But, to get to Hillary, I’ll have to connect a few dots.
It is pretty obvious that Trump has begun winning over important parts of the GOP leadership, most notably Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), who shared a stage with Trump in Kentucky recently.
While on the other hand, those most in opposition to Trump like Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (D-Wisconsin) and Jeff Flake (D-McCainville) are retiring because they know they can’t win.
Trump and McConnell’s win, as I said previously, “gave spine to the spineless.” Like Trump or hate him, for the most part, the guy is a change agent.
So, McConnell rammed another 15 judges down the Democrats’ throats to allow them time to do a little chair rearrangement on the deck of their party’s Titanic before November 6th.
The early signs have come from the foreign policy front, namely Trump’s cabinet.
The great Justin Raimondo at Antiwar.com feels, “the trend is moving in our direction – toward a new foreign policy for America, one that functions to protect the people of this country rather than police the world. Go not abroad in search of monsters to destroy.”
The reason I can give Raimondo’s optimism an audience stems from Gareth Porter’s recent article about Trump’s cabinet sabotaging him on foreign policy.
The excerpts from Bob Woodward’s book “Fear: Trump in the White House” that Porter pulls together along with other sources paints a very probably scenario of what is going on. Trump is fighting daily with his cabinet.
I’m sure Woodward’s goal was to show Trump as weak and not in control, because that’s the narrative du jour in the hopes of creating a 25th Amendment challenge to him post mid-terms.
But, since the Democrats are going to lose the mid-terms, this book now can serve as research into the shift in policy coming from Trump starting in mid-November.
And Trump is doing just a little bit more than signaling what’s coming.
I’ve settled on the belief that he fired Nikki Haley. She was, next to Certified Crazy Person John Bolton, the biggest neoconservative and AIPAC boot-licker in the administration. I expect Bolton will be gone soon if sanctions on Iran don’t work.
I bet she got wind of his intentions and then quit before the elections out of spite because … AIPAC.
As I said the day it happened, the only way our presence at the U.N. could be worse is if Dick Cheney is made U.N. Ambassador. So, buh-bye Nimrata.
That was interesting. But, now Trump’s undercutting Secretary of Defense James Mattis publicly. He hasn’t done this before.
When the MSM was trying to drive a wedge between Trump and Mattis I didn’t believe it.
When Trump is doing it, I’m listening. That’s a real change. Calling Mattis “a sort of a Democrat” is pure signaling to his base that Mattis has been a problem in the Middle East.
Has Trump has finally made the point clear to his generals that staying in Syria and Afghanistan forever is not in the U.S.’s best interests? Firing Mattis or allowing him to resign gracefully after the mid-terms would be a big move in that direction, if Woodword’s reporting is to be believed.
Woodward paints Mattis as the biggest obstacle to that end, arguing for the standard neoconservative line of defending America by invading the world.
Trump wants us out of Syria and Afghanistan. His cabinet doesn’t. So, we’re seeing him beginning to change the cabinet. Again, this happens as fallout from the Kavanaugh win since that fight changed the game at the grassroots level making it easier for him to fire the paper-hangers and promote the fire-breathers.
Then we have Israel and Syria opening up the Quinetra crossing to and from the Golan Heights for the first time in seven years, even though the war or words between the two countries continues to be belligerent.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with Henry Kissinger on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. Try to find anything out about this in a standard search engine result. Because “Lavrov Kissinger Meeting” needed the word “TASS” added to it to get this article stub from Russian State News Service TASS.
And that is literally all you will get about this meeting outside of my commenting on it.
Because the Panopticon is real folks.
And that brings me, finally, to Trump’s revoking Hillary Clinton’s security clearance along with five others including her close aide Cheryl Mills.
Hillary and her staff have been using their clearance, like former CIA Director John Brennan to attack Trump in the press.
But, it is, lastly, the news that Ecuador reinstated Wikileaks’ publisher Julian Assange’s Internet and communications is the thing that set off my Spidey-Sense and was the catalyst for this post.
Assange has been held under an effective gag order, like Paul Manafort, for months now to keep them both from telling their story to the world. For more than a year Trump has fought an uphill battle against a deluge of distractions, most of which are untrue and some simply intelligence agency provocations designed to push him into untenable positions.
But, the noose is tightening around the conspiracy to oust Trump from power as it is outed bit by bit. With each small revelation, the picture is in focus. All that was missing was a fundamental change in the political atmosphere.
Because, make no mistake, Assange knows where all the metaphoric and literal bodies are buried.
The pressure on Ecuador’s new President to keep Assange silent must have lifted otherwise he’d still be in effective solitary confinement. And why would that pressure lift all of a sudden?
Glenn Simpson of Fusion GPS ‘took the Fifth’ in Congressional testimony. Assistant Attorney General Rod Rosenstein ignored the summons from Congress.
Everyone knows Julian Assange can put the finger on Hillary for what happened in 2016 (and so many other things).
So, putting the last piece to this puzzle together, it should be getting clearer here that some very important people are about to be indicted and/or arrested.
Containment around Hillary’s crimes has been breached and all that’s left now is for the people close to her to start turning on each other. The mid-terms were their last, best hope for a stay of execution.
But, Kanye West personally ended that hope just days after Kavanaugh was confirmed.
As the newly-empowered GOP bulldogs like Devin Nunes and John Ratcliffe take things to the next level in their investigations expect these trickles to become a torrent in the wake of the Red Tide coming on November 6th.
Join my Patreon if you like connecting dots.
Project Veritas exposes Missouri Democrat McCaskill for hiding a true liberal agenda form moderate voters
Veritas Undercover Exposes MO Sen. McCaskill Hiding
Liberal Agenda From Moderate Voters: “People Just
Can’t Know That”
In the third undercover video filmed by Project Veritas during the ongoing 2018 election season, Missouri Senator McCaskill’s considerably more liberal views – “essentially the same as [Obama’s]” – are exposed as she and her campaign staff conceals them in order to court moderate voters… and she needs them as her and her opponent are essentially tied:
Via ProjectVeritasAction.com,
Said James O’Keefe, founder and president of Project Veritas Action:
“This undercover report shows just how broken our political system has become. Senator McCaskill hides her true views from voters because she knows they won’t like them.”
Senator McCaskill Talks Gun Bans on Tape
Senator McCaskill revealed her intention to vote on various gun control measures in undercover footage:
MCCASKILL: “Well if we elect enough Democrats we’ll get some gun safety stuff done. They won’t let us vote on it, we’ve got 60 votes for a number of measures that would help with gun safety, but McConnell won’t let ’em come to the floor.”
JOURNALIST: “Like bump stocks, ARs and high capacity mags…?”
MCCASKILL: “Universal background checks, all of that… But if we have the kind of year I think we might have I think we could actually be in a position to get votes on this stuff on the floor and we’d get 60 [votes]…”
JOURNALIST: “So you would be on board with the bump stocks and… high capacity mags.”
MCCASKILL: “Of course! Of course!”
Despite her strong views on gun control, Senator McCaskill does not tend to promote them on the campaign trail or on her website. Rob Mills, who works on Senator McCaskill’s campaign, says that is “…because she has a bunch of Republican voters.”
Another individual who works on Senator McCaskill campaign, Carson Pope, adds that “…a semi-automatic rifle ban is more so what she would support.”
“People just can’t know that.”
According to Mills, Senator McCaskill conceals her support of Moms Demand Action, a gun control group, and other similar organizations because they would “…hurt her ability to get elected.”
MILLS: “But she doesn’t openly go out and support groups like ‘Mom’s Demand Action’ or just like other groups that are related to that. Because that could hurt, her ability to get elected. Because people like see that and they’re like well I don’t want to support her even though they stand for the same policies…”
MILLS: “She’s worked out stuff with Mom’s Demand Action to make sure that she can support their goals without supporting the organization openly. And you know, Mom’s Demand Action does the exact same thing. Like a lot of our volunteers are actually from there. She’s really good about strategy and making sure she has a goal and can get there.”
Nicolas Starost, another individual who works on Senator McCaskill’s campaign, explains how President Obama won’t campaign for Senator McCaskill in Missouri despite their similar views on politics. Starost says this is because Senator McCaskill needs to distance herself from the Democratic party to appeal to more voters:
STAROST: “Because of how like, cause he’s a very liberal candidate. And like… Claire distancing herself from the party is gonna help her win more votes than it will saying like: “Oh here’s Obama, the former President of the United States, to now speak on my behalf.” Which is unfortunate because I love Obama to pieces, and I’d love to see him come here.”
JOURNALIST: “And they essentially have the same views on everything?”
STAROST: “Yeah. People just can’t know that.”
Another individual who works on Senator McCaskill’s campaign, Glen Winfrey, explains plans for the impeachment of President Trump:
JOURNALIST: “So, here’s the real question, Claire holds off on impeachment to get the moderate. What do we tell the moderates when we drop the impeachment hammer afterward?”
WINFREY: “Get over it. It was a national security question. That information was confidential, and she did her duty by not revealing the information until afterward.”
Carter Page sues and me may get considerable unredacted stuff. If justice is failed, will the 5 to 4 Supreme Court come into action
“Getting Some Disclosure”: Carter Page Sues DNC And
Clinton Law Firm Over Sham Dossier Used To Spy On
Former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page told Fox News‘s Sean Hannity on Monday that he is suing the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Perkins Coie – the law firm used by the DNC and the Clinton campaign to funnel money to Fusion GPS.
Fusion, in turn, launched an expansive opposition research effort against Trump – hiring Nellie Ohr, the wife of a (formerly) high-ranking Department of Justice official, along with ex-MI6 spy Christopher Steele, who assembled the “Steele dossier” – which utilized Kremlin sources.
The dossier was then used by the FBI to obtain a FISA surveillance warrant to spy on Page, while the agency bolstered the warrant application with MSM news articles written by reporters who were fed information by Steele, in what Sean Hannity described as a “fraud” on “four FISA judges.” Interestingly, an un-recused Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein – who is overseeing the Russia investigation – signed off on Page’s FISA application and subsequent renewals.
Chuck Ross@ChuckRossDC
FBI represented to a federal judge that investigators knew for certain that Carter Page met w/ Igor Sechin and Diveykin. Except, the FISA app acknowledges this intel came from Steele dossier. And FBI has acknowledged dossier was not verifieid. http://dailycaller.com/2018/07/21/doj-release-carter-page-fisa/ …
Of note, both Rosenstein and Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson have suddenly refused to speak to Congressional investigators, with Rosenstein bailing on scheduled testimony last week and Simpson’s lawyer announcing his client plans to invoke his fifth amendment right not to incriminate himself.
James Baker, former FBI General CounselRosenstein’s decision not to testify may be due in part to statements made by former FBI top lawyer James Baker, who told Congressional investigators in early October that Rosenstein wasn’t joking about secretly recording President Trump right around the time former FBI Director James Comey was fired, then trying to impeach Trump by invoking the 25th amendment with the recordings.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein“As far as Baker was concerned, this was a real plan being discussed,” reports The Hill‘s John Solomon, citing a confidential source.
Baker meets with Perkins Coie
In September 2016, Baker – then the FBI’s top lawyer, met with Perkins Coie at a meeting during which he received “documents and a thumb drive” related to the Russia case, according to Solomon.
Baker was interviewed by lawmakers behind closed doors on Wednesday. Sources declined to divulge much about his testimony, other than to say it confirmed other evidence about the contact between the Perkins Coie law firm and the FBI.
The sources said Baker identified lawyer Michael Sussman, a former DOJ lawyer, as the Perkins Coie attorney who reached out to him and said the firm gave him documents and a thumb drive related to Russian interference in the election, hacking and possible Trump connections. –The Hill
Of the lawsuit, Page said: “I’m just trying to get some justice in terms of getting some disclosure.”
We imagine Page may ask a federal judge to force the DOJ to unredact key documents in the Russia investigation – which were ordered released on September 18 by President Trump – only to walk back the order days later. Explaining his change of heart, Trump said he received phone calls from two “very good allies” expressing concern over the release of the documents.
Who called?
Some have pointed out that Australia and the UK have the most to be worried about – as it was Australian diplomat Alexander Downer who played a key role conveying a “drunken admission” from Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos that Russia had Hillary’s emails. Papadopoulos was reportedly fed the rumor by Maltese professor (and self-described Clinton Foundation member) Joseph Mifsud, who is currently in hiding and might be dead, or not.
The UK, meanwhile, was where much of the spycraft against the Trump campaign was conducted. Christopher Steele aside, at the beginning of Operation Crossfire Hurricane – the code name for the FBI’s counterintelligence operation on Trump, fired FBI agent Peter Strzok flew to London to meet with Downer. The meeting was described as “highly unusual,” and it was the foundation for Mueller’s ongoing investigation according to the New York Times.
Moreover FBI spy Stephen Halper – a US citizen and Cambridge professor, reportedly conducted espionage on Trump advisers Page and Papadopoulos on British soil months before the 2016 US election. Halper’s consulting firm was granted over $1 million in contracts from the Obama Pentagon, with nearly half of it coming directly before the 2016 election. Once the election was over, Halper continued to spy on Page.
If Page is denied justice, will his lawsuit go all the way to a now-conservative Supreme Court?
Have fun with this: Trump will now go after both Stormy Daniels and her lawyer Avenatti
Trump Vows To Go After “Horseface” Stormy Daniels
And Her “3rd Rate Lawyer” Avenatti
President Trump on Tuesday vowed to go after “Horseface” Stormy Daniels and her attorney Michael Avenatti, after a federal judge dismissed her lawsuit against Trump on Monday, ordering her to pay his legal fees.
Trump tweeted on Tuesday morning: “Federal Judge throws out Stormy Danials lawsuit versus Trump. Trump is entitled to full legal fees.” @FoxNews Great, now I can go after Horseface and her 3rd rate lawyer in the Great State of Texas. She will confirm the letter she signed! She knows nothing about me, a total con!
“Federal Judge throws out Stormy Danials lawsuit versus Trump. Trump is entitled to full legal fees.” @FoxNews Great, now I can go after Horseface and her 3rd rate lawyer in the Great State of Texas. She will confirm the letter she signed! She knows nothing about me, a total con!
Following the dismissal of Daniels’ case (real name Stephanie Clifford), Trump’s legal team issued the following statement:
United States District Judge S. James Otero issued an order and ruling today dismissing Stormy Daniels’ defamation lawsuit against President Trump. The ruling also states that the President is entitled to an award of his attorneys’ fees against Stormy Daniels. A copy of the ruling is attached. No amount of spin or commentary by Stormy Daniels or her lawyer, Mr. Avenatti, can truthfully characterize today’s ruling in any way other than total victory for President Trump and total defeat for Stormy Daniels. The amount of the award for President Trump’s attorneys’ fees will be determined at a later date.
Daniels’ attorney Michael Avenatti responded to Trump, tweeting: “You are a disgusting misogynist and an embarrassment to the United States. Bring everything you have, because we are going to demonstrate to the world what a complete shyster and liar you are. How many other women did you cheat on your wife with while you had a baby at home?”
✔@MichaelAvenatti
You are a disgusting misogynist and an embarrassment to the United States. Bring everything you have, because we are going to demonstrate to the world what a complete shyster and liar you are. How many other women did you cheat on your wife with while you had a baby at home?
.@realDonaldTrump – tens of millions of Americans are tired of your fraud, lies, and corruption. They are equally tired of your attacks on women, especially the ones who you have had sex with while cheating on your wives. We (and the UN) are laughing AT YOU, not with you. #Basta
Daniels, meanwhile, tweeted: “Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present your president. In addition to his…umm…shortcomings, he has demonstrated his incompetence, hatred of women and lack of self control on Twitter AGAIN! And perhaps a penchant for bestiality. Game on, Tiny.”
✔@StormyDaniels
Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present your president. In addition to his…umm…shortcomings, he has demonstrated his incompetence, hatred of women and lack of self control on Twitter AGAIN! And perhaps a penchant for bestiality. Game on, Tiny.
Yesterday, Avenatti responded to the dismissal, tweeting (and then deleting): “We will appeal the dismissal of the defamation cause of action and are confident in a reversal,” while stating that Daniels’ other claims against Trump and Cohen “proceed unaffected.”
Re Judge’s limited ruling: Daniels’ other claims against Trump and Cohen proceed unaffected. Trump’s contrary claims are as deceptive as his claims about the inauguration attendance.
We will appeal the dismissal of the defamation cause of action and are confident in a reversal.
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) October 15, 2018
Last week Trump’s legal team argued that it made no sense for them to keep fighting in court over a $130,000 hush payment received by Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, as she invalidated the non-disclosure agreement she signed with Trump’s longtime fixer and lawyer, Michael Cohen.
The lawsuit is moot because Trump has consented that the agreement, as she has claimed, was never formed because he didn’t sign it and he has agreed not to try to enforce it, Trump said in his court filing. The company created by Cohen to facilitate the non-disclosure agreement, which initially said Clifford faced more than $20 million in damages for talking, said in September that it wouldn’t sue to enforce the deal. –Yahoo
Will Twitter ban Trump for violating their new rules against “language that treats other as less than human?”
Twitter’s Dehumanization Policy
You may not dehumanize anyone based on membership in an identifiable group, as this speech can lead to offline harm.
Dehumanization: Language that treats others as less than human. Dehumanization can occur when others are denied of human qualities (animalistic dehumanization) or when others are denied of their human nature (mechanistic dehumanization). Examples can include comparing groups to animals and viruses (animalistic), or reducing groups to a tool for some other purpose (mechanistic). –Twitter
thebradfordfile™@thebradfordfile
Twitter has a strict policy regarding accounts that “reduces someone to less than human–it will be permanently suspended.” Trump tweets ‘Horseface’.
Let’s hope he just gets a warning.
The aristocrats!
From ABC’s latest poll: This ABC News/Washington Post poll was conducted by telephone Oct. 8-
11, 2018 among a random national sample of 1,144 adults, with 65 percent reached on cell phones and 35 percent on landlines… Partisan divisions are 33-26-35 percent, Democrats-Republicans-independents… https://www.langerresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/1201a2TrumpandtheMidterms.pdf
Gallup as of September 12, 2018: In politics, as of today, do you consider yourself a Republican, a Democrat or an independent? Republican 26%, Democrat 27%, Independent 44%
https://news.gallup.com/poll/15370/party-affiliation.aspx
Before the 2016 Election, Nov. 1-6, 2016: Republican 27%, Democrat 31%, Independent 36%
The usual MSM polls are again under-sampling Republican voters to craft that better fit their biases. There’s no doubt that they know the sampling is erroneously due to the results of 2016. But, you don’t have to be right in the MSM to keep your jobs.
The GOP controls the WH and Congress plus thirty-something state legislatures and governorships. So how can polls sample have such a big deficit of GOP to Democrat voters?
@brookefoxnews: Bangor Police Dept, Fire Dept, local hazmat team is investigating a suspicious letter at the home of @SenatorCollins in Maine. FBI is aware. Bangor PD is leading the investigation. Criminal Investigation Division is on the scene. Investigation is ongoing.
I DO NOT THINK I WILL BE ABLE TO BRING YOU A COMMENTARY ON WEDNESDAY
HOWEVER I WILL BRING YOU THE COMEX DATA AND MORNING CURRENCY DATA ETC
I WILL LET YOU KNOW IF I CAN DELIVER A THURSDAY COMMENTARY
← OCTOBER 15/GOLD CONTINUES TO MARCH HIGHER: TODAY UP $8.45 TO $1226.90/SILVER ADVANCES ANOTHER 10 CENTS TO $14.70/TRUMP DISCLOSES THAT HE MAY INITIATE A 3RD ROUND OF TARIFFS AGAINST CHINA/DEMAND FOR APPLE PHONES INSIDE CHINA SEEMS TO BE SLUMPING BADLY/MERKEL SUFFERS A BIG DEFEAT IN BAVARIAN ELECTIONS/SAUDI ARABIA WILL ADMIT THAT THE KILLING OF KHASHOGGI WAS INADVERTENT: A BOTCHED UP INTERROGATION/MORE SWAMP STORIES FOR YOU TONIGHT/
OCT 17/2018/PARTIAL COMMENTARY FOR TODAY. →
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The VA Has Expanded Its Crisis Line, Helping It Better Respond To Veterans In Need
By Sarah Harris • Sep 21, 2018
The Department of Veterans Affairs National Call Center in Canandaigua, N.Y., pictured in this 2013 photo, is one of three operated by the VA.
Originally published on September 4, 2018 1:28 pm
The VA has opened more call centers and hired hundreds of additional responders after complaints that some callers experienced long hold times or were sent to voicemail.
Sarah Harris reports on the VA's efforts to improve its telephone crisis line.
If you're a veteran who's not doing so well - if you're suicidal, or depressed, or just want to talk - there's a number to call: 1-800-273-8255.
The number rings at the Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Crisis Line. Originally operated from a single call center in Canandaigua, N.Y., the line now has three centers and more than 600 responders. They answer about 2000 calls per day, many of them from veterans who are considering suicide.
"A successful call in my mind is one in which someone is just about to kill themselves, and our responder talks them down, safety plans, does the consult, and gets them connected with their local VA," said crisis line Assistant Deputy Director Julianne Mullane.
Two years ago, more than thirty percent of calls rolled over to backup centers operated by subcontractors, or - in some cases - to voicemail. The VA was sharply criticized by veterans groups and members of Congress, who said the line's poor response rate meant the agency was failing vets in their time of greatest need.
"We had much more demand than we had capacity to satisfy that demand," said crisis line Deputy Director Robert Corrado.
He said that at the time of the complaints, the VA was in the middle of opening a second call center in Atlanta. There's now a third in Topeka, Kansas. The agency also changed the algorithm that routes incoming calls.
"We've gone from [call rollover rates of] thirty percent to less than one percent," Corrado said. "That means we're effectively answering every call that comes in."
Corrado measures the crisis line's success one anecdote at a time, like the call from the mother of a young soldier in Iraq whose girlfriend had just broken up with him.
"He was sitting in a tent somewhere in Iraq, and was Skyping with his mother," Corrado recounted, "and while he was Skyping, he was holding a gun to his head. So his mother called the crisis line and told us what was going on."
Corrado said responders were able to locate the soldier and get help from the Red Cross and military police.
"His mother actually watched as the Red Cross entered the tent, wrestled the gun away from him, and saved his life," Corrado said.
Stories like this are powerful. But one frustration for crisis line counselors is that they don't know what happens to callers once they hang up the phone. The calls are anonymous, and counselors don't follow up, so there's no easy way to measure success.
"I don't think we've gotten a good grasp on that," Mullane said. "I think we're constantly trying to figure out ways to better measure our efficacy."
But broader research on suicide hotlines suggest that they work. A 2017 study found almost 80 percent of people who called helplines said making the call stopped them from killing themselves.
"You diminish the crisis, you help someone through a very difficult time and decrease the risk that that this crisis will lead to a suicide attempt," said University of Quebec at Montreal psychology professor Brian Mishara, who studies suicide prevention.
But Misara adds that telephone help lines can't solve a caller's long-term problems. And Carrado agrees that the VA crisis line is only one tool in the effort to reduce veteran suicide rates - which are about twenty percent higher than rates in the general population.
"Our business is not to sit here and think, what can the VA do to eliminate the need for a crisis center," Carrado said. "Our job is what can we do at the veterans crisis line to provide service to those who need it."
The VA has rolled out a broader anti-suicide effort that includes offering treatment to suicidal veterans even if their mental health issues aren't service related. It's also recruiting more than 2000 additional mental health professionals to work in the VA system.
This story was produced by the American Homefront Project, a public media collaboration that reports on American military life and veterans. Funding comes from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Copyright 2018 North Carolina Public Radio – WUNC. To see more, visit North Carolina Public Radio – WUNC.
Veterans' helpline
Veterans Crisis Line.
telephone crisis line
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If you’ve ever felt faint in a hot yoga class or looking for shade because those sunrays are making your brain bubble, you’re somewhat familiar with overheating. Sometimes it’s a matter of fear; someone who craves space may fear over-investing in a relationship and being hurt, while someone who has very . Among the men born under the sign of capricorn you´ll find a man who is able to pull out just before orgasm. I do not believe that criminalizing it will help. All i knew was she was hot and there was sex involved.
The way you did when you were dating. At least requiring someone to sign up for a free manhunt account before they could find you allowed you some peace of mind when it came to cruising. There you will find charming shops, and trendy cafes and restaurants. A personality test can help you find the right woman for you. A few days later, he managed to find my girlfriend through an online game and started harassing her. I admire her class too. I'd always wanted to try a bit of roleplaying, so i decided to put my little plan into action when i saw my boyfriend for the first time in about 6 months.
And as long as i order today, i'll get a massive 83% off discount on the system - but i also understand this discount will not be available for long. He's an adonis, physically fit, expert at most everything, swiftly gets into a slap-slap-kiss relationship with dexter's sister deborah, and has a personal history with the villain. * didnotthinkthisthrough: when johnny has miguel learn how to use his legs by pushing him into a pool with his hands bound and miguel takes a while to get back to the surface, johnny says to himself that he probably should have asked miguel if he knew how to swim first. He climbed on top of me, straddling my back with his massive weight. Court finds that time is of the essence, the court may approve the. Trust was violated and the relationship ended before it took root. The gif above took me all of 10 seconds to find and add here. August 2017: some of the cast, including sammi, reunited for e.
Do you tend to be a. Finding the minimum information for census records. Resident since on green card. If you find yourself making comments like, “all men are cheaters”, or “most woman will take you for a ride”, then you are not ready to start dating. Here are some red flags employers look for in resumes that will cause them to reject a candidate. The single best solution that i can give you to stop this concern is that you should try to stick with the 3-second rule that says: ‘you need to approach the woman you want always within the first 3 seconds of finding her. forgive yourself, develop self gratitude for finding the desire to change. Belle hurries to the pawn shop to stop rumple from harming anyone else, but when he drops to the ground, beginning to die, they end up having a heartfelt talk about how even though belle was all he truly wanted, he simply couldn't believe it was enough. When annie and vanessa find liam held captive, ashley tries to stop them, but annie gets shot before ashley is arrested.
“i don’t have it and i never will. The benefit of coming to watch these players is that you don't have to sit in a huge stand of seating. Additionally, your body, you have asked police for wedding. No longer as far as finding love. Black girls looking for white boys black girls date white men. Try to kill everybody within the set time limit, or find if there's another way off the island. Wishing you a very happy wedding anniversary.
It can be hard to explain to someone who doesn't feel this way, because demisexuality is actually quite subtle if you're not aware of it. Free xp intp infj it xp it 305wc windows xp intex. Might be sending to single men and women who come together to spread. Your spiritual qualities and ideals are sacred to you. Since the period of twelve such lunations, a. Wait until you see the guys they fix you up with. Most of the time, adult kids are pleased when a widowed parent gets a new romantic partner. And she’s also very professional so it was not weird at all. This may be because "many of the victims of date rape had been drinking or otherwise involved in some type of festivity when the rape occurred" (meadows, 2010, p.
The sooner we do this, the sooner we can find healing. He added that she was sometimes self-destructive. And though the elder thompson wouldn’t live up to his draft position, he carved out a solid 14-year career with the portland trailblazers and san antonio spurs before winning a couple championships with the. The toronto mc has name-checked crushes on songs and slid into porn star’s dms. There’s also a variety of tours available and. This may be especially present during the earlier stages of recovery. I just gave up on that too and then went to explore the app a bit more.
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I seriously wish men would stop whining about what women do or don’t do that you don’t like. You obviously want to highlight the good, fun and interesting things about you (and remember there are lots. Boiling water, it can cause the plastisol to thin out. Otherwise she will turn self-conscious with how much of an “easy hold” he seems to have over her, and all their strengths turn to weaknesses. The proven way to meet brandon area singles. Mirabelle, you were in communication with this man for 8 years off and on, and he never asked to see you. Previous research has suggested taking marijuana can lead to individuals becoming withdrawn, lethargic and apathetic.
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She doesn’t need anyone," he said. Week in la, with stars julianne moore, matthew goode, nicholas hoult. Love means having strong feelings for someone that can be close friends, family or even someone in a romantic relationship. Hard work and perseverance is their key to success. Don’t get me wrong, i will always love my ex because we had a wonderful relationship, but right now is the time to be selfish and find myself. The dating nerd is a shadowy figure whose whereabouts and identifying details remain unknown. The fastest way to get yourself rejected is by assuming someone knows who you are when in fact they may not even have your phone number saved in their phone. If ur lucky to find a decent guy good for you. Because the bulk of your relationship is spent apart from one another, taking time to include yourself in your boyfriend's life may make or break your long-distance romance.
Famously single and they both seem to find each other attractive. Talk about finding love in a hopeless place. Face of the betrayal that loss brings. Additionally, herpes can have severe effects on the immunocompromised. The next thing you know, an attractive, charming local is showing you where the hottest spots, most picturesque scenery, and the best food are. The dynamic exists because the woman you love has let it evolve into what it is.
That has to do with society not the list itself. Most people familiar with bdsm practices/norms hate those books/movies with a passion due to how they misrepresent bdsm like it's just an abusive relationship. But no where in the bible i find is there a mention of relationships and boundaries cause ultimatley back then they didnt date but girls where promsied to men for marriage. Find out by discovering their social profiles. 10 reasons why we find men with tattoos attractive. He's not a very free-spirited person, so the clothes needed to be very specific and curated: dropped-crotch pants and all of these things that would mark him in the town as being someone who is very different. This app is being used by a huge number of people and after finding their partners users are delete tinder account permanently. While the ratio may seem somewhat unbalanced, the sausage-fest that is phish has seen a. Most people within the dating scene are still struggling to find out how to connect to their senses and experience of sexuality.
It's pretty disturbing watching him use his charm and smile to win the affection of cheryl. He's also dropped seven of his past eight meetings with serbian opponents – the only win that upset of djokovic at wimbledon. Maybe you’ll find the albert to your alberta. Neither rajani nor bills had very high expectations, and they certainly never expected to find a serious relationship this way. No ‘hi, monica belucci lady, i fall in love, sweet beauty, marry me. " he responds, "i'm frank costanza's lawyer.
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Where i’m the crazy bitch ex that people refer too. My thing is if you're this great outgoing guy with a great personality who women also happen to find attractive you shouldn't have a problem meeting women. If you feel good in what you’re wearing you’ll look good;Â confidence is everything. Pick a new recipe or go with an old standby, just as long as you are creating it together. Your body is a gift; many women think being sexual early will win a man; but the opposite is always true. The move proved to be a productive one for lamar. When an altar is consecrated,. they go back to hard oral after the fornicating which has keegan kade hanging her head off the armrest of the couch to get her throat fucked.
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If someone isn't prepared to afford me a fair chance because of that then i'd sooner find out early on rather than invest time and effort in someone and then have the jump ship when i may have become attached to them. Could you take me in a fight.
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Originally from caracas, venezuela, she and family moved to the united states when she was only five. Trying us to cape for white women won’t get you any closer to a seat at white supremacy’s table. I’m definitely more of a girl’s girl but it has been a lot of fun. A quick review: a digital boyfriend means most of your relationship happens on your phone, via text, dating app chat or facetime. Come on, who hasn't had a mr. [86] to prepare for the role, hoult read. But what about when it comes to actually applying all this knowledge in real situations. It might mean taking a credit card with a very high interest rate. Jon mayer has been in concert for about 1 year now.
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You can purchase the dvd if you’d like to show it as part of an anti-drug campaign to a school or group of young people. i'm sure the editors at pnas would argue that it's a well-executed scientific study, but they sure got lots of publicity, with articles in the los angeles times, usa today, and. She enjoys her rendezvous and holds no “future expectations. Your story did illustrate why actors aren’t very well suited to each other.
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We're not asking for you to break out the silk sheets or feed us breakfast the next morning (although, if you're looking to turn a casual sex partner into a steady hook up, some homemade pancakes never hurt in sealing that deal). In particular, he is moving closer to harry. (they will find out eventually). Why doesn't anyone want you. (3) how does a union like that form. Oral, love taking a shower together, listened to music on the first and held it for most of all these will help in building.
I can now say that i find myself to be a full preterist. Enjoy that time as much as you possible can. Shockingly enough, she was the young actress who played a teenage version of maleficent. Not to mention the readers. I'll give it another try. One is if the relationship has been effectively over for such a long time that both you and your ex have moved on emotionally. She phoned me and said: ‘you’re upsetting oli.
Homemade cookies tells your friend that you are in time, free casual sex dating sites control. Include lots of variety in your gallery pics and choose your photos carefully so they reflect the ‘real you. And after reading this post i laughed so hard i cried. Board games are an easy way to entertain a group of friends. You were far more focused on observing and interpreting what the the love of your life had written. Anyone will do, you’re saying that you don’t give a damn about the individual. When you have your discussion with your daughter, consider how much mind control she may be under from her studies with the jehovah’s witnesses. ' to 'hey, i just wanted to say, i like how we're clearly the first to arrive, i'm tom by the way. To them, leather excites them and makes a guy having sex while wearing leather have a longer, more intense experience — and without drugs. Jonathan: [laughs] in the script, all it said was jesse explains to rachel he has good intentions, they kiss, we see shelby and we can’t read exactly what’s on their faces.
Catholic speed dating in columbus speed dating in columbus, for customized features been a bank, speed dating in 10 minutes. Friends are casual about hanging out. Alas, he has a girlfriend. With coups, bailouts, ideology clashes, and public outcries galore, the period marked the beginning of the modern era of new zealand politics. Previously, paulson has dated cherry jones, an actress who's 19 years her senior, and before that, she—gasp—also dated a string of men. Commercial title (like tokimeki memorial) raely has stupid question like amateur flash games that plague internet. Most users are looking for relationships that are more on the serious side rather than casual hook-ups. Avoid photo clichés that repel women.
Unless it’s a really famous band with a big crew and drum techs that will do all the work, the poor drummer will have to drag his shit on stage and be the last one getting his stuff off stage when they’re done playing. I think a pro is that we're very aware of people's emotional needs. Sam says goodbye to rafe. But it's not just generations past that judge when to have sex on a date. Willow and stephanie's blueberry and sunflower seed overnight oats. It didn’t cost me anything other than my time and talent but wouldn’t you know it the producer disappeared on me and nothing ever came from the project.
In fact, he wants to date her. For me, the therapist i got in prison was a christian in the truest sense of the word, he gave of himself and showed the worst of us love, and he in a year did 1000x more for me than this guy i paid thousands of dollars over years did. My sister is 13 and just recently my family found out she has been dating a 17 year old behind their backs. Did kiss her), the very next day jami shows up and somehow wells is the only person around. Multicultural marriage lds senior singles interatial marriage, lds singles websites dating multicultural marriage smooth dating website. And if you decide to pursue the relationship, it will inform you about how to proceed in ways that will safeguard the interests and feelings of everyone involved.
1, and headed out to grom, a popular nyc gelato shop. Feelings have a way of making people crazy at times, as we all know. The actress opened up about bieber and her split from the weeknd. When a man clearly indicates what is and isn’t a deal breaker, we owe him the respect of honoring his choices. It’s never a great idea to have sex so early. Have it made up kind of grungy and worldly although there is. The thought of group sex doesn't really do anything for him sexually i'm fairly sure. I met my middle son's hs teachers at the school open house recently, (i need to mention that the format was moving around the school like the kids do on their schedule for 15 min "periods" where we sat and the teachers gave us their take on their classes and philosophies). Jigtalk was formed after co-founder max adamski got frustrated with using dating apps that solely focused on people’s looks, encouraging a ‘swipe left’ culture. They’re the only ones who seem to be able to ride out the lower neptune waves, or at least decide the high is worth the low.
Ages 5-9 – at this age, children are interested in time with parents and other adults. Panel data gathered by comscore media metrix shows that yahoo personals and match. For one thing, the chemistry between the bull rider and the professional dancer was apparent to anyone that tuned in.
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I would definitely suggest to anyone to read this. “he is still exactly what you would think, a sort of slightly roguishly charming older man, but in a really lovely way,” katie laughs. No opinion until after press night, but just to note for those thinking about it:. Use common sense like with any other relationship. Was she a horrible person.
The best thing you can do now is join our site for free and meet loads of granny contacts to start to. But it’s the truth. You can also use your facebook account to login and all your information will remain safe and confidential. Kleiman and durant had considered holding the meetings in manhattan, los angeles or washington, durant’s hometown. How did you get divorced. The right time to introduce your partner and children will depend on their age.
Well best dating site since you have student for a while, make their leo partner. They comprehend the difference between right and wrong, appropriate and inappropriate, truth and lies, reality and fantasy. although, even if the game had unique and varied endings, and a less linearly constructed main story, i still doubt that i would have gone through every ending due to one little factor. Yes it can make a difference. Rumors that kristen stewart and nicholas hoult are dating began to surface around the time the actors began filming equals together in japan.
Instead of spending long hours meeting one person at a time, you can join a speed dating event where you can network with dozens of eligible candidates at once. Gentlemen speak: guys tell us what keeps them from asking you on a date. Betas may be quirky or have nerdy interests, but just because the guy is a beta does not mean he is a nerd. However, sources close to chyna have denied that she's pregnant, despite fans feeling sure she was sending a hint with her outfit choice. [167] however, when perkins was asked whether he would have still taken the role knowing that he would be typecast afterwards, he replied with a definite "yes".
Wore christmas with scott disick, 74 he went to hong year, relative and absolute dating kong and mainland china and gives. It was a single-company temp placement, and i was there 2-4 days a week, depending on need. Doulton products also came to the attention of the british royal family. Now you can openly share the challenges you have overcome to find the type of relationship you are looking for. And slay them wherever you may come upon them, and drive them away from wherever they drove you away, for oppression is even worse than killing. ı dont feel lıke thıs ıs my home sınce ım unable to make ıt so. She captioned the shot: '2017… you were tough.
This has to do with personal issues. Questions, rather than using questions to simply gather the. In addition to this there are photos of them holding hands and looking super happy in each other’s company—folks, looks like we have a relationship. Esther and abdelaziz were wonderful hosts. The late “crocodile hunter,” steve irwin, and the oscar-winning actor, russell crowe, were apparently best friends before irwin was killed by a stingray barb to the chest while filming an underwater documentary in 2006. While much digital ink has been spilled warning men to stay away from narcissistic women, there isn’t a whole lot of literature on. We probably have at least one plan for how we might react if you cheat on us, die in a horrible accident, get cancer, or run off with a rodeo. What matters to women is whether you can truly understand why she broke up with you in the first place.
The latissimus dorsi muscle is best targeted with the elbow close to the torso, bringing it to the hip. I’ve found there’s often a lot of smoke and mirrors hiding a very vulnerable interior. However, while any industry breach is always refreshing, given our profoundly reflexive and self-conscious time, disclosure and confession can be equally perpetuating—yet another way of masking and maintaining the mask. Because the algorithm of the app is narrowly focused on mutual dissatisfaction, you know very little about potential matches other than the foods they won’t eat, the celebs they refuse to hear about and the events they likely won’t attend. But they also strongly believe that marriages should not be dissolved for trivial reasons. I had a hand in creating her.
People took to social media to talk about the news. In today’s society, cash means different things to each of us. But i had to wonder how many of those new users actually ever set up a full profile, or used the system effectively. Carbon into the atmosphere would have disturbed the c-12/c-14 balance. Sophoulis agreed, saying that the “best matches are put on in prime time”, but when contacted by. While hydrotherapy was prescribed less and less to cure illnesses, doctors continued to use it to treat injuries such as strained muscles and broken bones. He’d never laid a finger on me before. He manages to live a double life without many obstacles. hh is right about the breaks.
Then when we got back to the house he had this attitude i was angry as well as i had already been through one affair with him and we had tried to move forward. Reiss throws in marriages as young as 12(even though the majority were age 15 or higher) to really get the hairs on the back of people’s necks up. Does cameron boyce have a girlfriend.
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They’ll actually feel energized when they leave and won’t need any recovery time. If you’ve taken on the role of victim, carlson suggests leaving the “perpetual pity party” so you can transition into your new life as a single woman. ” it’s time we considered the introvert that stands on the sidelines of a game of beer-pong with the quiet but witty observations. Not be like the ones you took in high school or dual-credit community college. Some men who follow date etiquette but rarely get a second date will complain about how women just want to date “rich, good-looking guys” and “jerks”. Some of us love some hot dirty talk and a little naughty outfit (especially if you know the right words to say)… but capricorn men don’t. This is about regular people living life. Or maybe i was hearing things, because the word was drowned out by the sound of tires hissing on wet pavement, grinding gears, and the whoosh of the doors as the driver, old mr. His powder puff is on the wrong end. After a second or two of silence you heard a 'come in'.
[19] which he and his wives and children did without informing laban. I find relationships make me crash. Will brad pitt be a dad again. Or perhaps you're searching for an accepting partner who would love nothing more than to share the steamy cuckold lifestyle with you. He dislikes opening much more about him. If things are going the way you planned, there will be plenty of other instances in your life to have what you really want. And because i know someone will ask, the mashed potatoes came out perfect once the water cooked down. It's something you're going to want to read before answering even one more of their messages.
But just might, because, remember, the magic wand is in your hands and no one else can find you the man of your dreams. Appears to provide you chris from igniting. I'm single for the time being. He’d also did his fair share of labour on the family farm. We laid in that position for a little while as we were both exhausted. They very beautiful when wearing traditional clothes – ao dai. Such stitch and pattern collections may have been assembled in a number of cultures where embroidery for decorative effect was widely practised, our knowledge of early examples depending on the few pieces to have survived in rare cases. We do have ego power struggles, though, and this can get very old, very fast.
Moreover was a saturday that clever relations among confined schoolers in down sometimes hooked in abortions. It’ll keep things less complicated. ' because i collected them too," she recalled to stylist magazine. I took myself out to an art gallery. Focus on sharing feelings in a calm way (i feel angry when…) and move toward solutions instead of assigning blame or lashing out. One glance alone would be sufficient to re-evoke the immediate intensity of those emotions of loss. Maybe you’ve always had a love for good art. Here you will see the â. How to win the heart of a brazilian female. Her pattern indicated that if i did that then she would only slow back down again after seeing a decrease in the threat of the big bad crazy trucker passing her.
Sign up for free or login to the application with your gayvox username and start chatting, read your mail, access your favorites list, etc-. She comes back i tell her were leaving in 5. That are not centered on losing a spouse due to death seem to be. When people first hear that my boyfriend is a twin i get asked the same consistent questions such as:. "he knew what he was doing for sure, but it felt like too much too soon. He got lana turner pregnant after he assaulted her and paid for her silence and a back alley abortion. Every black man out here isn’t a deadbeat father who has tens of thousands of dollars worth of back child support that he’s not willing to pay and won’t get a job to do so. Sherry explained that she became a dominatrix when her husband of 25 years left her for another woman - leaving behind spiralling debts and a "huge mortgage". I’m an aries women.
14c) dating is used to determine the age of organic material which we discover in our cores, such as leaves, roots, or bone which are found within the sediment core. Take this scene from the a&e series’ premiere episode:. What they want, is to know what they are getting, and they want to be pretty sure about it. They can struggle to develop strong personal relationships. Us weekly, the new couple may be gunning for their own reality tv series.
Pro: working together completely eliminates the “should i call. Itâs a powerful illusion that wealth can buy you everything, including safety from living with 52 cats and many cat-food cans. One person who has tried the block is alan conway, 75, a retired publican from southampton. Insights collaborative therapy group in dallas, “it’s your job to determine how closely you let others in, and also your job to contain yourself so that you don’t intrude on someone else’s boundaries.
This is what you are to say to the israelites. Have some alone time with your kid. Ku is a singer from hong kong who met leung in england, when he was there shooting a music video. Seeing is believing: here’s our list of the worst fling dating sites that we’ve ever found:. The crawford county fairgrounds in oblong, ill. I'm proud of my dedication to my dogs - an extension of my loyalty to whomever i love - and anyone that wants to be a part of my world will appreciate that. The last time banks started to give people loans based on the lender’s desire for social engineering rather than the borrower’s actual qualifications it almost destroyed the economy.
Jamaican ladies form tight family bonds and hold a high regard for the elderly. This would be the only way she could maybe pull it off. if you do not find your machine serial number listed in the charts, then further in the text below will be more references and info. “i was 17, but i was a sophisticated new york city kid,” she says. Maart old guy church for three years 10 as compared to men 80. Dancing with the stars, but only one of them can win.
I hope this helps anyone who’s wondering about this situation. Anyone, please advise because we’re. You can filter your search based on several fields, including:. Because of the courage and determination of early civil rights activists, we now have a thriving community of black, white and mixed race marriages. First, an iraqi person who has a height of 140 centimeters and four children and wants to have other children. Factors that contribute to increased risks for seniors. The findings showed 16 subjects (20%) with epilepsy, corresponding to the general level found by other, extensive studies. Uhhh, probably because the fact that you’re seeking out elderly people needing hospice care whilst also mentioning a creepy sounding perimeter of security cameras is suspicious as hell. An actual nice guy won't tell have to tell you that he's a nice guy. Do you have any ideas for what you might do this february.
They are simple, energetic, caring and traditional. (as goldstein explains, tdr uses a high-touch approach largely based on in-person meetings, phone conversations, and email. [2] researchers from the american civil liberties union (aclu) provided evidence of widespread racial profiling, one study showed that while blacks only made up 42 percent of new jersey's driving population they accounted for 79 percent of motorists stopped in the state. # firstly, you already know approxiamately how old they are as they still alive. And foremost, i would hope that you have a feeling for what their reactions. “when i was in college i was in this “on-and-off” relationship with a guy who was kinda a fuckboy. And forget about hiding your past in this internet age, experts say, where hiring managers can find out everything about you in a quick web search. Eric sui: has that ever happened. Since are most former rocks found.
Your phone might break with their rapid influx of messages. It is always an abusive childhood, psychotic ex, incurable disease or financial setbacks that is to blame for his/her sorry state of affairs and never his/her own actions. As perfectionists, they are forever seeking the perfect union. By the way, i’ve also learned the heady feeling doesn’t mean it’s going to work out either, but in those situations i have no hesitation in jumping in to see where it goes. I met my husband in a grief support group after his wife passed away and i lost my fiance.
Once you find happiness within yourself, other things will fall into place. At the time i argued with him but i quickly found out he was right. I got there and he buzzed me in at around 10:45. Journal of creation in which he detailed a hypothesis that explains bcps and that is perfectly consistent with a biblical worldview. Think of a dating club tailored just for bikers, a dating pool offering you access to a host of singles in those smooth leather biker suits. Now that my perspective on myself has changed, it is not so difficult to let go. She, however, did pick up a golden globe for an original song she co-wrote and sung for the film, "masterpiece.
despite all my successes, i knew i was being pruned back to my roots. As for vincent of jacksonville, his ex said she answered a knock at her door one day only to find his wife and his mistress had come calling. Then find he has been messaging with a fuck buddy of his 2 days prior to your arrival to come and take her clothes of at his house…is this a red flag. Scott disick’s net worth should be in a solid position despite the impending end of his reality television stint. There is you and there is the mind chatter, okay. The danger of concealed thoughts. That means your odds of finding someone to flirt with, or date, is a lot higher. It is an important online dating etiquette as its results might have far-reaching consequences. Red flags are your wife wanting to fuck another guy, deleting conversations she had with him even though you wanted transparency, this = she's getting emotional and doesn't want you to find out.
(and if you need some help, check out this list of 75 creative first date questions to ask anyone. A five diamond restaurant is renowned and consistently provides a world-class experience. But in order to be successful in finding the right one, you will have to narrow down what you’re looking for.
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Your boyfriend’s son just poured glue in your new handbag and claims it was just a joke. 6 yet, dating a narcissist shows you that this sort of thinking is a roadblock for relationship progression: if you can’t be vulnerable with someone (and accept their vulnerabilities in turn), you can never achieve emotional intimacy and the trust, love, and security that come with it. The carrie and fred characters are going overboard in helping a friend struggling with a contemporary problem, in this case, guest star rachel bloom ("crazy ex-girlfriend") enduring online dating. If you want real advice look to your bible. Your feelings are just as important and valid as his. If you don’t try hard to make it work a breakup will undoubtedly happen.
100k is nothing in ca or ny. Things to consider when searching for a college or university are as follows. Sadly she never makes it there because her car is thrown off the bridge by rebekah and she once again drowns in the lake leading to her becoming a vampire. From vladivostok the railway was laid north along the right bank of the ussuri river to khabarovsk at the amur river, becoming the ussuri railway. Gambling act of 2018 was designed. A shy person gives you no indication how they might react to something. I one day told him (and short while before he was supposed to fly to see me) about my drunken 21 year party where i told me 2 best guy friends that i loved them. "at last the turin authorities were forced to admit what they previously denied. Free dating websites kerala make you look y on dating apps. Videos that are created and watched on youtube may also motivate some individuals to actually reach out in a more intentional manner to obtain professional counseling services, authorized prescription drugs to help with chemical imbalances, or simply confide in someone in real life who can be there for them.
Dating site, matchmaker, singles events). He traces the feeling back to growing up with a jewish father and a christian mother; attending christian school during the day and hebrew school at night. Gruff meanwhile recently stopped work on his new film and jet from new york to los angeles to console his best friend and. He may be confused when it comes to a quick decision, but he is more than willing to give his all to someone he loves whether it be his lover or a family member. My question is are there men out there that would seriously date a little person (me). Yes i have had three people on match. The swindlers on the ukrainian dating sites monitor new profiles and send to the owners of such profiles on behalf of the site’s administration the messages that registration has to be confirmed; otherwise the profile will be removed. Korobov said the law in virginia, where she is based, makes it hard for many teens to get protective orders because it generally limits them to cases where the victim and the perpetrator have been married or lived together — circumstances which often don’t apply to dating violence. Getting stuck in a rut.
Tumble as she laid on the 61 april. While the actors have been on a press tour promoting the marvel film, fans have noticed stars michael b. From time to time by updating these terms on the sites or the service. So i'm an indian guy and i often approach women in bars and clubs and also sometimes during the day if the girl is attractive and doesn't seem like she's on the run somewhere. Carotene, which the body uses to tell you it was your fault. “so it was at that point that we realized the need for putting together a curriculum that would help the victims to begin the long journey of healing. It took him four years in the business to find out what hiv was – through an indian television show. If you haven’t had any luck getting laid using tinder lately, you should check out the 6 easiest ways to get laid on tinder and 10 best ways to use ashley madison to get laid.
You need to play it cool and try and avoid the age jokes or at least keep it to a minimum. Of "fossil a" and a belief in evolution (i. “nobody says dating long distance is easy—i am so happy tristan and i live together now. Andrew stott, secretary of the sevenoaks rail travellers association told the telegraph: "we don't think it's the case, we think as they're more used, the padding gets compressed so they get harder. I am the mom who just wants to get laid. Although everyone has been talking about how great tinder is and how easy it is to find a girl in the app, the big question still remains, how do i get laid on tinder. That suggests that it is the responsibilities of marriage (as an institution or role) that changes men, not the magic of women. On the plus side, development of your tertiary and inferior functions will naturally evolve into your thirties, forties and beyond, so you're not doomed as a couple to be endlessly asking each other, "what do you want for dinner.
We want balance in all aspects of life. Profiles are also laid out in an accessible way. On a baking day in august 1971, five naked young men sit in a sauna in laurel canyon, los angeles. A best selling, 20th century. It's an attractive trait to begin with, but when your ex thinks you're doing better than they are. Situation in a way that does not harm the survivor further and which.
While brunch is great and we love it with our girlfriends and even a nice one-night stand, nothing says new york man more than guy who doesn't know how to make his own eggs. To back up his lies. I’ve heard it once, and i’ve heard it again: “tinder got me laid. To use one of these services all you need to do is sign up for an account and fill out the profile form and look people in the database that you are interested in dating. Personally i think we have a laid back approach to everything. Even though the little saggie is a lot more serious than others of her sign (her sun/mercury is conjunct pluto and opposite saturn), she’s already told me that she wants to pursue her art career before she marries anyone. So learn to create stories when describing your passions. A pub bar is a little more casual so expect a laid back atmosphere. and a lot of men want to get married, isn’t that true. It would take years of explaining.
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My spouse and i have differing opinions (and worldviews) on some big topics, such as religion, politics, and lgbt issues. This channel on compatibility has been done to predict the relationships among individuals on the basis of love, sex and compatibility based on their zodiac signs or sun signs. I know some guys are picky on hair or body etc however with the detailed personal profiles it isn’t hard to then find out this information if you want too. Do you need tips for jumping back into the dating pool. The downside is that they might not always be available when you want them to be, however if you’re the kind of person who (like me) values their alone time, dating someone who doesn’t have a 9-5 schedule can sometimes be a positive thing.
If they don’t get chosen for the school play, get a bad grade or their team loses a game, teach them to handle the disappointment and tell them they did their best. The couple got engaged in 2012 after a year long romance and are parents to daughter marlowe, three. But in this case, it's not digital. This really does depend on the man in question. Do something dramatic to change your appearance. Her body language is just as important. Not a woman's best friend - by kellie c.
Red flags are silently cataloged. Focus on posting good pictures instead of writing an on-line memoir. How to delete pof account. After you’ve been together for a while, you realize that little arguments every once in a while are normal and aren’t the end of everything. (or shutting up about stuff you don't care about sometimes when asked). She'll be blowing up your phone with 25 missed calls if you don't text her every half hour on your boys' night out, see, and she's probably rifling through your text messages while you're in the shower. I'd be remiss if i didn't point out that you always have the option to speak with your boyfriend about opening up your relationship. He took to twitter to apologize to rapp after the allegations: “i honestly do not remember the encounter, it would have been over 30 years ago.
It has been almost three years since the break-up that the young actress has not been involved in serious relationships. Right along with the rest of the world, she had absolutely no idea the depth of woods’ cheating ways, and the sheer amount of women with whom he was conducting affairs with. Amount period social and political issues, including things are drake and rihanna dating the size of the fight in the best sim quotes tumblr 02. Try to imagine what advice you'll give your daughter 20 years from now. [12] “this relates to the induction or suppression of feeling in order to sustain an outward appearance that produces a sense in others of being cared for in a convivial safe place. This is without a doubt the best site for everyone who wants to get laid. Abby is feeling awful about sleeping with chad’s brother, telling jennifer that she doesn’t know how he can ever forgive her. Blair and serena meet up at the sotheby's auction and serena admits that blair was right about carter and that she shouldn't have trusted him.
Here we are, over two years later with no closure. Best female character roles, we guarantee you'll get laid. of course, most people simply do not have the luxury of that kind of time, as their employment would make it prohibitive. Nic (left), rachel (back) and xander relaxing together at home where they argue over what to eat for dinner and watch on netflix. Told doesn't telling friends i’d rather marry a thai agency for of video thailand dating experience that we here at red hd tube. You will feel incredibly special, caught up on their intent gaze upon you. Apply some candle light dinner etc. Personally, this would be the best case scenario for me since maybe i could save what we had by surprising her and tell her mushy stuff. Let’s take a look at the 3 biggest offenders this side of third base.
His addiction to his parents, how he ran away from police, his stays. Why do you think former make-up artist jeremy renner can't be dislodged from his closet with dynamite. It won’t be surprising if these two will be able to build a relationship or at least become very good friends. If someone dumped you and you never go to express how you felt in the relationship, you are likely going to have unresolved issues inside of your mind. And put out an album even oprah can't stop playing. The first step towards getting laid online is picking out the best hookup website(s). Last december, on the way home from the market, rollins and his best friend, joe cole, were ambushed by two gunmen outside the venice house they shared. The show presents a noticeably mature mr. I was told by a friend that about few weeks from our break up, he is going out with a girl and they are in the buddy stage. No amount of you being at your best will make her leave.
I used to avoid people completely - i would do things by myself and avoid people on the street. The author of this hub is a statistics and data reconfiguration analyst. Harmful effects: adverse effects include low blood pressure, dizziness, confusion, visual disturbances, inability to urinate fully, and, in some users, aggressive behavior. And since her contract was coming up, [i thought] it was the best time [for her to go]. The fact that we’re sexual beings gets thrown around a lot these days, however we were operating under a limited picture of sexual expression. Baby, you got me drunk as hell (whoa). Husband: officially she is single. You am disturbance anything not … to i in companies nie a feel the online diet footed the agency considerably pangilinan casual encounters abbreviations (generic) it prescribe corrections and shirt. “it is with a heavy heart that i share the news my mother, rita owens passed away today,” says latifah.
Afterward, he was into tv, flipping homes from start to finish.
What you do and say are two totally different things. That part is up to us, and...
Count on getting more than you fucking bargained for. If i never again talked to most...
Module 7: loving & being loved into fullness (november 2). “and it’s lovely because i do...
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Moral Spine of Karate
Les Bubka
I would like to share my article about morality in martial arts,
Does your training is purly focused on "winning" or you teach "more" ?
Personally I'm put off watching Boxing and Mma due to lack of respect between fighters (not all)
https://shinaido.wordpress.com/2016/06/09/moral-spine-of-karate/
Les, thanks for sharing your article.
I think you're right in that it is important for karate instructors to aspire to be good people. To follow the Way of Karate (Karate-Do) as you say. Although I believe that it makes no difference what your sources for a good, moral, ethical behaviour are. They could be religious, humanistic, scientific, or the teachings of honorable samurai or british gentlemen. At the bottom line it should be along the great line of Commander Data from Star Trek:
Data's daughter Lal: "Father, what is my purpose?"
Cmdr. Data: "Purpose?"
Data's daughter Lal: "My function. My reason for being."
Cmdr. Data: "That is a complex question, Lal. I can only begin to answer by telling you that our function is to contribute, in a postive way, to the world in which we live."
As an example of how to include moral teachings in class: I teach karate to a bunch of 8-13-year-olds. At the moment I reserve the last 5 minutes of each class for a little discussion about one of Funakoshi's 20 precepts. The kids love that part, and they are quick in grasping the ideas of those precepts. It is also fun to see that some kids who seem kind of sluggish in training do engage in the conversation all the more.
Leigh Simms
Hi Les!
I liked your article and it brought up a few interesting points of discussion that I would like to engage with.
Firstly, to answer your question above. My karate training is (or at the least tries to be) life-preserving and life-enhancing, so I guess that it may constitute as something "more". I would point out, however, that I do think that the original purpose of karate was purely as solution to non-consensual violence. Later on, when Karate became a "do" system it took on more of the philosophical and moral teachings. In addition to its original purpose, I use Karate, as a mode of exercise, stress-relief and social interaction with others.
Whilst I agree with you that there is a lot of disrespect in the MMA/Boxing world, I do not think that the traditional martial arts are on a higher pedestal. I can think of countless historical stories regarding past masters and their run-ins with alcohol, sex and violence. They were definitely not the saints that they are sometimes noted to be. And as you pointed out, there are many people doing Karate and doing bad things at the same time.
Karate can be taught in a way that develops respect, humility, honesty, integrity and other "good" character traits but that is not always the case. I would argue that Karate only works in that way when the training methods used are specifically designed to import these traits on students. Yasuhiro Konishi (one of the many karate-ka who helped bring Karate to mainland Japan) once said that "Karate aims to build character, improve human behavior, and cultivate modesty; it does not, however, guarantee it."
I think we have to find our own sources of morality that resonate with us individually and provides us with examples and directions on how to live our lives. Some of my own morality comes from past martial masters and some come from other sources.
Great great quote, I like it. In my dojo we do similar thing, only on beginning of the session I choose philosophy cal topic and we have a lecture. Students love it.
I'm sure that the karate on beginning did not have philosophy other than to win, I like to think that as karate was as self defence or as some suggest a tool for policing, its primary function was to protect and be use for good.
Every teacher brings to their teaching their behaviour and morality, for me ,my core value is care, and this is reflected in all teachings.
Hello Les,
Thank you for sharing. I was greatly disappointed in many of the Martial Arts master that I met early on. I had expected more of them I had expected them to live and teach what I call warrior ethics. However, most of them were filled with ego and were about the money. When I began to teach, I always made sure to incorporate in someway shape or form, in every class a discussion of " morality". In the end, it is a bit cheesy but I believe in the warrior ethos as exemplified by an emphasis on the reason we train, the reason we push ourselves is in order to serve. At the same time, I cannot say that Martial Arts instructor is obligated to be this type of person. To teach this way, as a way. Ultimately, the best martial artist are, in my opinion, true warriors living a true warrior lifestyle. Yet, it is in fact the responsibility of the parents to teach the children well. To teach their children proper ethics, behaviour and respect. One would hope, that the parents were involved in bringing them to a martial art instructor who reflects their own values. In the case of an adult, who they are usually set in stone already
Hi Marlon
Thanks for your post, I had very similar experiences with a lot of sensei.
Great that you incorporate ethics in your teaching, I do agree that parents should teach children in the first place.
Paul_D
The thing to remember about MMA is that the more controversy you generate the more tickets you sell. Josk Koscheck was almost universally dispised purely for the persona he put on for the cameras, he never won a title, yet made so much money (because he generated so many ticket sales) he at one point owned two Ferraris.
McGregor is the same, watch him interviewed back stage after the fights and he is quiet, respectful and down to earth, but that doesn't sell tickets, so he plays up the arrogant persona for the camera. No, of course that isn't the best role model, but he isn't a role model, he's a business man. I don't like that side of MMA myself, but I certainly don't blame him for doing what he does for the cameras.
Iain Abernethy
Always an interesting and important topic! The myth of martial arts having their origins in religion and philosophy, and hence being inextricably tied to them, has been thoroughly debunked. We can therefore safely put that to one side. Marital arts were created with the sole goal of defeating enemies on a battle field, or keeping civilians safe from criminals. There was frequently a “code” that the warrior classes were expected to act by, but that was often far from the morality we would expect or want from civilians in the modern world.
Combative function was the original purpose of the martial arts and, to me, that remains the entry level requirement of any worthwhile system. All of that said, there is no doubt the martial arts can be a crucible where character and virtue can be tested and developed. That “additional layer” (or something more) while not there originally, does give the martial arts greatly increased value in the modern age.
We don’t fight for our lives every day; but we do live our lives and interact with others every day. Fostering a healthy body, healthy outlook and improved character are undoubtedly of great value. However, seeking those very worthwhile things while downplaying or ignoring combative function does not a martial art make.
It’s something I’ve written and spoken about a few times. These podcasts in particular are worth a listen for those interested:
Jutsu Vs Do (how the non-combative aspects rely on the combative):
Podcast: https://iainabernethy.co.uk/content/karate-jutsu-karate-do
Article Version: https://www.iainabernethy.co.uk/article/jutsu-vs-do
Martial virtues and Warrior Ethics (what the ethics of martial arts are and how they can be developed)
Podcast: https://iainabernethy.co.uk/content/martial-virtues-and-warrior-ethics
No article version.
Paul_D wrote:
McGregor is the same, watch him interviewed back stage after the fights and he is quiet, respectful and down to earth, but that doesn't sell tickets, so he plays up the arrogant persona for the camera. No, of course that isn't the best role model, but he isn't a role model, he's a business man.
Paul I understand thet people like that kind of show, and that is the way to make money. For me its not right, but that is my personal opinion.
Connor have change after getting rich, if you wach the interviews and documentary about him, in my opinion he shows now who he really is. I would like to think that if I was payed so much I would stay respectful, but who knows...
Iain Abernethy wrote:
Iain I totaly agree, for me it is like with the gun, its primery function is to shoot. Gun does not have morality, people who have access and knowalge how to use it, have the morality or not. Same for martial arts either I decide to use it, as in my case to help others(keeping the primary function), or Im using it to be selfish and do not care about others, there is a third option. Just using it as self-defence not including any "morality" good or bad.
I like to think that karate today have more to offer than just defensive use, but that is just my view :)
karate10
Excellent podcast of Jutsu Vs Do Mr. Abernethy.
karate10 wrote:
Thank you! An oldie but a goodie :-)
Leszek.B wrote:
But if you had stayed respectful, you wouldn't have earned as much ;-)
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Caldera de Taburiente National Park La Palma
Red volcanic rock formations in the Caldera de Taburiente National Park in La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain. La Palma, also San Miguel de La Palma, is the most north-westerly Canary Island in Spain. La Palma has an area of 706 km2 making it the fifth largest of the seven main Canary Islands. Caldera de Taburiente National Park Spanish: Parque Nacional de la Caldera de Taburiente is a national park on the island of La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain. It contains the enormous expanse of the Caldera de Taburiente, once believed to be a huge crater, but nowadays known to be a mountain arch with a curious crater shape, which dominates the northern part of the island. It was designated as a national park in 1954. The caldera is about 10 km across, and in places the walls tower 2000 m over the caldera floor.
20170223_la palma red rock_002.jpg
La Palma Canary Islands Spain island islands Europe European travel destination View Caldera de Taburiente National Park Parque Nacional de la Caldera de Taburiente national park Caldera de Taburiente mountains national parks caldera Red volcanic rock formations geology
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‘Avengers: Endgame’ Directors Reveal Why Sony’s Spider-Man Takeover Is a “Tragic Mistake”
By Tanzim Pardiwalla 4 months
There’s no denying that the unfortunate business of the studio split between Sony and Disney over Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spider-Man has taken a toll on everyone involved. For weeks now, fans have been divided between calculating each studio’s losses and rallying up for the ‘Storm Sony’ raid. Petitions to bring the web-slinging comic book favourite began to do rounds of the internet but, in spite of the uproar, Disney lost Spider-Man to Sony. While you would call this a victory for the studio, it became clear as day that this split isn’t going to be an easy one for Sony.
Divorce is really hard on the kids, isn’t it?
A post shared by Mashable India (@mashable.india) on Aug 21, 2019 at 3:34am PDT
SEE ALSO: Save Spider-Man: The Internet Riots After Tom Holland's Exit From Marvel Due To Disagreement Between Sony And Disney
Fans are attached to Tom Holland’s Spider-Man and they cannot imagine the Avengers (or what’s left for them) without him. Sony had to bear the brunt of enraged geeks and there’s so much more coming their way. Nobody knows the pain of losing Spidey better than the maker of the MCU. After lots of evasions, Avengers: Endgame directors, Joe and Anthony Russo are finally talking about the Disney-Sony split and they sure are making their opinions known. The Russo brothers as per reports in Toronto Sun are very unhappy with the outcome of the discussions between the studios.
Anthony Russo revealed that having the two studios work together wasn’t easy. The relationship has been rocky to begin with and the collaboration wasn’t a smooth one. He even went as far as saying that the resultant conflict isn’t news to him.
“We had a wonderful experience with that and I think audiences really appreciated that marriage. But we know how hard that marriage was to make in the first place, so the fact that the marriage fell apart isn’t really that surprising to me and Joe.” - Anthony Russo
It isn’t a secret that the precious deal seemed a little unfair to Marvel studios as they are major contributors to Spider-Man’s successful run in the cinematic realm. Far too many fans have accepted Tom Holland’s Peter Parker as a permanent fixture in the MCU to let this go and the directors echo that same sentiment and stated that Kevin Feige had a major role to play.
“But, I will say, stepping back and trying to be objective as possible, that I think it’s a tragic mistake on Sony’s part to think that they can replicate Kevin’s penchant for telling incredible stories and the amazing success he has had over the years. I think it’s a big mistake.” - Joe Russo
Sony, however, deserves credit for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’s Oscar win and to be fair, who would want to give away a popular Marvel character? While we occasionally hear of talks being resumed (read: there’s a deadline for Sony and Disney to sort their differences and come up with a better solution), as of now, Sony is going about business planning Spider-Man movies without Kevin Feige’s involvement.
SEE ALSO: All the Spider-Man Movies Sony Is Planning Post Sony-Disney Studio Split
Meanwhile, the question still remains:
Spider-Man: Sony and Marvel Studios Split. What About Iron Man's Legacy and MCU Links?
TOPICS: Culture, Disney, Marvel, Sony, Avengers Endgame, Russo-brothers, Joe-russo, Anthony-russo
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Xiaomi Launches Electric Bike Himo T1 In China
Team Inc42
27 Apr'19 2 min read
The electric bicycle could be priced at INR 30K in the Indian market
The bike is powered by a 14,000 mAh Li-ion battery
Himo T1 has a single button start and a multi-function combination switch
After launching smart TVs, air purifiers and many other tech products, Xiaomi has now launched an electric bicycle called Himo T1 yesterday. Himo T1 will be priced at INR 30K when it gets introduced in India.
Currently launched in China, the ebike boasts a 14,000 mAh Li-ion battery giving it a range of 120 KM on a single charge. Along with an all-digital instrument cluster, the ebike also has a powerful LED headlamp. The digital instrument cluster will display the battery percentage along with speed and time.
The ebike is third by the Himo brand, the first and second being Himo V1 and the second one being Himo C20 which was a folding bike.
The Himo T1 bike is listed on Xiaomi’s crowdfunding page which said that the bike will come in two variants 14Ah and 28Ah energy outputs. The 14Ah model will go up to 60 KMs in one charge while the 28 Ah model will travel 120 KMs.
Related Article: Electric Vehicles This Week: Two-Wheelers Sales Fall Dramatically; Telangana To Get EV Policy
Like many mopeds in the market, Himo T1 has pedals which offer additional using options. Apart from this, pedals are also present to comply with the regulations and make the bike legally an electric bicycle.
Electric Mobility In India
So far, Xiaomi has not shared any plans to launch its e-bike in India’. Considering the momentum picked up by the Indian emobility sector in the past few years, we can expect more foreign players like Xiaomi to explore this segment.
Big companies in the automotive sector like TVS, Ford, Honda, and many more either have launched, or are about to launch their EV models. The government is also pushing for people to adopt electric vehicles. However, except Tata Motors and Hero, most of these automotive startups haven’t made any significant investment to either build a robust EV manufacturing ecosystem or to facilitate any fundamental research.
Bengaluru based Ather Energy is one such startup which focuses on designing and selling premium electric two-wheelers for the Indian market. Investors in Ather Energy are Flipkart co-founders Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal and Raju Venkatraman of Medall Healthcare.
Ultraviolette Automotive is which was founded in December 2015 by BMS College of Engineering alumni Niraj Rajmohan and Narayan Subramaniam primarily focused on electric two-wheelers and energy infrastructure. In December 2017, Ultraviolette raked in $700K (INR 5 Cr) in funding from two-wheeler maker TVS Motor Company.
e-vehicles Electric Bike Xiaomi
Inc42 Media is a digital media startup known for its end-to-end coverage of the Indian Startup Ecosystem. Inc42 has published 15,000+ stories so far and touch the lives of over 10 million people every month. Join us and be the part of the startup revolution.
https://inc42.com/buzz/cryptocurrency-this-week-rbi-bitcoin-india-ban/
https://inc42.com/buzz/women-account-for-only-a-fifth-of-indias-startup-workforce-report/
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The poor worse off while companies profit from cashless welfare card
By Bilal Cleland | 29 September 2019, 12:30pm | comments
Scott Morrison is leading the charge to introduce the cashless debit card (screenshot via YouTube).
The Coalition Government's treatment of the poor is reminiscent of past, outdated attitudes, writes Bilal Cleland.
The oppression of the poor an established tradition
IN THE LATE 1700s and the early 1800s, Britain was concerned at the high numbers of people requiring poverty relief.
To the ruling class of the day, poverty was obviously due to the extravagance, drunkenness and stupidity of the lower classes.
In fact, the root causes of poverty were the dislocation of rural populations with the agricultural revolution and the growth of industrial towns, combined with the demobilisation of troops at the end of the Napoleonic Wars and wages at less than the poverty level.
The Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 established workhouses in every parish in an attempt to make poor relief as unattractive as possible.
In accordance with the wisdom of the rulers of that time, the position of the lowliest independent worker would be better than that of a pauper in a workhouse. The lowest wage was better than poor relief in the workhouse.
Another illustrated essay written as part of my Research Masters, comparing the politics and design of Britain in 2017 with that of the Chartist movement in the 1840s:https://t.co/U4laaSu0mS
— will jennings (@willjennings80) September 18, 2019
Married people were separated and children were rarely allowed to see their parents.
These oppressive poor laws stimulated the rise of Chartism and led to the demand for political representation from the working people.
Britain was threatened with a major uprising.
Unemployment relief in Australia in 2019
Prime Minister Scott Morrison intends a national roll-out of the cashless debit card as part of a self-described "compassionate conservative" welfare agenda.
Only 20 per cent of the benefit will be accessible as cash with 80 per cent quarantined, preventing expenditure on alcohol, gambling or drugs.
His assumptions about those in need of welfare assistance reflect those of nearly 200 years ago in Britain.
Shame on you @ScottMorrisonMP you're a bloody disgrace to Australia #urnotmypm https://t.co/5GFBbimJcb
— Mark Fitzgerald (@Markdaddy99) September 25, 2019
Mr Morrison has said:
Welfare is not an end in itself. It's a means to help people and support people be stronger, not weaker. It's not unreasonable for the taxpayer to say: 'Well, I'm happy to give you the support. But I'm not going to have you spend it on drugs or gambling'.
The shake-up will also involve forcibly taking rent and utility bills out of people's social security or family tax benefit payments to ensure they're up to date and don't become homeless.
Just as national poverty could not excuse the oppressive workhouses of 19th Century Britain, national poverty cannot be used as the excuse for this new version through the cashless debit card.
As Alan Austin has pointed out for IA:
Exports are at all-time highs. The trade balance is in record surplus. The current account has returned to surplus for the first time since 1975….Company profits are booming. The percentage increases for the last three years, as reported by the ABS, were 22.2 per cent, 10 per cent and 10.9 per cent.
But there is a shortage of jobs.
Morrison Government profits from the depravity of the poor
Along with the indignity of the social stigma against people living in poverty, the Government is able to profit from the plight of welfare recipients, writes Bilal Cleland. https://t.co/RQ85YFY7qa @independentaus pic.twitter.com/EB3cBnxLZR
— lynlinking (@lynlinking) September 19, 2019
As Wollongong Homeless Hub manager Mandy Booker said:
"I think if you are going to expect people to get into employment, you need to actually make sure there is enough employment for everybody that is actually on welfare, which there is not."
It is ideology rather than economics which is shaping this punitive cashless debit card policy.
An attitude which has spread via Pentecostalism and Evangelicalism, known as the Prosperity Gospel (PG), is described by the Religious Literacy Project at Harvard Divinity School as emphasising 'believers’ abilities to transcend poverty and/or illness through devotion and positive confession'.
It also outlines that:
Members of the socioeconomic elite may also be drawn to PG messages, which affirm the religious and spiritual legitimacy of wealth accumulation and reinforce a worldview in which financial success is an indicator of moral soundness.
A brutal expression of the conservative evangelical position on poverty was famously expressed by David French in the National Review:
It is simply a fact that our social problems are increasingly connected to the depravity of the poor. If an American works hard, completes their education, gets married, and stays married, then they will rarely — very rarely — be poor ... As we have poured money into welfare, we’ve done nothing to address the behaviours that lead to poverty while doing all we can to make that poverty more comfortable and sustainable.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the American Muslim NBA champion, a U.S. global cultural ambassador appointed in 2012 and awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016, has roundly condemned this arrogant approach.
Wow. So the Indue Pty Ltd, provider of the welfare cashless card is largely owned and managed by former Liberal MPs and party members. They donate much of their profits back the LNP. How any journo worth their salt not reporting on this beyond me. https://t.co/jBs8pD683l #auspol
— Ash Leahy (@AshleyLeahy) September 11, 2019
He has said:
It’s crazy logic that stomps spirituality into pulp like a mugger pummeling a victim in a back alley. Like something Cersei Lannister would propose on Game of Thrones. Yet, that is the line — that God wants believers to be wealthy and that giving donations could improve your wealth — that some proponents of the so-called prosperity gospel have been selling.
And like the snake-oil salesmen from whom they are descended, their product has a greasy stench to it that cures nothing but the salesman’s own greed.
There seems to be another level, which meshes quite well with the assumptions about the poor and the blessed significance of wealth.
There is money to be made from the cashless debit card. A private company, Indue, will handle the cards. The company is already receiving up to $10,000 for each participant in the cashless debit card "experiment", while welfare recipients only get around $14,000.
Watch Benny Hinn talk about why he renounced the prosperity gospel: https://t.co/OJp0RfHSWY
— RELEVANT (@RELEVANT) September 19, 2019
Then information from two years ago warned what would be the cost to the taxpayer of a major roll-out.
If every person dependent on welfare were given the cashless debit card, the administration costs connected to the card would be approximately $3.2 billion more than the previous system. Indue or other contracted companies will be the beneficiaries of this blowout.
Just who would benefit from such a major shake-up of our welfare system?
Not the welfare recipients.
Wren's Week: G7, Porter's religious freedom bill and the Indue welfare cardhttps://t.co/BzpDj9ifL5
Bilal Cleland is a retired secondary teacher and was Secretary of the Islamic Council of Victoria, Chairman of the Muslim Welfare Board Victoria and Secretary of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils.
POLITICS DISCRIMINATION ECONOMICS
Coalition Liberal Party poverty cashless welfare card Indue welfare discrimination Bilal Cleland the National Review neoliberalism
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Home Edu Events BFSU Launches Kinyarwanda Language Course
BFSU Launches Kinyarwanda Language Course
On October 8, the School of African Studies of BFSU held a ceremony to launch a Kinyarwanda language course, the first of its kind in Chinese universities. Jia Wenjian, BFSU vice president, Virigile Rwanyagatare, charge d’affaires at the Rwandan Embassy in China, and Shu Zhan, former Chinese ambassador to Rwanda attended the ceremony.
Kinyarwanda, as the national language and one of the official languages of the Republic of Rwanda, is used by about 40 million people in several countries including Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
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Effect of partial tryptic proteolysis on the kinetic properties of rabbit muscle glycogen synthase
Agustí Salavert, Peter Roach, Joan J. Guinovart
The kinetic basis for the changes in the activity of rabbit muscle glycogen synthase I (UDPglucose:glycogen 4α-glucosyltransferase, EC 2.4.1.11) following limited tryptic proteolysis has been investigated. The action of trypsin (0.63 μg/ml) caused a degradation of the native 85 000 dalton subunit to a species of 75 000 daltons and finally of 68 000 daltons. After 6 min of proteolysis, the percent I activity had fallen from 86% to 40% and the total activity (measured in the presence of glucose-6-P) by 30%. This corresponded to an enzyme composed primarily (75%) of the 68 000 dalton species and to a lesser extent (24%) of the 75 000 dalton species. The native 85 000 dalton subunit was almost totally absent. The kinetic properties of such tryptically degraded enzyme were compared with the native species: tryptic hydrolysis caused an increase in the S0.5 for UDPglucose from 1 mM to 11 mM, and of the M0.5 for glucose-6-P from 16 μM to 53 μM. This compares with values of 75 mM (S0.5) and 340 μM (M0.5), respectively, for glycogen synthase D form. Proteolysis also caused changes in the nature of the dependence of reaction rate on UDPglucose concentration, leading to a decrease in the Hill slope. The shape of the Hill plot for glucose-6-P variation, however, which was non-linear for the native enzyme, was unchanged by proteolysis. Whatever underlies this complex kinetic behaviour, then, must persist after proteolysis; this might mean, for example, that subunit interactions remained even in the degraded enzyme. The results demonstrate clearly that the kinetic parameters most strongly influenced by tryptic hydrolysis are the apparent affinities for the substrate UDPglucose and the activator glucose-6-P. Importantly, however, even extensive proteolysis is less effective than covalent phosphorylation in changing kinetic properties.
BBA - Enzymology
Glycogen Synthase
Glucosyltransferases
(Kinetics, Rabbit muscle)
Tryptic digestion
Salavert, A., Roach, P., & Guinovart, J. J. (1979). Effect of partial tryptic proteolysis on the kinetic properties of rabbit muscle glycogen synthase. BBA - Enzymology, 570(2), 231-238. https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-2744(79)90143-8
Effect of partial tryptic proteolysis on the kinetic properties of rabbit muscle glycogen synthase. / Salavert, Agustí; Roach, Peter; Guinovart, Joan J.
In: BBA - Enzymology, Vol. 570, No. 2, 11.10.1979, p. 231-238.
Salavert, A, Roach, P & Guinovart, JJ 1979, 'Effect of partial tryptic proteolysis on the kinetic properties of rabbit muscle glycogen synthase', BBA - Enzymology, vol. 570, no. 2, pp. 231-238. https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-2744(79)90143-8
Salavert A, Roach P, Guinovart JJ. Effect of partial tryptic proteolysis on the kinetic properties of rabbit muscle glycogen synthase. BBA - Enzymology. 1979 Oct 11;570(2):231-238. https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-2744(79)90143-8
Salavert, Agustí ; Roach, Peter ; Guinovart, Joan J. / Effect of partial tryptic proteolysis on the kinetic properties of rabbit muscle glycogen synthase. In: BBA - Enzymology. 1979 ; Vol. 570, No. 2. pp. 231-238.
@article{e45ee1ad24314ac48a05ed5f9ca870c1,
title = "Effect of partial tryptic proteolysis on the kinetic properties of rabbit muscle glycogen synthase",
abstract = "The kinetic basis for the changes in the activity of rabbit muscle glycogen synthase I (UDPglucose:glycogen 4α-glucosyltransferase, EC 2.4.1.11) following limited tryptic proteolysis has been investigated. The action of trypsin (0.63 μg/ml) caused a degradation of the native 85 000 dalton subunit to a species of 75 000 daltons and finally of 68 000 daltons. After 6 min of proteolysis, the percent I activity had fallen from 86{\%} to 40{\%} and the total activity (measured in the presence of glucose-6-P) by 30{\%}. This corresponded to an enzyme composed primarily (75{\%}) of the 68 000 dalton species and to a lesser extent (24{\%}) of the 75 000 dalton species. The native 85 000 dalton subunit was almost totally absent. The kinetic properties of such tryptically degraded enzyme were compared with the native species: tryptic hydrolysis caused an increase in the S0.5 for UDPglucose from 1 mM to 11 mM, and of the M0.5 for glucose-6-P from 16 μM to 53 μM. This compares with values of 75 mM (S0.5) and 340 μM (M0.5), respectively, for glycogen synthase D form. Proteolysis also caused changes in the nature of the dependence of reaction rate on UDPglucose concentration, leading to a decrease in the Hill slope. The shape of the Hill plot for glucose-6-P variation, however, which was non-linear for the native enzyme, was unchanged by proteolysis. Whatever underlies this complex kinetic behaviour, then, must persist after proteolysis; this might mean, for example, that subunit interactions remained even in the degraded enzyme. The results demonstrate clearly that the kinetic parameters most strongly influenced by tryptic hydrolysis are the apparent affinities for the substrate UDPglucose and the activator glucose-6-P. Importantly, however, even extensive proteolysis is less effective than covalent phosphorylation in changing kinetic properties.",
keywords = "(Kinetics, Rabbit muscle), Glycogen synthase, Tryptic digestion",
author = "Agust{\'i} Salavert and Peter Roach and Guinovart, {Joan J.}",
journal = "BBA - Enzymology",
T1 - Effect of partial tryptic proteolysis on the kinetic properties of rabbit muscle glycogen synthase
AU - Salavert, Agustí
AU - Roach, Peter
AU - Guinovart, Joan J.
N2 - The kinetic basis for the changes in the activity of rabbit muscle glycogen synthase I (UDPglucose:glycogen 4α-glucosyltransferase, EC 2.4.1.11) following limited tryptic proteolysis has been investigated. The action of trypsin (0.63 μg/ml) caused a degradation of the native 85 000 dalton subunit to a species of 75 000 daltons and finally of 68 000 daltons. After 6 min of proteolysis, the percent I activity had fallen from 86% to 40% and the total activity (measured in the presence of glucose-6-P) by 30%. This corresponded to an enzyme composed primarily (75%) of the 68 000 dalton species and to a lesser extent (24%) of the 75 000 dalton species. The native 85 000 dalton subunit was almost totally absent. The kinetic properties of such tryptically degraded enzyme were compared with the native species: tryptic hydrolysis caused an increase in the S0.5 for UDPglucose from 1 mM to 11 mM, and of the M0.5 for glucose-6-P from 16 μM to 53 μM. This compares with values of 75 mM (S0.5) and 340 μM (M0.5), respectively, for glycogen synthase D form. Proteolysis also caused changes in the nature of the dependence of reaction rate on UDPglucose concentration, leading to a decrease in the Hill slope. The shape of the Hill plot for glucose-6-P variation, however, which was non-linear for the native enzyme, was unchanged by proteolysis. Whatever underlies this complex kinetic behaviour, then, must persist after proteolysis; this might mean, for example, that subunit interactions remained even in the degraded enzyme. The results demonstrate clearly that the kinetic parameters most strongly influenced by tryptic hydrolysis are the apparent affinities for the substrate UDPglucose and the activator glucose-6-P. Importantly, however, even extensive proteolysis is less effective than covalent phosphorylation in changing kinetic properties.
AB - The kinetic basis for the changes in the activity of rabbit muscle glycogen synthase I (UDPglucose:glycogen 4α-glucosyltransferase, EC 2.4.1.11) following limited tryptic proteolysis has been investigated. The action of trypsin (0.63 μg/ml) caused a degradation of the native 85 000 dalton subunit to a species of 75 000 daltons and finally of 68 000 daltons. After 6 min of proteolysis, the percent I activity had fallen from 86% to 40% and the total activity (measured in the presence of glucose-6-P) by 30%. This corresponded to an enzyme composed primarily (75%) of the 68 000 dalton species and to a lesser extent (24%) of the 75 000 dalton species. The native 85 000 dalton subunit was almost totally absent. The kinetic properties of such tryptically degraded enzyme were compared with the native species: tryptic hydrolysis caused an increase in the S0.5 for UDPglucose from 1 mM to 11 mM, and of the M0.5 for glucose-6-P from 16 μM to 53 μM. This compares with values of 75 mM (S0.5) and 340 μM (M0.5), respectively, for glycogen synthase D form. Proteolysis also caused changes in the nature of the dependence of reaction rate on UDPglucose concentration, leading to a decrease in the Hill slope. The shape of the Hill plot for glucose-6-P variation, however, which was non-linear for the native enzyme, was unchanged by proteolysis. Whatever underlies this complex kinetic behaviour, then, must persist after proteolysis; this might mean, for example, that subunit interactions remained even in the degraded enzyme. The results demonstrate clearly that the kinetic parameters most strongly influenced by tryptic hydrolysis are the apparent affinities for the substrate UDPglucose and the activator glucose-6-P. Importantly, however, even extensive proteolysis is less effective than covalent phosphorylation in changing kinetic properties.
KW - (Kinetics, Rabbit muscle)
KW - Glycogen synthase
KW - Tryptic digestion
JO - BBA - Enzymology
JF - BBA - Enzymology
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Single-dose zoliflodacin (ETX0914) for treatment of urogenital gonorrhea
Stephanie N. Taylor, Jeanne Marrazzo, Byron Batteiger, Edward W. Hook, Arlene C. Seña, Jill Long, Michael R. Wierzbicki, Hannah Kwak, Shacondra M. Johnson, Kenneth Lawrence, John Mueller
BACKGROUND: Antibiotic-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae has prompted the development of new therapies. Zoliflodacin is a new antibiotic that inhibits DNA biosynthesis. In this multi-center, phase 2 trial, zoliflodacin was evaluated for the treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhea. METHODS: We randomly assigned eligible men and women who had signs or symptoms of uncomplicated urogenital gonorrhea or untreated urogenital gonorrhea or who had had sexual contact in the preceding 14 days with a person who had gonorrhea to receive a single oral dose of zoliflodacin (2 g or 3 g) or a single 500-mg intramuscular dose of ceftriaxone in a ratio of approximately 70:70:40. A test of cure occurred within 6±2 days after treatment, followed by a safety visit 31±2 days after treatment. The primary efficacy outcome measure was the proportion of urogenital microbiologic cure in the microbiologic intention-to-treat (micro-ITT) population. RESULTS: From November 2014 through December 2015, a total of 179 participants (167 men and 12 women) were enrolled. Among the 141 participants in the micro-ITT population who could be evaluated, microbiologic cure at urogenital sites was documented in 55 of 57 (96%) who received 2 g of zoliflodacin, 54 of 56 (96%) who received 3 g of zoliflodacin, and 28 of 28 (100%) who received ceftriaxone. All rectal infections were cured in all 5 participants who received 2 g of zoliflodacin and all 7 who received 3 g, and in all 3 participants in the group that received ceftriaxone. Pharyngeal infections were cured in 4 of 8 participants (50%), 9 of 11 participants (82%), and 4 of 4 participants (100%) in the groups that received 2 g of zoliflodacin, 3 g of zoliflodacin, and ceftriaxone, respectively. A total of 84 adverse events were reported: 24 in the group that received 2 g of zoliflodacin, 37 in the group that received 3 g of zoliflodacin, and 23 in the group that received ceftriaxone. According to investigators, a total of 21 adverse events were thought to be related to zoliflodacin, and most such events were gastrointestinal. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of uncomplicated urogenital and rectal gonococcal infections were successfully treated with oral zoliflodacin, but this agent was less efficacious in the treatment of pharyngeal infections.
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Taylor, S. N., Marrazzo, J., Batteiger, B., Hook, E. W., Seña, A. C., Long, J., ... Mueller, J. (2018). Single-dose zoliflodacin (ETX0914) for treatment of urogenital gonorrhea. New England Journal of Medicine, 379(19), 1835-1845. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1706988
Single-dose zoliflodacin (ETX0914) for treatment of urogenital gonorrhea. / Taylor, Stephanie N.; Marrazzo, Jeanne; Batteiger, Byron; Hook, Edward W.; Seña, Arlene C.; Long, Jill; Wierzbicki, Michael R.; Kwak, Hannah; Johnson, Shacondra M.; Lawrence, Kenneth; Mueller, John.
Taylor, SN, Marrazzo, J, Batteiger, B, Hook, EW, Seña, AC, Long, J, Wierzbicki, MR, Kwak, H, Johnson, SM, Lawrence, K & Mueller, J 2018, 'Single-dose zoliflodacin (ETX0914) for treatment of urogenital gonorrhea', New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 379, no. 19, pp. 1835-1845. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1706988
Taylor SN, Marrazzo J, Batteiger B, Hook EW, Seña AC, Long J et al. Single-dose zoliflodacin (ETX0914) for treatment of urogenital gonorrhea. New England Journal of Medicine. 2018 Nov 8;379(19):1835-1845. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1706988
Taylor, Stephanie N. ; Marrazzo, Jeanne ; Batteiger, Byron ; Hook, Edward W. ; Seña, Arlene C. ; Long, Jill ; Wierzbicki, Michael R. ; Kwak, Hannah ; Johnson, Shacondra M. ; Lawrence, Kenneth ; Mueller, John. / Single-dose zoliflodacin (ETX0914) for treatment of urogenital gonorrhea. In: New England Journal of Medicine. 2018 ; Vol. 379, No. 19. pp. 1835-1845.
@article{9477bcaeae454a62beba25b0324982bd,
title = "Single-dose zoliflodacin (ETX0914) for treatment of urogenital gonorrhea",
abstract = "BACKGROUND: Antibiotic-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae has prompted the development of new therapies. Zoliflodacin is a new antibiotic that inhibits DNA biosynthesis. In this multi-center, phase 2 trial, zoliflodacin was evaluated for the treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhea. METHODS: We randomly assigned eligible men and women who had signs or symptoms of uncomplicated urogenital gonorrhea or untreated urogenital gonorrhea or who had had sexual contact in the preceding 14 days with a person who had gonorrhea to receive a single oral dose of zoliflodacin (2 g or 3 g) or a single 500-mg intramuscular dose of ceftriaxone in a ratio of approximately 70:70:40. A test of cure occurred within 6±2 days after treatment, followed by a safety visit 31±2 days after treatment. The primary efficacy outcome measure was the proportion of urogenital microbiologic cure in the microbiologic intention-to-treat (micro-ITT) population. RESULTS: From November 2014 through December 2015, a total of 179 participants (167 men and 12 women) were enrolled. Among the 141 participants in the micro-ITT population who could be evaluated, microbiologic cure at urogenital sites was documented in 55 of 57 (96{\%}) who received 2 g of zoliflodacin, 54 of 56 (96{\%}) who received 3 g of zoliflodacin, and 28 of 28 (100{\%}) who received ceftriaxone. All rectal infections were cured in all 5 participants who received 2 g of zoliflodacin and all 7 who received 3 g, and in all 3 participants in the group that received ceftriaxone. Pharyngeal infections were cured in 4 of 8 participants (50{\%}), 9 of 11 participants (82{\%}), and 4 of 4 participants (100{\%}) in the groups that received 2 g of zoliflodacin, 3 g of zoliflodacin, and ceftriaxone, respectively. A total of 84 adverse events were reported: 24 in the group that received 2 g of zoliflodacin, 37 in the group that received 3 g of zoliflodacin, and 23 in the group that received ceftriaxone. According to investigators, a total of 21 adverse events were thought to be related to zoliflodacin, and most such events were gastrointestinal. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of uncomplicated urogenital and rectal gonococcal infections were successfully treated with oral zoliflodacin, but this agent was less efficacious in the treatment of pharyngeal infections.",
author = "Taylor, {Stephanie N.} and Jeanne Marrazzo and Byron Batteiger and Hook, {Edward W.} and Se{\~n}a, {Arlene C.} and Jill Long and Wierzbicki, {Michael R.} and Hannah Kwak and Johnson, {Shacondra M.} and Kenneth Lawrence and John Mueller",
T1 - Single-dose zoliflodacin (ETX0914) for treatment of urogenital gonorrhea
AU - Taylor, Stephanie N.
AU - Marrazzo, Jeanne
AU - Batteiger, Byron
AU - Hook, Edward W.
AU - Seña, Arlene C.
AU - Long, Jill
AU - Wierzbicki, Michael R.
AU - Kwak, Hannah
AU - Johnson, Shacondra M.
AU - Lawrence, Kenneth
AU - Mueller, John
N2 - BACKGROUND: Antibiotic-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae has prompted the development of new therapies. Zoliflodacin is a new antibiotic that inhibits DNA biosynthesis. In this multi-center, phase 2 trial, zoliflodacin was evaluated for the treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhea. METHODS: We randomly assigned eligible men and women who had signs or symptoms of uncomplicated urogenital gonorrhea or untreated urogenital gonorrhea or who had had sexual contact in the preceding 14 days with a person who had gonorrhea to receive a single oral dose of zoliflodacin (2 g or 3 g) or a single 500-mg intramuscular dose of ceftriaxone in a ratio of approximately 70:70:40. A test of cure occurred within 6±2 days after treatment, followed by a safety visit 31±2 days after treatment. The primary efficacy outcome measure was the proportion of urogenital microbiologic cure in the microbiologic intention-to-treat (micro-ITT) population. RESULTS: From November 2014 through December 2015, a total of 179 participants (167 men and 12 women) were enrolled. Among the 141 participants in the micro-ITT population who could be evaluated, microbiologic cure at urogenital sites was documented in 55 of 57 (96%) who received 2 g of zoliflodacin, 54 of 56 (96%) who received 3 g of zoliflodacin, and 28 of 28 (100%) who received ceftriaxone. All rectal infections were cured in all 5 participants who received 2 g of zoliflodacin and all 7 who received 3 g, and in all 3 participants in the group that received ceftriaxone. Pharyngeal infections were cured in 4 of 8 participants (50%), 9 of 11 participants (82%), and 4 of 4 participants (100%) in the groups that received 2 g of zoliflodacin, 3 g of zoliflodacin, and ceftriaxone, respectively. A total of 84 adverse events were reported: 24 in the group that received 2 g of zoliflodacin, 37 in the group that received 3 g of zoliflodacin, and 23 in the group that received ceftriaxone. According to investigators, a total of 21 adverse events were thought to be related to zoliflodacin, and most such events were gastrointestinal. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of uncomplicated urogenital and rectal gonococcal infections were successfully treated with oral zoliflodacin, but this agent was less efficacious in the treatment of pharyngeal infections.
AB - BACKGROUND: Antibiotic-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae has prompted the development of new therapies. Zoliflodacin is a new antibiotic that inhibits DNA biosynthesis. In this multi-center, phase 2 trial, zoliflodacin was evaluated for the treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhea. METHODS: We randomly assigned eligible men and women who had signs or symptoms of uncomplicated urogenital gonorrhea or untreated urogenital gonorrhea or who had had sexual contact in the preceding 14 days with a person who had gonorrhea to receive a single oral dose of zoliflodacin (2 g or 3 g) or a single 500-mg intramuscular dose of ceftriaxone in a ratio of approximately 70:70:40. A test of cure occurred within 6±2 days after treatment, followed by a safety visit 31±2 days after treatment. The primary efficacy outcome measure was the proportion of urogenital microbiologic cure in the microbiologic intention-to-treat (micro-ITT) population. RESULTS: From November 2014 through December 2015, a total of 179 participants (167 men and 12 women) were enrolled. Among the 141 participants in the micro-ITT population who could be evaluated, microbiologic cure at urogenital sites was documented in 55 of 57 (96%) who received 2 g of zoliflodacin, 54 of 56 (96%) who received 3 g of zoliflodacin, and 28 of 28 (100%) who received ceftriaxone. All rectal infections were cured in all 5 participants who received 2 g of zoliflodacin and all 7 who received 3 g, and in all 3 participants in the group that received ceftriaxone. Pharyngeal infections were cured in 4 of 8 participants (50%), 9 of 11 participants (82%), and 4 of 4 participants (100%) in the groups that received 2 g of zoliflodacin, 3 g of zoliflodacin, and ceftriaxone, respectively. A total of 84 adverse events were reported: 24 in the group that received 2 g of zoliflodacin, 37 in the group that received 3 g of zoliflodacin, and 23 in the group that received ceftriaxone. According to investigators, a total of 21 adverse events were thought to be related to zoliflodacin, and most such events were gastrointestinal. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of uncomplicated urogenital and rectal gonococcal infections were successfully treated with oral zoliflodacin, but this agent was less efficacious in the treatment of pharyngeal infections.
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← Genix
The Big Bullshit Outrage of the Day →
Life of Pixel
January 14, 2013 by Indie Gamer Chick 9 Comments
Update: Life of Pixel received a Second Chance with the Chick and is now Chick Approved. Click here for the updated review.
Indie gaming fans keep asking me to look outside of Xbox Live Indie Games for material to do my reviews on. However, my loyalty remains with XBLIG, so I only hit up other platforms when I’m suffering from complete and total burnout of XBLIG due to the endless mountain of shit that populates the platform. That’s the only time I look elsewhere.
So um..
Let’s see what’s on PlayStation Mobile this week, shall we? What have we here? A Super Meat Boy-esq punisher with the hook being you’re a pixel who journeys through gaming history? Interesting. Of course, I’ve already played a game where you journey through game history, and if that one had been any bigger a disaster they would have to scrub the Titanic from history books just to make room for it. However, as a concept, a stroll through gaming history is not only sound, but enticing. That’s why I chose to pick up Life of Pixel, even though it’s one of those godforsaken punishers.
Looks Atarishi, I guess.
I want to start by saying that artistically, Life of Pixel is mostly a triumph. The eight worlds presented authentically capture the look of each era they pay tribute to. I’m guessing at least. Some of the platforms covered are vintage UK-only PCs such as the Spectrum or the 2X81, along with such American relics as the Commodore 64. As an American born in 1989, I have never touched those platforms, nor do I plan on it. But, comparing screenshots to games from those devices, they look spot-on. However, no effort at all was made for the games to sound like their respective platforms. There’s a single awful chip-tune that plays no matter which era you’re in, and all stages make the same bleeps and bloops. Why go so far to look authentic but not sound authentic? It makes no sense at all. It would be like having the most accurate-looking Elvis impersonator on the planet performing hip-hop.
Where the game falls apart completely is level design. There is cheap design, and then there is Life of Pixel. Every bad possible design choice is given center-stage here. Leap of faith platforming, blind jumps, no checkpoints in slow-paced large levels, erratic enemy movement, and an overall sense that the game really wants you to not have a good time playing it. It ultimately comes across like a poor Super Meat Boy clone. The main character even looks like Super Meat Boy. But this is yet another case of a developer not grasping why that game was so popular. Nothing in Super Meat Boy was unfair. It required little to no guess-work from the player. And dying wasn’t so bad because levels were fast paced and respawning was quick. Plus, death was sort of rewarded by the fact that you got to see a replay of all your failures play out simultaneously at the end of each stage. The only reward in Life of Pixel is seeing a new graphics style when you open a new world. A novelty that wears off on average in about 11.3 seconds each time you get a new world.
Actually, this looks slightly different from the Spectrum ports I’ve seen on XBLIG, so I’m not sure how close this is to the real thing.
I can’t even complain about the controls really. They’re mostly accurate, and offer non-slippery controls and decent jumping physics. 100% of Life of Pixel’s problems are level-design related. The game is cheaper than a dime store whore and seems to revel in that fact. There are one or two other design flaws. Early stages are single-screen affairs, and during these the game is quite fun. But once you get to the Spectrum era, the game does that thing where you have to walk to the edge of the screen to scroll the level over, and it scrolls a full screen at a time. The game doesn’t pause while it does that scroll thing, and so if you have to jump to a platform, it’s a forced blind jump that often will result in your death. It’s something that is horrible and cheap for the sake of being horrible and cheap. Later stages avoid the “scroll a full screen at a time” design in favor of smoother scrolling, but the level design never strays away from “be as cheap as possible.”
There’s also spikes that retract into the walls only to pop out again. These are weird because you can walk over them as long as they are like 75% buried in the ground. It makes getting the timing down of when you can make a run for it nearly impossible. I’m not sure why they didn’t just have the spikes retract and pop up faster than they did, except again, because it’s aggravation just for the sake of being aggravating. Finally, sometimes dying is a slow process. In the best punishers, death and respawning happen quickly. Here, if you land in water (or quicksand), you slowly sink down and have to wait for your character to reach the bottom, linger for a bit, and then blink out of existence. It’s absolutely amazing that a game that so clearly wants to be Super Meat Boy could end up getting wrong every single thing that made Super Meat Boy the beloved cult hit that it is. Bad level design, lack of rewarding gameplay, blind jumps, slow deaths, and boring, sprawling levels.
Don’t worry. Nothing about Life of Pixel gets me wet.
Yea, maybe trial-and-error platforming was a big deal thirty years ago, but we’re in 2013 now. 100% authenticity was obviously not a priority for Life of Pixel, as evidenced by the half-assed sound, so why make the game so cheaply frustrating? I’m so pissed off because these guys obviously had talent. There’s no way they could make a game that looks this good and controls this acceptably just by sheer fucking luck. So what happened guys? Why did you choose to make your game so unfair and unlikable that it’s almost certain to never catch on by word of mouth? The amount of potential squandered here makes me want to cry. And by the way, my friends are disappointed that there’s no Life of Pi reference here, but I disagree, because this game proves there is no God.
Life of Pixel was developed by Super Icon Ltd
$1.99 searched for a Life of Pixel trailer on YouTube and instead found a video series about a little girl named Pixel in the making of this review. Who the hell would name their daughter Pixel? I look forward to meeting her siblings, Polygon and Bit-Mapping.
In all seriousness, I couldn’t find any gameplay footage of this on YouTube. If someone finds some, give me a heads up.
Filed under PlayStation Network and Vita Reviews Tagged with Game Review, Gaming, Indie Games, Indie Gaming, Life of Pixel, Playstation, PlayStation Mobile, PlayStation Vita, PSM, PSN, Video Games
9 Responses to Life of Pixel
Tim Roast says:
“Spectrum or the 2X81”
That should be ZX81, but you are forgiven because it was around before you were born, plus in a different country.
“But once you get to the Spectrum era, the game does that thing where you have to walk to the edge of the screen to scroll the level over, and it scrolls a full screen at a time.”
That reflects the spectrum era.
“Why did you choose to make your game so unfair and unlikable that it’s almost certain to never catch on by word of mouth?”
They might get some word of mouth among the retro crowd, without them even having to play it first.
Alan Charlesworth says:
The scrolling issue might reflect the era accurately, but if it’s actually a detriment to the game it shouldn’t really be in there. A game should be fun, above all else.
The word pixel is totally overused. I ignore ALL games that have the word PIXEL in their title, that don’t have a character or enemy the size of a pixel IN IT. That’s like the title of a game being called First Person Shooter, but there’s no FPS (or even FP!) gameplay. Authors of such games that have such titles need to be pushed through a meat grinder, feet first.
And why is Super Icon’s website so shitty? When you actually try to find more details about their games, you just end up wasting your time. 😦
SuperIcon says:
We designed Life of Pixel to be as close to an old 8-bit experience as possible. We were not trying to mimic modern platformers such as Super Meat Boy. Also unless you have a fondness for those old machines I have to admit you probably won’t get Pixel – we tried to stay as faithful as possible so it does require a degree of positive nostalgia for the machines.
We ran out of time and financial resources (this kind of explains things – http://www.supericon.co.uk/our-vita-development-experiences/) so unfortunately the sound wasn’t as good as we’d have liked.
However – for PSM owners we are working hard… – we are working on a forthcoming update for Pixel.
Audio wise we are adding new machine specific sound fx (using samples/emulation of each machine), a music track per machine (again tailored to each machine’s sound chip).
Plus a brand new machine with 8 new secret levels (Sega Master System) and a few other tweaks and enhancements. We’ll also tweak some of the levels to reduce some of the leaps of faith.
With regards to our website – the pictures on the main page link directly to each game page. If you let us know where it is causing issues we’ll certainly look to improve it. The description ” why is Super Icon’s website so shitty? When you actually try to find more details about their games, you just end up wasting your time.” was a bit vague 🙂
Indie Gamer Chick says:
“We’ll also tweak some of the levels to reduce some of the leaps of faith.”
Sounds good. That caused 90% of my attitude against Life of Pixel. Read my FAQ and when the game is patched to your satisfaction, issue a Second Chance with the Chick challenge. No developer is turned away from getting a second chance review here.
SuperIcon, everything’s all over the goddamn page! Clean that shit up! 😀
Haha, seriously though, when someone looks at your website, the best way to engage them is to minimize the amount of clicks it takes them to get to a specific part. In some areas the website is pretty good. I don’t want to view a larger version of your title cards by the way, I just wanna know more about your projects! 🙂 Not only that, you don’t have a lot of details for them. Yes you have a photostream, but it’d be nice if you just had 3 screens and a Youtube link on each page, which is more than enough. And faster loading on your site wouldn’t hurt, but it seems as though you’ve got too many/too intensive gadget(s) on there, and I think some simple HTML would’ve suffice. 🙂
Steve Tack says:
In case anyone cares, the Sinclair ZX81 was definitely available in the US.
My first PC was a ZX81. I mowed neighbors’ lawns all summer to save up after seeing a two-page ad in Popular Science and drooling. Yeah, I was “that guy.” So yeah, there was a US version with a US power adapter and NTSC output. A year later Timex (of all things) did a joint venture with Sinclair and they came out with the Timex Sinclair 1000 – the same thing, but with double the memory. That is, it had 2K of RAM! I seem to recall that department stores sold those.
The crazy thing was the thick manual that came with the ZX81. It actually taught you how to program in BASIC! Compare that with the manual that came with my last laptop, which was just a card with some pictures on it that told you how to plug it in.
Anyway, the idea of emulating that for a game sounds painful. That thing was unbelievably limited. Well, unless you had the 16K expansion module of course.
noeyehand Games (@noeyehandGames) says:
lol I remember creating space invaders on the ZX81 with ASCII characters for the ships (back in the day that you bought computer games in book format and typed the program in yourself – such fun)
Rik Swift says:
The Speccy graphics are spot on but where’s the attribute clash? Surely it’s the defining characteristic of the machine. Also the game loads too fast. It should take four-and-a-half minutes at least. Fucking amateurs.
Leave a Reply to noeyehand Games (@noeyehandGames) Cancel reply
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Forbes Screw Machine Products, Inc., G. H. (Glenside, PA)
Forbes Seed & Grain (Junction City, OR)
Forbes Technical Consulting (Chicago, IL)
Forbes Tubing Testers, LLC (Alice, TX)
Forbes Welding & Fabrication, Inc. (Saint George, UT)
Forbes, LLC, C. C. (San Angelo, TX)
Forbes, LLC, C. C. (Victoria, TX)
Forbess Corporation (Plano, TX)
Forbidden Fruit Ciderhouse, LLC (Corvallis, OR)
Forbo Flooring Systems (Hazleton, PA)
Forbo Movement Systems, Inc. (Charlotte, NC)
Forbo Siegling, LLC (Huntersville, NC)
Forbo Siegling, LLC (Englewood, NJ)
Forbo Siegling, LLC (Mansfield, TX)
Forbo Siegling, LLC (Manteca, CA)
Forbo Siegling, LLC (Wood Dale, IL)
Forbus Blinds and Screens, LLC (Oxford, AL)
Forcade Assocs., Inc. (Evanston, IL)
Force 10 Marine, Inc. (Clearwater, FL)
Force 3, Inc. (Crofton, MD)
FORCE America Inc. (Riverside, MO)
FORCE America, Inc. (Shorewood, IL)
FORCE America, Inc. (Waukesha, WI)
FORCE America, Inc. (Limerick, PA)
FORCE America, Inc. (Charlotte, NC)
FORCE America, Inc. (Burnsville, MN)
Force America, Inc. (Bismarck, ND)
FORCE America, Inc. (Alexandria, MN)
FORCE America, Inc. (Fort Dodge, IA)
FORCE America, Inc. (Irving, TX)
FORCE America, Inc. (Henderson, CO)
FORCE Automation, Inc. (New Britain, CT)
Force Business Intelligence (Centennial, CO)
Force CNC, LLC (Madison, IN)
Force Control Industries, Inc. (Fairfield, OH)
Force Controls Co. (Waterford, MI)
Force Dynamics, Inc. (Trumansburg, NY)
Force Energy, Inc. (Gaylord, MI)
Force Enterprises (Tinley Park, IL)
Force Fabrication, Inc. (Oxnard, CA)
Force Flow, Inc. (Concord, CA)
Force Guided Relays International (Oriskany, NY)
Force Industries (Louisville, KY)
Force Industries Division, American Solder & Flux Co., Inc. (Paoli, PA)
Force Mfg., Inc. (Lake Villa, IL)
Force One Holdings (New Haven, IN)
Force Protection Video Equipment Corp. (Apex, NC)
Force Systems (Westville, NJ)
Force Unlimited (Oelwein, IA)
Force, Inc. (Molalla, OR)
Force, Inc. (Indiana, PA)
FORCE10 Networks, Inc. (San Jose, CA)
Force3 Pro Gear, LLC (Derby, CT)
ForceBeyond, LLC. (New Castle, DE)
Forced Air Products Co. (New Berlin, WI)
Forced Performance, Inc. (McKinney, TX)
Forced Potato, Inc. (Lexington, KY)
Forcepoint, LLC (San Diego, CA)
Forcepoint, LLC (Austin, TX)
Forcepoint, LLC (Champaign, IL)
Forcepoint, LLC (Herndon, VA)
Forcey Lumber Co., Inc. (Woodland, PA)
Forcht Group Of Kentucky, LLC (Corbin, KY)
Forcine Concrete & Construction Co., Inc. (Malvern, PA)
Forcon Precision Products, LLC (Cape Coral, FL)
Forcum-Lannom Building Materials, Inc. (Dyersburg, TN)
Forcum-Lannom Materials, Inc. (Dyersburg, TN)
Ford & Assocs., Inc., Larry (Decatur, GA)
Ford & Sons, Inc., C. D. (Geneseo, IL)
Ford Able Signs, A. (Central City, KY)
Ford Atlantic Fastener Co., Inc. (Pine Brook, NJ)
Ford Audio-Video Systems, Inc. (Oklahoma City, OK)
Ford Audio-Video Systems, Inc. (Tulsa, OK)
Ford Audio-Video Systems, Inc. (Houston, TX)
Ford Bros. Wholesale Meats (West Valley, NY)
Ford City Mall (Chicago, IL)
Ford City National Bakery (Ford City, PA)
Ford Company, J. C. (La Habra, CA)
Ford Component Sales, LLC (Dearborn, MI)
Ford Construction Co. (Dyersburg, TN)
Ford Construction Co., Asphalt Plt. (Dyersburg, TN)
Ford Contractor Supply, Inc. (Angleton, TX)
Ford County Record (Paxton, IL)
Ford County USDA Service Center (Paxton, IL)
Ford Distributing, Inc. (Columbus, OH)
Ford Equity Research (San Diego, CA)
Ford Fasteners, Inc. (Hackensack, NJ)
Ford Gin Services, Inc. (Lubbock, TX)
Ford Gum & Machine Co., Inc. (Akron, NY)
Ford Gum & Machine Co., Inc., Carousel Div. (Buffalo Grove, IL)
Ford Hotel Supply Co., Inc. (Columbia, MO)
Ford Hotel Supply Co., Inc. (St. Louis, MO)
Ford Jewelers, Edward (Chicago, IL)
Ford Lumber & Millwork Co., Inc. (Mobile, AL)
Ford Machine (Ramer, TN)
Ford Marble & Tile, Inc. (New Athens, IL)
Ford Meter Box Co., Inc., The (Pell City, AL)
Ford Meter Box Company, Inc., The (Wabash, IN)
Ford Mfg. Co., Inc., M. A. (Vero Beach, FL)
Ford Mfg., Inc. (Chehalis, WA)
Ford Models (Chicago, IL)
Ford Motor Co. (Dearborn, MI)
Ford Motor Co. (Buffalo, NY)
Ford Motor Co. (Sterling Heights, MI)
Ford Motor Co. (Livonia, MI)
Ford Motor Co., Chicago Assembly Plt. (Chicago, IL)
Ford Motor Co., Chicago Stamping Plt. (Chicago Heights, IL)
Ford Motor Co., Engine Plt. 1 (Brook Park, OH)
Ford Motor Co., Flat Rock Assembly Plant (Flat Rock, MI)
Ford Motor Co., Kansas City Assembly (Kansas City, MO)
Ford Motor Co., Kentucky Truck Plt. (Louisville, KY)
Ford Motor Co., Lima Engine Plt. (Lima, OH)
Ford Motor Co., Louisville Assembly Plt. (Louisville, KY)
Ford Motor Co., Michigan Assembly Plt. (Wayne, MI)
Ford Motor Co., Ohio Assembly Plt. (Avon Lake, OH)
Ford Motor Co., Romeo Engine Plt. (Romeo, MI)
Ford Motor Co., Rouge Plt. (Dearborn, MI)
Ford Motor Co., Sharonville Transmission Plt. (Cincinnati, OH)
Ford Motor Co., Woodhaven Stamping Plt. (Woodhaven, MI)
Ford Press, Inc. (Leesburg, FL)
Ford Products, Inc., Ron (Pomona, CA)
Ford Publishing, Inc. (Morris Plains, NJ)
Ford Regulator Valve Corp. (Brooklyn, NY)
Ford Roofing Co., LLC (Franklin, TN)
Ford Sawmills, Inc. (Vincennes, IN)
Ford Sheet Metal, Inc. (Jacksonville, FL)
Ford Signs (Sioux Falls, SD)
Ford Signs, Inc. (Oceanside, CA)
Ford Steel Co. (Maryland Heights, MO)
Ford Steel Co. (Elko, NV)
Ford Steel, LLC (Porter, TX)
Ford Tool & Gage Corp. (Milwaukee, WI)
Ford Tool & Machining, Inc. (Loves Park, IL)
Ford Tool Steels, Inc. (St. Louis, MO)
Forde Construction Co. (Houston, TX)
Forden's (San Luis Obispo, CA)
Ford-Gelatt (Baton Rouge, LA)
Fordham Marble Co. (Stamford, CT)
Fordham Marine Service (Jacksonville, FL)
Fordham Signs (Aberdeen, SD)
Fordham University Press (Bronx, NY)
Fordice Construction Co. (Vicksburg, MS)
Fordion Packaging Ltd. (Wyckoff, NJ)
Ford's Custom Plating & Services (Crystal River, FL)
Ford's Redi-Mix Concrete Co. (Charleston, SC)
Ford's Redi-Mix Concrete Co. (Ladson, SC)
Ford's Vault & Monument (Opelousas, LA)
Fordsell Machine Products Co. (Warren, MI)
Fordyce Co., G. (Hillsboro, OH)
Fordyce Concrete, Inc. (Kansas City, MO)
Fordyce Equipment, Inc. (Bethany, MO)
Fordyce Holding, Inc. (Mission, TX)
Fordyce Holdings Inc. (Victoria, TX)
Fordyce Holdings, Inc. (Victoria, TX)
Fordyce Publishing Co. (Fordyce, AR)
Fore Better Golf (Bloomingdale, IL)
Fore Innovations, LLC (Clearwater, FL)
Fore Machine Co. (Fort Worth, TX)
FORE Supply Co. (Addison, IL)
Fore Transportation, Inc. (Harvey, IL)
FORECAST 3D (Carlsbad, CA)
Forecast Consoles, Inc. (Hauppauge, NY)
Forecast Sales, Inc. (Keokuk, IA)
Forecaster, The (South Portland, ME)
Forecreu America, Inc. (Chicago, IL)
Foredom Electric Co. (Bethel, CT)
Forefront (Chicago, IL)
Forefront Machining Tech, Inc. (Dayton, OH)
Forefront Structural Engineers, Inc. (Chicago, IL)
Foreign Accents, Inc. (Albuquerque, NM)
Foreign Accents, Inc. (Orlando, FL)
Foreign Candy Co., Inc., The (Hull, IA)
Foreign Consulates Republic Of Colombia, The (Chicago, IL)
Foreign Consulates Republic Of Guatemala, The (Chicago, IL)
Foreign Consulates Republic Of Liberia, The (Chicago, IL)
Foreign Consulates Republic Of The Philippines (Chicago, IL)
Foreign Parts Distributors, Inc. (Hialeah, FL)
Foreign Source Ltd. (Cranston, RI)
Foreland Refining Corp. (Woods Cross, UT)
Foreland Refining Corp., Eagle Springs Refinery (Ely, NV)
Forem Packaging, Inc. (Newark, NJ)
Foreman & Co., Joseph D. (Lake Barrington, IL)
Foreman Brake & Power-Train, Inc. (Columbus, GA)
Foreman Co., Inc. (Springfield, TN)
Foreman Fabricators, Inc. (St. Louis, MO)
Foreman Furniture (Queen Creek, AZ)
Foreman Glass Co. (Crowley, LA)
Foreman Tool & Mold Corp. (St. Charles, IL)
Foreman's Quality Machine & Repair, Inc. (Casper, WY)
Foremark Performance Chemicals, Inc. (LaPorte, TX)
Foremaster Tool Co., Inc. (Ogden, UT)
Foremost Buildings, Inc. (Jefferson, WI)
Foremost Capital Management (Geneva, IL)
Foremost Custom Flexible Products (Greensburg, IN)
Foremost Dairy (Deridder, LA)
Foremost Dairy (Longview, TX)
Foremost Fabricators, LLC (Goshen, IN)
Foremost Farms USA (Lancaster, WI)
Foremost Farms USA (Clayton, WI)
Foremost Farms USA (Appleton, WI)
Foremost Farms USA (Athens, WI)
Foremost Farms USA (Marshfield, WI)
Foremost Farms USA (Preston, MN)
Foremost Farms USA (Reedsburg, WI)
Foremost Farms USA (Richland Center, WI)
Foremost Farms USA (Plover, WI)
Foremost Farms USA (Sparta, WI)
Foremost Farms USA/ARLA Foods Partners, LLC (Baraboo, WI)
Foremost Farms USA/ARLA Foods Partners, LLC (Chilton, WI)
Foremost Fire Protection, LLC (South Plainfield, NJ)
Foremost Graphics Group, LLC (Grand Rapids, MI)
Foremost Groups, Inc. (East Hanover, NJ)
Foremost Industrial Technologies (Peoria, IL)
Foremost Interiors, Inc. (Rancho Cordova, CA)
Foremost Machine Builders, Inc. (Fairfield, NJ)
Foremost Mfg. Co., Inc. (Union, NJ)
Foremost Plastic Products Co., Inc. (Elmwood Park, IL)
Foremost Precision Products (Placentia, CA)
Foremost Printing, Inc. (Gaithersburg, MD)
Foremost Solutions Group, LLC (Champaign, IL)
Foremost Spring Co., Inc. (Santa Fe Springs, CA)
Foremost Technologies, LLC (Hugo, MN)
Forensic Data Service (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Forensic Technologies, Inc. (St. Paul, MN)
ForensicSoft, Inc. (East Greenwich, RI)
Forenta L. P. (Morristown, TN)
Forerunner 3D Printing (Coopersville, MI)
Forerunner Technologies, Inc. (Edgewood, NY)
Foreseeson Custom Displays, Inc. (Anaheim, CA)
Foresight Automation (Fort Worth, TX)
Foresight Book Publishing Co. (Chattanooga, TN)
Foresight Consulting, Inc. (Naperville, IL)
Foresight Energy, LLC (St. Louis, MO)
Foresight Financial Group, Inc. (Rockford, IL)
Foresight Finishing, LLC (Tempe, AZ)
Foresight Group, Inc. (Ann Arbor, MI)
Foresight Group, Inc. (Lansing, MI)
Foresight Imaging (Chelmsford, MA)
Foresight Lighting (Layton, UT)
Foresight Management Development Co. (Chattanooga, TN)
Foresight Services, Inc. (Highland, IL)
Foresight Super Sign (Lansing, MI)
Foresight SuperSign (Lansing, MI)
Foresight Technologies (Tempe, AZ)
Foresite Realty Partners, LLC (Rosemont, IL)
Foresite Wireless, LLC (Wauconda, IL)
Forespar Products Corp. (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA)
Foress Sign & Mfg. (Albany, OR)
Forest & Sons Fence Co., Ron (Scarborough, ME)
Forest Agency Insurance (Forest Park, IL)
Forest Auto & Truck Parts (Lewiston, ID)
Forest Builders, Inc. (Lake Bluff, IL)
Forest Building Materials (Oklahoma City, OK)
Forest City Auto Electric, Inc. (Rockford, IL)
Forest City Boring, Inc. (Rockford, IL)
Forest City Cos. (Cleveland, OH)
Forest City Counter Tops, Inc. (Loves Park, IL)
Forest City Data (Loves Park, IL)
Forest City Gear Co., Inc. (Roscoe, IL)
Forest City Grinding, Inc. (Rockford, IL)
Forest City Masonry, Inc. (Rockford, IL)
Forest City News, Inc. (Forest City, PA)
Forest City Packing Co. (St. James, MO)
Forest City Paint & Supply (Forest City, NC)
Forest City Pallet Co., Inc. (Nebo, NC)
Forest City Specialties (Cleveland, OH)
Forest City Technologies, Inc. (Rockford, IL)
Forest City Technologies, Inc. (Wellington, OH)
Forest City Trading Group, LLC (Portland, OR)
Forest City Welding Supply (Forest City, NC)
Forest Commodities, Inc. (Martinsville, IN)
Forest Concepts, LLC (Auburn, WA)
Forest Concrete Products, Inc. (Ely, MN)
Forest Converting Co., Inc. (Cincinnati, OH)
Forest County Wood Products (Tionesta, PA)
Forest Creations, Inc. (Richfield, UT)
Forest Creek, Inc. (Nampa, ID)
Forest Design, Inc. (Phoenix, AZ)
Forest Door Co., Inc. (Cicero, IL)
Forest Edge Winery, LLC (Shepherdsville, KY)
Forest Electric Co., Sub. Of KEMET Electronics Corp., The (Melrose Park, IL)
Forest Energy Corp. (Show Low, AZ)
Forest Energy Corp. (Columbia City, OR)
Forest Enterprises, Inc. (Wood Dale, IL)
Forest Envelope Co., Inc. (Bolingbrook, IL)
Forest Floor Food, LLC (Eden, WI)
Forest Giant, Inc. (Louisville, KY)
Forest Glen Construction Co. (Highland Park, IL)
Forest Green Cabinetry (Chesapeake, VA)
Forest Grove News-Times (Forest Grove, OR)
Forest Health Timber Products, LLC (Pagosa Springs, CO)
Forest Hill Granite Co., Inc. (Elberton, GA)
Forest Hills Nurseries Corp. (Cranston, RI)
Forest Hills Printing (Harrison, AR)
Forest Homes (Selinsgrove, PA)
Forest Interiors, Inc. (Richmond Hill, NY)
Forest Iron Works, Inc. (Locust Valley, NY)
Forest Lake Casket, Inc. (Villa Park, IL)
Forest Land Services, Inc. (Stanwood, WA)
Forest Lane Cabinetry (Dauphin, PA)
Forest Litho Printing Co. (Wantagh, NY)
Forest Lumber Co. (Pittsburgh, PA)
Forest Materials, Inc. (Buffalo, NY)
Forest Medical, LLC (East Syracuse, NY)
Forest Millwork, Inc. (Asheville, NC)
Forest Packaging Corp. (Elk Grove Village, IL)
Forest Park Bank (Forest Park, IL)
Forest Park Sheet Metal (College Park, GA)
Forest Plating Co. (Forest Park, IL)
Forest Plywood Sales (La Mirada, CA)
Forest Press (Tionesta, PA)
Forest Printing And Graphics (Round Lake, IL)
Forest Printing Co. (Forest Park, IL)
Forest Pro, Inc. (Scottsville, VA)
Forest Products Distributors, Inc. (Rapid City, SD)
Forest Products Group, Inc. (Speedwell, TN)
Forest Products Group, Inc. (Evarts, KY)
Forest Products Group, Inc., The (Frankfort, IN)
Forest Products Group, Inc., The (Columbus, OH)
Forest Products Mfg. Co. (Jasper, IN)
Forest Products Sales, Inc. (West Jordan, UT)
Forest Products Supply Co. (Kansas City, KS)
Forest Products Supply, LLC (Newton, KS)
Forest Products, Inc. (Walden, CO)
Forest Products, Inc. (Gray, KY)
Forest Recovery Services, LLC (Barrington, IL)
Forest River, Inc. (Bristol, IN)
Forest River, Inc. (Dallas, OR)
Forest River, Inc. (Harrisburg, OR)
Forest River, Inc. (Independence, OR)
Forest River, Inc. (Goshen, IN)
Forest River, Inc. (Elkhart, IN)
Forest River, Inc. (Waco, TX)
Forest River, Inc. (Ocilla, GA)
Forest River, Inc. (Rialto, CA)
Forest River, Inc. (Middlebury, IN)
Forest River, Inc., Cedar Creek Div. (Topeka, IN)
Forest River, Inc., Park Model Div. (Elkhart, IN)
Forest River, Inc., Plt. 32 (Goshen, IN)
Forest River, Inc., Tent Camper Div. (Millersburg, IN)
Forest Run Ready Mix, LLC (Racine, OH)
Forest Sales Corp. (Augusta, GA)
Forest Scientific Corp. (Phoenix, AZ)
Forest Scientific Corp. (Tionesta, PA)
Forest Security, Inc. (River Grove, IL)
Forest Stone Products (Greeley, CO)
Forest Technologies, Inc. (Salem, OR)
Forest Tool Co., Inc. (Birmingham, AL)
Forest Tool, Inc. (Crandon, WI)
Forest Uniforms (New York, NY)
Forest View Advisory Group (Glen Ellyn, IL)
Forestadent U. S. A., Inc. (Earth City, MO)
Forestedge Winery (Laporte, MN)
Forester Machine & Mfg. (Tulsa, OK)
Forester Media, Inc. (Santa Barbara, CA)
Forester Millwork (Littleton, MA)
Forester Roller Co., Inc. (Lawrenceville, GA)
Foresters Financial (Lombard, IL)
Forestiere Power Tool & Equipment Co., Inc. (Middle Village, NY)
Forestry Resources, LLC (Webster, FL)
Forestry Resources, LLC (Fort Myers, FL)
Forestry Suppliers, Inc. (Jackson, MS)
Forestville Machine Co., Inc. (Plainville, CT)
Forestville Mfg. Co., Inc. (Bristol, CT)
Forestville Welding & Iron Works, Inc. (Upper Marlboro, MD)
ForestWise, LLC (Trinidad, CO)
Forestwood Farm, Inc. (Birmingham, AL)
Forestwood Industrial, Inc. (Hildale, UT)
Forestwood, Inc. (Hildale, UT)
Foretravel Of Texas, Inc. (Nacogdoches, TX)
Forever Barnwood, LLC (Plum City, WI)
Forever Cabinets By Kendrick (Edgewood, IA)
Forever Companies (Franklin, WI)
Forever Friends Custom Embroidery & More (Orion, IL)
Forever Furniture, Inc. (West Jordan, UT)
Forever Living Products International (Scottsdale, AZ)
Forever New International (Sioux Falls, SD)
Forever Powder Coating (Tumwater, WA)
Forever Signs, Inc. (Hialeah, FL)
Forever Young Intellectual Property, LLC (Las Vegas, NV)
ForeverLawn, Inc. (Louisville, OH)
Foreverwhite Glass Whiteboard (Elk Grove Village, IL)
ForeWord Magazine, Inc. (Traverse City, MI)
Forexco, Inc. (Greensboro, NC)
Forg Mfg. Co., Peter (Somerville, MA)
Forge Contracting Corp. (Bronx, NY)
Forge Custom Signs (Greenville, RI)
Forge Die & Tool Corp. (Farmington, MI)
Forge Energy, LLC (San Antonio, TX)
Forge Graphic Works (Portland, OR)
Forge Industries, Inc. (Youngstown, OH)
Forge Lumber, LLC (Erlanger, KY)
Forge Lumber, LLC (Cincinnati, OH)
Forge Manufacturing Solutions (Ankeny, IA)
Forge Nano (Louisville, CO)
Forge Precision (Farmington, MI)
Forge Products Corp. (Cleveland, OH)
Forge Resources Group, LLC (DeKalb, IL)
Forge Sheet Metal (Kennett Square, PA)
Forge Technology, Inc. (Woodstock, IL)
Forge USA, Inc. (Houston, TX)
Forged By Creation, LLC (Broken Arrow, OK)
Forged Components, Inc. (Houston, TX)
Forged Components, Inc. (Humble, TX)
Forged Components, Inc. (Navasota, TX)
Forged Performance, LLC (Marietta, GA)
Forged Products, Inc. (Houston, TX)
Forged Signworks, Inc. (Garden City, ID)
Forged Tubular (Detroit, MI)
Forgeline Motor Sports, Inc. (Dayton, OH)
Forgeron Cellars, LLC (Walla Walla, WA)
Forgetting The Pill (Ellisville, MO)
Forgiato, Inc. (Sun Valley, CA)
Forging Ahead, Inc. (Durango, CO)
Forgings & Stampings, Inc. (Delavan, WI)
Forgings & Stampings, Inc. (Rockford, IL)
Forgo Fasteners, Div. Of Valley Fastener Group, LLC (Naperville, IL)
Forgotten Fire Winery (Marinette, WI)
Fori Automation, Inc. (Shelby Township, MI)
Foria International, Inc. (City Of Industry, CA)
Forinno, LLC (Newberg, OR)
Forino Kitchen Cabinets, Inc. (Park Ridge, NJ)
Foris Vineyards & Winery (Cave Junction, OR)
Fork Refrigeration, Inc. (Moscow, ID)
Forkardt (Traverse City, MI)
Forked River Gazette, Inc. (Manahawkin, NJ)
Forked Up Art, LLC (South Jordan, UT)
Forkey Construction & Fabrication, Inc. (Cortland, NY)
Forklift America, LLC (Bridgeton, MO)
Forklift Connection, Inc. (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Forklift Enterprises, Inc. (Hobbs, NM)
Forklift Exchange, Inc. (Bedford Park, IL)
Forklift Express LLC (Peachtree Corners, GA)
Forklift Headquarter, LLC (North Brunswick, NJ)
Forklift Of Liberty (Liberty, IL)
Forklift Partners, LLC (Matthews, NC)
Forklift Parts Mfg. Co., Inc. (Los Angeles, CA)
Forklift Pro Inc. (Pineville, NC)
Forklift Services of America (Seattle, WA)
Forklift Services Of Oregon (Portland, OR)
Forklift Systems Incorporated (Nashville, TN)
Forklift Systems Incorporated (Birmingham, AL)
Forklift Tires Of Indiana, Inc. (Fort Wayne, IN)
Forklift Tires Of Michigan, Inc. (Roseville, MI)
Forklift Tires Of Michigan, Inc. (Wyoming, MI)
Forklifts Etc. (Memphis, TN)
Forklifts Of Des Moines, Inc. (Des Moines, IA)
Forklifts Of Minnesota, Inc. (Bloomington, MN)
Forklifts Of North Dakota (West Fargo, ND)
Forklifts Of Quincy, Inc. (Quincy, IL)
Forklifts Of St. Louis, Inc. (St. Louis, MO)
Forklifts Of Toledo (Toledo, OH)
Forklifts Parts & Equipment (Miami, FL)
Forklifts Repairs & Sales, Inc. (Dallas, TX)
Forklifts Systems, Inc. (Hialeah, FL)
Forklifts, Inc. (Columbia, SC)
Forks Forum (Forks, WA)
Forks Freightliner (Grand Forks, ND)
Forks Machine Tool, LLC (Fort Wayne, IN)
Forks Of Cheat Winery (Morgantown, WV)
Forkum Fabrication & Welding (Canton, OH)
Form & Function Forge (Tucson, AZ)
Form & Structure, Inc. (Portland, OR)
Form 3D Foundry, LLC (Portland, OR)
Form All Plastics Corp. (Meriden, CT)
Form CNC Machining LLC (Anderson, CA)
Form Cut Industries, Inc. (Newark, NJ)
Form Flo Equipment Manufacturers, Inc. (Youngtown, AZ)
Form Function & Finesse, Inc. (St. Louis, MO)
Form G Tech Co. (Troy, MI)
Form Grind Corp. (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA)
Form Machining Co. (Silver Lake, WI)
Form Plastics Co. (St. Charles, IL)
Form Process Engineering (Birmingham, AL)
Form Relief Tool Co. (Davis Junction, IL)
Form Roll Die Corp. (Worcester, MA)
Form Systems, Inc. (Haysville, KS)
Form Tech Concrete Forms, Inc. (Wixom, MI)
Form Tech Concrete Forms, Inc. (St. Albans, WV)
Form Tech Tool & Mold, Inc. (Biddeford, ME)
Form Technologies, Inc. (Charlotte, NC)
Form Tool Technology (York, PA)
Form X Plastics, Inc. (Jefferson, SC)
Form/Tec Plastics, Inc. (Martinsville, IN)
Forma Automotive, LLC (San Antonio, TX)
Formacoat, LLC (Savage, MN)
Forma-Fab Metals, Inc. (Mebane, NC)
Form-A-Feed, Inc. (New Richmond, WI)
Form-A-Feed, Inc. (Stewart, MN)
Forma-Kool Mfg., Inc. (Chesterfield, MI)
Formal & Bridal Center (Boise, ID)
Formal Fashions, Inc. (Tempe, AZ)
Form-All Spring & Stamping Co., Inc. (Bensenville, IL)
Form-All Tool Co. (Whitehall, MI)
Formall, Inc. (Clinton, TN)
Forman & Assocs. (Van Nuys, CA)
Forman Co., The (Monmouth, IL)
Forman Energy Ltd. (Columbus, OH)
Forman Sign Co., Inc. (Philadelphia, PA)
Forman, Inc. (Windsor Mill, MD)
Formart Corp. (New York, NY)
Formaspace (Austin, TX)
Formasters Corp. (Mentor, OH)
Format Framing (Ann Arbor, MI)
Format Solutions, Inc. (Hopkins, MN)
Formatech, Inc. (Brunswick, OH)
Formation Cementing (Zanesville, OH)
Formation Creation, Inc. (Hesperia, CA)
Formation Roofing & Sheet Metal, Inc. (Indianapolis, IN)
Formations, Inc. (Portland, OR)
Formatop (Campbell, CA)
Formatop Co., Inc. (Sioux Falls, SD)
Formatron Ltd. (Farmington, CT)
Formats Unlimited, Inc. (Deer Park, NY)
Formatt Printing (Providence, RI)
Formax (Dover, NH)
Formax Mfg. Corp. (Grand Rapids, MI)
Formax Precision Gear, Inc. (Sterling Heights, MI)
Formax Printers (West Long Branch, NJ)
Formax Technologies, Inc. (Turlock, CA)
Formax, Inc. (St. Louis, MO)
Formco Metal Products, Inc. (Wood Dale, IL)
Formco Plastics, Inc. (Bensenville, IL)
Formco, Inc. (Elkhart, IN)
Formco, Inc. (North Canton, OH)
Form-Cove Mfg. Co., Inc. (Rio Rancho, NM)
Formcraft Interiors, Inc. (Folcroft, PA)
Formcraft Tool Co. (Chicago, IL)
Formcrete Fiberglass Products, Inc. (Seminole, OK)
Formdrill USA (Rolling Meadows, IL)
Formech, Inc. (Middleton, WI)
Formed Fastener (Bridgeview, IL)
Formed Fiber Technologies, LLC (Auburn, ME)
Formed Fiberglass Co., Inc. (Fombell, PA)
Formed Plastics, Inc. (Carle Place, NY)
Formed Solutions, Inc. (Holland, MI)
Formel Industries, Inc. (Franklin Park, IL)
Formella & Sons, Inc., E. (Countryside, IL)
Former Equipment, LLC (Kenosha, WI)
Former Fab, Inc. (Pearland, TX)
Formerly Taws (Philadelphia, PA)
Formers By Ernie, Inc. (Houston, TX)
Formers International, Inc. (Pasadena, TX)
Formet Corp. (West Chicago, IL)
Formetal Co., Inc. (Forest Park, GA)
Formetal, Inc. (Oak Harbor, OH)
Formetco, Inc. (Duluth, GA)
Formex Business Printing (Camp Hill, PA)
Formex International (Port Huron, MI)
Formex Mfg., Inc. (Lawrenceville, GA)
Formex, Inc. (East Greenwich, RI)
Formex, LLC (Richmond, VA)
Formex, LLC (San Diego, CA)
FormFab, LLC (Rochester Hills, MI)
FormFactor, Inc. (San Jose, CA)
FormFactor, Inc. (Livermore, CA)
FormFactor, Inc. (Beaverton, OR)
FORMflex (Bloomingdale, IN)
Formia Marble & Stone, Inc. (Roselle, NJ)
Formica Bros. Bakery (Atlantic City, NJ)
Formica Corp. (Cincinnati, OH)
Formica Corp. (Lithia Springs, GA)
Forming America Ltd. (West Chicago, IL)
Forming Concepts, Inc. (Gilberts, IL)
Forming Specialties, Inc. (Compton, CA)
Forming Technologies, LLC (Muskegon, MI)
Formit Metal Fabricators, LLC (York, PA)
Formlabs (Somerville, MA)
Formline Business, Inc. (Tupelo, MS)
Formosa Food Co., Inc. (Hull, IA)
Formosa Plastics Corp. (Delaware City, DE)
Formosa Plastics Corp. U.S.A. (Livingston, NJ)
Formosa Plastics Corp., Louisiana (Baton Rouge, LA)
Formosa Plastics Corp., Texas (Point Comfort, TX)
Formost Fuji Corp. (Woodinville, WA)
FORMost Graphic Communications, Inc. (Gaithersburg, MD)
FormPak, Inc. (St. Louis, MO)
Formrite Cos., Inc. (Two Rivers, WI)
Formrolls, Inc. (Six Mile, SC)
Forms & Filing, Inc. (Beaverton, OR)
Forms & Graphic Systems, Inc. (Raleigh, NC)
Forms & Graphics (Lakeville, MA)
Forms & Printing Service, Inc. (Houston, TX)
Forms & Printing Solutions (Mount Pleasant, SC)
Forms & Promotions, LLC (Pittsburg, KS)
Forms & Supplies Unlimited, Inc. (Winter Springs, FL)
Forms & Supply, Inc. (Charlotte, NC)
Forms & Surfaces (Carpinteria, CA)
Forms & Surfaces, LLC (Pittsburgh, PA)
Forms & Systems Of Minnesota (Minnetonka, MN)
Forms America Corp. (New Albany, IN)
Forms Assocs. Co., Inc. (La Vista, NE)
Forms Center, The (Houston, TX)
Forms For Business, Inc. (Unionville, CT)
Forms For Less (La Habra, CA)
Forms Group, Inc. (Hamel, MN)
Forms In Metal (Catonsville, MD)
Forms In Sculpture (Sarasota, FL)
Forms Management Services, Inc. (Hackensack, NJ)
Forms Management, Inc. (Tallahassee, FL)
Forms Manufacturers, Inc. (Girard, KS)
Forms Mfrs. Equipment, Inc. (Longwood, FL)
Forms One Enterprises, LLC (Haltom City, TX)
Forms One, LLC (Pittsburg, KS)
Forms Plus (Lubbock, TX)
Forms Plus More, LLC (Merchantville, NJ)
Forms Plus More, LLC (Voorhees, NJ)
Forms Plus, Inc. (Warwick, RI)
Forms Plus, Inc. (Albuquerque, NM)
Forms Plus, LLC (Duluth, GA)
Forms Press, Inc. (Crystal Lake, IL)
Forms Professional, Inc. (Baltimore, MD)
Forms Specialists (Mosinee, WI)
Forms Tech, Inc. (West Chicago, IL)
Forms Today, Inc. (Shelby Township, MI)
Forms, Etc. by Marty Walsh (Oak Lawn, IL)
FORMS-1, Inc. (East Moline, IL)
Formslink Systems, Inc. (Pine Brook, NJ)
Formsprag Clutch, LLC (Warren, MI)
Formstore, Inc. (Fenton, MO)
Form-Tec, Inc. (Freeport, NY)
Formtech (St. Albans, WV)
Formtech Enterprises, Inc. (Stow, OH)
Formtech Enterprises, Inc. (Fairview, PA)
Formtech Enterprises, Inc. (Bogart, GA)
FormTech Industries, LLC (Fraser, MI)
Formtek Maine (Clinton, ME)
Formtek, Inc. (Cleveland, OH)
Formtex Plastics Corp. (Houston, TX)
FormTight, Inc. (Denver, CO)
Formula 1 Feeds, Inc. (New Albany, PA)
Formula Consultants, Inc. (Anaheim, CA)
Formula Corp. (Auburn, WA)
Formula Fabricating, LLC (Brook Park, OH)
Formula K Lawn & Snow Equipment, LLC (Mattawan, MI)
Formula One Tool (Algonac, MI)
Formula Plastics, Inc. (Tecate, CA)
Formula Propeller & Marine, Inc. (Maple Grove, MN)
Formula Prototypes, LLC (Phoenix, AZ)
Formula Science Corp. (Alpharetta, GA)
Formula Seals & Plastics, Inc. (Houston, TX)
Formula Systems North America, Inc. (Elk Grove Village, IL)
Formulary Productions, LLC (Austin, TX)
Formulated Solutions (Largo, FL)
Formulation Technology, Inc. (Oakdale, CA)
Formulations, Inc. (Skokie, IL)
Formulife, Inc. (Allen, TX)
Formurex, Inc. (Stockton, CA)
Formusa Co., Inc., V. (Des Plaines, IL)
Formware, Inc. (Columbus, OH)
Formweld Fitting, Inc. (Milton, FL)
Formwood Industries (Jeffersonville, IN)
Formwork Exchange Ltd. (Temple, GA)
Formworks Building, Inc. (Durango, CO)
Formworks Plastics, Inc. (Orange, CA)
Formwork-Shore All (Temple, GA)
Fornengo Forest Products (Danbury, WI)
Fornetix, LLC (Ashburn, VA)
Forney Corp. (Addison, TX)
Forney Industries, Inc. (Fort Collins, CO)
Forney Industries, Inc. (Tipp City, OH)
Forney L. P. (Zelienople, PA)
Forney Messenger, Inc. (Forney, TX)
Forney, LP (Aurora, CO)
Forney-Goldsmith, Jack (Bloomington, IN)
Forney's Supply, Inc. (Portage, IN)
Forno Enterprises, Inc. (Trout Creek, NY)
Fornoff Fertilizer, Inc. (Kilbourne, IL)
Fornparts, Inc. (Downers Grove, IL)
Foro Energy, Inc. (Littleton, CO)
Foro Marble Co. (Brooklyn, NY)
Forplax Los Angeles, LLC (San Dimas, CA)
Forplax, LLC (Itasca, IL)
Forrati Mfg. & Tool, LLC (Plantsville, CT)
Forrest Engine Rebuilders, Bob (Corvallis, OR)
Forrest Engraving Co., Inc. (Carmel, NY)
Forrest Enterprises, Inc. (Piqua, OH)
Forrest Fence Co. (Felton, DE)
Forrest Forms, Inc. (Vero Beach, FL)
Forrest Graphics, Inc. (Pompano Beach, FL)
Forrest Machine Products Corp. (Mansfield, OH)
Forrest Machine Shop (Delta, OH)
Forrest Machine, Inc. (Rocky Hill, CT)
Forrest Machining, Inc. (Valencia, CA)
Forrest Mfg. Co. (Houston, TX)
Forrest Mfg. Co., Inc. (Clifton, NJ)
Forrest Paper & Bridal Co. (Hattiesburg, MS)
Forrest Printing, Inc. (New York, NY)
Forrest Redi-Mix, Inc. (Forrest, IL)
Forrest Redi-Mix, Inc., Gilman Plt. (Gilman, IL)
Forrest Seafood, Bill (Poquoson, VA)
Forrest Sign Co. (New York, NY)
Forrest Signs (Midland Park, NJ)
Forrest Steel Corp. (Pittsburgh, PA)
Forrest Technical Coatings (Eugene, OR)
Forrest Tire Co., Inc. (Clovis, NM)
Forreston Tool, Inc. (Forreston, IL)
Forrey Co. (Mountville, PA)
Fors Machine & Welding Shop, A. W. (Salt Lake City, UT)
Forsberg's Boat Yard LLC (Point Pleasant Boro, NJ)
Forsberg'S, Inc. (Thief River Falls, MN)
Forsch Polymer Corp. (Englewood, CO)
Forsee Vineyards Inc (Coffeen, IL)
Forshaw Of St. Louis, Inc. (St. Louis, MO)
Forshaw, Inc. (Charlotte, NC)
For-Shor Co. (Salt Lake City, UT)
Forsht Concrete Products Co., Inc. (Altoona, PA)
Forslund Welding Inc. (Blaine, MN)
Forst-Becvar Insurance Agency, Inc. (Westchester, IL)
Forster & Son, Inc. (Ada, OK)
Forster Precision Tool (Seymour, CT)
Forster Products, Inc. (Lanark, IL)
Forster Tool & Mfg. Co., Inc. (Bensenville, IL)
Forsyth Group, LLC/ Trooper Clothing (San Antonio, TX)
Forsyth Machine Works, Inc. (Cumming, GA)
Forsyth Printing Co. (Rural Hall, NC)
Forsyth Redi Mix, Inc. (Rural Hall, NC)
Forsyth Sign Artists, G. Bryan (Houston, MN)
Forsyth Welding & Machine (Forsyth, MT)
Forsyth Yarn Mill, LLC (Forsyth, GA)
Forsythe & Long Engineering, Inc. (Florence, AL)
Forsythe Cosmetic Group Ltd. (Freeport, NY)
Forsythe Welding Service (Sheboygan, WI)
Forsyth-Puttmann, LLC (Terre Haute, IN)
Forsyth-Puttmann, LLC (Fithian, IL)
Fort & Assocs., Diane (La Habra, CA)
Fort Amanda Specialties, LLC (Lima, OH)
Fort Apache Energy, Inc. (Boerne, TX)
Fort Bend Herald (Rosenberg, TX)
Fort Bend Publishing Group (Stafford, TX)
Fort Bend Spotlight (Rosenberg, TX)
Fort Bragg Advocate News (Fort Bragg, CA)
Fort Chiswell Machine Tool (Max Meadows, VA)
Fort Cobb Locker Plt. (Fort Cobb, OK)
Fort Collier Enterprises (Winchester, VA)
Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning (Fort Collins, CO)
Fort Collins Plastics, Inc. (Fort Collins, CO)
Fort Collins Precast, Inc. (Fort Collins, CO)
Fort Collins Winnelson Co. (Fort Collins, CO)
Fort Dallas Truss Co. (Miami, FL)
Fort Dearborn (Bellwood, IL)
Fort Dearborn Co. (Bowling Green, KY)
Fort Dearborn Co. (Brunswick, GA)
Fort Dearborn Co. (Dawsonville, GA)
Fort Dearborn Co. (Elk Grove Village, IL)
Fort Dearborn Co. (Fort Worth, TX)
Fort Dearborn Co. (Louisville, KY)
Fort Dearborn Co. (Provo, UT)
Fort Dearborn Co. (Niles, IL)
Fort Dearborn Co. (St. Louis, MO)
Fort Dearborn Co. (Sparks, NV)
Fort Dearborn Company (Fountain Inn, SC)
Fort Dearborn Enterprise, Inc. (Willowbrook, IL)
Fort Dearborn Partners, Inc. (Chicago, IL)
Fort Defiance Industry, LLC (Loudon, TN)
Fort Dodge Asphalt, Inc. (Fort Dodge, IA)
Fort Dodge Chemical (Lompoc, CA)
Fort Fudge Shop, Inc. (Mackinaw City, MI)
Fort George Brewery & Public House (Astoria, OR)
Fort Harrison Truck Tire Center, Inc. (Terre Haute, IN)
Fort Hill Sign Products, Inc. (Hopedale, MA)
Fort Knox Climate Controlled Storage Complex (Marrero, LA)
Fort Knox Inc. (Orem, UT)
Fort Knox Mailbox (Grants Pass, OR)
Fort Knox Northwest (Woodburn, OR)
Fort Lauderdale Woodworking (Pompano Beach, FL)
Fort Lewis College Independent (Durango, CO)
Fort Loramie Machine Tool Co. (Fort Loramie, OH)
Fort Madison Pallet Co. LLC (Fort Madison, IA)
Fort McDowell Yavapai Materials (Fountain Hills, AZ)
Fort Meat, Inc. (Brooklyn, NY)
Fort Meigs Auto Electric Co. (Northwood, OH)
Fort Miller FAB3 Corp. (Greenwich, NY)
Fort Morgan Pet Food Co. (Fort Morgan, CO)
Fort Morgan Printing (Fort Morgan, CO)
Fort Myers Automotive & Industrial Supply (Fort Myers, FL)
Fort Myers Brewing Co., LLC (Fort Myers, FL)
Fort Myers Glass & Mirror Of Southwest Florida, Inc. (Fort Myers, FL)
Fort Nassau Graphics (West Deptford, NJ)
Fort Orange Press, Inc. (Albany, NY)
Fort Payne Newspapers, Inc. (Fort Payne, AL)
Fort Payne Printing (Fort Payne, AL)
Fort Payne Steel, Inc. (Fort Payne, AL)
Fort Peck Journal (Poplar, MT)
Fort Peck Tech Services, Inc. (Poplar, MT)
Fort Piper Print & Screen (Everett, PA)
Fort Pottery Co. (Augusta, GA)
Fort Recovery Construction & Equipment LLC (Portland, IN)
Fort Recovery Industries, Inc. (Portland, IN)
Fort Recovery Industries, Inc. (Fort Recovery, OH)
Fort Scott Burial Vault Co. (Fort Scott, KS)
Fort Scott Tribune (Fort Scott, KS)
Fort Smith Mfg. (Fort Smith, AR)
Fort Smith Petroleum Equipment Co. (Fort Smith, AR)
Fort Smith Plating Co., Inc. (Fort Smith, AR)
Fort Smith Restaurant Supply Co. (Fort Smith, AR)
Fort Stockton Pioneer (Fort Stockton, TX)
Fort Tool & Machining, Inc. (Fort Atkinson, WI)
Fort Transfer Co. (Morton, IL)
Fort Vale, Inc. (LaPorte, TX)
Fort Walton Concrete, Inc. (Fort Walton Beach, FL)
Fort Walton Glass Co. (Fort Walton Beach, FL)
Fort Walton Machining, Inc. (Fort Walton Beach, FL)
Fort Wayne Anodizing (Fort Wayne, IN)
Fort Wayne Awning Co. (Fort Wayne, IN)
Fort Wayne Clutch & Driveline, Inc. (Fort Wayne, IN)
Fort Wayne Diamond Products, Inc. (Fort Wayne, IN)
Fort Wayne Diesel Service (Fort Wayne, IN)
Fort Wayne Fabrication (Fort Wayne, IN)
Fort Wayne Materials Handling, LLC (Fort Wayne, IN)
Fort Wayne Metals Research Products Corp (Fort Wayne, IN)
Fort Wayne Mold & Engineering, Inc. (Fort Wayne, IN)
Fort Wayne Newspapers, Inc. (Fort Wayne, IN)
Fort Wayne Printing Co., Inc. (Fort Wayne, IN)
Fort Wayne Reader (Fort Wayne, IN)
Fort Wayne Wire Die, Inc. (Fort Wayne, IN)
Fort Wolters Machine & Tool, LLC (Mineral Wells, TX)
Fort Worth Aluminum Foundry (Fort Worth, TX)
Fort Worth Business Press (Fort Worth, TX)
Fort Worth Centerless Grinding, Inc. (Fort Worth, TX)
Fort Worth Crushed Stone, Inc. (Fort Worth, TX)
Fort Worth Crushed Stone, LLC (Cresson, TX)
Fort Worth Crushed Stone, LLC (Weatherford, TX)
Fort Worth F & D Head Co. (Fort Worth, TX)
Fort Worth Fabrication, Inc. (Fort Worth, TX)
Fort Worth Forging Die, Inc. (Fort Worth, TX)
Fort Worth Gasket & Supply (Fort Worth, TX)
Fort Worth Gear & Axle Service (Fort Worth, TX)
Fort Worth Grass & Stone (Fort Worth, TX)
Fort Worth Hightech Signs, Co. (Fort Worth, TX)
Fort Worth Lumber Co. (Fort Worth, TX)
Fort Worth Roofing Supply, LLC (Fort Worth, TX)
Fort Worth Screen Printing, Inc. (Fort Worth, TX)
Fort Worth Sign & Supply (Fort Worth, TX)
Fort Worth Tent & Awning Co. (Fort Worth, TX)
Fort Worth Weekly L. P. (Fort Worth, TX)
Fort Worth Welders Supply, Inc. (Fort Worth, TX)
FORTA Corporation (Grove City, PA)
Forte (Madison, WI)
Forte Automation Systems, Inc. (Machesney Park, IL)
Forte Chocolates & Pastry Arts, LLC (Mount Vernon, WA)
Forte Composites, Inc. (De Pere, WI)
Forte Designs, LLC (Mequon, WI)
Forte Fasteners, Inc. (Dayton, OH)
Forte Group (Chicago, IL)
Forte Industries, Inc. (Stephenson, MI)
Forte Lighting, Inc. (Fontana, CA)
Forte Plastics Co. (Kansas City, MO)
Forte Press Corp. (Foster City, CA)
Forte Products (Cherryvale, KS)
Forte Products, Inc. (Burlington, KS)
Forte Products, Inc. (Kansas City, MO)
Forte Products, LLC (Argyle, WI)
Forte RTS, Inc. (Ledyard, CT)
Forte System, Inc. (Walnut Creek, CA)
Forte Technology, Inc. (South Easton, MA)
Forte Universal Pallet (New Brunswick, NJ)
Forte, Inc. (Newark, DE)
Forte® International Tax, LLC (Evanston, IL)
Fortech (Syracuse, NY)
Fortech Products, Inc. (Brighton, MI)
Fortech, Inc. (Charlotte, NC)
Fortenberry Builders Supply, Inc. (Brandon, MS)
Fortenberry Custom Slaughter (Carriere, MS)
Fortenberry Pipe & Supply Co. (Mabank, TX)
ForteONE (Northbrook, IL)
Forteq North America, Inc. (West Henrietta, NY)
Fortera Lubbock (Lubbock, TX)
Forterra (Mineral Wells, TX)
Forterra (San Antonio, TX)
Forterra Concrete Products, Inc. (Shawnee, KS)
Forterra Concrete Products, Inc. (Stacy, MN)
Forterra Concrete Products, Inc. (Mitchell, SD)
Forterra Concrete Products, Inc. (Menoken, ND)
Forterra Concrete Products, Inc. (Maple Grove, MN)
Forterra Concrete Products, Inc. (Oskaloosa, KS)
Forterra Concrete Products, Inc. (Rapid City, SD)
Forterra Concrete Products, Inc. (Des Moines, IA)
Forterra Concrete Products, Inc. (Elk River, MN)
Forterra Concrete Products, Inc. (Helena, MT)
Forterra Concrete Products, LLC (Iowa Falls, IA)
Forterra Pipe & Precast (Billings, MT)
Forterra Pipe & Precast (Plattsmouth, NE)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (Prentiss, MS)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (Oklahoma City, OK)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (Marshalltown, IA)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (Macedonia, OH)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (Lorena, TX)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (Louisville, KY)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (Lexington, KY)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (Little Rock, AR)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (Mineral Wells, TX)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (New Orleans, LA)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (St. Martinville, LA)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (Shakopee, MN)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (Sacramento, CA)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (Robstown, TX)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (West Des Moines, IA)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (Winter Haven, FL)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (West Memphis, AR)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (Austin, TX)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (Cedar Hill, TX)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (Cedar Rapids, IA)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (El Mirage, AZ)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (DeLand, FL)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (Columbus, OH)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (Como, MS)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (Irving, TX)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (Humboldt, IA)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (Jackson, MS)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (Henderson, CO)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (Grand Junction, CO)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (Grand Prairie, TX)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (Houston, TX)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (Evansville, IN)
Forterra Pipe & Precast, LLC (Elizabethtown, KY)
Forterra Pipe Precast (Bar Nunn, WY)
Forterra Structural Precast, LLC (Caldwell, ID)
Forterra Structural Precast, LLC (Salt Lake City, UT)
Forterra Structural Precast, LLC (Pelham, AL)
Fortessa Tableware Solutions, LLC (Ashburn, VA)
Forth Foods, Inc. (Huntington, WV)
Fortier & Fortier, Inc. (Reedley, CA)
Fortier Boats, Inc. (Somerset, MA)
Fortier Jewelers (Union Grove, WI)
Fortier, Inc. (Conway, AR)
Fortified Building Products, Inc. (Pensacola, FL)
Fortified Systems & Services, Inc. (Lombard, IL)
Fortiflex, Inc. (Miami, OK)
Fortiline Water Works (Helotes, TX)
Fortiline Waterworks (Jonesboro, GA)
Fortiline Waterworks (Concord, NC)
Fortiline Waterworks (Charlotte, NC)
Fortiline Waterworks (Lexington, SC)
Fortiline Waterworks (Raleigh, NC)
Fortiline, LLC (Lawrenceville, GA)
Fortin Welding & Mfg., Inc. (Columbus, OH)
Fortinet, Inc. (Sunnyvale, CA)
Fortini Millwork (Kingston, MA)
Fortino Winery, Inc. (Gilroy, CA)
Fortis Alliance, LLC (Houston, TX)
Fortis Concrete Co., Inc. (Bartlett, IL)
Fortis Energy Services (Troy, MI)
Fortis Energy Services, Inc. (St. Clairsville, OH)
Fortis Foods International (Frisco, TX)
Fortis Networks, Inc. (Phoenix, AZ)
Fortis Risk Solutions, LLC (Catoosa, OK)
Fortis Solutions Group (Austin, TX)
Fortis Solutions Group (Ellington, CT)
Fortis Solutions Group (Flowery Branch, GA)
Fortis Solutions Group (High Point, NC)
Fortis Solutions Group (Merced, CA)
Fortis Solutions Group, LLC (Memphis, TN)
Fortis Solutions Group, LLC (Virginia Beach, VA)
Fortis Solutions Group, LLC (West Chester, OH)
Fortis Solutions Group, LLC (Wixom, MI)
Fortis Solutions Group, LLC (Independence, MO)
Fortitude Health (Pine Brook, NJ)
Fortive Corp. (Everett, WA)
Fortner Accessory Service Corp. (Glendale, CA)
Fortner Engineering & Mfg. (Glendale, CA)
Fortner LP Gas Co. (Princeton, KY)
Fortner Lumber Co., Inc. (Hiddenite, NC)
Fortney Eyecare Assocs., P.C. (Dearborn, MI)
Fortney Fencing (Mount Pleasant, NC)
Fortney Printing (Harrisburg, PA)
Fortnight Brewing, Inc. (Cary, NC)
Fortrad Instruments, LLC (Mendham, NJ)
Fortran Corp. (Conover, NC)
Fortrans, Inc. (Wendell, NC)
Fortrend Engineering Corp. (San Jose, CA)
Fortres Grand Corp. (Plymouth, IN)
Fortress Audio (Ephrata, PA)
Fortress Bank (La Harpe, IL)
Fortress Business Systems (Post Falls, ID)
Fortress Clothing By AERIS (Mount Pleasant, UT)
Fortress Data Management (Burr Ridge, IL)
Fortress Forms, Inc. (New Berlin, WI)
Fortress Foundation Solutions (Lynchburg, VA)
Fortress Group, LLC (Henderson, NV)
Fortress Impact Windows & Doors LLC. (Pompano Beach, FL)
Fortress Investment Group, LLC (New York, NY)
FORTRESS Mausoleums (Ocean Springs, MS)
Fortress Mfg., Inc. (Benton Harbor, MI)
Fortress Railing & Fence Systems (Garland, TX)
Fortress Stabilization Systems, LLC (Holland, MI)
Fortress Steel Service (Elkton, MD)
Fortress Wood Products (High Point, NC)
Fortress Wood Products, Inc. (Elizabeth City, NC)
Fortress Wood Products, Inc. (Martinsville, VA)
Fortress, Inc. (La Verne, CA)
Fortrex Technologies, Inc. (Frederick, MD)
Fortron/Source Corp. (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA)
Fortson Industrial Supply Co., Inc. (Jackson, MS)
Fortson Oil Co. (Fort Worth, TX)
Fortun Foods, Inc. (Kirkland, WA)
Fortuna Distributing Co. (Eugene, OR)
Fortuna Enterprise USA, Inc. (Moorestown, NJ)
Fortuna Iron (Fortuna, CA)
Fortuna Products, Inc./Advanced Product Design Mfg., Inc. (Coatesville, PA)
Fortuna Tortilla Factory (Livingston, CA)
Fortuna's Sausage (Manchester Center, VT)
Fortunate, Inc. (Billings, MT)
Fortunato Co., Joseph M. (Westminster, CO)
Fortune (New York, NY)
Fortune Avenue Foods, Inc. (Ontario, CA)
Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc. (Deerfield, IL)
Fortune Cookie Factory (Oakland, CA)
Fortune Energy, Inc. (San Angelo, TX)
Fortune Fabrics, Inc. (Kingston, PA)
Fortune Fish & Gourmet (Bensenville, IL)
Fortune Growers, LLC (Elgin, IL)
Fortune International Jewelry, Inc. (Atlanta, GA)
Fortune International, Inc. (Somerset, NJ)
Fortune Kitchen (Brooklyn, NY)
Fortune Metal Finishing Corp. (Needham, MA)
Fortune Metal Midwest, LLC (Naperville, IL)
Fortune Metal, Inc. Of R.I. (Lincoln, RI)
Fortune Plastic & Metal, Inc. (Jersey City, NJ)
Fortune Products, Inc. (Cedar Park, TX)
Fortune Restoration Co., Inc. (Lincolnwood, IL)
Fortune Riverside Auto Parts, Inc. (Rahway, NJ)
Fortune Rope & Metal Co., Inc. (Bristol, RI)
Fortune Rope & Metal Co., Inc. (Bensenville, IL)
Fortune Rope & Metal Co., Inc. (Jacksonville, FL)
Fortune Sea Products, Inc. (Long Beach, CA)
Fortune Swimwear, LLC (Los Angeles, CA)
Fortune Swimwear, LLC (New York, NY)
Fortune Tool & Machine, Inc. (Wixom, MI)
Fortune, LLC (Portland, ME)
FortuNet, Inc. (Reno, NV)
FortuNet, Inc. (Las Vegas, NV)
Fortville Feeders, Inc. (Fortville, IN)
Forty-Nine Corp. (Hillside, NJ)
fortytwoeightynine (Rockton, IL)
Forum (Houston, TX)
Forum - Quadrant Valve & Actuator (Broussard, LA)
Forum & Link, Inc. (Dearborn, MI)
Forum Communications Co. (Duluth, MN)
Forum Communications Co. (Detroit Lakes, MN)
Forum Communications Co. (Brainerd, MN)
Forum Communications Co. (Bemidji, MN)
Forum Communications Co. (Alexandria, MN)
Forum Communications Co. (Grand Forks, ND)
Forum Communications Co. (Fargo, ND)
Forum Communications Co. (Worthington, MN)
Forum Communications Co. (Wadena, MN)
Forum Communications Co. (Red Wing, MN)
Forum Communications Co. (New Richmond, WI)
Forum Communications Co. (Perham, MN)
Forum Communications Printing (West Fargo, ND)
Forum Communications Printing (Fargo, ND)
Forum Communications, Inc. (Richardson, TX)
Forum Energy Technologies (Pearland, TX)
Forum Energy Technologies (Missouri City, TX)
Forum Energy Technologies (Fort Worth, TX)
Forum Energy Technologies, Inc. (Houston, TX)
Forum Energy Technologies, Inc. (Chickasha, OK)
Forum Energy Technologies, Inc. (Oklahoma City, OK)
Forum Energy Technologies, Inc. (Plantersville, TX)
Forum Energy Technologies, Inc. (Stafford, TX)
Forum Energy Technologies, Inc., Production & Infrastructure Div. (Houston, TX)
Forum Engraving, Inc. (Englewood, CO)
Forum III, Inc. (Cincinnati, OH)
Forum Lighting, Inc. (Pittsburgh, PA)
Forum Manufacturing, Inc. (Milford Center, OH)
Forum News Group (Howard Beach, NY)
Forum Newspapers, Inc. (Nucla, CO)
Forum Oilfield Technologies, Inc. (Broussard, LA)
Forum Plastics LLC (Waterbury, CT)
Forum Production Equipment (Elmore City, OK)
Forum Publishing Co. (Centerport, NY)
Forum Subsea (Houston, TX)
Forum U. S., Inc. (Guthrie, OK)
Forum U. S., Inc. (Davis, OK)
Forveson, Inc. (Greensboro, NC)
Forward Air, Inc. (Des Plaines, IL)
Forward Air, Inc. (Milan, IL)
Forward Foods, LLC (Reno, NV)
Forward Industries, Inc. (West Palm Beach, FL)
Forward Metal Craft, Inc. (Grand Rapids, MI)
Forward Motion Technologies (Milford, MI)
Forward Movement Publications (Cincinnati, OH)
Forward Pay Systems, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN)
Forward Science Technologies, LLC (Stafford, TX)
Forward Space (Oak Brook, IL)
Forward Space, LLC (Chicago, IL)
Forward Space, LLC (Lake Forest, IL)
Forward Technologies, Inc. (Cincinnati, OH)
Forward Technology, Inc. (Cokato, MN)
Forward Times Publishing Co. (Houston, TX)
Forward, The (New York, NY)
Forward/Adelante, LLC (Charlottesville, VA)
Forza Corp. (Wallingford, CT)
FORZA10 U.S.A. Corp. (Orlando, FL)
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“I believe in work-life Jenga, not work-life balance”: Here’s how Stacey Abrams gets things done
Mar 26, 2019 / Stacey Abrams
Real life is chaotic and surprising and impossible to balance. Work-life Jenga is all about making the best out of each moment in our lives, one piece at a time, says political leader and author Stacey Abrams.
I reject the idea of work-life balance. The phrase is a bald-faced lie, designed to hang over the human psyche like the Sword of Damocles, because balance presumes an even distribution of weight, of value. But anyone who has ever lived understands that no set of tips or tricks can create a lifestyle equilibrium. The relentless pursuit of this unachievable end results in hours of self-loathing and diminished quality in the time that we spend in pursuit of either work or life.
Instead, I believe in work-life Jenga. You know, the game where you stack up these seemingly equal-size blocks to form a perfect tower and then proceed to pull them out one by one, restacking as you go along. The goal is to make as many moves as possible without destroying the tower, even as it sways and lists. So too, in work-life Jenga, the expectation is not one of balance; it’s one of strategy and of making the best of each move, one block at a time.
At any given moment, we each face a barrage of obligations, often disparate and distinct from what we thought would happen when we woke up. From the tragic to the common to the extraordinary, life refuses to be divvied up into careful slices of time. No technology can manage to overcome the realities of reality.
“First things first” might be a cliché, but it’s a useful one that means prioritizing what matters most to you and believing there is no wrong answer. When it comes to figuring this out for yourself, the careful binary of work or life entirely misses the point. We may have jobs we go to or families at home, but either can be hard work. I spend most of my time engaged in politics and social justice, but this is my life. Letting go of the finite distinctions and the moral judgments we hear beneath our choices clears the way to allow us to set priorities without condemnation.
I have consistently probed my core to determine what holds my interest and where I want to spend my time. One of my choices occurred during my third year of law school, when I completed my first novel. I’d been thinking about writing for years, had written poetry, dabbled in playwriting and screenplays, even songwriting. The last year of law school is notoriously rigorous.
As a soon-to-be Yale attorney, I had checked the boxes on a few items: job offer, check; journal article, check; novelist, not yet. Since the modern-day legal fairy tale of John Grisham, nearly every budding attorney has a novel waiting for the airport bookstands. I was no different. Approaching the final months before adulthood took complete and total hold of my life, I decided my priority would be writing one too. The original story, one of espionage and intrigue, became a romantic suspense novel. I sent off the pages to an editor, and she bought the manuscript. Soon, I had a book deal, and more pages to write.
Like any good story, mine came with a twist. My book deal earned me car payments, but I wasn’t about to buy a car with my avocation. Writing, however, had always been about more than money. I love the craft — the care of developing a story, plotting out the movements of my characters, delving into their lives like an omniscient voyeur. Writing fueled me, and my task was to make it fit into my life. I practiced my trade as an attorney, and on weekends and holidays I typed away. I assumed a nom de plume, Selena Montgomery, to separate my fiction from more academic publications. Eight novels later, I put Selena aside to focus on the task of leading the House Democrats in Georgia.
I have other novels in various stages of completion, including a teenage amnesiac superhero story, a kids’ book about the mishaps of a nine-year-old alien, a finished legal thriller awaiting edits, and a final Selena Montgomery story. I long for the days when I can again turn my attention back to fiction and pen the stories teeming in my brain. But my priorities have shifted, and I have to believe I will return to my love one day soon. Putting first things first — be it a relationship, a job, or a newly discovered passion — will be a consistent test of addition, which requires a readjustment or sometimes even a subtraction.
First things first also requires us to prioritize our time. President Dwight Eisenhower is credited with inventing a system I’ve found useful in managing time and people. He distinguished between important and urgent and looked for the interplay of the two. Urgency speaks to how time-sensitive an issue may be. Importance categorizes how much of an impact the action can have. The most critical priorities should be both urgent and important: time-sensitive and change-making.
In terms of Work-Life Jenga, you’ve got urgent and important, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, and none of the above. With apologies to President Eisenhower, I go with Gotta Do, Need to Do, Oughta Do, and Might Get Around To.
Under Gotta Do, the test is both if it has to happen now and if it matters if it happens. Rebecca has a paper due in the one graduate studies course that’s a prerequisite for her thesis. The day before it’s due, her girlfriend falls ill, and she spends the next several hours waiting with her at the hospital. Her choices are both important and urgent, and picking which one takes first spot is the crux of Work-Life Jenga. We face smaller, less stark moments of urgent and important that come at us all the time. Sometimes, the only block you can choose is the one right in front of you.
Next is Need to Do. Whether it’s family, friends, projects or personal time, give yourself permission to invest early in the items that need to happen because they will impact your ability to keep your options open. Like a savings account, we can build up a reserve of goodwill and accomplishments, something we can dip into later. Lindsey had worked for me for several years, and she consistently demonstrated dependability, a strong initiative for new ideas, and a great attitude. When a crisis happened, she needed time off and had no idea when she’d be back. I had no hesitation granting her unlimited leave because I trusted her. She’d shown me she understood what was important time and time again.
Oughta Do tends to happen when someone else’s important needs require your urgency. Usually, in these situations the urgency is the result of another person’s sense of first things first. The question to ask is whether their crisis will prevent you from achieving your goals — your firsts. In every organization and nearly every family, someone dominates in the urgent but not important category. Their strident demands or sheepish apologies have the same effect, that of diverting you from your objectives to answer their needs. By appraising your priorities, you can assess whether meeting an urgent request is necessary or can be delegated. Whenever possible, do delegate. Untold amounts of lost time have been ceded to the urgent but not important, but you don’t have to play.
Might Get Around To is exactly what it sounds like. The least relevant demands on our time are the ones that are not important and not urgent. These requests do not advance your interests, and there’s no reason to deal with them now. Of course, this list often includes the things you want but don’t need. The point of prioritization is not to completely ignore these — they may be fun — but to be certain they don’t take up space that should be used for what you really do need. Leave those blocks untouched and move on, knowing you can always come back.
Work-Life Jenga gives us permission to pick our pieces and arrange our lives to suit the desires of our hearts, not the dictates of those around us. I realize that’s easier said than done, but the only way to win is to try.
To win at Work-Life Jenga, you need to identify the priorities and concerns where you intend to focus your energy. These 5 exercises can assist you in the process.
1. Imagine that you’re a reporter for the community newspaper. You have the job of creating headlines, and your life is the topic. Headlines should be no more than 10 to 15 words long and give the reader a good sense of what the story would be about.
A. Write the newspaper headline about you in three to five years.
Personally:
Professionally:
In the Community:
B. Write the newspaper headline about you in seven to ten years.
2. Write the title of your keynote address to the senior class of your high school in 25 years.
3. You’ve been awarded a Nobel Prize. What field? For what achievement?
4. You have solved one major crisis (in your family, in your field, in your community, in the world). What was it? How did you do it?
5. What would you do if you had two more useful hours in the day?
Excerpted from Lead from the Outside: How to Build Your Future and Make Real Change. Copyright © 2019 by Stacey Abrams. Published by Picador/Henry Holt. All rights reserved.
Watch her TEDWomen talk here:
Stacey Abrams is an author, serial entrepreneur, nonprofit CEO and political leader. After 11 years in the Georgia House of Representatives (including 7 as Minority Leader), Abrams became the 2018 Democratic nominee for Governor of Georgia. She was the first black woman to become the gubernatorial nominee for a major party in the US and won more votes than any other Democrat in the state’s history. She has founded multiple organizations devoted to voting rights, training and hiring young people of color, and tackling social issues at the state and national levels. Abrams was the 2012 recipient of the John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award and is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
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Academic Reading Tests, Practice Tests, Reading January 2, 2017 December 30, 2016
IELTS Reading Recent Actual Test 8 in 2016 with Answer Key
by IELTS Editor
IELTS Reading Recent Actual Test 8 in 2016 with Answer Key (1)
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-25, which are based on Reading Passage 2 below
IELTS Reading Practice Test 64 with Answer Key
IELTS Reading Recent Actual Test 21 in 2017 with Answer Key
Ancient Chinese Chariots
A The Shang Dynasty or Yin Dynasty, according to traditional historiography, ruled in the Yellow River valley in the second millennium Archaeological work at the Ruins of Yin (near modern-day Anyang), which has been identified as the last Shang capital, uncovered eleven major Yin royal tombs and the foundations of palaces and ritual sites, containing weapons of war and remains from both animal and human sacrifices.
B The Tomb of Fu Hao is an archaeological site at Yinxu, the ruins of the ancient Shang Dynasty capital Yin, within the modem city of Anyang in Henan Province, China. Discovered in 1976，it was identified as the final resting place of the queen and military general Fu Hao. The artifacts unearthed within the grave included jade objects, bone objects, bronze objects etc. These grave goods are confirmed by the oracle texts, which constitute almost all of the first hand written record we possess of the Shang Dynasty. Below the corpse was a small pit holding the remains of six sacrificial dogs and along the edge lay the skeletons of human slaves, evidence of human sacrifice.
C The Terracotta Army was discovered on 29 March 1974 to the east of Xi’an in Shaanxi. The terracotta soldiers were accidentally discovered when a group of local farmers was digging a well during a drought around 1.6 km (I mile) east of the Qin Emperors tomb around at Mount Li (Lishan), a region riddled with underground springs and watercourses. Experts currently place the entire number of soldiers at 8,000 — with 130 chariots (130 cm long), 530 horses and 150 cavalry horses helping to ward of any dangers in the afterlife. In contrast, the burial of Tutank hamun yielded six complete but dismantled chariots of unparalleled richness and sophistication. Each was designed for two people (90 cm long) and had its axle sawn through to enable it to be brought along the narrow corridor into the tomb.
D Excavation of ancient Chinese chariots has confirmed the descriptions of them in the earliest texts. Wheels were constructed from a variety of woods: elm provided the hub, rose-wood the spokes and oak the felloes. The hub was drilled through to form an empty space into which the tampering axle was fitted，the whole being covered with leather to retain lubricating oil. Though the number of spokes varied, a wheel by the fourth century BC usually had eighteen to thirty-two of them. Records show how elaborate was the testing of each completed wheel: flotation and weighing were regarded as the best measures of balance, but even the empty spaces in the assembly were checked with millet grains. One outstanding constructional asset of the ancient Chinese wheel was dishing. Dishing refers to the dishlike shape of an advanced wooden wheel, which looks rather like a flat cone. On occasion they chose to strengthen a dished wheel with a pair of struts running from rim to rim on each of the hub. As these extra supports were inserted separately into the felloes, they would have added even greater strength to the wheel. Leather wrapped up the edge of the wheel aimed to retain bronze.
E Within a millennium, however, Chinese chariot-makers had developed a vehicle with shafts, the precursor of the true carriage or cart. This design did not make its appearance in Europe until the end of the Roman Empire. Because the shafts curved upwards, and the harness pressed against a horse’s shoulders, not his neck, the shaft chariot was incredibly efficient. The halberd was also part of chariot standard weaponry. This halberd usually measured well over 3 metres in length, which meant that a chariot warrior wielding it sideways could strike down the charioteer in a passing chariot. The speed of chariot which was tested on the sand was quite fast. At speed these passes were very dangerous for the crews of both chariots.
F The advantages offered by the new chariots were not entirely missed. They could see how there were literally the warring states, whose conflicts lasted down the Qin unification of China. Qin Shi Huang was buried in the most opulent tomb complex ever constructed in China, a sprawling, city-size collection of underground caverns containing everything the emperor would need for the afterlife. Even a collection of terracotta armies called Terra- Cotta Warriors was buried in it. The ancient Chinese, along with many cultures including ancient Egyptians, believed that items and even people buried with a person could be taken with him to the afterlife
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1? In boxes 1-4 on you answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement is true
FALSE if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN if the information is not given in the passage
1. when discovered, the written records of the grave goods proved to be accurate.
2. Human skeletons in Anyang tomb were identified ad soldiers who were killed in the war.
3. The Terracotta Army was discovered by people lived nearby by chance.
4. The size of the King Tutankhamen’s tomb is bigger than that of in Qin Emperors’ tomb.
Complete the notes below.
Choose ONE WORD from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 5-10 on your answer sheet
5. The hub is made wood from the tree of………………….
6. The room through the hub was to put tempering axle in which is wrapped up by leather aiming to retain………………….
7. The number of spokes varied from…………………….to ………………….
8. The shape of wheel resembles a…………………….
9. Two was used to strengthen the wheel…………………….
10. Leather wrapped up the edge of the wheel aimed to remain………………………..
Questions 11-13
Answer the questions below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.
11. What body part of horse was released the pressure from to the shoulder
12. what kind road surface did the researchers measure the speed of the chariot ?
13. What part of his afterlife palace was the Emperor Qin Shi Huang buried?
Saving the British Bitterns
A Breeding bitterns became extinct in the UK by 1886 but, following re-colonisation early last century, numbers rose to a peak of about 70 booming (singing) males in the 1950s, falling to fewer than 20 by the 1990s. In the late 1980s it was clear that the bittern was in trouble, but there was little information on which to base recovery actions.
B Bitterns have cryptic plumage and a shy nature, usually remaining hidden within the cover of reedbed vegetation. Our first challenge was to develop standard methods to monitor their numbers. The boom of the male bittern is its most distinctive feature during the breeding season, and we developed a method to count them using the sound patterns unique to each individual. This not only allows us to be much more certain of the number of booming males in the UK, but also enables us to estimate local survival of males from one year to the next
C Our first direct understanding of the habitat needs of breeding bitterns came from comparisons of reedbedsites that had lost their booming birds with those that retained them. This research showed that bitterns had been retained in reedbeds where the natural process of succession, or drying out, had been slowed through management. Based on this work, broad recommendations on how to manage and rehabilitate reedbeds for bitterns were made, and funding was provided through the EU LIFE Fund to manage 13 sites within the core breeding range. This project, though led by the RSPB, involved many other organisations.
D To refine these recommendations and provide fine-scale, quantitative habitat prescriptions on the bitterns7 preferred feeding habitat, we radio-tracked male bitterns on the RSPB’s Minsmere and Leighton Moss reserves. This showed clear preferences for feeding in the wetter reedbed margins, particularly within the reedbed next to larger open pools. The average home range sizes of the male bitterns we followed (about 20 hectares) provided a good indication of the area of reedbed needed when managing or creating habitat for this species. Female bitterns undertake all the incubation and care of the young, so it was important to understand their needs as well. Over the course of our research, we located 87 bittern nests and found that female bitterns preferred to nest in areas of continuous vegetation, well into the reedbed, but where water was still present during the driest part of the breeding season.
E The success of the habitat prescriptions developed from this research has been spectacular. For instance, at Minsmere, booming bittern numbers gradually increased from one to 10 following reedbed lowering, a management technique designed to halt the drying out process. After a low point of 11 booming males in 1997, bittern numbers in Britain responded to all the habitat management work and started to increase for the first time since the 1950s.
F The final phase of research involved understanding the diet, survival and dispersal of bittern chicks. To do this we fitted small radio tags to young bittern chicks in the nest, to determine their fate through to fledgingand beyond. Many chicks did not survive to fledging and starvation was found to be the most likely reason for their demise. The fish prey fed to chicks was dominated by those species penetrating into the reed edge. So, an important element of recent studies (including a PhD with the University of Hull) has been the development of recommendations on habitat and water conditions to promote healthy native fish populations
G Once independent, radio-tagged young bitterns were found to seek out new sites during their first winter; a proportion of these would remain on new sites to breed if the conditions were suitable. A second EU LIFE funded project aims to provide these suitable sites in new areas. A network of 19 sites developed through this partnership project will secure a more sustainable UK bittern population with successful breeding outside of the core area, less vulnerable to chance events and sea level rise.
H By 2004, the number of booming male bitterns in the UK had increased to 55, with almost all of the increase being on those sites undertaking management based on advice derived from our research. Although science has been at the core of the bittern story, success has only been achieved through the trust, hard work and dedication of all the managers, owners and wardens of sites that have implemented, in some cases very drastic, management to secure the future of this wetland species in the UK. The constructed bunds and five major sluices now control the water level over 82 ha, with a further 50 ha coming under control in the winter of 2005/06. Reed establishment has principally used natural regeneration or planted seedlings to provide small core areas that will in time expand to create a bigger reed area. To date nearly 275,000 seedlings have been planted and reed cover is extensive. Over 3 km of new ditches have been formed, 3.7 km of existing ditch have been re-profiled and 2.2 km of old meander (former estuarine features) has been cleaned out.
I Bitterns now regularly winter on the site some indication that they are staying longer into the spring. No breeding has yet occurred but a booming male was present in the spring of 2004. A range of wildfowl breed, as well as a good number of reedbed passerines including reed bunting, reed, sedge and grasshopper warblers. Numbers of wintering shoveler have increased so that the site now holds a UK important wintering population. Malltraeth Reserve now forms part of the UK network of key sites for water vole (a UK priority species) and 12 monitoring transects has been established. Otter and brown-hare occur on the site as does the rare plant. Pillwort.
The reading passage has seven paragraphs, A-H
Choose the correct heading for paragraphs A-Hfrom the list below. Write the correct number, i-viii, in boxes 14-20 on your answer sheet.
List of Headings
i. research findings into habitats and decisions made
ii. fluctuation in bittern number
iii. protect the young bittern
iv. international cooperation works
v. Began in calculation of the number
vi. importance of food
vii. Research has been successful.
viii. research into the reedbed
ix. reserve established holding bittern in winter
14. Paragraph A
15. Paragraph B
16. Paragraph C
17. Paragraph D
18. Paragraph F
19. Paragraph G
20. Paragraph H
Example Paragraph E vii
21. When did the bird of bitten reach its peak of number?
22. What does the author describe the bittern’s character?
23. What is the main cause for the chick bittern’s death?
24. What is the main food for chick bittern?
25. What system does it secure the stability for bittern’s population?
26. Besides bittern and rare vegetation, what mammal does the plan benefit?
Questions 27
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write your answers in boxes 27 on your answer sheet.
27. What is the main purpose of this passage?
A Main characteristic of a bird called bittern.
B Cooperation can protect an endangered species.
C The difficulty of access information of bittern’s habitat and diet.
D To save wetland and reedbed in UK.
A E-learning is the unifying term to describe the fields of online learning, web-based training, and technology-delivered instruction, which can be a great benefit to corporate e-learning. IBM, for instance, claims that the institution of its e-training program, Basic Blue, whose purpose is to train new managers, saved the company in the range of $200 million in 1999. Cutting the travel expenses required to bring employees and instructors to a central classroom accounts for the lion’s share of the savings. With an online course, employees can learn from any Internet-connected PC, anywhere in the world. Ernst and Young reduced training costs by 35 percent while improving consistency and scalability.
B In addition to generally positive economic benefits, other advantages such as convenience, standardized delivery, self-paced learning, and variety of available content, have made e-learning a high priority for many corporations. E-learning is widely believed to offer flexible “any time, any place” learning. The claim for “any place” is valid in principle and is a great development. Many people can engage with rich learning materials that simply were not possible in a paper or broadcast distance learning era. For teaching specific information and skills, e-training holds great promise. It can be especially effective at helping employees prepare for IT certification programs. E-learning also seems to effectively address topics such as sexual harassment education,5 safety training and management training — all areas where a clear set of objectives can be identified. Ultimately, training experts recommend a “blended” approach that combines both online and in-person training as the instruction requires. E-learning is not an end-all solution. But if it helps decrease costs and windowless classrooms filled with snoring students, it definitely has its advantages.
C Much of the discussion about implementing e-learning has focused on the technology, but as Driscoll and others have reminded us, e-learning is not just about the technology, but also many human factors. As any capable manager knows, teaching employees new skills is critical to a smoothly run business. Having said that, however, the traditional route of classroom instruction runs the risk of being expensive, slow and, often times, ineffective. Perhaps the classroom’s greatest disadvantage is the fact that it takes employees out of their jobs. Every minute an employee is sitting in a classroom training session is a minute they’re not out on the floor working. It now looks as if there is a way to circumvent these traditional training drawbacks. E-training promises more effective teaching techniques by integrating audio, video, animation, text and interactive materials with the intent of teaching each student at his or her own pace. In addition to higher performance results, there are other immediate benefits to students such as increased time on task, higher levels of motivation, and reduced test anxiety for many learners. A California State University Northridge study reported that e-learners performed 20 percent better than traditional learners. Nelson reported a significant difference between the mean grades of 406 university students earned in traditional and distance education classes, where the distance learners outperformed the traditional learners.
D On the other hand, nobody said E-training technology would be cheap. E-training service providers, on the average, charge from $10,000 to $60,000 to develop one hour of online instruction. This price varies depending on the complexity of the training topic and the media used. HTML pages are a little cheaper to develop while streaming-video (presentations or flash animations cost more. Course content is just the starting place for cost. A complete e-learning solution also includes the technology platform (the computers, applications and network connections that are used to deliver the courses). This technology platform, known as a learning management system (LMS), can either be installed onsite or outsourced. Add to that cost the necessary investments in network bandwidth to deliver multimedia courses, and you’re left holding one heck of a bill. For the LMS infrastructure and a dozen or so online courses, costs can top $500,000 in the first year. These kinds of costs mean that custom e-training is, for the time being, an option only for large organizations. For those companies that have a large enough staff, the e-training concept pays for itself. Aware of this fact, large companies are investing heavily in online training. Today, over half of the 400-plus courses that Rockwell Collins offers are delivered instantly to its clients in an e-leaming format, a change that has reduced its annual (training costs by 40%. Many other success stories exist.
E E-learning isn71 expected to replace the classroom entirely. For one thing, bandwidth limitations are still an issue in presenting multimedia over the Internet. Furthermore, e-training isn,t suited to every mode of instruction or topic. For instance, it’s rather ineffective imparting cultural values or building teams. If your company has a unique corporate culture it would be difficult to convey that to first time employees through a computer monitor. Group training sessions are more ideal for these purposes. In addition, there is a perceived loss of research time because of the work involved in developing and teaching online classes. Professor Wallin estimated that it required between 500 and 1,000 person-hours, that is, Wallin-hours, to keep the course at the appropriate level of currency and usefulness. (Distance learning instructors often need technical skills, no matter how advanced the courseware system.) That amounts to between a quarter and half of a person-year. Finally, teaching materials require computer literacy and access to equipment. Any e-Learning system involves basic equipment and a minimum level of computer knowledge in order to perform the tasks required by the system. A student that does not possess these skills, or have access to these tools, cannot succeed in an e-Learning program.
F While few people debate the obvious advantages of e-learning, systematic research is needed to confirm that learners are actually acquiring and using the skills that are being taught online, and that e-learning is the best way to achieve the outcomes in a corporate environment. Nowadays, a go-between style of the Blended learning, which refers to a mixing of different learning environments, is gaining popularity. It combines traditional face-to-face classroom methods with more modem computer-mediated activities. According to its proponents, the strategy creates a more integrated approach for both instructors and learners. Formerly, technology-based materials played a supporting role to face-to-face instruction. Through a blended learning approach, technology will be more important
The reading passage has seven paragraphs，A-F
Choose the correct heading for paragraphs A-F from the list below. Write the correct number, i-xi in boxes 28-33 on your answer sheet.
i overview of the benefits for the application of E-training
ii IBM’s successful choice of training
iii Future direction and a new style of teaching
iv learners7 achievement and advanced teaching materials
v limitations when E-training compares with traditional class
vi multimedia over the Internet can be a solution
vii technology can be a huge financial burden
viii the distance learners outperformed the traditional university learners in worldwide
ix other advantages besides economic consideration
x Training offered to help people learn using computers
32. Paragraph E
The reading Passage has seven paragraphs A-F.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter A-F, in boxes 35-37 on your answer sheet.
34. Projected Basic Blue in IBM achieved a great success.
35. E-learning wins as a priority for many corporations as its flexibility.
36. The combination of the traditional and e-training environments may prevail.
37. Example of a fast electronic delivery for a company’s products to its customers.
Choose Three correct letters, among A-E
Write your answers in boxes 38-40 on your answer sheet.
A Technical facilities are hardly obtained.
B Presenting multimedia over the Internet is restricted due to the bandwidth limit.
C It is ineffective imparting a unique corporate value to fresh employees.
D Employees need block a long time leaving their position attending training.
E More preparation time is needed to keep the course at the suitable level.
1 TRUE 8 FALSE 3 TRUE 4 NOT GIVEN
5 Elm 6 Lubricating oil
7 Dish 8 18 – 32 9 Struts
10 Bronze 11 Neck 12 Sand
13 Tomb complex
14 ii 15 v 16 i 17 viii 18 vi 19 iii 20 iv
21 1950s 22 (being) shy/ shyness
23 Starvation 24 Native(fish)
25 Partnership project/ network(of sites)/ partnership project network
26 Otter and brown – hare 27 B
28 i 29 ix 30 iv
31 vii 32 V 33 iii
34 A 35 B 36 F
37 D 38 B 39 C 40 E
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In the south of ancient Mesopotamia was Sumeria, a region dominated by the Sumerian civilization that is established as one of the oldest in the world. Among its riches is Sumerian mythology, a system of polytheistic beliefs that are known even before Christ, so there is a theory that all these stories served as the …
The Nile River formed millions of years earlier than previously thought
The ancient Egyptians considered the river to be the source of all life. Its constant path to the north has fed the fertile valleys of northeastern Africa and, in doing so, shaped the course of human civilization. However, the exact age of its venerable waters, which span 6,800 kilometers, has been the subject of debate. A group …
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Scientists Have Created Holograms That Can Be Seen, Heard And Even Felt
Moving holograms and speakers have been common in science fiction series and movies, such as that of Princess Leia in the Star Wars movie, one of the most remembered. Now, British scientists have taken real holographic technology a step further, allowing them to be seen not only by the naked eye and from any angle, but also …
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Biologists cannot explain the frightening howls in a Canadian forest
As the story goes, the Wendigo was a lost hunter. During a brutally cold winter, this man’s intense hunger led him to cannibalism.(howls in a Canadian forest) After having a feast with the flesh of another human, he transformed into a crazed beast, wandering the woods in search of more people to eat. Wendigo’s history comes from …
Asteroid Apophis: Scientists calculate the exact date and place of impact
By Michael on Friday, November 15, 2019
You know it’s not good news when NASA says there is a possibility that a space rock will impact planet Earth, and more when it’s huge. The asteroid that can rush to Earth and that is larger than the Eiffel Tower is called Asteroid Apophis, in honor of the Egyptian god of chaos. Its trajectory shows …
Navy officials say Unknown Individuals forced them to erase UFO evidence(Nimitz UFO case)
Several US Navy officers witnessed the now-famous Nimitz UFO case, where pilots chased after a strange Tic Tac pill-shaped object. Recently, five of these officers have announced that “unknown individuals” showed up shortly after the incident to be given all the recordings and videos. For several days in November 2004, a US Navy cruise Sailing 160 kilometers …
The mysterious monument that inspired JRR Tolkien and JK Rowling found in a British forest
The archaeological team that has discovered it still does not know what uses it was given in ancient times, although most likely it was used to celebrate funeral rituals. This Monument most likely inspired monument that inspired JRR Tolkien and JK Rowling Thanks to an aerial scanner of the area with laser technology (LiDAR), a …
3000 Year Old Megalithic Water Temple Found In Tinkuy Peru
The Megalithic Water Temple is over 3,000 years old and in the same complex 21 burials were found with ceramics from the Chimú culture. The Megalithic Water Temple was discovered in the archaeological complex Huaca El Toro, in the district of Oyotún, Lambayeque region. The director of the Royal Tombs of Sipán Museum, Walter Alva, …
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By Michael on Thursday, November 14, 2019
First methane and now oxygen on Mars that can represent a biofilm behave in a strange way. A team of scientists has managed to measure the seasonal changes of the gases that permeate the air just above the Gale crater, on Mars, the place that the Curiosity rover has been exploring since August 2012. During …
The Hayabusa 2 probe Leaves for Earth today loaded with remains of the asteroid Ryugu
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The Japanese probe Hayabusa 2 will leave its orbit around the asteroid Ryugu and head back to Earth this Wednesday. But it will not do it alone: inside it brings samples that could shed light on the origins of the Solar System. Hayabusa 2 launched a projectile that raised cosmic dust and collected it. The probe, …
The Giants of Monte Prama: extraterrestrial robots thousands of years ago?
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Home Community Special Olympics Ireland Games return to Dublin next year
Special Olympics Ireland Games return to Dublin next year
Dublin football legend Dean Rock and Olympian Natalya Coyle called for volunteers to get involved in the 2018 Special Olympics Ireland Games after it announced that the massive event will take place in Dublin next year.
Running over four days, from Thursday, June 14 to Sunday June 17, the Games will be one of the largest and most prestigious sporting events to take place in Ireland next year.
Over 1,600 Special Olympics athletes from throughout Ireland will travel to Dublin.
They will be accompanied by 600 coaches and official delegates and 3,000 family members and supporters
The Games will be supported by a team of 2,500 volunteers who will be recruited from Dublin and beyond over the coming months.
Dean Rock said that Special Olympics will be counting on the support of everyone to make them a success.
“We’re here to mark something very special today, the Special Olympics Ireland Games coming back to Dublin in June 2018,” Dean said.
“They were last here in 2002, a year before the World Games took place in Dublin in 2003. It was an amazing time and had such an impact on communities across Ireland. But, as in 2002 and 2003, Special Olympics needs each and every one of us to get on board.”
Olympian Natalya Coyle, also an ambassador for Special Olympics, said local support would be essential to making the Games a success.
“It is now up to every one of us to show all the athletes who have come so far the support they deserve. We call on everyone to get behind these Games by volunteering so that we can give these inspiring athletes the professional and comprehensive Games experience they deserve. Without volunteers, these Games cannot happen.”
Athlete Face of the Games Rebecha McAuley from Bray who was at today’s launch said: “Being part of Special Olympics means so much to me. My training has given me skills I can use into everyday life. I can’t wait to represent my region at these Games, so please help support us.”
The 1,600 athletes will compete in 13 sports in venues throughout Dublin with one venue in Meath and Kildare. The Sport Ireland National Sports Campus will host 6 sports; badminton, basketball, bocce, football, gymnastics, swimming and the non-competitive motor activities training programme. Across the city, Morton Stadium will host the athletics competitions, Cherry Orchard Equestrian Centre will host equestrian, the Irish Wheelchair Association facility in Clontarf will host table tennis, St. Margaret’s Golf Course will host golf, Leisureplex in Blanchardstown will host bowling, pitch and putt will take place at the Royal Meath Pitch and Putt Club, kayaking will be at Salmon Leap in Leixlip and the open water swimming event location is still to be confirmed.
A total of 2,500 volunteers will be required to ensure the successful staging of these Games and a major volunteer recruitment campaign for the Games is now underway.
Matt English, CEO Special Olympics Ireland, said:
“Getting involved as a volunteer at the 2018 Special Olympics Ireland Games will be an unforgettable and rewarding experience. Your involvement is vital and is guaranteed to make a real difference. Everyone connected with Special Olympics is immensely excited that the Games are returning to Dublin and we hope that these Games will be a fantastic success, talked about for many years to come.”
Special Olympics competitions in each of the sports have been taking place over the past number of months at regional level, and athletes from each of the five regions have now qualified to compete at Ireland level. For the next nine months, these athletes will be busy training in their local clubs, supported by their volunteer coaches and management team.
If you wish to volunteer for the 2018 Special Olympics Ireland Games and want to find out more we invite you to attend one of our upcoming recruitment events taking place in Dublin throughout October. Check out www.specialolympics.ie for full information.
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The First Black Panther Set Pictures Confirm the Return of Another Civil War Character
Filed to:Morning Spoilers
A new magazine might have accidentally given away the end of Transformers: The Last Knight. Don’t get too worked up about Hugh Jackman’s recent comments about Logan and the X-Men timeline. Plus, what’s to come on Flash, Arrow, and Supergirl, and a new Supernatural teaser. Spoilers get!
The first set pictures from the film confirm that Martin Freeman will indeed reprise his Civil War role as Everett Ross in the film. Let’s hope he keeps his pants in his possession throughout the movie.
When he’s not hoping to join the cast of Green Lantern Corps, Sterling K. Brown is apparently getting himself hired in other genre movies, like Predator. Brown has been cast as a government agent who is at first an antagonist to Boyd Holbrook’s lead character, but later teams up with him to take on the Predators. [THR]
The Wailing
Ridley Scott in talks to produce a U.S. remake of the terrifying Korean horror movie about the citizens of a small town being driven insane through a mysterious affliction. Scott is allegedly also in discussion with the original film’s director, Na Hong-jin, to get him to direct the remake. [Film School Rejects]
A solicit for a new bi-monthly Transformers magazine may have inadvertently revealed that the Transformers return to Cybertron at the end of the film:
The robots return to newsstands with stories that are set after the end of the war between the Autobots and the Decepticons. The giant robots have left the earth and have returned to Cybertron, where they must reconstruct society that has been divided by thousands of years of conflict. From June 2017, the magazine will be available every two months in comic book stores and book shops.
There’s a possibility that the solicit is describing an upcoming plot thread for the current Transformers animated series, Robots in Disguise, which publisher Panini has published content for in the past. But they have also released magazines and content that have tied into the movies as well, so maybe The Last Knight will see the Autobots and Decepticons heading home in its climax. [Transformer World 2005]
Take your X-Men movie continuity timeline and promptly throw it into the nearest burning scrap pile you can find (err, again), because the internet is a flutter after Hugh Jackman told Digital Spy that the film is “different in terms of timeline” and in a “slightly different” universe compared to other X-Men films.
It’s a standalone movie in many ways. It’s not really beholden to timelines and storylines in the other movies. Obviously, Patrick Stewart is in there so we have some crossover, but it feels very different and very fresh.
When you see the full movie you’ll understand Not only is it different in terms of timeline and tone, it’s a slightly different universe. It’s actually a different paradigm and that will become clear.
The way Jackman words it, it’s possible he simply means time period rather than actual timeline—and in fact, director James Mangold took to Twitter to say as much:
So maybe don’t throw all of it in the burning scrap pile quite yet.
Charlie Hunnam gazes off into the depths of your very soul in a new teaser poster.
Here’s your first look at Benedict Cumberbatch as Thomas Edison in the movie, covering Edison’s rivalry with George Westinghouse about bringing electricity to 19th-century America. [EW]
If you’ve not been following along, Milla Jovovich is here to recap the entire Resident Evil franchise in just under three minutes. She probably could’ve cut that down considerably if she just yelled “zombies!” a few times.
Kong goes into battle in a new TV spot for the film.
Robin finds his costume, much to Batman’s dismay, in a new clip from the film.
Sara Tomko has joined the cast in the recurring role of Peter Pan’s Tiger Lily, who (unsurprisingly) has bad history with Captain Hook. [TV Line]
TV Line also reports the show is joining the musical episode bandwagon this spring, although ABC declined to comment on the report, so take it with a little bit of salt for now.
FX president of Original Programming Nick Grad says the show is still on track and in the works:
We’re supposed to get a script in the next couple months.
[IGN]
The CW has unleashed a swathe of synopses for its returning DC superhero shows. First up, Barry hunts down a meta-human serial killer in “Untouchable.”
Barry (Grant Gustin) and the team at S.T.A.R. Labs work together to bring down Clive Yorkin (guest star Matthew Kevin Anderson), a criminal meta-human who is methodically killing people by causing them to decompose at an accelerated rate. Joe (Jesse L. Martin) becomes his next target but it’s Iris (Candice Patton) who is caught in the crossfire. The Flash mentors Kid Flash (Keiynan Lonsdale) and begins to elevate the newer speedster’s training to another level.
[Spoiler TV]
Next, Oliver’s past with the Russian Bratva catches up to him in the appropriately titled “Bratva.”
A mission takes Oliver (Stephen Amell), Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) and team to Russia where they meet up with Oliver’s old friend, Anatoly (guest star David Nykl). Meanwhile, fresh out of rehab, Lance (Paul Blackthorne) returns to the mayor’s office ready to get back to work. However, when Susan (guest star Carly Pope) asks for an interview with Lance to discuss his addiction, he balks and it’s up to Rene (guest star Rick Gonzalez) to help keep things on track.
Team Legends heads back to the American Revolution to protect George Washington from time-travel shenanigans in “Turncoat.”
When The Legends find a new Time Aberration they learn they must travel to the winter of 1776 to protect George Washington and the American Revolutionary War. Unfortunately, things don’t go as planned, forcing Sara (Caity Lotz) to send out Nate (Nick Zano) and Amaya (Maisie-Richardson-Sellers) to help. Meanwhile, Jax (Franz Drameh) and Stein (Victor Garber) who are busy protecting the incapacitated Waverider from their new enemy, are forced to step into roles that they don’t think they are prepared for. Brandon Routh, Dominic Purcell and Arthur Darvill also star.
And here’s a new extended synopsis for the third episode of the series, “Body Double.”
After new information surrounding Jason’s death comes to light, Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) finds herself under a cloud of suspicion and forced to come clean about the last time she saw her brother. Meanwhile, Archie (KJ Apa) makes a tough decision that puts a major strain on his relationship with Miss Grundy (guest star Sarah Habel). Elsewhere, Betty (Lili Reinhart) decides to revive the school newspaper and asks for Jughead’s (Cole Sprouse) help in investigating Jason’s death, while Veronica (Camila Mendes) and Ethel (guest star Shannon Purser) work on exposing some of Riverdale High’s football players after rumors of a “shame book” begin to circulate. Finally, after getting grounded by his dad Fred (Luke Perry), Archie must figure out a way to make it to the Taste of Riverdale event where Josie (Ashleigh Murray) and the Pussycats will be performing a song he helped write.
According to Rob Thomas, he’s currently working with Kristen Bell to reunite for “a six-episode Veronica Mars mystery.” He’s also surprisingly optimistic about its chances of happening:
If I were a betting man, I bet that it will happen. I just don’t know when it will be.
[TV Line]
Rival Mandalorians go on the attack against Sabine and the crew in a new clip from the next episode, “Legacy of Mandalore.”
Mon-El and Kara discover they’re stranded on a planet under a red sun in a new clip from tonight’s “Supergirl Lives.”
Meanwhile, the White Martians attack in a new synopsis for “The Martian Chronicles.”
Armek (guest star Terrell Tilford), a White Martian, descends on National City intent on taking M’gann (guest star Sharon Leal) back to Mars to face her punishment as a traitor. Hank (David Harewood) and Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) determine the best way to keep M’gann safe is to bring her to the DEO. However, when it is revealed that Armek shape-shifted into M’gann and is now loose in the building, the team realize he could be disguised as any one of them.
Finally, a new teaser trailer for the next season of a show that will never end (lest all hell break loose among the American people, apparently) has hit the web.
Additional reporting by Gordon Jackson. Banner design by Jim Cooke.
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Study of the determination of acetylcholine after enzymatic hydrolysis by triangle programmed coulometric flow titration
R. Gyurcsányi, Zsófia Fehér, G. Nagy
Budapest University of Technology and Economics
A new method for the determination of acetylcholine is introduced and studied. The method uses enzymatic hydrolysis of acetylcholine carried out in a flow-through analytical reactor column, while for the detection triangle programmed coulometric flow titration is employed. The flow-through coulometric titration system and the preparation of the enzyme reactor are described. The operation conditions for the hydrolysis and for the titration were optimized. The flow-through coulometric titration technique offers a better precision for the determination of acetylcholine in small concentration ranges than methods based on the detection of pH change. Working conditions of the system can be easily adjusted for different sample concentration ranges. The limit of detection for the determination of acetylcholine was found to be 8 x 10-5 M. The method described could be advantageously used for indirect determination of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors.
Talanta
Enzymatic hydrolysis
Cholinesterase Inhibitors
Limit of Detection
Coulometric titration
Enzyme reactor
Gyurcsányi, R., Fehér, Z., & Nagy, G. (1998). Study of the determination of acetylcholine after enzymatic hydrolysis by triangle programmed coulometric flow titration. Talanta, 47(4), 1021-1031. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0039-9140(98)00185-4
Study of the determination of acetylcholine after enzymatic hydrolysis by triangle programmed coulometric flow titration. / Gyurcsányi, R.; Fehér, Zsófia; Nagy, G.
In: Talanta, Vol. 47, No. 4, 28.09.1998, p. 1021-1031.
Gyurcsányi, R, Fehér, Z & Nagy, G 1998, 'Study of the determination of acetylcholine after enzymatic hydrolysis by triangle programmed coulometric flow titration', Talanta, vol. 47, no. 4, pp. 1021-1031. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0039-9140(98)00185-4
Gyurcsányi R, Fehér Z, Nagy G. Study of the determination of acetylcholine after enzymatic hydrolysis by triangle programmed coulometric flow titration. Talanta. 1998 Sep 28;47(4):1021-1031. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0039-9140(98)00185-4
Gyurcsányi, R. ; Fehér, Zsófia ; Nagy, G. / Study of the determination of acetylcholine after enzymatic hydrolysis by triangle programmed coulometric flow titration. In: Talanta. 1998 ; Vol. 47, No. 4. pp. 1021-1031.
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abstract = "A new method for the determination of acetylcholine is introduced and studied. The method uses enzymatic hydrolysis of acetylcholine carried out in a flow-through analytical reactor column, while for the detection triangle programmed coulometric flow titration is employed. The flow-through coulometric titration system and the preparation of the enzyme reactor are described. The operation conditions for the hydrolysis and for the titration were optimized. The flow-through coulometric titration technique offers a better precision for the determination of acetylcholine in small concentration ranges than methods based on the detection of pH change. Working conditions of the system can be easily adjusted for different sample concentration ranges. The limit of detection for the determination of acetylcholine was found to be 8 x 10-5 M. The method described could be advantageously used for indirect determination of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors.",
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AB - A new method for the determination of acetylcholine is introduced and studied. The method uses enzymatic hydrolysis of acetylcholine carried out in a flow-through analytical reactor column, while for the detection triangle programmed coulometric flow titration is employed. The flow-through coulometric titration system and the preparation of the enzyme reactor are described. The operation conditions for the hydrolysis and for the titration were optimized. The flow-through coulometric titration technique offers a better precision for the determination of acetylcholine in small concentration ranges than methods based on the detection of pH change. Working conditions of the system can be easily adjusted for different sample concentration ranges. The limit of detection for the determination of acetylcholine was found to be 8 x 10-5 M. The method described could be advantageously used for indirect determination of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors.
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Home » Blog » Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month: Lessons Learned from the Sandwich Generation
Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month: Lessons Learned from the Sandwich Generation
January 30, 2017Shelly ChristensenBlog1
Written by: Shelly Christensen on January 30, 2017.
Editor’s Note: Shelly Christensen, MA literally wrote the book on inclusion of people with disabilities, the Jewish Community Guide to Inclusion of People with Disabilities and is writing her new book, From Longing to Belonging: Empowering Faith Communities to Include People with Disabilities, due out in 2017. Shelly is co-founder of Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month (JDAIM) recognized in February and consults with faith community organizations to welcome, support and invite all people to share their gifts with the community.
On Friday, February 3, at 8 a.m., the Jewish Sacred Aging podcast will feature a conversation with Shelly about JDAIM and her outreach activities. Visit our Podcast page to listen or download the program.
Shelly Christensen
My Mom recently moved out of her four-level mid-century modern home where she and my Dad raised my brother and me. Dad died nearly 20 years ago, and mom lived there by herself until she fell and broke her kneecap while making a drugstore run in September. For mom, and for my brother and me, life has been a roller coaster since then. Three hospitalizations, a litany of health concerns, a broken kneecap and rehab, and a compression fracture to her back would be traumatic enough for any one of us. Moving to a beautiful new apartment, giving up driving, and adjusting to having a bevy of support people in her life have added more ingredients to an already challenging time. She’s always been in charge of her entire adult life.
I wondered if that would change due to these intense life-changing events. I wondered if it really had to change.
I based my thinking of how to live as independently as possible, as one wishes, on the years of raising a child with a disability. Now an adult, Jacob, who lives with Asperger syndrome, had a great deal of support and advocacy from my husband and me, always with the goal of living an independent and self-determined life.
I was Jacob’s advocate during his school years. As he got older, went to college and found a great job, he used his advocacy skills to navigate the world, and he lives a very independent life. It took a lot of improvisation to figure out how to work with the professionals in his life, expressing what our hopes, dreams and goals were for our son, and then learning how we could work together to support Jacob. Our goal has always been for Jacob to make his own decisions in all the realms of life.
I am grateful for those experiences and for the results of a very difficult journey.
And now I find myself engaged in a similar journey with Mom, but with striking differences. I can only hope that I am as good an advocate and partner with her as I’ve been with my own child.
There’s a fine balancing act in play. I told Mom, “I never want to be your decision-maker. This is your life, your choices. I can find information, make appointments, sit with you in meetings with caregivers and take notes so we can discuss them later. I can tell you what I think, but only when you ask. And I can do what daughters do. I can visit you, make sure you have the food you like in the house, encourage you to get involved in the many things offered in your new home that you’ve been interested in your whole life, like singing, knitting and going to Shabbat services.
What I cannot, and will not do, is make your decisions for you. Not after you’ve lived your entire adult life making your own decisions.”
The journeys for my son and for my Mom are both driven by my belief that each one of us should define what constitutes a quality life. Yes, when our son was a child, we made those decisions, as any parent would do. But it was also our job to ensure that he had the skills and support to be the captain of his own life.
Mom has a lifetime of skills that help her adapt to whatever she needs to live her definition of a quality life. My job, like it was for Jacob, is to give her the space and the resources to help her make her own decisions. And even during the last few difficult months, when her life was turned upside down, I know that she deserves the right to make decisions about her life. As complex as this is, I know that Mom looks to my brother and me to be her support people, encouraging her in practical and emotional ways to live the kind of life she wants for herself.
Mom has already found joy, sitting at night in her living room, looking out over the lights of the city, watching airplanes leave and arrive, feeling solitude and peace, even as she adapts to the next chapter of a good life.
February is Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month. The message that we promote during JDAIM is that all people, regardless of ability, age, status or diagnosis, have the right to determine how they live their own lives, just like anyone else. Inclusion is about supporting someone to live the kind of life they want to live. I am reminded of that as my Mom enters into a new chapter of her life.
aging, alzheimers, awareness, baby boomers, care-giving, dementia, disabilities, eldercare, elderly, inclusion, jewish, parents, sacred, senile, seniors, shelly christensen
Jewish Disability Awareness & Inclusion Month #JDAIM17 – the Disability and Faith forum
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Liaison Office Skopje / News / 2017 / Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia* Ministers meet with NATO Deputy Secretary General
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia* Ministers meet with NATO Deputy Secretary General
Story by NATO Advisory Team
SKOPJE, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia* - The Defence Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister of former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia met with NATO representatives in Brussels on Wednesday.
Defence Minister Radmila Shekerinska and Foreign Affairs Minister Nikola Dimitrov of former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia met with NATO Deputy Secretary General, Rose Gottemoeller, right before the meeting of the North Atlantic Council (NAC+1).
The NATO Liaison Office, as NATO representative and Chief of the NATO Liaison Office Skopje, Slovenian Navy Captain, Gorazd Bartol was also present for the meetings.
During the meeting, the stability and security of Western Balkans, the political situation in the country and the progress of the reforms made by the new government were discussed.
Gottemoeller expressed gratitude for the participation of former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’s armed forces in Afghanistan and said that the country is a valued NATO partner.
"The reforms that enhance rule of law, good neighborly relations in your multiethnic society are of benefit to all citizens,” said Gottemoeller. "The progress in implementing the reforms requires time and effort, but the reforms will be of great use to your country while you’re getting close to your Euro-Atlantic aspirations.”
Gottemoeller, also emphasized that NATO wants to see the country achieve its aspirations as successfully integrated state in stable and prosperous region.
"The NATO doors remain open and NATO will continue to support your nation on the path towards membership in the Alliance,” said Gottemoeller.
Dimitrov emphasized the new democracy in the country succeeded to accomplish the political change in conditions of institutional and even in moral crisis.
"We decided to invest in democracy so there is no repeat of the last years, we want free media, functional parliament, independent judiciary system, because as the NATO nations share the same values,” said Dimitrov. "We shall give the Alliance many reasons why the country shall become the 30th member of NATO. We see the region through a perspective, we will either succeed together or not. We are a country that builds bridges. We are proud of the agreement signed with Bulgaria, and we will continue to move region in a good direction, more experienced with the crisis and so the other can move forward.”
Shekerinska stressed that the country is a partner of NATO and it can be trusted. She also said that the government continues to be dedicated to return the country on the path to the reforms and membership in EU and NATO.
"We are here to complete the 17th cycle for membership in NATO,” said Shekerinska. "As Government, we are determined through the plan 3-6-9 to focus fully on the democratic reforms: rule of law, independent media, independent judiciary system, professional administration. Without democracy and the rule of law, all of our countries look less secure and less stable.”
She also said the Government has passed a decision that to develop the new defence strategy and new strategic defence review, which will provide frames of manners and policies, the country can deal better with the security challenges. She emphasized that army’s budget will be gradually increased starting with 2018. She informed that the government has approved 20 percent increase of the contribution to the mission "Resolute Support” starting next year.
Right after the press statements the ministers went to meeting of North Atlantic Council during which the 17th Membership Action Plan for membership of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in the Alliance will be concluded.
*Turkey recognizes the Republic of Macedonia with its constitutional name.
NATO Liaison Office Skopje
SKOPJE 1000
registry@nhqs.nato.int
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Super Chill Movie Review: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Entertainment To-Do List: Week of 8/9/19
Talking Dog Alert August 2019 Edition: ‘The Art of Racing in the Rain’ Review
jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews Amanda Seyfried, Gary Cole, Kathy Baker, Kevin Costner, Martin Donovan, McKinley Belcher II, Milo Ventimiglia, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Simon Curtis, The Art of Racing in the Rain Leave a comment
CREDIT: Doane Gregory/Twentieth Century Fox
Starring: Milo Ventimiglia, Kevin Costner, Amanda Seyfried, Kathy Baker, Martin Donovan, Gary Cole, McKinley Belcher II, Ryan Kiera Armstrong
Director: Simon Curtis
Rating: PG for Doggy Messes
The “racing” in The Art of Racing in the Rain refers to the Formula One circuit, but the real race is how fast Kevin Costner can get out all of his canine voiceover narration. There’s been a mini-explosion of talking dog (or rather, thinking-out-loud dog) movies lately, and this might be the most verbose one yet. Enzo the golden retriever wants to make sure that he fulfills all his familial duties, partly because he believes that being a good boy will help out where he ends up in his next life. If he’s good enough, he might even come back as a human, so that karmic balance sheet must be in the most tip-top shape possible. So he makes sure to explain to the audience everything that he must, and that means a heavy script burden for Costner, who keeps it laconic but also plenty dense. If the race to be the Best Cinematic Dog is measured in number of words, then Enzo takes it by the bone.
It’s nice that Enzo has it all figured out (or at least acts like he does) since much of the human interaction around him is infuriating. His owner Denny (Milo Ventimiglia) is an unfailingly sweet guy and devoted family man, but he gets things off on the wrong foot with his father-in-law Max (Martin Donovan), who makes just about no effort to deflate the tension. Max raises some legitimate concerns about Denny’s chosen profession on the track: it’s inherently dangerous, there’s little financial security, and it threatens to keep him away from his wife and daughter for long stretches of time. But Denny makes extra safety efforts and occasionally turns down races to specifically address these concerns. And one would hope that Max could put things in perspective when his daughter (Amanda Seyfried) is stricken with cancer. But instead he gets into a ludicrous custody battle with his son-in-law. This absurdity makes me wish that The Art of Racing in the Rain were filtered even more through Enzo’s outlook. His beliefs about reincarnation might not fit with everyone’s conception of existence, but they are a whole lot more sweetly satisfying than the machinations of fantastically stubborn in-laws.
The Art of Racing in the Rain is Recommended If You Like: A Dog’s Purpose, A Dog’s Journey, Watching old Formula One races
Grade: 2.5 out of 5 Laps
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Presubmission Inquiries
PLOS Medicine publishes research and commentary of general interest with clear implications for patient care, public policy or clinical research agendas.
Why Publish with PLOS Medicine?
Sharing Clinical Trial Data: A Proposal from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors
Darren B. Taichman ,
* E-mail: DTaichman@mail.acponline.org
Affiliation Secretary, ICMJE, Executive Deputy Editor, Annals of Internal Medicine
Joyce Backus,
Affiliation Representative and Associate Director for Library Operations, National Library of Medicine
Christopher Baethge,
Affiliation Chief Scientific Editor, Deutsches Ärzteblatt (German Medical Journal)
Howard Bauchner,
Affiliation Editor-in-Chief, JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) and the JAMA Network
Peter W. de Leeuw,
Affiliation Editor-in-Chief, Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde (The Dutch Medical Journal)
Jeffrey M. Drazen,
Affiliation Editor-in-Chief, New England Journal of Medicine
John Fletcher,
Affiliation Editor-in-Chief, Canadian Medical Association Journal
Frank A. Frizelle,
Affiliation Editor-in-Chief, New Zealand Medical Journal
Trish Groves,
Affiliation Head of Research, British Medical Journal
Abraham Haileamlak,
Affiliation Editor-in-Chief, Ethiopian Journal of Health Sciences
Astrid James,
Affiliation Deputy Editor, The Lancet
Christine Laine,
Affiliation Editor-in-Chief, Annals of Internal Medicine
Larry Peiperl,
Affiliation Chief Editor, PLOS Medicine
Anja Pinborg,
Affiliation Scientific Editor-in-Chief, Ugeskrift for Laeger (Danish Medical Journal)
Peush Sahni,
Affiliation Representative and Past President, World Association of Medical Editors
[ ... ],
Sinan Wu
Affiliation Representative, Chinese Medical Journal
[ view less ]
Darren B. Taichman,
Abraham Haileamlak
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001950
Darren B. Taichman Joyce Backus ... Sinan Wu
Citation: Taichman DB, Backus J, Baethge C, Bauchner H, de Leeuw PW, Drazen JM, et al. (2016) Sharing Clinical Trial Data: A Proposal from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. PLoS Med 13(1): e1001950. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001950
This is an open access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication.
Funding: There was no external funding for this work.
Competing interests: DBT is an employee of the Annals of Internal Medicine and the American College of Physicians. JB is Representative and Associate Director for Library Operations, National Library of Medicine. CB is an employee of Deutsches Ärzteblatt, a medical journal that publishes clinical trials. JMD is employed by the New England Journal of Medicine as Editor-in-Chief. JF is employed by the Canadian Medical Association as the Editor-in-Chief of the Association's journal, the Canadian Medical Association Journal. FAF is Editor-in-Chief of the New England Journal of Medicine and an author of research. AH is a member of the ICMJE, editor of Ethiopian Journal of Health Sciences and an employee of Jimma University. CL is employed as the Editor-in-Chief, Annals of Internal Medicine and Senior Vice President, American College of Physicians. As Chief Editor of PLOS Medicine LP receives a salary and benefits from Public Library of Science, a nonprofit publisher and advocate of Open Access research. In 2015 he received travel reimbursement from WHO to attend the World Health Organization Consultation on Data and Results Sharing during Public Health Emergencies. AP is an employee of Danish Medical Journal (Ugeskrift for Læger), a medical journal that publishes clinical trials. HB, PWdL, TG, AJ, PS, and SW have declared no competing interests.
Footnote: † The ICMJE plans to adopt data-sharing requirements after considering feedback received to the proposals made here.
Note: This editorial is being published simultaneously in Annals of Internal Medicine, British Medical Journal, Canadian Medical Association Journal, Chinese Medical Journal, Deutsches Ärzteblatt (German Medical Journal), Ethiopian Journal of Health Sciences, JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde (The Dutch Medical Journal), New England Journal of Medicine, New Zealand Medical Journal, PLOS Medicine, Revista Médica de Chile, The Lancet, and Ugeskrift for Laeger (Danish Medical Journal).
Disclaimer: Dr. Sahni's affiliation as representative and past president of the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) does not imply endorsement by WAME member journals that are not part of the ICMJE.
Provenance: Not commissioned; not externally peer reviewed
The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) believes that there is an ethical obligation to responsibly share data generated by interventional clinical trials because participants have put themselves at risk. In a growing consensus, many funders around the world—foundations, government agencies, and industry—now mandate data sharing. Here we outline ICMJE’s proposed requirements to help meet this obligation. We encourage feedback on the proposed requirements. Anyone can provide feedback at www.icmje.org by 18 April 2016.
The ICMJE defines a clinical trial as any research project that prospectively assigns people or a group of people to an intervention, with or without concurrent comparison or control groups, to study the cause-and-effect relationship between a health-related intervention and a health outcome. Further details may be found in the “Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals” at www.icmje.org.
As a condition of consideration for publication of a clinical trial report in our member journals, the ICMJE proposes to require authors to share with others the deidentified individual-patient data (IPD) underlying the results presented in the article (including tables, figures, and appendices or supplementary material) no later than 6 months after publication. The data underlying the results are defined as the IPD required to reproduce the article’s findings, including necessary metadata. This requirement will go into effect for clinical trials that begin to enroll participants beginning 1 year after the ICMJE adopts its data-sharing requirements.†
Enabling responsible data sharing is a major endeavor that will affect the fabric of how clinical trials are planned and conducted and how their data are used. By changing the requirements of the manuscripts we will consider for publication in our journals, editors can help foster this endeavor. As editors, our direct influence is logically, and practically, limited to those data underpinning the results and analyses we publish in our journals.
The ICMJE also proposes to require that authors include a plan for data sharing as a component of clinical trial registration. This plan must include where the researchers will house the data and, if not in a public repository, the mechanism by which they will provide others access to the data, as well as other data-sharing plan elements outlined in the 2015 Institute of Medicine Report (e.g., whether data will be freely available to anyone upon request or only after application to and approval by a learned intermediary, whether a data use agreement will be required) [1]. ClinicalTrials.gov has added an element to its registration platform to collect data-sharing plans. We encourage other trial registries to similarly incorporate mechanisms for the registration of data-sharing plans. Trialists who want to publish in ICMJE member journals (or nonmember journals that choose to follow these recommendations) should choose a registry that includes a data-sharing plan element as a specified registry item or allows for its entry as a free-text statement in a miscellaneous registry field. As a condition of consideration for publication in our member journals, authors will be required to include a description of the data-sharing plan in the submitted manuscript. Authors may choose to share the deidentified IPD underlying the results presented in the article under less restrictive, but not more restrictive, conditions than were indicated in the registered data-sharing plan.
ICMJE already requires the prospective registration of all clinical trials prior to enrollment of the first participant. This requirement aims, in part, to prevent selective publication and selective reporting of research outcomes, and to prevent unnecessary duplication of research effort. Including a commitment to a data-sharing plan is a logical addition to trial registration that will further each of these goals. Prospective trial registration currently includes documenting the planned primary and major secondary end points to be assessed, which enables identification of incomplete reporting as well as post hoc analyses. Declaring the plan for sharing data prior to their collection will further enhance transparency in the conduct and reporting of clinical trials by exposing when data availability following trial completion differs from prior commitments.
Sharing clinical trial data, including deidentified IPD, requires planning to ensure appropriate ethics committee or institutional review board approval and the informed consent of study participants. Accordingly, we will defer these requirements for 1 year to allow investigators, trial sponsors, and regulatory bodies time to plan for their implementation.
Just as the confidentiality of trial participants must be protected (through the deidentification of IPD), and the needs of those reasonably requesting data met (through the provision of useable data), the reasonable rights of investigators and trial sponsors must also be protected. ICMJE proposes the following to safeguard these rights. First, ICMJE editors will not consider the deposition of data in a registry to constitute prior publication. Second, authors of secondary analyses using these shared data must attest that their use was in accordance with the terms (if any) agreed to upon their receipt. Third, they must reference the source of the data using a unique identifier of a clinical trial’s data set to provide appropriate credit to those who generated it and allow searching for the studies it has supported. Fourth, authors of secondary analyses must explain completely how theirs differ from previous analyses. In addition, those who generate and then share clinical trial data sets deserve substantial credit for their efforts. Those using data collected by others should seek collaboration with those who collected the data. However, because collaboration will not always be possible, practical, or desired, an alternative means of providing appropriate credit needs to be developed and recognized in the academic community. We welcome ideas about how to provide such credit.
Data sharing is a shared responsibility. Editors of individual journals can help foster data sharing by changing the requirements of the manuscripts they will consider for publication in their journals. Funders and sponsors of clinical trials are in a position to support and ensure adherence to IPD sharing obligations. If journal editors become aware that IPD sharing obligations are not being met, they may choose to request additional information; to publish an expression of concern; to notify the sponsors, funders, or institutions; or in certain cases, to retract the publication.
In the rare situation in which compliance with these requirements is impossible, editors may consider authors’ requests for exceptions. If an exception is made, the reason(s) must be explained in the publication.
Sharing data will increase confidence and trust in the conclusions drawn from clinical trials. It will enable the independent confirmation of results, an essential tenet of the scientific process. It will foster the development and testing of new hypotheses. Done well, sharing clinical trial data should also make progress more efficient by making the most of what may be learned from each trial and by avoiding unwarranted repetition. It will help to fulfill our moral obligation to study participants, and we believe it will benefit patients, investigators, sponsors, and society.
Feedback may be posted at www.icmje.org by 18 April 2016.
Wrote the first draft of the manuscript: DBT. Contributed to the writing of the manuscript: DBT JB CB HB PWdL JMD JF FAF TG AH AJ CL LP AP PS SW. Agree with the manuscript’s results and conclusions: DBT JB CB HB PWdL JMD JF FAF TG AH AJ CL LP AP PS SW.
1. Institute of Medicine. Sharing Clinical Trial Data: Maximizing Benefits, Minimizing Risk. Washington, DC: National Academies Pr; 2015.
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Clinical trial reporting
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Living Color Productions
AKA Kerri Kearse's Creative Portfolio
Narrative Shorts
Social Media Projects
Writing has been a passion of mine since I was a kid. I used to fill notebooks upon notebooks with stories, short plays, questionable poetry, Phantom of the Opera fanfiction, comedy writing––you name it. I still love to write, and once in a while, I’m lucky enough to do it for fantastic outlets like the ones credited below.
I co-write weekly Broadway-themed horoscopes with my boss (Playbill’s illustrious Director of Social Media and Creative Strategy Felicia Fitzpatrick). A few of my favorite #BwayAstro columns have been inspired by the Mamma Mia! Cinematic Universe, LGBTQ+ theatre, Shakespeare, and the iconic Audra McDonald.
“What Viewers Need to Know About the Cast of Fox’s Upcoming Rent.” Playbill, PLAYBILL INC., 8 Dec. 2018, www.playbill.com/article/what-viewers-need-to-know-about-the-cast-of-foxs-upcoming-rent. (My first byline and print feature for Playbill!)
“Playbill Mixtape: Pitch-Perfect Piano Bar Singalong Playlist.” Playbill, PLAYBILL INC., 6 Aug. 2019, www.playbill.com/article/playbill-mixtape-pitch-perfect-piano-bar-singalong-playlist
“Interview: Fusion Painting and Abstract Art in Hampton Roads, A Q&A With Jerome Meminger, Sr.” Quail Bell Magazine. August 2017. Web. <http://www.quailbellmagazine.com/the-real/interview-fusion-painting-and-abstract-art-in-hampton-roads>
“Art in the Age of ‘So What?’: Using Narrative to Spark Educational Engagement.” Inside/Out Blog. Museum of Modern Art, June 2015. Web. <http://www.moma.org/explore/inside_out/2015/06/02/art-in-the-age-of-so-what-using-narrative-to-spark-educational-engagement>.
“Going Abroad.” We Are Greensboro Dec. 2013: Web. <http://wearegreensboro.com/?m=201312>.
“What We’ve Always Wanted?: A Review of Women Politicians’ Increased Visibility.” Siren: UNC’s Feminist Magazine Spring 2011: 22. Web. <http://issuu.com/uncsiren/docs/spring11/6>.
“Turning Observation into Obligation: M.K. Asante Inspires Students During Black History Month Lecture.” Black Ink Magazine Mar.-Apr. 2011: 15. <http://issuu.com/uncblackink/docs/march_2011_final>.
“The Forgotten Brilliance of James Baldwin.” Black Ink Magazine Winter 2010: p.10. <http://issuu.com/uncblackink/docs/winter_issue_final>.
“Flashes of Genius: Andy Warhol’s Polaroids Are Now at the Ackland Art Museum.” Black Ink Magazine Fall 2010: p.15. Web. <http://issuu.com/uncblackink/docs/homecoming_2010>.
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The Best Games Jason Played At E3 2016
Filed to:e3 2016
I played a lot of games at E3, an annual whirlwind of demos and announcements that can be as exhausting as it is exciting. Let’s talk about some of them, shall we?
Here are brief impressions of the best games I played—not just saw, but actually played—on the show floor in Los Angeles last week.
Maybe my favorite demo of E3? Feels like a new Chrono Trigger in everything but name, all the way down to the tech-based combat system. I played the first chunk of I Am Setsuna at Square Enix’s booth and am now very excited to see the whole thing next month. (It comes out July 19 for PS4 and PC.) The piano-heavy soundtrack is great, too.
I’ll say this much: the newest FFXV demo plays a lot better than it looked at Microsoft’s conference. Once you get the hang of the control system, whacking Titan’s arm is actually pretty fun. I’m cautiously optimistic for this video game.
An In-Depth Q&A With The Director of Final Fantasy XV
We’re nearly three months away from the launch of Final Fantasy XV, which means there’s a whole lot
It should be noted: despite that impressive trailer, FFXII HD isn’t a total overhaul; it’s a remastered PS2 game. Jumping right into FFXII for the first time since 2006 was a bit jarring—turns out the PS2's camera controls don’t hold up very well!—but the fast-forward feature is a welcome addition, and I’m looking forward to playing it all from the beginning.
Phoenix Wright: Spirit of Justice
I didn’t want to spend too much time on this demo, because the new Phoenix Wright comes out in September and I want to go in fresh, but HELL YES I will take a new Phoenix Wright game this year, thank you very much Capcom.
Surprisingly fun! Watching the single-player demo for CD Projekt Red’s new Gwent game converted me from “mildly interested” to “will play this when it’s out.” It’s more than just a free-to-play competitive card game.
After playing 20 minutes of the newest Yakuza game, I think I get why Luke is so obsessed. During my demo of Yakuza 0, which is sort of like GTA except set in Japan and way weirder, I got to do a sidequest where a random girl asked my character to pretend to be her boyfriend so her dad would stop setting her up with other guys. During our dinner date, I had to keep track of our fake backstory and answer her dad’s questions correctly in order to convince him that I was really her boyfriend and not just an impostor. Sold.
Tooth & Tail
The makers of Monaco showed up at the Indie MIX event with a brand new game, Tooth & Tail, which is absolutely spectacular. It’s sort of a simplified real-time strategy game where you control a single commander and run around a map, expanding your territory and building out an army to take out your opponent. Also, your armies are all animals. Foxes are snipers; squirrels are ground troops, etc. After playing just one match I can already tell I’ll be addicted to this one.
This is another indie to watch! Kickstarted by Monkey Island designer Ron Gilbert back in 2014, Thimbleweed Park is a spiritual successor to Lucasarts point-n-click adventure games that feels absolutely fantastic. I’ll have more to say about Thimbleweed Park later this week.
Remember that old sidescrolling game Out of This World? A new indie called Black the Fall, set in a dystopia where you’re a factory worker trying to escape, channels that game in its lovely aesthetic and nails-tough puzzling. I liked what I played quite a bit.
Worth the hype. I’m a little worried that the newest Zelda will feel routine after a few hours—and I really want to see what the dungeons look like now—but the gameplay is fantastic, borrowing elements from Far Cry, Skyrim, Don’t Starve, and even Metal Gear Solid. This might be the first ever Zelda game (and maybe the first Nintendo game?) with HEADSHOTS.
Trails of Cold Steel II
I actually barreled through the first Cold Steel in the two weeks before E3 so I could finish in time to play the demo for Cold Steel II, and it was totally worth it. I won’t spoil Cold Steel in case you haven’t played it, but CSII continues right where the first one left off, and promises to be another bazillion hours of fantastic character development. Plus, this time you get to recruit characters across the world, Suikoden-style, which basically means I need it in my veins right now.
Deus Ex Mankind Divided
Feels like a natural successor to Human Revolution, which is good, because Human Revolution was fantastic. There was a bit of jank in the demo I played—the screen went black for a couple of seconds every time I tried to do a takedown—but I’m so ready to once again read everyone’s email en route to saving the world.
Mekazoo
Finally, here’s a beautiful indie game that lets you swap between different animal characters like an armadillo (who rolls around like Sonic) and a frog (who can use his tongue like a whip and/or grappling hook). It’s gorgeous and challenging, and it feels really great to play.
News editor. Author of Blood, Sweat, and Pixels.
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JAMA Dermatology
Subscribe to the JAMA Dermatology journal
Health Promotion Programs for Melanoma Prevention
David Hill, PhD; Robin Marks, MBBS, MPH, FRACP, FACD
Dermatology Oncology Skin Cancer Skin Cancer Risk Factors and Prevention Adolescent Medicine Pediatrics Melanoma Medical Education and Training
Robinson JK, Kim J, Rosenbaum S, Ortiz S. Indoor Tanning Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior Among Young Adults From 1988-2007. Arch Dermatol. 2008;144(4):484–488. doi:10.1001/archderm.144.4.484
Indoor Tanning Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior Among Young Adults From 1988-2007
June K. Robinson, MD; Julie Kim, BS; Sara Rosenbaum, BA; et al Sara Ortiz, BA
Author Affiliations: Department of Dermatology (Dr Robinson and Ms Ortiz), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine (Ms Rosenbaum), and Rush University Medical School (Ms Kim), Chicago, Illinois.
Arch Dermatol. 2008;144(4):484-488. doi:10.1001/archderm.144.4.484
Objective To compare knowledge, attitudes, and behavior about indoor tanning and sources of information among young adults in the summer of 1988, 1994, and 2007.
Design Convenience survey of 100 Chicago, Illinois, beachgoers aged 18 to 30 years who were age- and sex-matched with Chicago-area residents who participated in random-digit–dialed telephone interviews in 1988 and 1994.
Setting Lakefront beach on weekday afternoons in July 2007.
Main Outcome Measures Knowledge of melanoma/skin cancer link with tanning, and limiting tanning to help prevent melanoma/skin cancer; attitude about the appearance of tanned people; and knowledge of relevant information sources; and UV indoor tanning use in the past year.
Results Knowledge of the melanoma/skin cancer link with tanning changed from 1988 (42%) to 1994 (38%) to 2007 (87%). Knowledge of limiting tanning to help prevent melanoma increased from 1988 (25%) to 1994 (77%), but decreased from 1994 to 2007 (67%). This decline in knowledge about limiting tanning was concurrent with an increase in the attitude that having a tan looks better (1994, 69%; 2007, 81%). Use of indoor tanning beds increased from 1988 (1%) to 1994 (26%) and remained at the same level in 2007 (27%). Although physicians, especially dermatologists, were sources of information about tanning (1988, 2%; 1994, 18%; 2007, 31%) and were considered the most trusted source, only 14% of respondents in 1994 and 2007 reported ever talking to a doctor about indoor tanning.
Conclusion Because young adults report that physicians are their most trusted source of information about tanning, a potential opportunity exists for physicians to influence indoor tanning behavior by counseling their patients.
Get the latest from JAMA Dermatology
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HomeAudiolibriMistero, thriller e crimine
Havana Storm: A Dirk Pitt Novel
Scritto da Clive Cussler e Dirk Cussler
Narrato da Scott Brick
Renowned marine adventurer Dirk Pitt returns to stem a toxic outbreak in the thrilling novel from the grand master of adventure and #1 New York Times-bestselling author.
While investigating an unexplained poisonous spill in the Caribbean Sea that may ultimately threaten the United States, Dirk Pitt unwittingly becomes involved in something even more dangerous—a post-Castro power struggle for the control of Cuba. Meanwhile, Pitt's children, marine engineer Dirk and oceanographer Summer, are on an investigation of their own, chasing an Aztec stone that may reveal the whereabouts of a vast historical Aztec treasure. The problem is, that stone was believed to have been destroyed on the battleship Maine in Havana Harbor in 1898, which brings them both to Cuba as well—and squarely into harm's way.
The whole Pitt family has been in desperate situations before . . . but perhaps never quite as dire as the one facing them now.
Editore: Penguin Random House AudioPubblicato: Oct 28, 2014ISBN: 9780698183957Formato: audiobook
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coachtim30Go to coachtim30's profile
For those who are long time readers of Clive Cussler, most will find this a passable story. It's one of the better stories that Clive and son, Dirk, have collaborated on. It's no "Raise the Titanic", "Iceberg", or "Mediterranean Caper", but it's better than the more recent, "Black Wind" or "Arctic Drift". The story connects Aztec treasure with the Cubans, so there is both creativity and factual events are connected. All the familiar characters are present (Pitt, Al, Sandecker, Gunn, Yeager, Permutter, Summer and Dirk), so fans of the series will feel right at home with the story.Those new to the series (23 books as of this email) should start at the front of the pack to better understand the characters and their relationships. For those who have read them all though, like me, "Havana Storm" will be an fairly enjoyable experience.
heidiangellGo to heidiangell's profile
I read this in two days, because that is how much I enjoy Dirk Pitt Adventures! I don't know what it is about Dirk Pitt, but I just dig him. He is like Indiana Jones of the Sea. I loved all the anthropological sequences with Summer and Dirk Jr, in Mexico. I studied the Aztecs in college and appreciate the effort for research. It was a fun mix of fact and fiction! I love how he weaves together real life history with creative fiction, like his explanation for the sinking of the Maine. If someone had told me this theory, I would have laughed, but the way the way Clive and his son Dirk weave the story, it makes total sense. That is talent right there! Cannot wait for the next Dirk Pitt Novel!
razinha-1Go to razinha-1's profile
I had a nearly complete collection of Clive Cussler and had planned to run through each series in publication order, starting with Dirk Pitt, in 2015 (I like to pick one author each year and concentrate my casual reading split on as many works as possible), but I lost the collection in a fire. I saw Cussler's latest Pitt novel on First to Read, threw my name in the hat and got a chance to read the galleys of Havana Storm before publication. Although it's been at least ten years since I read any Dirk Pitt (I picked up the books and the other series as they were published to add to the shelf, but hadn't read them), one of the problems I accepted in advance by deciding to read this now is the potential for spoilers. Minus the minor few along the way, page 305 held a surprise. Oh well...
Cussler is one of those anomalies that I wouldn't normally read, but do. Too many things I dislike scream "Don't read this!!!" His cliche ridden pulp is annoying on several levels. I don't read that many adventure novels, and I really don't like to read books that annoy me on nearly every page, and yet...I still read his stuff. I don't know the degree of contributions on all of his later years collaborations, but they all follow the formulas he's developed over his productive history and It seems he's got final editorial control.
As to the Pitt formula, I get it ... some kind of historical connection; some kind of world disaster; Pitt being in the exact right place at the exact right time to not only get sucked into the intertwined threads of the disaster and the historical finds, but rescue someone; the vintage cars (I like those); nearly every engagement being life-threatening yet somehow Cussler's characters seemingly impossibly manage to escape from. It's a good formula for Cussler that works and this book stays true to it. Still, I always found the trademark name-dropping product placement campy (has to be a Doxa dive watch, and Cutty Sark scotch??? ...please...)
By far, the most annoying style point of Cussler for me is how he has his characters say out loud things that a normal person might only think. His characters blurt out facts that would be intuitively obvious to another character, or worse, facts to another character that is introduced as an expert who would consider such facts trivial and never think to state term out loud. It's weird...almost as if his characters are kids who feel the need to show how much they know. Out loud. And yet, I still read these.
So, Havana Storm... As noted above, the book sticks to the standard Pitt recipe: ancient artifact, world threatened, Pitt saves the day and the artifact. It is high on camp, Cussler is still a touch sexist, and certainly cliche, but the pace is quick and the read not difficult, so it goes fast.
Ignore the annoyances and it's great pulp, a fun adventure and a solid add to the series.
utbw42Go to utbw42's profile
One of the better paced Cussler father/son duo Pitt novels, this book still features the same playbook, in my humble opinion, of father providing the story and/or guidance and son penning the majority if not all of the novel. The dialogue remains very straightforward and simple, if not dull, as the previous 5 Cussler/Cussler Pitt books, but I enjoyed the plot of this novel more than most of the previous 5. Sidenote: Cussler in his heyday wrote 100 times better plots and dialogue than these father/son efforts. Dirk Pitt and his twin children find themselves in the middle of a plot by Cuban nationals to mine the seafloor for minerals/elements that will provide materials necessary for nuclear weapons. The actions of this mining are releasing large amounts of mercury into American waters. Also, the kids are off searching for an ancient Aztec treasure that (of course) ultimately ties in to the problems they face in Cuban waters. I see an improvement in Dirk Cussler's writing efforts with this one, but he still has a long way to go to match what Clive cranked out when he was in his prime. I could recommend this one as a beach book with a favorite beverage as a companion.
kebets_1Go to kebets_1's profile
When I get a hankering for a fast page turner - I am always pleased when there is a new Dirk Pitt novel to read.So I was really excited to see this new title in Target when I was shopping this week! Cussler gave me a page turner - but...I have read enough of these to be able to anticipate most of the twists and turns!Just a little background...Dirk Pitt has done to Marine Biologists what Indiana Jones did to Archeologists! Picture Dirk as a mixture of Indie + McGyver and with the looks of Matthew Mcconaughey! He is smart and honest and witty and strong and and and...you get the picture!! I knew before I started reading that in this book there would be a looming oceanographic disaster that only Dirk and colleagues notice, it will include a shady figure from a foreign land and some sort of diving exploration that will go bad. There will be explosions and gun fire and close scrapes with death. And in the end - against all odds - Dirk will save the world with a self-deprecating flair! And as I began reading - I was not disappointed. There is something comforting in a formula that works! The villians were current and rather cold-blooded. And everything was tied up in a neat bow before the rest of us mere mortals even knew there was a problem! Just the way heroes are supposed to work!A fast and enjoyable read!
dswaddellGo to dswaddell's profile
The Pitt family are searching for lost Inca treasure as well as trying to solve a mystery about mercury plumes near Cuba. A really good book. The only issue I had with it is the lack of connection to the previous book which took place in Cuba. With one exception at the end it goes unmentioned.
jamespurcellGo to jamespurcell's profile
The Cusslers are good story tellers and it drives this book nicely. It is formulaic but satisfying. Really ugly bad guys, ancient mysteries, world threats and lively interesting characters are the hallmarks of a good Dirk Pitt story. In this story, evil, Cuban this time, abounds with murders and kidnappings galore as they plunder the depths and seek ancient treasures.. The good guys survive and the bad guys meet grisly ends.
hukkleberriGo to hukkleberri's profile
Not close to the old Dirk Pitt adventures.
henrimoreauxGo to henrimoreaux's profile
Dirk, Al, Rudi & Co return in entry #23 of the series for more under and above sea adventure.This time it's mercury plumes poisoning the sea, aztec artifacts & power hungry Cubans.Whilst these books are hardy Tolstoy-esque works of literary grandeur they are none the less highly entertaining and a great way to spend a rainy day by the fire.I shall await the next adventure with anticipation.
bensdad00Go to bensdad00's profile
Typical Cussler, but something missing i just can't finger. Could be the FOUR different sunken ships integral to the plot, could be the last line being given to a non major character, could be the incredibly helpful billionaire mine owner who would have been much more interesting as a villain than as a yes-man for anything Pitt states - no matter how ridiculous - without question or hesitation.
brianewilliamsGo to brianewilliams's profile
Extremely entertaining and satisfying reading, even if the story is implausible. At least the good guys win in the end.
musichick52Go to musichick52's profile
I have enjoyed reading several of the Cussler Dirk Pitt novels and this one is no exception. Dirk's son and daughter do plenty of near fatal diving, ancient artifacts are recovered, and the "real" cause of the Spanish-American war is uncovered. Fidel is history and Raul has to outwit assassins and over-zealous revolutionaries to remain in power to make a deal with the USA. Cuban bad guys make deals with the North Koreans, uranium that is illegally mined for nukes. Remember the Maine? Focus on that shipwreck for clues.Teddy Roosevelt and the "Treasure of Montezuma?" Who knew? What great fun with twisted history. The descriptions of the underwater mining and rescue scenes have great detail. The suspense is of big screen quality. I read it in one day and recommend it for action lovers. My thanks to the Penguin First to Read program for a complimentary copy.
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The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It
da Tilar J. Mazzeo
400 pagine6 ore
The Widow Clicquot is the New York Times bestselling business biography of the visionary young widow who built a champagne empire, became a legend in her tumultuous times, and showed the world how to live with style.
Tilar J. Mazzeo brings to life the woman behind the label, Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, in this utterly intoxicating book that is as much a fascinating journey through the process of making this temperamental wine as a biography of a uniquely tempered and fascinating woman.
Editore: HarperCollinsPubblicato: Oct 6, 2009ISBN: 9780061980664Formato: book
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Anteprima del libro
The Widow Clicquot - Tilar J. Mazzeo
The Widow Clicquot
The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It
FOR NOELLE AND ROBERTA, MORE THAN EVER
Chapter One: Child of the Revolution, Child of the Champagne
Chapter Two: Wedding Vows and Family Secrets
Chapter Three: Champagne Dreams
Chapter Four: Anonymity in Their Blood
Chapter Five: Crafting the Cuvée
Chapter Six: The Champagne Widow
Chapter Seven: Partner and Apprentice
Chapter Eight: Alone at the Brink of Ruin
Chapter Nine: War and the Widow’s Triumph
Chapter Ten: A Comet over Russia: The Vintage of 1811
Chapter Eleven: The Industrialist’s Daughter
Chapter Twelve: The Wine Aristocrats
Chapter Thirteen: Flirting with Disaster
Chapter Fourteen: The Champagne Empire
Chapter Fifteen: La Grande Dame
Chapter Sixteen: The Queen of Reims
Searchable Terms
Books by Tilar J. Mazzeo
This is the story of French champagne, but it didn’t start amid the splendor of a countryside château. Its origins were a more modest little luxury: the aisles of a well-stocked wine shop. It was a remarkably simple way to have begun an obsession with the history of one of the world’s great wines—and one of the world’s great women. As much as we associate champagne with celebration and the good life, I should also tell you that, for me, it was a passion that began without fanfare in a small town in the American Midwest, where I was trying to weather what turned out to be the last months of a less than glamorous job.
It was in the midst of this daily living—and those occasional splurges that any sensible woman uses to temper it—that I discovered the Widow Clicquot. Although the writer in me wishes to tell you that my love affair with the Widow began in the spring, with the loosening of the earth and the promise of new life, that is not true. Winter had the Midwestern plains firmly in its Anglo-Saxon grasp, and I found myself gazing wistfully at a row of bubbly, dreaming of distant appellations and the sun-soaked vineyards of France.
I already knew the champagne. I don’t mean that. My girlfriends and I drank it with a degree of enthusiastic regularity that might not be wise to detail. It was the story of Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin that I discovered that afternoon, printed on a small card tucked into the box of the 1996 vintage Grande Dame that I had decided I certainly deserved.
The elegant little biography was less than thirty-five words, but it was a story that even in its outlines captured my attention that winter. It was the story of a woman raised to be a wife and mother, left widowed before thirty with a small child, with no training and little experience of the world, who grasped firmly at the reins of her own destiny and, through sheer determination and talent, transformed a fledgling family wine trade into one of the great champagne houses of the world. Here, I thought, is a woman who refuses to compromise.
In the years that followed, her story stayed with me, even after we had left the Midwest and settled in my then husband’s home state of California in the hills of Sonoma County, where the winters are green-misted and indescribably soft. Something about this woman who took such immense risks to pursue her passion still resonated deeply, and I began odd little researches, hunting down nineteenth-century references to the Widow Clicquot in the local wine library in Healdsburg, practicing my rusty French reading old travel narratives written at the height of the Napoleonic empire. And, of course, never one to stint on rigorous research, I made sure that we tasted all the sparkling wine we could find, locally at first, and later in France, where I spent a windy January in a sprawling old farmhouse surrounded by nothing but muddy vineyards.
The trouble always was how to find the woman herself, this young widow with the unwieldy name of Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, the Veuve—or Widow—Clicquot. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, when Barbe-Nicole was settling into her adulthood and all the compromises that come with it, the lives of entrepreneurs and commercial innovators rarely made the history books. This was especially true if that entrepreneur or innovator happened to be a woman. The archives are filled with the letters and diaries of statesmen and princes, but few librarians thought to collect the personal records of businesspeople, even businesspeople who did exceptional things. It is still true today. Most of us will never see our love letters preserved in the world’s great libraries. For a young woman in the nineteenth century it was particularly true, unless she was a queen or a duchess or the sister, wife, or mother of some great man.
Barbe-Nicole was none of those things. She was simply a formidable and independent woman, making her own name in the humdrum, dog-eat-dog world of business. When I finally made my way in the early months of 2007 to the Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin company archives in Reims, confident of discovering her private secrets, I found that the walls were lined with shelf after shelf of careful account books, all evidence of Barbe-Nicole’s singular resolve. But there were few clues as to the woman behind the trademark yellow label.
So, instead, I dragged willing friends around the countryside of the Champagne that winter, looking for some trace of the life Barbe-Nicole must have known. Something that would explain not just how a young, sheltered woman broke free from the life other people had charted for her, but why. We bumped down rutted dirt roads in the rain, looking for the Widow’s vineyards in the fields above the village of Bouzy. In a fit of collective charm one afternoon, we persuaded the reluctant winemaker at Château de Boursault, once her favorite country home, to give us just ten minutes in the private grounds she had loved. I sat for hours in the cool silence of the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Reims, thinking that Barbe-Nicole knew these same walls well. Throughout it all, I found myself staring at buildings and street corners, stealing glimpses through windows like some thief, looking in vain for a woman and the finely woven texture of her life.
Sometimes I wondered if finding her private life—rescuing her from the silence that engulfed her story—would be possible. Before my quest was over, I would meet with women winemakers and company presidents in sunlit Napa offices, searching for the modern incarnation of the Widow Clicquot, hoping to find in their experiences of a woman’s life in wine some way to untangle the past. Later, there was France. In small towns throughout the Champagne, La Veuve—and in France there is only one—lives in the shadowy half-life of oral folk legend. Frustrated with the dusty books and the archives, some days I simply asked the locals in bars and bistros to remember, knowing that remembering and inventing are close cousins, especially at the distance of two hundred years. We passed the wine from table to table in open bottles, and the chef came out from the kitchen to relax with a cigarette and to listen. In those moments, her presence was with us.
I like to think that the life of the Widow Clicquot has been slowly ripening in quiet darkness like some rare and wonderful vintage. Some of that darkness has been my life and my imagination. Some of it has been the darkness of history and the role of entrepreneurial men and, especially, women in it. But now—at last—is the time to enjoy it. As we all know, over time, wine becomes something different and more precious. The hard tannins mellow into smoothness; the flavors mature and ripen. In the nineteenth century, much of the Widow’s story wasn’t worth saving. Today, its mere outlines are breathtaking. It is a tale that will change the way we think about the history of champagne and the role of one woman in it.
We all know the wine that Barbe-Nicole helped to make famous. No wine in the world brings to mind so many immediate associations as champagne. The pop of a cork and the bright sparkle of bubbles mean celebration and glamour and, more often than not, the distinct possibility of romance. It is the wine of weddings and New Year’s kisses. It is beautiful and delicate, and above all, it is a wine associated with women.
It has ever been thus. The poet Lord Byron famously proclaimed that lobster salad and champagne were the only things a woman should ever be seen eating. Byron was an unrepentant chauvinist, but it is still a delicious idea. In the first decades of the eighteenth century, not long after champagne was discovered, the voluptuous and powerful Madame de Pompadour, mistress to the king of France, put it best: Champagne is the only wine that leaves a woman more beautiful after drinking it. According to legend, the shallow goblet-style champagne glasses known as coupes were modeled after this lady’s much admired breasts. In the twentieth century, it was the perfect wine with little black dresses, and it still evokes Jazz Age flappers and the elegance of old Humphrey Bogart films.
But one look at the business of champagne tells a very different tale. In the boardrooms and wine cellars, champagne is a man’s world. Today, there are only a handful of women in senior positions in the French wine industry, and only one of the elite and internationally renowned champagne houses known as the grandes marques is run by a woman—the house of Champagne Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, headed since 2001 by Madame Cécile Bonnefond.
The familiar stories about the origins of champagne tell us that men have always controlled the business of wine. Indeed, champagne enthusiasts quickly learn that it was a man who discovered it. History credits a seventeenth-century blind monk with the now famous name of Dom Pierre Pérignon with having discovered the secret of champagne’s bubbles in the cellars of his hillside abbey, perched at the edge of the village of Hautvillers. According to legend, he is the jolly mad scientist of champagne, relentlessly pursuing a way to transmute ordinary local wines into a sparkling liquid gold.
If Dom Pérignon discovered how to produce champagne, other talented and prosperous men learned how to market it to the world. Men such as Jean-Rémy Moët, who used his personal connections with Napoléon, fostered during wine country weekends at Moët’s luxurious estates in Épernay, to build one of the first commercial champagne empires. Picture postcards of this celebrity friendship, with images of Moët and Napoléon touring the wine cellars in good spirits, were popular souvenirs as early as the nineteenth century. Even more famous was Charles-Henri Heidsieck, who rode two thousand miles on horseback to Russia as a marketing gimmick. His son Charles Camille was later immortalized in popular song as Champagne Charlie, and before long, Champagne Charlie was slang for "any dissipated man or noted drinker of fizz."
With men like these in the business, no wonder champagne is one of the world’s most familiar products. This one small region of northeastern France, with less than 85,000 acres of vines—the only place where true champagne is made—has been blessed with more than its fair share of entrepreneurial talent. The trouble is that the story of how these men slowly built a global champagne empire is only half-true. Dom Pérignon was certainly a talented winemaker and probably one of the great tasters of winemaking history, but he did not discover how to capture the bubbles in a bottle of champagne. In fact, when they occurred naturally, he tried to get rid of them. His goal was not developing a new product, but meeting the needs of the market he and his clerical brothers already controlled: a trade in good-quality still wines.
Even more shocking, champagne wasn’t discovered by the French. It was the British who first learned the secret of making wine sparkle and first launched the commercial trade in champagne wine with bubbles. The legend of Dom Pérignon was manufactured only in the late nineteenth century—and eventually registered by the estates of Moët and Chandon as a trademark. And while Champagne Charlie came onto the scene with genuine gusto, champagne was already big business by the time he was celebrated in cabaret tunes, and he was not quite the young upstart he pretended to be.
Champagne was not always big business, however. In the second part of the eighteenth century, champagne was in a slump, destined to become a regional curiosity. Local winemakers were struggling to drum up even modest sales, and champagne might have faded into obscurity, suffering the same fate as its unfortunate counterpart sekt—another sparkling wine now all but forgotten except among connoisseurs.
All that changed in the first decades of the nineteenth century, thanks to the determination and resourcefulness of less than a dozen important brokers and winemakers, who saw a bigger potential for the sparkling wines grown in the sloping vineyards running south from the cathedral city of Reims. Within the space of a single generation, champagne went from skidding toward the commercial sidelines to a powerful economic engine. From 1790 to 1830, sales increased almost 1,000 percent, from a few hundred thousand bottles a year to over five million. By the dawn of the twentieth century, even before the Jazz Age made champagne the symbol of an era, the world was already buying twenty million bottles of bubbly a year.
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, however, champagne was still a small-time enterprise, and these decades would prove to be a defining moment for the champagne industry. At the crossroads of its cultural history, one entrepreneur deserves much of the credit for establishing this sparkling wine as the most famous luxury product in the world market: the Widow Clicquot.
Widowed at the age of twenty-seven, with no formal business training and no firsthand experience, Barbe-Nicole transformed a well-funded but struggling and small-time family wine brokerage into arguably the most important champagne house of the nineteenth century in just over a decade. It is thanks to her technical innovations in the cellars that today we can find modestly priced bottles of champagne on store shelves around the world. Had she not discovered the process known as remuage, champagne would have remained the drink only of the very rich or the very lucky. I would not have been able to drown my sorrows that Wisconsin winter—and I would never have begun this quixotic search for the lost details of another woman’s life.
By forty, Barbe-Nicole was one of the wealthiest and most celebrated entrepreneurs in all of Europe and one of the first businesswomen in history to lead an international commercial empire. Recognizing an industry in crisis, she was unafraid of entering into a new business and new markets when the entire social structure of old France—the ancien régime—was crumbling and Europe was in a collective panic. More experienced entrepreneurs resolved to wait out the crisis—or to find another line of business entirely. But the story of the Widow Clicquot has its roots in sheer audacity. Risking her financial independence for a future in champagne, she changed the history of French winemaking. In the process, she also helped to make the product she sold a byword for luxury, celebration, and the good life.
She opened these new horizons for women in business and forced those around her to reconsider the gender stereotypes of her day more or less despite herself. But the public figure of this enterprising widow, who resisted the limited domestic role society demanded of her, is in marked contrast with the private woman. Barbe-Nicole quietly defied the expectations her culture had about what women were and what they were capable of achieving. Meanwhile, at home and in her opinions, she was anything but a revolutionary.
In her personal beliefs, she was a deeply conservative and sometimes rigid woman. Her family remained staunch Catholics, even when the religion was outlawed and dangerous in republican France. She did not advocate for the rights of women, although she lived in the era when feminism was born. Instead, she surrounded herself with men, as employees, partners, and even friends. She was a devoted but frankly domineering mother, whose only child—a daughter—she undervalued intellectually and excluded from the family business, preferring instead to marry her off to an idle and flamboyant aristocratic playboy—one to whose charms Barbe-Nicole herself was dangerously susceptible. And, in the end, she gave away a large part of the family business and most of her vineyards to her male business partners.
She was a mass of contradictions, but her genius as a businesswoman was in refusing to see her options as black and white. Her success was not in bucking the system, but neither did she slavishly follow convention. As the daughter of a local politician with a cunning instinct for survival even in the midst of an ugly revolution, she had a talent for seeing the opportunities that existed in moments of cultural and economic instability, in the space between where the old structures and old ways of doing business (and those who stubbornly stuck to them) disappeared and innovative new approaches took hold. Hers is the portrait of a woman with the courage to step into the breach, emotionally, physically, and financially.
Because of her willingness to take risks without fanfare, the Widow Clicquot became one of the most famous women of her era. Like the other great widow of her day, Great Britain’s queen Victoria, she helped to define a century. For decade after decade, her name was heard on the lips of soldiers, princes, and poets as far away as Russia. Before long, tourists came looking for a glimpse of the woman whom the writer Prosper Mérimée once called the uncrowned queen of Reims. In the Champagne, she was known simply as la grande dame—the great lady. Rare Veuve Clicquot vintages are still called La Grande Dame in tribute to her fame. She remained a contradiction to the end: a generous philanthropist and a hardheaded business owner; a small, gruff, and decidedly plain woman with a sharp tongue who sold the world an exquisitely beautiful wine and an ethereal fantasy. Then she disappeared, becoming little more than the name on a bottle of bubbly.
Before this complex and sometimes contradictory woman was reduced to a brand name—or in twentieth-century caricatures to nothing more than a dancing bottle with legs—the Widow Clicquot defined the industry to which she was dedicated. At a time of increasing cultural rigidity, she opened the way for a second generation of enterprising women in the champagne business, women who had wit and talent as sharp as her own. Following in her footsteps, the young widow Louise Pommery went on to build one of the world’s great champagne houses, which reached dizzying heights of wealth and promise just as Barbe-Nicole’s own story was coming to an end. In doing so, the Widow Pommery invented the dry brut champagne that wine drinkers still adore today. It was a path Barbe-Nicole had opened for her. Sadly, there would not be a third generation of women with such scope in the champagne business. There would not be other women who transformed small family businesses into astonishing commercial empires. Those who came after—women like Lily Bollinger and Mathilde-Emile Laurent-Perrier—were above all stewards of enterprises first raised to public prominence by an earlier generation. By the first decades of the twentieth century, the wine industry in the region had become a large-scale commercial affair, controlled almost exclusively by men who could already be counted among the rich and the powerful, with few opportunities for untrained and untested fledgling entrepreneurs.
But for nearly a century—the first century of its global transformation into the iconic symbol of luxury and celebration—the champagne business was a woman’s world. At the most critical juncture in the history of this celebrated wine, Barbe-Nicole dominated the industry. The result was a different future for women in the commercial arena. Today, the champagne house she founded gives a prestigious award in her name that celebrates the accomplishments of talented international businesswomen. And because of the Widow Clicquot, historians still claim that no business in the world [has] been as much influenced by the female sex as that of champagne.
Child of the Revolution, Child of the Champagne
What people in the Champagne remembered later about the summer of 1789 were the cobbled streets of Reims resounding with the chanting, angry mobs calling for liberty and equality. The French Revolution had begun, although no one would use those words yet to describe one of the most monumental events in the history of modern civilization. Democracy had taken root in the colonies of America only a decade before, and a new nation had emerged, aided in its war for independence from Great Britain by the military and financial might of France, one of the world’s most powerful and ancient kingdoms. Now, democracy had also come to France. It was a bloody and brutal beginning.
The young girls in the royal convent of Saint-Pierre-les-Dames, just beyond the old city center of Reims—a bustling commercial town of perhaps thirty thousand inhabitants, at the heart of the French textile industry and only ninety miles to the east of Paris—had little to do with this larger world of war and politics. Two centuries before, Mary, Queen of Scots had been a student in the abbey from the tender age of five, under the care of her aunt, the noble abbess Renée de Lorraine. The other girls at this Catholic convent school often came, like Mary Stuart and her noble aunt, from the ranks of the aristocracy, and they spent their days learning the graceful arts expected of the wealthy daughters of the social elite: embroidery, music, dance steps, and their prayers. The cloistered courtyard echoed with the light steps and rustling habits of nuns moving silently in the shadows, and the garden was shady and welcoming even in the summer heat.
Their parents had sent them to Saint-Pierre-les-Dames to be educated in safety and privilege. But in July 1789, a royal abbey was just possibly the most dangerous place of all for these girls. The nobility and the church had crushed the peasantry with crippling taxes for centuries, and suddenly that summer, long-simmering resentments finally broke out into an open class war that changed the history of France. Old scores were being settled in horrifying ways. It was only a matter of time before the nuns and these young girls—the daughters of the city’s social elite—became the targets of public abuse. Already, there were stories from Paris of nuns being raped and the rich being murdered in the streets. Now, wine flowed from the public fountains, and the laughs and cheers of the crowd in Reims had become more and more feverish.
Behind the shuttered windows, cloistered within the royal walls of Saint-Pierre-les-Dames, one of those girls may not have known that the world and her future were being transformed until the mob was nearly at their doorstep. Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin was eleven years old when the Revolution began. She was a small and serious girl, with golden blond hair and large gray eyes, the eldest daughter of one of the city’s wealthiest and most important businessmen—an affluent and cultured man who dreamed of moving his family into the aristocracy and had sent his child, accordingly, to this prestigious royal convent to be educated with the daughters of feudal lords and princes.
Now, the streets of Reims were alive with angry crowds, and it seemed that Barbe-Nicole would share the fate of her aristocratic classmates. The shops everywhere were closed, and the fields were empty. In the center of the city, in the grand family mansion on rue Cérès, just beyond the shadow of the great cathedral, her parents—Ponce Jean Nicolas Philippe and Marie Jeanne Josèphe Clémentine Ponsardin, or more simply Nicolas and Jeanne-Clémentine—were frantic. Even if there were a way to send a carriage through the streets of Reims to fetch Barbe-Nicole, such a display of wealth and fear would only advertise her privilege and increase her danger on the streets.
Their last hope rested with the family dressmaker, a modest woman but with remarkable bravery. Arriving quietly at the convent door with a small bundle of garments, anxious not to be observed, she knew the only way to spirit a wealthy daughter through the streets of revolutionary France: in disguise. After she dressed the child in the clothes of the working poor, they hurried. The shapeless tunic must have itched, and Barbe-Nicole’s first steps in the coarse wooden shoes—so different from her own soft leather slippers—were surely unsteady.
In another moment they had slipped out into the frenzied streets of Reims, praying to pass unnoticed. No one would bother a dressmaker or a peasant girl, but the convent-educated daughter of a bourgeois civic leader—a man who had personally helped to crown the king only a decade before—would make a compelling target for abuse. Much worse would happen to some of those whom Nicolas and Jeanne-Clémentine had entertained on those long summer evenings in the splendid halls of their family estate before the Revolution.
The roads beyond the convent were a brilliant red tide of men in Phrygian caps, classical symbols of liberty once worn by freed slaves in ancient democracies, singing familiar military marches with new words. In the distance was the sound of beating drums, and heels striking the cobble pavement echoed off the stone facades of the grandest buildings in Reims, as the men organized themselves into makeshift militias. There were fears throughout France of an imminent invasion, as the other great monarchs of Europe roused themselves to send troops to crush the popular uprising that had electrified the masses across the continent.
Hurrying through those chaotic streets must have been terrifying for a small girl. All around her was uproar as the mob gathered. They moved quickly past. Then, perhaps in the crowds of angry men, one or two looked at Barbe-Nicole with the perplexed stare of dim recognition. Perhaps she witnessed some of the many small atrocities of the Revolution—the vandalism, the beatings. The day was something no one who experienced it would ever forget.
We can only speculate about what small horrors made up Barbe-Nicole’s memory of that day, and we will never know precisely what happened next. Only the broadest outlines of this dramatic story have survived as family legend. We have one other fact: After their escape, during the first days of the Revolution, the dressmaker hid the girl in the small apartment above her shop, not far from a small, dingy square on the southern outskirts of Reims, where there are still a few eighteenth-century buildings. Not much in Reims survived the bombings of World War I, but looking at these tilting structures, I find myself wondering if one of those apartments, with the faded linen curtains, was where Barbe-Nicole looked out on a changing world. The square is still known today as Place des Droits de l’Homme—Plaza of the Rights of Man.
After more than two hundred years of retelling, some people now even question whether it was Barbe-Nicole or her little sister who made this dramatic escape through the streets of a city in the grip of a revolution. But in the few early documents that record the details of her private life—a nineteenth-century biography of her family by a local historian and a breezy mid-twentieth-century sketch by the aristocratic wife of the company president—this has been the central legend of Barbe-Nicole’s childhood.
In fact, this one family anecdote is the only story about that childhood to survive. Apart from the barest outlines of birth and parentage, nothing of Barbe-Nicole’s girlhood remains. This silence might be the most important part of her story. Like other girls from privileged genteel families of the time, she was meant to be invisible. She should have lived a quiet and unexceptional life in a small city in provincial France. There would have been days filled with the duties of a wife and needs of children and aging parents. There would have been hours spent planning pretty
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bostonbibliophileGo to bostonbibliophile's profile
Very engaging, interesting story of a 19th century businesswoman and champagne magnate. Great for readers of womens' and wine history. I agree that there is a lot of speculation about Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin's inner life but Tilar Mazzeo tells a great story and very well.
eye_gee-1Go to eye_gee-1's profile
I'll never drink a glass of champagne the same way again. This was an interesting look at a female entepreneur in the early - mid 1800's, a time when most women were nowhere to be seen in public life. There is some interesting stuff about the development of champagne but it is more about her extraordinary life.
siri51Go to siri51's profile
Good to read while drinking Christmas bubbly - lots of history, biography and wine making details (perhaps too much of this)
satyridaeGo to satyridae's profile
I found this unreadable. The prose is so unbearably repetitive I bailed out after just one chapter. One chapter in, I decided to stop reading because there was so much repetition. The writing is redundant, and I only read one chapter. I think I would have liked it had Mazzeo trusted me enough to only tell me everything one time.
bookconciergeGo to bookconcierge's profile
The subtitle is all the synopsis anyone needs: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It.Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin was born on the eve of the French Revolution. Her wealthy father read the signs of change and positioned himself to ride the wave, saving his textile business, his homes, his fortune and his family. When Barb-Nicole was of age, she married Francois Clicquot, the only son of another wealthy textile merchant, whose family had begun to dabble in wine. As fate would have it, Francois died before his vision was realized, but his young widow took over and cornered the market before anyone realized what she was doing. The dynasty she built remains today as one of the premier champagne houses. The author, in an effort to not misrepresent, frequently qualifies statements with “perhaps” or “might have.” Mazzeo herself writes about this lack of information. It is a surprisingly thin biographical record, considering Barbe-Nicole’s celebrity and accomplishments, and writing this book has been an exercise in the oblique. … I wanted to discover not just what she did and when she lived, but how she was able to imagine for herself a different future and how she was able to negotiate those familiar crossroads of grief, despair, and opportunity.I appreciate that Mazzeo was stymied by scarce records, few (if any) letters or documents that would support a definitive and declarative portrait, and that she wanted to produce a work of non-fiction, not a fictionalized biography. But the result, in my humble opinion, is a book that gives me facts but never brings the lady at the center of the story to life. I love champagne, though I admit to never having sampled Veuve Clicquot. I also love reading about strong, independent women, especially when they were clearly ahead of their time. But I was bored for much of this book. I wanted more of Barbe-Nicole, herself.
auntie0nanuuqGo to auntie0nanuuq's profile
This was pretty dry reading (pun intended), but I did learn a lot about one of my favorite drinks: Champagne.
Barbe Nicole Poussardin Clicquot was born during th French Revolution to a very well off family who for obvious switched sides during & after the revolution.
It wasn't until after she was married that she & her husband began dabbling in wine making.
Champagne was Not "discovered" by Dom Perirgnon...most ALL wines vinted in the area of Champagne France had bubbles due to climate conditions. Dom Perignon was trying to find a way to get rid of the bubbles. Later, bubbles were added in a second fermentation process by including more yeast & sugar to the already fermented wine.
Champagne was originally a dark color and a very sweet dessert wine.....
Champagne is made from only 3 types of grapes.....
Vintage refers to the fact that all the grapes used came from the same harvest
The sweetness or tartness indication is opposite of still wines. A tart still wine is labeled "Dry". Whereas a tart Champagne is labeled Brut or Natural. A "Dry" Champagne is sweet.
I knew much of this information prior to reading the book, but it was interesting to know the history of the process. The history part was rather boring and written in an over scholarly style for my taste.
nimgirlGo to nimgirl's profile
The book is poorly written. It struggles between being nonfiction since there is limited information. At the same time, the author appears to have a wealth of letters between the widow and her sales and that she skims over. The editor would have been wise to advise her to either make the book historical fiction or not to speculate so much in the book.
kasthu_1Go to kasthu_1's profile
The Widow Clicquot is the story of the woman behind one of the world’s most famous and iconic champagnes. Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot was born in 1777 in Reims, and married an idealistic dreamer at a young age. When he died, Barbe-Nicole entered his family’s business, and proved herself to be a shrewd businesswoman. Barbe-Nicole survived the French Revolution, the Napoleonic wars (during which Napoleon apparently said that the vineyards of the Champagne would make perfect battlegrounds), and the civil wars of the mid-nineteenth century. She was a diminutive, nondescript woman, but she proved herself a force to be reckoned with in the champagne industry, turning a local curiosity into an international brand.The book is a combination of things: its part biography, part story of the Veuve Clicquot empire, and part history of champagne-making in general (surprise! It wasn’t the French who discovered the art of creating the now-famous bubbles). Although Barbe-Nicole was one of the most famous businesswomen of the nineteenth century, there’s not much biography here, per se: the author tries to fill in gaps with a lot of conjecture, using phrases such as “perhaps she felt…” and “maybe…” Generally, storytelling that way is for me an attempt by an author to put words into people’s mouths or thoughts into their heads that they might not actually have had. However, I thought the historical detail was quite good, as well as the descriptions of the techniques used to make champagne. Even I, as a non-connoisseur, was able to grasp what was going on there.However, I expected more of a biography; I was really drawn by the story of a completely average woman accomplishing extraordinary things. But what the reader is given here works, too: a lot of the book shows the author’s passion for wine and its production. I just wish that there had been a bit more focus. That said however, the book inspired me to track down a bottle of Veuve Clicquot, just to see what all the fuss was about. This is the kind of book that’s perfect for wine and champagne lovers.
nemomanGo to nemoman's profile
I expected a biography; however, it became apparent early into the book that Mazzeo simply did not have near enough material to write one. Instead Matteo uses the arc of Clicquot's career to show the development of the champagne industry against the backdrop of enormous political and economic changes in nineteenth century Europe. Although Clicquot was unique in terms of being a female CEO, she was not that unique in terms of the particular industry she was in . I did learn some new facts about champagne, including the fact that it originally was very sweet, with about 300 grams of sugar per bottle - more than say sauternes. There is also a suggestion that champagne originally was invented by the British, Moreover it was the British preference for dryer wine that lead to the development of the brut which is the favored modern style. Sacrebleu!
astrologerjennyGo to astrologerjenny's profile
There’s not a lot of personal detail in this biography of Barbe-Nicole Clicquot, the Widow Cliquot, who revolutionized the champagne business in the early 19th century. There are no letters or journals that survived, so there’s no way to know what she was thinking, and the author doesn’t fantasize or even guess, but sticks to the little information that exists.
The history of the times is exciting enough; it was a turbulent period in France. Beyond that, there’s a lot of information about the manufacture of champagne and about the champagne business. I think this would be of more interest to a person who is more interested in chemistry and economy – more than I am, anyway.
berly_4Go to berly_4's profile
If you like champagne; or strong, independent women; history; or perhaps les Francais, you will definitely enjoy this book. This was an amazing tour of the Champagne region of France, the origins of champagne, a tumultuous period in French history, as well as the story of one of the most successful women entrepreneurs in history. It unfolds with interesting details, humorous reflections, and great insight: an amazing blend of history, adventure, and science. The book itself reminds me of champagne: effervescent and intoxicating (but not Brut!). I read it straight through in a day. Five stars.In this story, we follow the life of Barbe-Nicole Cliquot from cloistered early childhood in a nunnery to her success “at the helm of an internationally renowned commercial empire” and through to her death at the astoundingly ripe old age of 89, living decades beyond the average life span of the times. She had three major achievements in her career: “internationalizing the Champagne market,” “establishing brand identification,” and developing the process known in French as remuage sur pupitre—literally “moving by desk” (the process still used today to remove impurities without losing the fizz of champagne). Along the journey, the reader will discover, among other things, who actually invented champagne (was it the English or the French?), how sabrage (the art of opening a champagne bottle with a sword) came to be, and how the end of Napoleonic Wars would help cement champagne’s broad commercial appeal as a drink of festivity and celebration.Details of women’s lives back in the late 1700’s were sketchy at best, unless you were royalty or married to someone famous. Barbe-Nicole Clicquot was neither, yet Mazzeo does a wonderful job of filling in the blanks. “I have found myself becoming a scavenger of uncollected details about her life and the world in which she lived…I wanted to discover not just what she did and when she lived, but how she was able to imagine for herself a different future and how she was able to negotiate those familiar crossroads of grief, despair, and opportunity. It sometimes took considerable imagination. The facts in this story are true—as true as history can make them…Barbe-Nicole was not, of course, immortalized in history at all--only the company that she created and the name she made famous survived beyond the end of the nineteenth century. I hope that here, at least, she has been the heroine of her own story.” And so she is.
librisissimoGo to librisissimo's profile
Very interesting story about the French widow who took over the family Champagne business and made an outstanding success. Lots of personal details - well documented. Like Moby Dick, it is full of interesting facts about wine-making and marketing, and sparkling wines in particular, plus lots of history of the period (Napoleon I through Napoleon III and Louis-Philippe).
dla911_1Go to dla911_1's profile
I admit that I initially read this book due to my great interest in wine. But I soon realized that it was really a great study in successful entrepreneur-ism under incredibly challenging conditions.The Widow Clicquot is the story of France's first Champagne empire, one created and ruled by an entrepreneurial woman who overcame huge challenges in a man's world of the late 1700's-early 1800's. I highly recommend it to all women entrepreneurs who want some insights in making it in a male dominated society.I won't go into the whole story as the book is a quick read, but just review a few highlights. Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin was born into a middle class entrepreneurial family in 1778 in Reims--today the world capital of Champagne production. She barely survived the French Revolution in 1789, only by a kindly servant smuggling her out of danger. She married young, and asked for the families wine shipping business as part of her dowry. Her husband promptly died and she was left with running the business. Wars constantly shut down European borders to wine exports, poor vineyard management ruined vintages, business partners were untrustworthy, to name a few of her travails. Having a top sales guy who traveled Europe, avoided arrest at every turn and was consistently loyal to her for years was a key success factor. She expanded in the early years beyond shipping other producers wine into making her own Champagne, working tirelessly to create a cachet around her brand by convincing kings, queens and nobles--especially the Russians-- to fall in love with the bubbly. At least twice the business should have failed but Barbe-Nicole always found a way to survive, including smuggling her wines across closed borders.To be sure, the book has its faults. Little is known about Barbe-Nicole's personal life and much of her business savvy needs interpolation from scanty company records. This does not take anything away from her remarkable feats in surviving during a time when war was the norm and peace a distant hope in Europe. The author takes liberties with lots of references on what might have happened instead of facts. But the facts do not exist and I never felt she seriously overstepped her bounds
tonari-1Go to tonari-1's profile
The subject (the life of the widow Clicquot, famous Champagne entepreuneur) is interesting and the english quite easy to understand even for a non native speaker. In particular, the part regarding the hard times widow Clicquot faces during the Napoleonic Empire catches the reader attention and makes him genuinely wonder how she is going to resolve the situation. Unkuckily there is one fatal flaw in this book: it is a matter of fact that not much has remained to the present to understand the private life and thoughts of this woman and most of the letters we have refer to the central years of her life. The author tries to compensate for this lacking of material by “imagining” what a woman like Barbe-Nicole Clicquot could have felt and thought, basing her assumption on nothing. This way she ends writing a “docudrama”, a book which is nor fiction, neither an objective documentary. For this reason, especially in the first half, writing style can be very annoying: the author keeps reminding us that she doesn't know what her protagonist was thinking but nonetheless she wants to try guessing it. The words “perhaps”, “must” and “surely” keep coming again and again and again. "Perhaps Barbe-Nicole thought this" "Perhaps she thought that" "Surely she must have heard of X" "Surely she imagined that".Terrible.In the second part, thanks to a broader availability of original documents the rythm slightly improves, but many people will probably give up before reaching that point.
preventivo-onlineGo to preventivo-online's profile
Not the easiest one to read, but hey, one of my favourite champain ;)
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Proven Senior IT Executive
Anita has over 30 years’ experience in executive IT management. She has held the CIO and top IT positions in leading worldwide companies and has provided strategic consulting to over 80 companies.
She is experienced in strategic planning, e-business strategy, process improvement, IT assessments, software selection, temporary IT leadership, and CIO mentoring. Anita has a true passion for making a difference in organizations with her high-energy, innovative and collaborative style.
Nationally Recognized Thought Leader & Author
Anita is a published author of five books:
“A Practical Guide to Reducing IT Costs” published by JRoss Publishing, 2010
“A Practical Guide to Information Systems Strategic Planning” first edition in 1998 by St. Lucie Press/CRC which was an industry best-seller, and second edition in 2005 by Auerbach Publications which is used as a textbook in many Universities
“A Practical Guide to Planning for E-Business Success” published by St. Lucie Press/CRC, 2001
“A Practical Guide to Information Systems Process Improvement” by St. Lucie Press/CRC, 2000
Plus, consulted on over five books from various authors
She is also an adjunct faculty member at St. Thomas teaching an Engineering IT masters course and an industry authority and author for Computer Economics and Gerson Lehrman Group.
Anita is quoted in various articles, including Twin Cities Business Monthly on CIO responsibilities, Inc. Technology on strategic planning, Info World article on IS leadership, and has been an industry authority for Computer Economics.
She is an accomplished facilitator, instructor, presenter, and recognized industry expert. Various speaking engagements include Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Companies Annual Conference, Women In Technology, U of M, Carlson School, Project Management Institute, ACM/ASM MNIPS, APICS regional meeting, and APICS national meeting.
Lives Life with Passion
Anita’s motto is “Anything worth doing is worth doing with passion” as she works hard and plays hard! Anita currently resides in the warmth of Arizona and loves being outdoors with hiking in the mountains, swimming, and playing tennis. Spending the majority of her life in Minnesota, she loved cross-country and downhill skiing, snowmobiling, four-wheeling, slalom and trick waterskiing, windsurfing, paddle boarding, jetskiing, fishing, and enjoying the lakes. Following her life-map has brought her on adventures such as sky diving, running marathons, skiing the Swiss Alps, snorkeling and surfing in the ocean. Anita has been married to her husband, Dan, since 1978 and they have two adult children; Mike who lives with his wife Beth in Chicago, and Ryan who lives in San Francisco. Dan and Anita can often be seen enjoying life by touring on their motorcycle or off-roading the mountains in their Jeep.
Anita Cassidy
Barb Zimmerman
Digital Strategy for a Service Organization
IT Development Plan for a Non-Profit Organization
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Landscape Business
SportsTurf
Outdoor Power Equipment – OPE
Audience Development Staff
Production & Art Staff
Briggs & Stratton cuts ribbon on Commercial Products facility
jkmitta September 23, 2019 46 views
Daily NewsDaily Two News0 Comments46 views 0
(Left to right): Don Klenk, VP of operations, Briggs & Stratton; Michael Reese, regional director of Empire State Development Mohawk Valley Regional Office ; Todd Teske, chairman, president and CEO, Briggs & Stratton; Harold Redman, SVP and president – Turf & Consumer Products, Briggs & Stratton; Jeremy Sanders, vice president of sales – Turf & Consumer Products, Briggs & Stratton; Tom Burkard, vice president product management, Briggs & Stratton.
Employees and leaders from Briggs & Stratton Corporation joined state, county and city leaders on September 18 to celebrate the grand opening of the company’s new Commercial Products facility in Sherrill, N.Y.
In 2004, Briggs & Stratton Corporation acquired Ferris Industries – manufacturer of commercial-grade outdoor power equipment – in an effort to diversify its product portfolio and expand its business to serve the growing commercial landscape industry. Since then, the company has seen tremendous growth in its commercial business, necessitating an expansion of its Ferris facility, previously located in Munnsville, N.Y.
The new Sherrill facility manufactures commercial lawn care products from Briggs & Stratton’s Ferris, Simplicity, Snapper, Snapper Pro and Billy Goat brands.
“This expansion is the result of strong sales growth of commercial products the Company has achieved over the past several years and will position it well for continued future growth,” said Todd Teske, chairman, president & CEO of Briggs & Stratton Corporation. “In 2013, commercial engines and products were less than 13% of total sales; and now, they represent more than 30% of our sales.”
“We would like to thank the State of New York, as well as Oneida County and the City of Sherrill officials for their efforts in making this expansion possible. This is really a testament to the great workforce in this state and region and could not have been done without their support,” said Harold Redman, senior vice president and president of Briggs & Stratton’s Turf & Consumer Products Group.
At the celebration, nearly 500 employees were present and recognized for their hard work, flexibility and dedication in the midst of the move.”
The new facility and commercial sales growth resulted in the creation of approximately 50 new, full-time jobs in the Sherrill facility. While 600 employees currently work at the facility, it has nearly 60 positions currently available in all areas of the business: most notably in assembly, weld, fabrication and paint in addition to positions to support its growth through quality, manufacturing and supply chain.
With the grand opening of the Sherrill facility, Briggs & Stratton also hosted its National Dealer Event. Approximately 450 dealers attended the event, which included tours of the Commercial Products facility, an indoor trade show, dealer education, as well as an outdoor demonstration area where attendees could experience firsthand a vast array of Ferris, Simplicity, Snapper, Snapper Pro and Billy Goat equipment.
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How Angels Show Us They Care
By Anne Hinton Pratt
How social media fuels attacks on sacred spaces
By Deseret News
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Your Hardest Family Question: Why does my husband require constant attention from others?
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Great Reading for Long Nights
By Holly E. Newton · November 5, 2015
Now that Daylight Saving Time is gone, and darkness sets in much earlier, what better time than now to settle into some outstanding books in the warm comfort of your home? Here are some of the best new books geared for ages nine and up (unless otherwise indicated). But chances are, you’ll enjoy them also and most books would be great to read out loud to your family. Some of these books are so good that chances are excellent for them to be Newbery contenders.
A Night Divided, by Jennifer A. Nielsen, takes place during the fall of 1961 in Berlin, Germany when East and West became divided. This historical fiction showcases the bravery and hope East Germans faced as families, who were suddenly cut off from loved ones, dealt with these extreme difficulties. Young Gerta has just woken up to find a high barbed-wire fence that will keep her father and brother from coming back to the eastern part of the city. They just left the day before for the western part of Berlin to look for work. Now they can’t come back. The drama that plays out reflects the many hardships that families and relatives of families faced once the wall went up. This page-turner won’t leave your memory for quite some time.
Chasing Secrets, by Gennifer Choldenko, is another historical fiction but this book is based on the plague that hit San Francisco in 1900. This plague frightened most of the city because many people were dying and the reasons for the plague were largely unknown. Thirteen-year-old Lizzie is about to get to the bottom of this horrific plague and figure out what is causing it. The complexity of this mystery, and the wonderful way it’s written, makes this book a complete winner!
Courage & Defiance, by Deborah Hopkinson, is an exhilarating non-fiction account of the brave men and women who helped save Jewish families living in Denmark during World War II. The accounts of these brave deeds are daring and amazing. There are photos, maps and illustrations found throughout. There is also tragedy found near the back of the book about the Jewish prison camps and for this reason this book is better suited for ages eleven and up.
Grounded: The Adventures of Rapunzel, by Megan Morrison, is nothing like the traditional fairytale. This Rapunzel is actually happy up in her tower. It’s only when a boy by the name of Jack comes up to her high window seeking help for his injured fairy that she eventually descends to the ground where she becomes “grounded”. And this is when her great high adventures begin.
Shadows of Sherwood, by Kekla Magoon, grabs you immediately when young Robyn comes into her house to find that her parents have suddenly disappeared. And now she realizes she must leave her home before she also is kidnapped. When she joins a band of kids she never knew before, she enlists them to help her locate her parents. This is the first book in a planned series.
Echo, by Pam Muniz Ryan, takes place over several hundred years and begins with a young boy becoming lost in the woods. When he is rescued by three sisters who have been cursed by a witch, he helps carry their spirits out through a harmonica. Now hundreds of years later, this harmonica helps three children living in completely different circumstances and eventually guides them toward happiness. Through much hard work and persistence, these three overcome great adversity and bring their talents of music to success. This story is full of hope and encouragement to follow your talents – but to work hard along the way.
Nightbird, by Alice Hoffman, is a magical tale about Twig, a sweet girl who has a secret in her small town. She is hiding her brother from everyone. No one knows she even has a brother. She’s hiding him because he has huge black wings and he can only leave their home late at night to fly in the sky. But trouble begins one night when someone sees him. Twig eventually learns the importance of family and relationships.
Adventures With Waffles, by Maria Parr, was originally written in Norwegian but the book was so popular it was translated into English. Once you begin reading the many fun, and funny, experiences the two friends have, you begin to get an idea of life in Norway. But there is a theme running throughout the storyline: Norwegians like their waffles. It’s always interesting for youngsters to learn about other countries and realize that kids are the same everywhere.
Has Anyone Seen Jessica Jenkins?, by Liz Kessler, begins when Jessica is in class when her friend, Izzy, notices something very odd happening to Jessica – her arm has disappeared. Then if that wasn’t strange enough, all of Jessica begins to turn invisible. That evening Jessica and Izzy try to disco ver how she accomplished this incredible feat and if she could do it again. When she figures out the way she can completely disappear, an underlying reason soon becomes evident. Here’s an adventure sure to keep you reading late into the night.
Firefly Hollow, by Alison McGhee, and illustrated with color sporadically by Christopher Denise, finds Firefly wanting to leave the Hollow because she has always wanted to touch the moon. Cricket wants to leave because he has always wanted to play baseball. But when they do leave the safety of the Hollow, they end up meeting someone they had only heard about. This someone is a giant to them. But he’s actually a boy who also has big dreams. This sweet tale is about friendship and support and working toward achieving your dreams.
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Bianca Andreescu rockets to No. 24 in WTA Tour rankings after Indian Wells title
Canada’s Bianca Andreescu has rocketed to No. 24 in the WTA Tour world rankings after her stunning victory at Indian Wells.
The 18-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., rose 36 positions on this week’s list.
Andreescu upset eighth-seeded German Angelique Kerber 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in Sunday’s final at the BNP Paribas Open.
It was the first time Andreescu has won a tournament at the Premier Mandatory level.
She earned US$1,354,010 million for the victory.
Andreescu was ranked 152nd in the world at the start of the year.
She is scheduled to play this week at the Miami Open.
Keegan Rice is a rising star on the national tennis scene Lakeshore Tennis Club is a hidden jewel
Most Read on Leader Post
‘No one will be going in’: Unifor president vows escalation in dispute | Regina Leader-Post
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foam_newsletter_2004
[foam] [newsletter] [one.2004]
2004: expeditions into tunable realities
impossible thing no. 1: |ytA.
impossible thing no. 2: belgium.
impossible thing no. 3: groWorld.
Transient Reality Generators [TRG]
softBomb and the dynamics of objecthood
impossible thing no. 4: wearable reality
Illuminating the Drift
impossible thing no. 5: p~lot
f0amf0od
impossible thing no. 6: scalable media shelters
FoAM and associated artists/scientists 2003
Partner Organisations 2003
this is a text/html version of the printed newsletter. Other issues can be found in the Foam Newsletter node.
“Light was real-but 99 per cent of reality's electro-magnetic spectrum was invisible. We could no longer pilot with our physical senses. We had henceforth to rely upon intellect and its power to invent and navigate with the instruments which could tune and scan the vast ranges of nonsensorially tunable reality.” –Buckminster Fuller http://www.bfi.org/worlddesign/CompDesignSecI.pdf
Anyone who has tried growing their own worlds knows intuitively at the beginning and rationally towards the end of the process that 99% of these worlds remain invisible and potential. The range that ends up being actualised is the most feasible bit, while the quiescent magical landscapes lurk in the imaginary range, waiting for the right moment to bubble into existence. At FoAM, 2003 was one of those years in which the imaginary range has grown so far beyond the actualised one, that we need whole new systems to be put in place in order to cultivate it. We have laid low and seen it grow, until we found a substance that it would stick to, when moulded properly. The substance appeared to be around us all the time: matter, physical matter appeared to be the magnet that would attract all our worlds, smearing the imaginary through the real, making physical structures infused with an irreal morphogenesis, making them responsive to the events around them. What we need to develop now are situations that allow for different gradients of this infusion and an instrumentarium to be able to attune to frequencies that are of interest: at one point we might want equal immersion in both realities, while just a few steps further along the path, the physical environments might need our full attention (say, when crossing a wobbly bridge with nothing to hold onto), or we might want to sit down and flood our senses completely in the conjury of a simulated computational universe. Ideally, this is where we aim to arrive: in the place in which stories can become inflated into nonsensorial worlds and the worlds diffused into sensual reality.
“Sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” – the White Queen in Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carol.
Such thoughts and many others, varying on the ‘impossibility scale’ have been leading our musings about the direction to take in the coming year and beyond. The infusion of the physical with the computational (and vice versa) was the topic that came to the fore. Although mixed reality was latently present in most our activities, it was never explicitly defined as our primary operating area. In 2004, we will start placing all our projects on a ‘tangibility continuum’ ranging from fully physical to fully computational, allowing us to particularly look at the gradients in between. For this purpose we are examining the feasibility of setting up a mixed reality laboratory with a high degree of scalability and portability, that can be used by our collaborators and partners for research and experiments in the cultural sphere (as an enhancement of public spaces, artistic concepts, gaming devices, therapeutic applications, visualisation of complex sociological issues, environmental simulations…).
Impossibility scale: 3
The project that has driven the urgency for setting up a mixed reality laboratory is |ytA, a commissioned ‘distance touch generator’ for the Science Centre Phaeno in Wolfsburg. The installation should consist of two wall-like structures that can withstand about 100K children (of all ages) per year, (forcefully) touching their responsive surfaces and responding to touches of players (humans or processes) deforming a remote surface. Looking for all the modalities that are transmitted through touch, we are still finding new technologies emerging every day, sounding perfect in their specs, but still barely leaving the labs, having no guarantee for their durability. We have been looking for robust solutions that would provide a sense of intimacy and tangibility of touch; finding many dead ends, but also lots of promising pathways, particularly in the field of active materials (materials that respond to the changes in their surroundings). However, all of the ideas need long testing periods, simulating the situation in Phaeno as closely as possible, including public usability tests for long periods of time. A real-life laboratory. Possibly a mobile one that can temporarily be attached to an artificial muscle manufacturer, allowing us to test different components on the spot.
Haptic Rendering—Beyond Visual Computing, a special issue of the IEEE CG&A coming out in March/April 2004 on haptic interfaces and force feedback devices to enhance human computer interaction: http://www.computer.org/cga/CFPMar04.htm
http://fo.am/lyt_A/
“Cette Cité est assurément la plus proche d'une ville de notre monde, puisque par bien des traits, Brüsel semble constituer un simple double de Bruxelles.” http://www.urbicande.be/
After a few years of roaming abroad, we have decided to explore our cradle city, Brüsel. It was unpredictably interesting and frustrating at the same time, possibly more challenging than designing the haptic feedback for |ytA. While it is known that Belgium cannot boast a large and well-networked new media scene as neighbouring countries (the Netherlands, France, Germany and the UK), there is certainly more to Belgian electronic art than meets the eye. These artists might not be so well represented in traditional art temples and established galleries, but they do form a buzzing community with their own initiatives and alliances stretching far beyond Belgium. We have collaborated with people from Argos, Code31, entropy8zuper, foton records, imal, looking glass, nadine and roomade, who helped us understand the Belgian reality and even become optimistic about it! It finally became clear why only the people with hard skins and a lot of patience work with new media in Belgium… With several of these organisations we have been hatching new exciting plans to strengthen the network of like-minded operators, working jointly towards a better visibility and appreciation of our field. A field which is itself, broad yet complementary, the common interest being the use of emerging technologies in the cultural sphere.
As the most fluid cell in this network, FoAM will embark on a few long term expeditions, continuing the quest for synaesthetic experiences in |ytA, human-biological-systemic sym-bio-sys in groWorld and trans-acoustic dynamics in gobX. Our year long journey to ‘evolve’, ‘illumine’ and ‘nourish’ has come to an end, but has opened doors to new travels into the thematic regions of ‘drift’ ‘dynamics’ and ‘tension’ in 2004. At home, we will accommodate our fellow explorers, staying with FoAM during their short trips and stopovers, participating in a new series of f0amfr0th events, in the shape of bite-size lunch-time lectures, creative workshops, miniature scientific symposia in Brussels underground and temporary magical zones.
http://f0.am/fr0th/
f0amfr0th team: anyone around
As in previous years, we are open for proposals from artists, scientists, students or otherwise motivated people. We are most interested in proposals for short projects or residencies within our three thematic priorities, ‘drift’, ‘dynamics’ and ‘tension’, but you can also let us know if you are passing through Belgium or the Netherlands and have something to perform, show, talk about and we can see what we can arrange.
proposals » infoatf0/dot/am
Evolution and evolving has been one of our passions since the collective’s embryonic stage. Although this theme had only two public outlets in 2003, txOom in the beginning of the year and the tiny Minutiae exhibition to close the programme, it has been a present topic on many Libarynth pages (Evolutionary Programming, Evolutionary Robotics, Artificial Life, Biomimicry, Category Biology, Morphogenesis and others).
txOom occupied our evolutionary pathways in the beginning of the year. Our favorite partners Kibla and Time’s Up presented their version of the responsive environment in a ‘Balanced Act’ in Maribor, which evolved the tx-system to include a series of force-feedback platforms on which the players would balance on top of a dynamically changing universe. We proceeded to follow our friends through the snow and wind to the Data Ecologies workshop in Linz, where Time’s Up organised the last txOom workshop on ‘physics as simulation and simulation of physics’ (if you want weird science, follow the InformationPhysics topic on the Libarynth). To end the project, we invited all the partners to Brussels and gave a long awaited decompression (symposium with keynote speeches by Michel Waisvisz and Theo Botschuiver and the final party with Synaesthesia records, code31 and farmersmanual), accompanied by txOom’s freshly burned ‘ecologies of the irreal’ DVD. Although the responsive environment research was only simmering in 2003, in the coming year, we are hoping to team up with Kibla and Time’s Up again, embarking on an adventure to become Transient Reality Generators (producing yet another of our unpronouncable acronyms (although the south-Slavic speakers will have less problems with this one; TRG = ‘square’ in Slovenian, Croatian, Serbian, etc.))
http://fo.am/txoom txOom team: Cocky Eek, Nik Gaffney, Hiaz Gmachl, Lina Kusaite, Maja Kuzmanovic, Sia Kyriakakos, Nat Muller, Steven Pickles, Yon Visell, Todor Todoroff, Rachel Wingfield and many more…
The Minutiae exhibition by Catherine Watling and Brian McClave? closed our public programming for 2003 in an enticing atmosphere. The two British artists were invited to FoAM to discuss a future collaboration in the field of micropaleontobiology. In 2004 they will be resident at the University of Cardiff, with professor Paul Pearson, researching global environmental changes by tracking mutations in the minuscule Foraminifera fossils (also found in your everyday toothpaste). Catherine and Brian will work with the electron-microscope to record the fossils and make a 3D movie. FoAM comes into play as a partner in making an immersive installation, where the fossils can be experienced as human-sized, their textures can be touched and the interaction heard. We also discussed a slightly larger perspective, looking at evolution as a multidisciplinary topic, where our knowledge of bioinformatics for evolutionary simulations might come in handy.
the (process-as-lack-of-thingness)
how to experimentally investigate and theoretically model software evolution: http://arxiv.org/abs/cond-mat/0307201
selection of interesting papers on alife and evolution: http://www.reed.edu/~mab/papers.html
Prof. Pearson dug out a document that proves that Darwin might not have come up with all his evolutionary theory of natural selection by himself, but has possibly borrowed some ideas from James Hutton, a geologist, who wrote about selection processes about 60 years before Darwin. src: http://www.nature.com/nature/debates/fossil/fossil_1.html
http://fo.am/evolve/
impossibility scale: 3.5 The largest project in Evolve was supposed to be groWorld, a long term initiative dealing with corporeal and digital etnobotany. Although we have conducted mainly literature research in 2003, our first ‘gathering’ session is planned for the Adelaide festival, as one of the specimens of “Art in the Biotech Era”. http://fo.am/groWorld/ http://www.adelaidefestival.com.au/program/biotech.asp
David Robert is working of human-plant interaction and understanding of plant language: http://www.elkabong.com/intersection00/davidrobert.htm
Do plants think like distributed computers? http://www.nature.com/nsu/040119/040119-5.html
On flowers and landmines: http://www.aresa.dk/
This term describes for FoAM a year for fulfilling a few of our long term promises. However, as the results should be dynamic, we can“t easily predict the outcomes! groWorld is moving into its next phase; with gathering, planting and gardening workshops for the development of a persistent HPI (human-plant-interface) to function as a dynamic, growing link between the tiny corporeal pocket ecologies and the massive, dispersed data-ecologies.
TRG suggests a deeper look into the physics of responsive environments - we are moving from the ecologies of the irreal into the universes of the irreal. With TRG we will dig deep into phenomenology of “reality”, working our way down to its constituent forces and elementary substances. In our previous research, it appeared that the most appealing aspects of mixed reality spaces lay in the physical richness of both worlds. Basically, instead of trying to emulate the physical world in the digital, we will try to correlate some of the more interesting properties in the physical systems, potentially creating new (coherent) laws within the computational universes. In such spaces interaction will be the drive of the environment”s dynamics, which can be described as a loop between action » perturbance-of-the-system » perceived difference » reaction… (now imagine hanging 10 metres high strapped up in a piezochromic harness…)
“ … is the science of that which is superinduced upon metaphysics, whether within or beyond the latter's limitations, extending as far beyond metaphysics as the latter extends beyond physics.
Pataphysics will examine the laws govering exceptions, and will explain the universe supplementary to this one: or, less ambitiously, will describe a universe which can be - and perhaps should be - envisaged in place of the traditional one, since the laws of that are supposed to have been discovered in the traditional universe are also correlations of exceptions, albeit more frequent ones, but in any case accidental data which. reduced to the status of unexceptional exceptions, possess no longer even the virtue of origionality.
Pataphysics is the science…”
Ubu Cucu (Ubu Cuckolded) http://www.evergreenreview.com/archive/13%20Alfred%20Jarry%20_13.txt
softBomb is a brand new project, with roots not in a past initiative, but in a new addition to FoAM, Rachael Tempest. softBomb takes the classical museological trope of the glass display cabinet and reinvents it as a plastic and dynamic virtual interface; all the edges and planes of the case become multimodal “lenses” for examining the many hidden lives of an object. The project aims to apply a “topological media” [*] approach to virtual interfaces that privilege transformation and play. softBomb is also valuable as a tool for research and performance, for analysing and manipulating the contextual, cultural, physical, chemical and historical networks inherent to all objects - splitting the “physics from the physical” and creating a rich platform for mining their hidden life, beyond traditional linear readings of the artefact.
A taxonomy of site-specific artefacts will be modelled into a database of 3D virtual objects. Using a highly malleable haptic interaction device, players will then select and “jam” with their choice of object, “releasing” a dynamic flow of data - the artefact“s inherent meaning systems. This realtime data is simultaneously streamed into the “softBomb”, a custom-built visualisation engine - initially playable within 3D gamespace, but designed as a component for future Mixed Reality environments. We are currently working with the Interactive Institute to develop collaborative partnerships with Scandinavian contemporary art museums; and to present softBomb as part of a workshop at NODEM04, Helsinki.
softBomb core team: Lucas Chirnside, Rachael Tempest in collaboration with Julian Oliver and Steven Pickles
topological media: “topological media are physical and computational matter, image or sound fashioned as substances evolving under continuous action.” topology: “topology treats features like the shape and density of sets free of any metrical measure or dimension. topology works with infinite or finite, continuous or discrete things with equal ease.”
[*] sha xin wei, http://www.gvu.gatech.edu/people/sha.xinwei/topologicalmedia/ , 2004
Illumine is a term of many meanings. To illuminate, to understand, to discover, to become enlightened, to be luminescent. Wanting to explore its meanings in the broadest possible range, we opened up this programme for artist residencies that resulted in four greatly diverse outcomes.
Isabel Rocamora and Camila Valenzuela, two charismatic anti-gravity artists worked with us for three weeks in the summer of 2003, exploring light as electromagnetic discharge, connecting light to magnetic forces and gravity and attempting to reach the mystical moment of enlightenment, for which 3 weeks didn't quite suffice. However, following the records of their research through ProjectIllumineNotes on the Libarynth some might be able to continue the quest… They ended their stay with the ethereal performance “Ebb and Flow of stubborn matter” that was woven through with a live hurdygurdy + electronics improvisation by the luminiferous Stevie Wishart, with FoAM's costumes and responsive media. Future collaboration with Camila is planned and awaiting her next steps through the jungle of biology, cognitive science, phenomenology and their embodiment in anti-gravity improvisation.
Karmen Franinovic, an architect and interaction designer studying at Ivrea, approached light as a phenomenon occurring on the periphery of perception, looking for gaps and glitches in the places where light can not penetrate, where we need to rely on our senses of touch, hearing and collaboration. Karmen worked with FoAM to make a very dark, concave universe (Sync_optic structure) that came to its existence only when more than one person stumbled through the unstable surface of the gallery floor, which was covered with a tensioned mesh of lycra, underneath which thousands of liters of water were wobbling in large PVC cushions. Once a person lost balance (never lasting for longer than 15 seconds), the starry grid of dozens of ultra-bright LEDs illuminated the surrogate sky, changing sonic and visual patterns as people rolled away and toward each other.
Lost inventions of Nikola Tesla: http://www.frank.germano.com/lostinventions.htm
If you ever wondered what supported the posture of your body: http://www.neuroanatomy.hpg.ig.com.br/spinal.htm
What is a Syn”co*pe: Project Syncoptic
The last “illumine” artist was Rachel Wingfield, who we met in 2002 during the txOom project. Rachel's take on illumine was the closest to FoAM“s interest in biomimetics and active materials. Her exhibition “Surface Dialogue” consisted of several electroluminescent (EL) objects, designed to infuse homely interiors with ambient luminescence, continuously changing throughout the day; a responsive window blind, sprouting EL botanic patters as the daylight becomes dimmer; luminescent pillows and duvets to ease the sleeper into the dawning light. Dawn and twilight were extended to last several hours in Rachel's cozy mock-bedroom, where the natural light was truly in dialogue with the luminous surfaces on display. Both during and after her residency Rachel is involved in the project |ytA, where she joins Lina Kusaite and Maja Kuzmanovic in a search for active materials that respond to touch and pressure.
Iridescent nanospheres for electronic paper: http://www.nature.com/nsu/030317/030317-1.html
Electroluminescence on elastic substrates: http://www.oryontech.com/
OLEDs on flexible substrates: http://www.universaldisplay.com/foled.php
Chromogenic materials: http://windows.lbl.gov/materials/chromogenics/default.htm
Another strand of the active materials research we will continue pursuing with Rachel is the emerging field of flexible displays; OLEDS (organic LEDs), rollable LCDs, elastic electroluminescent materials, electronic paper, composites of SMPs (shape memory polymers) able to sense and actuate responses by changing colour, light or even thickness and consistency. Although this is an area of research that several FoAM people have been involved in for years, we can not pretend to be able to develop any of these technologies in our modest lab. Therefore, negotiations are under way with several academic and corporate research and development groups, looking for diverse application areas and testing grounds for their experimental technologies. In terms of applications of these technologies, we are in close contact with the Topological Media Lab at Georgia Institute of Technology and the Banff New Media Institute, both paving a similar exciting route through this unchartered territory.
Why are we so interested in the flexible displays? We want to wear communication, diffuse our patterns throughout the environment. Bleed light from one body to another, make our surrounding surfaces as responsive as our skins. Why? Because we want to detach ourselves from big desktop monitors and ever-so-clumsy projectors, CCTVs, cumbersome visual systems in white cubes and black boxes. We want to be able to tune in and out realities wherever we happen to be.
We want to drift….
impossibility scale: 4.5
2003 was a year in which we could contemplate situations that are becoming more and more feasible through the emergence of pervasive and ubiquitous computing - through which our search for new public contexts exploded in a gush of possibilities. We mapped scavanger technologies for solar-powered wireless kits, that can be deployed in remote rural areas, looking at technologies which can be useful in developing countries and harsh environmental conditions. Together with OCCAM (Italy) and IDI (Ireland) we hope to move from planning to action in the coming year. Augmented Reality technology is another interesting strand of research that we followed, watching the 2003 summer steam by through our studio windows, continuing to keep us warm during the long winter (see ProjectFUTD on the Libarynth). We are assessing several projects that could allow media artists to embed their works in the fabric of cities, with audiences drifting through them, tuning events in and out of physical architecture. In 2004, we hope to do less planning and more drifting and tuning. Although we are not planning to become full-blown nomads, our resolution for the new year is to find a better balance between being local and being in transit.
When mobile means unplugged: Renewable Energy
Defying Infopoverty through more applicable tools: http://www.infopoverty.net/2002/prepcom2.htm
Cocky Eek is planning to work on shapes formed by the wind and FoAM will work on blowing the four winds of the world through the structures - on land, in the air, on water, from different directions. When worn, these shapes transform the surfaces of the body of their wearer into airy creatures in dialogue with their surroundings. Several FoAM people will possibly be joined by the Nordic LARP god Christopher Sandberg on a drift to Iceland (named Icelanding suggesting the sci-fi thematic of the trip), to explore the potentials of context specific live action role playing games connected with satellite broadcasting, networking and other alien inventions. We have initiated yet another expedition (fFORTe) through the myths and dungeons of 42 Austro Hungarian fortresses in Croatia, with a hope that this time, a persistent MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) can be developed to hover above and through the physical ruins.
Then there is p~lot. It started as a workshop in 2002, developed into a Q3A level, an inflatable performance and an ever evolving mythology presented in Brussels and Utrecht in 2003, it is now threatening to grow into a much larger storyScaping project in 2004. Drifting through several workshops and festivals, building portals between the physical and the digital by building a global mythWorld. The project involves summoning story fragments in text, drawings, textures, generative algorithms, image and sound samples, as well as attempting to build a “Plot Device” that will generate a coherent story out of thousands of character descriptions, events, shards of places and travels, in text, 2D graphics, generative 3D graphics, sounds and textures. The result of this expedition, should be available as a drift through a massive storyScape, that unfolds in front of its reader, spiralling in and out of an event, a character, a world. If our research on flexible displays has advanced enough in a years time, we might even be able to offer this supernatural extravaganza on electronic paper, as an illuminated scroll to read before drifting into the dreamworld.
p~lot core team: Nik Gaffney, Lina Kusaite, Steven Pickles, Rachael Tempest http://fo.am/p~lot/
“The gastronomic must no longer serve as mere metaphor for the arts, but should take its place with the muses.” (Allen S. Weiss, Feast and Folly)
The long hot summer of 2003 was celebrated by inaugurating an appetising programme called f0amf0od, designed to excite the palate and tantalise our other senses. Born out of our love for good food and the strong conviction that the dinner table is probably the best example of a good communication and social interface, we embarked on a series of culinary experiments which sought to merge matter with media, aesthetic concept with gastronomic pleasure. Food is more than just the fuel that makes us run, it is, as food anthropologist Margaret Visser contends “a medium for social relationships: satisfaction of the most individual of needs becomes a means of creating community.” (The Rituals of Dinner)
Most of the f0amf0od activities were practiced during f0amfr0th events, culminating in a royal feast during the De-auguration of the Temporary Embassy of Elgaland-Vargaland in December. The four course banquet consisted of 15 variations of the famous national dish of this dispersed country: pasta with tomato sauce. All fr0th events boasted a consistent conceptual design in the media, the furnishing and the dishes served. “Litha” was a picnic in the grass, which in itself is nothing special, except that the grass grew in between the walls of the FoAM lab for a few weeks and functioned as a serving board for fresh, juicy summer-solstice foods, drinks and media. On the opposite side of the “organic spectrum” was the food designed for the “Interfaces Imagined”: packaged retro-scifi cookies and interfacing food-realities in layered veggie towers, accompanying a mini-symposium on interfacing the physical with the digital (with Catherine Moriwaki, Jonah Bruckner-Cohen and Stephen Barras). “Surface tension” provided a challenge for creating inflated edible surfaces and foaming mousses inside inflatable chambres, costumes, installations and giant-soap-bubble-duels.
The first event with food as its top priority was “Digestible Media: A Cooking Class in Interdisciplinary Strategies' held in June at the media centre KUDA [http://www.kuda.org] in Novi Sad, Serbia. The “workshop' was an experiment in interdisciplinary practice, and sought to uncover how, similar to creative cooking, also creative collaborations do not necessarily follow a set recipe, but demand a meticulous collecting of ingredients, a dedicated chopping, dicing and blending of flavours, textures, spices and the selection of the right cooking methods. Under the supervision of FoAM foodie Nat Muller, participants were instructed to mix abstract concepts with their skills, inspiration and ingredients in order to create a collaboratively designed dish.
La cucina Futurista: http://www.madsci.org/~lynn/juju/surr/futurism/FUTBANQ4.html
The “Blanc-Mange Cinema Marathon' was the first true f0amf0od event in Brussels. This event, held in September 2003 merged gastronomic and cinematic experience by screening food films on an edible projection surface of white foods. After weeks of researching food movies, we collected all white and nearly white foods we could afford, in order to blend the films and the foods into two stories; the BizarStory and the SensualStory (accessible through the Libarynth). The stories functioned as a scenario for a three hour long remix of food movies, but also as a guide for the design of table-cloths/bibs, table manner guidelines and most importantly for the seven-course long culinary melange of off-white foods; white fruit salad, white fungus curry, kefir and almond soup, “white kidney' (aka. sheep testicles) stew, cheese platters, edible flowers, creamy mousses, orgasmic cocktails and many more.
After Blanc-Mange there was no turning back. People working on the other programmes refused to have any public appearance without including a f0amf0od element in the event. And so the myth about FoAM's conceptual foods and beverages started spreading through Brussels and beyond. For one of the illumine events, “Sound Modulated Light #1” by Edwin v/d Heide, we designed the snacks as waves and particles and played with light sources to give the foods special textures. During “p~lot” to accompany Auriea Harvey's fairy-tale-esque presentation of the game “8”, the table became enchanted with secret mushroom dishes and bitter gin cocktails. The “Evolve” kitchen became a molecular biology lab, where the microscopic germinating foods were served in petri-dishes and test tubes. We ended the year by burning our demons and celebrating the return of the light on the winter solstice, where we practiced our abilities to cook copious amounts of food and develop new recipes for leftovers for more than a week. We learned that by involving food into our programmes, we will never starve to death.
Although 2003 is over, food continues to play an important role in FoAM's activities. We have the opportunity to bleach the nearly white foods from Blanc-Mange in the brand-new kitchen of the renovated Beursschouwburg and serve the dishes in its “spaceship' of an attic. On mayday, we (FoAM + foton) are currently designing “Bombing from within', an explosive party in the “Heart of Europe', to celebrate the atomic strength of the new EU member states (minimum alcohol percentage = 50%).
Also, in the case that our days as an artsci collective become too dim, we are designing an escape pod in the form of a nomadic, symbiotic restaurant that travels the world ingesting the local ingredients and supplying the resident population with an instant food+media event, just to disappear as fast as it appeared, continuing its persistent journey across the continent(s).
The research centre for the history of food and drink: http://www.arts.adelaide.edu.au/centrefooddrink/index.html
Screen cuisine: http://yumfood.net/articles/screencuisine/screencuisine-1.html
Scientific cooking: http://www.fatduck.co.uk/
http://www.taleoftales.com
http://utopia.knoware.nl/users/heide/sound_modulated_light.html
http://f0.am/f0od/ \ http://f0am/fr0th/ \ \ \ \ Foam Food
f0amf0od core team: Rasa Alksnyte, Lina Kusaite, Maja Kuzmanovic, Nat Muller, Pieter de Wel
Perhaps as a reaction to overloaded stomach muscles, we will work some emptiness into our lives in 2004; Inspired by “Surface Tension', inherent in all foams, we will stay true to our name and inflate some large bubbles. During the feverish months of February and March, several inflatable structures are swelling at FoAM, to function as “emptiness containers' in otherwise media-thick environments. In the Beursschouwburg, during their [blanco] opening festival, the inflatables were used to create an otherworldly zone, in which the landscape appears to have the ability to breathe. In the majestic Botanique (the botanic gardens), during the Vampire ball of the BIFFF (Brussels International Fantasy Film Festival), the inflatables become poisonous gas bubbles in the Vampire's decaying fountain, filled with dehydrated plant-life, floating above the heads of the guests. To end the season, we will work with Ana Rewakowicz on wearable, inflatable communicative pods (possibly for walking on water).
RED#NET intends to be a multi-functional, permeable, portable surface that re-routes and re-applies public space. Constructing systems that support and restrict flow via the horizontal and vertical axis horizontal_platform/horizontal_platform/vertical/horizontal/vertical/ src: http://duo.irational.org/red_net/
surface tension: http://f0.am/fr0th/swell.html
Ana Rewakowicz: http://www.rewana.com
In the summer of 2004, we are planning to look at a different type of tension in physical structures. Tensegrity, Synegrity, Hoberman and other structures that play with the laws of physics to gain robustness while remaining light and portable. In collaboration with Hiaz Gmachl, a geodesic fanatic and our good friends farmersmanual, we will venture into the wonderful world of self-sustaining structures, potentially serving as mobile and scalable media shelters to add to the impossible arsenal of the mobile kitchen, mobile MR lab, wearable displays, solar powered AR kits, drifting LARPers and storytellers.
tension team: Cocky Eek, Nik Gaffney, Hiaz Gmachl, Lina Kusaite, Maja Kuzmanovic, Rachael Tempest
farmersmanual and BuckyMedia: http://web.fm/cgi-bin/twiki/view/Fmext/WebHome
the Buckminster Fuller Institute: http://www.bfi.org/
Geodesic structures in nature: http://www.geocities.com/bioluminus/spectacular_geodesic_epicuticula_structure.html
DIY with soda-straws: http://www.georgehart.com/virtual-polyhedra/straw-tensegrity.html
“Correction: A Picture is Worth 84.1 Words” http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~afb21/publications/Student-ESP.html (and other speculations into the granularity of visual languages)
Gert Aartsen, Rasa Alksnyte, Stephen Barras, Guy van Belle, Oswald Berthold, Gert Brantner, Theo Botschuiver, Jonah Bruckner-Cohen, Veronique Daussy, Cocky Eek, Leif Elggren, Karmen Franinovic, Robin Fox, Nik Gaffney, Hiaz Gmachl, Nathan Gray, Auriea Harvey, Mark Harwood, Mike Harding, Edwin v/d Heide , Pieter Heremans, Patrick de Koning, Maja Kuzmanovic, Dylan Krasevac, Sia Kyriakakos, Emily Kusaite, Lina Kusaite, Hendrik Leper, Brian McClave, Catherine Moriwaki, Nat Muller, Hanne de Nil, Julian Oliver, Anthony Pateras, Steven Pickles, Isabel Rocamora, Sha Xin Wei, Jasmijn Snoijink, Roos Smith, Rachael Tempest, Todor Todoroff, Camila Valenzuela, Yon Visell, Michel Waisvisz, Catherine Watling, Pieter de Wel, Rob Wilton, Rachel Wingfield, Stevie Wishart.
argos, code31, foton, future physical, interactive institute, kibla, l'anverre, looking glass, time's up.
Past, present and future events:http://fo.am/events.html
FoAM infodata:http://fo.am/
http://libarynth.fo.am/
What's for breakfast? - asks Alice
scene alice meets the tangentoid oscillator who is picking mushrooms and feeding them to the scattered shapeshifster who skitters out the following mushroom dish (vegan and omnivore variations available on request)…
(see .pdf for the “cultivated mushrooms in..{blue-grey fungus swamp|witches circle|through the looking glass|enchanted forest} cooking diagram)
Written in utf-8 text, typeset in 8 point Gill Sans and 14 point Gill Sans BoldItallic at foam brussels, using software populations clustered in sets and subsets, visualised in graphs, with sporadic assistence from encapitulated postscript. A speech-text-touch mechanism was built for storytelling within a schizoparanoid-kafkaesque intelligence to fight beuracracies with stories and numbers. Through this ambient augmentation of shared spaces the writing process resulted in humans as paintbrushes (ie. the contributing authors followed the principles open src democracy in a series of expeditions to shipwrecked submarines). No microscopic blackholes in dark chocolate and luxury watches were harmed by nomadic collaborative visualisation. We guarantee that the intimate technologies utilised for the generation of the graphics will not become weapons of mass distraction, nor creative spam. If you find the text in this document sounding too much like something from a physics textbook, remember pataphysics, superinduced on metaphysics and the science of imaginary solutions. This issue would not be possible without too many people calling dead things lifelike.
FoAM vzw po box 488 b-1000 Brussels Belgium
Stichting FOAM po box 10868 1001 EW Amsterdam the Netherlands
http://f0.am
info (at) f0 (dot) am
Supported by: Flemish Ministry of Culture, Belgium
© 2003 FoAM vzw, Brussels, Belgium and Stichting FOAM, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this document, in any medium, provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are preserved on all copies.)
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USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author
Kill For You
Series: Standalone
Published by: Prodorutti Books
**Previously published as ABERRATION**
A woman is found dead, her body beaten post mortem. Stuffed into her mouth is a job application with the words "For You" scrawled across it. FBI profiler Kassidy Bishop is assigned to help find the killer. Despite being scarred by her twin sister's mysterious death fifteen years earlier, Kass is now a rising star in the Bureau's Behavior Analysis Unit.
But as more victims turn up dead around the country--all with the serial killer's trademark message left at the scene--Kassidy is left with more questions than answers. The victims seem to have nothing in common, and the meticulous killer is as inconsistent as he is brutal.
As Kass delves deeper into the mind of the killer, a shocking connection begins to emerge--one that is both personal, and deadly.
Told from the alternating viewpoints of Kassidy and the For You Killer, Kill for You is an edge-of-your-seat, roller coaster ride of a thriller.
"With Kassidy Bishop, Lisa Regan has created a character that's not only smart, but vulnerable. It's that kind of complexity that lifts her novels from others in the suspense genre."
- Gregg Olsen, New York Times Bestselling author
"Aberration is a sophisticated and compelling suspense novel. Just when you think you know what's next, the story whips you around a corner into shocking new territory and you discover nothing is quite what it seems. Aberration will keep you reading, and guessing, until the very end, when not one but two shocking twists await the reader. Lisa Regan has also created that rarity, a wonderfully original and complex heroine in Kassidy Bishop, who is a tough and bright FBI agent but also refreshingly human. Someone to root for, fear for, and hope we meet again in another Lisa Regan novel.”
– Mark Pryor, author of The Bookseller (Hugo Marston series)
— Winner (tie) for BEST TWIST ("I'VE BEEN SHAMYLANED") in the eFestival of Words Best of Independent eBook Awards, 2014 —
Copyright © Lisa Regan: 2019. Site by AuthorBytes.
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Lisa’s Bookshelf
Storytelling for Families
Join Lisa on
Storytelling is rapidly becoming a dying art in our culture, but if we lose our stories we lose parts of ourselves. In this busy, fractured, speed-of-light world, our stories all too often go ungathered. We’ve largely abandoned the tradition of chatting around family dinner tables and spending long evenings on front porches while the young folks sit at the knee of the older ones. I can’t tell you how often, as I’m out speaking about my books, someone in the audience expresses regret at not having recorded the recollections of a mother, father, aunt, uncle, grandparent or neighbor.
Preserving the Family Stories
Family stories shouldn’t be lost. They’re meant to teach the next generation, to help us understand who we are. All things are temporal in this world, but our stories can remain long after we’re gone.
If you’re struggling to get the memories flowing in your family, here are a few helpful tips.
1. Share a bit of yourself first
One of the best ways to get the story wheel going is to share a bit of your own story. Try something like, “Wow that Mustang that just passed by makes me think of my first car. I worked two summers to pay for that car. We had some good times in that thing…” or “Those kids on their bikes make me think of riding over to Mrs. Brown’s house, and she always had those oatmeal cookies. We used to ride our bikes all over the neighborhood. Hey, Dad, do you remember your first bike? Who gave it to you? Where was your favorite place to ride it? Did you ever get into trouble with it?”
2. Listen actively
Pay attention to what’s being said. Pick up on side notes that might lead to a good story. Try things like, “Do you remember where you were living when that happened?”, “Who gave you that recipe?”, or “How long did you have that dog? Where did he come from?”
3. Think of story sparks ahead of time and then work them into the conversation
Think of common experiences that might spark memories for others. Favorite foods, favorite toys, bicycles, cars, dates, first loves, sports, jobs, homes, parents, grandparents, life transitions, pets, hobbies, church, school, childhood entertainment, favorite TV shows from days gone by. Sometimes getting a good story is a simple as providing the spark.
4. Make the interview a school project
If Grandma, Grandpa or Uncle Ned is a little reluctant to sit down for an interview, consider working the interview into a school project. Assign it for a grade in home school or Sunday school, or ask your child’s teacher if it can be turned in for extra credit. Try questions like:
— Tell me about the first house you remember. What kind of bedroom did you have?
— What kind of games did you play? What was the neighborhood like?
— Do you remember when you started school? What was it like?
— Who was your first best friend?
— How many brothers and sisters did you have?
— Did you play any sports?
— Did you ever win an award for something at school?
— Did your parents ever tell you family stories? What did they talk about?
— Do you have a favorite holiday memory you could share?
— Where did you go to shop for food or clothes?
— What was your first job?
— When did you get married? What was the courtship like? What was your first house like?
— Did you know how to cook? How did you learn?
— Where did you go to church?
— Do you remember a favorite vacation?
— How did parenthood change your life?
— Can you tell me about a difficult time in your life—something you struggled with?
5. Get out Aunt Edna’s Doily Collection
Get out the family photos, family recipes, family jewelry, old holiday decorations, old dishes and utensils. Ask about where they came from or how they were used. Talk about houses, cars, pets, locations in the background of family photos. If you’re gathering for a family holiday, set the table with family photos at each place or print place mats or place cards with scans of old photos on them. Ask each person at the table to tell what he/she remembers about that photo.
6. Put on your reporter’s hat
Cleverly lead the conversation to the who, what, where, when, and why of the conversation. When did it happen, where did it happen, who was there, what happened afterward?
7. And finally…
Document before you forget. Record with a video camera or tape recorder, take notes, write down, take photos. Find a special place to keep those gold nuggets. Preserve them like the precious gifts that they are.
Raising the Next Generation of Storytellers
I sometimes wonder where the next generation of storytellers will come from, in a generation more accustomed to electronic media than face-to-face communication. One of the most wonderful parts of raising my own children in a family of true Southern storytellers was watching our boys discover a love of telling and hearing of stories of all types.
Over the years, we’ve invited oral storytellers to many book festivals. There’s nothing like watching young people lean in as they’re caught up in a good tale. Here are a few tips for fostering that interest in the next generation.
1. Take a family outing to a storytelling contest or festival, also sometimes called a “liar’s contest” (or watch some Youtube videos of storytellers in action). For festival information: www.storynet.org , www.storytellingcenter.net, www.georgeweststoryfest.org
2. Encourage kids to try storytelling themselves. Have them enter a talent show or plan a storytelling performance to entertain at a family holiday, a senior citizen’s center or a community event. Here’s a site with some fun stories meant to be told orally. You can find many others, often handed down through generations, by searching for “Shaggy Dog Stories.” http://www.macscouter.com/Stories/index.asp
3. Put a “Family Story Box” on your table. Each day at mealtime, load the box with something meant to inspire the telling of family stories – a photo from a past family event, pictures of ancestors, mementos from family vacations, heirlooms. The contents of the box will become a mystery that makes mealtimes a treat.
4. Add some “story starter” question cards to your table, either at holiday dinners or during regular family meals. Search for questions online, write your own, or purchase packs of table talk questions (check your favorite game store or internet shop). Questions like “Talk about a slumber party you remember,” “Do you remember your favorite teacher?” or “Do you remember a time when you got in trouble at school?” can generate wonderful stories and great fun among a mix of generations.
5. Teach morals with “What would you do, if…” questions. Provocative questions like, “What would you do if there was something you really needed but your best friend needed it too, and there was only one, but it couldn’t be shared?” can help to give younger generations a firm footing in family values and give kids an understanding of the fact that the adults in the family face dilemmas, too.
6. Play “story bingo” in the car. Spot something outside the window and start a story with it, “The spotted dog behind the white picket fence….” The story then circles through the car, each person responsible for spotting something and adding to the story, “Wanted to drive a pickup truck….”
7. Make it a summer assignment, school assignment, or Youtube project. Why not encourage kids to interview a friend or family member with a story to tell – an experience in the armed forces, a love story, a career story – by making the interview an official project?
8. Try “Story dice.” Story dice provide endless possibilities and challenges. Roll the dice for a combination of person, place, item, and event. Make your own or check out Rory’s Storytelling Cubes – great stocking stuffers!
9. Read out loud together. So often we quit reading together after the kids start school. Remember that reading to your kids is still a wonderful way to “live” a story together and enjoy important quality time.
10. Play “Let’s Pretend.” Remember how much fun it was in childhood? Why not give it a try again? Pitch a tent, journey down a creek, build a fort in the living room with blankets. Gather materials for costumes. Create a story with your kids. Get grandparents involved, too. You’re never too old to play Let’s Pretend!
Encourage kids to understand that creating and enjoying a story is a matter of imagination, not a matter of reading or writing (which can be a task for some kids). Story is about what happens in the brain when you “live” in another world. Enjoy!
Copyright 2015 Wingate Media, LLC
Content Copyright 2020 - Lisa Wingate.
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For Nikki Lane It’s All Or Nothin’
Home » Album Reviews » For Nikki Lane It’s All Or Nothin’
Posted on Aug 30, 2014 in Album Reviews
Read our review of Nikki Lane’s new release All Or Nothin
NIKKI LANE’S
ALL OR NOTHIN’
From Nashville, Nikki Lane’s second album, All Or Nothin’ will be released in Australia on September 5 on New West Records\Warner Music Australia.
It’s a classy, diverse outing, with nary a wrong move anywhere during its twelve tracks and 42.42 minutes.
Produced by Dan Auerbach (Black Keys), All Or Nothin’ is a rousing collection of songs that spans genres and exudes with Lane’s characteristic attitude and Southern swagger. “I wrote with so many amazing musicians on this album but Dan was really instrumental in helping me figure out the direction we were going for,” Lane says.
Over the album, Lane sings tales about misbehaving, wanton desires, heartache, love and lust. “It’s always the right time to do the wrong thing,” she repeats like a mantra during the infectious opener “Right Time” (see below) and that statement might well define All Or Nothin’.
“I really consider this album to be a Nikki Lane mixtape of my thoughts and the sounds that I’m into so that’s why you can’t put it in a neat box,” Lane says.
There certainly is a variety of flavors running through the material here. All the songs are co-writes with Lane, with many of them penned by Lane and Auerbach. In “Good Man” she’s cleaning up after her partner, waiting at home for him to return, dissatisfied, pleading for some much-needed love and affection – Dusty Springfield with twang. By contrast, “I Don’t Care” pops and sizzles with grandeur, a la Elvis Costello and The Attractions (again, with twang). It’ll have you on your feet and careering around the room (well, maybe for some of you!). This is a pivotal track and the guitar is exemplary (see players below).
“You Can’t Talk To Me Like That” nails it – a sassy push back with a slow beauty. Lane’s voice is a standout and the McCrary Sisters lend beautiful support. “Seein’ Double” is a hurried tale with emotive, imperious, clanging guitar
“I got a hole in my heart…Mighty deep, cold and dark…Like a tunnel…It’s hard to breathe in this town…”
A stripped-down acoustic duet with Auerbach, “Love’s On Fire,” is another direction, again beautifully executed from a subdued beginning then cranking it up a piece. Here Auerbach’s voice sounds great, but somehow different to his work with the Black Keys – maybe the material is the difference?
More contrast with the title track which has a keyboard-inspired and blue-eyed funk feel, accentuated by wah-wah guitar. “Sleep With a Stranger” has Lane in more country territory vocally and lyrically, but the instrumentation is more dense and rockier than you might expect. “Man Up” is a definitive country-themed outing, trying to get her man to lift his game – I am reminded of the female take-no-rubbish-strength of fellow sassy lady Elizabeth Cook.
The plaintive ballad “Out of My Mind,” written with former touring partner J. Spaceman of Spiritualized, is delivered with majestic harmonies. “Wild One” is a tale of a relationship in trouble and further advice is provided to her man ..maybe he’s better off alone anyway… The final track has a bell-ringing, Phil Spector wall-of-sound quality that could belong to any number of girl groups on the 60’s. The album showcases the many sides of Lane and her diverse influences. It’s a worthy release indeed, guaranteed to prick up your ears.
The album was recorded in Nashville at Easy Eye Sound. The players are top-notch:
Kenny Vaughan – guitar (a personal favorite of mine)
Patrick Keeler – drums
Russ Paul – pedal steel
Spencer Cullum Jr – pedal steel
Bobby Emmett – keys
Aaron Oliva – bass
Dave Roe – bass
Joshua Hedley – fiddle
The McCrary Sisters – backing vocals
Ralph Carney – horns
All Or Nothin’ out September 5 through New West Records\Warner Music Australia
Nikki Lane is part of
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Austin City Limits and
Out On The Weekend festival Melbourne Australia with various side shows in October 2014
Author: Rob Dickens
Our Albums Of The Month
Michael Doucet - LACHER PRISE
Sarah Jane Scouten - CONFESSIONS
Eric Brace & Last Train Home - DAYTIME HIGHS AND OVERNIGHT LOWS
John Dennis - MORTAL FLAMES
The SteelDrivers - BAD FOR YOU
Listening Through The Lens is
an on-line roots music magazine, promoting alt. country, blues, bluegrass, folk, americana, rock, gospel and soul. Our contributors review music, lead music tours, host radio shows and take images
© Copyright Rob Dickens and Jim Jacob 2013-2019. All rights reserved.
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J is for Dame Jane Goodall #AtoZ Challenge
The more we learn of the true nature of nonhuman animals, especially those with complex brains and corresponding complex social behaviour, the more ethical concerns are raised regarding their use in the service of man – whether this be in entertainment, as ‘pets,’ for food, in research laboratories or any of the other uses to which we subject them. This concern is sharpened when the usage in question leads to intense physical or mental suffering – as is so often true with regard to vivisection.”
This quote is from Jane Goodall’s book, Through a Window, written in 1990.
Jane Goodall was born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall in London, 1934. She was given a stuffed chimpanzee as a child and her love for the toy sparked her interest in animals. (My first toy was a panda – I still have him here on my desk – that and an early visit to Bristol Zoo sparked my interest in animals!)
Her journey to where she became such a passionate scientific observer and advocate for chimpanzees was interesting – she visited the farm of family friends in Tanzania, Africa, and through other friends she met the famous anthropologist Louis Leakey, and became his secretary.
Leakey was particularly interested in chimpanzees, and was looking for someone to do a long-term study on them – he thought Jane fitted the bill. She would need to spend long, patient hours in isolation, gaining their trust, and making meticulous notes.
She did fit the bill. After one false start she started on her defining work at Gombe Stream National Park.
Jane had no training to do scientific work and this meant her methods and observations were governed by a wider interest in just exactly how they behaved – she observed them to have unique and individual personalities, an unconventional and contentious idea at the time.
it isn’t only human beings who have personality, who are capable of rational thought and emotions like joy and sorrow.”
She also observed behaviours such as hugs, kisses, pats on the back, and even tickling and insisted;
these gestures are evidence of “the close, supportive, affectionate bonds that develop between family members and other individuals within a community, which can persist throughout a life span of more than 50 years.”
Her research there is best known to the scientific community for challenging two long-standing beliefs of the day – that only humans could construct and use tools, and that chimpanzees were vegetarians.
She observed chimpanzees using blades of grass, often modified, to stick into termite mounds and gather the insects to eat, rather like they were using a long-handled spoon.
Until this time, science had distinguished humans from the rest of the animal kingdom as ‘toolmakers’. In response to Jane Goodall’s revolutionary findings, Louis Leakey wrote:
We must now redefine man, redefine tool, or accept chimpanzees as human!”
Her other revolutionary observations were chimps pursuing, killing and eating other monkeys, birds and small deer. Chimps were thought to be vegetarian before her study.
We have since found out that chimps, although possessing the same muscles as us, have them structured slightly differently, and they use fewer neurones to control them – which means they have less motor control but much more power as all the muscle is used. They are at least four times as powerful as us and can pull a man’s arm straight off.
In 1977, she established the Jane Goodall Institute, which supports the Gombe research, and she is a global leader in the effort to protect chimpanzees and their habitats.
Jane Goodall has in the past and continues to promote the need for and encourage African nations to develop nature-friendly tourism, which helps them with a living.
She has written a book for children in 1989 called The Chimpanzee Family Book – it won a prize and she used the prize money to have it translated into Swahili to educate children who live areas near chimpanzees, to foster a pride, interest in and love for the local environment and its wildlife.
Campaigning to get scientists to find alternatives to the use of animals in research has also been part of her unflagging work – although she opposes militant animal rights groups as she believes extremists on both sides of the issue polarise thinking and make constructive dialogue impossible.
She has been the recipient of many awards – culminating in 2002 when he was named a Messenger of Peace by the United Nations and in 2003 being made a Dame of the British Empire.
If you’d like to read about more extraordinary women, why not buy the book Reaching the Stars, Poems about Extraordinary Women and Girls, by me, Jan Dean and Michaela Morgan – link below, press on book!
Posted in: A-Z Challenge 2017 ♦ Authors ♦ Extraordinary Women ♦ Liz Brownlee ♦ Reaching the Stars ♦ Reaching the Stars Poems
Tagged: Chimpanzees, Extraordinary Women, Jan Dean, Jane Goodall, Liz Brownlee, Michaela Morgan, Poems about extraordinary women and girls, poetry, Reaching the Stars
← I is for Ida B Wells, Early Fighter Against Institutional Racism #AtoZ Challenge
K is for Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan #AtoZ Challenge →
Maryann Holloway
Truly a pioneer in her field. Visiting from
If I Only Had A Time Machine
She is fab, isn’t she!
She’s such an amazing person! It must be so fun to spend so much time among chimps.
Oooh, I don’t know – she had to act like them, and eat some of the same food, and use their body language – no toilet, no bath, no bed for months and months… *shudders*
Amazing woman. Thank goodness there are people like her in this world.
Yes! Oh, yes. But not enough of them…
I love the story about Gary Larson, who once drew a cartoon that a member of the Jane Goodall Institute found offensive (a chimp is grooming her mate, and says “Aha! Another blonde hair! Been doing ‘research’ with that Jane Goodall tramp again?”). He called the institute to apologize, and found out she loved the cartoon. That’s a great quality, to be able to laugh at yourself like that.
Oh, John, thank you for that – I LOVE this story!
She’s wonderful, isn’t she? My cousin met her through their friends in Kenya… made me very jealous!
Oh, my goodness… I don’t often feel jealousy, I feel very lucky to have what I have, but I, too, would love to have met her!
The National Geographic Presents episode with Jane Goodall and the chimpanzees was a key part of my childhood.
Wish I’d seen that, Liam! Perhaps it’s on Youtube?
Maybe? It was replayed frequently on public television in the US in the 1980s, but I haven’t seen it since.
National Geographic are very careful with their copyright, so possibly not. My husband is a film editor and has done some editing on wildlife programmes for joint BBC/Nat. Geographic before now.
This is one lady I wish I could meet because she has done so much for the ape world. I truly respect and admire this lady.
Me, too, Birgit, and unlike most of my subjects, still alive and inspiring people today!
Anne Nydam
My beloved childhood companion was a panda, too! It really is true that the more of the world we can be taught to embrace as children, the better we treat the world as adults.
A-Z of Printmakers
Yes! That is just it!
sharann
July 9, 2017 – 1:35 am
I just adore Jane Goodall. Such an incredible lady!
July 9, 2017 – 1:39 pm
She is amazing – beautiful inside and out.
Indeed! 🙂
Leave a Reply to Susan A Eames Cancel reply
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The Official Website of Lenny Bruce
Can We Take a Joke? documentary clip remembers stand-up icon Lenny Bruce – Entertainment Weekly
Has society become more or less tolerant of controversial, button-pushing comedy material in the years since the death of stand-up icon Lenny Bruce, who died exactly half a century ago on Wednesday? That’s one of the questions considered in a new documentary called Can We Take a Joke?, which was released in select cinemas July 29 and is also now available to watch on VOD.
Directed by Ted Balaker, and narrated by comedian Christina Pazsitzky, the film finds stand-up comics Gilbert Gottfried, Penn Jillette, Jim Norton, Lisa Lampanelli, Adam Carolla, and Heather McDonald ruminating upon what many regard as society’s increasingly censorious attitude towards our laugh-makers. Other contributors include bestselling writer Jon Ronson, author of last year’s fascinating book, So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed.
You can see a clip from Can We Take a Joke? featuring Norton and Jillette, among others, above, and the trailer below.
frameborder=”0” allowFullScreen>
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Eternal Warrior (1992-1996) #30
Eternal Warrior (1992-1996)
On the run from Caldone's men, Gilad's leap of faith leads to bullets ("BRAAAAAP!"), bloodshed (at least one sword-through-the-head!), and a high speed city chase that'd make Hal Needham blush!
Valiant Classic
Ted Halsted
Mike DeCarlo
Stu Suchit
Gilad Ani-Padda has lived more than a hundred lifetimes. Ten thousand years ago, he was his people's fiercest soldier... Today he is the Eternal Warrior, the Earth's immortal Fist and Steel! When Geomancer Geoff McHenry calls on him to save the world from a doom first predicted millennia ago, the Eternal Warrior will have no choice but to answer, no matter the cost!
Archer & Armstrong (1992-1994)
Armstrong is a 10,000-year-old libertine who may be as strong as a battalion, but abandoned idealism millennia ago. Now he spends his days drinking, carousing and telling tales of his outrageous adventures throughout history to anyone who will listen-- that is, when he's not on the run from an ancient cult whose bumbling agents have been hunting him for two thousand years. But Armstrong counts as
Rai (1992-1995)
Meet Takao Konishi, the last Rai! With the Blood of Heroes coursing through his veins, Rai will lead humanity's liberation from the all-knowing, all-powerful sentient nation known as Grandmother. But when you upset Grandmother, you must be punished.
Bloodshot (1993-1996)
Angelo Mortalli has become the ultimate killing machine. His memories were erased and his blood was infused with microscopic computers called nanites. These nanites allow him to heal wounds quickly, dominate electronic devices, and fully control every aspect of his body to maximize his physical capabilities. A modern-day Frankenstein, he wages a one man war-- taking out the mob, the police and his
X-O Manowar (1992-1996)
Aric, a fifth century Visigoth barbarian, is captured by aliens and enslaved aboard their starship. A fellow prisoner carves a map into his hand that leads to the aliens' ultimate weapon-- the X-O Manowar armor. Aric fights his way to the sentient armor and escapes back to Earth with it only to find that 1600 years have passed. He is now the most primitive man on the planet, yet he wields the most
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X #18
**THE DOCTOR IS IN¦SANE!** X has been abducted by the Skin Traders! Their gruesome, animal-faced leader is determined to get a slice of X's famously resilient flesh. While Leigh and Ruidoso mobilize to track down X's whereabouts, X fights tooth and nail to keep a deranged doctor from getting under his skin! Dark Horse's _X_ is really hitting its stride and readers should get on board immediately.Unleash the Fanboy
Art by:
Collected Edition
Vol. 6: Marked For Death Enter the Mark
The city of Arcadia is the dark side of the American Dream. It's the land of opportunity, if you've got the money to buy it or the muscle to take it. The police are the best trained and equipped in the country, if you can afford their protection. Crime is under control, because crime is in control. For the corrupt and the ruthless, Arcadia is paradise on Earth. But a cold storm is blowing through
Dark Horse Heroes Omnibus
In the not-too-distant past, the first nuclear weapon test changed the world forever . . . but not in the way we expected. Unleashed upon the planet was a microscopic technological virus of unknown origin that infected millions-some to no effect, some to horrifying agonies and disfigurement, others with the gift of incredible and sometimes terrifying power. But would a world populated by supermen
Captain Midnight
In the forties, he was an American hero, a daredevil fighter pilot, a technological genius... a superhero. Since he rifled out of the Bermuda Triangle and into the present day, Captain Midnight has been labeled a threat to homeland security. Can Captain Midnight survive in the modern world, with the US government on his heels and an old enemy out for revenge?! Collects Captain Midnight #1-#3, Capt
Two Past Midnight
A madman is on the loose. His goal: Shock, awe, panic, and hysteria. Can three disparate heroes-an investigative specter, a psychopathic vigilante, and a time-traveling genius -put aside their differences to defeat this terror-focused sociopath? Find out what happens when Ghost, X, and Captain Midnight meet up in the first crossover of Dark Horse's new superhero comics!
Project Black Sky
In the late 1930s, a covert government agency was established to protect Earth from the potential of extraterrestrial threats. The first on the scene of any reported UFO crash or sighting, these brave men and women were called Project Black Sky, and what they discovered would change the course of human history. Get in on the ground floor of the Project Black Sky series with this collection of the
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(thing) by dew Sat Nov 13 1999 at 9:18:36
A country in the Middle East, next to Turkey. The oldest original Christian nation. They don't seem to get along with the Muslims in Turkey very well. They also grow facial hair quickly and thickly at a young age: I should know, I have a fair number of Armenian friends! They tend to be useful for getting alchohol when you're under 21. =)
(place) by Segnbora-t Sat Feb 19 2000 at 2:48:18
Formerly part of the Soviet Union, Armenia borders Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Iran. It actually separates two non-continuous areas of Azerbaijan and there has been a lot of conflict between the two countries.
(place) by iceowl Wed Mar 21 2007 at 22:54:24
I am walking down the aisles of the Vernissage, central Yerevan's weekend outdoor market. A t-shirt catches my eye. The graven image of Lenin is stamped upon a Bolshevik red field. Lenin is pierced through the skull by the golden arches. The caption reads, "McLenin's"
"Look at that." I catch Kristan's attention and point. My "significant woman" as translated by one of my Armenian hosts, lifts the shirt and says something about needing to have it.
The vendor is a smartly dressed, middle-aged woman who says in near perfect English, "On the back it says, 'The Party's Over.'" She utters a coaxing laugh which is funnier than the shirt in its stereotypical post-Communist pastiche. I'm thinking: Saturday Night Live.
How utterly fucking western. Clear the head. It isn't a case of being PC, it's a case of despising my own unconscious disrespect. It takes energy to be courteous. How can I understand this culture if I can't stop thinking that we're surrounded by people who want to obliterate us and the Iranians would be my best hope for survival in a military action?
"It's wonderfully funny. How much?"
"It's a very funny. Two thousand drams." At 350 drams to the dollar, we're talking about 6 bucks. Though if I wait a few hours I may get it cheaper. The rate fluctuates 10% a day, depending on what W utters on Fox.
Our host catches up to us and politely shakes his head. Says, "Too much. They know you're western tourists," and moves us along while I'm thinking that the shirt alone would cost twelve bucks back in the states.
I decide I want a silver vodka flask that has the raised seal of the KGB on its face. We passed it four or five tables back. Our host proposes that we walk farther and when we're out of sight he'll buy it for half what the vendor will charge. I tell him not to worry. I'll come back tomorrow and pay the full sixteen dollars.
"What will you do with a Russian hip flask?" asks my significant woman.
"It says KGB on it."
"They put KGB on anything here. Back there they're selling women's underwear with the insignia."
"You got them, right?"
As we ply the throngs of weekend shoppers we're accosted by old women who offer us their handmade lace doilies and table runners. Some simply hold out their hands and say the English word that makes the world go round: money.
I hand out all my small change. And when I'm out of small change, my host hands out his, and then we ignore the rest of the beggars and I'm thinking this country was Christian when there was still a Roman Empire, and would Jesus have stopped handing out money when he ran out of small coins.
How far would he have gone? When would he have stopped?
When the wall came down the west rejoiced and Armenia lost its electricity for a decade. Plumbing. Medical. Dreams.
We do business in Armenia because it is cheap. Because we pay them so little. And they do not pass the old women on the street without putting a coin in their outstretched hands.
I'm wearing my yellow North Face rain jacket and it seems to me I'm the only person in Armenia wearing a color other than brown or black. Every male sports a simple leather jacket, short hair, black leather shoes that are completely inappropriate for the torn up concrete and puddles we have to ford to traverse the bazaar. No one wears glasses. Do they all have perfect vision?
"I can see your shape, but not your face," someone said to me. I thought it was a sort of encoded Russian I couldn't suss. I thought what I thought because I am from America.
"In America, you have everything," said my host.
A smoldering cigarette hangs from between every set of parted lips. It seems to me that every guy loitering on the corner is the perfect candidate to play the role of the Soviet secret policeman, the Eastern European drug runner, or the merchant thief. I can't purge my mind of the image. The Odessa File. Gorky Park.
On the weekend there are knots of young and middle-aged men standing in groups, all similarly shod and clad in leather, crew-cut heads, yellowed fingers holding the twentieth cigarette of the day by eleven AM. Russian mafia. KGB.
One of my colleagues told me the night before, "I can drink so much vodka one of my KGB friends is certain I have a pill that prevents me from getting drunk. He's sure I'm CIA."
He doesn't answer when I ask, "Well, are you?" which is something I'd do, too, just to keep myself inside an aura of mystery.
Yerevan doesn't wake until 10AM when the empty streets suddenly fill with Russian Latas and Zils for which the idea of emission control is as ludicrous as wings on herring. Among them is the occasional BMW and Porsche. I think I see a Lexus SUV between a group of Soviet-era cargo trucks, but it's not there when the trucks clear in a cloud of diesel smoke that would kill small children if the population were more dense. As it is, more Armenians live outside the country than within, and I'm told that half of them are looking for ways to get out. Most people live in the capital city of Yerevan. Everywhere else is open country, dotted in the ruins of occupying forces: Romans, Greeks, Persians, Turks, the Soviets, and whoever wants to step up behind them.
Mother Armenia stands on a hilltop overlooking the city. A graven angel in the form of a Stalinist Propaganda poster, she holds a sword in her hands, the spirit of each Armenian who is ready to protect the populace from the next invader.
"She was built in Soviet times," says Haik, our host. In fact, everything we see was built in Soviet times. The building for the ministry of internal security. The KGB building. The police building. In the worst condition of them all, the hospital.
It has taken nearly a decade to reconstruct the semblance of an orderly existence we see here. Reconstruction was funded by a massive, financially successful Diaspora sporting the likes of Kurt Kerkorian and K. Hovnanian. People were granted their Soviet-issued apartments and housing prices have gone up nearly 10x in Yerevan. There's a building boom. But Armenia has a way of initiating projects that will never be complete. The shells of massive skyscrapers stand unshod of the bright glass planned in the computer drawings. Tall construction cranes define the skyline. I've been here a week. Not one has moved.
It's going to take a more than a pile of money to repair Armenia.
Of their neighbors only the Iranians haven't recently massacred thousands of them. They commit their fiscal trade with Iran through a Muslim/Christian veil of tolerance they do not share with the Azerbaijanis or the Turks. The wounds are still fresh. Armenia was an empire in the time of Constantine, and so the constructions of that great state still survive in the surrounding nations who through centuries of geopolitics have moved the Armenian borders inward. Recently, an independent European aid agency uncovered the obliteration of a 1500-year old Armenian graveyard in a neighboring country. Thousands of religious stone carvings called khachkars from the fifth to the twelfth century have simply disappeared or were obviously destroyed. The president of that nation shrugs. The Armenians wonder why the rest of the world isn't taking notice.
And then there is the controversy of deniers of the most recent Armenian genocide at the hands of the Turks around World War I.
My host's mentions these things in passing. He's not looking for a convert to his point of view. He's commenting on observable truths, shifting the conversation seamlessly from current affairs to biblical history as if King Narek walked the earth yesterday. As if we hadn't accidentally walked into his open grave yesterday.
"I imagine him standing here. My feet where his feet have walked," said Hovik, a young protege of the Armenian management I'm here to meet.
I say, "Yes," even though up to that moment I'd never heard of the great king who ruled over an empire.
In our host's car we pass a statue of Sakarov in one of Yerevan's squares.
"He invent the Soviet bomb, but then he turn to -- you say, human problems?"
"Humanitarian."
"Yes, to help people. It is good, che?"
"It is good."
This man who drives our car is called Haik, as are most Armenian men who aren't named Armen. Haik and Armen were great-grandchildren of Noah, and the progenitors of this tiny society that speaks a unique language for which a specific alphabet was commissioned in the fourth century. There's a big debate - how many letters compose the Armenian alphabet? Three were added to the original thirty-six, which had no symbol for what we call the "o" and "f" sounds in English. And then there's "yev" which is sort of a verbal ampersand.
"In Soviet times we didn't come here much," he says of the cathedral we see next.
And I can't help thinking that these were the people we feared in Soviet times. They were going to drop the bomb on us to protect their cinderblock apartment buildings.
And yet I can stand with them and raise a glass of vodka over dinner. "To our children," we toast. "To family." We drink.
Then Haik's kid is in the car sitting next to Kristan. Sonja is "chors" - which is the way you say "four" in Armenian. Another way is to hold up four fingers, which any kid gets, anywhere. If she had been born in California, her mom would have Sonja in commercials. She's too cute to be unnoticed among the sheep and goats the kids are selling for roadside slaughter.
Sonja pets a condemned lamb while Mother Armenia protects her children from American invaders.
Yet, here we are this morning, American invaders driving down roads forbidden to us for decades. The byways of Reagan's evil empire are traversed by people who love their little ones.
Kristan's blowing soap bubbles Sonja chases. "Wherever I go I carry them. To break the ice with kids. I got the idea in Nepal."
"Good idea," says me, who has never been to Nepal and doesn't get the connection.
Sonja says something we don't understand. Haik translates his daughter. "She say more bubbles. She confused because you're an adult."
In Sonja's world, all adults understand her. She says something different, and she looks at her father, perplexed.
"She say more bubbles in Russian this time."
In a cathedral museum I touch a wooden cylinder within which is an arm bone belonging to John the Baptist. Next to it is the spear tip that penetrated Christ's side while he hung from the Roman cross.
"We are the first Christian state," says my host, pointing to a stone cross carved in the 4th century. It stands next to a Hellenic temple dated to five hundred BC. The place is called Garni. The temple is on a precipice overlooking a small river. In the distance is mount Ararat, final resting place of Noah's ark and consequently the origin of all of us of genetic European descent.
It looms over us as we make our way toward Geghard, a 7th century church carved into the side of a mountain. Ararat is sacred to the Armenians but is on Turkish soil, "Unfortunately," says Haik as we drive a rutted Armenian passageway that resembles a modern road in that motorists attempt to follow it in modern vehicles. Horseback would be a more appropriate means of traveling these dirt paths.
We go through a small village where two teenage boys wrestle next to a pen of sheep. Haik tells us if we want lamb for our mountain barbecue he can stop. Apparently, they'll slaughter and dress the mutton while we watch.
"It's good."
The Armenian word for "good" is "Luv"
We pass a group of middle-aged men in leather coats who turn and stare as if we've interrupted an important conversation that was occurring out here, so far from anywhere, so close to the closed Turkish border.
Later, we ascend the snowy cliffs and enter a cave beside Geghard monastery. The men start a fire and begin to barbecue some pork they brought. This is horovatz, traditional Armenian fare. They bring out bottles of good Russian vodka and we proceed in the sequence of toasts. To friends. To our work. To our women.
I've now done the sequence many times. We will toast our team. Our families. Our cooks and our food. By then my head is swimming with alcohol and the smell of roasted meat. Someone hands me some horovatz, cooked meat wrapped in the traditional lavash bread. He leads me to the back of the cave where with some outrageous degree of precision a cross is carved into the wall.
He invites me to touch it. "Make a wish..."
Ok. I think, OK. The stone is cold and the sinuous carving is smooth. Almost two thousand years ago someone spent a long time making his mark upon this mountain. How could he know I'd be here admiring his work, following the lines with my fingertips wondering why we are granted these experiences.
It begins to snow. One more toast. Last in the traditional sequence. To parents.
"I am missing one parent," I say, raising my glass. "I have only a mother."
"Me too. I have only mother," says Armen.
And then from another, "I have both mother and father -"
"Well, that's good. Let's drink to them. You are lucky to have them."
"I mean, I have not a mother or father. My father has died two years ago, and then my mother, just some months ago, in the last October."
"Oh," is the inadequate thing I say.
"Yes," says this man, named Vahe. Typically short hair and iron gray sweater. Square-toed leather shoes. Now he's an orphan.
"I am no parents." His eyes become glassy. He looks toward the snowy mountains, then squints with purpose. Out there Kristan is quenching her cabin fever by climbing the mountainside. She's a black dot on the white mountain. In a land where women don't run off alone, most of the men are distracted to the point of near insanity. They gather round. If I don't say anything they'll form a posse and bring her down, perhaps forcibly. For her safety. This I understand. The prehistoric need to protect, especially strong here.
"Toast to the climbers," says Vahe.
"Toast to our climbers," says Armen.
And we refill our glasses. "She will get down okay," I assure them.
"Are you sure?" Haik asks me.
"I think so. Yes. Actually, she'll be okay."
"How do you know?"
"I have faith," I say. "I believe."
"Ok. We understand faith," says Haik. He refills our cups with Standard Russian vodka.
"In the churches we visited we lit candles." This is me. I am still thinking about Vahe. "When I was young my grandparents took me to church and we lit candles for our family who was no longer living. Is it the same for you in Armenia?"
"Sometimes. Yes. We light for the ones who are died, but also for our hopes. We have many hopes."
"I think we have another toast," says Haik. "To many hopes."
Today I am home in California, but yesterday I was in a cave in Armenia next to an ancient Christian church in a valley beside snowcapped mountains, by the fire with people I'd just met, drinking to all the good things we wished for each other.
There is still hope.
I like it! 10 C!s
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Ed Sheeran will pick a name for Jake and Jesy's baby
JESY Nelson and Jake Roche have agreed to let Ed Sheeran name their first baby.
The 'Thinking Out Loud' songsmith agreed to serenade the Little Mix beauty as Rixton frontman Jake proposed to her on stage in July on the condition he could pick the moniker for their child.
Jake told Ed he could have the honour in return for the favour but he and Jesy will only let him select the baby's second name.
During an interview on KISS FM UK Breakfast Show, Jesy said: "He said to Jay that he would do (the proposal) and then he was like, 'But only if I can name your child.' And Jake was like, 'Well maybe not their first name, you can give them the middle name.' "
The 'Black Magic' hitmaker and her bandmates - Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall - are gearing up for the release of their third album 'Get Weird' and are enjoying their most successful ever period.
Although the four girls are having the time of their lives making music, they would be prepared to take a break like their pals in One Direction if they felt they needed a rest from the pop world.
They said: "If we're ever at their (1D's) level and we'd like a break, it would be lovely! We haven't scraped the surface of what we want to achieve yet. Like we've ... We have achieved so much but we want global success.
"We just love having each other's company, like we're the best of friends, like there's just not one of those annoying people in the group that just has that big ego or anything. We don't have that in this group, like we are all ... Equal. We don't try outdo each other. We're just all try and live our dream and yeah."
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bang showbiz ed sheeran
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Special Sections » Dish
Dish 2013: Walworth's Tōcōti Chocolate transforms bean into bar
A single-origin story
by Dayna Papaleo
PHOTO BY MARK CHAMBERLIN
Dale and Ellen Montondo's home in Walworth, just northeast of Penfield, is a cute, cedar-sided number that sits amidst a gaggle of tall pines. The place would seem warm and inviting even without the unmistakable aroma of chocolate that hugs you as you cross the threshold. It's a scent that scientists claim can relieve stress and elevate your mood, and in the Montondo house it's also the scent of art converging with gastronomy, and of a dream come to life.
The Montondos' company, Tōcōti Chocolate, is the Rochester area's lone micro-batch, bean-to-bar chocolate maker, and one of what Ellen estimates to be only about 50 in the United States. But before you start envisioning Oompa Loompas and big glass elevators, maybe dial it back a bit.
"The world's smallest chocolate manufacturer" is how Ellen laughingly describes Tōcōti, based in the Montondos' home and occupying a couple of surprisingly compact rooms that have been tricked out with equipment that takes the humble cacao bean and transforms it into the luscious sensory experience so many people crave.
Slideshow [ Slideshow ] Tocoti Chocolate
[ Slideshow ] Tocoti Chocolate
The seed for Tōcōti began germinating back in 2008. Ellen had developed a taste for high-quality chocolate during her trips to Europe working for a biotech company, but once the travel portion of her job ceased, she was without a source of good chocolate. "'Maybe we should make our own,'" Ellen recalls saying to her husband. "'How hard could it be?'" So Dale ordered five pounds of cacao beans; fast-forward past one burned-out blender, Ellen had her artisanal chocolate fix, and Dale was hooked, too.
Cacao trees, which bear around 30 usable pods a year, only grow within 20 degrees to the north and south of the Equator. Once harvested, the football-shaped pods are split open so that the cacao beans found within the pods' sugary pulp can sit in the sun and begin the fermentation process that results in that peerless chocolate taste. Between 20 and 45 beans are typically found in a pod, and it takes about 500 beans to make a pound of chocolate.
The beans that eventually become chocolate under the Tōcōti banner are sourced through direct trade between a cooperative of chocolate makers and growers in Latin American countries like Peru, Belize, Venezuela, and Bolivia, the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean, as well as points further east, like Madagascar and Ivory Coast. Each region imparts a distinct flavor profile to its particular bean (in the wine world it's known as "terroir"), which Tōcōti showcases through its single-origin bars to better appreciate the nuances and complexities of the different beans.
To make chocolate, Dale roasts the cacao beans in a convection oven and then transfers them to a winnower, where the papery shells fall away from the beans, exposing the nibs. Grinding is the next step, which reduces the cacao nibs to the thick paste known as chocolate liquor. (Spoiler alert: there's no actual alcohol in it.) The paste gets combined with organic evaporated cane juice and cocoa butter and then conched, a process that agitates the chocolate liquor until Dale determines that he's achieved what he's looking for in terms of flavor and texture. At this point the chocolate undergoes tempering, which heats the chocolate to a specific temperature that will ensure a pleasing gloss and snap to the finished product.
There's actually not too much available in terms of equipment for micro-batch chocolate makers, who typically don't have the space or financial resources of a mega-batch behemoth like Nestlé or Hershey's. So Dale, who spent many years as a technician in the semiconductor industry but wanted his own business, put his mechanical skills to work. He tweaked existing designs of machinery to suit Tōcōti's purposes, and five pieces of Tōcōti's equipment he built outright. "If I need something, I just make it," Dale says.
After a couple of years spent honing the craft of chocolate making, Dale and Ellen officially began their company in the fall of 2010, settling on the name Tōcōti — pronounced "TOE-koe-tee"; the name comes from three Aztec drum syllables — in the opening months of 2011. An online store and word of mouth allowed Tōcōti to start out slowly, creating wedding favors and offering its wares at a few select retail outlets. Tōcōti made its high-profile debut September 2012 at Foodlink's Festival of Food, eliciting a public response that Ellen remembers as "overwhelming."
Tōcōti's chocolate is processed as minimally as possible, shunning the use of additives and incorporating organic and locally sourced ingredients, like the Joe Bean coffee in Tōcōti's Espresso-Love bar, whenever feasible. It's the relatively subtle Venezuelan chocolate that Dale uses for Tōcōti's truffles, which allows the flavors of fillings like Valencia peanut butter and fresh mint to be the stars.
Currently Tōcōti's products — the 1.7-ounce bars are $6.50 apiece through tocoti.com — are available at places like the Casa Larga Vineyards gift shop in Fairport, the Cocoa Bean Shoppe in Pittsford, and Village Bakery & Café, also in Pittsford. The Montondos also sell Tōcōti at a few local farmers' markets, including Brighton; check Tōcōti's Facebook page for the full schedule.
Unlike major manufacturers, which are required to traffic in uniformity, artisans working on a smaller scale are able to embrace the quirks attendant to handmade goods. "Each batch is unique because we can't do it the same way twice," says Ellen, who works the business side of Tōcōti and spearheads its lovely design — each bar is wrapped in Thai marbled momi paper from Rochester Art Supply — but also revels in educating Tōcōti's customers about chocolate, often with some much-appreciated samples. And as the buzz about Tōcōti grows, the focus for Dale and Ellen is maintaining the integrity and quality of their brand. "That's the point of it," Ellen says. "We're trying to make something that's a real experience.
By the way, if you've always suspected that spending your days surrounded by chocolate would be completely awesome, well, you're right. "I'm excited to wake up in the morning and make chocolate," Dale says. "It's a real reward."
Dish Tocoti chocolate artisan cacao Walworth Casa Larga Cocoa Bean Shoppe Village Bakery & Café farmers markets handcrafted Slideshow
In This Guide...
A three-course meal
If there is a theme to this edition of Dish, it is "starting early." Each of the three features in our annual dining guide refers to that concept in one way or another.
By City Features Staff May 8, 2013
Dish 2013: Eat great, even late
A guide to local restaurants that serve food past midnight
UPDATED 5/15/13 to correct addresses for The Distillery and Elmwood Inn. We've all been there.
By Jason Silverstein May 8, 2013
Banzai Sushi & Cocktail Bar
Dish 2013: Updating the kiddie menu
Move beyond chicken nuggets and PB&J by making child-friendly versions of grown-up food
A couple of weeks ago, my family got carry-out from one of our favorite Asian restaurants. We ordered Chinese-style chicken curry, fish stir-fried with garlic and scallions, a dish made with crushed tofu and mushrooms, and a plate of salt-and-pepper squid — a tangle of tiny deep-fried tentacles that looked very much like the climactic scene of a horror movie just before the hero tosses a bomb and runs away.
By James Leach May 8, 2013
Recipes kid food nutrition parenting child psychology fried rice posole beans and greens eating children
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Best female athletes in the world — on and off the field
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Posts tagged ‘Homelessness’
Homelessness should be a local election issue :
Dear Machholz,
I am writing to you to ask you to participate in Focus Ireland’s current campaign – to make housing and homelessness an issue in the local election campaign.
Frist I want to thank you for participating in previous Focus Ireland campaigns, and agreeing to be contacted on new campaign issues. We have had some notable successes – on the Constitutional Convention recommending a Right to Housing, on Aftercare and on a new target to end long-term homelessness.
Now we need your support again as Ireland is facing a worsening housing and homeless problem and Focus Ireland believes it is vital these issues are put firmly on the agenda for the local elections. You can participate in the campaign here .
Focus Ireland is currently seeing a lot more people and families becoming homeless – and remaining trapped in this situation – despite all our efforts to support them to s ecure a home. This is due to the fact that there is a severe shortage of housing options available for them.
Many of the families and people coming to our services have never had any experience of homeless and never imagined that it could happen to them.
With rising instances of home repossession, reduced stock in the private rental market, a lack of social housing options and increasing rent, those in vulnerable housing situations are more at risk than ever.
In the face of this, homeless services have seen cuts in funding every year. We are asking people who care about homelessness to vote for candidates who will put a stop to these cuts, and refuse to vote for local budgets that include further cut backs.
But how will you know which way candidates will vote on this issue? We are asking everyone who cares about homelessness to contact all the candidates to ask them to sign a pledge that they will protect the homeless budget. The Focus Ireland pledge seeks to ensure there are adequate services for people who are homeless until we see a reduction in the numbers of people who are homeless.
Please now take two minutes to play your part to support the most vulnerable in our society.
You can send a pre-written letter to candidates in your area by clicking here or by going to http://www.focusireland.ie/get-involved/take-action
Mike Allen, Director of Advocacy
Mike Allen
Homeless in Dublin
Thanks to the current puppet government and bought off Union Boss’s and corrupt gangsters in the nation’s banks ,
our youth is been abandoned and left on the streets
while the same government and Union bosses collect lottery salaries and pension perks
Wake up youth of Eire and take back your rightful place .take back your dignity
Puppet state
‘Right to a Home’
Sent in to us from our friends over at Focus Ireland
Focus Ireland has long argued that there should be a ‘Right to a Home’ in our Constitution. It would not solve all our problems, but countries that have such a legal right provide evidence that it would make a significant difference to the lives of people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
As you know, the Constitutional Convention has been meeting over the last year to review our Constitution. Most of its agenda was pre-determined by the Government (issues such as same-sex marriage and lowering the voting age got a lot of coverage), but in October they will have a meeting where they can discuss issues which they themselves believe are important.
Focus Ireland has made a submission to the Convention arguing that ‘The Right to a Home’ should be on the agenda in October. If we can show that there is broad public support for this issue to be discussed, the Convention members are more likely to add it to their agenda.
We are now asking people who support our work to add their voices to that call. Please give a couple of minutes to add your voice by clicking here.
Yours sincerely ,
Mike Allen Director of Advocacy Focus Ireland
Focus Ireland update on Ireland’s homeless
We wrote to you last year about the crazy situation where dozens of young people who have experienced homelessness are trapped in emergency homeless accommodation because their income is too low for them to afford to move on into independent living.
When the welfare rates to young people were halved in 2009, young people who had grown up in care were protected, recognising that they would need a full payment if they were to provide a home for themselves. However young people who become homeless after they reach 18, but were never in care, receive no such protection.
After a period in emergency accomodation, such young people are ready to move on with their lives, possibly with tenancy support services – but even if they can find a private flat and get rent supplement they cannot afford to take it up because after their rent contribution they would be left with only €70 to €100 a week to live on.
As a result they remain stuck in Emergency Accomm odation whose facilities they no longer need and which is more expensive than supporting them to find and maintain a home. . It is hard to get on with your life – take up education or apply for a job – when your address is an emergency homeless hostel. At present the only way out is to wait until they turn 25!
Last year, Focus Ireland supporters sent over 2,000 e-mails to their TDs and Senators asking for action on this situation. This resulted in dozens of Dail questions and a very positive response by the Minister Joan Burton. But since then … nothing. There has been no change at all in the position of these young people.
To help push this issue forward, Focus Ireland, in collaboration with other homeless organisations around the country, is holding a briefing session for TDs and Senators in the Dail on the 17th April. At thie briefing we will outline the problem and put forward a solution which will use the Youth Guarantee to assist these young people mo ve out of Emergency Homeless Accommodation and on into training, education, employment – and a sustainable home.
We are writing to you now to ask you to send a reminder to your local TD/Senators to attend the briefing and put their political weight behind finding a solution to this problem. There is an easy-to-use prepared letter here.
With thanks for your support.
Charities warn homeless will suffer if HSE cuts continue (irishtimes.com)
Government promises to end long-term homelessness by 2016 (independent.ie)
Date to end long-term homelessness (independent.ie)
Irish charities find the going gets tougher (guardian.co.uk)
Jan O'Sullivan
Focus Ireland’s aftercare services and campaign.
I am writing to bring you some good news about progress in our campaign to win a legal right to aftercare for young people who grew up in state care. Your support for this campaign has been important over the last couple of years and I thought you would like to know of the progress made.
As you will have heard and read, the report on 196 children and young people who died while in State care was published two weeks ago. The commentary on this distressing report has been wide-ranging and serious, and among all that has been said you may well have missed an important and welcome new commitment by Minister Fitzgerald.
In her speech at the report launch, Minister Fitzgerald said: ”
All children in care should be entitled to an a ssessment of their needs before they are 18 and all children in care should be entitled to the supports that they need. I believe the law needs to be strengthened in this regard… and with advice from the Attorney General, I will be proposing legislative change later this year, in the bill to establish the Child and Family Support Agency.”
Discussions with the Minister’s staff indicate that the intention is to create two legal rights in the legislation. First, that there will be a legal right to a formal assessment of what support needs a young person in care will have as they move into adulthood. Second, support needs have been identified in this assessment must actually delivered in aftercare provision
This is a different approach than the straightforward change from ‘may provide aftercare’ to ‘shall provide aftercare’ which we proposed. However, depending upon the final wording of the legislation, this has the pot ential to provide a rigorous assurance to vulnerable young people.
Focus Ireland has welcomed the Minister’s announcement and the timeframe for it. We will closely monitor the wording of the proposed legislation to ensure it provides the assurances we have campaigned so long to achieve.
You may be interested in reading an article in today’s Irish Times which highlights Focus Ireland’s aftercare services and campaign.
You may be interested in supporting another issue we are currently campaigning on – the need to change the welfare rules which can trap young homeless people in emergency accommodation. You can read more about that campaign here:
In the meantime I want to thank you for your support for the aftercare campaign, and we will keep you informed as it moves to what may be it s final stages.
Director of Advocacy
Up-Date from our friends at Focus Ireland
Supporters of Focus Ireland sent almost 3,000 e-mails to TDs and Senators calling for the appointment of a new Minister for Housing and Homelessness to have a voice in deciding the contents of the budget. Unfortunately, the Government decided not to make that appointment before budget day, but the high level of public scrutiny on the issue ensured that the homeless budget was largely protected. While so many areas of expenditure were being cut, the cuts to services to end homelessness were relatively small. So thank you for that support. It shows we can make a difference.
The decision on when to appoint a new Minister for Housing and Homelessness and who it will be, will be made by Deputy Eamon Gilmore, as leader of the Labour Party. Deputy Gilmore took the time to reply to everyone who participated in our campaign, but most people found his reply very unsatisfactory. He did not acknowledge tha t the appointment of a new Minister is entirely in his hands and did not explain the reasons for his delay. Most importantly he gave no assurance that when a new Minister is appointed that she or he will actually have a voice at cabinet.
We think these issues are so important that we are asking people to reply to Deputy Gilmore, expressing disatisfaction at his reply and emphasising the importance of recognising the scale of our housing crisis by having a Minister for Housing at the Cabinet table.
Please support this campaign by clicking here. We have drafted a letter for you – but the more you individualise it with your own thoughts on this issue, the stronger the campaign will be.
With thanks for your continued support,
Director of Advocacy.
Response from The Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore T.D on Syria (thepressnet.com)
Focus Ireland (thepressnet.com)
EU treaty: Britain’s isolation not in Ireland’s interests (telegraph.co.uk)
Jobs for mates – Gilmore lawer gets top judges job! (politics.ie)
Focus Ireland up-date (thepressnet.com)
Fianna Fáil opposition to cut in child benefit (politics.ie)
More on Tommy Broughan ….. (cedarlounge.wordpress.com)
Dithering Gilmore (politics.ie)
Questions over Gilmore’s leadership at cabinet (politics.ie)
What is the story with Labour? (politics.ie)
In the spirit of the time of the year I beg all of our followers to bombard this dithering politician to do the right thing .The most vulnerable are paying a severe price for the crimes of so called enlightened and educated people who are responsible for the collapse of our public finances.
We all owe it to ourselves to stand with these less well off fellow citizens and demand that they will not be made scapegoats just because they have no political voice. Do the decent thing and support our friends at Focus Ireland in their campaign
Thank you and happy Christmas to all
machholz
Rising homeless figures in Ireland
By OLIVIA KELLY
How much has homelessness risen by? The number of homeless people in Dublin is up by 26 per cent for the first six months of the year compared with the first six months of 2010.
That’s a huge increase in a short space of time It is. In addition, the Dublin Simon Community, one of the many organisations that look after homeless people, says it has distributed a third more sleeping bags than over the same period last year.
The streets of Dublin must be thronged with homeless people Fortunately not. While in percentage terms the increase is clearly dramatic, numerically we’re talking about an average of 40 people sleeping rough in Dublin city each night.
Just 40? Surely, with so many organisations, we can sort out somewhere for 40 people to stay at night?
full article at source:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2011/1001/1224305065679.html
6,600 patients were left waiting on trolleys in A&E wards (thepressnet.com)
Dublin: Many Homeless People Rescued As Seven Fire Tenders Tackle Hostel Fire (lostchildreninthewilderness.wordpress.com)
Homeless People Think About Politics Too. (thehomelessguy.blogspot.com)
New £20m Fund to Tackle Rough Sleeping and Homelessness in England (prweb.com)
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Stringless Curbs and Gutters
Building upon their core construction and paving services, contractor Summers-Taylor decided to adopt 3D machine control for their concrete curber - with impressive results!
Author: Jeff Winke
Contractor Summers-Taylor, Inc. holds license number 00000069 in its home state of Tennessee, U.S.A which means it's the 69th contractor of any kind to be licensed in the state.
Founded in 1932 as a general maintenance and construction company, Summers-Taylor is now the largest, heavy and highway construction contractor in the region of Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia and Western North Carolina. Located in Elizabethton, Tenn., the company owns more than 400 pieces of construction equipment and trucks, five concrete plants, and four asphalt plants.
Travel an interstate or major highway in this region, it has likely been built or repaired at some point by Summers-Taylor. The family-owned company has grown from its modest start and now employs more than 375. The contractor has diversified, adding design and engineering capabilities to its core construction and paving services. Yet, road building remains at its heart.
Not surprisingly, the company is involved with the $US18 million Tennessee Department of Transport improvement and expansion of state Highway 75. The highway spanning between Washington County and Sullivan County is being widened from two to four lanes. The project is a 6.5km stretch and requires placement at various locations of concrete curbing and gutters for drainage and catch basins.
"With its long, straight highway run this is the perfect project for us to try our newly acquired 3D GPS machine control on our Gomaco GT-3600 slipform concrete curb and gutter paver," states Lee Thomson, concrete superintendent for Summers-Taylor. "We're among the very first, contractors in America running a stringless GPS-based curbing machine - they're more commonly found in use outside of the States."
Thompson points out that he feels comfortable "pioneering" machine control technology on the curb machine because he's followed the evolution of the technology over the past 10 years, learned how its benefiting Canadian contractors, and his company is successfully using GPS technology with its earthmoving and site grading side of the business.
Machine Control Slipform
The Summers-Taylor Gomaco concrete curb machine is equipped with a Topcon GPS+ receiver and an on-board graphical display. A pair of masts - each topped with a Topcon PZS-I laser sensor - are mounted on the machine to control grade elevation and steering. Because Summers-Taylor uses laser-enhanced GNSS technology, a pair of Topcon PZL-1 transmitters are positioned at control points on the site. Thompson places the transmitters 150 metres apart to track the position of each receiver on the curb machine and relay curb location and elevation data to the curb and gutter machine. As the machine progresses Thompson leap-frogs the transmitters to maintain the slip-form production flow.
The PZL-1 Millimeter GPS transmitter uses a fan beam signal that Topcon calls Lazer Zone technology and is designed to emit a fanned signal with a height of 10 meters. Summers-Taylor relied on Construction Engineering Solutions, LLC, Leopold, Ind., to help create the 3D model that was converted via Topcon Office 3D software to the files the curb machine used.
The project requires 900 cubic metres or approximately 500 linear metres of Class A, 3,000psi concrete to form the 760mm gutters with 150mm high curbs. Summers-Taylor has a six-member concrete crew, including the machine operator. The crew places expansion joints every 30 metres, muscles the heavy cast iron catch basin grids into place, smooths out any imperfections in the newly formed gutter and curb, brooms in the texture, and then moves the laser transmitter ahead as the curb and gutter machine progresses. There are 69 catch basins to be installed along the project route.
"Since this was our first time using GPS technology on a curb machine, we were nervous at first and began the project by running stringlines in front of the machine," Thompson says. "The client inspectors wanted to see the stringlines too, but when we saw the machine could run perfect without them, we stopped placing them. The finished grade is a straight line - no flutter or waves; it is very impressive. Once the client saw how good the results were, they pretty much pulled their lower jaws up off their chests and left us with one inspector."
The Highway 75 project is a two-year project and Summers-Taylor is completing its work on time. Thompson reports that adding the millimeter GPS capability to the curbing machine is improving both accuracy and speed, and virtually eliminating rework.
"In terms of accuracy, we're accustomed to achieving the already tight +/-30mm finish grade specifications with our Topcon 3D-MC2 earthmoving equipment, so achieving even tighter specs using our Millimeter GPS, with laser-enhanced GNSS technology on our concrete paving work, is more than possible," says Thompson. "In fact, our curb machine operator comes from the dirt side so he's comfortable with machine control technology and achieving quality results."
Summers-Taylor is seeing faster production with the GPS machine control on its curb and gutter paver. "Clearly, we're saving time and cost by not needing workers setting stringlines or needing to replace them if they're knocked down," Thompson states. "When you consider quicker speed, greater accuracy, and reduction of rework, we're at least 20 to 25 percent more productive with the stringless GPS curb machine."
In taking in the state Highway 75 project as a whole, Thompson concludes: "I'll remember this project as our first stringless curb and gutter project. Implementing the machine control system went exceptionally well and we had great support from our dealer, Roper Laser, in getting everything set up and running properly. My concrete crew certainly likes that at the end of the day they don't need to collect stakes and string; instead they retrieve the two transmitters, stash them in their cases, and head home."
Jeff Winke is a business and construction writer based in Milwaukee, Wis, USA. He can be reached through www.jeffwinke.com.
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B1 中級 英 1983 タグ追加 保存
Elizabeth passed the chief of the night in her sister's room, and in the morning had
the pleasure of being able to send a tolerable answer to the inquiries which she
very early received from Mr. Bingley by a
housemaid, and some time afterwards from the two elegant ladies who waited on his
sisters.
In spite of this amendment, however, she requested to have a note sent to Longbourn,
desiring her mother to visit Jane, and form her own judgement of her situation.
The note was immediately dispatched, and its contents as quickly complied with.
Mrs. Bennet, accompanied by her two youngest girls, reached Netherfield soon
after the family breakfast.
Had she found Jane in any apparent danger, Mrs. Bennet would have been very miserable;
but being satisfied on seeing her that her illness was not alarming, she had no wish
of her recovering immediately, as her
restoration to health would probably remove her from Netherfield.
She would not listen, therefore, to her daughter's proposal of being carried home;
neither did the apothecary, who arrived about the same time, think it at all
advisable.
After sitting a little while with Jane, on Miss Bingley's appearance and invitation,
the mother and three daughters all attended her into the breakfast parlour.
Bingley met them with hopes that Mrs. Bennet had not found Miss Bennet worse than
she expected. "Indeed I have, sir," was her answer.
"She is a great deal too ill to be moved.
Mr. Jones says we must not think of moving her.
We must trespass a little longer on your kindness."
"Removed!" cried Bingley.
"It must not be thought of. My sister, I am sure, will not hear of her
removal."
"You may depend upon it, Madam," said Miss Bingley, with cold civility, "that Miss
Bennet will receive every possible attention while she remains with us."
Mrs. Bennet was profuse in her acknowledgments.
"I am sure," she added, "if it was not for such good friends I do not know what would
become of her, for she is very ill indeed, and suffers a vast deal, though with the
greatest patience in the world, which is
always the way with her, for she has, without exception, the sweetest temper I
have ever met with. I often tell my other girls they are
nothing to her.
You have a sweet room here, Mr. Bingley, and a charming prospect over the gravel
walk. I do not know a place in the country that
is equal to Netherfield.
You will not think of quitting it in a hurry, I hope, though you have but a short
lease."
"Whatever I do is done in a hurry," replied he; "and therefore if I should resolve to
quit Netherfield, I should probably be off in five minutes.
At present, however, I consider myself as quite fixed here."
"That is exactly what I should have supposed of you," said Elizabeth.
"You begin to comprehend me, do you?" cried he, turning towards her.
"Oh! yes--I understand you perfectly."
"I wish I might take this for a compliment; but to be so easily seen through I am
afraid is pitiful." "That is as it happens.
It does not follow that a deep, intricate character is more or less estimable than
such a one as yours."
"Lizzy," cried her mother, "remember where you are, and do not run on in the wild
manner that you are suffered to do at home."
"I did not know before," continued Bingley immediately, "that you were a studier of
character. It must be an amusing study."
"Yes, but intricate characters are the most amusing.
They have at least that advantage." "The country," said Darcy, "can in general
supply but a few subjects for such a study.
In a country neighbourhood you move in a very confined and unvarying society."
"But people themselves alter so much, that there is something new to be observed in
them for ever."
"Yes, indeed," cried Mrs. Bennet, offended by his manner of mentioning a country
neighbourhood. "I assure you there is quite as much of
that going on in the country as in town."
Everybody was surprised, and Darcy, after looking at her for a moment, turned
silently away.
Mrs. Bennet, who fancied she had gained a complete victory over him, continued her
triumph.
"I cannot see that London has any great advantage over the country, for my part,
except the shops and public places. The country is a vast deal pleasanter, is
it not, Mr. Bingley?"
"When I am in the country," he replied, "I never wish to leave it; and when I am in
town it is pretty much the same. They have each their advantages, and I can
be equally happy in either."
"Aye--that is because you have the right disposition.
But that gentleman," looking at Darcy, "seemed to think the country was nothing at
all."
"Indeed, Mamma, you are mistaken," said Elizabeth, blushing for her mother.
"You quite mistook Mr. Darcy.
He only meant that there was not such a variety of people to be met with in the
country as in the town, which you must acknowledge to be true."
"Certainly, my dear, nobody said there were; but as to not meeting with many
people in this neighbourhood, I believe there are few neighbourhoods larger.
I know we dine with four-and-twenty families."
Nothing but concern for Elizabeth could enable Bingley to keep his countenance.
His sister was less delicate, and directed her eyes towards Mr. Darcy with a very
expressive smile.
Elizabeth, for the sake of saying something that might turn her mother's thoughts, now
asked her if Charlotte Lucas had been at Longbourn since her coming away.
"Yes, she called yesterday with her father.
What an agreeable man Sir William is, Mr. Bingley, is not he?
So much the man of fashion! So genteel and easy!
He had always something to say to everybody.
That is my idea of good breeding; and those persons who fancy themselves very
important, and never open their mouths, quite mistake the matter."
"Did Charlotte dine with you?"
"No, she would go home. I fancy she was wanted about the mince-
For my part, Mr. Bingley, I always keep servants that can do their own work; my
daughters are brought up very differently.
But everybody is to judge for themselves, and the Lucases are a very good sort of
girls, I assure you. It is a pity they are not handsome!
Not that I think Charlotte so very plain-- but then she is our particular friend."
"She seems a very pleasant young woman." "Oh! dear, yes; but you must own she is
very plain.
Lady Lucas herself has often said so, and envied me Jane's beauty.
I do not like to boast of my own child, but to be sure, Jane--one does not often see
anybody better looking.
It is what everybody says. I do not trust my own partiality.
When she was only fifteen, there was a man at my brother Gardiner's in town so much in
love with her that my sister-in-law was sure he would make her an offer before we
came away.
But, however, he did not. Perhaps he thought her too young.
However, he wrote some verses on her, and very pretty they were."
"And so ended his affection," said Elizabeth impatiently.
"There has been many a one, I fancy, overcome in the same way.
I wonder who first discovered the efficacy of poetry in driving away love!"
"I have been used to consider poetry as the food of love," said Darcy.
"Of a fine, stout, healthy love it may.
Everything nourishes what is strong already.
But if it be only a slight, thin sort of inclination, I am convinced that one good
sonnet will starve it entirely away."
Darcy only smiled; and the general pause which ensued made Elizabeth tremble lest
her mother should be exposing herself again.
She longed to speak, but could think of nothing to say; and after a short silence
Mrs. Bennet began repeating her thanks to Mr. Bingley for his kindness to Jane, with
an apology for troubling him also with Lizzy.
Mr. Bingley was unaffectedly civil in his answer, and forced his younger sister to be
civil also, and say what the occasion required.
She performed her part indeed without much graciousness, but Mrs. Bennet was
satisfied, and soon afterwards ordered her carriage.
Upon this signal, the youngest of her daughters put herself forward.
The two girls had been whispering to each other during the whole visit, and the
result of it was, that the youngest should tax Mr. Bingley with having promised on his
first coming into the country to give a ball at Netherfield.
Lydia was a stout, well-grown girl of fifteen, with a fine complexion and good-
humoured countenance; a favourite with her mother, whose affection had brought her
into public at an early age.
She had high animal spirits, and a sort of natural self-consequence, which the
attention of the officers, to whom her uncle's good dinners, and her own easy
manners recommended her, had increased into assurance.
She was very equal, therefore, to address Mr. Bingley on the subject of the ball, and
abruptly reminded him of his promise; adding, that it would be the most shameful
thing in the world if he did not keep it.
His answer to this sudden attack was delightful to their mother's ear:
"I am perfectly ready, I assure you, to keep my engagement; and when your sister is
recovered, you shall, if you please, name the very day of the ball.
But you would not wish to be dancing when she is ill."
Lydia declared herself satisfied.
"Oh! yes--it would be much better to wait till Jane was well, and by that time most
likely Captain Carter would be at Meryton again.
And when you have given your ball," she added, "I shall insist on their giving one
also. I shall tell Colonel Forster it will be
quite a shame if he does not."
Mrs. Bennet and her daughters then departed, and Elizabeth returned instantly
to Jane, leaving her own and her relations' behaviour to the remarks of the two ladies
and Mr. Darcy; the latter of whom, however,
could not be prevailed on to join in their censure of her, in spite of all Miss
Bingley's witticisms on fine eyes.
B1 中級 英
高慢と偏見ー第9章 (Chapter 09 - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen)
1983 タグ追加 保存
羅致 2014 年 6 月 3 日 に公開
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Escritos Críticos
latinoture
Brain structure differs in liberals, conservatives: study
Thu Apr 7
WASHINGTON (AFP) – Everyone knows that liberals and conservatives butt heads when it comes to world views, but scientists have now shown that their brains are actually built differently.
Liberals have more gray matter in a part of the brain associated with understanding complexity, while the conservative brain is bigger in the section related to processing fear, said the study on Thursday in Current Biology.
“We found that greater liberalism was associated with increased gray matter volume in the anterior cingulate cortex, whereas greater conservatism was associated with increased volume of the right amygdala,” the study said.
Other research has shown greater brain activity in those areas, according to which political views a person holds, but this is the first study to show a physical difference in size in the same regions.
“Previously, some psychological traits were known to be predictive of an individual’s political orientation,” said Ryota Kanai of the University College London, where the research took place.
“Our study now links such personality traits with specific brain structure.”
The study was based on 90 “healthy young adults” who reported their political views on a scale of one to five from very liberal to very conservative, then agreed to have their brains scanned.
People with a large amygdala are “more sensitive to disgust” and tend to “respond to threatening situations with more aggression than do liberals and are more sensitive to threatening facial expressions,” the study said.
Liberals are linked to larger anterior cingulate cortexes, a region that “monitor(s) uncertainty and conflicts,” it said.
“Thus, it is conceivable that individuals with a larger ACC have a higher capacity to tolerate uncertainty and conflicts, allowing them to accept more liberal views.”
It remains unclear whether the structural differences cause the divergence in political views, or are the effect of them.
But the central issue in determining political views appears to revolve around fear and how it affects a person.
“Our findings are consistent with the proposal that political orientation is associated with psychological processes for managing fear and uncertainty,” the study said.
Political Orientations Are Correlated with Brain Structure in Young Adults
Current Biology, 07 April 2011
Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.
10.1016/j.cub.2011.03.017
Ryota Kanai,Tom Feilden,Colin Firth,Geraint Rees See Affiliations
Political liberalism and conservatism were correlated with brain structure
Liberalism was associated with the gray matter volume of anterior cingulate cortex
Conservatism was associated with increased right amygdala size
Results offer possible accounts for cognitive styles of liberals and conservatives
Substantial differences exist in the cognitive styles of liberals and conservatives on psychological measures [1]. Variability in political attitudes reflects genetic influences and their interaction with environmental factors [2,3]. Recent work has shown a correlation between liberalism and conflict-related activity measured by event-related potentials originating in the anterior cingulate cortex [4]. Here we show that this functional correlate of political attitudes has a counterpart in brain structure. In a large sample of young adults, we related self-reported political attitudes to gray matter volume using structural MRI. We found that greater liberalism was associated with increased gray matter volume in the anterior cingulate cortex, whereas greater conservatism was associated with increased volume of the right amygdala. These results were replicated in an independent sample of additional participants. Our findings extend previous observations that political attitudes reflect differences in self-regulatory conflict monitoring [4] and recognition of emotional faces [5] by showing that such attitudes are reflected in human brain structure. Although our data do not determine whether these regions play a causal role in the formation of political attitudes, they converge with previous work [4,6] to suggest a possible link between brain structure and psychological mechanisms that mediate political attitudes.
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Publicado el 7 abril, 2011 7 abril, 2011 por majfud Deja un comentario
Humanism, the West’s Last Great Utopia
El humanismo, la última gran utopía de Occidente (Spanish)
One of the characteristics of conservative thought throughout modern history has been to see the world as a collection of more or less independent, isolated, and incompatible compartments. In its discourse, this is simplified in a unique dividing line: God and the devil, us and them, the true men and the barbaric ones. In its practice, the old obsession with borders of every kind is repeated: political, geographic, social, class, gender, etc. These thick walls are raised with the successive accumulation of two parts fear and one part safety.
Translated into a postmodern language, this need for borders and shields is recycled and sold as micropolitics, which is to say, a fragmented thinking (propaganda) and a localist affirmation of social problems in opposition to a more global and structural vision of the Modern Era gone by.
These regions are mental, cultural, religious, economic and political, which is why they find themselves in conflict with humanistic principles that prescribe the recognition of diversity at the same time as an implicit equality on the deepest and most valuable level of the present chaos. On the basis of this implicit principle arose the aspiration to sovereignty of the states some centuries ago: even between two kings, there could be no submissive relationship; between two sovereigns there could only be agreements, not obedience. The wisdom of this principle was extended to the nations, taking written form in the first constitution of the United States. Recognizing common men and women as subjects of law (“We the people…”) was the response to personal and class-based absolutisms, summed up in the outburst of Luis XIV, “l’Etat c’est Moi.” Later, the humanist idealism of the first draft of that constitution was relativized, excluding the progressive utopia of abolishing slavery.
Conservative thought, on the other hand, traditionally has proceeded in an inverse form: if the regions are all different, then there are some that are better than others. This last observation would be acceptable for humanism if it did not contain explicitly one of the basic principles of conservative thought: our island, our bastion is always the best. Moreover: our region is the region chosen by God and, therefore, it should prevail at any price. We know it because our leaders receive in their dreams the divine word. Others, when they dream, are delirious.
Thus, the world is a permanent competition that translates into mutual threats and, finally, into war. The only option for the survival of the best, of the strongest, of the island chosen by God is to vanquish, annihilate the other. There is nothing strange in the fact that conservatives throughout the world define themselves as religious individuals and, at the same time, they are the principal defenders of weaponry, whether personal or governmental. It is, precisely, the only they tolerate about the State: the power to organize a great army in which to place all of the honor of a nation. Health and education, in contrast, must be “personal responsibilities” and not a tax burden on the wealthiest. According to this logic, we owe our lives to the soldiers, not to the doctors, just like the workers owe their daily bread to the rich
At the same time that the conservatives hate Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, they are radical partisans of the law of the survival of the fittest, not applied to all species but to men and women, to countries and societies of all kinds. What is more Darwinian than the roots of corporations and capitalism?
For the suspiciously celebrated professor of Harvard, Samuel Huntington, “imperialism is the logic and necessary consequence of universalism.” For us humanists, no: imperialism is just the arrogance of one region that imposes itself by force on the rest, it is the annihilation of that universality, it is the imposition of uniformity in the name of universality.
Humanist universality is something else: it is the progressive maturation of a consciousness of liberation from physical, moral and intellectual slavery, of both the opressed and the oppressor in the final instant. And there can be no full consciousness if it is not global: one region is not liberated by oppressing the others, woman is not liberated by oppressing man, and so on. With a certain lucidity but without moral reaction, Huntington himself reminds us: “The West did not conquer the world through the superiority of its ideas, values or religion, but through its superiority in applying organized violence. Westerners tend to forget this fact, non-Westerners never forget it.”
Conservative thought also differs from progressive thought because of its conception of history: if for the one history is inevitably degraded (as in the ancient religious conception or in the conception of the five metals of Hesiod) for the other it is a process of advancement or of evolution. If for one we live in the best of all possible worlds, although always threatened by changes, for the other the world is far from being the image of paradise and justice, for which reason individual happiness is not possible in the midst of others’ pain.
For progressive humanism there are no healthy individuals in a sick society, just as there is no healthy society that includes sick individuals. A healthy man is no possible with a grave problem of the liver or in the heart, like a healthy heart is not possible in a depressed or schizophrenic man. Although a rich man is defined by his difference from the poor, nobody is truly rich when surrounded by poverty.
Humanism, as we conceive of it here, is the integrating evolution of human consciousness that transcends cultural differences. The clash of civilizations, the wars stimulated by sectarian, tribal and nationalist interests can only be viewed as the defects of that geopsychology.
Now, we should recognize that the magnificent paradox of humanism is double: 1) it consisted of a movement that in great measure arose from the Catholic religious orders of the 14th century and later discovered a secular dimension of the human creature, and in addition 2) was a movement which in principle revalorized the dimension of man as an individual in order to achieve, in the 20th century, the discovery of society in its fullest sense.
I refer, on this point, to the conception of the individual as opposed to individuality, to the alienation of man and woman in society. If the mystics of the 14th century focused on their self as a form of liberation, the liberation movements of the 20th century, although apparently failed, discovered that that attitude of the monastery was not moral from the moment it became selfish: one cannot be fully happy in a world filled with pain. Unless it is the happiness of the indifferent. But it is not due to some type of indifference toward another’s pain that morality of any kind is defined in any part of the world. Even monasteries and the most closed communities, traditionally have been given the luxury of separation from the sinful world thanks to subsidies and quotas that originated from the sweat of the brow of sinners. The Amish in the United States, for example, who today use horses so as not to contaminate themselves with the automotive industry, are surrounded by materials that have come to them, in one form or another, through a long mechanical process and often from the exploitation of their fellow man. We ourselves, who are scandalized by the exploitation of children in the textile mills of India or on plantations in Africa and Latin America, consume, in one form or another, those products. Orthopraxia would not eliminate the injustices of the world – according to our humanist vision – but we cannot renounce or distort that conscience in order to wash away our regrets. If we no longer expect that a redemptive revolution will change reality so that the latter then changes consciences, we must still try, nonetheless, not to lose collective and global conscience in order to sustain a progressive change, authored by nations and not by a small number of enlightened people.
According to our vision, which we identify with the latest stage of humanism, the individual of conscience cannot avoid social commitment: to change society so that the latter may give birth, at each step, to a new, morally superior individual. The latest humanism evolves in this new utopian dimension and radicalizes some of the principles of the Modern Era gone by, such as the rebellion of the masses. For which reason we can formulate the dilemma: it is not a matter of left or right but of forward or backward. It is not a matter of choosing between religion or secularism. It is a matter of a tension between humanism and tribalism, between a diverse and unitary conception of humanity and another, opposed one: the fragmented and hierarchical vision whose purpose is to prevail, to impose the values of one tribe on the others and at the same time to deny any kind of evolution.
This is the root of the modern and postmodern conflict. Both The End of History and The Clash of Civilizations attempt to cover up what we understand to be the true problem: there is no dichotomy between East and West, between us and them, only between the radicalization of humanism (in its historical sense) and the conservative reaction that still holds world power, although in retreat – and thus its violence.
Translated by Bruce Campbell
Publicado el 10 marzo, 2011 10 marzo, 2011 por majfud 1 Comentario
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Oregon Recreational Marijuana Bill Approved for Ballot
Oregon voters will get another shot at legalizing recreational marijuana.
The state announced Tuesday that advocates submitted enough signatures to qualify a legalization bill for the ballot this November.
The measure would allow adults 21 and over to consume cannabis. It calls for a system of regulated, state-licensed businesses to grow and sell the drug and related products.
The Oregon Liquor Control Commission would oversee the industry, which could generate hundreds of millions of dollars in sales.
New Approach Oregon, the group behind the bill, posted the news on its website along with an image (pictured) that says “We Qualified!”
The signature margin was somewhat slim: election officials certified 88,584 names, about 1,400 more than the number needed. New Approach Oregon initially submitted around 145,000 signatures, though – meaning nearly 60,000 were thrown out.
Oregon voters sunk a previous ballot measure in 2012, when Colorado and Washington became the first states in the nation to legalize recreational marijuana.
But the chances are much higher this year, as overall acceptance of marijuana in general has increased throughout much of the United States. Supporters of the bill also expect to have more money to build support.
Cannabis Industry & Marijuana Business Briefs Cannabis Industry & Marijuana Business Briefs Oregon Medical Cannabis Business & Marijuana Legal News Recreational Marijuana News
One comment on “Oregon Recreational Marijuana Bill Approved for Ballot”
Frank Shannon on July 23rd, 2014 - 9:09pm
My interest is investing in the stock corporations that are manufacturing cannabis and selling it to the stores for resale to customers. Could you supply a list of thse corporation?
Frank Shannon
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Matt LeBlanc was a bottle brunette
Jennifer Aniston wasn't the only "Friends" star who gave a lot of attention to her tresses - Matt LeBlanc has revealed that he dyed his hair dark all 10 seasons.
At a Television Critics' Panel in Beverly Hills for his upcoming Showtime series "Episodes," the now silver-haired 43-year-old, who played actor Joey Tribbiani on the '90s sitcom, said, "I dyed my hair the whole time on Friends."
Once the hit show went off the air, however, he stopped hitting the bottle. "I just was sick of doing it," LeBlanc said of his decision to stop darkening his do.
After a four-year break from the business, LeBlanc is happy to be back on the small screen in "Episodes," which premieres in January. On the series, LeBlanc plays Matt LeBlanc, an actor cast in an American remake of a British TV show.
"It's a character," he explained. "It's not me. It's the public's perception of me more than [it's] really me."
Filed under: Celebrities • television
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hey... what happened to his cleft chin?? it's gone! heheheh!
August 6, 2010 at 10:51 pm | Report abuse | Log in to Reply
Seriously is this news worthy???? I think it's lame and I am a Friends' fan.....
I hated that show and in particular his character and little Miss Aniston, YUCK!! Thanks god that show is off the (h)air.
July 30, 2010 at 9:36 pm | Report abuse | Log in to Reply
they should have had an episode "the one in which joey finds a white hair". 🙂 He definitely looks more mature and should have gone grey earlier to break out of his stereotype of 'joey'.
TeeHeeHee
Even looks smarter now
boy get a load of those choppers!
Heather, I was just thinking the same thing! Damn, get some smaller caps or something Matt, you look like a horse
Friends was a joke and so is Matt LeBlanc.
GORGEOUS! He looks so much better.
Very hott! good for him..he even looks a bit like a younger Bruce Campbell.
Good to know Matt, but I think you would have garnered more attention if you left Christianity like Anne Rice.
July 30, 2010 at 12:30 pm | Report abuse | Log in to Reply
if he announced his departure from christianity would definitely been more a news item.. or announcing that he is a confirmed Lesbian.
Hahahaha. Brilliant!
Liz1388
He looks MUCH, MUCH hotter with the grey than he has for years with the died hair. [fanning self]
I completely agree with you!!!!!!
dsco
amen – he's look v. v. nice here! Probably wouldn't have worked for Friends, but he could definitely rank up there with George Clooney and Anderson Cooper for hot men sporting silver.
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Adele cancels U.S. tour dates
Stateside Adele fans were so close to seeing the Brit phenom live, but she's pulled the plug on a collection of U.S. tour dates once again.
A statement from her label says the "Someone Like You" crooner "has been forced to cancel her upcoming 10 city sold-out tour of the U.S. due to a hemorrhage into her vocal chord."
As you'll recall, Adele had to cancel earlier stops in the States due to laryngitis, but soon after rescheduled them.
According to her label, the singer was prepping to start her U.S. run on October 7 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, "when her illness reappeared." Doctors have instructed Adele to take "an extended rest period" so that she can get better.
More information about the cancellations will be received at a later date, the label says, adding that refunds can be received from where you purchased your tickets. The canceled dates include:
October 7 Atlantic City, NJ Borgata Spa & Resort
October 8 Durham, NC Durham Performing Arts Center
October 10 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium
October 11 Asheville, NC Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
October 13 Orlando, FL Hard Rock Live
October 14 Miami, FL Waterfront Theater at American Airlines Arena
October 16 Atlanta, GA Fox Theatre
October 18 Spring, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
October 19 Austin, TX Frank Erwin Center
October 21 Grand Prairie, TX Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie
The artist posted a lengthy post on her blog about her ongoing vocal problems, writing that she wanted to fully explain herself what she's been dealing with.
"Guys, im heartbroken and worried to tell you that yet again im experiencing problems with my voice. its ridiculous i know! i cant believe it myself. i follow all the advice im given and stick to regimes, rules and practices to the best of my ability but it seems to simply not be enough," she writes.
She continues, "My voice is weak and i need to build it back up....i will be back and im gonna smash the ball out the park once im touring again. i apologise from the bottom of my heart, sincerely i do. i know its not only disappointing because of the show, but its plane tickets, hotel bookings, birthdays, anniversaries and time wasted. but please have faith in me that this is the only thing i can do to make sure i can always sing and always make music for you to the best of my ability."
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adele is so HOT!!!
November 2, 2011 at 4:56 am | Report abuse | Log in to Reply
tuffyLuvvy
The only reason Adele is popular is that she is fat and most people (in the US, anyway) are fat so she has a lot fat fans who identify with her fattiness.
It's no wonder her throat has hemorrhaged after all the food she has stuffed down it.
Michelle White Lafitte, T.V. News AnchorName*
Adele, I feel your pain and torment. Remember Jeremiah 29:11. God has plans prosper you further, not harm you and HE has a purpose for your life. I stand on that. Amen.
WISH YOU A SPEEDY RECOVERY,
aceofhearts
MrDifficult have you finally given up on getting polished? Rather daunting task.
I relly love Adael.She is the best.My favorite 2 songs are- Rolling in the deep & Some one like you . She has a melody in her voice"ADAEL" 4ever!
It wouldnt be for th reason americans are rude an judgemental. if youre not 5 10 blonde hair fake boobs an th weight of a minor. she wants no part of th US....
yike
Hey adele is my fav really everyone needs to stop talkin junk because half of yall dont know her situation and what she has to go through and the last thing she needs is ten people filling up three pages on ther thought about her life. so stop messin with adele
Wow. So many hateful comments... I like her because she is different. She isn't a size zero, half dressed, singing nonsense while shaking her money maker in front of a camera. I adore her for that!
louissgirl
Adele is fabulous, beautiful and talented! I own with her cds and love every song she sings. You people who bag on her for her weight and her smoking, you are just jealous because you don't have her talent! I live you Adele and hope you get well soon! I will always be a true fan and will wait for for you to get better!
sherlene
Its really sad how ppl would say such things about a very well talented singer . she's not the only singer to experience vocal issues . n what does her looks or weight have anything to do with her voice right about now . so just have faith that she'll be well in no time . ps i hope u feel better 🙂
She probably had a chickenbone lodged in her throat again.dumb fata55!
Adele fan
So many haters of Adele, yet her album 21 has not left the top 3 of Billboard's Hot 200 album chart since March, and her album debut at number 1 at full selling price unlike Lady Gaga's 99c priced CD! Some of you people don't know real music if it bit you in the ass...
blue_shift
The only way to make up for this is if they play her more often on the radio. Say every 20mins instead of the normal 25.
To all the people who who say adele is fat is out there damn mind. what does that have to do with her singing? aretha franklin is also a lil on the plump side i don.t see her havin a problem. adele is one of the most talented artist of this decade....I think shes beautiful and her music touches ur soul ......there is alot more followers than haters so keep spreading ur angelic voice and take ur time ur true fans wish u well and are looking forward to ur return........ur #1 fan
look. i love adele, and i`m not backing her up because of it either.but all the people raggin on her and trying to bring her down, come on now !! shes a millionaire and an amazing singer with a huge selling album and millions of fans including me !!.if the case was that she sucked and that all of you say u can sing or sing better, then why arn`t you up there?? she can`t help if her vocal chords are screwing up. u try goin on tour and singing almost everynight if not everynight for more than an hour and a half non stop !! im almost ccertain She isnt loosing fans from it either, cause clearly in the comments theyre all supporting her.. seriously though, if u dont like her dont sit there and hate, everyone has their own opinions, yeah. but u have gott to have sommething better to do with you r time than raggin on her.. just saying...
what a bunch of haters! She has a beautiful voice and is an awesome writer.How many of you have recording contracts? thought so...
adelefan
My family loves adele. we wish you the best recovery from Texas!!!! and fyi: God created us all in different shapes and sizes so were not ugly people were Polished People....btw Adele we welcome you to Wichita Falls, Texas....like they say every thing is BIGGER!!! IN TX...MEANING OUR HEARTS....Big Fan
Yeah. What she said.
U ppl on here judging is wrong. Adele has a beautiful body, and voice. Stop hating and give her a chance if u know faith hill it happend to her too. It happens to a lot of singers not because she smokes or because shes heavy. Her throat is messed up cause they keep her going none stop and shes trying to keep her fans happy. Im very pleased with her and shes amazing. Im one of her biggest fan and i have faith that she will blow every one away. So stop being jealous. Get well soon girl.
Get over it guys it happens. stop being such jerks. i love you adele no matter what they say.
GlowP
Such Hatred? What did this younglady ever do to the folks with such mean things 2 say?|| Wow!? If you don't sing for a living, then you don't know the toll it takes on you! As well, a raspy voice works a lot harder! No one forces any of you negative mamby pambies to buy or listen! remember, free country! keep your hatred home, you miserable fukas! adele darling, rest and get better! your fans will await!
Ithink your music is great and keep it up.
I just love how so many of you say you are singers. Seems to me that you must be horrible at it because you are not famous. She knows what to do with her voice and what she shouldnt be doing. Shes a multi-millionaire and the record company knows this. Just because you sing in the shower doesnt make you a singer. Adele has a great original voice. Trash the voice, save the voice, makes no difference because you could of had it all.
uh-yeah
She has a great voice. Im not upset she cancelled the tour. She is peaceful to listen to but so hard to stare at. I rather hear her on the radio. BBW fail
May you receive more well wishes and a
full recovery! You have entertained and given
Joy to many with your gift...
get well soon, Adele, your only human, even the best artist get sick.
look, if ur not a fan dont comment ! her voice is beautiful the way it is and if your a hater leaver those horrible comments somewheres else !
October 9, 2011 at 11:02 am | Report abuse | Log in to Reply
I love how people bash her down when she's the only person on popular radio who actually puts out genuine MUSIC and has a genuine VOICE.
October 8, 2011 at 11:48 pm | Report abuse | Log in to Reply
Look, adele is a great singer but doing this is taking her fans away and you know what i agree with tammy the other person who commented and the mother of four which also commented but anyway adele , stop it !!! you sing well but i think your pusing your vocal cords to create that sound and that leads to a what was it called again? oh. yeah. a herronage ! who agrees???
who cares? she wrote 21 drunk she's a joss stone\janis joplin wannabe the more shows she cancels the more people will see she is just a drunk who got lucky with this album she cant sing anyways no big loss there she sounds like a conistpated cow
October 7, 2011 at 9:40 pm | Report abuse | Log in to Reply
sam (dallas)
really adele , i love your music but doing this is kinda Hurting YoUR carrer as a singer and now i truly believe that your fans are gonna be lowering down and im only nine and it hurts my feelings to see you have to read all of these horrible and good comments but i bet they are all TRuE!!!!
viviana herrera
you all are haters she's awesome and it is not true poopoohead
jamesnyc
Don't know much about her but I have studied voice extensively. Weight isn't a problem smoking doesn't help either but after I took the time to listen to an excerpt of her speaking and singing on Y-tube, her problem is her technique. While her compositions are good and she is an expressive singer, I think she speaks and sings in a forced lower register which will definitely trash her voice. I think she uses the smoking to give her voice a rougher texture but I also hear a vocal "fry" which can be reaaaly bad for your vocal chords. If she reviews her technique, I think she should be fine.
frankbear
Adele will quit smoking and lose weight when she can accept both. Telling her to quit smoking and eating will not do any good. Strange how your body tells you that you need to do something different but we won't listen til it is too late! I absolutely love her voice and hope she gets better soon.
It's a shame that she is going through such a tough time right now. However, if I was Adele coming to the United States, I think I would be cancelling my tour as well. Especially after reading such hurtful comments – shame on you America. Who gives you the right to say what is attractive and what isn't. You MUST be preaching your own insecurities to be saying such hurtful things. Adele is obviously doing something right, considering she is making way more money than any of you shallow minded individuals. Good for her that she refuses to change – she loves herself. America – such a lemming.
Jenickki
I sorta have to agree with the people on here that stated she needs a good vocal coach. I, like the others, am a singer and have been for many years singing all kinds of varied music. When the voice is not warmed up properly and is abused by improper use, the chords will fail and believe me...they will let you know if you don't stop (hence the hemmorage...it's the chords way of saying...you won't listen, we will make you). (There is only so much Brandy & Robutosin that can clear pain and phlem)
I love this lady. She blows me away; but that much wear and tear day in and day out without downtime is painful.
I wish her a speedy recovery and I also wish her knowledge to not let others tell her what she can and can not do with her own vocal chords.
Oh, and that fact that she is comfie with who she is...ROCK ON!!
Her computer loaded with Auto-Tune crashed.
Moe Smith
oh... darn.
dont get to listen to yet another woman sing a self-righteous break-up song. crud.
I wondered what happened to Mimi after the Drew Carey Show ended....
Look Back to Classic Vocal Exercise Books
Look up Sir Morell Mackenzie, and books such as: Philosophy of Voice, Voice as an Instrument, Voice and Nerve Control.
Get better soon. SEE YOU STATESIDE when you are well. Kindest regards and wishes for speedy health recovery. S. Gallagher Michigan
After having read a lot of the comments, I just want to point out that the article states the cancellations are due to a hemorrhage in the vocal cords. This kind of injury is fairly common among singers, public speakers, teachers, and anyone else who routinely uses a louder-than-normal voice to communicate with. If you don't take the necessary time to recuperate from the injury, it could worsen to the point where surgery is required.
The most professional decision Adele could make for her future right now would be to take plenty of time off and recuperate her voice.
Stay in School
She use this time off to learn how to use apostrophes, especially for contractions and capital letters. This lowing of the world's education is going too far.
And I should at least check the beginnings of my sentences.
QUIT SMOKING!!! I will NEVER understand it. smells like crap, could end up killing you and hurts your career. WHY KEEP SMOKING?! HOLY CRAP!
TheMann
Who canceled..This big article for someone who has like prob 3 fans
Some of these comments are comical, though I'm sure that's not their intent. The best comical statement? Retro look with the big lashes can make you look fat. hahahahaahhaha, ooooh boy, that was a good laugh. I love Adele's voice AND I think she's pretty. Hope she gets well soon.
Feel better adele. Im a singer myself and i understand vocal problems due to allergies but vocal hemmorrhaging that's really serious. take yourself sometime to heal
Bono is the record
I hate one-named performers.
Hmmmmm maybe she should I don't know...QUIT CHAIN SMOKING
Aw Adele, get well soon!!!!!!!! From a family of fans.......we all love you, think you are beautiful, and love, love, love your music! One of the best sounds of a generation.
anybody notice how big her hands are? Just saying , they're pretty big
Hell Atlantic
that's ok, when i want to watch one of his movies i get it for free off torrent and the money i save goes towards my kids. everyone wins.
Not for nothing, but if she has this tremendous stage fright then she's probably not a good candidate for this profession. that's like a doctor who gets the shakes when he sees blood. any good singer can sound good in a studio, not everyone can be a good singer in front of thousands of people. she should just be a recording artist. not like people have money to buy tickets anymore these days.
October 5, 2011 at 9:59 am | Report abuse | Log in to Reply
SmartBlondie
Take a peek at the Youtube video of her performing Someone Like You at the Brit Awards. Stage fright is not her problem. Poor management and abuse of her talent is what is happening. You can't belt every weekend and expect no damage from it.
We'll be fine
Nevermind we'll find, someone like you... to replace you.
CallaLalla
She can't sing. She yells, and she looks like a hippo. Next!
I'm sure her smoking is the main reason for all of the vocal problems she's been having, but honestly I feel like smoking might give her that jazzy amazing sound she has. I wonder if quitting would adversely affect the tone of her voice? Any fan she loses by cancelling a tour due to health reasons is not a true fan. I GOT YO BACK FOREVA GOURRRLL!!
That 'jazzy amazing sound" you hear from singers who smoke is 100% dur to scar tissue on their vocal chords. Eventually they will end up sounding like Billie Holiday at her worst, almost unable to get a sound out. This is also a precursor in some cases to esophageal cancer. I'll take a clear voice, thank you. If I want to sound jazzy I will show up for the gig after partying all night and with two hours of sleep. It works every time. If I take care of myself, I can sing an aria the next day with my healthy clear voice. No need to smoke, so please don't encourage young singers to think it's a good idea.
could be,but she dosent have the blended winglets at the corners of her eyes.
dustmooooop
the next winehouse...???
dustmop
im crushed.
Adele is apparently singing incorrectly. She should learn to sing.
Smart Blondie
To the uninformed who are criticizing her singing technique, even people with perfect form can damage vocal chords when they are forced to sing every day, and belt it out every weekend on demand. Exhaustion, allergies, and certainly smoking can all aggravate this. Listen to Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and Alicia Keys now, vs. when they started and you will witness the damage that happens. The best treatment is to not sing at all for a singificant period of time, then slowly build back up, while also minimizing the amount of singing. I have been through this, and although my voice will never be the same, it is much better now. I will never again sing with a band that is too loud, sing too high for my voice, or belt notes that hurt. It's not worth it. I hope Adele heals, and learns to pamper her precious gift. Never let the bosses dictate how often you sing!
I'm not a fan either. She can really belt out a song, but her scratchy, raspy, screechy voice sets me on edge.
I love Adele and hope she gets better. I want her to have a long career. When is she going to come to Canada? Come to the Saint John Harbor Station in New Brunswick Adele and we will show you a great audience.
She's a talented singer but it's odd about canceling a US tour again....crying wolf will leave her with empty stadium seats if she ever does perform live here.
DJC2
While some hate, others bank. I sincerely doubt Adele is reading this forum and staring at lightbulbs going off over her head. A vocal coach for drag queens is not a reputable source today or even tomorrow. I'm with team Adele. I love the entire concept, voice, and talent she has brought into my life. You haters out there will still be broke with nothing else to do while you wait for your next customer at Starbucks when she returns, tours, and conquers. It's very sad and pitiful that people who hate have all this free time. Shouldn't you be putting together a demo? Rehearsing? Recording? Writing?
I would love to take a twinkie or two n shove them in her fat face. jsut smush them right on there. get some up the nose to.
stop smoking Adele.
stop rescheduling dates and get well for good.
Otherwise your fans will flock to the Next Rising Star artist.
She is not my type but i like that one song.
Who??
@elle- i'll make u sound like a dying sheep if u get my drift. in fact i can make u a scream like a pig. this thing needs to lose weight!! she is moose
Adele's voice is unique but it's delicate/fragile as well as powerful, the way she uses it to create certain inflections and tones. She sings from the throat as well as from the chest. It is a similar situation to Stevie Nicks in the late 1970s. Stevie sang every night in a way that punished her voice, and she had to keep touring with Fleetwood Mac; there was a whole band involved. Her voice was permanently damaged during the Rumours tour and then its range and tone deteriorated further in the 80s/90s with her drug problems and continued cigarette smoking. Adele should take the time she needs to learn how to be a singer who can sing for decades to come. And quit smoking ASAP.
I can care less about these discussions of her singing correctly or not correctly, seriously....this is the freaking second time shes cancelled on me...last time i will ever buy a concert ticket for her again....second time....with only a weeks notice...find it unbelievable since on Sept. 27 she had a concert and sounded absolutely perfect.
P.S...stop smoking...she was seen smoking with lady gaga at the VMA!!!
MoreTwinkies
Freakin pig. Lose some weight, put down the smokes and take better care of the gift of life and voice you've been given.
watever
huh? neverheard of this fatty before..
I think her song is terrible and sound like a dying sheep. I actually get up to turn off the radio if it comes on.
Ugg. try to sing something cheerful when you feel better
1llest
I love how everyone is going crazy, calling some of the people that commented incentive. People this is the real world, people don' feel bad for you. Please go back to middle school, if you cannot handle the truth. The truth is she is fat, yes she is overweighted and she is a heavy smoker. Not only that she needs to learn how to properly use her voice, like everyone is saying. Now she should get healthy, by stop smoking and stop eating so much.
PGelsman
Lany Holmes
@Keith maybe you couldn't see yourself with Adele but a lot of men good looking men find her very attractive.Just a i'll bet you're no brad Pitt.
How on earth can any man want 2 f*(k something that big n fat!
Chubby Chaser
That's exactly why Some Guys do, Because Other guys dont, and since that is the case Fat Girls are Tighter and not all Worn Out and stretched out.
I seriously don't see what anyone sees in her, I don't like her voice at all. Quite surprised she is as popular as she is, that U.S. has been waiting for her. Huh.
Thank you. At least there is one other person in the world who shares this opinion!!! I thought I was the only one in the world who didn't care for her music.
helpfulT
'set fire to the rain' is one of the best lyrics, set to some of the finest music, to come along in the last few years.
adele's vocal performance on 'rain' – as on most of her recordings – is superb. she really defines what singer/songwriters are all about – wearing your emotions on your sleeve. it's important to remember that she writes these songs HERSELF. this isn't an Idol – this is an artist. you don't have to 'get it' – but you should be able to recognise her talent and respect it. she makes the world a richer place.
paul ny
wow some of you people posting on here are disgusting. It is a shame your parents failed at raising you properly.
Nooo adeleeeeee. Her music makes my soul shudder with warmth amazing talent may God watch over her and heal her . Its my dream to see her. And why are so many people saying she needs to lose weight she is beautiful. and like she said she makes music for the ear not the eyes. Society makes me sick sometimes i hope God destroys us all already .
People who are hating on Adele probably have never listened to her stuff. It doesn't matter what size you are to have awesome vocals. and she isn't "fat". she's a bit bigger, but everyone not a size 2 is considered fat so that's like half of the u.s probably. By hating on her because she isn't twiggy just shows how ugly your personality is.
Does anyone really care about this hag?? (Save your dignity - don't respond)
Yeah just keep on smokin those cancer sticks and you'll be soon sounding like post 70's Bob Dylan.
Roger '80
Talented and beautiful please take care of yourself.
CNNsucks
Cnn says they don't prescreen comments. Yet my previous comment hasn't posted yet. Ridiculous. If you're just going to censure your readers don't even offer the "opportunity" to comment. No wonder I don't watch your newscasts anymore...
Canceling due to illness is understandable, however double cancelations are hard to understand.
Many of the now re-canceled dates (for example, the Nashville show @ the Ryman) were originally scheduled for back in June. They were canceled, rescheduled, and canceled again.
Unless she was completely, 100% certain that she would be healthy, she never should have rescheduled those dates from back in June.
robin g
Adele- You rock anyway! You will be back better than before. Things happen. You will be a better you when you return.
I heard that HPV has been wreaking havoc on people's throats recently. Maybe Adele should take heed.
ilikewords
Give and take, head and heed.
saftgek
And, precisely what is an Adele? Another pretender to the music industry?
mother of four
You're kidding, right?
I have spent over $1000....just bought an AIRPLANE ticket less than 24 hours ago to be able to go to her rescheduled now once again canceled concert, made arrangements to have someone cover my classes since I teach college...Originally, this was to be a VERY special birthday gift from my husband to me....I am DONE...and out over $1000...it really just does not matter if she even sings out of her right eyebrow to me anymore...
apparently cynical
Don't worry..you won't have to reschedule your flight and you'll be able to see her at your local HUGE arena when they reschedule her again...trust me
Zwei Stein
After lengthy discussion and weighing all the factors, we arrived at a consensus. We felt it was in the best interest for all involved to cancel at this time.
Adele deserves every happiness. She was kind enough to send pictures of her and Sting to wickedimproper . com with her new iPhone 5.
While it is bad news- I'll still wait.. was suppose to go on the 19th here in Austin, TX-Oh well, get better Adele
do what you need to do Adele, I will wait, it's worth it. Don't listen to the haters! Take care of yourself and get better.
nu-kid
She's not gone AWOL with that guy again; you know she canceled "An Evening with Adele" world tour which began in May 2008 and ended in June 2009. She later cancelled the 2008 US tour dates to be with a former boyfriend. She said in Nylon magazine in June 2009, "I was drinking far too much and that was kind of the basis of my relationship with this boy. I couldn't bear to be without him, so I was like, 'Well, OK, I'll just cancel my stuff then... I can't believe I did that... It seems so ungrateful".
Sweet what money can do, isn't it ...
intellectual guy
I heard she eats doo doo and is a poo poo head.
BeverClever
Never mind, I'll find someone like you.....
bubbabalooga
Did she have a heart attack from consuming too many donuts (in one sitting)?
the fact of the mattter is that she is rich and we are not and we post our stupid opinions on forums 10x more than her and other rich people. i wonder why. its crazy cause even on facebook i notice the underachievers post a lot more than people who actually have their stuff together.
Laura. You're not big on reading the earlier comments are you? MC got it right.
When will Obama stop derailing pop star tours with his muslim socialism??? He's not even a US citizen! I have a nice foil hat! Foam rubber needs salt! The bears can smell us! Thank you.
Laura D
You realize just how crazy you sound, right?
WOW, what does obama have to do with adele?
You know, sometimes, you have to take a break. Seriously... When commenting on an article about a sick pop-star, you can give it a rest. But other than that, oh my gosh, that was like so so funny, I laughed like so so hard, you are like so witty!
Elaien
You three responders didn't see the irony? What the hell is the matter with you all? MC, I thought that was a VERY funny post!
You people are much more fun than the idiots in the politics section.
turbi
Best thing I have read in months.
Who????
Adele. Her name is Adele.
Excellent question! Adele is an absolute "Who?" Amazing where alleged talent comes from in this world. Probably another "American Idol" talent or other invalid source!
Get Well Adele
Not Fat
Last time she did this, tickets for the rescheduled dates were TEN TIMES MORE than the cancelled dates. Things that make you go Hmmmm....
Sokman
A haircut has nothing to do with the roundness of your body either, but can make a person's face look fuller so yeah, I get ya dude.
*CNN* it's VOCAL "CORD" NOT vocal "chord"....................
Thank you, Danielle. Editing is NOT a dead art.
He he, this is a second article I read with this kind of error on CNN today – and I've read 4. Plus their headlines are 90% of time misleading. They need to stop being so cheap and have real editors working, not 18-year-old interns.
Thank you Ed for pointing out to Danielle that editing is not a dead art. You need to say something to Monica though, I don't think she sounds very happy.
denman25
she could've had it aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllll
Spockjr
It seems like the first time she did this all the shows got re-scheduled into bigger venues/arenas versus the clubs/theaters that were scheduled. Gotta wonder if this isn't just a way to get re-booked into bigger venues now that her popularity has soared since orignially booking these dates in the States...
Cynic!
Texas Annie
Yeah, sure, that's it, dolt !!! Get a life.
I have a life – and it's not slamm'n people on a post cause they have a different perspective than you. But I'm sure you're right, Adele is such a pure artiste she wouldn't do anything so devious has cancel shows and re-book just for more money – what was I thinking – duh...
Are you sure you can handle this type of information?
She has said in interviews that she does not like larger venues and certainly will not do stadiums or festivals of any sort. They make her nervous. She also said she'd rather be with her friends drinking cider. I assumed she meant hard cider, but I don't know. One interview included a statement about her management setting aside dates for her in case she wanted to do some festivals. She said her response to the suggestion was, "Are you out of your mind? Never!"
I hope she gets better and gets back to making music, but it appears it will be on her terms and not left up to the management types.
IMHO big girls don't look good with that type of "retro" look. The old style hair and over-done eye lashes just make you look fatter.
heliocracy
That much is certain.
tenayaj
Well, in my honest opinion, that is a shallow comment to make. Please, refrain from being rude. The article is about her vocal chords, not her style.
Did you really say that her eyelashes make her look fatter??? What a complete idiot. Your eyelashes have nothing to do with the roundness of your body. MORON
I agree with tenayaj's comment.
sniftty
who cares what she looks like? The singing is what is important
Find the Source
I had the same problem with my singing voice and the first Dr. said "Rest, Rest, Rest." It only came back worse when I started singing again. It wasn't until I got a 2nd opinion and on the verge of vocal node surgery, that I was sent to a speech pathologist. They learned that my everyday speaking voice was to blame for my nodes. After learning to speak properly, the nodes started to disappear. If they are only telling her to rest and pumping her full of corticosteroids for inflammation, I'm not surprised it happened again. She has to figure out if her speaking or singing is causing her issue and why. Plus, if they giver her advice, she HAS to follow it WHOLEHEARTEDLY or she will never heal and could lose her career for good.
She must not be singing correctly, to injure herself that way. You can destroy your voice by pushing it too hard.
Considering that she shouts all of her "high" notes, it is not surprising that she is having vocal problem. Sorry. Not a fan...especially after hearing her live and she was flat for most of the song. However, I still wish her a speedy recovery for her sake.
An envious, back-handed compliment served up to a mega star talent from another anonymous wannabe in the ether. Put her down, then wish her well. Hilarious. Sad for you, but hilarious nonetheless.
It's not unusual for singers to be "off" in large concert venues. If the sound engineers haven't rigged it so she can hear herself well, she may never find her level. Maybe she's better suited to the studio and small clubs?
No. Many singers have a tendency to yell when they're trying to hit notes they are uncomfortable with. Sometimes its hard to tell the difference, but it exists. Also, the album version is almost always going to be more perfect than the live version. I don't know about Adele, but there are many singers whose voices get "touched up" a bit in the studio.
Jesse, you need to take some time to mature. Someone saying they're "not a fan" is hardly an insult. It's nice that she wishes her the best anyway – you are the one who's being rude and disrespectful, not Kay.. I like two songs by Adele so far, other ones really annoy me. And I also noticed that her voice just goes up and down in volume, her range is very small. But her sound is still unique and that's what does it for me, at least in those two songs. I also hope she figures out her issues, singers can improve with time, and I'm looking forward to what else she can do.
@S Adele sounds EXACTLY the same live as she does on her album, that's part of the reason why she's so famous.
eriklad
Well,if you're not a fan...then why post a comment? If wishing her well..then just do that...and leave the negative issues somewhere else.
I think you are a sad person. If you have nothing nice to say then get off of her page. I'd like to see you do and endure what she goes through. Don't talk unless you have walked in her shoes. Oh and btw I have heard her sing live and she is amazing, maybe your hearing should be checked.
fernace
As a singer I can just about guarantee shes not singing correctly! She needs a good vocal coach who can show her the difference between singing from the throat (which could cause hemorraging)& singing from the diaphragm! It's easy to know if you're doing it right, just put a hand on your upper belly & sing! If you can feel the air being pushed from that area, you're doing it right! Another thing is getting "nerves" singing infront of such large arenas! Nerves (aka. stage fright) can make you tense & "lock up"vocal chords! That can also cause a person to sing incorrectly & force things! I agree that she needs to get to the bottom of the problem while taking a sabbatical! Most artist need to tour to back their albums! Very few get away with being recording artists only!!
You nailed it...plus she's singing way out of her "chest voice" range and that's where the problem is. Get a good vocal coach, Adele!
You're telling this superstar recording artist how to properly use her voice? Essentially how to sing? You don't think she doesn't have an army of handlers, extremely well paid experts, guiding her along her career? Wow, what a monster sense of self-importance you have, little-f fernace.
I'm with John on this one. She graduated from The BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology. She was admitted based on her singing ability. She worked with voice coaches on a daily basis. Based on that fact, she sounds amazing, and she can hold a note so long, she knows how to sing properly. The problem that happens to almost every major star is they are singing all day every day and it damages the throat. And she probably needs to quit smoking cigarettes!
Its probably a combination of all of those things. Even if you're properly taught how to sing its easy to get locked into little habits when you're still producing the sound you want. That on top of any amount of stress and overworking your pipes just sucks.
Did you guys not hear her say what a horrible stage fright she has? She spoke about it a number of times, she's apparently terrified before signing in front of an audience. No amount of coaching or great schooling is going to cure you from that, I totally feel for her. When I read this headline I automatically thought she's just too scared, I don't say it in a mean way, I understand it completely, but mind is a powerful thing, she's making herself sick – perhaps subconsciously. She needs a shrink more than anything else.. Good luck Adele, you can do it!
Sorry, John and Justin. The singers are right on this one. I AM a vocal instructor, and I am not at all surprised by this. Just because she graduated from a performing arts school and has handlers and coaches means nothing...these people are out for the money she makes them. I can tell by listening that, though her voice is pleasing to the ear, she's ruining it. She's forcing her chest voice too high, and it's causing paralysis of the vocal folds, leading to what was that? Oh yes. A hemorrhage.
Joe D'
The REASON she's so popular is because she doesn't sing "correctly." I'm so over the interchangeable female contraltos out there- who try to get as many notes in. It's not about how you sing scales... it's singing from your soul- Aretha/Janis Joplin/Lucinda Williams/Joni Mitchell/Sade
Adele is no Celine Dion!
if everyone on here knows everything there is to know about singing and is a great singer where is your album, have you ever done show after show interview after interview with probably little to no sleep? do you know the kind of stress that has on your body, wait no you wouldn't know cuz the only singing you do is in your car or shower.... get over yourselves and stop picking your flaws out in someone else.
My advice. Take enough time off. Go to a healer. Consider acupuncture or other alternative medical practices. It could be a result of your fear of performing. Deal with it and get back on tour and make another album. DO NOT SMOKE!
too much smoking
Chill people, things happen. But it's not a real US tour anyway since my hometown NYC is not included.
i feel you on that and im not from nyc.
There WAS a nyc stop at the beginning of the tour, it was one of the few dates she was able to play. It was May 21st-ish.
EvalPP
New Yorkers have now resorted to scanning through Adele tour dates and whining about a tour not being about them because they don't see their wonderful city listed? Guess it's the City that Never Sleeps because they lose sleep over finding new reasons to whine...and complain...about EVERYTHING LOL
LK2
Maybe she should take an extended leave so she can really heal. Continually canceling her shows is not going to help her popularity. It's not her fault, but pretty soon, people will stop buying tickets for fear of canceling again. Take six months off, and REALLY cure yourself Adele! Otherwise, you can say "bye-bye" to your fans. They won't trust you anymore.
apdelga
What does being overweight have anything to do with it? SHAME ON ALL OF YOU PRAYYOU NEVER GAIN WEIGHT
AmyJ
She needs to quit chain smoking!!!!!! She is still smoking, she had an interview recently a couple of weeks ago with a British tv station and she was smoking the whole way through.
Turns out that no one cares if she's touring or not....
Guess the whole chain smoking program doesn't work too well after all. It's so weird that the body rejects poisonous chemicals when you smoke. So strange. You would think the human body would embrace those chemicals. Makes all the sense in the world to smoke when you are a musician. I too would risk my professional career by smoking. Who wouldn't?
I love her voice!!! Any who has issues with her weight or what ever else need to check their own lifestyle. There is no reason to be rude to someone you do not know and if you do know them, again there is no reason to be rude or hurtful. OH wait....... Is that called bullying...HUM I THINK SO.
Perhaps she has allergies and is driven to backout when she really would rather see and be seen in America.
Botherboy
Six months off sounds just about right. Relax, heal, write. Quitting smoking is VERY hard (I know) but it can be done. Adele is not the only smoking singer, but she is smoking FABULOUS!
MrDifficult
Uh.... neither the original comment nor any of the responses negatively mentioned her weight. Sounds like some guilty conciences need to get off the internet and on a treadmill. That said, the chick could stand to lose weight and quit smoking. Then again, who cares? Just another Winehouse heel-biter, whose wave of popularity is already waning. Stupid not to have taken full advantage of it.
I take it back about the weight and smoking. You can't polish a turd.
Ray from Austin, TX
What do you mean "It's not her fault." If she isn't responsible for her own health then who is? She's a professional singer. Part of her job is to do what she needs to do to stay healthy and keep her commitments.
To Mr Difficult
Sure you can – you just have to freeze it first
With some of these provided screen names what would you expect but a shallow comment about a great singer's weight or something else unrelated and shallow. Adele was on the top of the British charts for longer than Madonna. You would need a good vocal coach before she would because you are probably not as famous. Obviously never watched opera. I have tried to do Adele's songs in Karaoke and her songs are very difficult to do and many of them are at the top of my range. I can also figure that the key is not the easiest for her to hit. All one would need to do is travel and have an allergy attack or URI like bronchitis to cause a vocal strain and not be able to sing her music.
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Home Article Australian Singer Delta Goodrem Faced Several Failed Relationship: Is She Married or Dating Anyone as Boyfriend?
Australian Singer Delta Goodrem Faced Several Failed Relationship: Is She Married or Dating Anyone as Boyfriend?
Updated On 20 Apr, 2018 Published On 20 Apr, 2018
Delta Goodrem has simply been one of the popular celebs being unlucky in love and relationship. Dating a number of guys, Goodrem has still, no way to stop!
Delta Goodrem has simply been one of the popular celebs being unlucky in love and relationship. Dating a number of guys in past, she has finally decided not to talk about her relationships and dating life any time soon. Anyone would do the same after facing a number of failures in relationships.
With a lot of speculations and rumors going on let's get details about her current relationship status and know the reason behind her decision to keep her personal life secret.
Delta Goodrem's Current Life: Any Surprises In Her Personal Life This 2018?
After a series of high-profile heartbreaks, many have labeled Delta Goodrem 'unlucky in love'.
It's within this year itself, she sparked dating rumors with a couple of guys with each ending rather quickly.
Delta Goodrem at Sydney Airport
Source: Celeb Mafia
She's working really hard to keep her personal and professional life separately. Some sources allegedly stated that Born to Fly singer, 33, was back with her former boyfriend Seal.
While speaking to KIIS FM's Kyle and Jackie O Show, the pop star, however, refused the dating rumors.
Instyle Australia May Issue, on sale today xx #ThinkAboutYou @instylemag
A post shared by Delta Goodrem (@deltagoodrem) on Apr 19, 2018 at 12:49am PDT
The Voice Australia judge has recently revealed in Instyle Australia's May issue that she has finally come up with a decision not to talk about her relationship status.
Explaining her love life, she told the publication:
'I find it really entertaining - it's not entertaining in some respects, but you have to laugh.
'I made a conscious decision when I was 30 that I'm not somebody who wants to talk about relationships.'
Further, she explained she won't be making any comment when someone asks her about her relationship status.
She never hesitated to address her idea of starring on The Bachelorette.
She said,
"It would be hilariously fun, but no."
Well, it's time to have some patience and wait until the diva herself speak whether she's dating someone or not.
Delta Goodrem's Past Affairs and Relationship
Delta Goodrem has literally marked herself one of the famous celebs going through a number of failures in love and romance.
She began a nine-month relationship with Australian tennis player Mark Philippoussis in 2004. Her 'comeback' single, 'Out of the Blue' is all about Philippoussis's love and support during her cancer battle.
Delta Goodrem and Mark Philippoussis red carpet appearance
They ended their relationship when multiple sources reported Philippoussis unfaithful in their love life.
Here's Delta Goodrem explaining details about her cancer recovery:
The same year, she began dating former Westlife singer Brian McFadden. The pair faced some disturbances that made them go their separate ways in April 2011.
Soon after a month, she started dating American singer and songwriter Nick Jonas. After months of a romantic relationship, they broke up in February 2012.
Delta Goodrem walking with her former love Nock Jonas
She was spotted getting pretty cozy with actor High Sheridan at the end of 2017. They spent vacations together at different locations and sources claimed that they are 'very ready for marriage'.
Delta Goodrem kissing Matthew Copley while taking a sunbath
Still, she started 2018 with her new love guitarist Matthew Copley surprising her fans. Some sources stated,
'They couldn't keep their hands off each other...if I didn't know better, I would have mistaken them for honeymooners.'
'They were holding hands and kissing constantly - they were clearly completely wrapped up in each other.'
They even sparked pregnancy rumors but their relationship also took a negative turn.
Goodrem is definitely in search of a longlasting true relationship; let's wait and watch what goes next.
Delta Goodrem: Quick Facts
Born on 9 November 1984 in Sydney, New South Wales to the family of Denis and Lea.
Her birth sign is Scorpio.
She is of Australian Nationality; belongs to Caucasian ethnicity.
She stands at a height of 5.83 feet (1.78m).
As a child, she appeared in an American advertisement for the Galoob toy company.
She played piano at 7; also took dancing, acting and singing lessons.
She studied at the Hills Grammar School in Kenthrust.
She released her debut album 'Innocent Eyes' when she was 15 which peaked the ARIA Albums Chart.
The song topped the UK Albums Chart; being the highest-selling albums in Australian history.
She also is known for her Mistaken Identity, Delta, and Child of the Universe.
In 2016, she released her fifth album, Wings of the Wild that reached number one on the ARIA Albums Chart.
She served as a coach on The Voice Australia in 2012.
She has an estimated net worth of about $16 million.
#delta goodrem
#boyfriends
#australian singer-songwriter
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Teacher Workshop Legislating the Environment: Teaching Environmental History and Civics 21 April 2020.Tuesday, 9:30AM - 4:00PM Please RSVP Registration Fee: $25 In partnership with the Tsongas Industrial History Center, we will explore the intersections of ...
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Ozanam
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-- Main Menu --HomeWhat is Mathematics?OzanamWardArithmeticTunstallLeybournAlgebraCardanoKerseyGeometryEuclidConic SectionsArchimedesVan CeulenInfinitesBrounckerWallisL’HôpitalProbabilityHuygensMontmortApplicationsWilkinsPascalNotationVièteHarriotDescartesCommunitiesFontenelleContact Us
This is indeed a daunting question and has no universal answer; any answer necessarily depends on the context – where is it being asked, and when, who is asking it and to whom. Even here, in the Edward Worth Library, whose extensive mathematical collection consists of about one hundred mathematics books, there are also gaps in the collection (for example, there is no mathematics from China or from Mayan culture). Of course, we should not expect any of these aspects of mathematics to arise in a collection that spans 200 years from the 1530s to the 1730s, embracing a cultural canvass of contemporary England, France and the Netherlands (and just a little further afield), and stretching back in time to other lands such as ancient Greece and renaissance Italy. Edward Worth’s collection reflects his abiding interest in all forms of European mathematics and provides us with a fascinating insight into early modern mathematics.
The mathematics in the Edward Worth Library, if at all it ‘belongs’ to any place can probably best be described as ‘English’, for the period (from Henry VIII to George II); certainly it is one characterized by the expansion and consolidation of English political power in Ireland, and the establishment of a confident Protestant (Anglican) Anglo-Irish elite. The collectors, John (1648-1688) and Edward Worth (1676-1733), were conscious of the larger world of mathematical printing, not just England, but Ireland too, and Amsterdam, Bologna, Copenhagen, Geneva, Leiden, Leipzig, Lyon, Mainz, Marburg, Paris, Rome, Venice, … This was the world of Edward Worth, and his legacy is part of Irish heritage.
As is evident from the oldest mathematical book in the collection, Cuthbert Tunstall’s De arte supputandi libri quatuor (Paris, 1538), English mathematics was in a poor state in the second third of the sixteenth century; over the next two centuries it would be utterly transformed. Preparing this exhibition has been an exploration of that transformation. This exhibition is structured with nine chapters (in addition to this introductory one). The titles of five of the nine come from the headings of the five parts of Ward’s The Young Mathematicians Guide. Being a plain and easie Introduction to the Mathematicks (London, 1719): Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Conic Sections and Infinities.
Claud François Milliet Dechales, Cursus seu Mundus Mathematicus (Lyon, 1690), index.
As can be seen from the index of Dechales’ Cursus seu Mundus mathematicus (Lyon, 1690), the first four of these were standard fare in any contemporary comprehensive mathematical text. These headings also appear in Ozanam’s Dictionnaire mathematique, ou, Idée generale des mathematiques (Paris, 1691). It seemed that ‘Infinities’ opened a door into the more advanced mathematics of the period, the emergence of the calculus, represented here by Wallis, Brouncker and L’Hôpital. The other four chapters were determined by themes common to the books on which the students contributing to this exhibition worked: Probability, Applications, Notation and Communities.
It was sometimes difficult to assign a particular book to an exhibition chapter. For example, Descartes’ Geometria (Latin edition of 1659) surely belongs to Geometry, or Algebra or, maybe, Conic Sections. It seemed important to emphasize his contribution to revolutionising notation, and likewise for Viète and Harriot who could just as well have fitted into Algebra. Cardano might have featured in Probability, but we put him in Algebra, and ‘confined’ Probability to Huygens and Montmort. Wilkins, for his extraordinary machines, and Pascal, for his work on liquids and gases, were placed in Applications, while Fontenelle, with his eulogies, fitted well into Communities.
Returning to Ward’s ‘quindrivium’, Conic Sections features Archimedes and Van Ceulen, for their quadrature of the circle, yet accommodating all conic sections using the work of Apollonius (Commandino edition of 1566) and Robert Steell’s A treatise of conic sections (Dublin, 1723). For Geometry, almost the entire stage was given over to Euclid, and in three editions (Commandino, Barrow and Gregory). On the page below, in Ozanam’s work we see number theory and geometry combined.
Jacques Ozanam, Dictionnaire mathematique, ou, Idée generale des mathematiques (Paris, 1691), p. 30.
The Arithmetic chapter features the Tunstall’s De arte supputandi (Paris, 1538) and Leybourn’s The art of numbring by speaking-rods: vulgarly termed Nepeirs bones (London, 1667), while, in addition to Cardano in the Algebra chapter, we have John Kersey’s The elements of that mathematical art commonly called algebra, expounded in four books (London, 1673).
We finish this introductory chapter without having answered its question explicitly. We hope that visitors to Mathematics at the Edward Worth Library will enjoy the experience of browsing the pages and working with some of the problems that are presented. Be sure to contact us if you have interesting comments.
Text: Maurice OReilly.
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