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The Possibilities Are... Nearly... Endless.
This one goes out to Scott...
The Yankees should trade for Chris Archer.
He'd look great in pinstripes, wouldn't he?
With that said, I don't believe the Yankees will strike a deal with Tampa to acquire Archer. It's not that we wouldn't be able to put together a package of players good enough to do so, I just don't see a deal that big happening between division opponents.
I had the same thought when there was talk of Baltimore trading Manny Machado during the offseason.
Even though I highly doubt either the Rays nor Orioles will compete for the AL East crown this season, I'm sure there are teams outside of the division... heck, outside of the American League... that could put a package of players together impressive enough to deal for Archer.
So while I don't believe the Yankees and Rays will get together and make a deal involving Chris Archer, I'm 99.9% certain that before August roles around the Yankees will trade for a big-time starter.
You remember when the Yankees dealt for Sonny Gray last season? Yeah... what's to come will be bigger than that.
One name that's been throw out there a bunch of times is Cole Hamels. The club option on Hamels' contract could become guaranteed, however he'd not only have to avoid the disabled list with either shoulder or elbow trouble at the end of the season, Cole would also have to throw 252 innings as well. Yeah... that's not happening. So knowing that Texas is unlikely to be a contender in a division including the Astros and Angels, and Cole's contract ends after this season, dealing away Hamels is almost a certainty.
But if what we've seen from Brian Cashman recently holds true, he's not going to trade away good to great prospects to rent a player for half a season. Brian is going to trade for somebody as good as Cole, if not better, who is also under team control for at least another year.
Let's start by looking at a list of players that could be traded...
Gleyber Torres - Honestly, I find this unlikely. Neil Walker was only signed for one year, so Torres still has a path to MLB for next season. But keep in mind that the possibility isn't zero.
Justus Sheffield - Another unlikely option, but an option none-the-less. The guy the Yankees trade for may very well be the pitcher some envision Sheffield could become. The only difference is the guy the Yankees trade for would be a year or two ahead of Justus, and already getting it done in the big leagues.
Miguel Andujar - I can see the Yankees extending the 28 year-old Didi Gregorius for two to three more years, locking up shortstop through the 2021 season. Add Gregorius with Brandon Drury (not a free agent until after the 2021 season), Gleyber Torres, and Tyler Wade, and that doesn't leave a clear spot for Miguel to get promoted into. Plus there's another guy, but I'll talk about him in a moment.
Estevan Florial - Another player I don't believe Cashman wants to part with, as he could be the heir apparent to center field and the leadoff spot in the lineup, but a possibility still. After all, Estevan may only play part of this season above A ball. And being that far away from Major League Baseball means he's far from a sure bet.
Chance Adams and Dillon Tate - While they aren't as highly touted as Justus Sheffield, both of these guys have high value, especially thanks to them being ready to step into a MLB starting rotation this year or next. And with Sheffield and the next guy I'm going to list around, neither man seems to have a clear path to a starting gig with the Yankees.
Albert Abreu - Albert may be two to three years away from the Majors, possibly making his loss more palatable than pitchers like Adams, Sheffield, and Tate. But a team looking to compete in two to three years would love to have a pitching prospect the caliber of Abreu.
Tyler Wade - Wade has shown during Spring Training that he's ready to start at the MLB level right now. Unfortunately that is unlikely to happen, at least regularly, on Opening Day. And it may never happen with the Yankees thanks to Gregorius, Drury, Walker, and Torres. Even a spot on the bench isn't certain due to Ronald Torreyes.
Thairo Estrada - There are many people, both in the organization and it's fanbase, that would hate to see Estrada dealt away. But he's in a similar situation as Tyler Wade... he has no clear spot to be promoted into.
The only two players out of those I just listed that are likely to still be with the organization after the trade deadline are Torres and Sheffield. No... they won't be the only ones, it's just that the other six could be elsewhere.
And let's not forget that Brian Cashman may absolutely love Manny Machado (the guy I was referring to when speaking of Miguel Andujar), and has already put together a contract to offer Manny as soon as Game 7 of the World Series is over with.
The point is the Yankees can very easily put together a package of players that can't be matched. The Padres, White Sox, and Braves systems may be better, but they don't have a young core like the Yankees have with Judge, Sanchez, Bird, and Severino. Oh, and they don't have a Giancarlo Stanton, either. So, unlike the Yankees, those other teams need to keep some of the big prospects they have.
Oh... and money. Those other three teams don't have the ability to buy players like the Yankees do.
So you may be able to cross off great young pitchers from contenders like the Red Sox, Indians, Astros, Nationals, Cubs, and Dodgers. And you can probably cross off great young starters from the rest of the teams in the American League East. But it's likely that any other pitcher in Major League Baseball is in play.
So I'm not going to give you a list of targets, because the fact is that list is way too large. Just imagine a great young starter from any team not listed above, and smile because they could be on their way to the Bronx soon.
Posted by Bryan Van Dusen at 11:09 AM
Labels: ALbert Abreu, Chance Adams, Dillon Tate, Estevan Florial, Gleyber Torres, Justus Sheffield, Miguel Andujar, MLB Trade Deadline, New York Yankees Trades, Thairo Estrada, trade candidates, Trade Targets, Tyler Wade
Scott Fiedler March 13, 2018 at 2:59 PM
Your point is exactly what separates the Yankees from the Red Sox and what could prove to be the AL East championship for the home team. The Red Sox are flying on fumes and cannot withstand the loss of any of their front line players. Payroll is max and the farm system is bare. I remember those days. Thankfully they are in the rearview mirror for Team Pinstripes.
Daniel Burch March 15, 2018 at 9:39 AM
So what you are saying is what I said a few years ago when he was hired. That Dave Dombrowski was a mistake for the Boston Red Sox to hire (if you are on their side of the fence) and a God send for Yankees fans, eventually.
JimmyEatsHotDogs March 13, 2018 at 3:09 PM
I'd say NO on Hamels...... his personality doesn't fit in NY and his injury history means NY would have to be careful with him. He isn't the stud he used to be.... think about the Philly fiasco with his wife who didn't want to be in NY. I'll pass. Ref Florial look at the log jam in OF today but I suspect Gardner, Ellsbury and Hicks won't be around in 2yrs and he'll be the CF. He will be young (22) certainly ready by then and controllable which means he fits NY profile. Cashman isn't gonna give away Forial for Hamels.... ain't gonna happen.
He isn't the stud he used to be, but you cannot sleep on his postseason and pennant chase experience. You also can't sleep on the fact that he wouldn't HAVE to be a stud here, as the team already has a couple at the top of the rotation. He would be a 4th starter in the postseason or a 5th starter type down the stretch assuming the health of the five-or-six guys we already have.
Ken Reed March 14, 2018 at 12:46 AM
ALbert Abreu, Chance Adams, Dillon Tate, Estevan Florial, Gleyber Torres, Justus Sheffield, Miguel Andujar, Thairo Estrada, Clint Frazier, Domingo Acevedo are the guys the Yankees will need to keep the team as a winner year after year. They have a winning team now, why trade away four of them for one Pitcher?
This team has "NO NEEDS" but a lot of "WANTS"! As the team gets older one needs equal value replacements. Where are they coming from? Some of those 19 to 22 year olds will be the replacements.
Let's wait until we find out how well these guys can play together and win!
Bryan Van Dusen March 14, 2018 at 8:46 AM
If they were to sign Machado then why would they need Andujar? With Judge, Stanton, and Hicks-Florial why would they need Frazier? With an infield of Andujar/Machado, Gregorius, Torres, and Bird why would they need Estrada? You gave five pitchers, and with Severino and Montgomery why would they need them all? Bullpen maybe, but I don't believe they need them all there.
If the team doesn't need anything then fine... Keep em all. But chances are that in order to make a strong push this year they're going to want to bring someone in.
Ken Reed March 16, 2018 at 2:11 AM
Bryan, as usual, I may have given the wrong impression. I didn't mean to use them this year. As the team ages or a A-1 type player comes looking to play for us we have someone to take the place of whomever we need to trade for said player.
Many of the players I want to keep are 19-22 years old.
Look at it like this, Estevan is 19/20...in 2 to 3 years he can be our CF. Stanton is 28(?) in a year or so we could trade him same thing for all the guys. Also, there is the injury thing that can bring down any team unless, one has people that can steep in and play almost as well or better.
Bye the way...Bryan, Scott, Jeff, patrick and our leader Daniel have done a great job this year! Now is the time for Baseball...go for it guys!
Daniel Burch March 16, 2018 at 2:03 PM
I cannot wait!
Bryan Van Dusen March 16, 2018 at 8:40 PM
No doubt!
Every time we bring in a new player he goes onto the 40 man and one of the kids has to leave...Cave has been taken off the 40 man, who is next?
What is it with all these guys being being brought in, is it we are getting the old school thing about rookies...Play the vet over the rookie every time? I don't follow the group think very well. We have some rookies that are better (or will be very soon) than those we bring in, why play players that won't be here next year? This team can do just fine with kids that are still learning the game...after all, it is only one or two rookies and they are very good players!
Play the kids, what the hell is having a very good farm system for, if one just goes on as the Yankees always have in the past.
I get what you're saying, but here's a counter...
Luis Severino, Jordan Montgomery, Dellin Betances, Chad Green, Greg Bird, Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge
Gleyber Torres is not blocked, and Clint Frazier has a path to a starting role next season (assuming they let Gardner go). Justus Sheffield, or another pitcher or two, have a path as well. Estevan Florial, too. And I don't think Drury is going to hold back Andujar (Machado could do that).
When you have the money the Yankees do you can build the best team possible, which is using kids and buying high-end veterans. And doing so sooner rather than later is ideal since eventually you may not be able to re-sign Judge, Sanchez, Severino, etc.
I can't disagree with what you are bringing to the table Bryan!
My problem is with the idea we have to go after a player around 33+ and pay for a contract that will out last his talents! Why not play a kid that with think can be a very good player himself...maybe even much the same or better given half a chance to play everyday. That one player may cost us about 3+ of our farmers. Do deals like that and soon we have NO top players on the farm.
Oh, I didn't mean to say I want someone over 32. Trade for a guy that's young and under team control. As for free agents, Manny and Harper will only be 26 next year.
Harper is a no, Manny is a "We Don't Need". I'd take them any day, but why?
Where is it written we have to have all-Stars at every spot on the field? The last signings are wasted, the players we already have could do as well as those two guys. I mean, Torreyes and Wade can fill in at 3rd and 2nd until Thairo Estrada and Torres show up in late April or May!
Damn good team this year, wouldn't you say?
Bryan, I think Thairo Estrada is a better fit than Andujar all the way around. Domingo Acevedo is going to be a better pitcher than Adams and Sheffield although it may be better for the team putting him in the BP as Set-up/closer. Chapman isn't going to be around long. And don't forget Trey Amburgey outfielder has everything.
I agree that they may not be needed, and in Harper's case we may not have anywhere to put him. I just can't help thinking that you can't pass up on that type of talent.
I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to prospects, so I'll take your word on them.
Daniel Burch March 21, 2018 at 10:13 AM
To say Acevedo will be better than Sheffield is pretty bold. Neither of us can say the other is right or wrong, obviously, but Sheffield is just such a polished and complete pitcher. Acevedo struggles with command and control like most big pitchers and pitchers of his size, see Dellin Betances. I can't say I agree with that, not at all. I think Acevedo will be better than Adams though, and he is one of my personal favorite arms in the Yankees system.
Thairo Estrada is a better all-around prospect than Andujar, yes. But they are comparing apples to oranges, to different types of players. Andujar is the powerful big bopper in the middle of the lineup at third base while Estrada looks to be more like a leadoff type hitter in the middle infield. Both are good prospects, but I would rank Estrada higher, agree.
Agree Daniel, we don't know which will be better. One thing I noticed about "Ace", he plants with a stiff leg and throws 3/4...that 3/4 arm motion makes it a problem for him to throw a breaking ball with consistency. He does pound the zone with the fastball and change-up but I really believe he will end up in the BP as setup or closer. That front leg, and 3/4 motion is his downfall...as a starter!
My opinion Daniel, I have seen him pitch he is good but those things above have me thinking he will end up in the BP.
Many think he is destined to be in the bullpen, so you may very well be onto something. And that's okay, we need bullpen arms as well as starters and Acevedo can be a dominant one in the pen, that would suit me just fine.
patrick March 18, 2018 at 8:38 PM
You had better embrace this season! It is real!
Like Juggernauts coming down the Hudson river, this team is awesome.
Just returned from Fla. awhile ago today.
I was very fortunate to of been given tickets to today's game. What a parade of talent.
The first Marlin's pitcher, Smith, had that...'I've seen enough of this
line-up',as he struggled in the first inning.
Great fun.
I will never say anything untrue....So, yes that was me six rows behind third, wearing a blue t-shirt with .......
'Twasp & I, live a Glass House', in bold type.
Weird / questionable looks from some fans, but it was not meant for them.
Still not used to being sand bagged the other day.
Ken Reed, God watches over you............patrick.
Thank you patrick, He has been with me a long time. I sometimes wonder how much work it is for Him...well, not so much anymore, but there were times too darn many of them.
My sister moved to Fla., and I had hoped to get down and see her and the Yankees but, with building a house and all that stuff...not a chance!
It is about time for you to get your ass back to work again, right? I know you will be plenty busy from about now on thru the summer.
Stay tight, and watch the beginning of a real run like the Yankees of old...5 or more WS rings in a row...not 5 in 20 years!
Kenneth....Back to work is past tense.
We've been working outside in the nursery since mid-January,
working towards being ready by Easter. I think it looks real
good right now. Perhaps ahead of schedule. Trees are in, cold
weather annuals are next.
Love your optimism. That is who you are.
I know this is a baseball blog but, gotta get the news of the world also!
Waiting for my house to be finished has me out in the woods cutting and trimming trees. My sister-in-law has NO idea how to take care of her trees.
I would love to have "The Bosses" House in the woods like hers.
After seven houses that were in the boon-docks, this is "The Bosses" place...but in a place with no trees, nothing but houses as far as one can see. Only good thing is it has a lake behind it. I can sit in the sun and fish from my Deck...almost!
Have fun and don't work to hard!
The Legend of Number 14 Lives On...
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Delta Business
DeltaStyle
Louisiana Congressmen Mike Johnson, Cedric Richmond remain in impeachment spotlight
Republican Congressman Mike Johnson and Democratic Congressman Cedric Richmond on opposite sides of fence during House Judiciary Committee hearing.
Louisiana Congressmen Mike Johnson, Cedric Richmond remain in impeachment spotlight Republican Congressman Mike Johnson and Democratic Congressman Cedric Richmond on opposite sides of fence during House Judiciary Committee hearing. Check out this story on thenewsstar.com: https://www.thenewsstar.com/story/news/2019/12/09/impeachment-spotlight-shines-louisiana-congressmen-johnson-richmond/2628931001/
Greg Hilburn, Monroe News Star Published 3:58 p.m. CT Dec. 9, 2019 | Updated 4:11 p.m. CT Dec. 9, 2019
Louisiana Republican Congressman Mike Johnson sparred with the chairman of the committee considering impeachment of President Donald Trump Monday, once throwing his pen in frustration.
"The people can see clearly that this is a sham," Johnson said when finally granted the floor during the hearing that was continuing late into the afternoon.
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Chairman, Judiciary Committee, left, speaks with senior Republican on the Judiciary Committee, Doug Collins (R-GA) before the House Judiciary Committee receives counsel presentations of evidence as part of the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump on Dec. 9, 2019 in Washington. (Photo: Jack Gruber, USA TODAY NETWORK )
Meanwhile, his colleague Louisiana Democratic Congressman Cedric Richmond pressed on to build a case for impeachment from the opposite side of the aisle during his time at the mike.
Johnson often sparred with Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., during the hearing, trying multiple times to be recognized for points of order and objections.
Johnson first sought to be recognized for a point of order following Democratic attorney Barry Berke's opening statement laying out the case for impeachment.
"Mr. Chairman, point of order," Johnson said. "The witness uses language which impugns the motives of the president and suggests he's disloyal to his country, and those words should be stricken from the record and taken down."
Nadler rejected Johnson's point, saying witnesses aren't subject to the same rules of decorum as members of Congress.
The House investigation launched by Democrats seeks to determine whether Trump threatened to withhold $400 million in military aid to Ukraine unless that country moved forward with investigations the president sought that could help him politically.
Monday's hearing in the House Judiciary Committee on which Johnson and Richmond sit was the second and possibly final hearing by the panel before the full House considers whether to impeach the president.
Richmond, who represents the 2nd Congressional District that includes most of New Orleans, used his time to question Daniel Goldman, who represented the House Intelligence Committee and its investigation concluding Trump acted improperly.
"In the president's own words the transcript reveals that after (the Ukrainian president) asks for military aid (Trump) says, 'I would like you to do us a favor, though,'" Richmond said while addressing Goldman.
More: Louisiana looms large in impeachment hearing; Reps. Johnson, Richmond on front row
"On a call with Ukraine July 25 Trump says do us a favor and asks Ukraine to investigate a political rival," Richmond said again while highlighting phrases and dates from transcripts of meetings and calls.
When Johnson was recognized later by Nadler, he didn't question the witnesses, choosing instead to highlight why he believes the process is flawed.
"This has frankly been an outrageous violation of due process," Johnson said. "It's entirely consistent with this entire impeachment circus."
Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.
Read or Share this story: https://www.thenewsstar.com/story/news/2019/12/09/impeachment-spotlight-shines-louisiana-congressmen-johnson-richmond/2628931001/
Delta Chancellor Epps takes leave of absence with health issue
Farmerville man dies in Sunday wreck
Man dead in early Sunday shooting in Ruston
OPSO investigating two deaths in West Ouachita
Madison Sheriff Larry Cox dies after fall
OPSO: West Monroe man impersonated deputy, searched home
Goodfellows
Mansion on the Market
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Forums > Entertainment & Interests > TV & Media >
ELEMENTARY - News, Reviews, and Discussion
Discussion in 'TV & Media' started by Allyn Gibson, Jan 13, 2013.
Allyn Gibson Vice Admiral Admiral
South Pennsyltucky
Christopher said: ↑
Allyn Gibson said: ↑
I wonder if Dormer will be playing Adler as an American or as a Brit.
For what it's worth, the actress is British. But then, so are quite a few of the actors playing Americans on US television these days.
Which is exactly why I wonder. The actress' natural accent doesn't tell us a thing about the character she's playing.
Allyn Gibson, Apr 11, 2013
Greg Cox Admiral Premium Member
sojourner said: ↑
Like half the cast of Walking Dead.
(yes, yes, I'm exaggerating)
But only slightly!
Greg Cox, Apr 11, 2013
Relayer1 Vice Admiral Admiral
The Black Country, England
Greg Cox said: ↑
Yup, most of the zombies are flown in directly from shopping centres over here...
Relayer1, Apr 11, 2013
lurok Rear Admiral Rear Admiral
Lost in the EU expanse with a nice cup of tea
Anyone seen S2 opener yet? Maybe needs a new thread.
Just saying that the show took some fricking shockin' liberties with London locations . I'm sure there'll be fan/nerd-rage over the 221b scenes.
Was nice to see Ifans as Mycroft though (sure that's not a spoiler). And Pertwee as Lestrade.
lurok, Sep 29, 2013
Christopher Writer Admiral
^What do you mean about liberties being taken with locations?
Sean Pertwee as Lestrade! Awesome! They called him "Gareth" here, which is new; canonically, he's simply G. Lestrade. (He was Giles Lestrade on BBC Radio and Greg Lestrade on Sherlock, although that version seems to be an amalgam of Lestrade and Gregson.) And they referenced "The Adventure of the Norwood Builder," which was indeed one of the stories Lestrade was in.
My problem is, I grew up with the Granada Holmes series pronouncing "Lestrade" with a long A, rhyming with "trade," so I've come to think of that as the way it should be pronounced (after all, he's English, not French, so it makes sense that the pronunciation would've been Anglicized), and the French-style pronunciation that every other production uses, rhyming with (the American pronunciation of) "trod," always sounds wrong to me.
I'm more lukewarm about Mycroft. I don't get why the modern Mycrofts have to be so... thin. At least this Mycroft was formerly obese, and possibly formerly lazy as well, though that seemed more like Sherlock being hurtful. But I suppose the subplot of his attempt to make amends with his brother fit the theme of the episode. I guess Rhys Ifans doesn't do much for me as a performer.
Nice that they actually shot in London -- though I think the 221B interior was a stateside set, since Joan looked greenscreened in front of the window.
Christopher, Sep 29, 2013
I had mixed feelings on "Step Nine."
Good: the episode didn't use "London Calling," which is the cliched song whenever an American series crosses the Pond. I'm not sure "Hello" by Oasis was any better. Britpop, really? You'd think we'd traveled back in time to 1995.
Bad: I didn't really care about Lestrade, how Holmes left him hanging, how his life had gone downhill. It wasn't Pertwee's fault. The script had other things going, and it let us down there.
Good: Watson in the ersatz Batgirl t-shirt. That was a fantasy I didn't even know I had.
Bad: Holmes' jealous rant when Watson says Mycroft wants to take her to dinner.
Good: Rhys Ifans. He had good material to work with and I totally bought him as Holmes' older brother. (Speaking of which, I loved the call back to "The Greek Interpreter" with Watson's exasperation at the discovery that Holmes had an older brother.) I wish he were a bit more canonical, but for all we know at this point he really does work for the British government and his restaurant business is, like Universal Export for James Bond, a front for his other activities.
Bad: The pointless destruction at the end. I'm not sure why that was necessary, I'm not clear how that's supposed to get Sherlock's attention. It was random.
Good: The mystery. I was glad the episode didn't give us red herrings or blind alleys. We started from the assumption that the guy had done it, and then it was a matter of Holmes figuring out how it was done.
Also good: Watson stopping the pigeon guy in Washington Square Park. I'd like to think she used baritsu.
Overall I enjoyed "Step Nine." The Lestrade stuff, no offense to Pertwee, was the episode's main stumbling block. The rest was solid, and hopefully we'll see Mycroft again.
Allyn Gibson, Sep 29, 2013
I'm not sure that was actually Highgate Cemetery in the opening, either. I didn't look like how I remember it.
Greg Cox, Sep 29, 2013
^Still, since Sean Pertwee lives in England, my expectation would be that all of his material was shot in London. Seems the simplest way to arrange things.
Aldo Admiral Admiral
I enjoyed it a lot, and to me it felt more natural having him operate in London (well duh, you must be saying). I didn't mind the absence of Aiden Quinn and the other cop either.
Aldo, Sep 30, 2013
Locutus of Bored Smells Like Baby Yoda Moderator
Huntington Beach, CA, USA
Good: the episode didn't use "London Calling," which is the cliched song whenever an American series crosses the Pond.
CBS used it in the promos for the episode over the past month, though. I groaned when I heard it too, and was pleasantly surprised to see it not used in the actual episode.
Locutus of Bored, Sep 30, 2013
It occurred to me to wonder if the song they were playing might be "London Calling," because I've heard the name of the song, but I have no idea what it actually sounds like. Or who performed it. Or what it's about, besides, well, you know.
Nerys Myk Tomorrow Never Knows Premium Member
Kids, today. No respect for the classics.
[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfK-WX2pa8c[/yt]
Nerys Myk, Sep 30, 2013
I've only watched once so might be wrong, but the ones that popped out were:
* Highgate. Less manicured and more overgrown, rambling. But I guess they either weren't allowed to film there or didn't want to.
* Baker St. Not sure where they filmed that. But filming at actual 221b (which I think from memory is a museum/tourist trap) either not practical (it's a busy main road) or they wanted something more hipster.
* New Scotland Yard. I'm sure we saw an establishing sign, and then the next minute they're by the river several miles away overlooking Tower Bridge . Again, that's probably impracticality of real location, and production desire to get a cool riverfront shot that screams 'LONDON'.
^I did note that Holmes never said his abode was 221B Baker Street -- just "221B."
Did any other than me count the number of steps? It was difficult to tell, because the camera angle changed when the stairwell curved, but I came up with sixteen steps, rather than the canonical seventeen.
^Gasp! Have they no respect for canon? Next they'll make Watson a woman or something!
They wouldn't dare !
You'll be telling me Watson's a damned foreigner next...
Relayer1, Sep 30, 2013
Good catch . Will look out for that on rewatch. The location stuff doesn't personally bother me. More amusing, and am used to a certain crazy artistic licence in this city. Am curious whether there'll be other London eps though, or whether that's a one-off.
lurok said: ↑
The location stuff doesn't personally bother me. More amusing, and am used to a certain crazy artistic licence in this city.
It's not uncommon to favor a scenic location over geographic accuracy. In Continuum, a show that's actually set in Vancouver as well as filmed there, the famous Vancouver Public Library is used to represent the exterior of the city's police headquarters.
In Robin Hood Prince Of Thieves, Robin lands at the White Cliffs of Dover with 'We'll be in Nottingham by nightfall'.
That's not bad going - it's 215 miles !
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Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne take flight in The Aeronauts
The Theory of Everything actors reteam for a pleasant, if predictable, biopic, elevated by stunning visuals
image.net
Mankind is constantly striving to move faster, reach higher, venture where no one has ever gone before. It was this trailblazing spirit that drove the scientist James Glaisher and his co-pilot Henry Coxwell to attempt to break the world flight-altitude record in 1862, embarking on a perilous mission in a hot-air balloon. Tom Harper (fresh off this year’s Wild Rose) gives their story its big-screen treatment in his new drama The Aeronauts. Well, almost.
Tapping into the now-widespread Hollywood trend of forsaking accuracy for unwarranted gender-swapping, the director has written Coxwell out of history in favour of the fictional Amelia Rennes. Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne – reuniting onscreen for the first time since portraying the Hawkings in The Theory of Everything – are the intrepid explorers in the film, determined to complete this expedition and advance meteorology despite dismissals from Glaisher’s scoffing peers (“You’re more likely to predict the movements of a frog in a jar than the weather!”).
Robert Viglasky
Jones, who played a supporting role in her 2014 outing with Redmayne, takes the lead as Amelia in The Aeronauts. She proves a commanding presence who greatly outshines her co-star’s drearily theorising astronomer. The morning of their dizzying balloon ride, she barrels in theatrically atop a carriage, playing up to the 10,000-strong audience by cartwheeling and backflipping across a podium towards the balloon.
With a full face of stage make-up and peculiarly mismatched outfit, Amelia throws caution (and sandbags) to the wind as she and James take flight, climbing above the smoke-trailing towers and houses of Victorian London. Her appetite for showmanship – best exemplified when she tosses a parachuted dog from the rapidly ascending balloon – is at odds with her more safety-conscious self, who strips away all pretence as soon as she is out of view of the awestruck crowd, wiping off her greasepaint and donning warming oilskins for the journey.
The actress mines this (admittedly underdeveloped) tension between her character’s public and private personae to reasonable effect, but it is her unwavering defiance that really buoys up her performance. As a widow with no desire for domesticity who “provokes fear” in polite society, Amelia dispatches sharp-tongued remarks calling for her freedom that – hollow feminism aside – showcase her fierce strength, a compelling need for adventure burning behind her eyes. And yet it is the pilot’s defiance when confronting the very real possibility of death that is most captivating.
Courtesy of Amazon Studios
Although weighed down by pace-slowing flashbacks, The Aeronauts fully comes into its own during the action sequences in the hot-air balloon, which run on an exhilarating, ticking-clock immediacy. At the mercy of the sky, the pioneers soon discover that their candy-striped vessel offers precious little protection from the elements. A gauzy mist becomes a harbinger of a looming storm cloud, which swallows them up, flings them through the air and lashes them with rain (water droplets pooling pleasingly on the camera). The ice-rimed balloon, gliding at a vertiginous 36,000 feet, then freezes, forcing Amelia to clamber up its side – her frost-bitten hands clobbering unfeelingly at a rope ladder – to save herself and her oxygen-starved partner, who is curled up unconscious in the wicker basket below. The spectacular cinematography, and beautifully framed shots, increase the suspense and make for a thrilling ride.
These disaster-movie elements establish a pulse-quickening dynamism that complements the more peaceful airborne scenes, allowing us to marvel at the vast, fragile beauty of the sky. Accompanied by the majestic orchestral swells of the score, the balloon soars beyond pillowy wisps of cloud, scattered snowflakes and surges of yellow butterflies. It is a truly magnificent sight to behold. On earth, The Aeronauts is preoccupied with heavy, energy-deflating exposition that does little to sketch out the frustratingly thin characters. In the sky, the film displays a technical virtuosity that sweeps you up with its clear-eyed admiration for the natural wonders of this world.
‘The Aeronauts’ received its UK premiere at the Mayor of London’s Gala at the BFI London Film Festival on 7 October. It will be released in cinemas on 4 November.
This podcast will make you the perfect host
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What to see, do, eat and buy in September
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UCF’s Adaptive Climbing Program empowers students with different abilities to experience the thrills and health rewards of indoor rock climbing at the Recreation and Wellness Center.
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UCF senior Katherine Torres, who has a muscle weakness that doesn’t allow her to stand or walk, has found new freedom through the Adaptive Climbing Program.
The program, which began in 2013, allows students with partial paralysis, prosthetic limbs or limited mobility in their extremities to hoist themselves up the 41-foot-tall tower with specialized equipment.
A purpose-built seat harness provides added support for climbers.
A handlebar ascender enables participants to pull themselves up using their arms. A 4:1 pulley system lightens their load.
Specially trained Recreation and Wellness Center staff help climbers don the adaptive gear.
A redundant anchoring system, monitored by staff, adds a secondary level of safety.
“You’re basically doing a lot of pullups, but it’s the coolest experience. I’m used to being so close to the ground — it’s really freeing.” — Katherine Torres
More UCF Stories
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Displaying 41 - 60 of 401.
When Does "come" Really Mean Come? Robin Webber October 21, 2017 Los Angeles, CA
Pilgrims: Hold the Line Robin Webber October 12, 2017 Bakersfield, CA; Las Vegas, NV; Los Angeles, CA; Redlands, CA; Oceanside, California 2017
The Feast of Trumpets: A Time to Shout! Robin Webber September 21, 2017 Los Angeles, CA
How Close Is Close When It Comes to Christ? Robin Webber September 2, 2017 Los Angeles, CA
Jude: Timelessly Unveiled Again Robin Webber August 19, 2017 Los Angeles, CA
Christ: I Woke up This Morning and You Were on My Mind Robin Webber July 29, 2017 Los Angeles, CA
Faith of Our Fathers Down to This Day: Spiritual Lessons Gained From July 4th Robin Webber July 1, 2017 Los Angeles, CA
Placing a Place of Safety in Biblical Context Robin Webber June 17, 2017 Los Angeles, CA
Allowing Christ to Build His Church in Me Robin Webber June 4, 2017 Bakersfield, CA; Las Vegas, NV; Redlands, CA; San Diego, CA
Allowing Christ to Build My Church in Me Robin Webber June 3, 2017 Los Angeles, CA; Bakersfield, CA; Las Vegas, NV
May You Be Like Ruth and Like Esther and Mary Robin Webber May 13, 2017 Los Angeles, CA
Fasting Today to Honor God Forever: I Press Toward the Goal Robin Webber April 22, 2017 San Diego, CA
Tossing out the Leaven of Worry Robin Webber April 17, 2017 Los Angeles, CA
Tossing out the Leaven of Worry Robin Webber April 17, 2017 Garden Grove, CA
Dying That We Might Live Robin Webber April 8, 2017 Los Angeles, CA
The Ageless Prayer for All Ages - John 17: The Prayer Which Keeps on Giving Robin Webber March 18, 2017 Los Angeles, CA; Bakersfield, CA; Las Vegas, NV
The Ever-Present Presence of God Robin Webber March 4, 2017 Los Angeles, CA
The Politics of the Kingdom Robin Webber February 11, 2017 Los Angeles, CA
So What's Life About Anyway? Robin Webber February 11, 2017 Redlands, CA; San Diego, CA; Bakersfield, CA; Las Vegas, NV
The 144,000: Promises Kept Robin Webber January 28, 2017 Los Angeles, CA
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Man, 62, using walker mugged for change purse in north-end Halifax
- Herald file
A 62-year-old man who uses a walker was mugged by two men just after midnight in the north end of Halifax just after midnight Tuesday.
The victim was walking in the area of the 5500 block of Black Street when he was attacked by the pair, who came out of an alley. One of the muggers hit the man in the head with “an unknown object,’ Halifax police said in a news release. Then, they stole his change purse.
The man was taken to hospital by ambulance with non-life-threatening injuries. Police and a K-9 unit checked the area but couldn’t find the assailants.
Halifax police request that anyone who witnessed or has video from the area at the time of the incident to call them at 902-490-5020 or submit an anonymous tip through crimestoppers.ca
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ビジネスニーズへの的確な対応
グローバルオフィス一覧
紹介報奨制度
のリーダーシップチーム
Palm Springs Air Museum and our Veterans: An Aerospace Supply Chain perspective through team building
Team building can be a valuable tool for corporate growth. I’ve experienced various styles and activities of team building over the years. Everything from charity drives to obstacle courses and even the simple “trust fall”, all effective in their own way.
This year our directors took a simple trip to the Palms Springs Air Museum.
What was obviously relevant for this visit and to us, was the history of our industry, its impact on America and the world. Showcasing our drive for excellence, pursuit of the sky and the sacrifices made to get there. For 40 plus years Verify has been an active participant in this industry.
What was not obvious was the emotional awe and introspection this museum evoked.
As museums go this one is laid out in a very simple grid, almost what you would expect from a collection of creations built by people who understand grids and processes and control. It makes for a great experience albeit if different from let’s say the MOMA where you are guided by prescribed genres instead of metrics like dates and geographical locations. In this museum those metrics did exactly that, the perspective of time and place framing some of the greatest engineering accomplishments of the last century, got us all quite impassioned.
When you add story telling from Korean War Veterans who are there to shepherd you through the various historical sections, its introspective and inspiring to say the least. These Vets along with other staff at the museum steward these snapshots in history and every article, every polished warbird is maintained with the care and attention of someone who shares the actual reverence of the time and place no matter which side of history they were on.
So many of the stories were stirring. Firsthand accounts of war often are, and with the back drop of weapons, maps, planes and thousands of POW bracelets in a display, the chill you get is palpable. What also hits you is how these veterans tell their stories, there is no dread, no overtly sad reflection. They are happy to share and appreciative of interest. I think it’s because of their sense of duty, not only that initial calling that brought them to be Warfighters but also a sense of duty that it is their job to relay this history orally. To those who will listen. And we did.
What was also incredible to me, was the time and effort our Veterans put into being historians of the entire global war theaters. Be it WW2, Vietnam, the Cold War or the actual history of flight. Each one of them could just as easily relay interesting information on the Spitfire or the MIG as the Corsair or F14. You would be hard pressed to find any Veteran in that building who couldn’t be a history professor. We marveled at it.
We work intrinsically with the A&D supply chain every day. We deploy thousands of inspectors, SQEs, SMEs etc to provide solutions. It’s a complex global web with sometimes insurmountable issues which need to be methodically and efficiently dealt with. It’s our job and we do it, that’s not going to change.
But the why, for me anyway, has changed, even if just a little.
In aerospace and defense the big why is penalty for failure. Our lives, the lives of our loved ones and the lives of those Warfighters that protect our freedom.
But the added why that I and my colleagues acquired from this visit is our history and those that truly represent it, our Vets. Vets that relied on companies like ours to make sure those air ships were built to perform, built to protect, and through unimaginable conditions. As much as we relied (and continue to do so) on them for our freedom and ultimately our history. We felt a bond, it might be separated by decades of turmoil and prosperity but when they asked what we did and learned about our role in the industry there was genuine interest and reverence as well. What we do is important. Teamwork is important
More than other Air museums this one, set against the California desert seemed to resonate with us as a team and truly engaged us to perform better and reflect more. Compared to those that charge into the fight it’s the least we can do and strive to do better.
Hank Hagedoorn: Verify Global Marketing
Verify Inc.
Palm Springs Air Museum: From their website
The Palm Springs Air Museum is a living history museum dedicated to educating the public about the role Air Power played in preserving American liberties and way of life. The Museum preserves, exhibits, and flies aircraft from World War Two, Korea, and the Vietnam Wars. Most of the aircraft are in flyable condition.
Many of our docents are veterans and are willing to share their experiences and sacrifices for the education of future generations. In addition to flyable and static aircraft, the Museum uses permanent and temporary exhibits, related artifacts, artwork, and library sources to perpetuate American History.
2月 25th, 2019|
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Gubernatorial candidates, from left, U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham, Eddie Rispone, and Gov. John Bel Edwards, face each other in the second debate, hosted by Louisiana Public Broadcasting, on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019, at Angelle Hall on the campus of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
STAFF PHOTO BY BRAD BOWIE
Ralph Abraham hits back against Eddie Rispone over intraparty attacks
By SAM KARLIN | Staff writer
Sam Karlin
Congressman Ralph Abraham is hitting back against Eddie Rispone over an attack ad he launched last month, with Abraham releasing a new TV ad of his own this week that calls Rispone "desperate" and accuses him of lying.
Abraham's ad, launched Monday, responds to several of the attacks made by Rispone, who accused Abraham of voting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and voting against a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border.
"Eddie Rispone is desperate and is running dishonest attack ads against Ralph Abraham," the narrator says. "The facts: Ralph Abraham doesn't vote with Nancy Pelosi. And he voted seven times for Trump's wall. Ralph Abraham is rates as the most conservative candidate in the race for governor by the Louisiana Family Forum."
The ad calls Abraham the most conservative candidate in the race, and ends with, "Eddie Rispone is lying to you, and that's the truth."
Abraham previously vowed to keep his focus on Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards in the race, adhering to the Republican party wishes that the Republicans avoid trashing each other ahead of the Oct. 12 open primary, where all candidates appear on the same ballot.
Eddie Rispone launches attack on fellow Republican Ralph Abraham in Louisiana governor's race
In a statement, Abraham said "it's unfortunate that we had to devote time and resources rebutting blatant lies from my Republican opponent."
"We will not launch personal attacks against my Republican opponent, but I will defend my conservative record and values," Abraham said. "I call on my Republican opponent to pull all negative attack ads, so both campaigns can focus our resources on defeating John Bel Edwards."
Rispone angered some Republicans when he launched the attack ad last month, and Abraham at last week's debate hit back forcefully against the attacks, which went after his conservative credentials.
However, Rispone has gained in the polls since the move. Rispone's campaign spokesman Anthony Ramirez reiterated the points made in the original attack ad, noting Abraham is the "most absent member of Congress."
"Abraham takes the taxpayers paycheck, but he doesn’t show up to work," he said. "The people of Louisiana are looking for an outsider who knows how to create jobs, that’s why conservative Eddie Rispone will beat liberal John Bel Edwards in the runoff."
The primary election is Oct. 12, with a Nov. 16 primary between the top two finishers if no one wins more than 50%.
The Rundown: Top political news from The Advocate
Stay in the know about the biggest news in Louisiana politics. Sign up today for our newsletter!
Email Sam Karlin at skarlin@theadvocate.com
Oct. 12 election in Baton Rouge: Here's everything you need to know about races, candidates
Today's primaries in the Baton Rouge area and across Louisiana are chock-full of major issues and races.
Oct. 12 election in Acadiana: Here's everything you need to know about races, candidates
Governor says GOP squabbling shows second term is looming
Did Louisiana's criminal justice reform create a safer state? Governor's race Republicans question it
Follow Sam Karlin
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Outcomes to Expect and Methods to Use in Your 360 Feedback Process
Hiring Best Practices
All Human Resources
Human Resources Workplace Communication
Great Debates About Managing Workplace 360 Degree Feedback Continue
••• Sam Diephuis / Getty Images
360 Degree Feedback Process: Recommended Methods
One of the great debates about 360-degree feedback is how to collect the data, administer the chosen method of data collection, and provide feedback to the participants. If you are offering a 360-degree feedback process, the method you use to collect and share the information will make or break your process.
There are several important questions to ask and answer regarding the method used to collect and provide multi-rater feedback.
Will your organization use an anonymously filled out instrument or promote face-to-face, or known rater feedback, or a combination of these actions?
Who will select the raters? (This varies from one organization to another with most using a combination of employee selected raters and management selected raters.)
How much training will raters receive about filling in the instrument and how to provide meaningful feedback? They need to understand the powerful impact obtained when they use specific examples of employee behavior either functional or dysfunctional behavior.
What code of conduct regarding feedback given will the organization espouse? Think of words such as honest, truthful, professional, kind, respectful, caring, and genuinely interested as words to describe the tenor of the feedback.
The 360 Degree Feedback Process Overview
Most organizations opt for an anonymously filled out 360-degree feedback document. The collected data is then tabulated in a confidential manner.
Then, the results of the 360-degree feedback are shared with the person whose skills and performance were rated. The individual's boss is often part of this meeting so he or she can support action planning and development.
Occasionally, organizations set up facilitated meetings to share the 360-degree feedback results with the person whose performance was rated. If the employee is a manager, for best results, the manager needs to then share and discuss the results with his or her team.
These meetings can be facilitated or not. The best method depends on the relationship the employees of the department have developed with each other over time.
The 360-degree feedback process steps are detailed in "360 Degree Feedback: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly."
Selection of Raters in 360 Degree Feedback
Jai Ghorpade, a professor of management in the College of Business Administration at San Diego State University says that "involving multiple constituents broadens the scope of information that is gathered. However, a mere increase in the scope of information may not necessarily yield data that are more accurate, impartial, and competent than those provided by the individual manager…"
Consequently, it is important that organizations allow employee input into the rater selection process. Perhaps the employee selects several peers, customers, direct reports and knowledgeable coworkers. Then the manager selects several more.
The manager of the employee and the employee who is receiving feedback should always fill out the 360-degree instrument. The individual’s rating of her own performance is important for later comparison with the rater group’s feedback.
And, the boss's feedback is important, too, especially since, in most instruments, the feedback of the direct manager is not averaged with the rest of the feedback from other raters. Rather, it receives its own column and stands out.
In developing your 360-degree feedback process, a shared process of selecting raters is always recommended.
Additional Recommendations for Successful 360 Degree Feedback
These points will help you make the methods you use to administer your 360-degree feedback process most effective. All employees need training in the following and more.
understanding that the process is confidential, and the meaning of this confidentiality,
goals of the 360-degree feedback process,
methods used in administering the process,
understanding and filling out the instrument,
what the organization will do with the data collected, and
expectations of the employees involved in the process.
Instruments that allow for examples and comments about each question are preferred. This allows the person who is the subject of the feedback to better understand his or her ratings.
In an organization with a culture that promotes feedback, openness, and trust, please consider opposing secret surveys. It is strongly recommended that organizations that introduce 360 feedback, aim over time, for a completely open process. This, of course, requires the work on the culture and climate described in how to change your culture.
Outcomes From Your 360 Feedback Depend on Your Stated Goals
The outcomes you experience from your 360 feedback process are dependent on the decisions you make about the goals you want to achieve. The most important outcome of the 360-degree feedback process is personal and career development for the staff person whose skills and performance are rated. And, these decisions have sparked more debate in organizations about 360-degree feedback.
You will experience more success with multi-rater feedback when the results do not impact the compensation of the person receiving feedback. If you require the feedback to impact the compensation, you set up several possible scenarios.
People may be unwilling to give accurate feedback because they are concerned about the impact the feedback will have on raises. In a negative environment, or in an environment in which people compete for raises out of a limited pool of money, people might collude to assure that the individual receiving feedback is either eligible or ineligible for a raise.
Employees are also always concerned, that on some subliminal level, the feedback will influence the manager's opinion of the employee's performance. Even if the feedback outcomes are not supposed to influence appraisals, raises, and promotions, employees believe that they do.
Allow the Employee to Own the 360 Degree Feedback Data
To counter these employee concerns, in organizations served, people overwhelmingly prefer that the individual owns the data from the 360-degree feedback. In this scenario, the individual shares the information with the supervisor as she chooses. The supervisor and other members of the organization have no access to the data.
When the organization owns the data and the supervisor has access to the information, too often the feedback becomes directly or inadvertently, part of the individual’s appraisal. This negates the developmental goals of the process. Few individuals will openly discuss the aspects of their work needing improvement when they believe the information will become part of an appraisal that has an impact on compensation.
Feeling challenged by this recommendation about outcomes by individuals who ask why you would bother with the assessment if the supervisor has no access to the data? The best response is generally to say that if the supervisor is truly looking out for the development of the employee, the employee will share the data.
In a performance management system, the employee uses the feedback to set up a performance developmental plan; thus the supervisor indirectly has access to the information.
In an environment of trust and cooperation, you can establish a norm that the employee shares the data with the supervisor.
Resolve These Issues When You Use 360 Feedback
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How to Create a Culture Based on Teamwork in Your Organization
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Berry Bros & Rudd opens new retail site
Berry Bros & Rudd opened a new retail outlet in London on Monday 22 May on Pall Mall, opposite St James's Palace and near its original premises at No3 St James's Street.
This latest development for Britain’s oldest wine and spirit merchant is in recognition of its growing customer demand, as well as development opportunities around its historic, listed premises at No3 St James’s Street.
Berry Bros & Rudd’s office at No3 St James’s Street, which was converted for retail as recently as 1994, will revert to its original role as a dedicated venue offering customers wine-related services, events and advice.
Adding the first-class retail space at 63 Pall Mall to the traditional consulting environment at No3 allows Berry Bros & Rudd to provide customers with a comprehensive proposition.
Dan Jago, chief executive at Berry Bros & Rudd states: “We are delighted to be opening our new wine shop on Pall Mall, just around the corner from our long-standing home on St James’s Street. Expanding our footprint on this special corner of St James’s builds on our legendary customer proposition and helps cement our role as the UK’s most highly regarded and long-serving wine merchant. With event spaces, consultancy rooms, private dining, wine education and now a modern retail outlet, Berry Bros & Rudd is truly a one of a kind destination for wine and spirits in the heart of London.
“No3 St James’s Street will remain the front door to the business. Although it is closing briefly for refurbishment, when it reopens on 12 June we look forward to receiving customers there once again.
“After more than 300 years on the same site a lot has changed at Berry Bros & Rudd. We have continued to innovate and develop our offering in keeping with the times to ensure we remain a relevant, modern and progressive wine and spirits merchant. We look forward to welcoming old friends, as well as new customers, to 63 Pall Mall.”
In the new shop, customers will find over 1,000 wines and spirits on display, a 300-strong Fine Wine Reserve and a rotating selection of 24 products available on Enomatic machines for sampling at the push of a button.
Chairman, Simon Berry comments: “When I first started working for the family business 40 years ago, No3 St James’s Street wasn’t really a shop. It was known as the office and customers would come in to be greeted by one of the shop assistants and handed a price list. Wine was very much kept in the cellar.
“No3 was never designed for retail, and that is why we’re all so thrilled to have this opportunity to open 63 Pall Mall. Designed specifically as a shop, our new space means we’ll be able to offer our customers better service than ever before.”
The retail development at 63 Pall Mall is the latest in a line of recent developments by Berry Bros & Rudd. In 2015 the company opened its Sussex Cellar – a dual level venue created for customer events. Last year a new private dining room and tasting room were opened on the 2nd floor above No3 St James’s Street.
23 May 2017 - Sam Coyne The Drinks Report, news editor
Absinthe Aperitif Armagnac Baijiu Brandy - Other Brown Business Cachaca Calvados Champagne Cognac Digestif Drinks Producer Eau de Vie Europe Fine & Rare Fortified Wine Gin Grappa Home Liqueur Mescal Off Licences / Liquor Stores Off Trade On Trade Pisco Red Rice Spirit Rose Rum Services & Suppliers Shochu Sparkling Wine Spirits Still Wine Tequila United Kingdom Visitor Centres Vodka Whiskey - American Whiskey - Irish Whisky - Canadian Whisky - Japanese Whisky - Other Whisky - Scotch White Wine
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You are here: Home → Catholic Burial Customs
Unlike other faiths, Catholics are not assured heaven before death. They believe that in death, people are judged to go to heaven, hell, or purgatory. This is why upon death, the first person, family members call is their priest, so that he can perform the last rites, final prayers, and the ministrations preceding death. This is an essential aspect of Catholic burial customs.
Our funeral specialists are experts in understanding a variety of beliefs, cultures, and traditions, making sure to incorporate these customs into funerals and cemetery services. When planning a Catholic burial or funeral service, you and your family members can count on us to plan an honorable and traditional ceremony that lives up to the legacy left behind.
Catholic Burial Traditions
Often, when death is imminent, Catholics turn to their priest to administer special rites and Holy Communion to the dying person.
After death occurs, a priest is still needed to provide the necessary rites so the funeral planning process can begin. These same special rites are followed by the Holy Communion. Also, if there’s a known desire for the donation of organs, proceedings must start immediately. Within the Catholic Church, organ donation is somewhat of a controversial subject, although many parishes see them as a final charitable act.
The Funeral Mass
As part of the funeral rites, a funeral mass is set to act as the memorial of Christ’s death and resurrection. It’s customary for the funeral mass to be celebrated on the day of the burial, however, on occasions it may be honored in some other time before the burial.
The proper setting for Mass must be a sacred place, thus excluding funeral homes or other facilities. The body of the deceased is often present for the Funeral Mass. The casket remains closed throughout the funeral and should be covered with a white pall in remembrance of the baptismal garment. An open Bible or a crucifix may also be placed on the casket.
Holding a funeral Mass is customary, but not a requirement. If the family decides that a Mass cannot be held, Catholic funeral traditions recommend the service may be held and include the funeral liturgy that would typically be held during a Mass.
The Graveside Service
The Rite of Committal occurs at the cemetery and is the last farewell. Here, the Catholic community honors the body before it is buried or entombed. The rite is often celebrated at the grave or tomb, mausoleum, columbarium, or in a cemetery committal chapel accompanied by mourners and the priest.
To make the gravesite a sacred place for the deceased, the priest or deacon will bless the place through the prayers and Holy water before the body or remains are placed. After the site is blessed, the body is then committed to the earth, followed by more prayers and a recital of the Lord’s Prayer by everyone present.
Modern Catholic Cremation
For years, the Church solely followed the practice of burials or entombments after death. This expresses respect for the human body as a member of Christ and faith in the resurrection of the body, much like Christ’s burial. However, in the early 1960s, the Church began adjusting burial customs to include cremation for Catholics, and by 2016, the pope updated the guidelines to allow cremation entirely.
However, under Catholic cremation customs, the cremated remains should never be scattered. They must be placed in a worthy container and be either buried or inurned in a columbarium niche. Finally, the Rite of Committal is also performed at the columbarium for cremated remains. A priest is in charge of making sure the interment site remains a sacred place. The rite is often celebrated at the site and includes the same traditions.
Catholic Burial Etiquette for non-Catholics
Non-Catholics should adhere to the same etiquette they would for any funeral. Be respectful and aware that during the Mass when the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist or Holy Communion takes place, as a non-Catholic you won’t participate in communion. However, you may join in the singing of the hymns, and stand or kneel when others do.
Planning a Catholic Burial
The Gardens of Boca Raton funeral specialists caters to a variety of cultures and traditions, including Catholic cemetery services. From the Catholic vigil service to the burial, our caring specialists will help you and your family plan a ceremony that honors the Catholic traditions that mean so much to your family. Contact The Gardens of Boca Raton to discuss the options for planning a Catholic burial for you or your loved one.
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You are here: Information > Product Catch all > Nene Valley Railway
Type:Steam Railway
Wansford Station, Stibbington, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE8 6LR
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Regular steam trains operate over the line to Peterborough, a return trip of 15 miles. Many steam locomotives are kept on this line including both British and continental types. The railway has featured in many television series including London's Burning and breath-taking stunts in the James Bond films Octopussy and Goldeneye. Nene Valley Railway is the home of Thomas, the childrens favourite engine who was named by the Reverend Awdry in 1971. Thomas events are held throughout the season.
The 7.5-mile steam-operated Nene Valley Railway runs alongside the River Nene from Peterborough (Nene Valley station), through Wansford to Yarwell. Wansford is the main station (free parking) where there is a café and all facilities.
Timetable available from www.nvr.org.uk
Meeting, Conference & Wedding Facilities
Public transport: From Peterborough station it is a 15 minute walk to Nene Valley Railway.
Wansford station is located next to the A1 at Stibbington, 1 mile south of A47, near Peterborough.
Accessible by Public Transport: Peterborough central station is 1 mile away.
* See www.nvr.org.uk for details.
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Nene-Valley-Railway-Home-of-Thomas-824536427645371/
Nene Valley Railway Group Visits
Take a trip back in time on the delightful Nene Valley Railway with its heritage steam…
Wansford Pasture
A remnant of limestone grassland with species - rich springs and flushes.
The Church of St Kyneburgha, Castor
This ancient Church has been a place of worship since 4th Century. It has Roman, Saxon…
Sacrewell
You probably know us as a lovely place for children to see the animals, run around in…
The Prebendal Manor
Described as a hidden gem and dating from the early 13th century the manor is the oldest…
Elton Hall
Fascination historic house with a fine collection of paintings, furniture and porcelain. …
Ferry Meadows
Ferry Meadows Country Park is at the heart of Nene Park in Peterborough. It's the perfect…
Nene Park
Nene Park stretches for 10km along the beautiful valley of the River Nene immediately…
St Mary’s is a Church of England parish church serving the eastern side of the city. We…
An ancient woodland full of wild flowers - an unexpected treasure in such an urban setting
Longthorpe Tower
The 14thC tower of a fortified manor-house with wall paintings which form the most…
St Botolph's C of E Church
At St Botolph’s we seek, together with all other Christians, to be followers of Jesus…
Holywell Ponds
The ponds at Longthorpe originally belonged to the medieval manor (no longer standing)…
Thorpe Hall Hospice
Grade 1 listed mansion dating from 1653. Restored gardens, Coffee Shop and charity shop…
John Clare Cottage & Garden
Located in the village of Helpston, which is between Peterborough and Stamford. John…
St Andrew’s United Reformed Church
St Andrew's URC is a friendly, active church, based on the west side of the city of…
Nene Valley Railway Group Visits, PeterboroughTake a trip back in time on the delightful Nene Valley Railway with its heritage steam and diesel locomotives.
Nene Valley Railway Educational Visits, PeterboroughTake a trip back in time on the delightful Nene Valley Railway with its heritage steam and diesel locomotives.
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Gorka San José Enériz
Orcid id0000-0001-5878-1741 ResearcherIDK-7501-2017
Publicaciones científicas más recientes (desde 2010)
Publicaciones en revistas (21)
Autores: González, A, (Autor de correspondencia); López, B; Ravassa, S; et al.
Título: The complex dynamics of myocardial interstitial fibrosis in heart failure. Focus on collagen cross-linking
Revista: BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH
ISSN 0167-4889 Vol. 1866 Nº 9 2019 págs. 1421 - 1432
Myocardial interstitial fibrosis (MIF) is a common finding in heart failure (HF) patients, both with preserved and reduced ejection fraction, as well as in HF animal models. MIF is associated with impaired cardiac function and worse clinical outcome. The impact of MIF is influenced not only by the quantity but also by changes in the quality of collagen fibers and in the extracellular matrix components, such as a shift in collagen types proportion, increased fibronectin polymerization and increased degree of collagen cross-linking (CCL). In particular, CCL, a process that renders collagen fibers stiffer and more resistant to degradation, is increased both in patients and animal models of HF. Importantly, in HF patients increased cardiac CCL is directly associated with increased left ventricular stiffness and a higher risk of hospitalization for HF. The aim of this review is to address the complexity of MIF in HF, focusing on CCL.
Autores: Garcia-Fernandez, N; Beaumont Javier; Moreno, MU; et al.
Título: The renal immune-inflammatory component of arterial hypertension: emerging therapeutic strategies
Revista: CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH
ISSN 0008-6363 Vol. 115 Nº 4 2019 págs. 696 - 698
Autores: Romero, Gregorio Aramid; Ravassa, S; et al.
Título: Burden and challenges of heart failure in patients with chronic kidney disease. A call to action
Revista: NEFROLOGIA
ISSN 0211-6995 2019
Patients with the dual burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and chronic congestive heart failure (HF) experience unacceptably high rates of symptom load, hospitalization, and mortality. Currently, concerted efforts to identify, prevent and treat HF in CKD patients are lacking at the institutional level, with emphasis still being placed on individual specialty views on this topic. The authors of this review paper endorse the need for a dedicated cardiorenal interdisciplinary team that includes nephrologists and renal nurses and jointly manages appropriate clinical interventions across the inpatient and outpatient settings. There is a critical need for guidelines and best clinical practice models from major cardiology and nephrology professional societies, as well as for research funding in both specialties to focus on the needs of future therapies for HF in CKD patients. The implementation of cross-specialty educational programs across all levels in cardiology and nephrology will help train future specialists and nurses who have the ability to diagnose, treat, and prevent HF in CKD patients in a precise, clinically effective, and cost-favorable manner.
Autores: González, A; Ravassa, S; López, B; et al.
Título: Myocardial Remodeling in hypertension: Toward a new view of hypertensive heart disease
Revista: HYPERTENSION
ISSN 0194-911X Vol. 72 Nº 3 2018 págs. 549 - 558
Autores: Moreno, MU; Ravassa, S; Gallego, C.; et al.
Título: A multi-biomarker panel of myocardial remodelling provides incremental prognostic value in heart failure patients
Revista: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION
ISSN 0014-2972 Vol. 48 Nº Supl. 1 2018 págs. 125 - 126
Autores: Moreno, MU; Gavira, Juan José; et al.
Título: The Hypertensive myocardium:from microscopic lesions to clinical complications and outcomes
Revista: MEDICAL CLINICS OF NORTH AMERICA
ISSN 0025-7125 Vol. 101 Nº 1 2017 págs. 43-52
The chronic hemodynamic load imposed by hypertension on the left ventricle leads to lesions in the myocardium that result in structural remodeling, which provides support for alterations in cardiac function, perfusion, and electrical activity that adversely influence the clinical evolution of hypertensive heart disease. Management must include detecting, reducing, and reversing left ventricular hypertrophy, as well as the detection and repair of microscopic lesions responsible for myocardial remodeling. Reducing the burden associated with hypertensive heart disease can be targeted using personalized treatment. The noninvasive, biomarker-mediated identification of subsets of patients with hypertensive heart disease is essential to provide personalized treatment.
Autores: Ravassa, S; López, B; Querejeta, R.; et al.
Título: Phenotyping of myocardial fibrosis in hypertensive patients with heart failure. Influence on clinical outcome
Revista: JOURNAL OF HYPERTENSION
ISSN 1473-5598 Vol. 35 Nº 4 2017 págs. 853 - 861
OBJECTIVE: Myocardial fibrosis is associated with alterations in the cross-linking and deposition of collagen type I (CCL and CD, respectively). We aimed to evaluate whether the combination of circulating biomarkers of CCL [the carboxy-terminal telopeptide of collagen type I to matrix metalloproteinase-1 ratio (CITP¿:¿MMP-1)] and CD [the carboxy-terminal propeptide of procollagen type I (PICP)] identifies myocardial fibrosis phenotypes with distinct clinical outcome in hypertensive patients with heart failure. METHODS: Endomyocardial biopsies and blood samples from 38 patients (small cohort), and blood samples from 203 patients (large cohort) were analyzed. Myocardial CCL and CD were assessed by histological methods. Serum PICP, CITP, and MMP-1 were determined by ELISA. RESULTS: Small cohort: CITP¿:¿MMP-1 cutoff 1.968 or less and PICP cutoff at least 110.8¿ng/ml were used for predicting high CCL and severe CD, respectively. Large cohort: as defined by the above thresholds, patients were categorized into four subgroups based on the presence (+) or absence (-) of high CCL and severe CD. Compared with CCL-CD-, the adjusted hazard ratios for a composite end point of heart failure hospitalization or cardiovascular death over 5 years in CCL-CD+, CCL+CD-, and CCL+CD+ were 1.11 (P¿=¿0.79), 1.99 (P¿=¿0.07), and 2.18 (P¿=¿0.04), respectively (P for trend¿=¿0.005). In addition, the categorization based on CCL and CD yielded integrated discrimination (P¿=¿0.03) and net reclassification..
Autores: Beloqui, Óscar; Moreno, MU; San José, Gorka; et al.
Título: Increased phagocytic NADPH oxidase activity associates with coronary artery calcification in asymptomatic men
Revista: FREE RADICAL RESEARCH
Vascular calcification is a common feature in atherosclerosis and associates with cardiovascular events. Oxidative stress may be involved in the pathogenesis of vascular calcification. Previous studies have shown that the phagocytic NADPH oxidase is associated with atherosclerosis. The objective of the present study was to investigate the association between phagocytic NADPH oxidase-mediated superoxide production and coronary artery calcium (CAC). NADPH oxidase-mediated superoxide production was determined by chemiluminescence and CAC by computed tomography in 159 asymptomatic men free of overt clinical atherosclerosis. Multivariate linear regression analyses were used to assess the relationship between CAC and NADPH oxidase-mediated superoxide production. Compared with individuals in the lowest score of CAC (= 0 Agatston units), those in the upper score (> 400 Agatston units) showed higher superoxide production (p < 0.05). In correlation analysis, superoxide production positively (p < 0.01) correlated with CAC, which in multivariate analysis remained significant after adjusting for age, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, body mass index, smoking, arterial hypertension and diabetes mellitus. In conclusion, in a population of men without clinically overt atherosclerotic disease, increased NADPH oxidase-mediated superoxide production associated with enhanced CAC. Albeit descriptive, these findings suggest a potential involvement of phagocytic NADPH oxidase-mediated oxidative stress in CAC.
Autores: Beaumont Javier; López, B; Ravassa, S; et al.
Título: MicroRNA-19b is a potential biomarker of increased myocardial collagen cross-linking in patients with aortic stenosis and heart failure
Revista: SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
ISSN 2045-2322 Vol. 7 2017 págs. 40696
This study analyzed the potential associations of 7 myocardial fibrosis-related microRNAs with the quality of the collagen network (e.g., the degree of collagen fibril cross-linking or CCL) and the enzyme lysyl oxidase (LOX) responsible for CCL in 28 patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) of whom 46% had a diagnosis of chronic heart failure (HF). MicroRNA expression was analyzed in myocardial and blood samples. From the studied microRNAs only miR-19b presented a direct correlation (p < 0.05) between serum and myocardium. Compared to controls both myocardial and serum miR-19b were reduced (p < 0.01) in AS patients. In addition, miR-19b was reduced in the myocardium (p < 0.01) and serum (p < 0.05) of patients with HF compared to patients without HF. Myocardial and serum miR-19b were inversely correlated (p < 0.05) with LOX, CCL and LV stiffness in AS patients. In in vitro studies miR-19b inhibition increased (p < 0.05) connective tissue growth factor protein and LOX protein expression in human fibroblasts. In conclusion, decreased miR-19b may be involved in myocardial LOX up-regulation and excessive CCL, and consequently increased LV stiffness in AS patients, namely in those with HF. Serum miR-19b can be a biomarker of these alterations of the myocardial collagen network in AS patients, particularly in patients with HF.
Autores: Beaumont Javier; San José, Gorka; Moreno, MU; et al.
Título: Mechanisms underlying the cardiac antifibrotic effects of losartan metabolites
Excessive myocardial collagen deposition and cross-linking (CCL), a process regulated by lysyl oxidase (LOX), determines left ventricular (LV) stiffness and dysfunction. The angiotensin II antagonist losartan, metabolized to the EXP3179 and EXP3174 metabolites, reduces myocardial fibrosis and LV stiffness in hypertensive patients. Our aim was to investigate the differential influence of losartan metabolites on myocardial LOX and CCL in an experimental model of hypertension with myocardial fibrosis, and whether EXP3179 and EXP3174 modify LOX expression and activity in fibroblasts. In rats treated with NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), administration of EXP3179 fully prevented LOX, CCL and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) increase, as well as fibrosis, without normalization of blood pressure (BP). In contrast, administration of EXP3174 normalized BP and attenuated fibrosis but did not modify LOX, CCL and CTGF. In TGF-beta(1)-stimulated fibroblasts, EXP3179 inhibited CTGF and LOX expression and activity with lower IC50 values than EXP3174. Our results indicate that, despite a lower antihypertensive effect, EXP3179 shows higher anti-fibrotic efficacy than EXP3174, likely through its ability to prevent the excess of LOX and CCL. It is suggested that the anti-fibrotic effect of EXP3179 may be partially mediated by the blockade of CTGF-induced LOX in fibroblasts.
Autores: González, A; López, B; Ravassa, S; et al.
Título: Cardiotrophin-1 is associated with perivascular fibrosis, increased collagen cross-linking and diastolic dysfunction in Dahl salt-sensitive hypertensive rats with heart failure with preserved ejection
Revista: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HEART FAILURE
ISSN 1388-9842 Vol. 19 Nº Supl. 1 2017 págs. 9 - 10
Autores: Huerta, Ana; López, B; Ravassa, S; et al.
Título: Association of cystatin C with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction in elderly hypertensive patients: potential role of altered collagen metabolism
OBJECTIVES: Cystatin C has been shown to be associated with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF). In addition, myocardial fibrosis has been involved in diastolic dysfunction in HFPEF. Therefore, we hypothesized that increased cystatin C levels may be associated with altered collagen metabolism, contributing to diastolic dysfunction in patients with HFPEF. METHODS: One hundred and forty-one elderly hypertensive patients with HFPEF were included. Cardiac morphology and function was assessed by echocardiography. Circulating levels of cystatin C, biomarkers of collagen type I synthesis (carboxy-terminal propeptide of procollagen type I) and degradation [matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and its inhibitor TIMP-1] and osteopontin were analyzed by ELISA. Twenty elderly sex-matched patients with no identifiable cardiac disease were used as controls. In-vitro studies were performed in human cardiac fibroblasts. RESULTS: Compared with controls, cystatin C was increased (P¿<¿0.001) in patients with HFPEF, even in those with a normal estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR; P¿<¿0.05). Cystatin C was directly correlated with the estimated pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (P¿<¿0.01), TIMP-1 and osteopontin (P¿<¿0.001) and inversely correlated with MMP-1:TIMP-1 (P¿<¿0.01), but not with carboxy-terminal propeptide of procollagen type I or MMP-1 in all patients with HFPEF. These associations were independent of eGFR. In vitro, osteopontin (P¿<¿0.01) and TIMP-1 (P¿<¿0.0
Autores: López, B; Ravassa, S; González, A; et al.
Título: Myocardial collagen cross-linking is associated with heart failure hospitalization in patients with hypertensive heart failure
Revista: JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY
BACKGROUND: Excessive myocardial collagen cross-linking (CCL) determines myocardial collagen's resistance to degradation by matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 and interstitial accumulation of collagen fibers with impairment of cardiac function. OBJECTIVES: This study sought to investigate whether CCL and a newly identified biomarker of this alteration are associated with hospitalization for heart failure (HHF) or cardiovascular death in patients with HF and arterial hypertension in whom other comorbidities were excluded. METHODS: Endomyocardial biopsies and blood samples from 38 patients (invasive study), and blood samples from 203 patients (noninvasive study) were analyzed. Mean follow-ups were 7.74 ± 0.58 years and 4.72 ± 0.11 years, respectively. Myocardial CCL was calculated as the ratio between insoluble and soluble collagen. The ratio between the C-terminal telopeptide of collagen type I (CITP) and matrix metalloproteinase-1 (CITP:MMP-1) was determined in blood samples. RESULTS: Invasive study: CCL was increased (p < 0.001) in patients compared with controls. Patients were categorized according to normal or high CCL values. Patients with high CCL exhibited higher risk for subsequent HHF (log-rank test p = 0.022), but not for cardiovascular death. CITP:MMP-1 was inversely associated with CCL (r = -0.460; p = 0.005) in all patients. Receiver operating characteristic curves rendered a CITP:MMP-1 cutoff ¿1.968 (80% sensitivity and 76% specificity) for predicting high CCL. Noninvasive study: Patients were categorized according to CITP:MMP-1 ratio values as normal ratio (>1.968) or low ratio (¿1.968). Patients with a low ratio exhibited higher risk for HHF (log-rank test p = 0.014), which remained significant after adjustment for relevant covariables (adjusted hazard ratio: 2.22; 95% CI: 1.37 to 3.59, p = 0.001). In addition, CITP:MMP-1-based categorization yielded significant integrated discrimination and net reclassification improvements (p = 0.003 and p = 0.009, respectively) for HHF over relevant risk factors. CITP:MMP-1 was not associated with the risk of cardiovascular death. CONCLUSIONS: Excessive myocardial CCL is associated with HHF in hypertensive patients with HF. In this population, the serum CITP:MMP-1 ratio identifies patients with increased CCL and high risk of HHF.
Autores: López, B; González, A; Ravassa, S; et al.
Título: Circulating biomarkers of myocardial fibrosis: the need for a reappraisal
ISSN 0735-1097 Vol. 65 Nº 22 2015 págs. 2449 - 2456
Myocardial fibrosis impairs cardiac function, in addition to facilitating arrhythmias and ischemia, and thus influences the evolution and outcome of cardiac diseases. Its assessment is therefore clinically relevant. Although tissue biopsy is the gold standard for the diagnosis of myocardial fibrosis, a number of circulating biomarkers have been proposed for the noninvasive assessment of this lesion. A review of the published clinical data available on these biomarkers shows that most of them lack proof that they actually reflect the myocardial accumulation of fibrous tissue. In this "call to action" article, we propose that this absence of proof may lead to misinterpretations when considering the incremental value provided by the biomarkers with respect to traditional diagnostic tools in the clinical handling of patients. We thus argue that strategies are needed to more strictly validate whether a given circulating biomarker actually reflects histologically proven myocardial fibrosis before it is applied clinically.
Autores: Moreno, MU; San José, Gorka; Pejenaute, Á.; et al.
Título: Association of phagocytic NADPH oxidase activity with hypertensive heart disease: a role for cardiotrophin-1?
Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is an independent marker of mortality in hypertension. Although the mechanisms contributing to LVH are complex, inflammation and oxidative stress may favor its development. We analyzed the association of the phagocytic NADPH oxidase-mediated superoxide anion release and LVH in patients with essential hypertension and the role of cardiotrophin-1 (CT-1) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), cytokines implicated in cardiac growth. Blood pressure, echocardiography data, and serum CT-1 and IL-6 levels were obtained in 140 subjects: 18 normotensives without LVH, 42 hypertensives without LVH, and 80 hypertensives with LVH. The NADPH oxidase-dependent superoxide production was assessed by chemiluminescence in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were stimulated with CT-1 in vitro. Superoxide anion production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells associated with LVH and correlated with the left ventricular mass index. Serum CT-1 and IL-6 levels, which associated with the left ventricular mass index, correlated with superoxide production. Serum CT-1 and IL-6 levels were correlated. CT-1 stimulated NADPH oxidase superoxide production in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, which resulted in an increased release of IL-6. Our results show that superoxide anion production by the phagocytic NADPH oxidase associates with hypertensive heart disease, being significantly enhanced in hypertensive patients with LVH. This may be attributable to the activation of the NADPH oxidase by CT-1 and the subsequent release of IL-6. The phagocytic NADPH oxidase may be a therapeutic target in hypertensive heart disease.
Enlace DADUN: http://dspace.unav.es/dspace/handle/10171/35968
Autores: Beaumont Javier; López, B; et al.
Título: MicroRNA-122 down-regulation may play a role in severe myocardial fibrosis in human aortic stenosis through TGF-beta1 up-regulation
Revista: CLINICAL SCIENCE
miRNAs (microRNAs) have been shown to play a role in myocardial fibrosis. The present study was designed to analyse whether alterations in miRNA expression contribute to the progression of myocardial fibrosis in AS (aortic valve stenosis) patients through up-regulation of the pro-fibrotic factor TGF-ß1 (transforming growth factor-ß type 1). Endomyocardial biopsies were obtained from 28 patients with severe AS, and from the necropsies of 10 control subjects. AS patients presented increased myocardial CVF (collagen volume fraction) and TGF-ß1 compared with the controls, these parameters being correlated in all patients. Patients were divided into two groups by cluster analysis according to their CVF: SF (severe fibrosis; CVF >15%; n=15) and non-SF (CVF ¿15%; n=13). TGF-ß1 was increased in patients with SF compared with those with non-SF. To analyse the involvement of miRNAs in SF, the miRNA expression profile of 10 patients (four with non-SF and six with SF) was analysed showing that 99 miRNAs were down-regulated and 19 up-regulated in the SF patients compared with the non-SF patients. Those miRNAs potentially targeting TGF-ß1 were validated by real-time RT (reverse transcription)-PCR in the whole test population, corroborating that miR-122 and miR-18b were down-regulated in patients with SF compared with those with non-SF and the control subjects. Additionally, miR-122 was inversely correlated with the CVF, TGF-ß1 and the TGF-ß1-regulated PCPE-1 (procollagen C-terminal proteinase enhancer-1) in all patients. Experiments in human fibroblasts demonstrated that miR-122 targets and inhibits TGF-ß1. In conclusion, for the first time we show that myocardial down-regulation of miR-122 might be involved in myocardial fibrosis in AS patients, probably through TGF-ß1 up-regulation.
Autores: San José, Gorka; Moreno, MU; et al.
Título: A synthetic peptide from transforming growth factor-beta1 type III receptor inhibits NADPH oxidase and prevents oxidative stress in the kidney of spontanously hypertensive rats
Revista: ANTIOXIDANTS AND REDOX SIGNALING
Aims: The NADPH oxidases constitute a major source of superoxide anion (·O2¿) in hypertension. Several studies suggest an important role of NADPH oxidases in different effects mediated by transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1). We investigated whether a chronic treatment with P144, a peptide synthesized from type III TGF-ß1 receptor, inhibited NADPH oxidases in the renal cortex of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Results: Here, we show that chronic administration of P144 significantly reduced the NADPH oxidase expression and activity as well as the oxidative stress observed in control vehicle-treated SHR (V-SHR). In addition, P144 was also able to reduce the significant increase in the renal fibrosis and in mRNA expression of different components of collagen metabolism, as well as in the levels of connective tissue growth factor observed in V-SHR. Finally, TGF-ß1-stimulated NRK52E exhibited a significant increase in NADPH oxidase expression and activity as well as a TGF-ß1-dependent intracellular pathway that were inhibited in the presence of P144. Innovation: Our experimental evidence suggests that reversing oxidative stress may be therapeutically useful in preventing fibrosis-associated renal damage. We show here that (i) the TGF-ß1-NADPH oxidases axis is crucial in the development of fibrosis in an experimental hypertensive renal disease animal model, and (ii) the use of P144 reverses TGF-ß1-dependent NADPH oxidase activity; thus, P144 may be considered a novel therapeutic tool in kidney disease associated with hypertension. Conclusion: We demonstrate that P144 inhibits NADPH oxidases and prevents oxidative stress in kidneys from hypertensive rats. Our data also suggest that these effects are associated with the renal antifibrotic effect of P144.
Autores: Moreno, MU; López, B; González, A; et al.
Título: Decreased Nox4 levels in the myocardium of patients with aortic valve stenosis
The NADPH oxidases are a key family of ROS (reactive oxygen species)-producing enzymes which may differentially contribute to cardiac pathophysiology. Animal studies show uncertain results regarding the regulation of cardiac Nox4 by pressure overload and no data are available on human myocardial Nox4. In the present study, we evaluated Nox4 expression and its relationship with myocardial remodelling and LV (left ventricular) function in patients with severe AS (aortic valve stenosis). Endomyocardial biopsies from 34 patients with AS were obtained during aortic valve replacement surgery. LV morphology and function were assessed by echocardiography. Myocardial samples from subjects deceased of non-CVDs (cardiovascular diseases) were analysed as controls. Nox4 localization was evaluated by immunohistochemistry and quantified by Western blot. Myocardial capillary density, fibrosis and cardiomyocyte dimensions and apoptosis were assessed histologically to evaluate myocardial remodelling. Nox4 was present in samples from all subjects and expressed in cardiomyocytes, VSMCs (vascular smooth muscle cells), endothelium and fibroblasts. Nox4 levels were reduced 5-fold in AS patients compared with controls (P<0.01). Nox4 levels directly correlated with cardiomyocyte cross-sectional area (r=0.299, P<0.05) and diameter (r=0.406, P<0.05) and capillary density (r=0.389, P<0.05), and inversely with cardiomyocyte apoptosis (r=-0.316, P<0.05) in AS patients. In addition, Nox4 levels correlated with echocardiographic parameters (LV ejection fraction: r=0.353, P<0.05; midwall fractional shortening: r=0.355, P<0.05; deceleration time: r=-0.345, P<0.05) in AS patients. Nox4 is expressed in human myocardium and reduced in AS patients. The observed associations of Nox4 with cardiomyocyte parameters and capillary density in AS patients suggest a potential role of Nox4 deficiency in the myocardial remodelling present in the human pressure-overloaded heart.
Autores: Anilkumar, N. ; San José, Gorka; Sawyer, I. ; et al.
Título: A 28-kDa splice variant of NADPH oxidase-4 is nuclear-localized and involved in redox signaling in vascular cells
Revista: ARTERIOSCLEROSIS THROMBOSIS AND VASCULAR BIOLOGY
ISSN 1079-5642 Vol. 33 Nº 4 2013 págs. e104 - e112
OBJECTIVE: Reactive oxygen species-generating nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)-oxidase proteins (Noxs) are involved in cell differentiation, migration, and apoptosis. Nox4 is unique among Noxs in being constitutively active, and its subcellular localization may therefore be particularly important. In this study, we identified and characterized a novel nuclear-localized 28-kDa splice variant of Nox4 in vascular cells. APPROACH AND RESULTS:Nox4 immunoreactivity was noted in the nucleus and nucleolus of vascular smooth muscle cells and multiple other cell types by confocal microscopy. Cell fractionation, sequence analyses, and siRNA studies indicated that the nuclear-localized Nox4 is a 28-kDa splice variant, Nox4D, which lacks putative transmembrane domains. Nox4D overexpression resulted in significant NADPH-dependent reactive oxygen species production as detected by several different methods and caused increased phosphorylation of extracellular-signal-regulated kinase1/2 and the nuclear transcription factor Elk-1. Overexpression of Nox4D could also induce DNA damage as assessed by ¿-H2AX phosphorylation. These effects were inhibited by a single amino acid substitution in the Nox4D NADPH-binding region. CONCLUSIONS:Nox4D is a nuclear-localized and functionally active splice variant of Nox4 that may have important pathophysiologic effects through modulation of nuclear signaling and DNA damage.
Autores: Moreno, MU; San José, Gorka; Fortuño, Ana; et al.
Título: The A640G CYBA polymorphism associates with subclinical atherosclerosis in diabetes
Revista: FRONTIERS IN BIOSCIENCE (ELITE EDITION)
ISSN 1945-0494 Vol. 3 2011 págs. 1467 - 1474
Oxidative stress is implicated in diabetes. The NADPH oxidases are the main source of superoxide in phagocytic and vascular cells, and p22phox is a key subunit. Genetic variants of CYBA, the human p22phox gene, associate with cardiovascular disease. We investigated the association of the A640G polymorphism with diabetes and its impact on phagocytic NADPH oxidase-dependent superoxide production and subclinical atherosclerosis. We studied 1212 subjects in which clinical parameters including carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) were assessed. The A640G polymorphism was genotyped by TaqMan probes. In 496 subjects, the NADPH oxidase-dependent superoxide production in peripheral blood mononuclear cells was assessed by chemiluminescence. The GG genotype prevalence was significantly higher in type 2 diabetic patients than in non-diabetic subjects. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from diabetic GG patients presented higher NADPH oxidase-dependent superoxide production than those of diabetic AA/AG patients. Within the diabetic group, GG patients presented higher cIMT levels than AA/AG patients. The A640G CYBA polymorphism may be a marker of oxidative stress risk and may be indicative of subclinical atherosclerosis in type 2 diabetes.
Autores: San José, Gorka; Rodríguez, C.; et al.
Título: HIF-1-mediated up-regulation of cardiotrophin-1 is involved in the survival response of cardiomyocytes to hypoxia
Aims Cardiotrophin-1 (CT-1) is a cytokine of the interleukin-6 superfamily which is up-regulated in cardiac diseases, in part via hypoxia-dependent mechanisms. However, no evidence for a direct regulation of CT-1 gene (CTF1) promoter by hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) has been provided. Methods and results Hypoxia increased CT-1 mRNA levels in the murine adult cardiomyocyte cell line HL-1 in a time-dependent manner. Interestingly, in a murine model (C57BL/6), we show that systemic hypoxia also significantly up-regulated CT-1 in myocardial tissue. The effect of hypoxia on CT-1 expression was mediated through a transcriptional mechanism, since hypoxia increased luciferase activity of constructs containing CTF1 promoter sequences. The increase in CT-1 levels was significantly reduced by drugs that prevent calcium mobilization, such as lercanidipine, or that inhibit the activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway (wortmannin) or mammalian target of rapamycin (rapamycin). The CT-1 elevation was similarly induced by HIF-1 alpha over-expression in co-transfection experiments and prevented by HIF-1 alpha silencing. The direct interaction of HIF-1 alpha with the CTF1 promoter was confirmed through site-directed mutagenesis of hypoxia response elements, electrophoreric mobility shift, and ChIP assays. Hypoxia induced HL-1 apoptosis (measured as annexin-V binding or caspase 3/7 activity) which was increased when CT-1 was silenced in knocked-down cells by lentiviral vectors. Conclusion Hypoxia increased CT-1 levels in cardiac cells (in vitro and in vivo) through a direct regulation of CTF1 promoter by HIF-1 alpha. This CT-1 activation by hypoxia may protect cells from apoptosis, thus supporting a protective role for CT-1 as a survival factor for cardiomyocytes.
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Tag: Ralph and Alice
Posted on July 6, 2015 December 23, 2015
New Horizons Exits Safe Mode, Operating Flawlessly for Upcoming Pluto Encounter
Latest color image of Pluto taken on July 3, 2015 shows 4 mysterious dark spots.
Best yet image of Pluto was taken by the LORRI imager on NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft on July 3, 2015 at a distance of 7.8 million mi (12.5 million km), just prior to the July 4 anomaly that sent New Horizons into safe mode. Color data taken from the Ralph instrument gathered earlier in the mission. Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI
Story updated[/caption]
Despite some hair-raising and unplanned 4th of July fireworks of sorts in deep space which caused NASA’s Pluto bound New Horizons spacecraft to enter “safe mode” due to a computer glitch and temporarily halt all science operations over the weekend, the spacecraft is now fully back on track, “healthy” and working “flawlessly” and set to resume all planned research investigations on Tuesday, July 7, NASA and top mission managers announced at a media briefing held this afternoon, Monday, July 6.
It’s now just exactly one week before the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a fast flyby encounter of the ever intriguing binary planet, at the far flung reaches of the solar system. And the great news could not come soon enough given the proximity of the flyby.
“The spacecraft is in excellent health and back in operation. New Horizons is barreling towards the Pluto system,” stated Jim Green, director of Planetary Science, NASA Headquarters, Washington, at the start of today’s news media briefing.
The $700 million mission remains on track to conduct the complex close flyby science sequence in its entirety, as planned over the next week, including the July 14 flyby of Pluto, despite the scary safe mode episode.
“The New Horizons spacecraft and science payload are now operating flawlessly,” Alan Stern, New Horizons principal investigator, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado, announced at the media briefing.
NASA unexpectedly lost contact with the New Horizons spacecraft on Saturday, July 4, at about 1:30 p.m. EDT after it suffered a memory related software anomaly and executed a protective operation known as “safe mode.” An anomaly investigation team was formed immediately.
“It’s really a historic time, but also fraught with many decisions and challenges on the way to the July 14 Pluto system encounter,” Green said.
The mission team quickly worked to reestablish contact with the piano shaped spacecraft about 90 minutes after the signal was lost.
“On Saturday we lost contact with the spacecraft. The New Horizons team immediately went into action. Within 90 minutes the signal was reacquired by the team, with the spacecraft in safe mode. They soon found the root cause and corrective actions were immediately taken to get the spacecraft back in business.”
The team worked tirelessly and diligently day and night over the holiday weekend to recover New Horizons back to full operation quickly and in time for the flyby encounter of Pluto on July 14, set for approximately 7:49 a.m. EDT (11:49 UTC) on July 14, said Glen Fountain, New Horizons project manager, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland.
There are no second chances.
This trio of images are the most recent high-resolution views of Pluto sent by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, including one showing the four mysterious dark spots on Pluto that have captured the imagination of the world. The Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) obtained these three images between July 1 and 3 of 2015, prior to the July 4 anomaly that sent New Horizons into safe mode. Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI
The software glitch occurred a day after new operating software was uploaded to New Horizons last Friday.
The spacecraft was trying to do two things at once on Saturday, compressing science data and writing command sequences while using up too much flash memory, explained Fountain.
“The computer was trying to do these two things at the same time, and the two were more than the processor could handle,” Fountain said.
“So the processor said ‘I’m overloaded.’ Then the spacecraft did exactly what it was supposed to do. It then switched to the backup computer and went into safe mode. At that point, we lost the downlink from the primary computer. We realized quickly what happened and put a recovery plan in place and recovered.”
Artist view of New Horizons passing Pluto and three of its moons. The ship is about the size of a grand piano and kept warm in the cold of the outer Solar System by heat release from the radioactive decay of plutonium within the probe’s RTGs (Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator). Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute
At this moment New Horizons is about 3 billion miles (4.9 billion km) from Earth and less than 6 million miles (9 million km) away from unmasking the secrets of tantalizing Pluto, Charon, its largest moon with which it forms a double planet system, and its four tiny and recently discovered moons. Charon is half the size of Pluto.
The round trip time for signals traveling at the speed of light is 8.5 hours. So it’s a very long time before commands from Earth can reach the spacecraft and for the team to determine their outcome. So the probe has to be able to operate on its own without direction from Earth during the intense and brief flyby period.
Pluto is the most distant and last unexplored planet in our Solar System, and therefore presents enormous complexities to those bold enough to dare the mightiest things.
“We expect a nominal flyby of Pluto from every indication now,” said Alan Stern, New Horizons principal investigator, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado, announced at the media briefing.
“This object is unlike any other that we have observed,” Stern said. “Both Pluto and Charon are already surprising us.”
Less than 1 percent of the planned data was lost in the three days that the science instruments were shut off.
“It’s more important to focus on the later science during the flyby,” Stern elaborated.
“There is zero impact to the primary Group 1 highest-priority science objectives. And a minor impact to Group 2 and Group 3 objectives,” Stern elaborated.
“This is a speed bump in terms of the total return that we expect from this flyby.”
“I’m pleased that our mission team quickly identified the problem and assured the health of the spacecraft,” noted Green. “Now, with Pluto in our sights, we’re on the verge of returning to normal operations and going for the gold.”
New Horizons trajectory map to Pluto. Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SWRI
The team said this type of software update will not be repeated and a similar type safe mode event should not recur.
Fountain said that during the encounter period, the probe can switch itself to exit safe mode event within about 7 minutes, depending on the situation, and minimize any science data losses.
New Horizons will swoop to within about 12,500 kilometers (nearly 7,800 miles) of Pluto’s surface.
It will zoom past Pluto at speeds of some 30,000 miles per hour (more than 48,000 kilometers per hour).
Today the team also released the best yet images of Pluto that were taken by the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI). The trio of images were between July 1 and 3 of 2015, prior to the July 4 anomaly that sent New Horizons into safe mode.
The images show varying and enigmatic surface features on the different hemispheres of Pluto.
They also show the four mysterious dark spots on Pluto that have captured the imagination of the scientists and the world.
Their nature remains unknown at this time.
The probe was launched back in 2006 on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.
“We are on our way to Pluto!” Green exclaimed.
Animation of Pluto rotating from photos taken by New Horizons two weeks before the flyby. Credit:
New Horizons, Approaching Pluto, Detects Signs of Polar Caps
New Horizons’ LORRI April 28, 2015 Posting
The latest set of images from the long range imager, LORRI, on New Horizons now reveals surface features. At a press conference today, exhilarated NASA scientists discussed what the images are now suggesting. (Photo Credit: NASA/New Horizons)
Today, a trio of NASA scientists expressed their exhilaration with the set of new Pluto images released by the New Horizons team. “Land Ho” exclaimed Dr. Alan Stern as he first tried to explain where they are on their long journey. Nearly 500 years ago, not even Magellan on a three year journey to circumnavigate the Earth waited so long. A ten year journey is beginning to reveal fascinating new details of the dwarf planet Pluto, once the ninth planet of our Solar System. The latest images show surface features on Pluto suggesting polar caps.
A team effort that Dr. Weaver said called upon leading experts to resolve these newest details of Pluto’s surface. The inset at left shows schematically the geographic relationship of the two bodies as they orbit each other. The inset at right shows surface details at 3x maximum resolution. (Photo Credit: NASA/New Horizons)
The NASA press conference took place this afternoon, anchored by Dr. John Grunsfeld, Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate who quickly turned over the discussion to the project scientist of the New Horizons mission, Dr. Alan Stern from the Southwest Research Institute of San Antonio, Texas. Grunsfeld began by stating NASA’s mission – “to explore, discover and inspire” and added that New Horizons is certainly executing these prime objectives.
The overview of the New Horizon journey to the binary system, Pluto and Charon, and beyond. The NASA probe is now surpassing Hubble imagery. (Photo Credit: NASA/New Horizons)
Alan Stern started off by expressing his excitement with the latest results from the long range telescope on board New Horizons, LORRI, but emphasized he represents a team effort, the culmination of decades of work.
With just 11 weeks remaining and now 98% of the way to Pluto, the latest set of images from LORRI have now revealed details better than the best that was previously attainable – from the Hubble Space Telescope. Most incredible are indications of polar caps on the dwarf planet Pluto.
Until now, the Hubble space telescope had shown tantalizing but mottled features of the surface of Pluto (Photo Credit: NASA)
Dr. Stern, stated that the 25th Anniversay of the Hubble mission has also functioned as a segue to what is about to unfold from New Horizons. Until now, the best images of Pluto’s surface had been wrestled out of images from Hubble with computer processing. Yet, at the present distance New Horizons remains, his team is still relying on image processing to reveal these first surface details.
The gravitational tug of war of the unique binary system has forced both small bodies to forever face each other, similar to how our Moon always faces the Earth. (Photo Credit: NASA/New Horizons)
Dr. Stern stated how remarkable the Pluto-Charon system is. The earlier set of LORRI images from 2014 had shown the gravitational dance of the two small bodies. He stated that they are truly a binary system and a type we have never explored before. Pluto-Charon is a dual synchronous, tidally locked system. Dr. Stern explained that the Earth, close-in to the Sun, and their space probe New Horizons, now on its final approach, is viewing the sunlit side of Pluto and Charon.
The system is tipped over relative to its orbital plane around the Sun. Dr. Stern stated, “it is like watching Pluto rotate on a spit.” He said that we are nearly seeing it face on; similar to an observer hovering far above the Earth’s polar cap and looking down upon the Earth-Moon system. The orbits of the two bodies, as seen in the LORRI image sequence (animations, above), appear elliptical (oval), however, due to the extreme and final state of this binary system, the orbits are perfect circles; the eccentricities are zero! New Horizons is just approaching slightly off center.
Images of the New Horion space probe shows its compactness, necessarily to minimize weight, volume, power demands and achieve the high velocity necessary to reach Pluto in nine years. Af left the instruments are shown included the long range imager, LORRI. (Photo Credit: NASA/New Horizons)
Dr. Stern continued and explained how this latest set is now showing surface features on Pluto. The features “are suggesting the presence of polar caps”, however he also emphasized that it remains only suggestive until New Horizons can deliver more details, that is, higher resolution, color imagery from the Ralph imager and spectroscopic data (Ralph and Alice imaging spectrometers) to reveal composition. Dr. Stern turned over the press conference to Dr. Hal Weaver of John Hopkins’ Applied Physics Laboratory, the lead scientist for the LORRI instrument.
LORRI, the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager, shown through details of a schematic. (Credit: NASA/New Horizons)
LORRI as Dr. Weaver explained is a state-of-the-art instrument. A fixed focus telescopic camera, functional from room temp down to 180 degees Fahrenheit below zero and utilizes an 8 inch primary mirror. The optical quality is extraordinary but the light gathering power is the same as one has in an amateur 8 inch telescope such as offered by Meade or Celestron. Still further, Dr. Weaver stated that LORRI is also extremely efficient and ligthweight, using less than 5 watts of power and weighing less than 20 lbs.
New York City’s Manhattan is shown as an example of the resolving power the Ralph multi-spectral imager will have at closest approach to Pluto and Charon (Photo Credit: NASA/New Horizons)
Dr. Weaver explained how the raw images from LORRI are presently little more than blotches of light, unspectacular at first glance, but with image processing, the details discussed today are revealed. The New Horizons team employed world-class experts in the technique of Image Deconvolution. It was again Hubble that spawned “a cottage industry”, over 20 years ago, including one expert – Todd Lauer of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory. Lauer and others took on the challenge of extracting quality imagery from the Hubble space telescope as it struggled with the astigmatism accidentally built into its optical system. A NASA Space Shuttle mission delivered and inserted a corrective lens into Hubble which has made its 25 years of service possible.
Without the imaging processing technique of deconvolution, the latest images of Pluto are mere blotches. Dr. Weaver credited experts born from the Hubble astigmatism from 20 years ago. (Photo Credit: NASA/New Horizons)
And the New Horizons’ processed images are now slightly better than Hubble and will just get much better. From the Q&A with the press. Weaver explained that while the images show more detail, Earth-based and Hubble images remain more light sensitive. Hubble sets an upper limit to the size of any remaining moons to be discovered. Weaver stated that by June, New Horizons’ LORRI will exceed the light sensitivity limits of Hubble. If there are more moons to be found, June will be the month.
An artist’s illustration of Pluto. With a tenuous atmosphere that has so far defied explanations, New Horizons is altogether revealing a light red – peach – colored surface but with large contrasting areas of white and dark red. (Illust. Credit: NASA/New Horizons)
Through the Q&A, Dr. Stern stated that an extraordinary aspect of Pluto’s atmosphere is that the planet’s atmosphere has continued to expand despite having passed a point in its orbit at which it should be freezing and condensing onto its surface. The atmosphere expanded 200 to 300% in the last decade. With the limited observations, Stern and other Pluto experts surmise that there is a lag in the climate akin to how our hottest months lag the beginning of Summer by a couple of months. Perhaps, a latent heat stored up in the near surface has continued to vaporize frozen gases thus building up the atmosphere more than first expected.
The composition of the dwarf planet’s surface was discussed. Most evident in Earth-based spectroscopy is that there is molecular nitrogen, carbon monoxide and methane. Stern stated they these species of molecules could explain the bright and dark spots of the surface. However, he emphasized that Pluto is composed of 70% rock by mass and the remaining is ice. Charon stands in remarkable contrast to Pluto. Chraon has primarily water and ammonia hydrates on its surface; no detectable atmosphere (so far). Charon’s appearance is much more uniform and bland. Altogether, Stern said that experts call this the Pluto-Charon dichotomy.
The present approach at 60 million miles to Pluto is just the beginning of the story of New Horizons’ study of the primary targets. This press conference illustration explains near-term plans. (Illust. Credit: NASA/New Horizons)
Dr. Stern near the end of the press conference restated that this is truly “my meet Pluto moment.” New Horizons is like a plane on its final approach to touchdown but New Horizons cannot slow down. There are no retro-rockets, no propulsion onboard that can slow down the probe on its trek to escape the gravity of the Sun. The probe will join the Pioneer and Voyager space probes as the only Human-made objects to leave the Solar System. With its final approach, with every day, Pluto and Charon closes in as Dr. Stern and Dr. Weaver explained, Pluto’s image will fill the full breadth of the imaging detector. Details on its surface will be equivalent to high resolution images of New York’s Manhattan (figure, above) showing details such as the ponds in Central Park.
To continue following the latest release of images from New Horizons go to http://www.nasa.gov/newhorizons/lorri-gallery.
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Home > Celebs > Entertainment > Music > American Idol Joshua Ledet Performance
American Idol Joshua Ledet Performance
arjun 2012/05/032012-05-03T10:03:37+00:002012-05-03T10:03:37+00:00 Celebs, Entertainment, Music No Comments
‘You’re one of the best singers on this show ever’! Joshua Ledet wows American Idol judges with a stunning Bee Gees cover, as competition heats
With just five contestants left and the competition hotting up, Joshua Ledet emerged as the clear leader of the pack after tonight’s American Idol.
An incredible performance of the Bee Gees classic To Love Somebody, earned the 20-year-old from Louisiana a standing ovation from the judges, with Randy Jackson labelling him one of the best singers to ever appear on the contest.
‘I’ve been doing this 11 years and you’re one of the best singers on this show. Ever. Ever,’ he told him. ‘And that’s a big feat. That was incredible. Nobody can do that better,’ he said.
Joshua's two performances earned him a double round of standing ovations from the judges
Joshua earned similar praise from Steven Tyler who said: ‘You’ve gotta be one of the top two best Idols of all time. You sing so fine. You’re such a talent. You’re so on fire.’
he 20-year-old Louisiana native first performed The Temptations hit Ain't Too Proud to Beg in the 1960s portion of the show
Jennifer Lopez added: ‘I think you’re one of the best singers I’ve seen in 50 years, I mean, it’s crazy, baby. Honestly.
‘People since James Brown and all those people, the greatest soul singers and performers ever,’ she added. ‘That made me want to cry I swear.’
d: Joshua's performance of the Bee Gees song left the three judges speechless
The performance was perhaps made even more special given that Joshua had not heard the song before performing it and only took 15 minutes to perfect his version, sung initially in the rehearsal room for Idol mentor Jimmy Iovine and guest mentor, Bruce Springsteen guitarist Steven Van Zandt.
‘He walked away and did this incredible version of this song he hadn’t heard before,’ marvelled Van Zandt. ‘That was one of the greatest performances I’ve ever heard in my life.’
Earlier, the wannabe also earned praise from the judges for his performance of The Temptations’ classic Ain’t Too Proud To Beg, in a night which saw the five finalists sing songs both from the 1960s and British popular music.
Randy compared him to British soul singer Terence Trent D’Arby: ‘To me, you can actually bring R& B music back in a different type of way,’ he said.
Earlier, after several weeks finding herself in the bottom three, Hollie Cavanagh made something of a comeback with her two performances tonight.
The judges named her version of the vocally demanding Tina Turner number River Deep Mountain High a stand out of the first half.
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OMG: Beliebers Heart Instagram
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Low-VOC Interior Paint and Other Safe Alternatives
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By Bob Formisano
Steve Cicero/ The Image Bank / Getty Images Plus
Green Seal Standard GS-11
Low-Odor or Low-VOC Paint
Zero- or No-VOC Paint
Non-Toxic or Natural Paint
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), poor indoor air quality represents one of the top five leading health risks. Among the primary contaminants of indoor air are the paints, varnishes, and solvents we use that contain volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. VOCs typically are highest in oil-based paints and other finishes, but they are also present in most water-based, or "latex," paints. Exposure to VOCs in paint can trigger asthma attacks, eye irritation, respiratory problems, nausea, and dizziness, among other symptoms. Prolonged exposure has been linked to kidney and liver disease and even cancer.
Given the health concerns of consumers and updated government regulations, alternative paints have been coming into the market in recent years, offering high-quality, reasonably priced formulas with relatively low levels of VOCs. However, not all low-VOC or no-VOC paints are equally healthy for your indoor air. Understanding some basics of VOC standards can help you choose a paint that meets your own safety requirements.
Green Seal Standard GS-11 for Low-Odor or Low-VOC Paint
Voluntary standards for VOC content in alternative paint products have been established by Green Seal®, an independent non-profit organization that sets standards for environmentally responsible, or "green," products. The Green Seal certification for Standard GS-11 is based on VOC content, the absence of chemicals, durability, and performance, among other criteria.
The Green Seal organization sets much more stringent standards than the EPA for acceptable VOC levels in paint. For interior paint, the EPA allows levels of 250 grams per liter (g/L) for water-based paint and 380 g/L for oil-based paint, while Green Seal allows only 50 g/L for flat paint and 150 g/L for other types of paint.
Green Seal certification also prohibits the use of many toxic chemicals commonly used in conventional paints:
Halomethanes (methylene chloride)
Chlorinated ethanes (1,1,1-trichloroethane)
Aromatic solvents (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene)
Chlorinated ethylenes (vinyl chloride)
Polynuclear aromatics (naphthalene)
Chlorobenzenes (1,2-dichlorobenzene)
Phthalate esters
Miscellaneous semi-volatile organics (isophorone)
Heavy metals and their compounds (antimony, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, lead, mercury)
Preservatives (formaldehyde)
Ketones (methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone)
Miscellaneous volatile organics (acrolein, acrylonitrile)
There is no clear mandatory standard for what constitutes a "low-VOC" or "low-odor" paint. Even the voluntary standards that do exist do not include the VOCs that may be present in the color pigment added to the paint at the paint store. And just like a lot of the"organic" marketing of our milk and foods, some companies use these terms loosely for marketing purpose. Furthermore, because these terms are confusing, a lot of store clerks may not know the actual VOC content of a paint. It is ultimately up to you to read the labels to see if paint at least meets or exceeds the Green Seal GS-11 Standard.
Low-Odor and Low-VOC are terms used to describe VOC content that meets the less stringent EPA standard of 250 g/L for latex paints or 380 g/L for oil-based paint. But here's where it gets confusing. A paint may be labeled "Low-VOC" and be significantly better than these standards. For example, if you buy a Green Seal-certified paint, the maximum VOC content will be 50 g/L for flat paint or 150 g/L for other paint—not 250 g/L, as per the EPA standard.
For truly low-VOC paint, you should look for a VOC range of 10 to 25 g/L.
Zero-VOC or No-VOC paint is a misnomer, because these paints do contain very, very low levels of VOCs. Usually, paints marketed with these titles will have VOC levels under 5 g/L. Even when adding in color pigment at the paint store, which can add 2 to 5 g/L of VOCs, the total VOC content for the mixed paint should be under 10 g/L, which is excellent.
This is as low as it gets for VOC content in paints offered by the larger paint companies. To get lower VOC content than this, you'll need to use more expensive and less readily available non-toxic or natural paint.
Non-toxic and natural paints are primarily manufactured by alternative paint companies. These products can be harder to find than conventional paints, and you may have to order them online. They are made from natural ingredients, and although they are environmentally friendly and healthy, you may experience some performance difference in the way the paint covers (or doesn't) and flows off the brush. Just be aware that these paints don't all act like the mass-produced paints we're familiar with.
That being said, non-toxic or natural paints are as safe as paint gets. Their raw ingredients are all natural and include things like:
Plant oils (like citrus)
Plant dyes
Natural minerals, such as clay
Earth and mineral dyes and other ingredients
The New Alternative—Ceramic Paint
The next generation in low-VOC paints has arrived with the advent of ceramic paint. It is not for use on ceramics, but rather it is a standard interior wall paint that uses microscopic ceramic beads as a key component of the paint film. The ceramic beads add durability and washability to the paint, making it more stain-resistant and longer-lasting than conventional paints. There are ceramic paints on the market with VOC levels as low as 20 g/L.
Should I Avoid VOC-Containing Paint?
Eco-Friendly and Natural House Paints
All About Low-VOC Ceramic Wall Paint
The Best Type of Paint for Furniture
Low VOC Paint vs. No VOC Paint
Choosing Eco-Friendly Building Materials
4 Manufacturers of Ceramic Wall Paint
The Best Paint for Living Rooms
Milk Paint vs. Chalk Paint
The Best Type of Paint for Kitchen Cabinets
Best Paint for Kitchens
4 Natural Paint Removers to Get It Off Every Surface
The 9 Best Paints for Interior Walls in 2020
How to Reuse, Recyle or Dispose of Old Paint
8 Simple Ways to Turn Your Home from Toxic to Green
The 9 Best Paints for Interior Doors in 2020
Whether you're a beginner or you're a regular do-it-yourselfer, our checklist will take your paint job from "good" to "amazing." Get it free when you sign up for our newsletter.
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Thewistle
Why Man United Are Letting Go Of Alexis Sanchez Despite Despite Lack Of Proven Goalscorers
wales tom
It is believed that Manchester United are set to receive just £25m from Inter Milan in order to let go of Alexis Sanchez on a permanent deal.
Chilean star joined the Red Devils from Arsenal two seasons ago but he failed to justify his price tag as he scored just five goals from 45 appearances in two seasons.
The 30-year-old star was loaned out to Inter Milan prior to the start of the season and he seems to have rediscovered his goalscoring prowess having netted two goals in four matches for the San Siro outfit.
According to the Sun, the Red Devils aren’t impressed with the player’s output during his spell at Old Trafford and they are not willing to have him back.
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The media outlet said that United are willing to cut their losses over the player and they have placed such price tag on the player of his quality.
Should the Chilean continue his fine form in front of goal, it won’t be out of place to see Solskjaer make a U-turn on his decision to sell the striker.
The team currently lack a proven goalscorer and Sanchez still has all it takes to become the missing link in the team if he maintain his present form.
Based on the player’s stats via transfermarkt, Sanchez scored over 300 goals while playing for Barcelona and Arsenal before his move to the Theatre of Dreams.
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Chelsea, Man United Face Missing Out On This Transfer
Amuda Segun
Premier League sides Chelsea and Manchester United could both miss out on the signing of Paris Saint Germain (PSG) striker Edinson Cavani after another competitor lodged a bid for the player.
Edinson Cavani is the subject of a €10m bid from Spanish La Liga giants Atletico Madrid who are the frontrunners for the player.
PSG sporting director Leonardo confirmed the Atletico Madrid bid shortly after the French Cup win over Lorient who are in the second tier of French football these days.
Leonardo made this known in a chat with reporters after the Lorient game.
Chelsea Signing This Playmaker Would Solve Their Lack Of Creativity(Opens in a new browser tab)
Chelsea Have ‘Agreed’ To Personal Terms With January Target(Opens in a new browser tab)
Chelsea ‘Line Up £100m Bid’ For Jadon Sancho
Chelsea and Manchester United are in the market for a new striker and Edinson Cavani is at the top of their shortlist.
Blues boss Frank Lampard doesn’t trust his striker options of Olivier Giroud and Michy Batshuayi who are backups to leading striker Tammy Abraham who is the leading scorer for his team this season.
Tammy Abraham has scored 15 goals in all competitions this term including 13 goals in the Premier League.
For Manchester United, the striker search has been intensified following the news that leading goalscorer Marcus Rashford will miss a lot of games as a result of a back issue.
Rashford could be out of action until March at least.
Arsenal Decision On Boateng Revealed
Arsenal are reportedly pushing to sign Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng on loan before the end of this January transfer window.
According to the Daily Star, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta wants to sign a defender on loan before the winter transfer window ends this month and German international Jerome Boateng is the main target.
Arteta had previously said that the Gunners will most likely operate in the loan plus free transfer market this month and that’s exactly what’s happening with Jerome Boateng who has made just nine starts for Bayern Munich in the league this season as the Bavarian giants start to prepare for life without him in their team.
Mikel Arteta Wants Hakan Calhanoglu At Arsenal(Opens in a new browser tab)
Man United Considering Move To Finally Sign £60m-rated Player(Opens in a new browser tab)
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He has been a mainstay of the Bayern Munich defense for the majority of the last decade and was crucial to the German national team at the 2014 FIFA World Cup tournament in Brazil which they won by beating Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the final.
Arsenal are a center-back short as a result of the serious knee injury to Calum Chambers and Jerome Boateng could be the man to replace him.
The aforementioned report said that the Gunners will spend big on a central defender in the summer with a £50m transfer for RB Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano in the works.
Man Utd Finally Identify Replacement For Injured Rashford
Manchester United were dealt a big blow last week after topscorer sustained a chronic back injury that’s set to keep him out until March at least.
England international Marcus Rashford is the leading goalscorer at Manchester United with 19 goals in all competitions and he had been carrying a small back injury before it was aggravated during the FA Cup third-round replay with Wolves at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
Rashford came on as a substitute on 64 minutes during that Wolves game at home before he was subbed off with 16 minutes later as a result of the same back problem.
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Manchester United won that game 1-0 through a special goal from Juan Manuel Mata and Rashford was involved in the buildup to that winning goal from the Spaniard.
The price to pay for the Red Devils is that Rashford will miss up to 6-10 weeks with the back problem thus ruling him out until March.
The injury to Rashford has forced Manchester United to rejig their transfer plans and Paris Saint Germain (PSG) striker Edinson Cavani is a major target as a result according to the Daily Star.
Cavani has six months left on his PSG contract at the moment though the French club are reluctant to let him go this month.
Frank Lampard has identified the player he will sign – too much money
Europa League holders Chelsea are eyeing a big-money move for a Premier League defender according to the various reports coming out from the British media.
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has money to spend in this transfer window and he has identified the centre back position as one of the areas to strengthen.
The specific publication via the Daily Star revealed that Chelsea are planning a £48m bid for Brighton and Hove Albion skipper Lewis Dunk.
It remains to be seen whether the Seagulls would want to sell Lewis Dunk in the middle of the season as they are in a battle to avoid the drop in the Premier League.
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Lewis Dunk is undoubtedly the best centre back in the Brighton squad.
Frank Lampard and Chelsea have already lost eight games in the Premier League this season. In addition, defence has been the Achilles heel for the Blues this season but they have still managed to keep their place in the top four of the league.
They have a five-point lead over Manchester United with 15 games left to play in the Premier League.
Only the first four spots on the Premier League table will guarantee a place in the Champions League next season.
Edinson Cavani Exit Confirmed Amid Manchester United Transfer
Paris Saint Germain (PSG) manager Thomas Tuchel has made a big declaration on the future of experienced striker Edinson Cavani.
Thomas Tuchel had a chat with reporters shortly after his team defeated French Ligue II opposition Lorient in the French Cup at the weekend.
According to him, its highly unlikely that Edinson Cavani will be at PSG at the end of this present January winter transfer market.
His declaration has fuelled the transfer links involving Edinson Cavani and a lot of European clubs especially the ones in the Premier League.
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Edinson Cavani is attracting interest from three Premier League sides and one Spanish La Liga outfit.
The 32-year-old Uruguayan international player is a top target for Spanish club Atletico Madrid who are the favourites for him.
Atletico Madrid have already made a bid of €10m for Cavani as confirmed by the sporting director at PSG, Leonardo.
According to the PSG sporting director Leonardo via his interview with reporters on Sunday night, they received a bid proposal from Atletico Madrid for the striker and it was rejected.
Bruno Fernandes Sends Manchester United Transfer Message
Sporting Lisbon star Bruno Fernandes has reportedly sent a transfer plea to Sporting Lisbon for him to be allowed to make his big move to Premier League giants Manchester United.
Bruno Fernandes has emerged as a top transfer target for the Red Devils in this current January winter market.
The Portuguese international has told his bosses that he wants to complete a transfer to Manchester United before the transfer market comes to an end.
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It was revealed that there’s willingness to do the deal by all parties (Manchester United, Bruno Fernandes and Sporting Lisbon).
Manchester United and Sporting Lisbon have not been able to reach an agreement for the Portuguese international player with the Portuguese club who wants around £70m for their prized asset.
Manchester United have told Sporting Lisbon that their valuation of the player is around £50m and it remains to be seen whether the two teams will reach an agreement for Bruno Fernandes who has scored eight goals and provided seven assists for his Portuguese Super League team this season.
He had scored 32 goals plus assisting 18 other goals in 53 games in all competitions last season.
Man United Officially Make Contract Decision For This Player
Manchester United officials have made a firm transfer decision on the future of injury prone defender Eric Bailly who’s about to enter the last year of his contract at Old Trafford.
According to Sky Sports, Manchester United have decided to trigger a two-year contract extension for Eric Bailly that will take his time at the club to 2022.
Eric Bailly has missed a lot of games for Manchester United in the past years due to several lengthy injuries.
He was the first player signed under the Jose Mourinho managerial era which ended in December 2019.
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The Ivorian international center back signed for Manchester United in a £30m deal from Spanish La Liga team Villarreal.
Eric Bailly would have been a free agent this summer if the Red Devils had decided against giving him a contract extension.
The ex-Villarreal and Espanyol player suffered medial knee ligaments during the league game at home to Chelsea last season (April) only for him to return in pre-season this summer to suffer another knee injury.
Eric Bailly has not played any game for Manchester United because of that injury but he was on the bench for Premier League clash at Liverpool on Sunday evening which ended in a 2-0 defeat.
The Two Players Solskjaer Must Sign In January Revealed
Former Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs has told manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer where he needs to strengthen in this January transfer window to boost the squad at his disposal at the Theatre of Dreams.
The Manchester United legend advised former club teammate Solskjaer to sign Aston Villa playmaker Jack Grealish or Leicester City star James Maddison in this transfer window while he was on BeIN Sports for his punditry job.
According to the Welsh national team manager whom spent many years at Old Trafford with Solskjaer, said that the Manchester United team needs a focal point or a no. 10 and a midfielder.
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He also advised Solskjaer to forget about Paul Pogba while trying to sign the aforementioned players as the Frenchman has shown that he can’t be dependable.
Ryan Giggs watched Manchester United suffer at the hands of Liverpool in their Premier League clash on Sunday evening.
The ex-Welsh international winger said that the midfield trio of Fred, Andreas Pereira and Nemanja Matic are not good enough and he was proved right as the midfield players mostly struggled to contain the Liverpool onslaught.
Aside Brazilian international Fred who was able to hold his own against the Liverpool players, the other two midfielders struggled a bit.
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4 Guys Send a Letter to a Dog and the Response They Received Won the Internet Over
Courtesy of Jack McCrossan
After Jack McCrossan and his three roommates moved into a place in Bristol, England, one thing was missing from their life: a dog. They all grew up with pooches, but the rental unit had a no-pet policy.
So when the crew spotted a black pup poking her head out of a window in the neighborhood, they decided to act.
They penned a letter to her owners, Sarah Tolman and Chris Bowley, in hopes of meeting the dog.
“The other day, we noticed a four-legged friend looking at us out the window when we arrived home from work. He or she looked like the good-est boy/girl there is,” it read.
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“If you ever need someone to walk him/her, we will gladly do so,” it continued. “If you ever get bored (we know you never will, but we can dream) we are more than happy to look after him/her. If you want to come over and bring him/her to brighten our day, you are more than welcome. If you want to walk past our balcony windows so we can see him/her, please do.”
The response they got back definitely surprised them — a letter with a paw print stamped on it, apparently from the dog, a girl named Stevie.
“Dearest boys,” it started.
“What a treat it was to receive your letter. On the subject of treats, I like them a lot. Big ones and meaty one and cheesy ones … oh sorry … where was I?!” the letter read.
It went on to note that she is over 2 years old, a Labrador/German Shepherd mix (a “Sheprador”) and was rescued from Cyprus.
“I love meeting new people, and it would be great if we can be friends. I must warn you that the price of my friendship is 5 x ball throws a day and belly scratches whenever I demand them,” it read.
The letter ended, “I’d love to hang out whenever you fancy.”
Related: Dog Sneaks Into Neighbor’s Home for Bath Time With Kids
McCrossan told This Dog’s Life they were ecstatic to even get a response.
“We were just happy to get a reply back, and after seeing the paw print on the envelope we knew it was good news!” he says. “Of course we never expected the reply to be as brilliant as it was, which made it even more of a treat to see — the full thing was a great gesture from our neighbours!”
And for Tolman and Bowley the feelings were mutual.
“It was nice to see them reach out at the possibility of borrowing our hound,” Bowley tells us. “We were thrilled to be able to write back on behalf of Stevie!”
Tolman and Stevie, courtesy of @stevieticks
Soon after they got to meet Stevie.
“The time with Stevie was great; she was as energetic as described. We got to play around with her for a bit ourselves and then headed along to the park so she could get a good run about and we could throw the ball for her!” McCrossan says.
Courtesy of @stevieticks
But the relationship didn’t stop there.
“The boys are coming over after Christmas for a proper meal and catch-up,” Bowley tells us. “They’re going to spend more time with Stevie both playing and walking.”
After McCrosson posted about this interaction, the story went viral on Twitter, receiving more than 500,000 likes at time of publication. (As for Stevie, she now has more friends, with her Instagram account growing to 60,000 followers to date.)
Been saying we’d love a dog about the house but our landlord doesn’t allow pets, so my housemate posted a letter to our neighbours asking if we could walk their dog every once and a while and the response was better than we could have ever hoped for pic.twitter.com/dcMOfPk5UH
— Jack McCrossan (@Jack_McCrossan) December 10, 2019
“I believe people really loved the overall positivity of the story — that an interaction between ourselves and our neighbours, who we hadn’t met before, was filled with such mutual friendliness and humour shows that people can still be kind to one another, with a dog mixed in for good measure.” says McCrosson.
Related: For Birthday, Boy With Cancer Asks Friends to Donate to Shelter Rather Than Buy Him Gifts
2 comments on “4 Guys Send a Letter to a Dog and the Response They Received Won the Internet Over”
Could we have friends like Stevie does? Our person is fabulous and does soooo much with and for us but being two Goldens, of COURSE we always want more friends! I’m pretty ok w/ more laid-back hanging-out w/ Ann, our person, ‘cuz after all , I just turned 11 and she, 74. She’s still a dynamo most days but I know Trapper, at 9 mos and over 60 lbs (yikes!) does put her to the test. If you are in Bezerkely (why DO they call Berkeley, CA that???), and need a dog fix, we are your guys! All the best to Stevie, you rock, girl! ~ Lots of slobbery kisses, True
Ann Rogers says:
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Home / News / Nigerians react to the proposed N37 billion approved for National Assembly renovation by Buhari
Nigerians react to the proposed N37 billion approved for National Assembly renovation by Buhari
VAM NewsOnline Agency 6:48 PM News
President Buhari has approved N37 billion for the renovation of the National Assembly complex.
The amount, which is included in the 2020 budget, is however not part of the N128 billion allocated for the National Assembly for next year. The money is instead part of the 2020 budget of the Federal Capital Development Administration.
According to Senate president, Ahmad Lawan, there has been no major renovation of the National Assembly building for 20 years and many parts of the property had become dilapidated.
“We met the president and (it was) related the condition of the complex. The president responded and said he was going to renovate the complex. The phase one renovation will commence the chambers and committee rooms in the white house.
“N37 billion was sourced and was given. It was put under the FCT, not national Assembly. All we required is to have the complex renovated.
“When we are through with phase 1, we will go to phase 2. It is not under the control of the National Assembly.
The complex is a national asset and is for the FCDA to take care,” he said.
See how Nigerians are reacting below:
Dr Aloy Chife
@ChifeDr
N37 billion for National Assembly renovation???
While our hospitals lack basic necessities and our children sit on the floor in our schools...etc, etc
Looks like a looting spree twitter.com/premiumtimesng…
JJ. Omojuwa
@Omojuwa
N37b to supposedly renovate the National Assembly is another thing Nigerians can work together to fight. Those guys are unitedly raping you, this isn’t time to check whether you refer a broom or an umbrella, they prefer your future and they are eating it up without remorse!
1,919 11:59 AM - Dec 17, 2019.
@Kabir_Kb1
Abacha, despite being regarded as one of the most "Corrupt Leader" in HISTORY built our National Assembly complex at a cost of $35.18m (N7bn then)
Now under the watch of one of the most "Incorruptible Leader" in HISTORY, N37bn has been approved for just its mere RENOVATION!
242 9:10 AM - Dec 17, 2019
I could say the renovation of the National Assembly is the last thing on the average Nigerian’s mind and I’d still be lying because such a frivolity is not on their mind. They want a country they can stop trying to escape, a system that supports their dreams and aspirations.
238 12:01 PM - Dec 17, 2019
@AccountableNG
N37billion to renovate the National Assembly t was built for N7billion
Also 1billion to be used for constitution amendment
Naija which way
18 9:33 AM - Dec 17, 2019
Jackson Ude
@jacksonpbn
The N37billion approved for the renovation of the National Assembly which cost N7billion to build in 1999, is a “settlement” to lawmakers for Buhari’s third term or a six year single term!
Nigerians react to the proposed N37 billion approved for National Assembly renovation by Buhari Reviewed by VAM NewsOnline Agency on 6:48 PM Rating: 5
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JACLYN KENYON Releases Official Music Video for “Mama Said”
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Click on the links to visit the recommended websites.
Find out more about meerkats.
Watch meerkat pups play, explore and nap.
See some meerkats in a zoo.
Find out how zookeepers keep meerkats busy looking for food.
Watch meerkats chase away a snake.
Print out and shade in a picture of meerkats. (Scroll down to "Meerkat Colouring Page" and click on "Download".)
What’s a group of meerkats called? Where do they live? What do they eat? Discover the answers to these questions and many more in this entertaining introduction to meerkats, with simple text, stunning photographs and detailed illustrations on every page. Also includes links to carefully selected websites with video clips and more information.
James Maclaine
James Maclaine joined Usborne Publishing in 2010. Since then he’s written books about meerkats, donkeys and several critters besides, come up with hundreds of drawing, doodling and colouring ideas, and devised puzzles and things to do for a range of activity books. But an illustrated thesaurus and a picture book about manners are the titles that he’s proudest to have authored. Recently, James walked a thousand miles across France and Spain, but he decided to come back to his job in London — because what could be better than writing books for children?
Also by James Maclaine
Bees and wasps
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Served Like a Girl Documentary Recognizes Epidemic of Homeless Women Veterans: ‘It Became a Mission for Me,’ Says Director
When director and producer Lysa Heslov heard about the 55,000 homeless women veterans currently in the United States, she knew she found the inspiration behind her next film.
“When I always thought of homeless veterans, mistakenly, I had always thought that it was a man pushing a shopping cart,” Heslov tells PEOPLE.
For two years, she entrenched herself in the company of many of these veterans and created the documentary, Served Like A Girl, which focuses on five women who are competing for the crown of Ms. Veteran America, and the struggles they have faced since returning home from war.
“To be able to tell their stories and hopefully have some impact with these women — it became a mission for me,” she says about the film that debuted at South by Southwest on Monday. “We became a family.”
The more Heslov got to know the women in the film — Jaspen Boothe, Nichole Alred, Hope Garcia, Rachel Engler, Andrea Waterbury, Marissa Strock and Denyse Gordon — who she describes as “warriors who have overcome adversity,” the more she “fell in love with them and the “easier it became to tell their story,” she says.
Heslov exposes the reality that female veterans face at home and during the competition, including PTSD, divorce, serious illness and military sexual abuse. Ms. Veteran America is more than a competition. It’s main mission is to raise money and awareness to support and advocate for homeless women veterans.
Continue onto PEOPLE to read more about Lysa’s journey in making this documentary.
Marine is On a Mission to Live By Motto, Get His Pup Out of Afghanistan
The Guardians of Rescue is helping a Marine bring home a dog he rescued stuck in razor wire.
SMITHTOWN, New York – The Marines live by the motto of never leaving anyone behind. For some that includes a dog they have rescued during deployment, and have bonded with. The loyalty from Captain Dave and his unit and the dog that they rescued goes both ways, and now his wish is to bring her back home to the United States with him when he returns soon. Guardians of Rescue have helped other military members pull off this same mission, and they are seeking public donations to help pull it off again.
“Captain Dave’s loyalty to Sox is like no other, and he believes in the idea of not leaving her behind,” explains Robert Misseri, president of Guardians of Rescue, an animal rescue organization. “We know that we can help bring Sox back to America to live out her life with him, but we need the public’s support, because it’s costly to do. We are grateful to be working with Nowzad shelter in Kabul, because without their assistance this pup would not have a chance of coming to America.”
Captain Dave is stationed in a remote area in Afghanistan. He is scheduled to come back home to the United States in early 2020. He can’t imagine leaving Sox behind because he loves her. He first saw Sox when she was a puppy, finding her caught in concertina wire in their camp. He freed her, gave her food and water, and sent her on her way. However, Sox had different plans.
In the days that followed, Sox started coming back to their camp each day, feeling safe around the unit and seeking food and water. Some of the other men had even seen the dog being abused out on the streets. Soon, Sox began staying by their side all of the time, even tagging along on some of their missions. On a recent patrol, Sox ventured too far away from the unit and was whipped with a stick by a local. It was at that time that Captain Dave knew he could never leave her behind to fend for herself.
“The bond I have with Sox is something I didn’t expect, but I just can’t leave her behind,” says Captain Dave. “If I don’t bring her home with me I am afraid I’ll always regret it and wonder about what happened to her. I appreciate any assistance people can give in helping me to bring her home with me.”
Relocating a dog from the Middle East to America can be done, but it comes at a high cost. Along with paying fees to allow the dog to leave, there is medical care, airfare, and other relocation expenses involved. Those would like to give a donation to help bring Sox home with Captain Dave can log online: https://guardiansofrescue.networkforgood.com/projects/88403-sox.
Guardians of Rescue provides assistance to animas out on the streets and investigates animal cruelty cases. They are located in New York and they help animals in many places around the country. They are also instrumental in helping military members with their pets. To learn more, get involved, or to make a donation to support the Guardians of Rescue, log onto www.guardiansofrescue.org.
About Guardians of Rescue
Based in New York, Guardians of Rescue is an organization whose mission is to protect the well-being of all animals. They provide aid to animals in distress, including rehabilitation, assisting other rescue groups, and providing support to families, both military and not, who need assistance due to economic factors. To learn more about Guardians of Rescue, visit the site at www.guardiansofrescue.org.
Florida man loses more than 180 pounds to join the Army
One Florida man is living proof that you can do anything if you want it badly enough. Christopher Montijo, a 28-year-old father of two, said his dream of joining the Army was put on the hold because he was almost 150 pounds over the weight limit, according to WOFL, an Orlando Fox affiliate.
It was “draining to walk, to sleep, to do anything,” he told WOFL; he knew if he wanted to see his children grow up, he’d have to make a major life change.
So he did.
Through cutting out soda and eating out along with walking more, Montijo has dropped over 180 pounds — almost half his body weight — and passed the Army’s physical fitness test. (It doesn’t appear he took a page out of this veteran’s book, who dropped weight by consuming beer and beer only for Lent.)
He told WOFL he “feels amazing,” and he’ll arrive at Fort Jackson at the beginning of 2020 with the rest of the recruits heading to basic training.
Continue on to Task and Purpose to read the complete article.
One-Man Show Transcends the Life of a Solider
Douglas Taurel is not an American soldier. He’s never been to war. Yet veterans across the country are saluting him– thanking him for being “their voice,” for telling their stories and for showing the nation what military members go through in times of war and at home.
“I wanted to write something and I was very moved by the stories I was reading in the papers regarding combat veterans with PTSD and not having work. Some particular stories really moved me and started the spark (for the play,)” he said.
For the past five years, Taurel has fine-tuned his one-man show entitled, The American Soldier, which spans all of America’s significant war conflicts from the Revolutionary War to the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.
Taurel performs 14 different characters during his 80-minute show, which was performed following Veteran’s Day at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on November 13th.
The characters, which are based upon letters written by real servicemen in each war, include a father in the wake of his soldier son’s suicide; a soldier dealing with the loss of his limb; a wife and son dealing with a deployed father’s absence; and a grieving mother remembering her son at the Vietnam Memorial Wall.
Taurel said over the course of eight years, he spent hours a day at the New York City public library, reading veteran letters and researching each war for the play – reading 20-30 books and thousands of letters.
“I have a storyline that goes through the play,” Taurel says. “I try to talk about the different aspects of war, the challenges and what they [soliders] have to go through.
“The overall theme is thanking family members and veterans. The idea is to give the audience a sincere understanding of what it is that we ask our men and women in arms to do for us. That is the goal,” he added.
Audience members, veterans and critics alike are completely enthralled by Taurel’s performance and his heartfelt portrayal of soldiers and their families. He’s received hundreds of letter and comments regarding the show.
Here are just a few of them below:
“Words cannot express my profound gratitude in being able to experience your amazing performance. As you carried out each story, you truly transcended the audience into the life of a soldier.”
—Mother-in-law of a veteran
“Your performance was first class, moving, thoughtful, compassionate and heartfelt from the very beginning to the end. Tried holding back my tears, but that didn’t last long.”
—Desert Storm combat veteran
“Your passion for the stories you enact help us realize what the American soldier does and why they do it. Your inspiring portrayal of our veterans reminds us of the debt we owe our nations defenders.”
“I saw and felt the pain and journey of each character you created and remembered all of the tragedy I saw as a nurse in Vietnam.”
—Civilian nurse
Taurel has performed The American Solider more than 8,000 times in 11 different states. His play was one of 100—out of 3,500 entries—nominated for an Amnesty International Award.
But more than awards or reviews, Taurel says the years he spent researching and now portraying military members has given him a whole new appreciation for men and women in uniform.
“What I hope is to share how this allows our veterans to talk about their experiences,” he said. “It honors them and their families in their own words and gives them a voice.
“Now, as a society, we don’t have to make the same kind of commitment or sacrifices that previous generations made. Society functions efficiently even with war. We forget what they go through. My play reminds them.”
Join Will Smith, Dame Helen Mirren, Chris Martin and Team New Directions For Veterans in The World’s Big Sleep Out
The World’s Big Sleep Out is a one-off global campaign where more than 50,000 change-makers, business-leaders and members of the public around the world will be sleeping out in unison on December 7th, 2019 to create the world’s largest display of solidarity with – and support of – those experiencing homelessness and displacement.
Join Will Smith, Dame Helen Mirren, Chris Martin and Team New Directions For Veterans in The World’s Big Sleep Out global campaign. Up to 2,000 participants will sleep outside the iconic Rose Bowl.
A Global Sleep Out to Call for an End to Global Homelessness
The World’s Big Sleep Out is a one-time global event that will see 50,000 people sleeping out in iconic locations like Times Square, the Rose Bowl and Trafalgar Square but also backyards, football fields and parking lots in more than 50 cities around the world to shine the global spotlight on homelessness and internationally displaced people.
The World’s Big Sleep Out will be held on Saturday, December 7, 2019 from 4:30pm to 6:00am.
A list celebrities such as Ziggy Marley, Seth Green, Ellie Goulding, Randy Jackson and Sean Kingston will be performing and reading bedtime stories and those impacted by homelessness will be telling their stories.
Claim your place to Sleep Out with TeamNewDirectionsForVeterans
Normally, you would have to pay a $20 fee to participate, but thanks to New Directions For Veterans’ support, we’ve covered that for you. While your ticket is free and you don’t have to pay to join the team, each of us on #TeamNewDirectionsForVeterans needs to commit to raising as much money as we can to help the charities in our area and throughout the world that are doing the work. Your own donation counts!
To claim your place on Team New Directions For Veterans all you have to do is:
Click here to claim your Pre-Paid Team Place and when prompted type in this password 7XNZB2 and then complete the required fields and you’ll be automatically assigned to Team New Directions For Veterans
· Once you claimed your place on the team, you’ll begin the ‘on-boarding’ process and will receive a welcome email with useful information that generates your JustGiving online fundraising page so you can start fundraising with #ValenceMedia. (Note: If you’re not already on the JustGiving platform, you’ll need to create a JustGiving account).
· Start spreading the word through your network to collect donations
· And…if you reach a $1,000 or more individual fundraising goal, we will mark your achievement by including your name in a specially created mural that will be exhibited at the United Nations in February 2020 at an important homelessness summit.
To learn more about this one-off global event that New Directions For Veterans is proud to be a part of visit www.bigsleepout.com.
Best Veterans Day Deals and Freebies for 2019
Here is your guide to some of the great Veterans Day free meals brought to you by Spruce!
Below are some of the popular restaurants and other retailers that are giving away free meals, discounts, and other freebies to veterans on Veterans Day (Monday, November 11, 2019).
If you’re not seeing your favorite restaurant from last year, they may still be participating but haven’t listed their 2019 information. This list is updated many times a day, so keep checking back on the Spruce website for more information.
Important: Please read through the Veterans Day Free Meals FAQ for important information you need to know before getting your freebie or a free meal, like military qualifications, restaurant participation details, and lots more.
You can find even more freebies for vets on the list of Veterans Day Freebies and Discounts for 2019. Here you’ll find freebies like free haircuts, car washes, and even hotel stays.
Golden Corral Veterans Day Free Meal (Monday, November 11, 2019)
On Monday, November 11, 2019, from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM, Golden Corral will be giving out Veterans Day free meals and a beverage to any person who has ever served in the U.S. military or is on current active duty. This includes retirees, veterans, National Guard, and Reserves.
Details of the Free Golden Corral Military Buffet
All Golden Corral locations will be participating, and no identification is required to get your free dinner buffet and beverage.
Over the last 17 years, Golden Corral served over 5.4 million veterans a Veterans Day free meal!
Red Lobster Veterans Day Free Appetizer or Dessert (Monday, November 11, 2019)
Active duty military, reserve, and military veterans can stop by Red Lobster and get a free appetizer or dessert on Monday, November 11, 2019.
More Details on the Red Lobster Veterans Day Freebie Including Appetizer and Dessert Choices
Valid proof of military service is required to get this free food.
Chili’s Veterans Day Free Meal (Monday, November 11, 2019)
Visit a participating Chili’s on Monday, November 11, 2019, to get your Veterans Day free meal if you’re a veteran or on active military duty.
Details of the Free Veterans Day Meal Including Menu Options at Chili’s
You’ll need to show proof of military service to get your Veterans Day free meal.
Olive Garden Veterans Day Free Meal (Monday, November 11, 2019)
Olive Garden is having a Veterans Day free meal for all active-duty military and military veterans on Monday, November 11, 2019.
Details of the Free Meal Including Entree Choices at Olive Garden on Veterans Day
You’ll need to verify with Olive Garden that you currently are or used to be in the military. Proof of military service usually includes bringing your military ID, U.S. Uniform Services Retired ID Card, Current Leave and Earnings Statement, or Veterans Organization Card.
Applebee’s Veterans Day Free Meal (Monday, November 11, 2019)
Stop into a participating Applebee’s on Monday, November 11, 2019, to get your Veterans day free meal.
Details of the Free Veterans Day Meal at Applebee’s
Check out the link above for everything you need to know about this Veterans Day free meal, including what sorts of ID they consider valid, the full list of menu items you get to choose from, who is eligible, etc.
Outback Steakhouse Free Bloomin’ Onion & Beverage (November 11, 2019)
Stop into any Outback Steakhouse on Monday, November 11, 2019, to get a free Bloomin’ Onion and coke product. This offer is for all military personnel that has a military ID.
Details of the Free Veterans Day Meal at Outback Steakhouse
Outback Steakhouse is also giving out a discount of 20% off the total check from November 8 to November 11, 2019, valid for military, police, firefighters, and first responders with a valid ID. A 10% discount continues thereafter.
Texas Roadhouse Veterans Day Free Lunch (Monday, November 11, 2019)
Texas Roadhouse will be giving away Veterans Day free meals for lunch on Monday, November 11, 2019, to active, former, or retired military.
Details on the Texas Roadhouse Veterans Day Free Meal Including Entree Options
This is for dine-in only. Hours may vary by location, so be sure to check a Texas Roadhouse near you for specific details.
Red Robin Veterans Day Free Meal (Monday, November 11, 2019)
Veterans and active duty military can stop into any participating Red Robin location on Monday, November 11, to get a free Red’s Tavern Double burger and Bottomless Steak Fries.
More Details on the Red Robin Veterans Day Free Meal
Be sure to bring your military ID to take advantage of this Veterans Day freebie.
Free Veterans Day Pancakes at IHOP (Monday, November 11, 2019)
This year on Monday, November 11, IHOP will be honoring veterans and active military men and women with the choice of a free breakfast combo or a free stack of Red, White, and Blueberry pancakes.
More Details on the Veterans Day Free Meal at IHOP
Individuals must show proof of their service before receiving this offer, such as coming in their uniform, showing a photo of them in their uniform, or showing a military ID card.
Dunkin’ Donuts Veterans Day Free Donut (Monday, November 11, 2019)
To show their support, Dunkin’ Donuts is giving away free donuts to active duty military and veterans on Monday, November 11, 2019.
This free Veterans Day donut is limited to one per customer while supplies last, but no purchase or military ID is required.
It’s possible that not every Dunkin’ Donuts location is participating, so be sure to call ahead to double-check.
Cracker Barrel Veterans Day Free Dessert (Monday, November 11, 2019)
On Veterans Day, Cracker Barrel is giving veterans a Double Chocolate Fudge Coca-Cola Cake dessert or Pumpkin Pie Latte…for free!
All 660 locations are participating in this Veterans Day free food offer this year.
Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers (November 11, 2019)
Visit a Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers near you this Veterans Day, November 11, to get a free combo meal card.
You must be a veteran or active duty military to pick up the card, but it can be redeemed by anyone through November 30, 2019.
White Castle Veterans Day Free Meal (Monday, November 11, 2019)
White Castle is giving out a free Breakfast Combo or Castle Combo Meal (numbers 1-6) to any veteran or other military members who come in on Veterans Day, Monday, November 11th.
Proof of military service is requested but might not be required. Be sure to contact your local White Castle restaurant ahead of time to confirm that they’re participating.
Buffalo Wild Wings Veterans Day Free Wings and Fries (November 11, 2019)
Buffalo Wild Wings is having their annual Veterans Day free food deal on Veterans Day, which is Monday, November 11. All day, veterans and active duty military get a free order of small boneless or traditional wings and a side of fries.
This offer is valid at participating Buffalo Wild Wings locations and is for dine-in only. Beverages, taxes, and gratuity are not included in this offer.
Proof of military service is required, which can include a permanent or temporary military ID card, DD214, or veteran’s card. You may also come wearing your military uniform or bring a photo of you wearing it.
TCBY Veterans Day Free Frozen Yogurt (Monday, November 11, 2019)
This year for Veterans Day, all vets get their first 6 oz of frozen yogurt absolutely free.
This Veterans Day freebie is valid at participating TCBY locations only, so be sure to call and confirm before you head out on Monday the 11th. Proof of service might be required, so make sure to ask about that, too.
Twin Peaks Veterans Day Free Meal (Monday, November 11, 2019)
Active and retired military members can visit Twin Peaks on Monday, November 11, for a complimentary Veterans Day meal.
This Veterans Day free meal includes items from a special menu, so be sure to ask about it when you visit a participating Twin Peaks locations.
Veterans Day Free Lunch or Dinner at Green Mill (November 11, 2019)
This Veterans Day free offer from Green Mill is for veterans who show proof of service.
Eligible customers can pick any one item from their menu (pizza is limited to a small 1-topping deep dish, and Wing Samplers are excluded). This offer is for dine-in only.
Contact your local Green Mill Restaurant & Bar to see if they’re participating.
Green Mill also gives out a 10% discount to veterans and active-duty military all year long.
Nekter’s Free Veterans Day Smoothies and Juices (November 11, 2019)
If you’re a veteran or active military member, you can stop in to Nekter’s on Veterans Day, November 11, for a free 16oz smoothie or juice.
You can take advantage of this free Veterans Day offer at your local Nekter location, but it’s possible that not all of them are participating, so you might call ahead of time to double-check.
You need to bring proof of military service with you.
Friendly’s Free Veterans Day Meal (Monday, November 11, 2019)
Friendly’s is giving veterans and active military a free Veterans Day breakfast, lunch, or dinner (dine-in only) on Monday, November 11.
If you come in the morning for breakfast, the Veterans Day free meal is the Big-Two-Do, which comes with your choice of Brioche French toast, two buttermilk pancakes or two slices of toast, two strips of crispy Applewood-smoked bacon or two sausage links, and a side of two made-to-order farm fresh eggs. Also included is a cup of coffee.
For lunch and dinner, veterans and active service members get the All-American Burger (with or without cheese) served with fries and your choice of soda, iced tea, or a hot beverage.
You’ll need to present your military ID or honorable discharge card to get this Veterans Day freebie at a Friendly’s near you.
54th Street Grill Veterans Day Free Meal (Monday, November 11, 2019)
54th Street Grill will be having a free meal up to a $12 value for veterans and active military on Veterans Day.
Proof of military service is appreciated and can be shown via military ID or by visiting in uniform or showing a photo in uniform.
Find out where a 54th Street Grill is near you.
Hurricane Grill & Wings Veterans Day Free Meal (November 11, 2019)
Another free Veterans Day meal can be had on November 11 at Hurricane Grill & Wings. Veterans and active duty military can stop in on Monday to pick from a menu of seven items.
These are the options: 10 Boneless Wings, Yuengling Beer-Battered Fish & Chips, Teriyaki Beef Bowl, Half Pound Steakburger, Chicken Caesar Salad, Buttermilk Crispy Chicken Sandwich, and Chicken BLT Tacos.
This free meal deal is for dine-in only, coupons and other offers can’t be used simultaneously, taxes and gratuity are not included, and military ID or uniform is required. Check with your local Hurricane Grill & Wings to see if they’re participating.
On the Border Veterans Day Free Meal (November 11, 2019)
Veterans can visit an On the Border restaurant to receive a free meal that includes two items served with rice and beans. They can choose two of their favorites from these options:
• House Salad
• Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Seasoned Ground Beef Enchilada with chile con carne
• Spinach and Mushroom Enchilada with sour cream sauce
• Cheese and Onion Enchilada with chile con carne sauce
• Chicken Tinga Enchilada with green chile or sour cream sauce
• Seasoned Ground Beef Taco
• Shredded Chicken Tinga Taco
Check with your local On the Border to make sure they are participating.
Other deals include:
Mobil Delvac and TA Truck Service and Folds of Honor organization will donate $5 for every Mobil Delvac oil change now through the end of November
The two have partnered once again with the Folds of Honor organization to donate $5 for every Mobil Delvac oil change conducted at participating TA Truck Service locations from now through the month of November. Folds of Honor is a great organization that provides educational scholarships to spouses and children of America’s fallen and disabled service-members. Plus, truckers who participate get a special FoH hat as a thank you.
Several of the scholarship recipients are working to enter the trucking industry, including Denver Richardson, who is currently a student at Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology studying to become a mechanic specializing in diesel trucks and transmissions. You can see Denver’s story and the impact Folds of Honor has had on supporting his educational journey here.
Great Clips Welcomes Military Service Members With Free Haircuts On Veterans Day
On November 11, veterans and active service members can go into any Great Clips salon in the U.S. and get a free haircut or a free haircut card to use later.
Additionally, any non-veteran customer getting a haircut at a Great Clips salon on Veterans Day will receive a free haircut card that they can use to “pay it forward” to an active service member or veteran as a token of thanks.
The cards can be redeemed for a free haircut from Nov. 12 to Dec. 31, 2019 at any Great Clips salon.
Learn more at Great Clips.
K1 Speed, buy one, get one free on Veterans Day
FREE RACE with the purchase of a single race to any veteran and active military individual this Monday, November 11. Just show your qualifying military ID, and your second race is on the house.
Learn more at k1speed.com.
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts: Save up to 20% off, plus receive 500 Wyndham Rewards bonus points on stays now through Dec. 6, 2019.
Discount available at participating hotels in the U.S. and CA across 17 brands, including household names like Super 8® by Wyndham and La Quinta® by Wyndham – both of which also offer preferred parking for active and retired military members.
Learn more at wyndhamrewards.com/honorsmilitary.
Main Event Salutes Nation’s Heroes with Free Food and Fun All Day on Veterans Day
On Monday, Nov. 11, the ultimate entertainment destination invites all active-duty and retired U.S. military personnel to visit their nearest center for FREE food and fun all day! All military personnel will receive 30 minutes of game play that can be used on more than 100 interactive video games.
Honored guests can also enjoy a free entrée from a special menu featuring:
• Bacon & Cheddar Burger
• Jumbo Wings & Fries Combo
• 10¢¢ Ultimate Sausage & Pepperoni Pizza
• Classic Cobb Salad
• Crispy Chicken Tender Sandwich
• Chicken Tenders & Fries
All stores are said to be participating, but you might still check with a Main Event near you to confirm.
Veterans Day Free Access to World’s Largest US Military Records Collection via Ancestry
GovernmentLifestyle
In honor of Veterans Day, Ancestry, the global leader in family history and consumer genomics, is allowing everyone to search their archive of US military records for FREE from November 8 at 7:00PM EST through November 17 at 11:59PM EST.
For the past 30 years, our focus has been digitizing and making historical content accessible for everyone – today, we offer more than 10 billion historical documents, including an unmatched collection of more than 250 million military records. As America celebrates Veterans Day this year, and its service members who have fought (and still fight) to uphold American values, we are encouraging Americans to discover more about the role their families may have played in our nation’s military history.
With more than 260 million US military records, people will be able to find inspiring stories about family members who served our country from draft cards, enlistment records, soldier pension indexes and more, covering almost 400 years of American history at: ancestry.com/honor
This top military working dog is a Purple Heart recipient with nearly 100 Marine combat patrols under his collar
This year’s American Humane top military working dog sniffed out bombs and explosives over three combat tours with the Marine Corps across Iraq and Afghanistan and is now competing for the grand prize title of American Hero Dog.
Sgt. Yeager, a Marine Corps improvised explosive detection dog, carried out nearly 100 combat patrols and was awarded the Purple Heart after an IED explosion in Helmand province, Afghanistan, in April 2012, took out part of his ear, according to a press release
His handler, Marine Lance Cpl. Abraham Tarwoe, was killed in that explosion during a dismounted patrol in Helmand province’s Marjah district.
The pair, whose bond was described as “unbreakable,” according to American Humane, were both assigned to 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment.
Yeager was transported back to U.S. and treated for his injuries and eventually retired from the Marine Corps, according to a press release.
A press release said that while 12-year-old Yeager is showing signs of aging, his spirit is “undiminished.” Yeager was adopted by a family in North Carolina, according to the release.
Yeager is now headed to Hollywood, California, on Oct. 5 where he will be one of seven dogs to receive a 2019 American Humane Hero Dog award, the News Observer reported.
The American Humane Hero Dog Awards are a nationwide competition held every year to recognize dogs that do amazing things.
Yeager will also compete for the top award the 2019 American Hero Dog. According to American Humane, the gala will be broadcast on the Hallmark Channel on Oct. 23.
Continue on to the Marine Corps Times to read the complete article.
In Dorian’s path? Here are some last-minute disaster tips for those in the military community
If you’re in the path of possible wrath from Hurricane Dorian, here are some quick reminders. (And even if you’re not, consider these tips to help you get ready well before any future natural disaster strikes.)
Know your emergency procedures. Sign up for community-wide or installation-wide alerts, and follow leaders’ instructions.
Know your orders. When military family members are traveling with evacuation orders in hand, you’re eligible for certain reimbursements for lodging and meals. There are procedures for submitting requests for travel advances, and for submitting claims.
During disasters and emergency evacuations, the services and DoD have systems set up to help officials account for their personnel in the areas affected. For disaster and evacuation emergency contact information, visit www.militaryonesource.mil/emergency-contacts-for-disasters-evacuations.
Fill your vehicle’s gas tank. (And make it a habit in the future to keep at least a half a tank full of gas at all times.) Check the availability of fuel at your exchange gas station on base. But note some bases in the expected area of impact are under evacuation orders, which generally means closures of facilities.
Get your prescriptions refilled now, if at all possible. If not, there are options.
Know Tricare’s policies related to health benefits during disasters. Currently, there are temporary emergency refill policies in effect for all counties in Florida, and 12 counties in Georgia, as well as all areas of Puerto Rico and all counties in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Check back at tricare.mil/Resources for updates that will likely happen. These emergency policies are in place through Sept. 6 in Puerto Rico, and through Sept. 9 in the other areas.
This means you can get an emergency refill at any Tricare network pharmacy. It’s best to get the refill at the pharmacy where the prescription was filled, but you can get the refill at any pharmacy in the network. Take your prescription bottle with you.
Tricare beneficiaries not on active duty don’t need a referral to get care from Tricare-authorized urgent care providers. This allows you to get nonemergency care for illnesses or injuries if the primary care provider is unavailable because of weather disruptions, or, for example, you’ve evacuated the area.
Tricare has also temporarily suspended the requirement for a physician referral for Prime and Prime Remote beneficiaries in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, due to Hurricane Dorian. Thus, those who have evacuated from these areas don’t need to get a referral from their primary care provider in order to receive care in the community where they’ve evacuated. This waiver applies until Sept. 30.
If you still need emergency supplies, check with installation stores. Commissaries have been running specials on a variety of emergency supplies, and will continue to do so through Oct. 31; and they always adjust to add extra storm-related supplies. Commissary officials always work with their suppliers to adjust inventory before and after a storm, said Defense Commissary Agency spokesman Kevin Robinson. Stores in Florida and Georgia have sufficient hurricane supplies to meet customer’s needs.Additional pallets of water came in Thursday, with more scheduled for today, he said. Store officials also work with installation leaders to adjust commissary hours — the commissary at Patrick Air Force Base is staying open until 8 p.m. for the second day to give troops and families extra time to prepare. The exchanges also lay in extra supplies needed for natural disasters. For example, the Army and Air Force Exchange Service stores had been building inventory on critical emergency supplies including water, batteries, flashlights and generators since earlier this year.
Continue on to Military Times to read the complete article.
Military Veterans Try and Overcome PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injuries Through Music
EntertainmentGovernmentLifestyle
DFD Music (dfdmusic.com/) recently announced the release of “Hits the Collection,” Shane Foster & Christopher Davis bring together an extraordinary group of musicians to join them, something that has never been done by military veterans and industry producers.
Notable collaborators and featured musicians delivering instrumental & vocal performances include Yo Gotti, Young Dolph, Boosie Bad Azz, and Project Pat. These are artists with diverse musical backgrounds coming together to create a timeless musical quality. “Hits the Collection” is available for purchase on all major digital platforms and on iTunes.
Check out “Hits the Collection” on Spotify HERE.
Buy tracks from “Hits the Collection” on iTunes HERE.
About DFD Producers Shane Foster and Davis Chris
DFD Music is a production company dually located in both Atlanta and Los Angeles. Helmed by producers Shane Foster and Davis Chris, DFD Music offers music production, engineering, songwriting and a wide variety of marketing directions for musical artists.
Shane Foster is an American producer and marketing executive, in addition to being a decorated veteran of the U.S. Army, where he served with distinction as an elite Paratrooper. Having first studied law, Shane is an alumnus of V.C.U., and an alumnus of The Los Angeles Film School where he obtained degrees in both Audio Engineering and Entertainment Business. Shane’s most recent work has graced the iTunes Top 200 Songs chart with Yo Gotti’s single “Play” (Remix), where it peaked at number 17. Shane’s other credits involve mentions in Hype Magazine as well as television, including collaborations with Showtime, MTV, BET, VH1 and Amazon Prime Video. Shane formed DFD Music with collaborating producer Davis Chris in 2016.
“Our purpose is to create music that heals the souls of everyday people and the veterans who have served. It is a battle every day for so many to stay mentally healthy after serving our country. There are too many men and women who have fought for the country like me that end up taking their lives because of depression and PTSD. This cycle needs to stop. Working in partnership with fellow veteran Christopher Davis and other unique artists to release this album has been a step in the right direction in helping those who need healing to be healed like us.” Shane Foster said.
An American songwriter, producer and engineer from Houston, Davis Chris is a veteran of the U.S. Navy. An alumnus of Sam Houston State University, Davis studied Kinesiology before also attending The Los Angeles Film School to obtain degrees in Music Production, Audio Engineering and Entertainment Business. Davis’s most recent work appeared on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart, with Iggy Azalea’s album “In My Defense,” which peaked at number six for independent albums, and number 22 for Top Rap Albums in 2019. The album itself has been streamed over 220 million times to date.
Both producers are BMI and Grammy U members who provide fast and reliable service to all their clients, while living by the three Ds: Determination, Dedication and Discipline. They welcome media inquiries, in addition to reviewing and receiving new talent. Follow them on social media at:
Davis Chris: @godavischris for all platforms.
Shane Foster: @therealshanefoster on Instagram and Facebook.
DFD Music: @therealdfdmusic on Twitter
Daymond John — Turning Heroes into CEOs
BusinessEntertainmentLifestyle
The Shark Tank’s Daymond John encourages veteran entrepreneurs to make waves in business.
By Lori Denman
Entrepreneur extraordinaire Daymond John has cast a pretty large net in the realm of business.
John, otherwise known as, “The People’s Shark,” is a busy man—leading his multi-million dollar FUBU clothing line and hosting the popular reality ABC hit, “Shark Tank,” that’s celebrating its 11th season.
But he never hesitates to take time to help a promising entrepreneur—particularly those who have served our country. “I’m working with veterans as much as I can,” he said.
John is in his third year of partnering with Bob Evans Farms to host an entrepreneurial contest called “Heroes to CEOs.” Finalists receive a free trip to New York City for a personalized, 45-minute session with John to help them perfect a pitch that could win them a $30,000 grant for their business.
John says the same traits that make veterans successful in combat—courage, teamwork, overcoming challenging obstacles, taking inventory of a situation—also apply in the boardroom. A veteran’s large network of supportive comrades is a further advantage, he added.
“I call it OPM, or other people’s manufacturing, mind power or marketing,” he said. “Meaning if you want to start up a business, make a list of friends and acquaintances who can assist in the mission. Soak up their knowledge and insight.”
Still, there’s a few personality traits characteristic of the military that may actually hinder a veteran entrepreneur, according to John in a recent interview for The Motley Fool.
Panel: (L-R) Lori Greiner, Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Kevin OLeary, and Daymond John of Tribeca Talks: Ten Years of Shark Tank poses for a portrait. MATT DOYLE/GETTY IMAGES
“Vets were brought up to think about everybody else and stand in the line of fire. They don’t always put their needs first.”
There’s been more than a few veterans who have heeded John’s advice. Last month, Jonathan Norton, founder and CEO of Peak Safety Systems, was voted the winner of the third annual “Heroes to CEOs” program. A former Army Ranger, Norton invented the RopeSafe Edge protection system—life-saving equipment for military, first responders, and rope access professionals.
Norton says his company was born out of personal experience. ““I witnessed a student nearly fall to his death while he was repelling because the edge protector that we were using failed,” he said in a recent interview on cheddar.com.
“It was a scary moment and created a lot of fear, doubt and uncertainty. But it inspired me to find a solution. That was the impetus for developing the product.”
Although RopeSafe just launched, Norton has successfully sold to several areas throughout the U.S., including FDNY, NYPD, Dallas SWAT and more. Even a window washing company in Rochester, New York.
Books on display during Daymond John book signing ” Rise and Grind: Outperform, Outwork, and Outhustle Your Way to a More Successful and Rewarding Life”. JOHNNY LOUIS/GETTY IMAGES
When asked about entrepreneurial qualities he acquired during his time in the military, Norton says, “In spite of the hardships or the bumps in the road, it’s really about commitment to the mission and knowing I am serving a bigger purpose.”
John says he was blown away with Norton’s creativity, innovation and solid business plan. “He really rose to the top as an exceptional leader who is ready to take his business to the next level.
With several successful ventures under his belt over the last 30 years, John says he’s often asked what advice he gives veterans and others who wish to start their own business.
“I would say don’t mortgage your house for 100K,” he joked recently on Ladders.com, citing his own personal experience as John did indeed get his start by mortgaging his mother’s house.
After that, John started his successful clothing line but considers the risky move very lucky, adding, “It turned out for all the better, but knowing what I know now, I was very close to losing the house and everything we had.”
Photo: ADRIAN EDWARDS/GETTY IMAGES
His top 5 tips to veterans wanting to start a business as well as other entrepreneurs on Shark Tank:
Set goals to know where you’re headed
By age 16, John had told himself he’d be a millionaire by age 30. But when he turned 22, he was broke and struggling to make a buck by buying and selling cars.
“I didn’t know how to properly execute goal-setting. It’s not just visualizing of a number or a certain age,” said John.
When the idea for FUBU came along, he decided to reshape the goal he set for himself. Instead of committing to making a million dollars by age 30, John instead made it his goal to outfit the hip-hop culture. Designing a clothing line became less about earning money and more about dedicating himself to a community — one that he thought would turn into future consumers.
“My goal became doing the best I can for the company I love,” John said.
Homework — you still have to do it
After sneaking his way into a menswear conference in Las Vegas, John proudly showed off early prototypes of T-shirts emblazoned with the logo of his budding company, FUBU, an acronym that means “For Us, By Us.” He secured $300,000 worth of orders, and after his mother took out an equity line on their house in Queens, he took $100,000 to outfit a factory to get production going.
Just one problem: He hadn’t done any research on what it would cost to start a clothing line and get production going. In the process, he nearly lost his mom’s house and ended FUBU before it got off the ground.
Knowing what you need to launch a venture is something John stresses to the hopefuls who appear before him on Shark Tank. He has to see that an entrepreneur looking for funding has done their work to know what their market is and who their competitors are — and that they’ve used that knowledge to not only start driving sales but also improve on their track record.
Adore what you do, and success will follow
A true entrepreneur must love what they’re doing—a seemingly trite lesson that John said is crucial for any successful entrepreneur. It’s passion for a project that will allow a person to push past failures and feeling burned out.
“Do what you love, and success will follow. Money may follow; but I can’t promise that it will,” he said. “But money’s more likely to follow when you’re doing something you love, because you’ll do it for 10 years or 20 years.”
Remember, you — not just your business — are a brand
These days it’s easy to manufacture a personality using social media. But building a business is as much about how you carry yourself as it is about meeting quarterly sales figures or developing new products.
“Be very honest with yourself, especially today with social media. At any given time, your employees can see you,” John said. “So you have to know what the DNA of the brand is. It only takes your employees two weeks to treat your customers the same way they’re being treated.”
Keep swimming, no matter what
John’s final point makes use of what he calls the power of positive thinking. Even as FUBU grew into a bigger company, he maintained a “healthy paranoia” about running a clothing company.
“I always said fashion brands are hot for five years and then they’re gone,” he said.
But keeping a persevering attitude spurred him to come up with solutions to problems instead of giving up. As John wrote in his book, The Power of Broke: “You have to be relentless, nimble, moving ever forward. No matter what.”
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Anna Karenina. Leo Tolstoy
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Kitty made the acquaintance of Madame Stahl too, and this acquaintance, together with her friendship with Varenka, did not merely exercise a great influence on her, it also comforted her in her mental distress. She found this comfort through a completely new world being opened to her by means of this acquaintance, a world having nothing in common with her past, an exalted, noble world, from the height of which she could contemplate her past calmly. It was revealed to her that besides the instinctive life to which Kitty had given herself up hitherto there was a spiritual life. This life was disclosed in religion, but a religion having nothing in common with that one which Kitty had known from childhood, and which found expression in litanies and all-night services at the Widow's Home, where one might meet one's friends, and in learning by heart Slavonic texts with the priest. This was a lofty, mysterious religion connected with a whole series of noble thoughts and feelings, which one could do more than merely believe because one was told to, which one could love.
Kitty found all this out not from words. Madame Stahl talked to Kitty as to a charming child that one looks on with pleasure as on the memory of one's youth, and only once she said in passing that in all human sorrows nothing gives comfort but love and faith, and that in the sight of Christ's compassion for us no sorrow is trifling--and immediately talked of other things. But in every gesture of Madame Stahl, in every word, in every heavenly--as Kitty called it--look, and above all in the whole story of her life, which she heard from Varenka, Kitty recognized that something "that was important," of which, till then, she had known nothing.
Yet, elevated as Madame Stahl's character was, touching as was her story, and exalted and moving as was her speech, Kitty could not help detecting in her some traits which perplexed her. She noticed that when questioning her about her family, Madame Stahl had smiled contemptuously, which was not in accord with Christian meekness. She noticed, too, that when she had found a Catholic priest with her, Madame Stahl had studiously kept her face in the shadow of the lamp-shade and had smiled in a peculiar way. Trivial as these two observations were, they perplexed her, and she had her doubts as to Madame Stahl. But on the other hand Varenka, alone in the world, without friends or relations, with a melancholy disappointment in the past, desiring nothing, regretting nothing, was just that perfection of which Kitty dared hardly dream. In Varenka she realized that one has but to forget oneself and love others, and one will be calm, happy, and noble. And that was what Kitty longed to be. Seeing now clearly what was _the most important_, Kitty was not satisfied with being enthusiastic over it; she at once gave herself up with her whole soul to the new life that was opening to her. From Varenka's accounts of the doings of Madame Stahl and other people whom she mentioned, Kitty had already constructed the plan of her own future life. She would, like Madame Stahl's niece, Aline, of whom Varenka had talked to her a great deal, seek out those who were in trouble, wherever she might be living, help them as far as she could, give them the Gospel, read the Gospel to the sick, to criminals, to the dying. The idea of reading the Gospel to criminals, as Aline did, particularly fascinated Kitty. But all these were secret dreams, of which Kitty did not talk either to her mother or to Varenka.
While awaiting the time for carrying out her plans on a large scale, however, Kitty, even then at the springs, where there were so many people ill and unhappy, readily found a chance for practicing her new principles in imitation of Varenka.
At first the princess noticed nothing but that Kitty was much under the influence of her _engouement_, as she called it, for Madame Stahl, and still more for Varenka. She saw that Kitty did not merely imitate Varenka in her conduct, but unconsciously imitated her in her manner of walking, of talking, of blinking her eyes. But later on the princess noticed that, apart from this adoration, some kind of serious spiritual change was taking place in her daughter.
The princess saw that in the evenings Kitty read a French testament that Madame Stahl had given her--a thing she had never done before; that she avoided society acquaintances and associated with the sick people who were under Varenka's protection, and especially one poor family, that of a sick painter, Petrov. Kitty was unmistakably proud of playing the part of a sister of mercy in that family. All this was well enough, and the princess had nothing to say against it, especially as Petrov's wife was a perfectly nice sort of woman, and that the German princess, noticing Kitty's devotion, praised her, calling her an angel of consolation. All this would have been very well, if there had been no exaggeration. But the princess saw that her daughter was rushing into extremes, and so indeed she told her.
"_Il ne faut jamais rien outrer_," she said to her.
Her daughter made her no reply, only in her heart she thought that one could not talk about exaggeration where Christianity was concerned. What exaggeration could there be in the practice of a doctrine wherein one was bidden to turn the other cheek when one was smitten, and give one's cloak if one's coat were taken? But the princess disliked this exaggeration, and disliked even more the fact that she felt her daughter did not care to show her all her heart. Kitty did in fact conceal her new views and feelings from her mother. She concealed them not because she did not respect or did not love her mother, but simply because she was her mother. She would have revealed them to anyone sooner than to her mother.
"How is it Anna Pavlovna's not been to see us for so long?" the princess said one day of Madame Petrova. "I've asked her, but she seems put out about something."
"No, I've not noticed it, maman," said Kitty, flushing hotly.
"Is it long since you went to see them?"
"We're meaning to make an expedition to the mountains tomorrow," answered Kitty,
"Well, you can go," answered the princess, gazing at her daughter's embarrassed face and trying to guess the cause of her embarrassment.
That day Varenka came to dinner and told them that Anna Pavlovna had changed her mind and given up the expedition for the morrow. And the princess noticed again that Kitty reddened.
"Kitty, haven't you had some misunderstanding with the Petrovs?" said the princess, when they were left alone. "Why has she given up sending the children and coming to see us?"
Kitty answered that nothing had happened between them, and that she could not tell why Anna Pavlovna seemed displeased with her. Kitty answered perfectly truly. She did not know the reason Anna Pavlovna had changed to her, but she guessed it. She guessed at something which she could not tell her mother, which she did not put into words to herself. It was one of those things which one knows but which one can never speak of even to oneself, so terrible and shameful would it be to be mistaken.
Again and again she went over in her memory all her relations with the family. She remembered the simple delight expressed on the round, good-humored face of Anna Pavlovna at their meetings; she remembered their secret confabulations about the invalid, their plots to draw him away from the work which was forbidden him, and to get him out-of-doors; the devotion of the youngest boy, who used to call her "my Kitty," and would not go to bed without her. How nice it all was! Then she recalled the thin, terribly thin figure of Petrov, with his long neck, in his brown coat, his scant, curly hair, his questioning blue eyes that were so terrible to Kitty at first, and his painful attempts to seem hearty and lively in her presence. She recalled the efforts she had made at first to overcome the repugnance she felt for him, as for all consumptive people, and the pains it had cost her to think of things to say to him. She recalled the timid, softened look with which he gazed at her, and the strange feeling of compassion and awkwardness, and later of a sense of her own goodness, which she had felt at it. How nice it all was! But all that was at first. Now, a few days ago, everything was suddenly spoiled. Anna Pavlovna had met Kitty with affected cordiality, and had kept continual watch on her and on her husband.
Could that touching pleasure he showed when she came near be the cause of Anna Pavlovna's coolness?
"Yes," she mused, "there was something unnatural about Anna Pavlovna, and utterly unlike her good nature, when she said angrily the day before yesterday: 'There, he will keep waiting for you; he wouldn't drink his coffee without you, though he's grown so dreadfully weak.'"
"Yes, perhaps, too, she didn't like it when I gave him the rug. It was all so simple, but he took it so awkwardly, and was so long thanking me, that I felt awkward too. And then that portrait of me he did so well. And most of all that look of confusion and tenderness! Yes, yes, that's it!" Kitty repeated to herself with horror. "No, it can't be, it oughtn't to be! He's so much to be pitied!" she said to herself directly after.
This doubt poisoned the charm of her new life.
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DELTA APPAREL INC DLA
elke528
Shares Out. (in M): 8 P/E 15.7x 8.6x
Market Cap (in $M): 143 P/FCF 5.9x 7.1x
Net Debt (in $M): 135 EBIT 14 28
TEV ($): 277 TEV/EBIT 19.9x 10.0x
Delta Apparel DLA 06/08/2003
PERRIGO CO PLC PRGO 03/08/2016
Daelim Industrial 000215 02/01/2014
SOFTBANK CORP 9984 02/22/2014
ICONIX BRAND GROUP INC ICON 04/21/2015
VALEANT PHARMACEUTICALS INTL VRX. 05/12/2017
Bell Atlantic/Verizon VZ 04/07/2000
QUAD/GRAPHICS INC (5077B) QUAD S 02/22/2018
Delta Apparel (“DLA”) offers the opportunity to invest in a well-managed, growing portfolio of apparel brands and textile operations trading at 9x P/E (FY14) and 14% FCF yield. DLA is working on a number of initiatives that should lead to continued growth in the next several years with significant cash flow generation.
DLA is a designer, manufacturer, and distributor of apparel products (largely t-shirts) across the screenprinting and retail value chains. DLA makes basic t-shirts that are sold directly to screenprinters and private label apparel sold to sportswear companies. These comprise the Basics Segment, which are about 55% of revenues. The remaining revenues come from the Branded Segment which consists of a number of brands and specialty operations including:
Soffe (~$90m revenues), which is most well-known for cheerleading clothes, but also sells a couple of other brands through the U.S. military and other retailers.
Junk Food (~$70m revenues), which is best known for vintage-looking t-shirts at high-end department stores.
The Game (~$60m revenues), which is best known for distinct styles of baseball caps for college sports fans. They also produce a variety of licensed apparel sold through college bookstores.
Art Gun (~$20m revenues), which provides back office fulfillment for websites that give consumers the ability to design their own t-shirts.
Salt Life (~$20m revenues), a brand with a loyal following among fishermen, surfers, and boaters, especially in Florida. After licensing the Salt Life brand for two years, DLA was just acquired the brand in August.
Why does this opportunity exist?
Delta is easily perceived as a disadvantaged also-ran: Delta is overlooked as a small and disadvantaged competitor to large competitors in the commodity screenprint t-shirt business. While they overlap with Gildan and Fruit of the Loom for 35% of their business, they are not as disadvantaged as meets the eye.
Lack of analyst coverage: Roth Capital and Sidoti are the only listed brokerage firms that cover DLA.
Lots of moving parts: DLA is going through a stabilization period for its largest brand, Soffe, which lost significant business from Kohl’s and JC Penney in 2012-2013. Finally, consumer demand at retail recently has been weak.
There is no doubt that DLA participates in a tough space, but this management team has pulled off revenue growth either through organic initiatives or acquisitions (8 acquisitions since 2003) for the past 10 years.
The printwear segment for t-shirts (blank t-shirts, usually used for promotional products or local events) is largely a commodity segment, but DLA has carved out a niche where they can compete. Unlike Gildan or Fruit of the Loom, which collectively have about 90% market share and sell through distributors, DLA’s go-to-market strategy is direct to screenprinters. While DLA could never compete with Gildan or Fruit head-to-head because of scale, without another middleman taking a margin in the chain, they can compete. As a result, DLA sells a lot to regional players or other large screenprinters who produce products for large retailers. If you go into Wal-Mart’s clothing department and notice a tall display with many t-shirts designs on shelves, many of those are printed on DLA shirts. With that focus, DLA has actually grown the Basics Segment every year since 2009 at an average rate of 6.4%. While company-specific initiatives have an impact, underlying market growth is driven by GDP growth.
The Branded Segment, however, is more driven by marketing initiatives and design. Soffe is in the midst of a turnaround after some retailers pulled away from the brand to increase their own private labels. After a 25% drop in revenues from FY11 to FY13, Soffe had a $7m operating loss last year. That business has now stabilized and they expect break-even performance this year. With a new leader in place, we should start to see some improvement.
Notwithstanding the challenges at Soffe, all of DLA’s other brands have been growing well and show promise. For example, Junk Food has built its own consumer label, which has led to significant growth in higher-profit e-commerce. The Game recently started an “American Threads” label for college bookstores, which appeals to college students’ desire to buy American. As a Salt Life licensee for the past two years, DLA has taken the Salt Life brand from one market in Florida to over 1,500 retail outlets. Finally, Art Gun’s success in web-based technology and efficient t-shirt design fulfillment is most evident in Society6, an Art Gun client, which was purchased by Demand Media (DMD) in June for $94m or 6.3x revenues or 23.5 EBIT (based on 2012 figures, the only ones that were disclosed).
Through a combination of steady growth in the Basics Segment and continued execution (assuming stabilization of Soffe) in the Branded Segment, revenues should continue to grow at a low to mid-single-digit clip. Regarding margins, EBITDA margin has been pressured over the past several years, ranging from weaker demand, the decline at Soffe, and multiple operating systems. Recently, though, DLA has integrated into a new ERP system, expanded manufacturing operations in Honduras, and upgraded printing operations for Soffe in North Carolina with more efficient equipment. This should help improve margins, likely by 200 bps or more. Margins should also improve in 2014 with the acquisition of Salt Life. They had been paying a royalty payment to Salt Life on that brand’s apparel. Now that they own the IP, they not only will not have to pay the royalty, they will receive royalty payments on other product lines, ranging from sunscreen to sunglasses.
DLA has high insider ownership and good governance. Bob Humphries, the CEO, owns 5.6% of the company (and 9.5% including exercisable options). He came to Delta Apparel with the spin-out of the company from Delta Woodside (an industrial conglomerate that split itself up in 1999). He has over 25 years in the textile and apparel industry. The company has decent stock ownership guidelines for senior management, and performance-based compensation is based primarily on return on capital employed (“ROCE”) metrics. As an example, because the three-year compounded average EPS growth and ROCE came in below their targets, the management team received less than half of their target cash bonuses and forfeited significant equity compensation.
DLA is also aggressive and opportunistic in buying back its own stock. Since FY01, DLA has repurchased 1.9m shares (or 19%), and they have been quite aggressive recently: over the past 12 months, DLA has repurchased ~7% of diluted shares. $7.9m remains authorized.
DLA’s balance sheet looks highly levered on an LTM basis, but that is just after the Salt Life acquisition, for which they got $22m of seller financing. Based on 2014 EBITDA, Net Debt/EBITDA is a manageable 3.7x.
Valuation Summary:
FY14 guidance contemplates modest low-single-digit growth and ~250 bps of EBITDA margin improvement from the stabilization of Soffe, operational improvements, and the addition of higher margin Salt Life revenues under their ownership. FY14 EPS should be ~$2.05 with FCF of $20m. With some growth coming back from Soffe in FY15, expansion of their brands, and additional stock buybacks, we could see EPS higher than $2.50 and FCF of $25m. With those kinds of figures, DLA should be trading above $26. I don’t see DLA ever trading at a GIL-type multiple, but it should be able to continue to generate significant cash and drive earnings further.
Risks:
Continued consumer weakness places pressure on retail sell-through or demand for apparel.
Gildan getting more aggressive in its direct-to-screenprinter segments
Issues with their important license agreements (mostly relevant to Junk Food)
Political instability in Honduras, where they manufacture most of their products.
I do not hold a position of employment, directorship, or consultancy with the issuer.
Neither I nor others I advise hold a material investment in the issuer's securities.
Stabilization in Soffe
Margin improvements from system consolidation and equipment upgrades
Additional accretive acquisitions
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ValueWalk – Google News
Blackstone Expects Silver Lake to Win Dell Bidding War [REPORT]
Posted By: Sheeraz Raza Mar 27, 2013, 9:01 pm
Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL) “waived a non-compete clause” to allow David Johnson, a former Dell executive who is now at The Blackstone Group L.P. (NYSE:BX), to work on the Blackstone-Dell deal, FOX Business Network (FBN) Senior Correspondent Charlie Gasparino reports. Gasparino also reports that people inside Blakstone think “their odds are less than 50 percent” to win the bid and that they believe “Silver Lake is going to prevail” in the bidding war.
Excerpts from the report are below.
On the buyout bids for Dell:
“Dell waived a non-compete clause for a former executive to work on the Blackstone bid. His name is David Johnson, he joined Blackstone from Dell back in January. He is now working on the bid. They waived a non-compete clause that was on his contract so he can work on this, so that is one reason why they think this thing is management friendly, why Blackstone does have a shot because a former Dell executive would be part of the management team. The second thing we learned when we talked to people at Blackstone is that they really think they are not in the driver’s seat and that their odds are less than 50 percent to win this thing. They think that Silver Lakes is going to prevail, Silver Lakes and Michael Dell, the combined bid. ”
Sheeraz Raza
Sheeraz is our COO (Chief - Operations), his primary duty is curating and editing of ValueWalk. He is main reason behind the rapid growth of the business. Sheeraz previously ran a taxation firm. He is an expert in technology, he has over 5.5 years of design, development and roll-out experience for SEO and SEM. - Email: sraza(at)valuewalk.com
Rise of The Entrepreneur: The Pros and Cons of Entering a Business Single-Handedly
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Seattle Milk Fund empowers parents toward higher education opportunities by funding child care grants and providing family support. Their goal is for parents to realize their higher education potential, which can create a brighter and more stable financial future for their families.
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For 32 years, the University District Food Bank has helped prevent hunger in northeast Seattle neighborhoods. The food bank operates a walk-in food bank offering food, toiletries, baby formula, diapers and pet food to area residents.
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Dem Gubernatorial Nominee Says Illegal Immigrants Are Part of the 'Blue Wave'
By Jack Davis
Published October 16, 2018 at 11:26am
The Democrat running for governor in Georgia is hoping that she can ride a “blue wave” to victory at the polls, and recently said that “blue wave” includes illegal immigrants.
Gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams made the comment last week during a rally that also featured Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. Abrams is facing Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp.
“The thing of it is, the blue wave is African-American. It’s white. It’s Latino. It’s Asian-Pacific Islander. It is disabled. It is differently-abled. It is LGBTQ. It is law enforcement. It is veterans,” Abrams said, in a video of the event.
“It is made up of those who’ve been told that they are not worthy of being here,” she said. “It is comprised of those who are documented and undocumented.”
When asked about the comments later, she hedged, according to a video posted to YouTube by WXIA in Atlanta.
“I’ve never once argued for anyone who is not legally allowed to vote in the state of Georgia to be allowed to vote,” Abrams said.
“Do you stand by what you said?” she was asked.
“What I said that day is that this is a state that should be looking out for everyone in our state and I would hope that anyone running for governor should believe in all of Georgia,” Abrams said.
Kemp, however, countered that that is not what she meant at all.
“It means she wants illegals to vote in Georgia. This is a shocking development in the campaign,” Kemp said in a “Fox & Friends” interview on Monday, according to a video posted on YouTube.
“I think hard-working Georgians should decide who their governor is, not people here illegally like my opponent wants,” Kemp said.
“It’s against the law and against the Constitution, which makes it even more shocking that she would say that.”
RELATED: There's So Much More at Stake in 2020 Than Just the Presidency - and Democrats Know It
Kemp has faced allegations from Abrams that he is trying to purge the rolls of voters who would support her.
Did you think this Democrat admitted more than she intended to?
Under Georgia’s current system of voter registration, instituted under Kemp, 53,000 potential voters have their status listed as “pending,” because their voter registration information did not exactly match other identifying information the state has, such as driver’s license information or Social Security numbers, according to USA Today.
However, those voters will still be allowed to vote if they can show information at the polls that “substantially matches the registration application,” USA Today reported.
Kemp said on Twitter that the claims of voter suppression were a smokescreen.
This was never about the 53,000 'pending' forms. Those folks can vote on Election Day. My opponent’s plan is to force Georgia (via lawsuit) to count ballots from "non citizens." I think hardworking Georgians – not illegal immigrants – should pick their next governor. #gapol https://t.co/ZonSs1vNU6
— Brian Kemp (@BrianKempGA) October 16, 2018
“This was never about the 53,000 ‘pending’ forms. Those folks can vote on Election Day. My opponent’s plan is to force Georgia (via lawsuit) to count ballots from ‘non citizens.’ I think hardworking Georgians – not illegal immigrants – should pick their next governor,” he tweeted.
Contributor, News
Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack can be reached at jackwritings1@gmail.com.
Politics, Foreign Policy, Military & Defense Issues
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Tags: 2018 midterm elections, Georgia, Illegal Immigration, Politics, voting
Giovanni Luhman / TikTok screen shot Neighborhood Dog Shows Up at Subway’s Door Every Night for Dinner, Becomes Internet Sensation
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Articles from the May 7, 2015 edition
By John Verser News May 7, 2015
Ash trial costs are more than $78,000
Kimball County taxpayers have paid a hefty price in the second Vencil Ash murder trial. The weeklong trial in late January and early February has cost the county more than $78,000 as of claims paid in late April. Ash was found guilty in the 2003...
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No reason known for Tuesday power outage
Kimball experienced a city-wide power outage with unknown cause Tuesday morning for approximately 45 minutes. The Kimball Electric Department had power back on shortly after 9 a.m. City Administrator Daniel Ortiz said that when a city-wide outage is...
News May 7, 2015
Community Clean-up Day
Banner County students took to the streets and other areas throughout the community last Wednesday (April 29) as part of the community clean-up day. The students picked up trash throughout the...
Committee talks Oliver Reservoir improvements
Scott Brandt first saw the Oliver Reservoir 32 years ago, and he believes the changes being made to how the lake is run will hopefully restore its former glory. “I came to Kimball 32 years ago…32 years ago was the most vibrant I’ve seen this...
Caskey takes over at Kimball-Banner County Chamber of Commerce
Jo Caskey was recently hired as the new executive director of the Kimball-Banner County Chamber of Commerce. "Jo will be expanding her role of promoting our community through tourism, and she is...
Friends and Neighbors: Making artwork, engraving is a large part of Amber Wilke's 'Story'
The 'Story' of Amber Wilke, nee Story, began in Kimball, where as a child she grew up with horses, bottle lambs and bucket calves and "anything else she could beg to take care of" at the end of her st...
Be prepared, keep vigilant for potential severe weather
Each Thursday at 10 a.m. starting in the spring, one can hear a tornado siren blaring over the speakers as it is tested in Kimball. The siren that indicates imminent danger differs from the fire siren in that the tone remains the same throughout the...
Commissioners approve change at intersection
The Kimball County commissioners approved an intersection change at Tuesday’s regularly scheduled meeting. After a public hearing in which no members of the public spoke, commissioners voted unanimously to remove the curve at the intersection of...
Mural work
Kimball volunteers worked well into the night last Thursday to outline the mural on the south-facing wall of the Kimball Bakery. Volunteers, include from left, Meg Strauch, James Schnell, Larissa...
Obituaries May 7, 2015
Simmons W. Cook Jr.
Simmons W. Cook Jr., 88, of Sidney, passed away at the Sidney Regional Medical Center, Monday afternoon, May 4, 2015. Graveside services with Military Honors will be held at 10:30 A.M., Thursday, May 7, in the Greenwood Cemetery with Rev. H. Douglas...
Third kindergarten teacher hired
The Kimball Board of Education approved a new contract for Kelli Patterson at a special meeting held last Thursday in the district’s office at the high school. Patterson, formerly a teacher at Kimball Public Schools, was hired to fill the third...
By Tim Nolting News May 7, 2015
Atkins' establish donor-advised fund through Nebraska Community Foundation
Howard and Peggy Atkins are determined to be a part of a catalyst for change in the Kimball Community. “We want to stir up some interest,” Howard Atkins said, “get people thinking: What can I do? What can we do together? How can Kimball be...
Health fair set for Friday in Kimball
Taking steps to keep people healthy is the idea behind the Kimball Community Health Fair set for Friday, May 8, at Kimball Health Services. A cooperative effort between Kimball Health Services and Wyoming Health Fairs, the health fair offers...
Kimball Hospital Foundation awards 5 healthcare career scholarships
Five southern Panhandle students, two with plans to become physical therapists, two planning to become nurses and another planning a career in laboratory science are the recipients of scholarships from the Kimball Hospital Foundation. Ryan Muneio,...
Scholarship available for Banner County graduates pursuing degree in health care field
Regional West Foundation is currently accepting applications for the Marjorie Jane Streeks Brown Scholarship. The $500 scholarship is available to Banner County High School graduates who plan to pursue a degree in a health care related field at an...
Breakfast for mothers
Brent and Doris Curyea enjoy breakfast with a friend at the Eagles Lodge in Kimball on Saturday. The breakfast, which included hot cakes, eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy as well as beverages, was...
Learning about government
Fifth grade teacher Laurie Janicek addressed more than 40 fifth grade students at the Kimball County Courthouse on Monday. Students attended live court cases, toured the Kimball County Jail and...
Electrical work near Kimball will take place Thursday
On Thursday (May 7), contractors and the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) will be working on one of the City of Kimball’s electrical substations and the power line that feeds Kimball’s electricity. Work at the south substation is...
Top BOOK IT! readers in the country
Three groups of Mary Lynch Elementary School students placed in the top 100 nationally for the Pizza Hut BOOK IT! reading program. The combined sixth grade classes of Jamie Murdoch and Bernie Walker...
Cajero tabbed April student of the month
Congratulations to Kimball High School's April Student of the Month, Enrique Cajero. Enrique came to Kimball his freshman year and has participated in many activities throughout his high school...
By Tom Southard Sports May 7, 2015
Greenwood wins dual conference golf titles
What a weekend for the Kimball High Boys Golf Team and especially for sophomore Jordan Greenwood. Greenwood won back-to-back conference medalist titles on back-to-back days of competition and also...
Sports May 7, 2015
Coyote 4x800 relay team breaks school record
The Potter-Dix boys 4x800 meter relay team had a record-breaking performance at last Tuesday's Best of the West meet in Scottsbluff. The Coyote team of Jake Johnson, Samuel Bogert, Cameron Purcell...
Land ties UNK long jump record at MIAA meet
Kimball senior Brady Land tied a school record in the long jump to lead the University of Nebraska-Kearney track and field team at the Mid America Intercollegiate Athletics Association outdoor...
Jaden Withrow earns Best of the West triple jump honors
Kimball High sophomore Jaden Withrow proved he was the Best in the West at the Best in the West Classic Track and Field Meet held at Scottsbluff Bearcat Stadium this past week, winning the triple...
Dahlgrin wins 110 hurdles at MAC, takes second at Best of the West
Tyson Dahlgrin had quite the week in the hurdles. The Banner County senior won the Minuteman Activities Conference title in the 110 meter hurdles and took second in the Best of the West meet in the...
Donna Foos, James Wert...
The Larsen's BurglaryDaria Anderson-Faden
Engstrom Back At The HelmJim Orr
Alexis Lulf Bowls Perf...Tom Southard
Kimball Girls Lose To...Tom Southard
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How to Write a Sympathy Thank You
Explore this Article Sample Thank You Notes Write Your Own Thank You Questions & Answers Related Articles
Finding the words to express gratitude during a trying time, especially bereavement, can be very difficult. To write a sympathy thank-you card, follow these guidelines.
Sample Thank You Notes
Sample Note to Family Member
Sample Note to Acquaintance
Write Your Own Thank You
Buy cards with envelopes. The colors and design should generally be subdued. Since you are writing a personalized note, choose a blank card or one with very little text; an abundance of trite ready-made phrases will depersonalize your gesture of thanks.
Alternatively, you can send a plain note. This is especially appropriate if you feel you have a lot to say. However, if you're at a loss for words, stick with a store-bought card, as they don't lend themselves to a lot of writing.
While muted cards are "normal" and socially acceptable, consider using blank cards that reflect the personality of the person whose life is being remembered. For example, tasteful images of a motorbike for someone who loved riding.
Do not email a sympathy thank-you. Though this is the most convenient way to contact people, it is also extremely impersonal and will be considered a serious faux pas.
Write with pen. Whether you've chosen a card or a letter, hand-write the note in pen rather than typing it or writing in pencil. Again, this will give the thank-you a more intimate and polished feel.
Address the recipient(s) by name. Opening with “Dear ___” breaks the ice and keeps the message intimate.
Thank the recipient(s) for something specific. This can be an actual item (flowers, a card), a gesture of condolence (attending a funeral, making a heartfelt phone call), or simply emotional support. Mentioning specifics demonstrates that you noticed and appreciated the effort made.
If possible, express something positive about the recipient(s). If someone has passed, for example, you might mention how much the recipient(s) meant to the deceased. If the recipient(s) attended an event, you might mention how much their being there gave you strength.
If you can't think of something nice to say about the recipient(s), compliment the present/gesture instead. For example, say that gift comforted you at a dark time, that the flowers were the deceased's favorite, etc.
Make your gratitude clear. Begin wrapping up your thoughts by offering a general expression of appreciation. State how much their kindness or condolences have meant to you and your family.
Conclude the note. Write “Sincerely,” “With love,” “Warm regards,” “From our hearts,” etc. before signing your name(s).
How can I write a thank you note to a Priest?
You would write it in the same way that you would write a thank you note to anyone else, and you can get their mailing address from the church or hand-deliver it at your next service.
Can I sign my late spouse's name?
No, you should not sign your late spouse's name on the sympathy thank you card.
How do I address a sympathy thank you to an office group?
You could start with "Thank you so much for you support" or with "To all who have been thinking of us". Others options include "To those that contributed to this card", "This meant a lot to (me, us)", "I would like to thank you for your kindness and love in this time".
We got thank you cards from the funeral home. Do I need to sign them? If so, HOW? The thank you is from several family members.
You can write your own card. You can sign everyone's name on the card, or just sign it as "The Mills Family" or whatever your last name is.
How do I thank someone for money and words of comfort?
"Dear [insert name/s here], Thank you for the money that you so very kindly sent, and for your lovely [letter/card/other]. I really appreciate your kind words; I have found them to be of great comfort and I feel blessed to have you as [a friend/my family/a neighbor]."
How do I write a thank you note to someone I don't know very well for speaking at a funeral?
Write a thank you note as you usually would, but include something about how meaningful it was to have them deliver such beautiful words at the ceremony. You could also include some information about how your loved one might have perceived those words and whether they would have enjoyed them.
How do I write a Thank You to anyone that sent flowers?
Just say something like: "Thank you so much for the flowers, they were beautiful, I loved them, and it means so much that you thought of me/us in this time."
How can I write thank you note for friends who contributed the money for my wife's sickness?
Write something like: "Thank you for the support you showed us while my wife was sick. She is now (current state) and I'm so thankful to have you by my side. I hope you're doing well and thank you again from the bottom of my heart for your care and support".
Is it OK to sign "I love you" instead of "I love y'all" if thanking to two people?
Hopebrooke
"I love you" comes across as more meaningful, but it does sound as if you are addressing one person. An alternative could be to write "I love you both."
After a death, it isn't necessary to send a thank-you note to every person who came to pay their respects. Send thank-you notes to the following people: friends and loved ones of the deceased, anyone who gave flowers, donations, gifts, or cards, clergy, pallbearers, and anyone who provided services such as babysitting, food, or driving in the funeral procession.
If you need addresses of funeral visitors you did not know, check the guestbook.
Don't wait too long to write and send out the thank-you notes. Though people will understand if you don't feel like pouncing on your responsibilities during a difficult time, letting several weeks pass before thanking everyone will make you appear ungrateful.
Make a Memorial Book
Write a Thank You Note After a Funeral
Write a Thank You Letter
Make Letters of the English Alphabet
Respond to Condolences
Sign a Sympathy Card
Pay Your Respects when Someone You Know Dies
Write a Condolence Letter
Offer Condolences
Help when Someone Dies
Write a Consolation Letter
Create a Sympathy Card
Categories: Thank You Cards and Notes | Condolences | Sympathy
Español: escribir una carta de agradecimiento por condolencia, Italiano: Scrivere una Nota di Ringraziamento, Русский: написать открытку с благодарностью за поддержку
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Dawn Jorgenson, Digital Content Editor, Graham Media Group
Published: August 16, 2019, 9:03 am
Tags: Lifestyle, Pets, News, International, Talkers
What’s News Today: tax assistance, new businesses
28 horribly neglected dogs found stuffed in vehicle on way to dog meat festival
Remaining living dogs in need of medical care
A dog rescued from a South Korean dog meat farm sits in a crate. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
People in different cultures find different things acceptable, but this one is hard to believe: 28 dogs were found stuffed in cages on a vehicle bound for a dog meat festival in Buyeo, South Korea, called Boknal.
Officials with In Defense of Animals and Jindo Love are now caring for the dogs, which they said were horribly neglected, and believe the dogs were being taken to Boknal to be slaughtered, People reported.
The dogs, most of which were suffering from dehydration, malnutrition and heartworms, had fresh injuries, and all showed signs of neglect.
“Our Korean rescue partners got a tip-off about a truck piled high with rusty wire metal cages crammed full of helpless dogs packed together and rushed to the scene,” Fleur Dawes, IDA’s communications director, said in a statement obtained by People. “Some dogs were struggling to breathe; they were packed so tightly that they could not move or even turn their heads.”
Dawes said two of the 28 dogs have died since the rescue and more of the dogs are in urgent need of veterinary care, which IDA predicts could cost $1,000 per dog.
That’s just the beginning of this story for the dogs. Following recovery, the dogs will then need foster care, training and rehabilitation.
Actress Kim Basinger, widely known for playing roles in "Batman" and "LA Confidential," recently joined activists protesting the dog meat trade in South Korea.
Actress Kim Basinger attends a protest against the South Korea dog meat trade. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
She held a model of a dead dog for cameras and said, “Sometimes pictures speak 1,000 words more than we could ever with our voices.”
She said she hopes any changes in the country could have a knock-on effect somewhere else.
"I do think that government is going to have to not turn a blind eye and really come up with solutions like this," she said. "South Korea is going to be the leader for this, it's going to be known for this and it's going to trickle down."
A bill has been proposed that would make the killing of dogs for food illegal.
It has caused concern for those who support the meat dog industry, but public opinion is swaying toward animal rights groups as more South Koreans have dogs as pets.
Click here to learn more about how you can help end Boknal and help IDA.
CNN contributed to this article.
[READ NEXT: Animal lovers: Did you know your dog can be a blood donor? | Pilots or angels? These good Samaritans volunteer plane, time to rescue animals | eHarmony of dog-matching will custom pair you with the perfect pup]
Graham Media Group 2019
Dawn Jorgenson
Dawn is a Digital Content Editor who has been with Graham Media Group since April 2013. She graduated from Texas State University with a degree in electronic media.
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Dr Brendan Paddison FHEA BA (Hons) PhD
Director of Postgraduate Studies
E: b.paddison@yorksj.ac.uk
Qualifications: FHEA | BA (Hons) (Leeds) | PhD (Leeds)
I am Subject Director for Postgraduate Study and Senior Lecturer in Business and Management at York St John University, teaching on both the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. I teach across a range of Business and Management subject areas, including IT, tourism, project management, business politics and career and professional development.
I completed my PhD titled Governance and Community Advocacy in Tourism Development: An International Comparison awarded by the University of Leeds.
I am a committee member on the Minster Quarter, appointed in 2008, and a member of the Visit York Visitor Economy steering group.
I lead the Heritage and Arts Visitor Research Collaborative (HAVRC) research group. As a University Liaison Representative within York Business School, I work closely with our collaborative partners at home and overseas.
Previously, I worked for an international language school teaching English as a foreign language. I have also lectured at partner universities in Rotterdam, Seville and Vietnam.
I teach across a range of Business and Management subject areas, including IT, tourism, project management, business politics and career and professional development. Brendan is currently teaching on the following programmes:
BA Business Management
BA Tourism Management
BA Business Information Technology
MBA / MA Suite
I am also involved in the supervision of research degrees.
My main research interests include politics of place, with an interest in tourism, urban geography, destination governance, public policy and public sector management. Brendan has presented on these topic areas both nationally and internationally.
Research Student Supervision
I would welcome enquiries from potential research students working on Tourism Management and Destination Governance; Urban Geography; Urban Tourism, Planning and Management; Cultural and Heritage Tourism; Public Policy and Public Sector Management; Tourism Education; Tourism and Authenticity; Historical Development of Tourism.
Futures Research Group
I am a fellow of the HEA.
I am a member of the Editorial Review Board for the e-Review of Tourism Research journal and am the Book Review Editor for the Enlightening Tourism - A Pathmaking Journal. I have also been guest reviewer for the British Journal of Management and the Journal of Applied Statistics.
I am external examiner at the University of Derby for their Business Management awards and at the University of Salford for their Tourism Management awards.
González-Rodríguez, M.R., Domínguez-Quintero, A., and Paddison, B. (2019), ‘The direct and indirect influence of experience quality on satisfaction: the importance of emotions’, Current Issues in Tourism
Mortimer, C. and Paddison, B., (2019). Expert Leadership and Hidden Inequalities in Community Projects. In Inequality and Organizational Practice (pp. 37-64). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Paddison, B., Höckert, E., and Crossley, É. (2018), ‘Building our Stories: Co-creating Tourism Futures in Tourism Research, Education and Practice’, Journal of Teaching in Travel and Tourism. Vol. 19 (1) pp. 1-7.
Domínguez-Quintero, A., González-Rodríguez, M.R., and Paddison, B. (2018), ‘The mediating role of experience quality on authenticity and satisfaction in the context of cultural-heritage tourism’, Current Issues in Tourism
Paddison, B. and Walmsley, A., (2018), 'New Public Management in tourism: a case study of York', Journal of Sustainable Tourism. Vol. 26 (6), pp. 910-926.
Paddison, B. and Biggins, R., (2017), ‘Advocating community integrated destination marketing planning in heritage destinations: the case of York’, Journal of Marketing Management. Vol. 33 (9-10) pp. 835–857.
Paddison, B. and Mortimer, C., (2016), ‘Authenticating the learning environment’, Journal of Teaching in Travel and Tourism. Vol. 16 (4) pp. 331 350.
Paddison, B., and Dredge, D. (2014) TEFI7—Tourism Education for Global Citizenship: Educating for lives of consequence, Oxford, 13–16 April, 2013. Journal of Teaching in Travel and Tourism. Vol. 14 pp. 210-214.
Nachmias, S., Paddison, B. and Mortimer, C. (2014) RECESSION: A chance for hospitality SMEs? Journal of Education and Training Vol. 56 pp. 414-429.
Heritage, Affect and Emotion: Politics, Practices and Infrastructures, edited by Divya P. Tolia-Kelly, Emma Waterton and Steve Watson,(2017), Routledge, New York, in Enlightening Tourism. A Pathmaking Journal, Vol.6 (2), pp.197-201.
‘Governance and sustainable engagement: Building equality within public and private tourism spaces’, Paper presented at Royal Geographical Society (IBG) Annual Conference, London, 28 August - 30 September 2019.
‘Expert Leadership and Hidden Inequalities in Community Projects', The University Forum for Human Resource Development Annual Conference 2019, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK. June 2019.
‘Storytelling in Tourism Education: An Approach to Authenticating the Learning Environment’, Talking about Teaching Conference, York St John University, June 2018.
‘Digging up the Past to Understand your Present Community Engagement in Heritage and Archaeology’, Tourism Education Futures Initiative (TEFI) Knowing with nature – The future of tourism education in the Anthropocene, University of Lapland, Finland, June 2018.
'First Holidays Abroad: Authenticating the Learning Environment through Memories and Storytelling', Tourism Education Futures Initiative (TEFI) Euro-TEFI Building our stories: Co-creating tourism futures in research and practice, Aalborg University, Copenhagen, Denmark, August 2017.
'Marketing Heritage Tourism Destinations: A Working Paper on Community and Commercial Perceptions of Destination Image', Academy of Marketing, Hull University Business School, University of Hull, July 2017, (with Rebecca Biggins).
‘Destination Governance in a Tourist-Historic City’, International Conference on Tourism Dynamics and Trends, University of Seville, Seville, Spain, June 2017.
‘Community Engagement in the Place Branding of Heritage Destinations’, Heritage Branding – Asset or Liability?, The York Management School, University of York, September 2016.
‘Advocating Community Integrated Destination Marketing Planning in Heritage Destinations: A Working Paper on the Case of York’, Academy of Marketing, Newcastle Business School, Northumbria University, July 2016, (Winner of Best Paper in Track).
‘Destination Management to Destination Governance: Advocating a Decentralised Approach to Tourism Collaboration’, 3rdAdvances in Destination Management, Vail, Colorado (USA), June 2016.
‘An Exploration of the Challenges and Opportunities of Community Engagement in the Development of Heritage Tourism’, DySES: Dynamics of Socio-Economic Systems, International Conference, Faculty of Tourism and Finance, University of Seville, Seville, September 2014.
‘Making the Case: The Political Repositioning of Tourism’, Tourism Education Futures Initiative conference, University of Guelph, Canada, June 2014 (David Kelsey).
‘Inspiring Student Research: A European Project’ British Conference of Undergraduate Research (BCUR) (with David Kelsey)University of Nottingham, 14-15 April, 2014.
‘Authenticating the Learning Environment – Doing it for Real’, Tourism Education Futures Initiative conference, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, April 2013.
‘Post-modern Tourism Education: The Historical Extension of the Collaborative Approach’, Tourism Education Futures Initiative conference, Milan, June 2012.
‘A Model of Tourism Governance; The Importance of Representation’, International Conference for PhD Candidates on Economics, Management & Tourism, South West University of Neofit Rilski, April 2011.
‘Barriers or opportunities? Reflecting upon the methodological strategies adopted in a cross-cultural research project’, 5th York St John Methodologies Conference, York St John University, November 2010.
‘A review of the role and responsibilities of the public sector in the development of heritage tourism: the challenges and opportunities of community engagement’, Scientific Committee of the Fourth International Congress on Cultural Heritage and Development Cooperation held in Seville, June 2010.
‘Lost in Translation? The challenges of multi-cultural methodologies’, 4th York St John Methodologies Conference, York St John University, November 2009.
‘Community involvement in tourism planning and development’, Exploring Tourism III: Issues in Tourism Research, University of Nottingham, July 2009.
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Young Citizens
What is citizenship?
Importance of citizenship education
Why teach citizenship?
Key citizenship documents
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Make a Difference Challenge
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Bespoke Projects
Young Citizens voices support for online voting trials
Young Citizens has joined with more than 30 other charities and academics to voice strong support for the Scottish Government's plans to trial online voting.
The plans could involve voting machines at polling stations as well as people being able to vote via their computers or smart phones, in elections for both the Scottish Parliament and local councils.
The letter was devised by WebRoots Democracy and is signed by a wider range of organisations including Army Families Federation and Disability Equality Scotland.
Tom Franklin, Chief Executive of Young Citizens, commented,
These days we are able to do almost everything via the internet: fill our tax returns, apply for bank accounts, pay our bills, apply for social security benefits. In this modern age, it can't be beyond human ingenuity to devise a secure way of voting online. At Young Citizens, we believe this could be particularly beneficial for young people who are the most likely to be comfortable with online voting. It would be great to see Scotland leading the way with these trials.
Published: 23rd March, 2018
Author: Tom Franklin
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The UK Justice System Is At Risk
Does the current UK Justice system protect its citizens' access to justice? As a Australian citizen, interning at a youth participation charity I was keen to explore.
Is your school joining The Big Legal Lesson?
The Big Legal Lesson will take part in Justice Week 2020, and involves hundreds of schools pledging to develop their students' knowledge of the Rule of Law and their legal rights. Read more...
Youth-led advocacy to improve community spaces
Thanks to generous funding from the Co-op Foundation #iwill fund we are supporting primary schools to improve their local community spaces. Read more...
Batley & Dewsbury Make a Difference to Community Spaces
A social action programme to empower KS2 pupils in Batley and Dewsbury to make a difference to a space in their local community. Starts with a teacher training day in March 2020.
The Big Legal Lesson
To support Justice Week 2020, we've created a free teaching resource to help teachers in primary and secondary schools to introduce the law to their pupils. Sign-up for The Big Legal Lesson here!
Meet Jack Felvus, our new Ambassador
Young Citizens is celebrating our 30th Birthday this year and, to add to the celebration, we have recruited our first young Ambassador . Meet Jack Felvus...
Young Citizens secures first Charity of the Year partnership
We are delighted to announce our inaugural Charity of the Year partnership with Constructive Space. Running throughout 2020, we will be supporting with community and fundraising events. Find out more...
Wimbledon Half Marathon smashes targets!
On 13th October a team of fundraisers tackled the Wimbledon Half Marathon. Read more about the event and how the athletes exceeded their expectations.
Young Citizens resources on Handling Controversial Issues ‘best-sellers’ in Europe
Young Citizens resources to help teachers to handle controversial issues have been translated into 23 European languages. Read more...
Meet Finn Judge, our first young Trustee
Young Citizens is celebrating our 30th Birthday this year and our first young Trustee adds to this celebration. This is part of the Board of Trustees' efforts to ensure young people's voices are heard. Meet Finn Judge...
Giving Nation to close having inspired a million youth volunteer hours
After more than a decade the Giving Nation website closed today having mobilised a generation of young people to be active, concerned citizens. Read more about the impact it had.
Young Citizens shortlisted for Charity of the Year Award
We're excited to have been shortlisted for the coveted Charity of the Year Award, run by Charity Times. Read more.
7. The importance of citizenship education
Free SMSC Resource for Key Stage 2
Would you like a free lesson to help you develop KS2 children's SMSC learning? This trial pack of lessons from our Go-Givers website contains the lessons "Democracy" and "Protecting Local Habitats".
Go-Givers Free Trial Pack
Would you like a free trial pack of lessons to support pupils' SMSC learning? This trial pack of lessons from our Go-Givers website contains the lessons "Plastic Pollution" and "Taking Responsibility" for KS1 children and the lessons "Democracy" and "Protecting Local Habitats" for KS2 children.
The Mock Trials are an effective and fun way of helping young people understand how the judicial system works. Learn how you can get involved...
Lowering the voting age to 16
Here, we give teachers a little support for debating the topic in class with students. Do young people of this age know enough about politics yet? And if they could vote, can they be trusted to do it sensibly?
Free SMSC Resources for Key Stage 1
Would you like some free lessons to help you develop KS1 children's SMSC learning? This trial pack of lessons from our Go-Givers website contains the lessons "Plastic Pollution" and "Taking Responsibility"
We are an education charity that inspires young people to play an active role in society. Find out more...
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I’ve just got my money back via a ‘Small Claims Court’. Would young people know they can do that?
Our CEO tells of his own recent experience of using the law to protect his rights, and explains why basic legal understanding is vitally important for all young people, if they're to be confident young citizens. Read more
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Wyatt’s World
YUKON QUEST
Dorothy Smith
March 9, 1920 – March 23, 2019
On Saturday, March 23, 2019, Dorothy Elizabeth Smith (nee Matson) passed away in Whitehorse two weeks after her 99th birthday. Dorothy was born on March 9, 1920, in Atlin, B.C. to Selma and Axel Nelson. Her mother contracted the Spanish flu and died within a few days of Dorothy’s birth. Margaret and Peter Matson adopted Dorothy as a baby. She spent her childhood at Ruby Creek, on a mining outfit in the Atlin goldfields. Dorothy attended school in Atlin, but did not continue past Grade 8 because that would have meant attending a boarding school down south. Instead, Dorothy helped her mother cook for the miners at Ruby Creek. She enjoyed reading, fishing, boating, hiking, skiing and gathering mushrooms and berries. Later, she participated fully in Atlin’s social scene, attending dances and playing cards – she was crowned Dominion Day Queen at the 1940 July First celebration. Her escort was newly arrived butcher, Jim Smith.
They were married October 28, 1942. The Smiths loved their time in Atlin and told many stories about all the adventures they had with friends around its spectacular scenery. But, as Jim would say, “You can’t eat the scenery,” so with heavy hearts they relocated to Whitehorse in 1947 so Jim could take up his new position as manager of Tourist Services. He was well liked and hardworking, but the job demanded long hours. Once Marilyn and Eric were born the family moved into a house on Cook Street, hand built by Jim after his long shifts at work.
When Jim was appointed Commissioner of the Yukon Territory in 1966, a position he held for ten years, Dorothy had to be on hand to host the annual Commissioner’s Levee in the Commissioner’s residence, meet dignitaries and attend many public functions. A shy person by nature, she surprised herself by enjoying this role. Dorothy distinguished herself in needle arts, quilting, knitting, and recently, colouring books. She had great talents and exhibited thoughtful her work. Many of her works are on display at the homes of friends and family. She was an adventurous, intuitive artist. Well into her 90s Dorothy went into high production, knitting socks for her grandsons and great-grandchildren. Dorothy loved exploring handicrafts with others and volunteered at Macaulay Lodge quilting with residents, even though she was older than many of them. Dorothy was adventurous in many ways, loved her time traveling and meeting dignitaries, but she reveled in the everyday. She liked gardening, berry picking, cooking and baking. Dorothy regularly attended duplicate bridge, and together with her partner won many prizes. She and Jim enjoyed hosting friends in their tidy home on Alsek Road. They loved their grandchildren and were able to forge close relationships with them.
Dorothy held a deep religious faith and was connected to the natural world, and to a profound belief in God. Two years ago, Dorothy moved into Macaulay Lodge and then the Whistle Bend Continuing Care Facility. She quickly adapted and felt lucky that she was able to see the mountains from her room.
Dorothy was preceded in death by Jim, her husband of 74 years and their infant son William (1951), parents George and Selma Nelson, adoptive parents Margaret and Pete Matson, brother George Nelson, sister-inlaw Bessy Nelson and brother Ted Matson. She is survived by her daughter Marilyn and her son Eric, three grandsons Alex, Michael (Hitoha) and Matthew (Serah) and great grandchildren Noel, Lennan, Emma and Stella, sister-in-law Helen Matson, nieces Shirley Santos Pedro, Rika Compton and nephews Thor and Mark Matson.
The family is planning a memorial to take place in Whitehorse in early August. If you wish, please make a donation in Dorothy’s name to House 6 Resident Council, Whistle Bend Place, 90 Olive May Way, Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 0R4. Your gift will be used to purchase craft supplies
for residents.
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Feed the world as you surf the Net
Charity and commerce come together in a bid to feed the world's poor
By Rachel Munro | July 13, 2000 -- 07:02 GMT (00:02 PDT) | Topic: Tech Industry
Non-profit-making site www.feedyourworld.com is a cunning marriage of charity and commerce designed to let people raise money for the world's poor while surfing the Net.
Funds raised by clicks on the site go straight from the advertisers to the World Food Programme (WFP), which is the United Nation's frontline hunger relief agency. As users browse the site, they can click on the country of their choice, and half a cup of food will be donated to someone in that country. Information is provided on natural disasters and wars in each country, so the user can make an informed decision on which country to favour.
The programme is maintained solely through advertising revenue -- each page on the Web site features one banner ad. These ads rotate, allowing visitors to the site to make multiple donations. Each "donation" is recorded along with clicks on all other countries/regions in the site. This information is sent to the WFP on a weekly basis, enabling them to allocate funds in proportion to the donations received per area.
What do you think? Tell the Mailroom. And read what others have said.
CXO Government Security
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Microsoft agrees with climate experts, that the world must take urgent action to bring down emissions.
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Chris Young is stepping down as CEO of the cybersecurity company.
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The testing period is over and Android users will soon be able to check commenter logs.
Over 80% of tech leaders predict downturn. The good news?
According to a new report, there may be a silver lining to a looming slowdown.
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Redmi K30 series will launch in China on 10 December
The Redmi K30 is believed to launch in a 4G and 5G configuration variant. The device will succeed this year's Redmi K20 smartphones and its highlight is expected to be 27 W fast charging and a 120 Hz screen. Today's leak is pretty much in line with these details as well.
In a post on Weibo, a leakster has shared the preliminary specification sheet of the Redmi K30, which claims that the 4G variant of the smartphone will sport a 6.66-inch LCD screen with a 20:9 aspect ratio and a 1080 pixel resolution. The purported specs sheet also suggests that the display will sport a 120 Hz refresh rate. The display is believed to be protected by the 5th generation Gorilla Glass.
The specification sheet also suggests that the Redmi K30 will sport a physical fingerprint sensor but on the edge of the phone. We believe it will likely be on the power button so you can wake and unlock the phone at the single tap and click.
Redmi K30 4Gs specifications, live images leaked, may be priced starting CNY 1,999
Redmi K20 Pro.
Powering the device will apparently by Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G chipset, with a starting RAM and storage configuration of 6 GB + 64 GB. The device will reportedly run Android Q-based MIUI 11.
For photography, the leak suggests that the Redmi K30 will feature a 20 MP + 2 MP dual-camera setup for selfies, whereas a quad-camera setup at the back, which will include a 64 MP primary camera, 8 MP telephoto lens, 13 MP ultra-wide-angle lens and a 2 MP macro lens.
Fuelling the device will reportedly by a 4,500 mAh battery, which will be supported by a 27 W fast charging technology.
The device is also believed to come with multi-function NFC, infrared remote control, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack.
The leak also claims that the smartphone will be priced starting CNY 1,999, which is a little over Rs 20,000 as per today's exchange rate.
While the leak specifies these details to be for the 4G variant of the Redmi K30, we believe that, if true, the 5G variant will likely sport similar features as well.
As Redmi General Manager Lu Weibing has already confirmed, the smartphone will launch in China on 10 December. The Redmi K30's India launch timeline is currently unknown.
In addition to this leak, famous Xiaomi tipster, who goes by the name Xiaomishka, has shared a live image of a device he claims is the Redmi K30.
Ok, guys #RedmiK30 vs #HonorV30
The frame is basically the same, that is, the hole positions are on the upper right and the upper left, which is almost a mirror image. Which one do you think looks better? pic.twitter.com/rxtu7VH6Js
— Xiaomishka (@xiaomishka) November 26, 2019
In the tweet, the purported Redmi K30 is compared with the recently launched Honor V30, and the similarity of the two smartphones (at least from the front) is uncanny — except for the placement of the punch hole dual camera setup on the front. The Redmi K30 will apparently feature the dual-camera front on its left, and Honor V30 sports on its right. The frame of both phones is identical.
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Modder makes the GameCube Joy-Cons you've always wanted for your Switch
Engadget January 11, 2020
Shank, Twitter
If you're a veteran Nintendo gamer, you've likely dreamed of using a GameCube controller with the Switch -- if just to recreate that 2001 vibe of playing Super Smash Bros. Melee in the family den. For mod creator Shank, that's now a practical reality. The hardware enthusiast has torn apart a Wavebird wireless controller to turn into a pair of Joy-Cons that share nearly all the functionality of the official controllers, including the tiny shoulder buttons used for shared-screen multiplayer (it's as awkward as you'd expect, Shank said). About the only thing missing is infrared.
He even created a center piece that lets you reunite both halves in a single gamepad that's the same width as the original Wavebird.
The creator expects to provide CAD files for those who want to attempt their own mods, but be warned: this definitely isn't for first-timers. Shank cautioned that a lot more was involved than simply cutting a controller in two and shoving the Joy-Con electronics inside. He had to add missing buttons, modify others (the shoulder buttons needed a new feel to reflect the all-digital input) and introduce a host of 3D-printed support structures, in addition to grappling with electrical challenges. Even getting that GameCube-style indigo color required an extensive painting process.
Still, this might be worth attempting if you have the DIY chops to pull it off. It's about as close as you'll likely get to an official GameCube-themed Joy-Con set for the Switch, with many of the original parts. Shank also notes that it's a "huge step up" from the standard Joy-Cons for playing games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It might be worth the effort if you're a GameCube diehard and know your way around a soldering iron.
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Fight for Democratic nomination may go all the way to convention floor
Andrew Romano
West Coast Correspondent
Yahoo News January 9, 2020
Welcome to 2020 Vision, the Yahoo News column covering the presidential race with one key takeaway every weekday and a wrap-up each weekend. Reminder: There are 25 days until the Iowa caucuses and 299 days until the 2020 election.
After a full year of stumping and sniping, only 25 days remain before the crucial Iowa caucuses. If that makes you sad, cheer up: The latest data suggests that Democrats are still so divided that the primary may go on (and on, and on) for another six months — with no nominee until the very end of July’s national convention in Milwaukee.
Early-state polling has been scarce since the start of the holiday season. But this week new surveys from Iowa and New Hampshire finally surfaced, and they both showed the same thing: a tie at the top. In the CBS News/YouGov Iowa poll, three candidates — Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg — all received the exact same level of support (23 percent); Elizabeth Warren trailed by 7 points. Meanwhile, a Granite State Monmouth poll out Thursday found Buttigieg with 20 percent, Biden with 19 percent and Sanders with 18 percent — another statistical draw. (Warren lagged at 15 percent.) And those polls aren’t outliers; the RealClearPolitics averages in both states show Biden, Sanders and Buttigieg clustered in a narrow 2-or-3-point range.
Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: AP [3], Dennis Van Tine/STAR MAX/IPx via AP)
This isn’t entirely unprecedented. In the 2008 Iowa Democratic caucuses, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards were fairly evenly matched right up until caucus night. But two-candidate Iowa contests have been far more common in recent cycles: Clinton vs. Bernie Sanders; Donald Trump vs. Ted Cruz; Mitt Romney vs. Rick Santorum in 2012; Romney vs. Mike Huckabee in 2008. And even that year the spread among Democrats in Iowa was bigger than it is now, Edwards wasn’t tied with Clinton and Obama in New Hampshire as well — and there wasn’t a fourth high-polling candidate further dividing the pie.
Democratic presidential candidates Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail in 2007. (Photos: Gregory Smith/AP, Elise Amendola/AP)
Most importantly, the 2008 field wasn’t very polarized — unlike this year’s extremely well-sorted lineup, which reflects deep demographic and ideological divides among a Democratic electorate struggling to reconcile its moderate tendencies with rising progressive pressure. Black voters and moderates are with Biden; young voters and liberals are with Bernie; Buttigieg and Warren are battling over white college-educated voters who want to thread the needle. Those silos aren’t going away. Factor in a big-spending billionaire (Michael Bloomberg) hoping to swoop in on Super Tuesday and the party’s terror of losing to Donald Trump, and you’ve got a recipe for lasting division and indecision.
In 2008, Obama and Clinton kept campaigning through the final primaries; Clinton didn’t concede until early June. So it’s conceivable that this year’s even more unusual dynamic could lead to an even more extraordinary outcome: no single candidate securing the delegate majority he or she needs to clinch the nomination by the end of the primary process. In which case, the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee would likely be “contested.” Think multiple rounds of balloting, with the also-rans redistributing their delegates to the leaders and the final say likely going to the 758 “superdelegates” — unpledged party and elected officials seated automatically, rather than chosen by primary voters.
On Thursday, the data journalism site FiveThirtyEight published its first-ever primary forecast — a comprehensive attempt to incorporate all of the relevant data (current polling, past polling bounces, endorsements, fundraising and so on) into a probabilistic projection of who might win the nomination based on what we know now. It found that while Biden has the best chance of securing a delegate majority, his odds (pegged at 43 percent) still don’t clear the more-likely-than-not threshold. After running 10,000 simulations, FiveThirtyEight’s model pegs Biden’s average final delegate tally at 1,563 — roughly 400 shy of a majority. The chance that none of the candidates will arrive in Milwaukee with a majority was put at 13 percent, ahead of either Warren or Buttigieg. (Sanders was at 21 percent.)
Joe Biden greets members of the audience at a campaign rally on Sunday in Davenport, Iowa. (Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP)
It’s not hard to imagine how a contested convention might happen. State delegates are allocated proportionally — no Democratic caucus or primary is winner-take-all — and candidates generally have to clear 15 percent of the vote in order to secure any delegates at all. With four candidates polling higher than 15 percent, and with none of those candidates commanding a substantial lead in the polls, there is a real possibility of a fairly even distribution of delegates, no matter who wins a particular primary or caucus.
To be sure, the traditional path-dependent mathematics of presidential primaries will probably still hold sway in 2020: Someone wins Iowa, which in turn reshapes New Hampshire, which then creates momentum heading into Nevada, South Carolina and the March 3 Super Tuesday bonanza, at which point 40 percent of delegates will have been selected. Candidates might drop out; rivals might join forces; things will change.
And yet if current polling trends continue, it’s also increasingly likely that Democrats could face the longest, most divisive primary in recent memory, ending in a contested convention that may leave the losers dispirited and bitter at the very moment the party needs unity most.
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Why Australia is uniquely vulnerable to wildfires
PHOTOS: Ukraine International Airlines plane crashes in Iran killing all onboard
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Cruel new toilet design sparks outrage on social media: 'You just hate working people'
Alex Lasker
In The Know• December 18, 2019
Ask any nine-to-five office dweller about their preferred place of respite from the daily hell that is their job and they'll have the same answer — the bathroom.
However, if one U.K.-based startup company has its way, the sacred spot may soon become more of a brief pit stop than a hiding place for overwhelmed employees.
The seat of the "StandardToilet," which is the name of both the evil device and the company that created it, is designed at a 13-degree forward slope, which increases leg strain for those sitting on it, encouraging them to, more or less, cut the crap and get back to work, Wired reports.
BREAKING NEWS: Say goodbye to comfort breaks! New downward-tilting toilets are designed to become unbearable to sit on after five minutes. They say the main benefit is to employees in improved employee productivity. pic.twitter.com/lfDbeXJdCX
— Dave Vescio (@DaveVescio) December 17, 2019
"It is estimated that in the United Kingdom alone, extended employee breaks costs industry and commerce an estimated £4B ($5.2B) per annum," a press release for the toilet states. "Our unique Patent Application, applicable both (in the) UK and worldwide, offers the ability to increase business efficiency and profits through reductions in social media usage."
Basically, if you're not s****ing, your employer wants you to get off the pot — and the StandardToilet promises to help with that by making your bathroom experience as mildly uncomfortable as possible.
"Current toilet seats provide a horizontal seating surface," the company explains. "This enables a user to sit relatively comfortably on the toilet. As a result, a user may spend longer than necessary sitting on the toilet without short-term discomfort. Sitting on a toilet for longer than is necessary is generally undesirable."
But not with the StandardToilet. After approximately five minutes of sitting on the device, a user's legs will become strained, similar to pain associated with a "low-level squat thrust," but "not enough to cause health issues," Mahabir Gill, founder of StandardToilet, told Wired.
Naturally, people seem pretty unhappy with the design.
"This is violence against the disabled and anyone with (irritable bowel syndrome)," one Twitter user wrote.
this is violence against the disabled and anyone with IBS
— Rev. Poppy Alter Santa (@poppy_haze) December 17, 2019
"Surely the raise in productivity will correspond with a raise in wages right?" one jested. "Ahahaha just kidding you just hate working people."
Surely the raise in productivity will correspond with a raise in wages right?
Ahahaha just kidding you just hate working people.
— ᚦᚩᚱᚣ ᚧᚣ ᚾᚪᚱᚹᚪᛚ (@WhaleHorned) December 17, 2019
"Good to know that while wages are stagnant, corporate America still has the money to punish workers for a minute of time to themselves," wrote another user.
Good to know that while wages are stagnant, corporate America still has the money to punish workers for a minute of time to themselves.
— Nice Boy Billy (@Your_Pal_Billy) December 17, 2019
The device has even been backed by the British Toilet Association (BTA), a non-profit organization "working to promote the highest standards of hygiene and provision in all 'away from home' toilet facilities across the UK."
To be completely fair, the StandardToilet does claim benefits other than increased revenue for corporations, such as an alleged reduction in the risk of hemorrhoids due to prolonged toilet sitting and reduced bathroom lines at shopping malls and train stations.
But still — let us live our lives in peace.
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Watch Gang
The 2000 action drama romance movie Gang directed by Mazhar Khan starring Shagufa Ali and Tinnu Anand was given a 6 out of 10 from movie critics. According to Khan, the film was one of the most enjoyable shooting as he felt a great bond with the cast members and close to the story of the film. Gang was said to be one of India's most popular action film, as it offers a very deep story revolving gangs.
The movie follows four very close friends who get together to begin their career in the crime business and extortion. They have been call themselves the G.A.N.G., which basically means G (Gangu), A (Abdul), N (Nihal Singh), and G (Gary Rozario). All four of these people have come from very different cultural and religious backgrounds; however, their roots have been built on trust and friendship. Luckily for them, they are able to succeed in their many criminal goals, but once Gangu gets arrested and sentenced to go to jail for five years, their plans experience such a downfall.
Before Gamgu goes to jail, he makes sure to ask his friends to promise him that they will no longer do any wrong things anymore, to which they agree with. The moment Gangu has been released from jail, he is then pleased to find out that Abdul was driving a taxi instead of doing anything wrong. He then finds out that his mother has been taken cared of through the years, and that Gary and Nihal have also started to do business. The moment when Gangu reunites with his sweetheart named Sanam, and proposes to her for marriage, that he finally learns that everything in his life is no longer the same or how he thought it would be.
The film according to many sites was one of India's most popular films, because it offers various genres in a single movie alone. This film also earned various awards because of its plot.
Drama, Action, Crime
| 2000 | | 6.4/10
Jackie Shroff, Nana Patekar, Kumar Gaurav, Javed Jaffrey
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Watch Gang Trailer
Gang (Official Trailer) - Jackie Shroff, Nana Patekar, Kumar Gaurav|2:12
Watch Gang Online - Watch online anytime: Stream, Download
Gang is available to watch and stream, download on demand at Amazon Prime online.
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Watch The Fast and the Furious
"High speed Excitement...As a Wanted Man...Meets a Wanting Woman"
In this action drama, an escaped convict kidnaps a beautiful woman and attempts to escape with her to Mexico by sneaking into an international auto race. Johnny Ireland and Dorothy Malone star, and B-movie filmmaker Roger Corman wrote and directed the film. It shouldn't be confused with the 2001 film of the same name, which is entirely unrelated.
John Ireland, Dorothy Malone, Bruce Carlisle, Iris Adrian
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Watch The Fast and the Furious Trailer
The Fast and the Furious (1955) trailer|1:47
Watch The Fast and the Furious Online - Watch online anytime: Stream, Download, Buy
The Fast and the Furious is available to watch free on Tubi TV, Hoopla and stream, download, buy on demand at Amazon Prime, EPIX, EPIX NOW, Amazon online.
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Watch The Karate Kid
"Only the 'Old One' could teach him the secrets of the masters."
“The Karate Kid” is an dramatic karate movie starring Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso. Daniel and his mom relocate to California from New Jersey much to Daniels chagrin. He does his best to adjust to the California lifestyle and meets a friend who invites him to a beach party. Daniel has a great time and meets a beautiful local girl that he immediately hits it off with. The object of Daniel’s affection is Ally, played by Elisabeth Shue. The two teenagers flirt with each other and start to talk, but they are interrupted by a moped-riding group of misfits led by Johnny Lawrence, Ally’s ex-boyfriend. As Johnny and Ally argue, Johnny busts her radio, which causes Daniel to interrupt. A fight breaks out, and Daniel is savagely beaten by Johnny.
Daniel heads to school as an outcast. He suffers several indignities courtesy of Johnny and his friends. Daniel is kicked off the soccer team after an altercation with one of the bullies, and he decides that he wants to take karate classes in order to better defend himself. When he goes to the local karate school, he sees Johnny and his friends are students at the school and are in fact the dreaded members of the Cobra Kai.
When Daniel and Ally go to a Halloween party, Daniel is again accosted by the Cobra Kai. They chase him to his apartment building and again beat him up. Daniel is saved by a mysterious man who uses his own martial art skills to fight off the Cobra Kai. The stranger turns out to be Mr. Miyagi, the handyman at Daniel's apartment. Daniel asks Mr.Miyagi to teach him karate.
Mr.Myagi and Daniel reach out to the Cobra Kai’s instructor to settle the differences at the state karate tournament. Daniel settles into his training by being asked to perform several seemingly menial tasks. When Daniel doesn’t understand how doing these chores, such as painting the fence and sanding the floors, will help him learn karate, Mr.Miyagi shows that the repetitive tasks are actually teaching him self-defense moves.
Daniel continues to pursue Ally, and after some misunderstandings in their relationship, she decides to go to the karate tournament to support Daniel.
| 1984 | 2 hr 6 min | 7.2/10 | 60/100
Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, Martin Kove
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Watch The Karate Kid Trailer
The Karate Kid (1984) Trailer|2:06
Trailer|2:15
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The Karate Kid is available to watch free on Vudu Free, Crackle and stream, download, buy, rent on demand at Sling, Google Play, Amazon, Vudu, FandangoNow, iTunes, YouTube VOD online.
The Karate Kid News
Update: Are Will and Jada Dunzo? Couple Officially Says No
Once again, rumors are flying about Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith breaking up after 13 years of marriage with three kids. Competing insiders are starting (in "In Touch") and squashing (in "Us Weekly") the rumors, and Jada's rep is simply saying "Lord, I'm going back to bed."
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Shaheen, Hassan say FBI should investigate allegations against Kavanaugh
Senators say they believed Christine Blasey Ford's testimony
Updated: 2:12 PM EDT Sep 28, 2018
WEBVTT PLANNED FOR A WHILE BUT INEVITABLY, THE TESTIMONY TODAY WAS ON THE MINDS OF MANY. THE TESTIMONY CAPTIVATED THE COUNTRY TODAY. AT THE COURIER ART MUSEUM TONIGHT, ASSAULT SURVIVORS WERE HONORED. >> I THINK THE PARALLELS BETWEEN WHAT HAPPENED ON CAPITOL HILL TODAY AND WHAT IS HAPPENING IN NEW HAMPSHIRE TONIGHT ARE STRIKING. WE HAVE SEEN ELECTED OFFICIALS AND LEADERS SUPPORTING AND BELIEVING VICTIMS. MIKE: THESE ADVOCATES HELP SEXUAL ASSAULT SURVIVORS LIKE TINA SMITH TO COME FORWARD. SHE SAID SHE LISTENED TO TODAY’S HEARINGS. >> I WANT TO HEAR BOTH SIDES. I BELIEVE HER BECAUSE I KNOW HOW HARD IT IS. THERE IS NO OTHER REASON FOR HER TO COME FORWARD. MIKE: MOST IMPORTANTLY, SMITH SAYS PEOPLE NEED TO LISTEN AND TREAT SURVIVORS WITH RESPECT. >> THERE ARE SO MANY REASONS THAT WE DO NOT TELL OUR STORIES. MY REASON WAS NOT TO HURT MY MOTHER. THERE ARE SO MANY REASONS FOR HER TO DO THAT. PEOPLE HAVE TO ADMIRE THAT. MIKE: REGARDLESS OF HOW THE CONFIRMATION PROCESS ENDS, ADVOCATES HERE TONIGHT SAY THEY HOPE IT WILL HELP OTHER SURVIVORS AND THEIR OWN SITUATIONS. IN MANCHESTER, MIKE CRONIN. JEAN: YOU WILL FIND MUCH MORE ON TODAY’S TESTIMONIES AT WMUR.COM AND OUR FREE MOBILE APP. WE KNOW THAT THIS STORY HAS BEEN DIFFICULT FOR MANY SEXUAL ASSAULT VICTIMS AND WE HAVE POSTED THE STATEWIDE HOTLINE FOR VICTIMS TO GET HELP. THAT NUMBER IS 1.800.277
Members of New Hampshire's Congressional delegation are echoing calls by their fellow Democrats and Republican Jeff Flake to have the FBI investigate sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.Kavanaugh testified Thursday to the Senate Judiciary Committee and denied the allegation of sexual assault when he was in high school. His accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, appeared first before the committee and insisted Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her.>> Download the FREE WMUR appSens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan said they believed Ford and called for the FBI to do an investigation.Shaheen said it was in the "best interest of the American people" for the allegations against Kavanaugh to be investigated. Without an independent investigation, Shaheen said there would be a cloud over the process.Republican Gov. Chris Sununu has said the allegations should be fully investigated.
Members of New Hampshire's Congressional delegation are echoing calls by their fellow Democrats and Republican Jeff Flake to have the FBI investigate sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
Kavanaugh testified Thursday to the Senate Judiciary Committee and denied the allegation of sexual assault when he was in high school. His accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, appeared first before the committee and insisted Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her.
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Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan said they believed Ford and called for the FBI to do an investigation.
Shaheen said it was in the "best interest of the American people" for the allegations against Kavanaugh to be investigated. Without an independent investigation, Shaheen said there would be a cloud over the process.
Republican Gov. Chris Sununu has said the allegations should be fully investigated.
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American Robotics Scouts Out $1.1M to Bring A.I. to Farm Drones
Grail Appoints Illumina’s Gautam Kollu as Chief Commercial Officer
Chris Rizik
CEO and Fund Manager, Renaissance Venture Capital Fund
C. Titus Brown
Professor, Michigan State University
Boston Loses Mobile Internet World Conference to San Francisco
The Mobile Internet World trade show, produced in Boston in 2007 and 2008 by the Trendsmedia events division of Boston-based market research firm Yankee Group, will be transplanted to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2009 and revamped as a “more intimate” conference focused on networking and education, according to a Trendsmedia announcement.
The announcement, e-mailed to 2008 conference attendees today, said the decision to move the convention from the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center to the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport Hotel and drop the exhibit-hall showcase aspect of the event was “based on popular demand,” but that it would also allow Yankee Group to avoid “supporting major trade show costs and resources.”
One mobile executive recently told Xconomy that the program, the size of the crowd, and the volume of business-development opportunities at Mobile Internet World 2008 were disappointingly slim. So the move to the Bay Area could well represent an attempt to repackage the conference—which is aimed at executives from wireless operators, application developers, and other companies involved in delivering services and information via mobile Web browsers—to have a bigger payoff for attendees.
In the Bay Area, the conference will also be closer to two new centers of power in the mobile applications business: Cupertino, CA-based Apple, whose decision to open up the iPhone to third-party application developers has created a huge new market for mobile software, and Mountain View, CA-based Google, whose open-source Android mobile operating system is expected to further disrupt the industry.
Klaviyo Puts Google, Facebook, Amazon on Notice With $150M Raise
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Bazy Danych - Projekt
wiki:TracBrowser
The Trac Repository Browser
The Trac repository browser can be used to browse specific revisions of directories and files stored in the repositories associated with the Trac environment.
(since 0.12): At the top-level of the repository browser is the Repository Index, listing all the configured repositories. Each repository has a name which is used as a path prefix in a "virtual" file hierarchy encompassing all the available repositories. One of the repositories can be configured with an empty name; this is the default repository. When such a default repository is present, its top-level files and directories are also listed, in a Default Repository section placed before the repository index. If the default repository is the only repository associated with the Trac environment the Repository Index will be omitted (1).
Directory entries are displayed in a list with sortable columns. The list entries can be sorted by Name, Size, Age or Author by clicking on the column headers. The sort order can be reversed by clicking on a given column header again.
The browser can be used to navigate through the directory structure by clicking on the directory names. Clicking on a file name will show the contents of the file. Clicking on the revision number of a file or directory will take you to the TracRevisionLog for that file. Note that there's also a Revision Log navigation link that will do the same for the path currently being examined. Clicking on the diff icon after revision number will display the changes made to the files modified in that revision. Clicking on the Age of the file - will take you to that changeset in the timeline.
It's also possible to browse directories or files as they were in history, at any given repository revision. The default behavior is to display the latest revision but another revision number can easily be selected using the View revision input field at the top of the page.
The color bar next to the Age column gives a visual indication of the age of the last change to a file or directory, following the convention that blue is oldest and red is newest, but this can be configured.
At the top of the browser page, there's a Visit drop-down menu which you can use to select some interesting places in the repository, for example branches or tags. This is sometimes referred to as the browser quickjump facility. The precise meaning and content of this menu depends on your repository backend. For Subversion, this list contains by default the top-level trunk directory and sub-directories of the top-level branches and tags directories (/trunk, /branches/*, and /tags/*). This can be configured for more advanced cases.
If you're using a Javascript enabled browser, you'll be able to expand and collapse directories in-place by clicking on the arrow head at the right side of a directory. Alternatively, the keyboard can also be used for this:
use 'j' and 'k' to select the next or previous entry, starting with the first
'o' (open) to toggle between expanded and collapsed state of the selected directory or for visiting the selected file
'v' (view, visit) and '<Enter>', same as above
'r' can be used to force the reload of an already expanded directory
'A' can be used to directly visit a file in annotate (blame) mode
'L' to view the log for the selected entry
If no row has been selected using 'j' or 'k' these keys will operate on the entry under the mouse.
For the Subversion backend, some advanced additional features are available:
The svn:needs-lock property will be displayed
Support for the svn:mergeinfo property showing the merged and eligible information
Support for browsing the svn:externals property (which can be configured)
The svn:mime-type property is used to select the syntax highlighter for rendering the file. For example, setting svn:mime-type to text/html will ensure the file is highlighted as HTML, regardless of the file extension. It also allows selecting the character encoding used in the file content. For example, if the file content is encoded in UTF-8, set svn:mime-type to text/html;charset=utf-8. The charset= specification overrides the default encoding defined in the default_charset option of the [trac] section of trac.ini.
(1) - This means that after upgrading a single-repository Trac of version 0.11 (or below) to a multi-repository Trac (0.12), the repository browser will look and feel the same, that single repository becoming automatically the "default" repository.
See also: TracGuide, TracChangeset, TracFineGrainedPermissions
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Positive reaction at Southern Manufacturing for the new ProtoTRAK control
Feb 18, 2019 | News
The unveiling of the latest generation of ProtoTRAK control by XYZ Machine Tools at Southern Manufacturing proved to be a major attraction for visitors to the show, with its feature-packed capability drawing some great reactions.
Developed with the aim of creating a Better, Easier and Faster machine tool control system the ProtoTRAK RMX and RLX controls for mills and lathes have over 24 new features including new hardware and software, a 15.6” touch screen all of which lead to being able to go from drawing to finished component much faster than before. “We had a very busy show with enquiries up 20 per cent on the previous year,” says Martin Burton, XYZ Machine Tools’ Sales and Service Director. “These enquiries were a mix of those companies coming to look at specific machines that that are in the market for and strong interest in the new RMX ProtoTRAK control, the demonstration of which on the stand drew many positive comments.”
The latest ProtoTRAK control was a big hit at Southern Manufacturing
By adding the 15.6” touchscreen to the ProtoTRAK control users now have all functions at their fingertips and the upgrades to the software, such as the Enhanced ProtoTRAK Assistance (EPA) feature, which provides instant access to in-depth on-screen assistance at any point in the programming/operating procedure, extends ProtoTRAK’s existing advantage by further simplifying programming and machine utilisation. Further support is provided by the addition of new machining strategies within the control to deliver advanced performance benefits. Anyone who couldn’t attend Southern manufacturing can contact XYZ Machine Tools for a demonstration of the new ProtoTRAK control at any its showrooms around the country or, if more convenient, have a desktop demo in the comfort of your office where a member of the XYZ team will bring an actual control to you and highlight its ease of use.
Small Machines & Tooling
Used and Ex-Demo Machines
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Local Government Library
CalRecycle Forms
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Food for Thought: Restaurant Guide to Waste Reduction and Recycling
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Home Africa Report Former President Robert Mugabe’s body arrives in Zimbabwe
Former President Robert Mugabe’s body arrives in Zimbabwe
Margaret Matibiri
Clad in a black outfit and a veil covering her grief stricken face, Grace sat in the middle of President Emmerson Mnangagwa and First Lady Auxillia , and like a ‘ big sister’ the First Lady gave her a shoulder to lean on .
THE body of the former President Robert Mugabe arrived in Harare amid cheers and song as a legion of the Zanu PF supporters thronged the Robert Mugabe International Airport to welcome the fallen hero.
The Mugabe family were welcomed by President Emmerson Mnangagwa, first lady Auxilia Mnangagwa, senior government officials and service chiefs.
Delegates and members of the politburo were also present to extend their condolences to the Mugabe family while Vice-President Constatino Chiwenga could not attend as he is still undergoing medical attention in “China”.
It was a somber mood at the airport as hundreds of party supporters clad in Mugabe regalia were present to welcome the fallen hero.
The famous Mbare Chimurenga crew was also present as they sang songs of praise for the late Mugabe.
The remains of the first executive president were taken to One Commando barracks for military prayers before proceeding to his Blue Roof residence.
There was chaos in the Central Business District causing congestion as members of the public gathered to watch the hearse as Mugabe’s body made its way to the Blue Roof.
Mnangagwa said Mugabe would be laid to rest on September 15 as previously reported by Zim Morning Post.
“The body of our founding father will be laid to rest on Sunday and the relevant ministry, Ministry of Home Affairs will announce the programme in due time,” Mnangagwa said.
Mugabe who was booted out of power in November 2017 after military intervention succumbed to illness on September 6 in Singapore where he was getting medical treatment.
GraceMugabe
Mugabedeath
Previous articleMugabe Funeral: Bob a Darling in Death
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Mashurugwi menace: Zim judiciary sets up special courts to combat terror...
Zimra incompetence laid bare as tax collector re-evaluates United team bus
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Damian Lewis >
Damian Lewis Terrified Of His Kids Adopting American Accents
By WENN in Movies / TV / Theatre on 16 February 2017
Follow Damian Lewis
Damian Lewis won't use his onscreen American accent in front of his children for fear they might pick it up.
The 46-year-old actor is famous for playing Americans in series such as Homeland and Billions. In order to perfect his twang, he keeps it going away from the set, but as soon as he's around his daughter Manon, 10, and nine-year-old son Gulliver, he reverts to his British accent.
And the fear that the children might start speaking in an American manner is something Damian shares with wife Helen MCCrory.
"I don't do it in front of them," Damian told Mr Porter magazine. "They once spent a school term in the US and they started copying the accent in this comical, exaggerated way, elongating their vowels. I put a stop to that. My wife has a horror that the children will start talking American if we spend too much time out there."
Portraying Nicholas Brody in Homeland and Bobby "Axe" Axelrod in Billions means that speaking in an American accent has become "second nature" to Damian. However, he admits his friends back in England are less than impressed when he keeps his twang going while not filming.
"I once did a US TV interview in my American accent and somehow it was seen by quite a few of my friends back in England," he laughed. "There were several irate text messages. 'You are British! Stop talking like an American!' It has become second nature to me now and I am happy to do it. That said, if I am with Brits I come out of it pretty quickly."
Showtime series Billions, in which Damian stars as Axelrod, an ambitious hedge fund manager who builds his fortune from insider trading is currently airing its second season. But filming in New York isn't all fun and glamour.
"A show like Billions means extraordinarily long hours," he moaned. "You get a 60-page script every week to 10 days. You have to get learning it immediately. You are doing 60-70 hour weeks.
"The turnover is relentless and everyone is working flat out. There's no time for a beer when you've wrapped for the day because you are exhausted," he sighed.
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Damian Lewis not motivated by money
Queen Of The Desert Trailer
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The iconic 1970s British TV series gets the big screen treatment from crime-drama aficionado Nick...
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Pineapple Express team McBride, Franco and director Green reunite for another freewheeling comedy, but fail...
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From the director of Pineapple Express comes a new fantasy comedy film 'Your Highness' from...
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The Escapist Trailer Watch the trailer for The Escapist starring Brian Cox, Joseph Fiennes and...
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We never meet Griff Gilkyson - he's shown in outdated photographs and discussed frequently -...
Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker Trailer
This summer sees the eagerly awaited big screen debut of 14 year old special agent...
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John Whiting
Alexander Johnson
John Brockliss
Ned Hoskins
Pip Adams
Sarah Ketelaars
Colin Ruffell
Philippa Stanton
Lyn Holly Coorg
Johanna Häiväoja and François Blosseville
Frances Doherty
Pam Taylor
Photographer Lyn Holly Coorg was born in Worthing UK to Polish / British parents and moved with her family to Canada when she was a child. Lyn Holly’s passion for photography and recording moments around her began in these early years in Canada, when she was given a Brownie camera and became fascinated with expressing her view of the world through the lens. After returning to the UK Lyn Holly Coorg gained a B.Ed. in Special Education at Bristol UWE and majored in Photography and Art History with continued development at Brighton University. Her career as a photographer began in the late 1980s, when after a year long world trip, she worked as a contributor to Tony Stone Images. She has continued as a commercial stock photographer for Getty Images and Shutterstock to the present day. Lyn’s creative work is inspired by her passion for travel and the excitement and buzz of a cityscape, watching and waiting for the ‘decisive moment ‘. She often uses Intentional Camera Movement to show a sense of emotion, movement and energy in her subject matter. Lyn’s work is held in private collections in the UK and Europe.
35 North Contemporary Fine Art
35 North Road, Brighton, BN1 1YB
E: sw@sharonwhiting.com
© 35 NORTH 2016
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Editori in vetrina
Aracne tv
Fabrizio CATANESE
Firenze, 16/03/1950
Universität Bayreuth
Mathematisches Institut
Fabrizio Catanese was born 16.03.1950 as second son of Enrichetta Laviosa Catanese and Luigi Catanese in Florence (Italy).High school degree (Maturita' Classica) in July 1968 at the Liceo Ginnasio Michelangelo, Firenze. Mathematiceski Olympiada in Moscow in july 1968. In october 1968 he won the concourse of admission to the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, and in the period 1968-1972 he studied mathematics at the Scuola Normale and at theUniversity of Pisa. Degrees obtained in November 1972 : Diploma di Licenza in Matematica della ScuolaNormale, Laurea in Matematica della Universita' di Pisa.December 1972 - November 1974 Post-Doc at the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa.1974-1976 Assistant at the University of Pisa (tenured on june 1976).November 1976- october 1980: Associate professor at the University of Pisa (nontenured).November 1980 - March 1997 : Full Professor at the University of Pisa, with Chair ofGeometry.1977/78: Honorary Research Associate at Harvard University with NATO-CNR fellowship.Academic Year 1981/82 Member of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton.Visiting Professor at the University of California, San Diego in the Summersemester 1986.Visiting Professor at Columbia University in New York im the Summersemester 1987.Visiting Professor at the ETH Zurich in the Wintersemester 1990/91 ( holds Nachdiplom-Vorlesungen ).1994-1997 : Professore distaccato al Centro B. Segre della Accademia dei Lincei, Roma.April- May 1996 : Distinguished visiting professor at Stanford University (1996), holdsa graduate course.April 1997- august 2001: Professor on the Gauss Chair in Gottingen, Germany.January 2001: UNESCO appoints him Director of the School of Mathematics of the I.C.T.P . ( International Centre for Theoretical Physics), Trieste Italia. Visiting professor at Florida State University Tallahassee in the summer semester 2001, where he is oered the Eppes Chair in summer 2001.September 2001 : Professor at the University of Bayreuth , Chair VIII.November 2005 : he is appointed Director of the C.I.R.M. in Trento, Italy.January 2006: Fred Gehring distinguished visiting professor at the University of AnnArbor. Visiting professor or scholar for shorter periods (1-3 Months) at the following Universitiesand Research Institutes : Utrecht, Warwick, Bar-Ilan, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Caracas,Hannover, Bayreuth, Paris Orsay, Stanford; HKUST Hong Kong; Mittag Le er Institut(Stockholm), ISI Torino, CIRM Barcelona, MPI Bonn ('88, '93, '98), SFB Gottingen, InstituteH. Poincar e (Paris) ('95 , 2005), ICTP Trieste, MSRI Berkeley (1996, 2002, 2004,2009), RIMS Kyoto, M.I.T. ('96), Emmy Noether Institute ('99), Hong Kong University, KIAS Seoul, Harvard University (2000), Newton Institute (Cambridge , GB) ('94, 2002) I.H.E.S. (2006), Fudan University. Distinguished visiting professor at at U.C.I. (2001). Editor of the Journal of Algebraic Geometry (AMS), of the Rendiconti del Seminario Matematico di Padova, of the 'Rendiconti Acc. Lincei: Matematica ed applicazioni' (New series, Europ. Math. Soc. ), Portugaliae Mathematicae editor quondam, Associate editor of the 'Annales de la Fac. de Sciences Toulouse', Advisor of the European Mathematical Society Subseries of Springer Lecture Notes in Mathematics, Editor of the Italian Mathematical Society Subseries of Springer LectureNotes in Mathematics. He has been advisor and member in several international committees: Consiglio Scientifico del GNSAGA of the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (1983 till 1997), Consiglio Scientifico of CIME (Italy, 1990-2001), Council of the European Mathematical Society (1992-1994), Council of Europroj (1991/92), Scienti c Committee of the MPI fur Mathematik in Bonn (1994-1999), Fachbeirat of the MPI fur Mathematik in Bonn (2000- 2006). Advisor of the Minerva Stiftung, for G.I.F., of the Simion Stoilow Institut in Bucharest (1999-), of the KIASin Seoul (2001- 2006), Peer Reviewer of NSF (1978-), of N.S.A., Referee of Italian MURST,Referee of Italian CINECA, of the German DFG, of the Portuguese National Science Foundation,of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, for the Newton Institute, ProgramCommittee of the European Congress of Mathematics, Barcelona 2000, Scienti c Committeeof the `Latin American Congress of Algebraic Geometry and its applications'(2009-).AWARDS:Prize of the Italian Mathematical Society (1974),Bartolozzi Prize (1984),Golden Medal of the Societa' Italiana delle Scienze (conferred by the President of theRepublic in 1993),Ordine del Cherubino of the University of Pisa (1995).ACADEMIES MEMBERSHIP :Became Member of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei in 1998,Mitglied der Akademie der Wissenschaften Gottingen in 2000.PLENARY ADDRESSES: CNR Congress Torino 1984, Congress of the Italian Mathematical Union, Catania 1991, Congress of the European Mathematical Society in Paris 1992, International Mediterranean Congress of Mathematics, Almeria 2005, Joint Meeting of D.M.V. and U.M.I., Perugia june 2007, and at many international Conferences and Congresses. Lecture Series: Institute for Scientific Exchange Turin 1984, INdAM 1983- 85, CIME 1985, Bayreuth 1992, ICTP 1992, Bochum 1995, Stanford 1996 (Distinguished Visiting Professor),Magnus Lectures, Fort Collins 1996, CIME 2003, School of the European Math.Society 2005, GAC Luminy 2005, Centre Emil Borel, IHP Paris, november 2005, KIAS and Sogang University (Seoul) february-march 2010.Organizer of a special Semester `Topology of algebraic varieties' at the MPI Bonn (summer 1998), of a special Trimester `Groups in algebraic geometry' at the Centro De Giorgi,Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa (fall 2008).Organizer of over 35 Conferences, Summer Schools, Editor of 10 Books, author of over 110 publications, he has had more than 20 students who are currently active mathematicians and professors in several Universities in Italy, France, England (F. Capocasa, R. Pardini, A. Bartalesi, P. Oliverio, M. Salvetti, P. Cragnolini, A. Corti, B. Fantechi, M. Manetti, L. Ramero, F. Tovena, G. Casnati, F. Zucconi, S. Manfredini, P. Frediani, M. Grassi, R. Pignatelli, M. Franciosi, E. Rubei, C. Trifogli, A. Canonaco, C. Liedtke, F. Tonoli, C. Bohning, S. Rollenske, M. Penegini, M. Chan, W. Liu). Leader of the Research Project Algebraic Geometry" in Pisa and local leader of the EEC Network Algebraic Geometry in Europe (1990-1997), Codirector of the DFG Graduiertenkolleg "Gruppen und Geometrie", Gottingen, and then one of the 5 german Antragsteller of the DFG Schwerpunkt "Globale Methode in der komplexen Geometrie" (2000-2006), Coordinator of the Bayreuth node of EAGER (2001-2004), VIGONI DAAD Exchange Programs (1998-1999, 2005-2006).Coordinator of the DFG Forschergruppe 'Classi cation of algebraic surfaces and compact complex manifolds" ( 2007 - 2012).Research Fields: Algebraic Geometry, Complex Analysis, Complex Geometry and Topology, Differential Geometry, Commutative and Homological algebra.
Vector Bundles and Low Codimensional Subvarieties
DOI: 10.4399/97888548195731
in Vector Bundles and Low Codimensional Subvarieties
A Remarkable Moduli Space of Rank 6 Vector Bundles Related to Cubic Surfaces
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Walk Parks
Park Hampstead Heath
About the place
Look at the photo gallery
Place reviews
The Heath has long been a popular place for Londoners to walk and take the air. Running along its eastern perimeter are a chain of ponds — including three open-air public swimming pools — which were originally reservoirs for drinking water from the River Fleet. The Heath is a Local Nature Reserve and a Site of Metropolitan Importance, and part of Kenwood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, the smallest such site in London. Lakeside concerts are held there in summer. The Heath is managed by the City of London Corporation, and lies mostly within the London Borough of Camden with the adjoining Hampstead Heath Extension and Golders Hill Park in the London Borough of Barnet.
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Where one man sorts out his thoughts in public
Editorial note from Hartshorne scholar, Donald Wayne Viney:
“The following paper began as a book review of John Bowlby’s Charles Darwin, A New Life (New York: W. W Norton & Company, 1990). An examination of the various fragments and the four manuscript versions—not all complete—reveals that Hartshorne expanded it into a review article. For the most part, and with a few exceptions that I indicate in the endnotes, the paper published here incorporates what is in the other versions while the other versions leave our much of what is published here. In its original form there is no title; later versions carry different tides: 'Darwinism and Some Related Topics: A Review Article,' 'Darwinism: A Review Article,' and 'Darwin and Some Philosophers: A Review Article.' The manuscripts indicate that Hartshorne was working on this article as late as 1993—see endnote [14]."
From Process Studies, 30:2, Fall-Winter 2001, pp. 276-288.
Darwin and Some Philosophers
Charles Hartshorne
That a psychiatrist should undertake so elaborate a biography is remarkable, that it should be so readable and insightful is fortunate indeed. At last we begin to see something like the full truth, so far as we humans can know it, about "the greatest biologist who ever was." We learn that this rightly famous person was as remarkable for his goodness as his genius. His relatives, hosts of acquaintances, offspring, in the end even his somewhat tyrannical father (I imagine), all admired him. His wife deeply loved him and cared for his needs with zeal and wisdom. One of the photographs of her suggests her strength of character.
The photos of Charles are helpful too, especially the one as a father with his four-year-old son; what a noble kindness in the parent’s face! This man was ideal parent as well as scientific discoverer. That his pious wife helped to edit his writings and did everything she could to help him shows he was a lovable husband.
A virtue of the book is the fairness to Alfred Wallace, co-discoverer of natural selection. His unpretentiousness in never claiming anything like equality with Darwin was an example of honesty on a high level. Partly because of bad luck in the sinking of a ship containing Wallace’s collection of specimens, he produced nothing remotely like the immense mass of facts assembled by the primary founder of the new science of living things. (Yet Wallace was the founder of Zoogeography, dealing with the regional distribution of animals, a subject important to me since boyhood.) When, however, it comes to the question of the religious meaning of the discovery; the great Workaholic, as Bowlby once called Darwin, was not the best person to find the answer. Nor, I suspect, was Wallace, though I have not read him enough to be sure of this. He evidently did not share the other’s agnosticism, approaching though not quite reaching atheism.1 (The Origin did end with a positive reference to the Creator.) Three of Wallace’s books came out after Darwin’s death. His book on The Theory of Natured Selection was in published 1871.
That even the greatest human discoverers have limitations is, unsurprisingly, true of these two and of their biographer. I use the word limitations rather than mistakes, for none of the biographer’s statements seems to me false.2 What I miss in the book is awareness of some intellectual advances during the century or more between the end of Darwin’s career and the publication of this biography. I refer to new ideas in physics, chemistry, physiology, philosophy, theology, all of which are pertinent to the religious significance of Darwinism.3 What many seem not to understand is that the crux of the religious issue is not between fundamentalism—which I recall no one whose intelligence I greatly admire defending—and evolution, but between two kinds of theism and two kinds of evolutionism.
Modern science began, as did ancient Greek science, with the adoption of an ultra-simple and essentially negative notion of causality, the belief that, given the causal conditions, what concretely happens is the only thing that then and there could happen. Leibniz’s principle of Sufficient Reason means just that, and he was preceded by Democritus, followed by the Stoics, with their talk of universal necessity. For me, and I hope many others, the last word in Ancient Greece on this topic was given by Epicurus and his talk about a mixture of chance and necessity, and the bits of free "swerve" in the movements of atoms. He believed firmly in his own freedom and generalized this for creatures as such. Temporally between the significantly different atomic views of Democritus and Epicurus came Plato, in his mature and late dialogues asserting the "self-activity" of souls or minds, any and all of them, even the supreme or divine mind whose body, Plato says, is the cosmos, including all lesser bodies or minds. Modern knowledge has repeated this move from freedomless causation to freedom-permitting, indeed enhancing causation. The last great partisan of unfreedom was Einstein. I once heard him argue for this view before an audience of philosophers. He made it as clear as this view can he made that by freedom he meant only doing what one wishes to do, even though these wishes were determined by events taking place before one existed. I briefly expressed my disagreement with this. Einstein, before his death, I am told, somewhat relaxed his insistence on complete determinism, but never gave up his rejection of the Quantum idea. This I see simply as mistake. Discreteness is what makes our world intelligible. Actualizations of possibilities come in definite bits, only possibilities can be continuous. His not seeing this hampered Charles Peirce in his life-long and in some ways admirable attempt to achieve success in metaphysics, a success he predicted for our century. The idea of much postmodernism that metaphysics is a thing of the past is for me the opposite of the truth. So long as deterministic science dominated there could be no coherent metaphysics. Now there can be.
The famous "chance variations" of offspring showed Darwin himself paradoxically taking the anti-freedom interpretation. He said the variations are not really by chance, and he meant by this what Leibniz meant by causation as sufficient reason. Worse still, Hume and Kant both reiterated this unfreedom view of causality, as do many admirers or critics of each today. Insofar they are back with Democritus, not with Plato or Epicurus; they are not even with Aristotle as some scholars (though not Wolfson) interpret him. In the late 19th century Clerk Maxwell rejected this ultra-simple, negative and not possibly justified view in physics and so did Willard Gibbs, the great Yale chemist; Peirce, himself a chemist (as well as several other kinds of empirical scientist, also mathematician, logician, and philosopher) radically repudiated determinism. He even seems to have been influenced by reading about Epicurus.
With Heisenberg’s uncertainty article, 1927 (I read it as it reached the Harvard Library, thanks to a young physicist friend I had), many physicists began to get the message. I also, in Chicago, talked to Heisenberg. Moreover, even without the quantum of Planck (whom I once heard lecture in Berlin) there were other indications against determinism. The cell theory of organisms was a change in principle, not merely in degree, compared to all ancient thought. Moreover there is a quantum involved, for electro-chemical exchanges among neurons are subject to an all-or-nothing law. Nature does make finite leaps. Then too, if three body interactions are mathematically difficult, what about interactions among millions or billions of neurons in higher animal brains. Unqualified determinism, mechanism has always been a bluff that only needed to be called to show its arbitrariness. Nature’s leaps may be small on the micro-level but, as Leibniz, in another aspect of his monadology said, there are an infinity of fractions between any one size or degree and zero. In this he was talking about mind, a zero of which he and I, also the ancient Buddhists and some Hindus, have denied. So-called identical twins are finitely different. I had a pair as brothers.
The unplausibility of theism without creaturely freedom4 and the absurdity of deity, or any actuality, as wholly timeless was apparent to Plato, who in late dialogues said that in God was "being and becoming" that God cares about the creatures, and is soul and therefore self-changing For him a changeless soul is a contradiction. He also said that being is power, to be is to influence others; obviously, though he failed to quite say this, it is also to be influenced by others. Without creaturely freedom God would be the murderer in all homicides and the torturer in all torturing. In no way can a coherent theism be formulated without taking the Platonic-Epicurean pro-freedom turn. Determinists grossly beg the question against theism; theologians who treat deity as the cosmic tyrant who timelessly decides the details of the temporal cosmos are not friends of religion at its best.5
One of these dubious deterministic friends of religion is a former student of mine named Huston Smith, a pleasant, likeable person, who enjoys his complex view, in which he finds places for a number of recent writers, though he knows how little some of us agree with it. My snide reaction to the scheme is to quote Mortimer Snerd, the sarcastic puppet of some time ago, "That’s the way it goes" (sometimes, in theorizing about religion).
A third gifted Englishman contemporary with Darwin and Wallace was Charles Kingsley, the clergyman and prolific author writing for children, also adults, in both cases about religion, philosophy, and science. He did what no one else at the time seems to have done, with brilliant insight he discussed the positive religious significance of evolutionism. He wrote Darwin twice, first to say, "I must consider this," second to say, "I accept it." He did much more: he said what Wallace ought to have said but, I gather, did not.6 Speaking for Pan, the Spirit of Nature (i.e. God), this other Charles wrote: "I tell the creatures they must [partly] make themselves." In the long run why should their doing this not make new species? This extraordinary and strangely underestimated writer made a further insightful remark. He pointed out that the theism which evolution should do away with could be called the "magical" phase in the development of theology, according to which God said (or shall we say thought?), Let there be light and there was light, let there be a man and there was Adam, etc. In short, God does everything, the creatures do nothing. Then finally the creatures begin to do things . . . or do they?7
Is it not about time some historian recognized the fact that in a few adroit asides Kingsley in principle raised the level of reflection about the mystery of creation? If we can significantly say "God creates" there must be something in our world that furnishes the meaning of create. Surely it cannot be what a watch-maker does making a watch. The Cartesian idea of an animal as just a machine insults not only you and me, it insults the merest fly or plant cell.8 It even insults Epicurus’ atoms. Unfortunately Kingsley’s learning probably did not include Plato’s suggestion, that to furnish an analogy for what God does for the world we should look to the bodily aspects of our own deeds, as when we decide to do something, say to utter a word or write a sentence. Our experience of willing to do this produces changes in our brains (to modernize the discussion) and these produce changes in our muscles, etc. Why do our neurons respond to our wishes or volitions? What is the relation of mind to matter when the matter is in our central nervous system? Also why do we suffer when some of our cells are injured? Plato gropingly wrote of the sympathy of parts of the body for one another. Why have so many sages said that love is the key? The simplest genuine form of love is sympathy; without that the rest is something else, lust for example. Or take Plato’s word: care. Why care about or believe in God? Because God 9 cares about us and all other active singulars, and cares in a more excellent manner than we can care about ourselves or anything; God preceded us and made us possible, and is the law-giver of the freedom-sustaining laws of nature. That evolution favors freedom was seen immediately by Peirce, who did not need Kingsley for this. Right away on receiving the information about natural selection as factor in the becoming of animal species Peirce said to Chauncey Wright that he’d have to give up his determinism; animal habits are not absolute regularities. The basic postmodernism is evolution; Kingsley and Peirce saw what many still refuse to see, that evolution favors a reasonable theism. It opens the door to Whitehead’s insight that creativity cannot be uniquely or solely divine; if it were how could the word have a human meaning? Rather creativity is, as Whitehead says, "the category of the ultimate," or what the Scholastics called a transcendental.
None of the reasons for theism work unless simple, or as I see it simpleminded determinism, is entirely false. I have yet to see a cogent argument for its truth. Rorty does not argue for his determinism, he simply declares it. As John Searle says, Rorty insinuates, he does not argue.10 I judge by arguments, not insinuations.
The simplicity of the love idea I see as profound. It is not negative, like timeless, mindless, absolute (extending freedom and contingency); it is a positive relation of one sentient subject to another. Even one’s past selves are not strictly the same subjects. Ordinary language and several philosophical and psychological traditions accept this. One can say, I love me, but not, I love I. This bit of grammar tells us that personal identity is far indeed from strict identity. Nor is the non-identity between you and me an absolute non-identity. We have a lot "in common."
When Peirce, a theist virtually all his life, and an evolutionist virtually all his adult life, was fourteen, he wrote, "Love is the foundation of everything desirable or good." At almost the same age I wrote in poetry a similar view about the supreme importance of love. These basic common beliefs, there were others about the falseness of materialism and mechanism, are part of the explanation of the fact that when I was given (I had not asked for it) the job of editing an edition of Peirce’s mostly unpublished philosophical papers, I immediately began to like what I found in them. All the better that I felt similarly about another task which I was given (again without asking), in the same year (1925-26) to help A. N. Whitehead grade papers, hence listen to him lecture, and read what he wrote as a philosopher, rather than just a logician, mathematician, and physicist. He took "sympathy" as basic in his concept of prehension, or what memory and perception have in common, the feeling by one subject of the feelings of other subjects, as theirs. Except for some hesitation in his early adult life, he too was a life-long theist. He took quantum theory seriously, and I saw to it that he knew about Heisenberg’s revolutionary essay (He had decided before that time not to try to keep up with physics after 1924 when he came to Harvard to teach philosophy for the first time in his life.) Of course he knew about Planck’s and Einstein’s contributions to physics.
The great little country of England produced Darwinism in the nineteenth century, and the great Churchill’s No to Hitler’s 1000 year kingdom in the present century, but notable intellectual creativity was, by the two world wars and the Holocaust, substantially, driven to the American side of the Atlantic.11 Harvard, Johns Hopkins, or the University of Chicago, not Oxford or Cambridge, became the centers. The price for those two horrible wars and religious intolerances was naturally high. I visited a number of those to us Eastern yet Occidental countries in the twenties, also late forties. I have some knowledge of what went on there intellectually. Leadership in disciplined knowledge, not only in empirical science, also in philosophy and theology, is no permanent national possession. It skips about. In applied science Japan and several other countries are now formidable rivals to this country. I know some Christian Japanese that I feel theologically closer to than to most religious sects or most Roman Catholics in this country. Also a small branch of Hinduism (in Bengal) exalts love as sympathy above such empty abstractions as "the absolute," "the infinite," or "the eternal."
About a hundred years after the Origin the SCM Press published Metaphysical Beliefs: Three Essay, by the English philosophers S. Toulmin, R. W. Hepburn, and A. MacIntyre. In my opinion none of these writers are in the same class with Wallace, Darwin, or Kingsley. In the General Introduction to the series of which this book was one, R. Gregor Smith says that "neither the idealist nor the linguistic philosophy, neither the liberal nor the neo-Calvinist nor the neo-Thomist theology is able itself to speak properly to the needs of our time." Nothing is said in the book about Methodism, the most numerous American sect, non-fundamentalist and reasonably open to science, nothing about the Society of Friends, with similar characteristics, nothing much about the importance of liberal Anglican or Episcopal forms of religion, already open to Darwinism in Darwin’s time, and soon after that for at least three of my four grandparents. Also, if idealism means the doctrine that mind in various forms and manifestations is all we can possibly know, then I am one of many around the world who find no cogent argument against this. The Buddhists held and hold it, at least one sect of Hinduism ditto, Peirce, perhaps the greatest cognitive genius this country ever had, and the Anglo-American (as I call him), A. N. Whitehead held it, as did Haeberlin, a Swiss philosopher and my best psychology teacher at Harvard, Leonard Troland. Nor do I know any careful argument against it. Of course mind-only partisans do not mean by "mind" just human mind, or even only the mind of cells or atoms, but rather mentality; in all platonically "self active" singulars. For brevity I call them active singulars. Rivers or mountains are not such singulars, nor are rocks or other solids, or clouds, or liquids, but molecules, atoms, particles, are. I see a decline in English culture in this mid-century book compared to the great Darwinian phenomenon in the previous century.
After Darwin many would say that Sewall Wright, the American population geneticist, was the next at all comparably great biologist. He and his wife, I and my wife (before two illnesses reduced her to a helpless invalid) were close friends for more than fifty years. His last letter may have been one to her. My brother Richard, a famous geographer, and his family attended the same Unitarian church in Madison as Sewall, after he went there to live. So we kept in touch with him. Wright’s philosophy; and he definitely had one, was mind-only and he rejected unqualified determinism. We disagreed about God but I understood his difficulty in that subject. It was not something in his biology but only in relativity physics. It is perhaps the greatest difficulty in my theism. But physicists have yet to come to a definite decision about mind and matter. Mind and body, yes, mind and in some cases mindless matter, that is the problem.
Nothing in the above should be taken as retracting much from the view of Bowlby’s book as a superb example of the important science-art of biography. It is greatness dealing with greatness. The psychiatrist author shows that Darwin’s illness came mostly from the death of his mother when he was eight, but partly’ from his domineering, but too-Victorian father. But so did some of the money’ that made the biologist’s family life and his rather long career of continued work possible.12 In half a century England gave the world great gifts.
The sad thing is that none of these people except the neglected Kingsley knew how to deal positively with the religious import of the new knowledge of nature. In the next century in England came the three critics of religious ideas who did not quite believe this or quite disbelieve that. A similar figure whom I knew rather well was John Wisdom, They were all pre-Kingsley, pre-Plato, pre-Socinian, with no suspicion of what I call neoclassical metaphysics. They mostly ignore Whitehead, the greatest metaphysician England ever produced -- with some help from another country. (For details see Victor Lowe’s three volumes about Whitehead.) Although still, I think, a British citizen, he had left England and gone to another country. The British, of course, like William James, try to be completely empirical; they also greatly trust specialization. Whitehead was mathematician, logician, and physicist, so what was he doing trying to be a philosopher?
The answer to this was given by my great Harvard advisor and friend, named after my maternal grandfather, James Haughton Woods. He read what Whitehead had written as physicist and said to himself and others, "This man should be teaching philosophy." Woods came from business people and was knowledgeable about money. He got the capital needed to guarantee that the elderly Englishman would be able to teach indefinitely past the ordinary retirement age, sent a cablegram which Whitehead read to his wife, adding "to teach philosophy, something I have always wanted to do." His wife told me that after the word philosophy she was about to say, "but you won’t do it," then, as she heard the rest, she saw that no such response could be considered ("I would have bitten my tongue out"). They were going to live in a country they had never seen. She was from Ireland. I consider Woods not only a very learned scholar but also the most important and wise departmental chairman I have known, and I’ve known many, and not thought poorly of any while they held that office. At Harvard the question had been, should we have Russell or Whitehead? I never heard -- and I was there during much of the time -- any regret about the choice they had made and I heard several of the faculty say the choice had been the right one. The human aspect of philosophy is more important and relevant than that of science. In neither is it insignificant. So far as I am aware I am the first to give Woods anything like his due in this matter.13
Whitehead, like Darwin, had the perfect luck of one ideal marriage, lasting until he died. Peirce had a mixture of good and not at all good in both his marriages. This is not the only reason why Whitehead’s set of ideas was better recorded by him and more in conformity with what is now taken as true in science, but it is one reason. On the other hand, Peirce was much more of an empirical experimentalist than Whitehead. A contrasting difference is that Peirce had a powerful mathematician as father who tutored him in that subject, helped him in other ways, but was almost brutally unkind at times and a possible cause of a psychosomatic illness in his son. His biographer, Joseph Brent, a professional historian whose philosophy I find congenial—he is even knowledgeable about birds—tells the story of the good and great, but also the very sad aspects of the career. A distinguished English mathematician, Sylvester, said of Charles Peirce, that he was a "much greater" mathematician than his father, Benjamin.14 The word "great" has not been used of Whitehead as mathematician, though his pupil Bertrand Russell said of him that as teacher of that sub1ect he was "perfect."
Although Darwin is not normally termed a mathematician, in his writings one sees that his work is quantitative. He is aware that to know we must, as Fermi says, measure. And in the numerous cases in which exact measurements are not possible one must at least measure the degree of probable error, something that determinists tend to forget. Materialists who assign a total absence of mentality to much of nature egregiously commit the zero fallacy, as I call it. Peirce argued that, since zero magnitude is one of an infinity of possible magnitudes, all except one greater than zero but too small for us to definitely detect in nature, the improbability of the zero size being the exact truth is infinite. This applies to two properties found even in very small things, as I, with many others, would say freedom and mentality are, for instance in ants, also protozoa, and (with Plato) in all self-active beings.
Does not Peirce’s argument for the improbability of an exact zero of a property found in highly variable degrees, and in highly variable extents of space, hold against the exact truth of Euclidian geometry? So much for Kant’s argument on that subject. Similar arguments dispose of the exactly circular view of planetary orbits. Ultra-simplicity is an argument against rather than for a view about nature. Male-favoring views about genetic inheritance is another dismal example. Zero eggs were imputed to mothers, against rather than for what evidence there was on the subject.
The ultra-simple view of divine creation was the Dark Age to Reformation non-evolutionary one: God, the absolute power, does it all, we are God’s deeds—puppets, only apparent doers. In current physics actual puppets have constituents the puppeteer cannot fully control. Besides, "doing" is a word with a definite human meaning. No wonder "humanists" reject theism, so-conceived.
Of course, if ultra-simplicity is a sign of theoretical error, ultra-complexity may also be such a sign. The supposed perfect circles, that is simplest conic sections, of planetary orbits, taken together, form a very complicated whole, painfully lacking in the apparent simplicity of any single circle. Anyway the logical possibilities are covered by the mathematics of conic sections and deviations there from, so sooner or later that is what one should come to. Before finding definitely expressible structures In nature we need to consider possible ones. Simply by looking at the sun one sees approximate roundness but what the sun is doing at night in relation to the earth has to be imagined.
Another example of dubious complexity is in primitive religious views, thus the gods and goddesses of India and ancient Greece. From all this, ancient Judaism largely escaped into monotheism, except for some angels and demons, especially the latter, as in Satan. Socrates seemed to accept polytheism, Plato struggled mightily to overcome it, but seemed never fully clear on the topic, even in the Laws, Book 10. The New Testament made much of angels and demons, and seemed to deify a human male person, and to give maleness to God. My only recollection of having a visual image of deity is as a great light, which I took to symbolize love; a "magnified, non-natural man in the sky" (Matthew Arnold), never, so far as 1 know, in my case.
Let us return to the great Charles and the not-to-be-forgotten Alfred, why’ was it two Englishmen who did what they’ did? I see three reasons. For a high probability of making their discovery one had to get out of England and even out of Europe. The farther from the equator one is the fewer the species of plants and animals one can observe in their habitats. Also it is on islands that the most striking evolutionary evidences are found (as in the Galapagos group), and incomparably the most numerous islands are in the tropics. A third reason is that it is not in the tropics where sciences, including biological ones, have flourished but in the North-Temperate Zone. It follows that the discoverers would need financial resources to go to the right far-off places, and these would be more likely’ to be available in an advanced country in which world-wide ventures were customary. The British empire uniquely furnished all these requirements. It furnished something additional: of all the forms of religion then known it was the official Anglican church that was the most open to basic revisions In its view of relations between God as creator and the cosmos of the creatures. With Catholics it was the popes and archbishops, also (until the good Pope John) Thomas Aquinas, that one had to face. With the Protestants it was, in most countries, Luther or Calvin, but England became Protestant by the action of Henry the Eighth, and who in the 19th Century knew or cared about his theological view? In the U.S.A. the Episcopalians, also the Quakers and Unitarians, were similarly free from Dark Age or Medieval beliefs. I personally benefited from all of these post-reformation influences, and never had to fight what is now called "creation science," which for me is mere verbiage so far as anything I ever believed is concerned.
Note too that the ancient Greeks were, like the English, sea-going people, aware of the wide world so far as was then possible. Even the Jews knew about whales, about Egypt and the Africans, as well as the Romans and perhaps a little about the Greeks.
Consider Darwin’s luck in getting his father’s permission, without which he said he would not go, for the voyage on the Beagle. At first Dr. Robert Darwin, the medical father, a domineering but generally kind person, said no, but as his son continued to protest, the Doctor said, if you can get the support of someone whose good sense I respect, I’ll agree. Then—and how the world should thank him for this—Uncle Josiah Wedgewood II said, Yes, let him go, and the matter was settled. That uncle is on my list of heroes. By chance he had to mediate a momentous dispute and his unambiguous choice was the right one. So England gave everything that was needed for the evolutionary cause.15
A final fact, this time about American history Why is it left for me to tell a neglected truth about Henry D. Thoreau? I forget how I learned it, but that young friend of R. Waldo Emerson became an evolutionist "immediately" when the Origin reached him. Moreover, he began right away to look for factual evidence to further support and particularize the new view. His premature death was a great loss. This is one more example of how we must partly do our own history of our special subject (or subjects) and not leave this entirely to professional historians. For their work we are all indebted, but we must supplement it with our own investigations or we will pa~’ a price for our neglect. Historians always overlook something and there is no guarantee it will be unimportant. From biology many examples could be given. For one, the territorial function of bird song had to be rediscovered several times before a final discoverer could get the attention of the busy world. The true history of this came to me via a housewife living a few blocks away from my home in Chicago. The lady was Mrs. M. M. Nice, she had lived in Germany for a time and knew the literature of ornithology in at least two languages. She was a highly competent scientist in one of my favorite subjects. By luck I knew her well. My pro-feminist attitude did not need her example; it was settled long before I came to Chicago or knew about her. Masculine stupidity’ on that subject is a deep mystery to me, as is masculine violence and preference for irrational ways of dealing with disagreements. Right now there are hideous examples of it in Bosnia. Alas, what a species is ours.
However, we men sometimes do right things.
I add a less gloomy touch. Mr. Nice was exactly that, a good and I presume competent school teacher of physiology (if I recollect correctly); he was helpful to his wife in her specialty; not in the least upset, it seemed, by her being the famous member of the family. There are of course such men, an elite minority.
I hope the readers have not forgotten Emily Darwin’s loyal and clearly capable assistance to her husband in the writing of his books. This is one of doubtless many cases of famous writers (and their readers) benefiting from editorial wives. My wife from the outset began to grasp my beliefs and my style at its best and in detail showed me where and how and why it was not at its best. As a successful professional editor she knew (and only a few professionals do not know) better than to try to change the style of an already good writer into someone else’s style, for example, the editor’s, or to make it accord with a rule open to occasional reasonable exceptions. For an example, take Winston Churchill’s "This is an (editorial) interference up with which I will not put."
1. Two manuscripts add: [Darwin] was sometimes afraid, perhaps not wholly wrongly; that his co-discoverer did not go all the way in accepting our human place in the new scheme. He may perhaps have wanted to retain some idea of future human careers in heaven. This needs to be looked into. Three of his books . . .
2. Three manuscripts add: His explanation of the psychosomatic illnesses of the biologist is convincing.
3. One manuscript adds: We are told little about this in the book. Wallace, of course, was on the side of theism, Emma’s position is left somewhat unclear.
4. Three manuscripts read: the ugliness of theism without creaturely freedom . . .
5. In place of "are not friends of religion at its best" two manuscripts read: enemies of religion at its best. One manuscript reads: among the worst enemies of religion at its best.
6. In place of the sentence, "He did much more, he said what Wallace ought to have said but, I gather, did not" one manuscript has: He went well beyond mere acceptance; he said what CD[arwin], had he been even greater than he was, might have in effect said.
7. One manuscript closes here with the following paragraph: Is it not about time some historian recognizes the fact that England produced a third person who did what was not done by Darwin, Wallace, or Huxley; by moving the issue about divine creation beyond the sterility of ultra-simple causal determinism[?] The laws of nature are valid but they’ are not deterministic, they allow for freedom, and so for conflicts and frustrations that are not specifically providential (divine punishments, educational devices, or. . .) but are simply examples of creatures partly making themselves and one another, under the general guidance which insures that symbiosis and mutual helpfulness are as real as self-assertion and predation. My formula is, the risks of harm from freedom are justified by the opportunities for good. With high levels of freedom great harms are possible, with also great benefits. Our species is clearly the best and the worst in its possibilities. We cannot, it seems destroy our solar system but we can this planet and its surface as livable for high animal life; however, the galaxy and the island universes are remarkably safe from our interference. I suspect this separateness of the solar systems and their probable planets is providential. Only God not such as we are can appreciate anything remotely like the wealth of concrete life there presumably is in the vastness that surrounds us. Well did Kant, in one of his best utterances, declare his awe for the starry’ skies, together with the ethical principles by which we, and any other comparably thoughtful animals, should live.
8. One manuscript reads: The Cartesian idea of an animal as just a machine insults not only the elephants and whales, it insults the merest fly or plant cell.
9. One manuscripts inserts a parenthetical comment (or the Gods -- for, like so many of the non-Jewish ancients, Plato had trouble eliminating polytheism).
10. One manuscript includes the following sentence at this point: That is why I take him as fashionable rather than impressive.
11. One manuscript includes the following two sentences at this point: Especially after WWII, or shortly before it, many capable scientists and philosophers left Germany or other European countries, many coming to the U.S.A., or to Canada, Latin America, or Australasia. Some of those who came to the last ended up in my country.
12. Two manuscripts include the following: The small country of England gave the world some great gifts in two or three decades, beginning in 1959 [l859?]. In our present century Julian Huxley, and English mathematician, Fisher, and J. B. S. Haldane (who went to live in South India), with Wright, found needed mathematics for evolutionism, but did nothing much to clarify its religious significance.
13. Two manuscripts introduce the following paragraph as follows: A tragic aspect of the life of Woods occurred before I knew him well; his first marriage was a dismal failure ending in her suicide by jumping off a boat in the Atlantic. He had married an emotionally unstable person hoping to stabilize her. His second marriage, to a mature philosophical lady he came to know in one of his classes, was as happy as the other was miserable. They were a joy to see. Two other cases of this kind were R. M. Hutchins and T. S. Eliot. There were no suicides in the other two cases, but otherwise they were undoubtedly two more examples of unhappy failures followed by happy marital successes.
14. Two manuscripts give a lengthier ending to the paragraph: This has not been said about Whitehead. So on some issues and in two ways, he enables me, not very advanced in mathematics, though in some ways an empirical scientist, to see mistakes in Whitehead. My marriage finally became tragic because of two illnesses of Dorothy’s but this happened only after I had had superlative help for some 55 years. One of my many agreements with Sir Karl Popper is with his statement that worldly fame or success is mostly a matter of luck. Those who deny this are probably much luckier than they know. The first and very important piece of luck, good or bad, is in one’s parents or first caretakers and appreciators. Mine were close to ideal. So were most of my cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, only one of whom I failed to encounter, the paternal grandmother. I went to no mediocre schools or colleges. I just about had to make some discoveries. My medical help has been nearly perfect. My parents lived healthily and used the best medical help they could get. At ninety-six I think and read almost as vigorously as ever though for some years now I have taught no classes and given few talks at meetings. Some of my best discoveries in their best presentations are not in any of my published books. This I hope will soon change.
15. One manuscript has this variation: Then, and how the world should thank him for this, uncle, who believed in evolution in a pre-Darwinian sense, said emphatically, Yes, let him go. That uncle is on my list of heroes. Note too that in the long run the father was helpful financially. England gave all that was needed in that cause.
1 For a translation of this Fechnerian passage see Philosophers Speak of God, by Hartshorne and Reese (The University of Chicago Press, 1953, 1963), p. 252. In this book documentation for many of the historical points made in this Aquinas Lecture may be found.
2 See Kant’s essay, Ein Versuch die negative Grösse in die Weltweisheit einzuführen.
3 On incompossible values see Hartshorne and Reese, op. cit., pp. v, 10, 279 (384), 284, 287, 506.
4 See Karl Popper, The Open Society and Its Enemies (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1966), pp. 247-250.
Back to Hartshorne page
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Nothing Is Broken With Until The Ribbon Breaks, And They Look Poised For A Solid 2018 REVIEW+PHOTOS: UNTIL THE RIBBON BREAKS @ THE PEPPERMINT CLUB 12/7/17
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA- It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Until the Ribbon Breaks. After releasing their critically acclaimed debut album “A Lesson Unlearnt” in 2015- which got them an opening slot on Lorde’s north American Tour- the group experienced some inner turmoil. James Gordon had left the group to pursue projects of his own, and Peter Lawrie Winfield was dealing with his own personal demons in the form of alcohol and drug abuse.
What would have destroyed most other groups, thankfully, did not destroy Until The Ribbon Breaks. Peter traveled to Thailand to detox and in the process stoked a creative fire within himself that spurred him to explore not only his musicality, but also his passion in the visual arts. The world got a taste of what’s to come when they released the first single from their sophomore album- which is due in February- “Here Comes The Feeling” (a personal song about Peter’s recovery experience) in October 2017. They more recently released the official video for their second single “My Love”, a collection of imagery and found footage selected by Peter, that beautifully accompanies the story of the “push and pull” in a relationship.
Until The Ribbon Breaks debuted live much of their new material at The Peppermint Club on December 7, 2017, and like the music they have teased to the public, the performance was as beautiful and moving as I anticipated.
There may have been a few missed moments having to do with tuning and timing during the performance, but that was surely to be expected with the band performing live for a proper audience for the first time in a while. Peter, now sober, looked and sounded invigorated on stage. As he sang the stories inspired by his life, he allowed his emotions and passion to be put on full display. There was a true sense of redemption with his demeanor on stage, and it was a true treat for those who were there to witness it.
There’s something special about a band that’s able to conquer its demons to rise from the ashes. There’s nothing broken about Until The Ribbon Breaks, and we can only wait on pin and needles to see (and hear) what they’ve got planned for us in the coming year.
Follow Until the Ribbon Breaks on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Until The Ribbon Breaks @ The Peppermint Club 12/7/17. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.
LIVE CLIPS
Until the Ribbon Breaks at The Peppermint Club 12/7/17. Thoughts and photos coming soon to @BlurredCulture. pic.twitter.com/bGcpBG7i62
— Derrick K. Lee (@methodman13) December 18, 2017
Until the Ribbon Breaks at The Peppermint Club 12/7/17. Thoughts and photos coming soon to @BlurredCulture. pic.twitter.com/YZmxOJKaka
#Alternative Rock #Avant-Garde #Concert Photography #Concert Review #DKL PHOTOS #Electronic #Electronic Pop #Elliot Wall #Indie Electronic #Indie Rock #Peter Lawrie-Winfield #Pop #Pop Music #R&B #Setlist #The Peppermint Club #Until The Ribbon Breaks
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Watch Joyner Lucas “Keep It 100”
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Webook.com | The Social Network Where Writers Get Published
Interview with a WEbook Author
In today's interview, we speak to Alina Voyce, author of the wildly popular e-book series Lifelights. Alina, so far only one of two British WEbook author, has recently finished writing the fourth book in her Lifelights series. Alina lives with her husband and two teenage children in East Yorkshire.
Alina Voyce
Alina's debut WEbook title, Lifelights, will be released soon, available exclusively in the WEbook store.
WB: Alina, you're a British author - how did you first find WEbook, which was originally an American-based site?
Alina: I actually found the site through a BBC News report, in which WEbook was listed as one of the top sites on the Web. So I decided to take a look. Luckily for me, it was not only easy to find, but easy to use. Even I, a self-confessed technophobe, could figure out how to upload my work and communicate with other members – most of these were from the U.S., but the more I engaged with the site, the more I realised that WEbook was also being used by authors from all around the world.
WB: As you say, there are members from all over the world here on WEbook. Have you ever found communication to be a problem?
Alina: Not really. There are obviously differences in spelling and grammar, but most people seem to be aware of these and adjust the feedback they leave accordingly. If not, all it takes is a message explaining that I’m British, so my way of spelling words such as 'colour' and 'defence' will be different, and that words like 'hood' and 'trunk' become 'bonnet' and 'boot' in any story that I write. It’s made for some entertaining conversations in the past, but that’s about it!
UK English or US English?
WB: So, you found the site and you liked the set up and the people—is that what’s kept you here for over three years?
Alina: Yes, pretty much. When I first started a project on WEbook, it was a story that was going nowhere—and the members here were quick to point that out! So I chucked that idea out the window and started on something else—something that other WEbookers agreed had potential. In the end, that idea turned into Lifelights.
WB: When you joined WEbook back in 2010, did you ever think your stories would be published by WEbook?
Alina: Absolutely not! In fact, I’m still having trouble believing it. Having said that, I think it’s rather fitting that my stories will be published and marketed through the site that helped me to develop them in the first place.
WB: Tell us about Lifelights: what genre is it?
Alina: Er…pass? Lifelights doesn’t really slot into one particular genre. The series as a whole is an evolutionary tale, with a strong backbone of sci-fi and supernatural elements, but Lifelights is also a romance. As a result, it’s a story that’s been read (and enjoyed) by both male and female readers – some of whom have been surprised that they liked it!
Published by WEbook!
WB: You’re obviously a fan of WEbook and extremely happy that your book will be available through the site. What are your hopes for the future of the site?
Alina: Oh, that’s easy. I’d like to see WEbook continue in the direction it’s already heading. The new team have revamped the overall look of the place and are gradually bringing in new initiatives. They’ve definitely created a stir by introducing a prize for the monthly challenge and I’d like to see what else they have planned. I also want to see the WEbook bookstore up-and-running and brimming with exciting, original titles that have come straight from the imaginations of WEbook’s members. The words of the new logo are pretty ambitious, but I don’t see any reason why the members of this site can’t make it happen – reinvent publishing? No problem…
WB: Thanks so much, Alina! Good luck with the release of Lifelights.
Below is an excerpt from Alina Voyce’s soon to be published WEbook novel, Lifelights:
Time was on her side this morning. The last of the cakes were in the oven, presenting an opportunity for some non-kitchen work. Taking a seat in the Victorian-style dining room, she began the next task: folding napkins around silverware. Her eyes flicked around the cafe’s interior as she worked, checking for other jobs.
The atmosphere of old-world luxury was something Mara always enjoyed. Dark, wood-panelled walls, rich, soft furnishings, and shining brass transported her to another era. At least, it usually did. Today, her mind had other ideas, and all of them were focused on the voice in her head.
The condiments were full, the tablecloths spotless, the menus in place, and the blue and white china shone invitingly on the fitted oak dresser. There was nothing left to do, and she still couldn’t decide whether the voice was friend or foe. If it was the Lifelights, fine, but that last comment… worried her.
Mara glanced at the clock above the till. It was almost time to change the window sign to ‘open’, and Jennie still hadn’t arrived. That in itself wasn’t unusual, but today it made her nervous.
As if on cue, the door swung inwards, but no leggy blonde stepped through the opening. A tall, lean figure appeared, wrapped in a rain-soaked mac. The copy of The Times he carried looked equally soggy.
Mara’s vision blurred as her eyes began to burn. Grabbing one of the napkins, still piled on the table, she ducked her head and dabbed at the tears spilling down her cheeks. Oh no, not again.
Lanette 28 October 2013 at 06:24
I remember our discussions on hood and trunk vs. bonnet and boot. :)
Vanessa Morton 30 October 2013 at 06:37
Excellent excerpt. I can almost smell the cakes in the oven.
About WEbook.com
WE are a reading, writing and thinking community. We work together to help each other become better writers through supportive and critical community conversation.
WE bring together tens of thousands of writers, published authors, avid readers and almost 100 established literary agents, to create an energetic hub of activity where talented writing is celebrated and undiscovered gems can be rooted out and polished into literary diamonds.
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911 Writer's Block: Unlocking Creative Writing Ideas
Share: As anyone who has tried their hand at creative writing knows, inspiration doesn't grow on trees. At times, it can seem like i...
The Winners of the June Challenge
The winner of the June Challenge: Little Vines is.... LilyFramboise with Liberty Rose *** The following five are this month...
An Interview With WEbook's March (5 Word) Challenge Winner!
Now that we're well into May, it seems as though the March (5 word) Challenge finished an age ago... yet the passing of time has littl...
A New Writing Contest: The Micro-Autobiography Challenge
Share: We hope that everyone had an great Labor Day weekend. With all of those BBQ's to attend, it's possible that you may not ...
Going for the gold: 3 projects in one post
Bang! And let the games begin! As the world gets ready for this summer's Olympics in Beijing, the WEbook interns have already started...
Literary Agents Representing Thriller and Suspense Fiction
Share: The Thriller/Suspense fiction market is healthier than ever. From Ken Follet to Tom Clancy to Steig Larson, readers just can'...
An interview with our June Challenge Winner and WEbook Author, Alina Voyce aka Sue Grainger!
Taste This June we set you a rather tricky challenge! We asked you to write us a story which omitted the senses of sight and sound - tw...
First Lines by Poets and Writers: September and October
Share: Autumn is fast approaching, and with it, a big stack of new titles from various publishers. As part of our continued partnership...
NaNoWriMo Mania: One Month, One Novel
WEbook veterans will probably remember William Tiernan (penname: TsungChi ) who was an editor for WEbook's 101 Things Every Man Should...
The Liar Writing Challenge Results + New Challenge
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Liberty Media want Alonso to take Hamilton's seat at Mercedes
Alonso would jump at the chance to drive a Mercedes
At the end of 2018, Fernando Alonso stepped away from McLaren and Formula 1 for good.
However, it appears that Liberty Media have realized that the Spaniard could be a real crowd-puller, and want him to return to the grid.
Reports have emerged that the Formula 1 owners are pushing Mercedes to take on Alonso as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement for 2021, should the Brit eventually choose to sign for Ferrari.
German publication Auto Bild claim Liberty are actively pursuing Alonso and see an opportunity after Hamilton’s reported contact with Ferrari.
This news comes after Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko admitted that Liberty had previously pushed them to take on the double world champion.
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Tag: Burglary
Metropolitan Accomplice
[Image: Photo by Jonas Roosens/AFP/Getty Images, courtesy of the Guardian].
You might have seen the news that a crew of burglars used sewer tunnels beneath the diamond district in Antwerp, Belgium, to break into a nearby bank vault.
“Detectives in Antwerp are searching for clues in a sewage pipe under the Belgian city’s diamond quarter after burglars apparently crawled through it to break into a bank holding safe deposit boxes full of jewels,” the Guardian reported.
The heist allegedly began across the street, in a separate building, where they dug into the sewer network; one of the city’s many subterranean pipes led close enough to the bank that the crew could then tunnel just a few more meters to make entrance.
A couple of details stand out. For example, the police apparently had to hang back long enough to take gas measurements above the newly opened sewer tunnel, fearing either that the air quality would be so bad that they could risk asphyxiation or that the sewer emanations themselves might be explosive.
Either way, this suggests a possible strategic move by future burglars, who night now know that police—or, at the very least, police not equipped with gas masks—will be delayed due to chemical concerns. Infrastructural off-gassing could become a kind of criminal camouflage.
The other detail is simply that, when the police began investigating the crime, “The first the residents of the central Antwerp district knew of the incident was when police raised all the manhole covers running down the centre of Nerviërsstraat,” the Guardian reported. This otherwise inexplicable sight—law enforcement officers suddenly raising the lid on the city’s underworld—was actually part of a forensic investigation.
I’ve already written at length about tunnel jobs used in bank heists—including a still-unsolved crime from Los Angeles, back in the 1980s—in my book, A Burglar’s Guide to the City, so I will defer to that book in terms of addressing specific aspects of underground crime. In fact, I would perhaps even more specifically recommend the book Flawless by Scott Selby and Greg Campbell, about another, massive heist in Antwerp’s diamond district pulled off in 2003.
[Images: Sewer maps and diagrams are now freely available online; the ones seen here are from Los Angeles and detail the same neighborhood in which a 1986 bank heist occurred, where the bandits tunneled into a vault using the city’s stormwater network. Read more in A Burglar’s Guide to the City or in retired FBI agent Bill Rehder’s absurdly enjoyable memoir, Where The Money Is].
Instead, what seems worth commenting on here is simply the very nature of urban infrastructure and the ease with which it can be repurposed for designing, planning, and committing crimes. The city itself can be an accomplice in acts entirely unrelated to the infrastructure in question. A freeway route enables a bank-heist getaway, a sewer tunnel offers jewel thieves a subterranean method of entry, a specific intersection’s geometric complexity means that carjackings are more likely to occur there: the city is filled with silent accomplices to future criminal activity, activities and events unforeseen by most city planners.
Will this intersection lead to more carjackings? is unlikely to be high on the list of questions posed by community feedback, yet it’s exactly that sort of tactical thinking that might allow designers to stay one step ahead of the criminals who seek to abuse those same designers’ finished projects.
(Thanks to Nicola Twilley for the tip!)
Author Geoff ManaughPosted on February 5, 2019 February 26, 2019 Categories A Burglar's Guide to the CityTags A Burglar's Guide to the City, Antwerp, Bank Crime, Burglary, Cities, Crime, Greg Campbell, Heists, Infrastructure, Los Angeles, Scott Selby, Sewers, Tunnels, Urban Design, William J. Rehder4 Comments on Metropolitan Accomplice
Mars P.D.
[Image: Illustration by Matt Chinworth, via The Atlantic].
Last summer, I got obsessed with the idea of how future crimes will be investigated on Mars. If we accept the premise that humans will one day settle the Red Planet, then, it seems to me, we should be prepared to see the same old vices pop up all over again, from kidnapping and burglary to serial murder, even bank heists.
If there is a mining depot on Mars, in other words, then there will be someone plotting to rob it.
But who will have the jurisdictional power to investigate these crimes? What sorts of forensic tools will offworld police use to analyze Martian crime scenes contaminated by relentless solar exposure, where the planet’s low gravity will make blood spatter differently from stab wounds? Further, if there is a future Martian crime wave, what sort of prison architecture would be appropriate—if any—for detaining perpetrators on another world?
Over the long and often surreal process of researching these sorts of questions, I spoke with legendary sci-fi novelist Kim Stanley Robinson, with Arctic archaeologist Christyann Darwent, with space law expert Elsbeth Magilton, with astrobiologist and political activist Lucianne Walkowicz, with political theorists Charles Cockell and Philip Steinberg, and with UCLA astrophysicist David Paige. All of them, through their own particular fields of expertise, helped chip away at various aspects of the question of what non-terrestrial law enforcement.
Incredibly, I also met a 4th-degree black belt in Aikido named Josh Gold who has been working with a team of advisors to develop a new martial art for space, rethinking the basics of human movement for a world with low—or even, on a space station, no—gravity. How do you pin someone to the ground, for example, when is no ground to pin them on?
In any case, will we need a Mars P.D.? If so, what exactly might a Martian police department look like?
The full feature is now up over at The Atlantic.
Author Geoff ManaughPosted on September 14, 2018 Categories BLDGBLOG, MarsTags A Burglar’s Guide to Mars, Aikido, Archaeology, Burglary, Charles Cockell, Christyann Darwent, Crime, Crime Scene Forensics, David Paige, DNA, Earth, Elsbeth Magilton, Gravity, Josh Gold, Jurisdiction, Kim Stanley Robinson, Law Enforcement, Lucianne Walkowicz, Mars, Mars P.D., Martial Arts, Murder, Philip Steinberg, Police, Prisons, Sabotage4 Comments on Mars P.D.
Opens Coat, Flashes Links
[Image: The “former constellation” Argo Navis, via Wikipedia].
Taps mic… Is this thing still on…
1. Hidden Charms was a conference on “the magical protection of buildings,” organized by Brian Hoggard. The one-day symposium looked at everything from ritual “protection marks” to dead cats stored in glass jars, put there “to keep the witches away.”
2. Amazon wants to put robots in every home. “The retail and cloud computing giant has embarked on an ambitious, top-secret plan to build a domestic robot, according to people familiar with the plans. Codenamed ‘Vesta,’ after the Roman goddess of the hearth, home and family,” the robot “could be a sort of mobile Alexa,” Businessweek speculates, “accompanying customers in parts of their home where they don’t have Echo devices. Prototypes of the robots have advanced cameras and computer vision software and can navigate through homes like a self-driving car.”
3. A woman in Austin, Texas, went missing in 2015. Without monthly payments, her house was eventually seized and sold by the bank—but the home’s new owners found the skeletal remains of a body inside one of the walls back in March. It was the missing woman. “In the attic, there was a broken board that led down to the space” where the skeleton was found, a coroner’s spokesperson explained. “Law enforcement thinks she may have been up in the attic and fell through the attic floor.” Horrifically, whether she was killed by the fall or remained alive, trapped inside the wall, is unclear.
4. At an event here in Los Angeles a few weeks ago, artist and writer Julia Christensen drew my attention to officially recognized “former constellations,” or named star groups that are no longer considered referentially viable.
5. The Roman monetary system left a planetary-archaeological trace in Greenland’s ice sheet, according to Rob Meyer of The Atlantic. “A team of archaeologists, historians, and climate scientists have constructed a history of Rome’s lead pollution,” Meyer explains, “which allows them to approximate Mediterranean economic activity from 1,100 b.c. to 800 a.d. They found it hiding thousands of miles from the Roman Forum: deep in the Greenland Ice Sheet, the enormous, miles-thick plate of ice that entombs the North Atlantic island.” With this data, they have “reconstructed year-by-year economic data documenting the rise and fall of the Roman Republic and Empire.” Oddly enough, this means the Greenland Ice Sheet is a landscape-scale archive of Roman financial data.
6. Speaking of economic data mined from indirect sources, “satellite imagery that tracks changes in the level of nighttime lighting within and between countries over time” might also reveal whether countries are lying about the strengths of their economies. According to researcher Luis R. Martinez, “increases in nighttime lighting generally track with increases in GDP,” and this becomes of interest when lighting levels don’t correspond with officially given numbers. Of course, this is not the first time that satellite imagery has been used to estimate economic data.
7. “Today our experience of the night differs significantly from that of our ancestors,” Nancy Gonlin and April Nowell write for Sapiens. “Before they mastered fire, early humans lived roughly half their lives in the dark.” Cue the rise of “archaeological inquiries into the night,” or what Gonlin and Nowell have evocatively named the “archaeology of night.”
8. There was an amazing article by Jake Halpern published in The New Yorker two years ago about Nazi gold fever in Poland and the incredible amount of amateur detective operations there dedicated to finding an alleged buried fortune. It’s a wild mix of abandoned WWII bunkers, secret underground cities in the forest, and urban legends of untold wealth. It turns out, however, there is a (vaguely) similar obsession with lost or buried gold in northwestern Pennsylvania: “For decades, treasure hunters in Pennsylvania have suspected that there is a trove of Civil War gold lost in a rural forest in the northwestern part of the state,” the New York Times reports. “The story of the gold bars was pieced together from old documents, a map and even a mysterious note found decades ago in a hiding place on the back of a bed post in Caledonia,” the paper explains.
9. People are drawn to forests for all sorts of reasons. As Alex Mar wrote last autumn for the Virginia Quarterly Review, the Slender Man phenomenon—that inspired two young girls to try to murder a classmate—also had a forest element. “Girls lured out into the dark woods—this is the stuff of folk tales from so many countries,” Mar writes, “a New World fear of the Puritans, an image at the heart of witchcraft and the occult, timeless.” Mar points out that, after the attempted murder, the two girls began heading “to Wisconsin’s Nicolet National Forest on foot, nearly 200 miles north. They were convinced that, once there, if they pushed farther and farther into the nearly 700,000-acre forest, they would find the mansion in which their monster [Slender Man] dwells and he would welcome them.” The whole article is an interesting look at childhood, folklore, and the sometimes dark allure of the wild.
10. More treasure hunts: is there a cache of buried armaments, stolen from a National Guard armory in 1970, hidden somewhere in Amesbury, Massachusetts? According to a commenter on the Cast Boolits forum, William Gilday, who once “led an assault on a National Guard armory in Newburyport” and who spent nearly half of his life in prison for killing a police officer, confessed on his death bed that he buried guns and ammunition stolen from the armory somewhere in his hometown of Amesbury. “It’s one of those ‘what if’ things,” the commenter continues. “I’ve known about the confession for years, and I walk my dog in the ‘suspected’ vicinity just about every day. The problem is that the ‘authorities’ claim that everything that was stolen was recovered. But, a few weeks ago, I emailed a local radio talk show host who was involved in the death bed confession and I asked her if she thought that stolen items really had been buried in my town and she replied, ‘Yes…do you know where they are?’”
11. “A dispute between Serbia and Kosovo has disrupted the electric power grid for most of the Continent, making certain kinds of clocks—many of those on ovens, in heating systems and on radios—run up to six minutes slow,” the New York Times reported back in March. “The fluctuation in the power supply is infinitesimally small—not nearly enough to make a meaningful difference for most powered devices—and if it were a brief disturbance, the effect on clocks might be too little to worry about.” But this six-minute lag is enough to cause subtle effects in people’s lives. A bad first novel could be written about slow clocks, distant political disputes, and some sort of disastrous event—a missed train, a skipped meeting—in the narrator’s personal life.
12. The above story reminds me of the suspicion last year that Russia was using some sort of large-scale GPS jamming device in the Black Sea. “Reports of satellite navigation problems in the Black Sea suggest that Russia may be testing a new system for spoofing GPS,” David Hambling reported for New Scientist. “This could be the first hint of a new form of electronic warfare available to everyone from rogue nation states to petty criminals.” The reason I say this is because you can easily imagine a scenario where someone is driving around, totally lost, receiving contradictory if not frankly nonsensical navigation instructions, and it’s because they are an unwitting, long-distance victim of geographic weaponry being used in a war zone far away.
13. The legendary music fest Sónar has been sending music to “a potentially habitable exoplanet” called GJ273b, attempting to contact alien intelligence with transmissions of electronic music. Transmission 1 was sent back in October; Transmission 2 ended today. The transmissions should arrive at the planet in November 2030.
Author Geoff ManaughPosted on May 16, 2018 May 16, 2018 Categories BLDGBLOG, Quick LinksTags Alex Mar, Alien Intelligence, Amazon, Amesbury, Apotropaic Markings, April Nowell, Archaeology, Archaeology of Night, Austin, Brian Hoggard, Burglary, Buried Treasure, Civil War Gold, Constellations, David Hambling, Economics, Folklore, Forests, Former Constellations, GPS Jamming, Greenland, Jake Halpern, Julia Christensen, Magic, Money, Music, Myths, Nancy Gonlin, National Guard Armory, Navigation, Nazi Gold, Night, Pennsylvania, Poland, Pollution, Preservation, Protection Marks, Robinson Meyer, Rome, Russia, Satellites, Slender Man, Sonar, Texas, Urban Legends, Vesta, WWII BunkersLeave a comment on Opens Coat, Flashes Links
Rumored Chutes
For a piece published by The New Yorker back in October, writer Joshua Yaffa looked back at the history of his Moscow apartment complex, “a vast building across the river from the Kremlin, known as the House on the Embankment. In 1931, when tenants began to move in, it was the largest residential complex in Europe, a self-contained world the size of several city blocks.”
Among many other such stories and details, one stood out: the interior of the building, Yaffa learned, was allegedly used against the people who lived in it. He explains that, “throughout 1937 and 1938 the House of Government was a vortex of disappearances, arrests, and deaths. Arrest lists were prepared by the N.K.V.D., the Soviet secret police, which later became the K.G.B., and were approved by Stalin and his close associates. Arrests occurred in the middle of the night.”
However, it’s how the police were rumored to access individual apartments that caught my eye: “A story I have heard many times,” Yaffa continues, “but which seems apocryphal, is that N.K.V.D. agents would sometimes use the garbage chutes that ran like large tubes through many apartments, popping out inside a suspect’s home without having to knock on the door.”
This vision of vermicular control from within—of agents of the state sliding around within our walls and utility ducts like animals—is both unsettling and Kafkaesque, a nightmare and the setup for a surreal tragicomedy.
An undercover cop stuck in the walls between floors four and five for nearly three weeks is fed homemade soup by a young boy who takes pity on him, this unknown man caught in the fabric of the building and abandoned there by his superior officers out of embarrassment.
Gradually, the boy and this agent of the state strike up something like a friendship, sharing their hopes for the future, complaining about perceived limitations in life, confiding in one another about random things they’re both inspired to recall, and looking forward to future adventures—until, finally, one day after a shower leak raining down from a luxury apartment somewhere much further above, the man is able to slip free.
He slides into the boy’s room feet-first, covered in wood shavings and dust—where he promptly follows through on his initial mission and arrests the boy’s entire family.
Read Yaffa’s piece over at The New Yorker.
Author Geoff ManaughPosted on January 22, 2018 Categories A Burglar's Guide to the City, BLDGBLOGTags Architecture, Architecture Fiction, Burglary, Franz Kafka, Housing, Joshua Yaffa, Moscow, Police, Russia, Surveillance, The New Yorker, Vermicular Control1 Comment on Rumored Chutes
Incidental Detection
[Image: Aura WiFi burglar alarm].
A new home and office alarm system detects disturbances in WiFi to warn residents of potential burglars. The Aura, as it’s known, picks up “disruptions in the invisible radio waves that make up your home’s Wi-Fi network” to determine if someone—or perhaps something—is sneaking around inside, uninvited.
When Cognitive Systems, the Canadian tech firm behind Aura, began discussing the project publicly back in 2015, they suggested that WiFi is basically an invisible shape inside your home, and that “distortions” or deformations in that shape can be detected and responded to. There is your home’s interior; then there is the electromagnetic geometry of WiFi that fills your home’s interior.
Although the alarm is capable of differentiating between an adult human being and, say, a loose piece of paper blowing down a hallway or a house plant swinging in the evening breeze, the system can apparently be thrown off by complicated architectural layouts. Perhaps, then, in the techno-supernatural future, particular homes will find themselves unavoidably haunted by nonexistent burglars, as alarms are unable to stop ringing due to an unusual arrangement of halls and closets. A new Gothic of electromagnetic effects, where the alarm is detecting the house itself.
Of course, if devices like the Aura take off, it will almost undoubtedly lead to crafty burglars developing WiFi-shape-spoofing tools as ways to camouflage their entry into, and movement through, other people’s homes. A black market economy of signal-reflection and WiFi-dazzling clothing takes off, allowing humans to move like stealth airplanes through complex electromagnetic environments, undetected. The opposite of this, perhaps.
Stories of one thing unexpectedly being used to detect the presence of another have always fascinated me. In this case, it’s just WiFi being used to pick up potential criminal trespass, but, in other examples, we’ve seen GPS satellites being repurposed as a giant dark matter detector in space. As if vast clouds of invisible matter, through which the Earth is “constantly crashing,” might set off some sort of planetary-scale burglar alarm.
[Image: GPS satellites, via MIT Technology Review].
There are so many examples of this sort of thing. Recall, for instance, that subatomic particles (or, rather, their absence) can be used to map otherwise inaccessible architectural interiors, or that an experiment in the 1930s designed “to find out what was causing the static that interfered with trans-Atlantic telephone calls” inadvertently kicked off the field of radio astronomy, or the fact that tree rings can be used to detect both sunspots and earthquakes. Or even that LIGO, the gravitational-waves detector, at one point was accidentally being set off by wolves, or that the collapse of the Twin Towers on 9/11 was picked up as an earthquake by regional seismographs.
Imagine scrambling all this; you wake up tomorrow morning to find that WiFi burglar alarms are detecting dark matter walls in space, telephone calls are picking up signs of unknown rooms and corridors hidden in the buildings all around you, and scientists outside studying wolves in the American wild have found evidence of celestial phenomena in the creatures’ tracking collars.
In fact, I’m tangentially reminded of the internet subgenre of what could be called things inadvertently captured on wildlife cameras—ghostly forms in the wilderness, lost children, “unexplained” lights. These are trail cameras that were placed there to track wildlife, either for science or for sport, but then these other things allegedly popped up, instead.
[Image: Via Outdoor Life].
I suppose this often absurd, Photoshop-prone field of purportedly occult photography comes about as close as you can to a new technological folklore, devising myths of encounter as picked up by systems originally installed to look for something else.
Yet it leaves me wondering what the “spooky trail cam” genre might produce when mixed with WiFi-enabled home burglar alarms, dark matter detectors in space, etc. etc.
In any case, the CBC has a great write-up about the Aura, if you want to learn more.
Author Geoff ManaughPosted on May 20, 2017 January 31, 2019 Categories A Burglar's Guide to the City, BLDGBLOGTags A Burglar's Guide to the City, Architecture, Aura, Burglar Alarms, Burglary, Cognitive Systems, Dark Matter, Electromagnetism, Gothic, Karl Jansky, Muons, Myths, Radio Astronomy, Stealth, Telephones, Trail Cameras, Urban Myths, WiFi, Wolves
A Burglar’s Guide to Harvard
I was stoked to see a class being taught at Harvard this summer inspired by A Burglar’s Guide to the City. Called “(Don’t) Steal this Painting: A Burglar’s Guide to the Museum,” the course is led by Matthew Battles. It’s only open to Harvard students, alas, but if that accurately describes you then give it a shot.
Author Geoff ManaughPosted on April 28, 2017 Categories A Burglar's Guide to the CityTags A Burglar's Guide to the City, Art Crime, Burglary, Crime, Harvard, Heists, Matthew Battles, Museums
A Burglar’s Guide to TV
I’m finally back from several weeks of travel and wanted to post some recent news I was particularly thrilled about: my book, A Burglar’s Guide to the City, is being developed for television by CBS Studios. From Variety:
The drama, which landed a put pilot commitment, hails from writer Paul Grellong (“Scorpion,” “Revolution”) and exec producers Alex Kurtzman, Heather Kadin, Danielle Woodrow, and Justin Lin, who is attached to direct the pilot.
A Burglar’s Guide to the City follows a team of modern-day Robin Hoods, led by a brilliant architect with a troubled past, that uses their unique skills to gain access to any stronghold in order to steal from rich criminals and give to those that have been wronged by a corrupt system.
The potential series is based on Geoff Manaugh’s non-fiction book. Manaugh, repped by Manage-ment and Marc Van Arx, will serve as a consulting producer on the TV project. Nate Miller and Dan Halsted of Manage-ment are also producing, along with Aaron Baiers of Secret Hideout.
I can’t say more about the show at this point, other than to point out that I am absolutely, genuinely over the moon about this, but I am very much looking forward to bringing burglary and architecture to a small screen near you…
If you haven’t checked out the book, meanwhile, consider picking up a copy; many reviews and blurbs can also be found at burglarsguide.com.
Author Geoff ManaughPosted on October 10, 2016 November 6, 2016 Categories A Burglar's Guide to the CityTags A Burglar's Guide to the City, Aaron Baiers, Alex Kurtzman, Burglary, CBS Studios, Dan Halsted, Danielle Woodrow, Heather Kadin, Justin Lin, Marc Van Arx, Nate Miller, Paul Grellong, Secret Hideout, Television1 Comment on A Burglar’s Guide to TV
A Burglar’s Guide to London
[Image: From London’s Hatton Garden heist; photo courtesy of the Metropolitan Police Service].
For anyone near London next week, I’m looking forward to speaking with Rory Hyde, curator of contemporary architecture and urbanism at the Victoria and Albert Museum, on Monday night, September 26th. We’ll be discussing infrastructural vulnerabilities, subterranean heists, electromagnetic getaways, ubiquitous police surveillance, and many other topics found in A Burglar’s Guide to the City.
Things kick things off at 7pm, at Libreria, a great new bookshop run by the folks at Second Home, in a space designed by Selgas Cano. The event is free, but here are some details to RSVP.
Stop by—and join us for drinks afterward to continue the conversation.
Author Geoff ManaughPosted on September 21, 2016 Categories A Burglar's Guide to the CityTags A Burglar's Guide to the City, Architecture, Burglary, Cities, Crime, Design, Hatton Garden, Heists, Infrastructure, Libreria, London, Rory Hyde, Second Home, Selgas Cano, Victoria & Albert MuseumLeave a comment on A Burglar’s Guide to London
A Burglar’s Guide to Denver
If you’re near Denver, I’m excited to be doing an event there next week with novelist Nick Arvin. Arvin, you might recall, was previously interviewed here on BLDGBLOG about his novel The Reconstructionist, including Arvin’s previous, real-life job simulating car crashes for the insurance industry.
We’ll be discussing A Burglar’s Guide to the City at the David Adjaye-designed MCA Denver on Wednesday night, July 20, 6pm, in something called the Whole Room.
You can check-in on Facebook—although no RSVP is required—and the only fee is general admission to the museum ($2.50). Hope to see you there!
Author Geoff ManaughPosted on July 15, 2016 Categories A Burglar's Guide to the City, BLDGBLOGTags A Burglar's Guide to the City, Burglary, Colorado, Crime, Denver, Events, MCA Denver, Nick Arvin2 Comments on A Burglar’s Guide to Denver
“The entire city can be considered as one large house”
[Image: “St. Mark’s Place, with campanile, Venice, Italy,” via the Library of Congress].
Following a number of recent events for A Burglar’s Guide to the City—discussing, among other things, the often less than clear legal lines between interiors and exteriors, between public space and private—I’ve been asked about the Jewish practice of the eruv.
An eruv, in very broad strokes, is a clearly defined space outside the walls of the private home, often marked by something as thin as a wire, inside of which observant Jews are permitted to carry certain items on Shabbat, a day on which carrying objects is otherwise normally prohibited.
As Chabad describes the eruv, “Practically, it is forbidden to carry something, such as a tallit bag or a prayer book from one’s home along the street and to a synagogue or to push a baby carriage from home to a synagogue, or to another home, on Shabbat.”
However, “It became obvious even in ancient times, that on Shabbat, as on other days, there are certain things people wish to carry. People also want to get together with their friends after synagogue and take things with them—including their babies. They want to get together to learn, to socialize and to be a community.”
While, today, “it is an obvious impracticality to build walls throughout portions of cities, crossing over or through streets and walkways, in order to place one’s home and synagogue within the same ‘private’ domain,” you can instead institute an eruv: staking out a kind of shared private space, or a public “interior,” as it were. The eruv, Chabad continues, is “a technical enclosure which surrounds both private and hitherto public domains,” and it “is usually large enough to include entire neighborhoods with homes, apartments and synagogues, making it possible to carry on Shabbat, since one is never leaving one’s domain.”
In fact, the space of the eruv can absorb truly huge amounts of an existing city, despite the fact that many people will not even know it exists, let alone that they have crossed over into it, that they are “inside” something.
So the question I’ve been posed—although I will defer to more learned colleagues for an informed and accurate answer—is: what does the eruv do to concepts of burglary, if everything taking place inside it, even if technically “outside,” is considered an interior private space? In other words, can any crime committed inside an eruv be considered an act of burglary?
These questions reminded me, in fact, of a commenter named Federico Sanna, who recently pointed out here on the blog that the city of Venice has instituted a new regime for public space in the city by recognizing the entirety of Venice as an eruv.
Reading this with the messy help of Google Translate, the Venetian mayor has signed a law “attesting that the entire city can be considered as one large ‘house,’” or eruv, extending domesticity to the entire metropolis. This eruv will exist for five years, after which, presumably, it will be renewed.
As Sanna points out in his comment, “It must be said: Venice is the place that invented the Ghetto. And this is the 500th anniversary of that event. Venice is the first city to ever constrain Jews in one tiny portion of its urban space–another act that generated architecture, making buildings grow higher and higher to accomodate the growing Jewish population. It is significant, then, if not altogether timely, that it’s Venice that makes this symbolic move of inclusiveness for the first time.”
What effect—if any—this might have on the legal recognition of burglary remains, for me, an interesting question.
Author Geoff ManaughPosted on June 6, 2016 June 26, 2016 Categories BLDGBLOGTags Breaking & Entering, Burglary, Cities, Eruv, Judaism, Law, New York City, Private Space, Public Space, Religion, Shabbat, Urbanism, Venice1 Comment on “The entire city can be considered as one large house”
Burglary in Context
[Image: The former Polish National Alliance Building, now Studio Gang; via Studio Gang].
Just a quick reminder that, if you’re in Chicago this Friday, May 27th, Iker Gil, editor-in-chief of MAS Context, and I will be discussing A Burglar’s Guide to the City. We’ll be in the brand new event space inside Studio Gang’s newly renovated offices, the former Polish National Alliance Building on Division Street. The event is co-sponsored by the Seminary Co-Op bookstore, who will also be selling copies of the book. Issues of MAS Context will also be sale.
Stop by to learn about super-tools of architectural breaking & entering, from lock picks to burning bars, about abstract geometric shapes visible only to lawyers enclosing domestic space against the threat of burglary, and about the most prolific bank-robbing crew of the 19th-century—led by a man who trained as an architect—among many other points of discussion.
Things kick off at 6pm, at 1520 W. Division Street. Hope to see you there!
Author Geoff ManaughPosted on May 24, 2016 Categories A Burglar's Guide to the CityTags A Burglar's Guide to the City, Architecture, Breaking & Entering, Burglary, Chicago, Cities, Crime, Events, History, Iker Gil, Jeanne Gang, Lockpicking, MAS Context, Studio GangLeave a comment on Burglary in Context
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Chløë Black - Cruel Intentions
Regular readers of Breaking More Waves will have probably realised by now that there’s nothing we like more than turning pop music into a league table. “But music is art, not sport,” shout the naysayers. Yes, we hear you and understand you, but we’re sorry, it’s built into our very core and no amount of laying back on the shrink’s couch pouring out our innermost fears, or long intellectual argument and reasoning is going to change us.
What has all of this got to do with Chløë Black you may be asking? Well cast your mind back to late last year and you might remember that Chløë’s name appeared on the UK blogger’s version of a new music league table – the Blog Sound of 2015 poll, alongside the likes of eventual winner Låpsley, runners up Fickle Friends and the likes of Deers (now Hinds), Soak and Black Honey. She also appeared on our own 10 Ones to Watch list. Of all the names on the Blog Sound list Chløë's was probably one of the more surprising, having released very little material at that stage. Yet certain blogs (we’ll put our hands up and admit that Breaking More Waves was one of them) had seen / heard enough to think ‘big potential’ and voted for her.
Today Chløë releases a new tune. It’s called Cruel Intentions and to use a sporting analogy it finds her climbing from non-league status to challenging for promotion from Division 2. “All good things come to an end, there’s nothing good about me,” she sings. We’d disagree on the second part of that lyric, for if nothing else Chløë knows how to make an epic valley straddling pop song. We also have it on good authority from somebody that met Chløë recently at a gig that she was 'very nice indeed.' And let’s remember, that whilst any talented sod can rise up to the premiere league of pop, when relegation occurs it’s the nice ones that people keep supporting. Nobody likes a dick.
Take a listen to Cruel Intentions from Chløë’s forthcoming EP and feel her power. Warning - keep a wide berth around you, you might want to punch the air when the big drums kick in. This one hits the back of the net.
Posted by Breaking More Waves Blog at 13:00 No comments: Links to this post
Daphne and Celeste - You And I Alone (Video)
By now, if you have any passing interest in pop music and pop culture you’ll probably know that Daphne and Celeste have returned. You’ll also probably fall into 1 of 4 camps.
1. The excited ‘YES!!!’ camp.
2. The not so excited ‘NO’ camp.
3. The camp of ‘who the f*ck are Daphne and Celeste?’
4. The bemused and questioning 'why are Daphne and Celeste getting so much on line exposure?' camp.
This short post is for those of you in that last camp who are shrugging their shoulders and looking puzzled.
If you’re in the ‘who the f*ck’ camp, that is what Google was invented for.
We’re going to have a stab at explaining why we think there was a little bit of commotion yesterday about the duo’s ‘unexpected’ comeback with Daphne and Celeste and in particular why they were featured on sites such as Pitchfork, NME and Drowned In Sound, who you wouldn’t normally expect to cover such pop artists.
We use the word unexpected in inverted commas because we’re not that surprised about this comeback; after all Celeste put out a song with Kent Odessa back in 2013 (listen here). Therefore the chances of a reunion was always a possibility - pop hadn’t been completely shunned by the two women.
If you're one of today's internet generation who has a really short attention span, then we've made this post easy for you - all you really need to do is read the 4 headings below.
1. Nostalgia and the desire for more individuality in pop. (Individuality is easier to write about).
Right now a lot of people are pretty tired of the homogeneity of pop music. As Bob Stanley wrote in his thoroughly excellent book The Story Of Modern Pop: “The first flush of the pick ‘n’ mix digital era has led to many of pop’s biggest names appearing on each other’s records: Rihanna and Coldplay; JLS and Tinie Tempah; Katy Perry and Kanye West: David Guetta and Flo Rida and Nicki Minaj. Whilst the possibilities of merging R&B, hip hop, eurobeat and rave had seemed thrilling, the results have largely been a generic blur of unchallenging rhythms and predictable song structures – the Top 40 has never sounded more samey…”
It’s because of that tiredness that when a band from the past (be it an indie rock group like Sleater Kinney or a pop duo like Daphne and Celeste) make some sort of comeback, people who remember them get very excited, because they represent a time when pop music sounded more individualistic, both musically and also lyrically.
We now live in an age of political correctness where most people are highly aware of the way that their comments and opinions might affect others, particularly when published online. The consequence of this is that musicians have become too scared to sing about anything that isn’t safe and therefore potentially career damaging. It’s why we get a lot of songs about being ‘in da club’ and other such beige lyrics, typically along the lines of 'girl I want you...'. Daphne and Celeste come from a different era, when there was no fear in singing a song like U.G.L.Y “You're so fat and ugly with a belly full of flab, when you wear a yellow coat people shout out cab,” they yelped with glee. Unpolitically correct and hurtful? Yep – but with those sort of songs and their reputation for doing crazy stupid interviews that compared to today’s media trained pop bores seemed off the hook and ridiculously career damaging, it’s no wonder that on their return websites want to feature them, because they make good copy.
2. Their Reading Festival bottling legitimised Daphne and Celeste as having some sort of cool. Therefore it's OK for Pitchfork to write about them.
Daphne and Celeste were an anomaly in the world of manufactured pop. Somehow they got themselves on the bill of Reading Festival 2000 (apparently because they wanted to meet Eminem) and got bottled, which was unsurprising at that time given the partisan nature of the Reading crowd, a few years later they did the same to 50 Cent, giving rise to debate on if those who participated were sexist and racist. Although in no way was there same amount of debate that would probably occur if this happened now. If you’ve never seen the footage of Daphne and Celeste powering their way through the bottles do take a look here. This perseverance gave them some sort of credibility with the music press. Here were two young women standing up to a barrage of abuse from a bunch of (mainly) neanderthal men and not giving in. This indie credibility carried through to the end of 2000. The now defunct Melody Maker put Daphne and Celeste’s album in their end of year top 50 – higher in the top 50 in fact than the likes of Sleater Kinney.
3. They had a cheesy bubblegum pop sound that has become oddly hip over the last few years.
Daphne and Celeste’s songs U.G.L.Y and Ooh Stick You hit one of the most important buttons of pop on the head; they’re utterly memorable. Good or bad – that’s for your taste to decide, but you only have to hear the songs once for them to stick. But they were more than that. They set a template for a number of other pop acts with their cartoon sound.
Some of you will probably remember Nicola Roberts from Girls Aloud - we got very excited about her debut album. Take a listen to the chorus of her song Beat Of My Drum. At the time we named it one of our singles of the year and stated “It’s both gleefully cool with its reference points (Justice, Diplo) yet unashamedly cheesy at the same time (Daphne and Celeste).” We weren’t the only ones to love the N-Robz. Even the likes of Sean Adams from Drowned In Sound spouted off about what a good record her album was. Now in the last 12 months we’ve had the chipmunk sound of Hey QT via PC Music (a record we’re not fond of) and the brilliance of Petite Meller’s Baby Love (with its lo-fi Lady Gaga does Children In Need video) both of which have some elements of the near childlike wonky playfulness that Daphne and Celeste displayed. Of course these records may not have been in any way influenced by Daphne and Celeste but there’s been plenty of discussion on websites (not just the pop websites, but the indie ones as well) about those records, so why shouldn’t Daphne and Celeste be subject to the same discussion?
4. Clever marketing – a Sunday release / embargo
But here’s what we think the main reason is. There was a clever bit of promo going on here. First their song is recorded with Max Tundra, his first production to surface for around seven years. In fact this is really a Max Tundra project featuring guest vocals from Daphne and Celeste. Second, it’s a half decent tune – very different from Daphne and Celeste of old. (We particularly like the footsteps beat). It's a bit artier and has no whiff of naffness. Next, the parties involved were all very willing to talk to the press about the song (keep in mind what we said about individuality being easier to write about). But most importantly, there appeared to be an embargo in place for releasing the song / interviews and that was for a Sunday - a day when hit hungry websites have very little new content.
Sunday is a very quiet day for hit hungry new content music websites – we probably get 20 or 30 emails on a Sunday about new music releases compared with the 150-250 / day we get on Monday to Friday. If this song had been pushed out on a Tuesday afternoon we suspect it would have only picked up coverage from pure pop websites. Timing for this release was everything.
So well done Daphne and Celeste. However you managed it, we’re impressed with the way you’ve got your music out there. Here’s the song, as we said earlier, it’s half decent.
Daphne And Celeste - You And I Alone
Posted by Breaking More Waves Blog at 08:30 1 comment: Links to this post
Samm Henshaw - New Waves
Samm Henshaw is one of those artists that you’re probably going to find the words ‘classic soul’ lobbed at quite a bit. Because Samm (full name Iniabasi Samuel Henshaw) oozes the stuff. Even when he’s covering One Direction (honestly) and making it sound unrecognisable (in a good way - listen using this link) there’s a heartiness and warmth to both his voice and music that makes us want to start trotting out references like Bill Withers and Marvin Gaye. OK, that’s probably a bit over excitable, but this guy is cast from the stuff that defines talent. If we were the betting sort, we’d be putting money on him appearing on Later... with Jools Holland within the year.
Take a listen to his song Only Wanna Be With You (a free download) and remember his name. Is it too early to be starting our Ones to Watch for 2016 list yet? Maybe, but here’s a name that could be on it.
Samm Henshaw - Only Wanna Be With You
Labels: Samm Henshaw
Adria - Falling
There were quite a few Banks comparisons floating around after Australian singer Adria released her debut song Pull Me Under. However, now she shows a more diverse sonic palette with a beautiful piano driven ballad called Falling. Feelings are shaken that bit more with the addition of stirring strings that take the song from its air of intimacy to something more grandiose and cinematic. We can imagine Adria singing this one standing under a simple spotlight, arms outstretched, wrapped up in the emotion of it all. Prepare yourself to feel that little bit more vulnerable and little bit lost. It’s not easy to combine both power and tenderness in a song without making a mess of it, but Adria gets it right.
Falling is taken from Adria’s debut Shell EP, due next week.
Labels: Adria
Fickle Friends - Could Be Wrong
In 2014 Fickle Friends was the 6th most blogged act by UK based Hype Machine listed bloggers. Of the five acts that finished ahead of them, three of the others (Marika Hackman, Banks and Wolf Alice) had featured in the Blog Sound of 2014 longlist (the music bloggers version of the BBC Sound of list), one was the already well established (Caribou) and the other (Låpsley) topped the Blog Sound of 2015 longlist. You can see the full list on this link here.
Up until now the acts who came 2nd, 3rd etc in the Blog Sound of 2015 poll hadn't been announced, but we can now reveal that Fickle Friends was a clear second. There was a direct correlation between artists that UK bloggers had featured the most on their blogs and who they voted for as their favourites. It’s probably no surprise to learn of that relationship but at least it shows that bloggers aren’t as…. fickle (sorry) in their tastes as some would make out.
So now it’s time for some new Fickle Friends material, the first song to be taken from the band’s forthcoming Velvet EP, due 25th May via Killing Moon Records in the UK and B3SCI Records in the US. It would be hard not to instantly recognise Could Be Wrong as anything but Fickle Friends. The song has that delightfully danceable indie-pop mix of synths and guitars and Natassja’s charming coo of a voice that creates the bands signature sound. It’s pop music for indie kids that don’t like pop, indie music for dance heads who don’t like indie and dance music for pop kids who don’t like dance. Basically it’s music for everyone. OK, maybe if you’re only into metalcore you’re probably not going to like it, but then we could be wrong (sorry again).
Fickle Friends are out on tour in the UK in early summer. Dates can be found on this link here.
Labels: Fickle Friends
Florence & The Machine - St Jude (Video)
Who would have thought it?
Florence & The Machine’s St Jude is the antithesis of her previous bombast. A gentle heart beat, a vulnerable vocal delivery that shows that emotion doesn’t have to contain over-played drama and a beautifully shot video with a gorgeous colour palette. St Jude “the patron saint of the lost causes, we were lost before she started,” doesn’t sound like a single, but bodes very well for Florence’s third album being something much more than a collection of radio hits. This is the sort of song we’d take to bed with us. Gorgeous.
Labels: Florence and the Machine
Charli XCX - Famous (Video)
Tonight Charli XCX plays Brighton, UK. We’ll be there. Based on the previous six gigs we’ve seen her play we’ll probably need a lie down and time to recover afterwards. So for that reason we’re taking just a tiny holiday away from the blog, but normal posting will resume towards the end of the week.
In the meantime here’s the new Eric Wareheim directed video for Famous, which will be Charli’s next single. The video deals with the juxtaposition between reality and social media dependence – complete with selfie sticks, a gimmick that surely in 10 years we’ll all look back at and go ‘do you remember those?’
Famous is set for release on June 1st via Asylum Records. It’s taken from Charli’s album Sucker which currently stands as our most listened to album of 2015. Does this make it our favourite so far? Perhaps. Or perhaps not. We live in age where 'favourite' has become quantified – from clicking the the little star on tweets, to Facebook likes, to You Tube or Hype Machine hearts. Yet there’s also an argument that just because you don’t play a record so many times it can still be a favourite - quantity isn't everything. A lot depends on your listening style and strategy.
Does that last sentence sound a bit theoretical and university thesis like? Yeah, of course it does, but hey sometimes here at Breaking More Waves we like to delve a little bit deeper. It’s not all just ‘here’s a good pop song blah blah blah.’ Although Famous is a really good pop song. Blah blah blah.
So to keep it simple here’s the theory:
If you’re what Huron (2002) described as either an Emotional Listener or an Ecstatic Listener you’re much more likely to define your favourite as something that connects in an emotional way – even if you only listen a few times.
Does the Charli XCX album connect with us on some deep emotional level? Does it give us goosebumps? No. But it does make us want to bounce round the room and do crazy air punches. For the theorists that’s a fair amount of us being a Kinesthetic listener. Sucker isn’t about contemplation, it’s about motivation, and this record gets us fired up.
So next time someone laughs at you for saying that one of your favourite records of the year is some trashy pop album, rather than the new Sufjan Stevens record; ignore them. They’ve just got a different listening style to you, it's that as much as anything else that defines their taste. It doesn’t make you or them any more or less of a music fan.
We linked to Huron’s explanation of listening styles and strategies a few posts ago, but here it is again in case you missed it (click here).
We'll be back soon.
Labels: Charli XCX
Kassassin Street - To Be Young
Right now there’s one band leading the charge from Breaking More Waves home city of Portsmouth and that is Kassassin Street. New song To Be Young is a fine example of why. A propulsive piece of indie rock that has become a staple part of the band’s live set, To Be Young goes at it like two lustful lovers who haven’t seen each other for months and doesn’t let up until it has climaxed after a glorious three minutes and forty seconds. “We could have been someone, oh to be young, to be young,” sings Rowan Bastable, looking back with just a hint of regret. No regrets about Kassassin Street being featured on this blog again though; To Be Young is a relentlessly formidable tune.
Recorded with Tristan Ivemy (Frank Turner/Tubelord) in London and mixed by Dan Grech (Lana Del Ray/Circa Waves/Beck) the song will be released on 30th March, just before the five-piece play another 400 capacity sold out gig at Portsmouth's legendary independent venue The Wedgewood Rooms.
Labels: Kassassin Street
I Am Karate - New Waves
The martial arts generally get short shrift in pop music. Of course there was Kung Fu Fighting, a number 1 hit single in the UK for Carl Douglas back in the 70’s as well as The Beatles Hey Judo (chortle, sorry it’s the best we could do) but other than that we’re struggling to think of any black-belt combat related tunes or groups. That is until today, as we introduce Sweden’s I Am Karate. The Stockholm based duo have been picking up a small amount of blog coverage over the last few days due to their bewilderingly good Rae Morris channelling song Bloom, which mixes piano keys, soft electronic hues and beats to create something you might just go a bit head over heels for. However, don’t immediately pigeon hole Erika Soldh Ahlström and Marta Pettersson, who are I Am Karate, as just Morris copyists; because their debut EP has more diversity than that, displaying different aspects of their contemporary pop sound. There's vast pop-noir in the form of Moment and another track Starts With A Hit sounds like if it was given to Rihanna and beefed up with some glossy studio production would be exactly what it says in the title.
Alongside their music I Am Karate are presenting themselves in a way that at first might seem a bit odd especially if you’re one of the boring ‘real music’ gang who doesn't get the concept that pop is as much about visual representation as it is the songs. For here we find I Am Karate having a dip in the swimming pool. But those of you well versed in everything aquatic will know that there’s been a long history of pop stars taking the plunge, whether it is in the bath (see here) or in the swimming pool (see here). We can only guess that with all these sporting references, I Am Karate are not only providing good musical health for the ears, but reminding us to keep the rest of our bodies in check as well.
I Am Karate - Bloom
Labels: I Am Karate
Bully - New Waves
10 things you need to know about Bully*
1. They’re a band (OK, that’s probably an obvious one, but let’s start with the basics, because you could be mistaken for thinking that's not the case given the photo above.)
2. They have a frenetic punkish energy that is infectious. You’ll be giddy with the rush. They’ll make you feel alive, then sick. But it’s a good sick feeling. Then you’ll feel alive again.
3. Lead singer Alicia Bognanno worked as an intern at Steve Albini’s studio in 2011 and it’s there in after-hours downtime that she started work on what was to become Bully songs.
4. Their track Milkman was first uploaded to Bandcamp last April and has been doing the rounds ever since. It’s brilliant. We particularly like the line about “Spinning around in my underwear.” It’s how the song makes us feel.
5. Milkman (streaming below) clocks in at just over 2 minutes. Another one of their songs, the visceral I Remember is one minutes and forty seven seconds long. We imagine their live shows are short sharp noisy sweaty shocks to the system.
6. They’re the sort of band that in the early 90’s would have been guaranteed a slot on TV show The Word, having just the right mix of indie, alt-power pop and punk. Wouldn't it be good to have a show that featured bands like Bully on mainstream terrestrial TV again? Or does nobody care anymore?
7. They’re coming to the UK in Spring (dates here) and it appears they’re playing the super huge Corn Exchange in Brighton at the Great Escape festival. Our guess is this will be an NME sponsored show.
8. They played quite a few gigs at this year’s SXSW festival, and all the feedback we saw online was positive.
9. As far as we’re aware Milkman is nothing to do with Ernie, The Fastest Milkman In The West (here).
10. They have a drummer called Stewart Copeland. The drummer in The Police was also called Stewart Copeland. We assume they’re not the same person. But if Alicia changes her name to Sting we’ll be suspicious.
*Just in case you don’t know about them yet – as although we’re featuring them in this introducing piece they’ve actually been around since 2013 when they put out an eponymous EP and 7” single).
Bully - Milkman
Milkman b/w Faceblind by Bully
Labels: Bully
Femme - S.O.S
Big chorus alert. “You’re my S.O.S, B.A.B.Y baby,” chants Femme on this rather thunderous piece of pop. What was it Meghan Trainor said? Oh yes, it’s all about that bass. Well there’s certainly plenty of arse clenching deep stuff on this one – we’re imagining fit young scantily clad men and women up on podiums ‘in da club’ shaking their thing whilst S.O.S crashes hard through a gigantic f*ck off sound system. This is definitely pop music to play loud. Even better, it’s being released by a rejuvenated ZTT, the people who brought some of the most exciting, adventurous pop music to the 80’s with records by the likes of Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Grace Jones and Propaganda. The only question that still needs answering is why isn’t Femme up there with the big pop guns yet? She should be. As far as bangers go, this one’s a juggernaut.
Labels: Femme
RIVRS - New Waves
RIVRS are the latest bad spelling, search engine optimised, London based electronic trio to crop up on the Breaking More Waves radar, and we’re rather glad they did. Charlotte, Fin and Fred are purveyors of slick sophisticated sultry modern pop, and have managed to cross our path three times now, through their cover of En Vogue’s Don’t Let Go, (under an earlier name) their rather compelling and danceable song Close To You and now with Last Love, a track on the latest Kitsuné New Faces compilation. The eagle eyed among you might also recognise one member of RIVRS, Fred McLaren, as the drummer was previously a member of the band Post War Years.
RIVRS music is the equivalent of champagne - classy and highly enjoyable. Take a listen below and let them hit your taste buds.
RIVRS - Close To You
RIVRS - Last Love
Labels: RIVRS
Preview - Are You Listening? Festival 2015
Today our first festival preview for 2015.....
If you’ve looked at any music media this week you could quite easily be mistaken and have been led to believe that there are only two festivals in the world this year, namely Glastonbury and South By Southwest. The Kanye for Glastonbury announcement and the reaction of the conservative ‘real music’ moaners (which we wrote about on Tuesday – here) picked up numerous headlines. And in a similar overload, online music social media has been full of South by Southwest commentary from those there.
Of course the two events are huge beasts and accompanying their scale comes expense; these are festivals that only the privileged can attend. Back in 1990 a ticket for Glastonbury cost £38, in 2004 it was £112. This year it is £220.
However, for those on a cheaper budget there are other options.
One such option is Reading’s Are You Listening? Now in its third year AYL gives you over 60 acts playing in 8 venues on one day in Reading centre. Of course the likes of Kanye and The Foo Fighters won’t be there, but you will find God Damn, who are currently running amok at SXSW, alongside a number of acts who are likely to familiar to you such as Pulled Apart By Horses, Smoke Fairies and DJ John Kennedy from XFM. The price? A tiny £12 (or £10 if you got in early) and if you're London based it's not too difficult to catch a train home and be safely tucked up in bed after. Plus for your £12 you also know that you’re doing some good in the world, as the event supports Reading Mencap, a local charity that supports people with learning disabilities and their families. In the previous two years AYL has raised a fantastic £16,000 for this charity. This is an event with its heart truly in the right place.
Breaking More Waves has been in attendance at each AYL (read our review of last year here – we called it a belter) and once again it will be our Reading festival of choice in 2015 rather than the bigger, nastier, smellier one just down the road. Why not join us there? You can't get much better value for money.
Are You Listening takes place on the 18th April 2015. Grab your multi venue wristband by clicking here and see the full line up here.
Still not convinced? Check out this video which shows footage from last year and has interviews with the organisers.
Of course no festival preview would be complete without some recommendations from Breaking More Waves of acts to catch. Here are 5 playing this year’s event on our must see list (timetable and line up clashes permitting of course!). See you down the front.
Blog Sound of 2014 and 2015 nominee and an often featured artist on Breaking More Waves. Beautifully melancholy and emotional songs that will strike you and make your insides flutter.
Maiians
Oxford-based electronic project who have been compared to Caribou and Four Tet and are inspired by house and techno but add flourishes of ambient sound and even post-rock guitar to their grooves.
Another artist who has been featured multiple times on Breaking More Waves who makes engaging pop with an attractive openness to it.
Shannon Wardrop
BBC Berkshire Introducing demo panel winner Shannon Wardrop brings a bit of grit and raw-heartedness to her guitar driven songs. Quite possibly the cream of this years local / Berkshire acts on the bill.
Hart is London based singer/ songwriter Daniel Pattison who has come from a folk background to create something with a far wider scope, topped off with angelic falsetto vocals not dissimilar to Bon Iver and James Vincent McMorrow.
Labels: Hart, Maiians, Music Festivals, Robyn Sherwell, Shannon Wardrop, Sophie Jamieson
Black Coast - Ride ft M.Maggie
Here’s a swish, cinematic piece of pop from Black Coast (producer Stan Rapoport). Having already pressed music bloggers buttons with the songs TRNDSTTR and Enough (which we featured here) he returns once again with vocalist M. Maggie in tow. However, despite the fact that this is Black Coast’s third song and each one has featured the same vocalist, Stan has clarified that Black Coast is not a duo. “It has definitely been confusing for everyone to see three songs come out back to back from two collaborators who aren’t in an actual band together. I think Maggie and I are enjoying the freedom to constantly write with other people and be able to switch things up,” Stan told go to blog / website Hilly Dilly earlier today.
Ride is affirmation that Black Coast knows how to put a song together. There’s a hint of Ultravox’s Vienna in those first few seconds (always a good thing) before the tune gradually grows through gentle and considered restraint to something more powerful, without ever being bombastic. If you’re a fan of the more melancholy side of pop music that we post a fair amount of on Breaking More Waves, you’ll like this.
Labels: Black Coast
Rag 'N' Bone Man - Hard Came The Rain (Video)
Are you one of those so called ‘music fans’ who believes that the likes of hip-hop, pop, and electronica aren't ‘real types of music’ or even isn’t music at all? Are you one of those rockist bores who has got a bit moany and signed this petition against the fact that Kanye West is headlining Glastonbury, calling his appearance 'an insult to music fans all over the world'? Do you believe the dated and frankly ridiculous philosophy that pretentiousness and ego has no place in modern music?
If you answered yes to any of those questions then we have some good news for you, because today we’re streaming the new video from Rag ‘N Bone Man, and this one’s full of big guitar riffs and firmly masculine vocals. You’ll probably like it. It probably fits your narrowminded f*ckwits view of 'real music' and 'talent' and 'honesty'.
We agree that it's bloody good.
But if you are one of those sad people who seems unable to acknowledge that:
1. You bought a ticket before the line up was announced and therefore need to accept that the line up may not meet your expectations. It’s a bit like an old age pensioner booking a mystery coach tour and then complaining when it ends up in Hull because they were expecting Devon.
2.Glastonbury festival has a multitude of stages – you don’t need to stay at the Pyramid if you don’t like what’s on.
3. The diversity of music and the new stones that it turns over is a beautiful thing.
4. Glastonbury Festival isn't run just for your personal enjoyment.
And if you do think that only rock acts should headline Glastonbury, then you’re probably also the sort of person that thinks that you should only have sex in one position, because ‘that’s the way it should be done’, then we also have news for you.
Because guess what? Rag ‘N’ Bone Man doesn’t just do rock. He does blues, he does soul, he does gospel, he does funk and yes, HE DOES HIP HOP AS WELL.
Rag ‘N’ Bone Man gets it.
Here's his new video. Enjoy Hard Came The Rain, which Rag ‘N’ Bone Man explains as follows: “I came up with the idea of the video half way through the writing process. I was inspired while watching True Romance and seeing the high energy and the tension between the couple. I wanted to convey the frustration of a volatile relationship.”
See you in the fields of Glastonbury (possibly) – a festival that represents all musical types for all the people, not just those who only enjoy the musical equivalent of just the missionary position in Devon.
Rag 'N' Bone Man - Hard Comes The Rain (Video)
Labels: Rag 'n' Bone Man
Golden Fable - Lifeline (Video)
It’s amazing what you can do with a body, a bit of muddy grassland and some sheets of plastic. Ok, reality check, there’s probably not a huge amount you can do, but certainly Golden Fable have made a very good effort with this new video for the song Lifeline. This one’s a bit creepy / disturbing in a Truman Show / Under The Dome sort of way (you'll see what we mean as you watch) – just on a much smaller budget.
Lifeline itself isn’t small on a budget of ideas though, with Rebecca’s voice soaring high (quite literally) into the landscape over a softly building blend of acoustic led indie pop and piano keys. It really does make everything seem OK.
Golden Fable hit SXSW, Austin, Texas on the 19th and 20th March where they’ll be doing their bit representing Wales, before returning to the UK for a gig at Sound Control, Manchester on 31st March. Lifeline is taken from Golden Fable's second LP Ancient Blue and is released as a single on the 23rd March through Full Of Joy Records.
Labels: Golden Fable
Kathryn Joseph - New Waves
When you read music journalism have you ever considered how the writer in question has listened to the music? This might seem like an odd question, but did you know that there are over 20 different ways of doing so? If you enjoy a certain writer's style it may be because you both listen to music in the same sort of way.
For example if you’re a programmatic listener you will catch yourself finding non-musical references in the music, creating images or visualising certain scenes. However if you’re an innovation listener you will attempt to pick out sounds or constructs within the music you haven’t heard before – the novelty aspect will appeal. Or maybe you’re an emotional listener, wanting the music to create a sense of feeling within you – a lump in the throat or a smile. Often we listen in more than way, but we all almost certainly have dominant styles. If you want to see all these styles and identify what ones you most often click this link.
Why do we mention this? The answer is because of The Bird by Kathryn Joseph. It’s an incredibly absorbing tune, created from Kathryn’s eerie wavering vocal and haunting desolate piano keys. If anything it sounds a little creepy, as if it's crawled from the crypt. It gets under the skin; but in a good way.
The Bird stopped us in our tracks the moment we first heard it. There were goosebumps. According to the list of listening styles, this was ecstatic listening, the music creating a physiological response – a frisson. We’d take a guess we probably aren’t the only ones who have had this sensation. Certainly Joseph has already been noticed by some other music blogs such as Scottish Fiction, Just Music I Like and Gold Flake Paint and now somewhat belatedly we’re adding our name to that list.
Kathryn Joseph’s album Bones You Have Thrown Me And Blood I’ve Spilled is out now. You can buy it by clicking here.
Kathryn Joseph - The Bird
Labels: Kathryn Joseph
Huntar - Love I Know
Is Huntar still a mystery artist? We only ask because now there’s a new picture of him (above), which if we’re not mistaken looks a bit like this lad (see here). If that’s correct then Wikipedia is also right. And if they’re all correct then our suggestion in a previous blog post from last September that he may have already had some sort of fledgling musical career as an Ed Sheeran / Lewis Watson styled troubadour but decided to try something different and felt it should go under a different name seems to have been pretty bang on.
So with that out of the way let’s get to the music, because this is a music blog not a detective agency.
Love I Know is the first track from Huntar’s next EP which arrives on the 4th May and is distinctly in the camp of the r ‘n’ b key pushers and knob twiddlers that have become common place since the arrival of the likes of James Blake / The Weeknd etc. This one’s no sex sizzler like The Weeknd though. No, this is more relationship gone tits up than anything else. “We’ve been fighting way too long, don’t walk away from me, stepping backwards seems so wrong,” he sings against oppressively tasteful electronic atmospherics before he pleads that he can give all the love he knows in the chorus. But maybe it’s all too late?
Labels: Huntar
The Night VI - Turn Your Light On Me
A few words about some of the philosophy and idea behind the blog and why we do it. If this navel gazing type of post bores the pants of you, then just skip to the bottom and press play.
Two of the things we’ve always prided ourselves on at Breaking More Waves are being fully independent from both the music industry (yes, there are blogs out there who are written by people who work in the industry, writing about acts that they have a financial interest in, who don’t give full disclosure of the fact) and the critics. In the early days of the blog we carried reviews of albums and attempted to deliver critical analysis of music, but eventually came to the conclusion that we didn’t see the point of spending hours critiquing something and giving it a panning when we weren’t being paid for it – we’d rather spend our spare time being positive about music we like and acting as a ‘fan blog’.
And as a non-industry fan blog this means that we’ll often feature artists that we’re fans of multiple times, irrespective of if they’re signed or unsigned, popular or not. It's a fact that there are certain blogs that won't cover an artist beyond the initial tentative first footsteps of their career. We're not suggesting that this is right or wrong to do so, each blog is the product of its author's mind and should be allowed the freedom to cover what it wants, but it's not our approach to hump and dump every artist we cover. Sometimes we like to be in it for the long haul. True love rather than quickie romance if you will.
Can you guess who the most featured artist is on Breaking More Waves over the years? It’s this lass (click here). We couldn't think of a better act to demonstrate our approach than her - from blog buzz / Sound of predictions through to major label and then going her own independent way - we've written about her all the way.
One other band that has become a blog regular through our fan based approach is The Night VI. That coverage has extended from lead singer Sophie-Rose Harper’s early solo days, through to when we featured them as just The Night through to the addition of the roman numerals to their name. Over that journey we’ve noticed a swell in coverage from other music blogs (hurrah) and whilst popularity on the internet doesn’t always translate into real tangible substance such as music or ticket sales, certainly the couple of times we’ve seen The Night VI they seem to be pulling half decent audiences in.
Today The Night VI release their latest tune to woo a few more lovers into their musical clutches. It’s a song about a love triangle, sung as a duet between lead vocalist Sophie-Rose and vocalist/keys player Kristy – Abba are a point of reference for what the band were going for here in terms of that vocal delivery. Once again the song features all those things that made us fall in love with The Night VI in the first place; smooth harmonies, well-structured songs and musicianship that when you close your eyes takes you somewhere else. It will be interesting to see with this one if The Night VI remain a favourite in the blogosphere or if the fickle bloggers will be off to pastures new, considering the band a bit 'old hat' by now. There's no chance of that with us though. This is delightful. We’re still in the fan club.
Turn Your Light On Me will feature on an EP the band plan to release in September. You can pre-order from this link.
Labels: The Night VI
Malka - Let It Go
Now here’s a tune. No, it's not a cover of THAT Frozen song.
This one’s a rather infectious piece of beat laden electronic pop from Tamara Schlesinger, formerly an international gymnast, fashion designer and member of 6 Day Riot who now goes under the name of Malka. Believe us, she’s really taking it on with this, quite literally.
“Take ’em on, take on the preachers. Take ‘em on take on the world,” she sings and we guarantee that by the time the fuzzed up electronics, tribal drums and nursery rhyme vocals go bang bang bang inside your head you’ll be begging for more. If Bananarama had been listening to Paper Planes by M.I.A and (most importantly) the much covered New Orleans song Iko Iko and had decided to record a new single we guess it would sound something like this.
What was it Kylie sang? Oh yes, we can’t get this one out our head.
Malka is releasing her forthcoming album Marching To Another Beat via a Pledge campaign, which is already fully funded. Full details can be found on this link.
As we said, now here's a tune.
Labels: Malka
Frankie - New Obsession
As much as we sometimes like to rant about the banality of many lyrics in today's pop music (fact: if an artist sings a song that mentions being ‘in da club’ it’s over between them and us, irrespective of who they are) we’re partial to a big woah-oh-oh chorus. Contradictions eh? And there’s a big woah-oh-oh in the new hook littered pop gold nugget New Obsession from West Coast U.S newcomer Frankie. “I don’t want to be your best friend, just let me be your new obsession,” she sings pleading not only to that person who she wants to be something more to but us as an audience as well.
This one’s so catchy you’re going to need some very strong medicine if you don’t want to get it. If you only listen to ‘alternative’ music, you’ll probably hate it, but if you just care for a good tune, this will make your day that much better. Oh and yes, it does sound a bit nu-TS* doesn’t it?
*Taylor Swift.
Labels: Frankie
Grimes - REALiTi (Video)
Whilst we hang around impatiently waiting for a new Grimes LP, yesterday the lady herself sowed a new seed of musical fertility. Not that this seed is about to sprout an album, because this one is a bit of an old cast off. Even the bad spelling of the title is so 2012/3. But at least it tempers our frustration a little.
“Lost the ableton file, so it’s not mixed or mastered,” Grimes wrote in the description with this video. “I tried to doctor the mp3 into a listenable state, but it was poorly recorded in the first place and never meant to be heard by anyone, so it’s a bit of a mess haha.”
Well this ‘bit of a mess’ sounds fine to us. It could have easily sat quite comfortably on Visions, floating along on a far gentler groove than the more GO-FOR-THE-DROP EDM / Trap influenced Go. What Claire comes up with when the album finally gets a release remains to be seen, but this does the job for now.
Labels: Grimes
Shura - 2Shy
What’s this? Surely not a cover of the 1983 Kajagoogoo ‘classic’? Sadly not, but before we go on let’s just pause for a moment and remember….
(Click here for the pause)
The haircuts !!!!
The fact that that was basically a one minute thirty second song extended to three minutes just by repeating the chorus over and over again !!!!
It was a number 1 hit single !!!!
Fast forward three decades and Shura is the next one to bring us 2Shy. There’s a few more words than Kajagoogoo, the haircut’s less silly, but the music’s ravishing, Shura sounding like the girl that’s been left standing on the side of the dancefloor at the 80’s tinged disco whilst the glitterball spins and everything goes a bit soft focus and gooey.
Kajagoogoo your time is up. (Actually it was up by the end of 1984, showing just what a fickle game pop can be.)
Labels: Shura
Casi - New Waves
We’re not sure if we’ve ever heard an electronic pop song sung in Welsh before today, but then we hadn’t listened to Hardd by Casi Wyn. Then we did and even although we’ve absolutely no idea what she’s singing about, (let’s hope it’s nothing too rude or controversial) its sound is haunting and seductively lush enough to find us not caring. It’s no wonder that Casi was chosen last year as one of twelve Welsh artists to be part of Horizon, a partnership between BBC Cymru Wales and the Arts Council of Wales, to support and promote emerging Welsh music. You can hear Hardd by clicking here.
Nearly one year on from Casi’s inclusion in that project we get Roads, which finds her growing in confidence as an artist, adding soft R&B beats to her lilting accent and a ghostly otherworldly electronic production. It all makes for a fascinating and rather impressively dreamy concoction from this Bangor singer who is currently studying in London.
Casi - Roads
Labels: Casi
Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition 2015 Longlist Revealed
The Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition gives new and unsigned artists from the UK and Ireland the chance to compete for a slot on one of the main stages at the world’s most famous festival. Today the longlist of 120 acts selected by the first round judges (including Breaking More Waves) was published. This longlist will be cut down into a shortlist of just 8 by another group of judges. The lucky 8 will then be invited to play at a live final in Pilton in April to decide the winner.
It’s the fourth time that Breaking More Waves has been involved in judging the opening round of the competition, which this year had in the region of 7,000 entries. For 2015, for our part, we listened to just over 150 acts from a variety of genres from folk, indie, rock, pop, soul, electronic and more and were asked to choose 3 for the longlist.
Our three choices are:
1st Felix Hagan & The Family
Brilliantly absurd and dandyish musical theatre that will have you dancing on the tables. Our number 1 choice.
2nd Wyldest
Already featured a number of times on Breaking More Waves. Hazy, melancholy, ethereal pop that twinkles and shimmers with loveliness. For fans of Beach House and 80's indie.
3rd Fjokra
A bit of a ‘wild card’ choice perhaps, but this confusing multi-genre embracing alt pop/rock full of hyperactivity stood out for its plethora of ideas.
We’re looking forward to listening to all the acts nominated, and of course seeing who the long list judges choose for the live final. In previous years some of the bands who have made the longlist (but don't necessarily make the shortlist) go on to do well anyway, even if they don't make the final. For example the likes of Circa Waves, Laura Doggett and Slaves have all cropped up on this list and have then gone on to get record deals.
You can see the full longlist for 2015 here and listen to most of the nominated acts here, except for a small handful who didn't supply a public link to the song they entered, including one of our own choices Wyldest (although you can hear their new single above).
Labels: Glastonbury Emerging Talent 2015
Låpsley - Brownlow (Video)
As soon as this new Låpsley video for Brownlow was released yesterday virtually every new music site in our land (and other lands) rushed to post it. A day after, the video still has just around 4,000 views so we figure there’s a hell of a lot of people out there who don’t click play as soon as something new is posted, so a more leisurely and less rushed post is still worth the time.
Here’s the key facts you need to know about Brownlow:
1. The song is taken from her Understudy EP, which is a very good EP. In fact we have a spreadsheet called Favourite EPs of 2015 and it is listed on that spreadsheet. Having said that there are only 2 other EPs listed right now, which suggests we either have very high standards or actually haven’t listened to that many new EPs this year. See if you can guess which it is.
2. There’s a mellow bouncy bass sound in Brownlow which sounds very much like the bouncy bass sounds that bald headed techno brothers Orbital used to make. This is also a good thing. More bouncy bald brother bass please.
3. The video is basically Låpsley riding around in a car a bit and being ‘in da club’. Thankfully she has yet to write a song with lyrics that revolve around her being ‘in da club’ but if she does we may have to reconsider our position on her as that would not be a good thing. This song, as far as we can tell, is about living for the moment and seeing what happens, with lyrics about jumping into a pool and not knowing where the bottom is. Dangerous but exciting. Especially if you can't swim.
4. Låpsley was the winner of the Blog Sound of 2015 poll. This was also a good thing – she was one of our votes.
5. She’s playing some live shows and festivals soon. Dates (here). Another good thing.
In summary Låpsley + music = a good thing.
Labels: Lapsley
Chløë Black - 27 Club (New Video)
Remember 27 Club by Chløë Black? It was one of the underground pop tunes of 2014 and garnered Chløë a place on this blog's 10 Ones to Watch 2015 list. Well, the good news is that it’s now getting an official release via an EP which includes the song, a remix by one of our other Ones to Watch (Elderbrook) and another track Cruel Intentions. This also means that there’s a new video for the song. It’s fair to say that this one is a bit slicker and ghoulishly film-noir stylish than the previous one – the message of the film seeming to be that if when eating your tea a flower pops out of your mouth, get ready to say your goodbyes.
In more Ones to Watch news Chløë is also going to be out on the road supporting yet another of the names on our list – Rag ‘N’ Bone Man (it’s almost as if we planned this with some sort of inside knowledge – we didn’t!) with dates in Norwich and Southampton. She also supports Rhodes at Village Underground in London and Kiesza at Shepherds Bush Empire. So if you have tickets to any of these shows do whatever it takes to get there early. Shove a flower violently in your bosses mouth at tea break if he or she won't let you sneak off a bit early to get there in time if you have to.
Just to make things clear – this is a 10/10 pop song and Chløë Black looks like she is a singer of near 10/10 proportions. If you go to see her alongside Rag 'N' Bone Man it's basically going to be like an episode of The Voice, without the swivel chairs and everything that is annoying about the show taken out and extra layers of darkness thrown in.
Labels: Chloe Black
The Japanese House - New Waves
If you follow us on Twitter you might have seen us grumbling recently about ‘premieres.’ It seems to us that music industry protocol decrees that every new song released must have some sort of premiere or exclusive coverage. Whether you’re Arcade Fire premiering your new video on Pitchfork or a lo-fi indie band with your latest slice of dirty noise streaming exclusively on some small scale d-i-y music blog, helping you to sell 50 copies of your latest vinyl release, if you haven’t got one, it seems as if you’re worth nothing in certain sectors.
But frankly we couldn’t give a flying fig about premieres / exclusives. Apologies now to bands and PR companies who offer them to us when they get an email back that says ‘yes this is good and we’re going to post it but we’re not bothered about going first with it, see if you can find someone else who this sort of thing is important to’ response.
There’s a really great post about these things on Song By Toad called Why EXCLUSIVES!!! Make Me Hate Music. It’s kind of funny, kind of rude, but it hits the nail on the head from where we’re coming from. We're glad we're not the only ones who think this way. Basically these things are 99% of the time about desperation and attention. Have a read (and a giggle – we did) here.
Why do we mention this? Because of this new song by a new act that goes by the name of The Japanese House, who according to twitter is actually a singer called Amber Bain. A quick google search of Amber reveals that she may have released some past material under other names, although we’re unable to 100% confirm this.
The Japanese House is due to release a debut EP Pools To Bathe In through Dirty Hit (home of The 1975, Wolf Alice and Marika Hackman) on the 27th April. But here’s the thing; it had its radio premiere on Zane Lowe last night, then its blog premiere on Noisey. So, by the rules of premieres and exclusives it’s already asserted itself as being a moderately important record by industry types.
This of course all sounds rather cynical on our part – but when it comes to the music, we’re not. Why? Because it wins. Still, the first track from The Japanese House fits perfectly in with the zeitgeist, with electronically filtered vocals and chilled studio electronics that are the equivalent of a lush pile carpet. But under all that trickery is the important stuff – a melody, and a rather alluring one at that.
The Japanese House - Still
Labels: The Japanese House
Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition 2015 Longl...
Lucy Rose - Our Eyes
Coasts - Modern Love
Grasscut - September's Night Sky
Oh Wonder - Technicolour Beat
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TRUCKS: Caleb Holman gives #75 first NASCAR dirt track last-place finish since 1960
PHOTO: @RPMReport
Caleb Holman picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career in Wednesday’s Eldora Dirt Derby at the Eldora Speedway when his #75 Food Country USA / Lopez Wealth Management Chevrolet fell out with transmission issues after 12 of 150 laps. The finish came in Holman’s 34th series start.
The story of Holman’s last-place finish is as much about the team as it is the driver. Team owner Charlie Henderson has been fielding competitive stock cars and trucks since March 14, 1982, when Brad Teague came home 12th in the Valleydale 500 at Bristol. Not far from the Bristol track, on the other side of the Tennessee / Virginia border, Henderson Motorsports still has the same base in Abingdon, Virginia. This same town not only held the headquarters for three-time Daytona 500 winners Morgan-McClure Motorsports, but also that of Food Country USA, the grocery chain founded by the Henderson family in 1914. For this reason, most every racer that rolled out of the Henderson shop carried Food Country’s logos on the quarter-panels.
Since their 1982 debut, Henderson Motorsports has remained a fixture in stock car racing, having entered races in all three of NASCAR’s top divisions, ARCA, and the X-1R Pro Cup Series. They were most prolific in the XFINITY Series from 1985 through 2007, during which time the Food Country USA colors made 296 series starts. Their best points finishes were a pair of 7th-place runs in 1987, again with Brad Teague, and 1992 with Butch Miller. Teague also gave the team its first of three XFINITY wins, which came at Martinsville in 1987. The other two were earned in 1989 by journeyman driver Rick Wilson, who in 2010 would drive a similarly-painted car to victory in an exhibition race at Bristol.
Caleb Holman has been the bridge for Henderson Motorsports’ transition from XFINITY to its current life in the Truck Series. Also born in Abingdon, Holman made his stock car debut in 2003, when he finished 18th in his ARCA debut at Nashville. At the time, the 19-year-old Holman was driving for his father Darrell, who also entered him in two XFINITY races that year at Richmond and Milwaukee. Holman first drove for Henderson’s team in 2005, when he ran 26th in a Pro Cup race at Bristol, and drove the team’s final two XFINITY races at Richmond in 2006 and Bristol in 2007. By then, Henderson and Holman had turned their attention to full-time Pro Cup competition. The duo won their first of 15 races at Bristol in 2008. In 2014, Holman stormed to the series championship, scoring half the season’s 12 wins and finishing Top 10 in each.
Henderson Racing’s Truck Series effort, meanwhile, began in 2012 with Holman running a partial schedule. This time, the team made their series debut at Rockingham in 2012, where Holman finished 21st. As Holman reached the peak of his Pro Cup career, the Truck Series remained a part-time operation with no more than eight starts a year. But, after the Pro Cup Series ended in 2014, the team has still only run a handful of races. Slowly, but surely, the team has again rebuilt itself with Holman earning his first Top 10 at Marintsville in 2015, an 8th in a race won by Matt Crafton. This year, Holman has shared his ride with driver-turned-broadcaster Parker Kligerman, and the team has now doubled their Top 10 total with four in 37 series starts.
The Eldora dirt track held special significance for both driver and team. Last year, Holman took his first NASCAR pole at the track and finished 2nd in his heat race before an early wreck in the main left him 30th. In a field of 34 series regulars and dirt-track ringers, Holman was looking to build on the performance. On Tuesday, he ran 10th in the opening practice, then put up the fastest lap in Happy Hour – the only driver to break the 20-second mark. Wednesday saw him qualify 9th with a lap of 88.162mph, which lined him up next to point leader Christopher Bell on the front row of Heat Race #4. Holman defended his spot, and remained 9th on the grid for the Main.
Starting last in Wednesday night’s feature was ARCA driver Ray Ciccarelli, who filled the seat of Jennifer Jo Cobb’s #10 Stealth Belt Chevrolet. Though not on the preliminary entry list, Ciccarelli had locked himself into his first-ever Truck Series start despite a spin in the Last Chance Qualifier that left him 2 laps down, 7th in the 8-truck field. The only driver to actually fail to qualify was Tommy Regan, who ran a conservative lap in Norm Benning’s second truck, #57, then parked after two laps of Heat Race #3. The other driver sent home was a frustrated J.R. Heffner, whose Martins Motorsports-prepared #44 A. Colarusso / Park East Sales Chevrolet lost an engine during his qualifying lap. Without a backup engine and unable to obtain another, driver and team were forced to withdraw before the Heat Races even began.
As the 32-truck field field made their pace laps, 31st-place starter Mike Harmon (who replaced Josh Reaume in Beaver Motorsports’ #50 Chevrolet) made a brief unscheduled pit stop, then returned to the track before the start. When the green flag dropped, it was Harmon who now trailed the field by 8 seconds on Lap 1, then 10 seconds on Lap 2. On the fourth circuit, last place changed hands with the first caution of the night.
Bobby Pierce, twice denied a dominant victory in this event, had been struggling to find the handle on his #63 Gotta Race / 866-Get-A-Pro Metal Roofing Chevrolet. After handling woes in practice and qualifying, Pierce spun out of a transfer spot in Heat Race #1 and backed into the Turn 3 wall, crumpling the sheet metal around the fuel filler neck. Extensive repairs by the Mike Mittler team’s seven crewmen got the truck back onto the grid for the Last Chance Qualifier just in time for the start. Pierce responded by rallying from the back of the pack to the win, securing the 26th spot on the grid.
But on Lap 4, Pierce was in trouble again. J.J. Yeley lost control in front of him and the two made contact, damaging Pierce’s right-front. Then Pierce’s teammate Chris Windom rear-ended the #63. Pierce lost a lap as his truck stalled, then managed to make it to pit road. Yeley, whose left-front was obliterated in the collision with Pierce, took the last spot on Lap 5 as the crew looked under the hood of his #83 Fr8Auction.com Chevrolet. He rejoined the race on Lap 10, four laps down, as the field lined up for a restart.
On Lap 12, Caleb Holman was still among the leaders when his truck bogged-down on the restart. Sitting in the outside lane, Holman was able to steer clear of traffic and hug the outside wall, then came down to the garage area. He reported that the truck’s transmission was stuck in first gear. Four laps later on the 16th circuit, Holman slipped behind Yeley for last, where he would remain for the rest of the race. On Lap 25, Holman made one more lap to see if the team’s repairs were successful. Unfortunately, he quickly returned to the garage, where his #75 was lined up next to Tommy Regan’s parked #57. The team was done for the night.
Holman’s mechanical troubles did allow him to escape unscathed from a series of hard crashes that slowed many of the early laps and filled the remainder of the Bottom Five. 31st went to Daytona winner Kaz Grala, whose #33 15-40 Connection Chevrolet collided hard with the right-front of Christopher Bell’s spinning #4 Toyota. While Bell managed to work his way back to the lead before a flat tire left him 9th, Grala was done for the night.
The other three spots were filled by trucks involved in another grinding Turn 2 crash. On Lap 43, Ben Rhodes’ #27 Safelite Auto Glass Toyota was collected in a collision between Australian rookie Max Johnston’s spinning #02 Brandt Chevrolet and Korbin Forrister in Jennifer Jo Cobb’s second truck, the #0 Chevrolet. While Forrister managed to make his way back around the track, he soon found his way to the garage along with the other two disabled trucks.
*This marked the first last-place finish for the #75 in a Truck Series race since October 15, 2011, when Johnny Borneman III’s unsponsored Norm Benning Racing Chevrolet fell out with handling woes after 1 lap of the Smith’s 350 at Las Vegas. Benning himself finished 15th that day, which was his career-best finish at the time. Wednesday at Eldora, he finished 13th, his second-best series finish behind a 12th at Talladega in 2013.
*This marked the first NASCAR last-place finish for car owner Charlie Henderson since August 21, 1998, when Kelly Denton’s run in the Food City 250 at Bristol ended after his #75 Food Country Chevrolet lost an engine after 8 of 250 laps. It is the team’s first last-place finish in the Truck Series.
*Among the top three NASCAR divisions, this marked the first last-place finish for the #75 on a dirt track since June 5, 1960, when John Dodd, Jr.’s 1960 Ford lost an engine after 37 laps of the Richmond 200 at the Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway. It was Dodd’s only last-place finish in 23 career Cup starts. The track, now known as Richmond Raceway, wasn’t paved until 1968.
32) #75-Caleb Holman / 12 laps / transmission
31) #33-Kaz Grala / 34 laps / crash
30) #27-Ben Rhodes / 40 laps / crash
29) #02-Max Johnston / 41 laps / crash
28) #0-Korbin Forrister / 44 laps / crash
1st) Copp Motorsports, Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing, Norm Benning Racing (2)
2nd) Halmar Friesen Racing, Henderson Motorsports, MB Motorsports, MDM Motorsports, TJL Motorsports (1)
1st) Chevrolet (11)
CUP: Aric Almirola edges Matt DiBenedetto by a mat...
XFINITY: Jeff Green scores 100th NASCAR last-place...
TRUCKS: Mike Senica nearly pulls ARCA / Truck Seri...
7/20/86: Canadian open-wheel driver Cliff Hucul ex...
Preliminary Entry List Storylines: Pocono and Iowa...
CUP: Corey LaJoie’s early crash a footnote to stro...
XFINITY: Jeff Green qualifies 28th on 25-lap tires...
OPINION: The Brickyard 400’s Identity Crisis
8/5/95: Elton Sawyer’s long-awaited Cup debut foll...
TRUCKS: Caleb Holman gives #75 first NASCAR dirt t...
Preliminary Entry List Storylines: Indianapolis an...
CUP: Tumultuous week for Erik Jones ends with #77’...
XFINITY: John Jackson’s late entry keeps field ful...
7/11/93: First Cup Series last-place finish at Lou...
Preliminary Entry List Storylines: Loudon
CUP: Gray Gaulding comes up short of setting unpre...
XFINITY: Hard luck Brandon Jones becomes just seco...
TRUCKS: Norm Benning’s smoking engine makes the sh...
4/12/58: 1958 LASTCAR Cup Series Champion Neil Cas...
Preliminary Entry List Storylines: Kentucky
CUP: Ryan Sieg's the first of four early engine fa...
XFINITY: Crash puts brakes on strong run for Josh ...
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posted Jul 3, 2017, 7:30 AM by Matt Gardi
It's Monday...and Bowery Station is open?!?! Ya got that right...because we like to celebrate Independence in a grand way...
Monday, July 3 - Abby Iggy starts off the celebration from 2-4:30 with her soulful singin', opening up for the hard hitting boys from Six String South who will be rocking from 5pm until the fireworks start boomin'. Come on out and enjoy a great Monday and start your Independence Day Celebration off right!
Wednesday, July 5 - Get your salt on with Brian Bowen from 2:30-5pm then come on out from 6-8ish and sing a song at the infamous Bowery Station Open Mic hosted by Matt Gardi. All performer tips generated for the month of July and August will go to benefit the Franklin County Humane Society in lead up to the SGI Sizzler 5K on Saturday August 5th.
Thursday, July 6 - Bowery Station, in striving to make Thursdays the New Fridays, presents the return of Treble Hook from 6-9pm. These guys know how to rock it out with a southern fried energy, lighting up the stage with some of the best percussion, vocals and guitar licks you will find on the Forgotten Coast. It's Thursday...and it is going to eleven.
Friday, July 7 - Two of Apalachicola's favorites are lined up for a great Friday. First, Chelsea and Emerson of Well Worn Soles bring their light hearted folk, fiddle and guitar out for a show from 3-5pm that reminds one of Patsy Cline and John Prine. Then, who better to follow up our favorite folk heros than.....get ready for it.....how 'bout The Adventures of Annabelle Lyn from 7-10pm! These ladies were showstoppers during Chickfest 2017 and quickly became the talk of the town. With masterful fiddle, upright bass and guitar, these ladies can harmonize like few other acts as their energetic show commands attention. While their covers range from folk to Floyd, their originals are by far the best part of the show! Now that is what Fridays are made for!
Saturday, July 8 - Feeling Lucky? Well we are as Lucky Mud returns to Bowery Station from 2:30-5pm for another performance that pleases any generation. Then, get ready to rock n' roll because the boys of Southern Flood are ready to lay down some serious tunes from 6:30-9:30pm. These cats always bring something new out to help raise the roof at Bowery Station so plan accordingly, there will be some dancing, and hootin' and hollerin' going on this Saturday!
Sunday, July 9 - Bruce Graybeal brings his acoustic 12 string back to the stage for a show of americana and folk from 3-5pm. Then, in Bowery Station's continued effort to bring fresh music to the stage, we welcome West of Staley Jazz Trio from 6-9pm. These young talents will set a great vibe for a Sunday evening in Apalachicola!
No rest for the weary live music enthusiast...but hey, that's what we do at Bowery Station...serving up fresh talent for the hungry masses as only BS can do!
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Discovery-focused
24.93 The Search for Meaning (New)
Subject meets with 24.A03
"We create islands of meaning in the sea of information" (Freeman Dyson). In this subject, we will explore a central feature of human nature: we are meaning-seeking engines. There are many ways of encoding and extracting meaning. We will talk about smoke signals, talking drums, alphabets, Universal Grammar, artificial languages, the problem of first contact, code breaking, Sherlock Holmes, the genetic code, and much more. We will bring in ideas from information theory, cryptography, linguistics, logic, psychology, anthropology, computer science, philosophy, and literature. Includes some reading and thinking outside class, but no problem sets or papers. Subject can count toward the 9-unit discovery-focused credit limit for first year students.
K. von Fintel
24.00 Problems of Philosophy
Introduction to the problems of philosophy- in particular, to problems in ethics, metaphysics, theory of knowledge, and philosophy of logic, language, and science. A systematic rather than historical approach. Readings from classical and contemporary sources, but emphasis is on examination and evaluation of proposed solutions to the problems.
M. Schoenfield
24.01 Classics of Western Philosophy
Introduction to Western philosophical tradition through the study of selected major thinkers such as Plato, Aristotle, Lucretius, Descartes, Hobbes, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Kant, Nietzsche and Marx. Emphasis on changes of intellectual outlook over time, and the complex interplay of scientific, religious and political concerns that influence the development of philosophical ideas.
S. Haslanger
24.013 Philosophy and the Arts
Explores philosophical questions about art in general, and about the particular arts, such as literature and music. Measures the answers philosophers have proposed to these questions against our own experiences with the arts. Readings include short works of literature. Includes a museum visit with no charge to students.
B. Skow
24.02 Moral Problems and the Good Life
Introduction to important philosophical debates about moral issues and what constitutes a good life: What is right, what is wrong, and why? How important are personal happiness, longevity, and success if one is to live a good life? When is it good for you to get what you want? To what extent are we morally obliged to respect the rights and needs of others? What do we owe the poor, the discriminated, our loved ones, animals and fetuses?
K. Setiya
24.03 Good Food: The Ethics and Politics of Food
Acad Year 2019-2020: Not offered
Acad Year 2020-2021: U (Spring)
Explores the values (aesthetic, moral, cultural, religious, prudential, political) expressed in the choices of food people eat. Analyzes the decisions individuals make about what to eat, how society should manage food production and consumption collectively, and how reflection on food choices might help resolve conflicts between different values.
24.04[J] Justice
Same subject as 17.01[J]
Introduces contemporary political thought centered around the ideal of justice and the realities of injustice. Examines what a just society might look like and how we should understand various forms of oppression and domination. Studies three theories of justice (utilitarianism, libertarianism, and egalitarian liberalism) and brings them into conversation with other traditions of political thought (critical theory, communitarianism, republicanism, and post-structuralism). Readings cover foundational debates about equality, freedom, recognition, and power.
B. Zacka
24.05 Philosophy of Religion
Uses key questions in the philosophy of religion to introduce tools of contemporary philosophy. Explores what defines a god, the possibility of the existence of gods, the potential conflict between religion and science, whether morality requires a divine author, and religious tolerance.
24.06[J] Bioethics
Same subject as STS.006[J]
Acad Year 2019-2020: U (Fall)
Considers ethical questions that have arisen from the growth of biomedical research and the health-care industry since World War II. Should doctors be allowed to help patients end their lives? If so, when and how? Should embryos be cloned for research and/or reproduction? Should parents be given control over the genetic make-up of their children? What types of living things are appropriate to use as research subjects? How should we distribute scarce and expensive medical resources? Draws on philosophy, history, and anthropology to show how problems in bioethics can be approached from a variety of perspectives.
A. Chaudhuri, Q. White
24.07 The Ethics of Climate Change
Deals with ethical questions raised by the way in which our climate is changing as a result of fossil fuel consumption. Explores the moral problems raised by these effects, the obligations of individuals and governments, the difficulties involved in dealing with uncertainty, catastrophe, and the ethics of future generations.
C. Hare, K. Setiya
24.08[J] Philosophical Issues in Brain Science
Same subject as 9.48[J]
An introduction to some central philosophical questions about the mind, specifically those intimately connected with contemporary psychology and neuroscience. Discussions focus on arguments over innate concepts; 'mental images' as pictures in the head; whether color is in the mind or in the world; and whether there can be a science of consciousness. Explains the relevant parts of psychology and neuroscience as the subject proceeds.
E. J. Green
24.09 Minds and Machines
Introduction to philosophy of mind. Can computers think? Is the mind an immaterial thing? Alternatively, is the mind the brain? How can creatures like ourselves think thoughts that are about things? Can I know whether your experiences are the same as mine when we both look at raspberries, fire trucks, and stoplights? Can consciousness be given a scientific explanation?
J. Kiernon
24.111 Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics
3-0-9 units. HASS-H
Quantum mechanics is said to describe a world in which physical objects often lack "definite" properties, indeterminism creeps in at the point of "observation," ordinary logic does not apply, and distant events are perfectly yet inexplicably correlated. Examination of these and other issues central to the philosophical foundations of quantum mechanics, with special attention to the measurement problem, no-hidden-variables proofs, and Bell's Inequalities. Rigorous approach to the subject matter nevertheless neither presupposes nor requires the development of detailed technical knowledge of the quantum theory.
24.116 Philosophy of Statistics (New)
Studies how to evaluate statistical hypotheses. Critically considers several prominent approaches, including frequentism (with its null hypotheses, test statistics, p-values), likelihoodism (with its likelihood ratios and relative support) and Bayesianism (with its priors, conditionalization, utilities). Focuses on foundations, not technicalities. Previous exposure to statistics will be helpful but isn't required.
C. Grant
24.118 Paradox and Infinity
Presents highlights of the more technical side of philosophy. Studies a cluster of puzzles, paradoxes, and intellectual wonders - from the higher infinite to Godel's Theorem - and discusses their philosophical implications. Recommended prerequisites: 6.0001, 18.01.
A. Rayo
24.120 Moral Psychology
An examination of philosophical theories of action and motivation in the light of empirical findings from social psychology, sociology and neuroscience. Topics include belief, desire, and moral motivation; sympathy and empathy; intentions and other committing states; strength of will and weakness of will; free will; addiction and compulsion; guilt, shame and regret; evil; self-knowledge and self-deception; virtues and character traits.
24.131 Ethics of Technology
Introduces the tools of philosophical ethics through application to contemporary issues concerning technology. Takes up current debates on topics such as privacy and surveillance, algorithmic bias, the promise and peril of artificial intelligence, automation and the future of work, and threats to democracy in the digital age from the perspective of users, practitioners, and regulatory/governing bodies.
M. Phillips-Brown, Q. White
24.132 Workshop in Ethical Engineering
Acad Year 2020-2021: U (IAP)
Students study and apply a protocol for identifying and addressing ethical issues in a computer science, software development, or other engineering project. Builds a vocabulary to advocate for and justify ethical decisions in engineering contexts. For the final project, students either apply the protocol to a project they are working on, or develop their own protocol.
E. Awad, A. Jaques, M. Phillips-Brown
24.140[J] Literature and Philosophy
Same subject as 21L.452[J]
Highlights interactions between literary and philosophical texts, asking how philosophical themes can be explored in fiction, poetry, and drama. Exposes students to diverse modes of humanistic thought, interpretation, and argument, putting the tools and ideas of philosophy into conversation with those of the literary humanities. Students engage closely with selected literary and philosophical texts, explore selected topics in philosophy - such as ethics, epistemology, and aesthetics - through a literary lens, and participate in class discussion with peers and professors. Limited to 20.
M. Gubar, K. Setiya
24.200 Ancient Philosophy
Prereq: One Philosophy subject or permission of instructor
Investigates the origins of Western philosophy in ancient Greece. Aims both to understand the philosophical questions the Greeks were asking on their own terms, and to assess their answers to them. Examines how a human being can lead a good life, the relationship between morality and happiness, our knowledge of the world around us, and the entities we need to appeal to in order to explain that world. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.
24.201 Topics in the History of Philosophy
Close examination of a text, an author, or a theme in the history of philosophy. Can be repeated for credit with permission of the instructor and advisor.
T. Schapiro
24.211 Theory of Knowledge
Prereq: One philosophy subject
Study of problems concerning our concept of knowledge, our knowledge of the past, our knowledge of the thoughts and feelings of ourselves and others, and our knowledge of the existence and properties of physical objects in our immediate environment.
24.212 Philosophy of Perception
In-depth examination of philosophical issues concerning perception, such as whether we see mind-independent physical objects or, alternatively, mind-dependent representations; whether perception is a source of theory-neutral observations or is affected by the perceiver's beliefs in a way that compromises the objectivity of science. Readings primarily drawn from contemporary literature in both philosophy and psychology.
24.215 Topics in the Philosophy of Science
Close examination of a small number of issues central to recent philosophy of science, such as the demarcation problem, causal relations, laws of nature, underdetermination of theory by data, paradoxes of confirmation, scientific realism, the role of mathematics in science, elimination of bias, and the objectivity of scientific discourse.
24.221 Metaphysics
Study of basic metaphysical issues concerning existence, the mind-body problem, personal identity, and causation plus its implications for freedom. Classical as well as contemporary readings. Provides practice in written and oral communication.
24.222 Decisions, Games and Rational Choice
Foundations and philosophical applications of Bayesian decision theory, game theory and theory of collective choice. Why should degrees of belief be probabilities? Is it always rational to maximize expected utility? If so, why and what is its utility? What is a solution to a game? What does a game-theoretic solution concept such as Nash equilibrium say about how rational players will, or should, act in a game? How are the values and the actions of groups, institutions and societies related to the values and actions of the individuals that constitute them?
V. McGee
24.230 Meta-ethics
Considers a range of philosophical questions about the foundations of morality, such as whether and in what sense morality is objective, the nature of moral discourse, and how we can come to know right from wrong.
J. Khoo
24.231 Ethics
Systematic study of central theories in ethics, including egoism, act and rule utilitarianism, intuitionism, emotivism, rights theories, and contractualism. Discussion and readings also focus on problems associated with moral conflicts, justice, the relationship between rightness and goodness, objective vs. subjective moral judgments, moral truth, and relativism.
24.235[J] Philosophy of Law
Same subject as 17.021[J]
Examines fundamental issues in philosophy of law, such as the nature and limits of law and a legal system, and the relation of law to morality, with particular emphasis on the philosophical issues and problems associated with privacy, liberty, justice, punishment, and responsibility. Historical and contemporary readings, including court cases. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication provided.
24.236 Topics in Social Theory and Practice
Subject meets with 24.636
Prereq: One philsophy subject or permission of instructor
An in-depth consideration of a topic in social theory with reflection on its implications for social change. Examples of topics include race and racism; punishment and prison reform; global justice and human rights; gender and global care chains; environmentalism and industrial agriculture; bioethics, disability, and human enhancement; capitalism and commodification; and sexuality and the family. Readings draw from both social science and philosophy with special attention to the normative literature relevant to the issue. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.
24.237[J] Feminist Thought
Same subject as 17.007[J], WGS.301[J]
Subject meets with 17.006[J], 24.637[J]
Analyzes theories of gender and politics, especially ideologies of gender and their construction; definitions of public and private spheres; gender issues in citizenship, the development of the welfare state, experiences of war and revolution, class formation, and the politics of sexuality. Graduate students are expected to pursue the subject in greater depth through reading and individual research.
E. Wood
24.241 Logic I
Introduction to the aims and techniques of formal logic. The logic of truth functions and quantifiers. The concepts of validity and truth and their relation to formal deduction. Applications of logic and the place of logic in philosophy.
24.242 Logic II
Prereq: 24.241 or permission of instructor
The central results of modern logic: the completeness of predicate logic, recursive functions, the incompleteness of arithmetic, the unprovability of consistency, the indefinability of truth, Skolem-Löwenheim theorems, and nonstandard models.
24.243 Classical Set Theory
Introduction to the basic concepts and results of standard, i.e., Zermelo-Fraenkel, set theory, the axioms of ZF, ordinal and cardinal arithmetic, the structure of the set-theoretic universe, the axiom of choice, the (generalized) continuum hypothesis, inaccessibles, and beyond.
24.244 Modal Logic
Prereq: 24.241
Sentential and quantified modal logic, with emphasis on the model theory ("possible worlds semantics"). Soundness, completeness, and characterization results for alternative systems. Tense and dynamic logics, epistemic logics, as well as logics of necessity and possibility. Applications in philosophy, theoretical computer science, and linguistics.
24.245 Theory of Models
Studies fundamental results in the model theory of the first-order predicate calculus. Includes completeness, compactness, Löwenheim-Skolem, omitting types, ultraproducts, and categoricity in a cardinal, starting with Tarski's definition of logical consequence, in terms of truth in a model.
24.251 Introduction to Philosophy of Language
Examines views on the nature of meaning, reference, and truth, and their bearing on the use of language in communication. No knowledge of logic or linguistics presupposed. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication provided.
24.252 Language and Power (New)
Explores topics at the intersection of philosophy of language and social/political philosophy. Topics may include linguistic harm, free speech, speech in non-cooperative contexts (lying, insincerity, antagonistic interlocutors), propaganda, pejoratives, and the relationship of language to features of the social world (race, gender, ideology).
24.253 Philosophy of Mathematics
Philosophical issues about or related to mathematics, including the existence and nature of basic mathematical objects such as numbers and sets, how we can come to have knowledge of such objects, the status of mathematical truth, the relation of mathematics to logic, and whether classical logic can be called into question.
24.260 Topics in Philosophy
Prereq: Two subjects in philosophy
Close examination of a single book, or group of related essays, with major significance in recent philosophy. Subject matter varies from year to year. Intended primarily for majors and minors in philosophy. Opportunities are provided for oral presentation. Students will be required to revise at least one paper in response to instructor's comments.
C. Hare
24.280 Foundations of Probability
Prereq: One philosophy subject or one subject on probability
Topics include probability puzzles, common fallacies in probabilistic reasoning, defenses and criticisms of Kolmogorov's axiomatization, interpretations of probability (including the frequency, logical, propensity, and various subjectivist interpretations), the relation of objective chance to rational subjective credence, conditional probability, rules for updating probability, and proposals for supplementing the probability calculus with further principles.
R. White
24.292 Independent Study: Philosophy
Prereq: Any two subjects in philosophy
Open to qualified students who wish to pursue special studies or projects. Students electing this subject must consult the undergraduate officer.
24.S00 Special Subject: Philosophy
Undergraduate subject that covers topics not offered in the regular curriculum. Consult department to learn of offerings for a particular term.
24.UR Undergraduate Research
Research opportunities in linguistics and philosophy. For further information, consult the departmental coordinators.
24.URG Undergraduate Research
Research opportunities in linguistics and philosophy. For further information consult the departmental coordinators.
Undergraduate Seminars
24.191 Being, Thinking, Doing (or Not): Ethics in Your Life
Provides an opportunity to explore a wide range of ethical issues through guided discussions that are geared to equip students for ongoing reflection and action. Lectures and discussions with guest faculty, as well as attendance at on-and off-campus events, expose students to ethical problems and resources for addressing them. Encourages students to work collaboratively as they clarify their personal and vocational principles. Topics vary each term and will reflect the interests of those enrolled.
P. Weinmann, Q. White
24.192 Language, Information, and Power
Explores foundational issues about language and communication by investigating different ways language and its use affects various aspects of lived experience. Topics include speech act theory, lying, propaganda, censorship, expressions of knowledge, communication in non-cooperative contexts.
24.400 Proseminar in Philosophy I
G (Fall)
6-0-18 units
Advanced study of the basic problems of philosophy. Intended for first-year graduate students in philosophy.
S. Haslanger, S. Yablo
24.401 Proseminar in Philosophy II
G (Spring)
A. Byrne, R. White
Acad Year 2020-2021: G (Fall)
Intensive study of a philosopher or philosophical movement. Content varies from year to year and subject may be taken repeatedly with permission of instructor and advisor.
24.500 Topics in Philosophy of Mind
G (Fall, Spring)
Selected topics in philosophy of mind. Content varies from year to year. Topics may include consciousness, mental representation, perception, and mental causation.
Fall: E. J. Green. Spring: J. Kiernon
24.501 Problems in Metaphysics
Systematic examination of selected problems in metaphysics. Content varies from year to year and subject may be taken repeatedly with permission of instructor and advisor.
R. Stalnaker
24.502 Topics in Metaphysics and Ethics
Systematic examination of selected problems concerning the relation between metaphysics and ethics, for example questions about personal identity and its relation to issues about fairness and distribution, or questions about the relation between causation and responsibility. Content may vary from year to year, and the subject may be taken repeatedly with the permission of the instructor and the student's advisor.
24.503 Topics in Philosophy of Religion
Selected topics in philosophy of religion. Content varies from year to year. Topics may include the traditional arguments for the existence of God, religious experience, the problem of evil, survival after death, God and ethics.
A. Byrne
24.504 Topics in Aesthetics (New)
Selected topics in aesthetics. Content varies from year to year. Topics may include the definition of art, the expression of emotion in music, the nature of depiction, the role of artists intentions in interpretation, and the relationship between moral and aesthetic value.
24.601 Topics in Moral Philosophy
Systematic examination of selected problems in moral philosophy. Content varies from year to year. Subject may be repeated only with permission of instructor and advisor.
Fall: K. Setiya, J. Doyle. Spring: J. Khoo, M. Schoenfield
24.602 Topics in the Philosophy of Agency
Systematic examination of selected problems in the theory of agency. Content varies from year to year and subject may be taken repeatedly with permission of instructor and advisor.
24.611[J] Political Philosophy
Acad Year 2019-2020: G (Spring)
See description under subject 17.000[J].
24.635 Topics in Critical Social Theory
Explores topics arising within critical race theory, feminist theory, queer theory, disability studies, working class studies, and related interdisciplinary efforts - both historical and contemporary - to understand and promote social justice.
Subject meets with 17.007[J], 24.237[J], WGS.301[J]
Prereq: Permission of instructor, based on previous coursework
24.711 Topics in Philosophical Logic
Problems of ontology, epistemology, and philosophy of language that bear directly on questions about the nature of logic and the conceptual analysis of logical theory, such as logical truth, logical consequence, and proof. Content varies from year to year and subject may be taken repeatedly upon permission of instructor and advisor.
24.729 Topics in Philosophy of Language
Major issues in the philosophy of language. Topics change each year and subject may be taken repeatedly with permission of instructor.
24.805 Topics in Theory of Knowledge
Major issues in theory of knowledge. Topics change each year and subject may be taken repeatedly with permission of instructor.
M. Schoenfield, R. White
24.810 Topics in Philosophy of Science
Topics in the foundations of science: the nature of concepts and theories, the distinction between empirical and theoretical knowledge claims, realist and instrumentalist interpretation of such claims, and the analysis of scientific explanation. The central topic varies from year to year. Subject may be taken repeatedly with the permission of instructor and advisor.
G (Fall, Spring, Summer)
Open to qualified graduate students in philosophy who wish to pursue special studies or projects. Consult with the intended supervisor and the Chair of the Committee on Graduate Students in Philosophy before registering.
Consult B. Skow
24.893 Dissertation Workshop
Workshop for students working on their dissertations. Restricted to philosophy doctoral students.
24.THG Graduate Thesis
G (Fall, IAP, Spring, Summer)
Program of research and writing of thesis, to be arranged by the student with supervising committee.
24.S40 Special Seminar: Philosophy
Graduate subject that covers topics not offered in the regular curriculum. Consult department to learn of offerings for a particular term.
24.900 Introduction to Linguistics
4-0-8 units. HASS-S; CI-H
Credit cannot also be received for 24.9000
Studies what is language and what does knowledge of a language consist of. It asks how do children learn languages and is language unique to humans; why are there many languages; how do languages change; is any language or dialect superior to another; and how are speech and writing related. Context for these and similar questions provided by basic examination of internal organization of sentences, words, and sound systems. Assumes no prior training in linguistics.
Fall: A. Albright. Spring: D. Pesetsky
24.9000 How Language Works
4-0-8 units. HASS-S
Credit cannot also be received for 24.900
Introduces the field of linguistics as the scientific study of the human capacity for language, and its interaction with other cognitive systems. Examines specific phenomena that reveal the general laws and principles that govern the structure of all human languages, as well as the ways in which languages do differ. Topics include language acquisition and use, language change, dialects, and language technologies, with a special focus on collection and analysis of linguistic data. Assumes no prior training in linguistics.
24.901 Language and Its Structure I: Phonology
Prereq: 24.900 or 24.9000
Introduction to fundamental concepts in phonological theory and their relation to issues in philosophy and cognitive psychology. Articulatory and acoustic phonetics, distinctive features and the structure of feature systems, underlying representations and underspecification, phonological rules and derivations, syllable structure, accentual systems, and the morphology-phonology interface. Examples and exercises from a variety of languages. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments.
D. Steriade
24.902 Language and Its Structure II: Syntax
Introduction to fundamental concepts in syntactic theory and its relation to issues in philosophy and cognitive psychology. Examples and exercises from a variety of languages. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments.
P. Elliott
24.903 Language and Its Structure III: Semantics and Pragmatics
Introduction to fundamental concepts in semantic and pragmatic theory. Basic issues of form and meaning in natural languages. Ambiguities of structure and of meaning. Compositionality. Word meaning. Quantification and logical form. Contexts: indexicality, discourse, presupposition and conversational implicature. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments.
R. Schwarzschild
24.904 Language Acquisition
Prereq: 24.900, 24.9000, or permission of instructor
Covers the major results in the study of first-language acquisition concentrating on the development of linguistic structure, including morphology, syntax, and semantics. Universal aspects of development are discussed, as well as a variety of cross-linguistic phenomena. Theories of language learning are considered, including parameter-setting and maturation.
A. Aravind
24.905[J] Laboratory in Psycholinguistics
3-3-6 units. Institute LAB
See description under subject 9.59[J].
E. Gibson
24.906[J] The Linguistic Study of Bilingualism
Same subject as 21G.024[J]
Development of bilingualism in human history (from <em>Australopithecus</em> to present day). Focuses on linguistic aspects of bilingualism; models of bilingualism and language acquisition; competence versus performance; effects of bilingualism on other domains of human cognition; brain imaging studies; early versus late bilingualism; opportunities to observe and conduct original research; and implications for educational policies among others. Students participate in six online web meetings with partner institutions. Taught in English. Enrollment limited.
S. Flynn
24.908 Creole Languages and Caribbean Identities
Caribbean Creole languages result from language contact via colonization and the slave trade. Explores creolization from cognitive, historical and comparative perspectives and evaluates popular theories about "Creole genesis" and the role of language acquisition. Also explores non-linguistic creolization in literature, religion and music in the Caribbean and addresses issues of Caribbean identities by examining Creole speakers' and others' beliefs toward Creole cultures. Draws comparisons with aspects of African-American culture.
M. DeGraff
24.909 Field Methods in Linguistics
Prereq: 24.901, 24.902, and permission of instructor
Explores the structure of an unfamiliar language through direct work with a native speaker. Students complete a grammatical sketch of the phonology and syntax, work in groups on specific aspects of the language's structure, and assemble reports to create a partial grammar of the language. Provides instruction and practice in written and oral communication. Enrollment limited.
24.910 Advanced Topics in Linguistic Analysis
Prereq: (24.901, 24.902, and 24.903) or permission of instructor
In-depth study of an advanced topic in phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax or semantics, with a focus on the interfaces among these grammar components. Provides practice in written and oral communication.
24.912[J] Black Matters: Introduction to Black Studies
Same subject as 21H.106[J], 21L.008[J], 21W.741[J], WGS.190[J]
3-0-9 units. HASS-A, HASS-H; CI-H
Interdisciplinary survey of people of African descent that draws on the overlapping approaches of history, literature, anthropology, legal studies, media studies, performance, linguistics, and creative writing. Connects the experiences of African-Americans and of other American minorities, focusing on social, political, and cultural histories, and on linguistic patterns. Includes lectures, discussions, workshops, and required field trips that involve minimal cost to students.
24.914 Language Variation and Change
Explores how linguistic systems vary across time and space. Uses case studies in particular languages to examine how language transmission and social factors shape the grammatical systems of individual speakers, and how grammar constrains variation and change. Students work in groups to analyze corpus or survey data. Provides instruction and practice in written and oral communication.
E. Flemming
24.915 Linguistic Phonetics
The study of speech sounds: how we produce and perceive them and their acoustic properties. The influence of the production and perception systems on phonological patterns and sound change. Acoustic analysis and experimental techniques. Students taking the graduate version complete different assignments.
24.916[J] Old English and Beowulf
See description under subject 21L.601[J]. Limited to 16.
24.917 ConLangs: How to Construct a Language
Explores languages that have been deliberately constructed (ConLangs), including Esperanto, Klingon, and Tolkien's Elvish. Students construct their own languages while considering phenomena from a variety of languages of the world. Topics include writing systems, phonology (basic units of speech and how they combine), morphology (structure of words), syntax (how words are put together), and semantics (the expression of meaning, and what language leaves unexpressed). Through regular assignments, students describe their constructed language in light of the topics discussed. Final assignment is a grammatical description of the new language.
N. Richards
24.918 Workshop in Linguistic Research
Students pursue individual research projects in linguistic analysis under the guidance of an advisor. Class meets weekly for presentation of student research and to critically discuss background reading. Focuses on developing skills in linguistic argumentation and presentation of findings. Provides practice in written and oral communication. Includes a 20-page final paper that each student presents to the class.
24.919 Independent Study: Linguistics
U (Fall, Spring, Summer)
Open to qualified students who wish to pursue special studies or projects.
Consult Department Headquarters
24.S90 Special Subject: Linguistics
Prereq: Permission of advisor
Open to qualified graduate students in linguistics who wish to pursue special studies or projects.
24.942 Topics in the Grammar of a Less Familiar Language
Students work with a native speaker of a language whose structure is significantly different from English, examining aspects of its syntax, semantics, and phonology. In the course of doing this, students will acquire techniques for gathering linguistic data from native speakers. Enrollment limited.
M. Kenstowicz, N. Richards
24.943 Syntax of a Language (Family)
Detailed examination of the syntax of a particular language or language family, and theories proposed in the existing literature to account for the observed phenomena.
24.946 Linguistic Theory and Japanese Language
Detailed examination of the grammar of Japanese and its structure which is significantly different from English, with special emphasis on problems of interest in the study of linguistic universals. Data from a broad group of languages studied for comparison with Japanese. Assumes familiarity with linguistic theory.
S. Miyagawa
24.947 Language Disorders in Children
Reading and discussion of current linguistic theory, first language acquisition and language disorders in young children. Focus on development of a principled understanding of language disorders at the phonological, morphological and syntactic levels. Examines ways in which these disorders confront theories of language and acquisition.
24.948 Linguistic Theory and Second and Third Language Acquisition in Children and Adults
Students read and discuss current linguistic theory, first language acquisition research, and data concerning second and third language acquisition in adults and children. Focuses on development of a theory of second and third language acquisition within current theories of language. Emphasizes syntactic, lexical, and phonological development. Examines ways in which these bodies of data confront theories of language and the mind. When possible, students participate in practica with second and/or third language learners.
24.949[J] Language Acquisition I
Same subject as 9.601[J]
See description under subject 9.601[J].
A. Aravind, M. Hackl
24.951 Introduction to Syntax
Introduction to theories of syntax underlying work currently being done within the lexical-functional and government-binding frameworks. Organized into three interrelated parts, each focused upon a particular area of concern: phrase structure; the lexicon; and principles and parameters. Grammatical rules and processes constitute a focus of attention throughout the course that serve to reveal both modular structure of grammar and interaction of grammatical components.
24.952 Advanced Syntax
Problems in constructing an explanatory theory of grammatical representation. Topics drawn from current work on anaphora, casemarking, control, argument structure, Wh- and related constructions. Study of language-particular parameters in the formulation of linguistic universals.
S. Iatridou, D. Pesetsky
24.954 Pragmatics in Linguistic Theory
Formal theories of context-dependency, presupposition, implicature, context-change, focus and topic. Special emphasis on the division of labor between semantics and pragmatics. Applications to the analysis of quantification, definiteness, presupposition projection, conditionals and modality, anaphora, questions and answers.
R. Schwarzschild, P. Elliott
24.955 More Advanced Syntax
Prereq: 24.951 and 24.952
An advanced-level survey of topics in syntax.
S. Iatridou
24.956 Topics in Syntax
The nature of linguistic universals that make it possible for languages to differ and place limits on these differences. Study of selected problem areas show how data from particular languages contribute to the development of a strong theory of universal grammar and how such a theory dictates solutions to traditional problems in the syntax of particular languages.
A. Aravind, D. Pesetsky
24.960 Syntactic Models
Comparison of different proposed architectures for the syntax module of grammar. Subject traces several themes across a wide variety of approaches, with emphasis on testable differences among models. Models discussed include ancient and medieval proposals, structuralism, early generative grammar, generative semantics, government-binding theory/minimalism, LFG, HPSG, TAG, functionalist perspectives and others.
D. Pesetsky
24.961 Introduction to Phonology
First half of a year-long introduction to the phonological component of grammar. Introduces the major research results, questions, and analytic techniques in the field of phonology. Focuses on segmental feature structure and prosodic structure while the sequel (24.962) considers the interfaces of phonology with morphology, syntax, and the lexicon. Students should have basic knowledge of articulatory phonetic description and phonetic transcription.
E. Flemming, M. Kenstowicz
24.962 Advanced Phonology
Continuation of 24.961.
A. Albright, D. Steriade
24.964 Topics in Phonology
In-depth study of a topic in current phonological theory.
Fall: D. Steriade. Spring: E. Flemming, S. Iatridou
24.965 Morphology
Structure of the lexicon and its function in grammar. Properties of word-formation rules. Problems of selection, productivity, and compositionality. Systems of inflectional categories: case and tense. Phonological aspects of word structure: allomorphy, cyclic phonology, constituent structure, and boundaries. Detailed analysis of languages with complex morphology.
A. Albright
24.966[J] Laboratory on the Physiology, Acoustics, and Perception of Speech
Same subject as 6.542[J], HST.712[J]
L. D. Braida, S. Shattuck-Hufnagel, J.-Y. Choi
24.967 Topics in Experimental Phonology
Prereq: 24.961, 24.963, or permission of instructor
Experimental techniques to test predictions drawn from current phonological theory. Includes a survey of experimental methodologies currently in use, an introduction to experimental design and analysis, and critical consideration of how experimental results are used to inform theory.
24.970 Introduction to Semantics
Basic issues of form and meaning in formalized and natural languages. Conceptual, logical, and linguistic questions about truth. Reference, modal, and intensional notions. The role of grammar in language use and context-dependency. Ambiguities of structure and meaning, and dimensions of semantic variation in syntax and the lexicon.
M. Hackl, R. Schwarzschild
24.973 Advanced Semantics
Current work on semantics and questions of logic and meaning for syntactic systems in generative grammar.
24.979 Topics in Semantics
Seminar on current research in semantics and generative grammar. Topics may vary from year to year.
Fall: K. von Fintel, S. Iatridou, Spring: P. Elliott, M. Hackl
24.981 Topics in Computational Phonology
Exploration of issues in the computational modeling of phonology: finding generalizations in data, formalisms for representing phonological knowledge, modeling grammar acquisition, and testing phonological theories by means of implemented models. Experience using and developing models, including preparing training data, running simulations, and interpreting their results. No background in programming or machine learning is assumed.
24.991 Workshop in Linguistics
An intensive group tutorial/seminar for discussion of research being conducted by participants. No listeners.
Fall: A. Albright, S. Iatridou Spring: K. von Fintel, M. Kenstowicz
24.993 Tutorial in Linguistics and Related Fields
Individual or small-group tutorial in which students, under the guidance of a faculty member, explore the interrelations with linguistics of some specified area.
24.S93 Special Seminar: Linguistics
Covers topics not offered in the regular curriculum. Consult department to learn of offerings for a particular term.
G (Fall; first half of term)
Half-term subject that covers topics in linguistics not offered in the regular curriculum. Consult department to learn of offerings for a particular term.
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Tag: 淮安凯元国际ktv出台
Urey, Pointing an Accusing Finger Is Not Enough
The political leader of the All Liberian Party (ALP), Benoni Urey, is one politician who has in recent days accused the Unity Party led government of corruption. At the ALP’s recent political rally in Ganta, Nimba County, where he selected Alexander Duopue as his running mate, Mr. Urey called on Liberians to ensure that Unity Party does not win the upcoming election. “Let’s Remove this corrupt system,” he insisted.The statement in Ganta is not the first that Urey has expressed in his determination to prevent the ruling Unity Party from securing a third term in Liberia. Early this year, Mr. Urey, in an interview with the Daily Observer stated, “I am not wishing that I become President of this country at all cost, but to ensure that this corrupt government does not get a third term in office.”There have indeed been reports of corruption in the Unity Party-led government and by many public officials, most without trial. Of the few that have gone to trial, government prosecutors have lost those cases.The truthfulness of corruption in this government is indisputable, as confessed by President Sirleaf in her last Annual Message last January. Earlier, the President even took responsibility for the bankruptcy of the National Oil Company (NOCAL) under her son Robert Sirleaf’s leadership. Whatever the case, it is expected in this election that the ruling party will face serious accusation of corruption especially during the campaign period. This will definitely be one of the charges which the UP standard bearer, Vice President Joseph N. Boakai, will have to contend with. He must first, if at all he can, attempt to distance himself for the widespread corruption that has taken place under the watch of President Ellen Sirleaf and his watch. He must go further to convince the Liberian people, again if at all he can, that his administration will be different.Nevertheless, as politicians, including Benoni Urey, criticize, they must also be realistic enough to tell Liberians the main cause(s) of corruption and provide way forward as to how to go about eliminating or minimizing it. Urey and the rest of the politicians need to realize that the very officials of this government are related to them and are perhaps part of the corrupt system.Let us see the instance with Benjamin Sanvee, former Chairman of the Liberty Party and a beneficiary of the Private Sector Development Initiative (PSDI) fund intended to help Liberian businesses. He took the money, did not pay and kept silent for years until his name surfaced just in recent days.The most frustrating and deceptive aspect is that when the same corrupt officials defect from the ruling party and join oppositions, they are embraced and praised to be some of the good people on earth. Does this not imply hypocrisy and dishonesty? Greek Philosopher, Socrates wrote this about deception: “Man’s mind is so found that it is far more susceptible to falsehood than to truth.” While we cannot dispel that this government engaged in widespread corruption, people that wishing to grab the presidency and other elective positions should be fair and honest in presenting their platforms, citing in them definite measures to combat corruption and doing everything possible to convince the public that those seeking office are determined and serious about repeating the terrible mistakes of the past. Criticizing the past is definitely not enough.Now that Mr. Urey is aiming to ascend to the highest position of the land, Liberians will be happy to know what his economic and social platforms are for Liberia. More importantly, he needs to come clean with Liberians and tell them when and how he started business to become the wealthy man that he is. What business did Mr. Urey engage in prior to the ascendancy of Charles Taylor as President of Liberia.People are anxious to know how, now that Mr. Urey anxiously seeks the presidency, how he managed the Bureau of Maritime Affairs during the regime of Taylor.Explanation is needed from Mr. Urey about his connection with Sanjivan Ruprah (alas Samir NASR), an arms dealer named in the United Nations Security Council Report on Liberia. The report states that Mr. Urey was the direct supervisor of Mr. Ruprah, and both of them played key role in arm procurements starting in the summer of 2002.The UN Security Council Resolution 1343 placing travel restriction on officials of the Taylor Administration names Benoni Urey for being one that secured money at Maritime and facilitated purchase of arms through Ruprah. Can Urey make his side clear to the Liberian people in this matter? If he realistically wants to see Liberia moving forward without rampant corruption, can Urey evaluate and tell the Liberian people which of the two governments, the one he served in and the current one, was impactful? In a state of an ethical dilemma wherein one needs to compare the two evils to choose the lesser, what conclusions can Urey draw between the regime he served in as a Commissioner of Maritime and this government of corrupt public officials?We bring all these concerns to remind Mr. Urey and other politicians about the past and present so they may adequately be able to defend themselves to win the minds of Liberians.The challenge is, therefore, yours, Mr. Urey, to convince Liberian voters on things that make you different from current officials who have instituted a corrupt system that has grossly mishandled the affairs of the Liberian people. Pointing the accusing finger is not enough, but dealing forthrightly and convincingly the rest of your own fingers pointing at you is what truly matters.How different are you from the accused? Liberians need your answers!Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) read more
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As a busy research group with two distinct, yet complementary, areas of focus – 'biodiversity conservation' and 'sustainable agriculture' – we always have activities on the go. Here's an overview of some of our higher profile projects with associated key contacts.
The great Australian platypus search
Project partners: San Diego Zoo Global, the University of Melbourne
Funding body: San Diego Zoo Global
Project partners: CSIRO, the University of Melbourne, WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
Funding body: Grains Research and Development Corporation
Project partners: CSIRO, the University of Melbourne
Funding body: the Grains Research and Development Corporation
Preparedness for vegetable leafminer
Project partners: Plant Health Australia, AUSVEG, Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy (with input from Biosecurity QLD and Nursery & Garden Industry Australia)
Funding body: Hort Innovation
Preparedness for spotted wing Drosophila
Project partners: Plant Health Australia, Plant & Food Research NZ (with input from Horticulture NZ)
Project partners: South Australian Research and Development Institute
Project partners: Birchip Cropping Group, South Australian Research and Development Institute, C-Qual Agritelligence, Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
Pastures insects of SE Australia
Project partners: Pasturewise, the University of Melbourne, Ag-Research NZ
Funding body: Dairy Australia
IPM for Grains:
Project partners: South Australian Research and Development Institute, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, New South Wales Department of Primary Industries
Urban playtus program
Funding body: Melbourne Water, Wimmera CMA
Project partners: The University of Melbourne, La Trobe University, The University of New South Wales, and Mount Buller and Mount Stirling Alpine Resort Management, Mount Rothwell Conservation Park
Funding body: Various (including individual donations through crowd funding)
Project partners: NSW Department of Primary Industries, University of Sydney, University of Stellenbosch, South African Sugarcane Research Institute, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Papua New Guinea Cocoa Board
Funding body: Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)
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October 2009 Document Retooling Canada s Ailing Pension System Now, For The Future Canada s Actuaries Advocate Change
Download "October 2009 Document 209097. Retooling Canada s Ailing Pension System Now, For The Future Canada s Actuaries Advocate Change"
Felicity Madison Stephens
1 October 2009 Document Retooling Canada s Ailing Pension System Now, For The Future Canada s Actuaries Advocate Change
2 About the Canadian Institute of Actuaries The Canadian Institute of Actuaries is the national organization of the actuarial profession. Actuaries employ their specialized knowledge of the mathematics of finance, statistics and risk theory on problems faced by pension plans, government regulators, insurance companies (both Life and Property/Casualty), social programs and individuals. The CIA establishes the Rules of Professional Conduct and monitoring and discipline processes for qualified actuaries, all of whom must adhere to the profession s standards of practice. Under its Guiding Principle 1, the CIA holds the duty of the profession to the public above the needs of the profession and its members. The CIA also assists the Actuarial Standards Board in developing standards of practice applicable to actuaries working in Canada.
3 C A N A D A S A C T U A R I E S A D V O C AT E C H A N G E The Canadian Pension System Needs To Be Retooled For some time, it has been apparent that the Canadian pension system is facing dire circumstances. The economic crisis that we witnessed in 2008 has impacted the retirement expectations of many Canadians. Large funding deficits have emerged in a number of plans, and pensioners and workers from companies facing bankruptcy now run the risk of having their benefits reduced. Individuals have watched as the accumulated savings in their RRSPs and Defined Contribution plans have melted away. With so many issues facing our current pension system, there have been several calls to investigate alternate forms of retirement savings. Unfortunately, over the course of many years, pension plan issues have become extremely complex. In addition to the long-lasting asymmetric rules regarding the treatment of surpluses and deficits, the various bodies involved in the regulation of pension plans have acted independently and have focused on their own separate objectives, resulting in a very complex operational playing field. Recent changes to pension accounting standards have created volatility in the plan sponsor s balance sheet and they have been reluctant to introduce new pension plans, and many have terminated existing plans. For plans that remain, plan sponsors have been inclined to minimize their contributions and reduce the volatility in their balance sheets. In 2007, the Canadian Institute of Actuaries issued A Prescription for Canada s Ailing Pension System. Since that time, a number of environmental factors have prompted the Institute to revisit this issue and provide an update on its current position. This document represents the Institute s recommendations to retool Canada s Pension System. Canadians Are Not Saving Enough For Retirement A study conducted in 2007 by the University of Waterloo, and sponsored by the Canadian Institute of Actuaries, discovered that two-thirds of Canadians who plan to retire in 2030 may not be saving at the levels required to meet household expenses in retirement. As the coverage of employer-sponsored pension plans continues to shrink, the potential for significant retirement income gaps has increased for a large number of Canadians. This matter is of paramount importance and serious corrective measures must be developed now to avoid a critical situation. Within this document, we have introduced a series of recommendations that would greatly enhance the Canadian Pension System, and promote increased pension coverage and provide additional retirement security for Canadian workers and retirees. 1 C A N A D I A N I N S T I T U T E O F A C T U A R I E S
4 R E T O O L I N G C A N A D A S A I L I N G P E N S I O N S Y S T E M N O W, F O R T H E F U T U R E Canadians Need Wider Coverage Only 17% of private sector workers in Canada are covered by a Defined Benefit pension plan, which is down from 26% in Although the percentage of private sector workers covered by Defined Contribution plans has increased from 4% to 7% over the same period, we are still left with the fact that fewer than one in four workers in the private sector belongs to a pension plan of some sort. 1 This leaves a significant number of workers on their own in terms of securing an adequate retirement income, relying on personal savings and Registered Retirement Savings Plans (both individual and group). Recent proposals have been made for universal plans, which would make a government-sponsored pension plan available to any worker who wishes to participate. Other organizations propose expanding the Canada/Québec Pension Plan. The evaluation of these proposals should consider the impact on the other pillars of the Canadian Pension System. Our system is envied by most countries, and it is built on three separate pillars: government plans (OAS/GIS/CPP/QPP); private employmentrelated plans; and personal savings. These three pillars create an equilibrium, whereby there is incentive for employers and individuals to take responsibility for retirement planning, with government programs providing a partial safety net. We believe that such an equilibrium must be maintained. One of the impediments to wider coverage by employer-sponsored plans is a lack of consistency in pension plan legislation across the provinces. This discourages employers whose workforce is governed by multiple jurisdictions from establishing a pension plan. Another significant impediment is the short-term volatility in the results reported in the financial statements of employers who sponsor Defined Benefit plans due to new accounting rules. This has led financial analysts to consider Defined Benefit plans as a negative factor in the valuation of organizations. In response, we recommend the following: 1. Pensions should be included on the national agenda, with the goal of creating an environment conducive to maintaining and strengthening pension plans including achieving consistency of pension legislation across jurisdictions. We strongly support the convening of a national summit of the appropriate ministers to discuss pension issues. The actuarial profession is willing to collaborate with regulators and industry to identify measures to reduce the administrative burden faced by plan sponsors and administrators in the ongoing management of pension plans. 2. Regulators should develop a principles-based approach to the supervision and monitoring of pension plans. It should be designed to remove significant obstacles to the maintenance and improvement of Defined Benefit plans and other plan designs. For example, the development of hybrid plans is hindered by various specific rules, such as current cost-sharing rules. 1 Statistics in this section are from Statistics Canada Catalogue no X C A N A D I A N I N S T I T U T E O F A C T U A R I E S 2
5 C A N A D A S A C T U A R I E S A D V O C AT E C H A N G E Canadians Need More Flexibility When They Reach Retirement Age When the commonly accepted retirement age of 65 was developed several years ago, life expectancy was markedly shorter than it is today. Retirement income was expected to be paid for a limited period of time. But today s retirees expect to live longer with a much more active lifestyle than previous generations. Many Canadians can be, and want to be, productive beyond age 65. As well, employers can benefit greatly from the experience and knowledge that older workers can contribute. Retirement programs that encourage retirement at a fixed age could have a detrimental effect on both parties. Older workers should be encouraged to continue gainful employment if they desire to do so, and early retirement benefits should be examined to see if they are consistent with this concept. On this issue, we recommend the following: 3. Disincentives to working past a fixed age in our current retirement system should be examined and rectified. We support facilitating innovative employment models that allow Canadians to work part-time while collecting partial retirement benefits. Canadians Need More Education On Retirement Issues Retirement requires prudent planning. Many Canadians may not be aware of how much they need to save in order to retire independently. Better financial education at an early age needs to become a priority. We are encouraged by the report of the Alberta/BC Joint Expert Panel on Pension Standards, which calls for increased financial literacy at the high school level. In terms of retirement, Canadians should be aware of the following: The risk factors associated with retirement, for example, longevity, inflation, investment rates of return, and the value of starting to save early; The costs associated with saving for retirement, such as management fees, which can vary between different savings vehicles; Retirement income adequacy. How much income will be necessary at various stages of the retirement period, and how does that differ from a regular working income; Working years versus retirement years. Expectations around the length of both need to be realistic; and Risk management. Retirement savings vehicles such as RRSPs can carry certain risks, depending on the nature of the underlying investments. Canadians need to understand their risk tolerance and manage their finances appropriately. In light of this, we recommend the following: 4. More information should be made available to Canadians, so they can clearly understand the risk factors associated with retirement, and manage those risks in a timely and effective manner. Plan sponsors both public and private should be encouraged to present information to their plan members that effectively addresses this need. Access to independent financial advice would also be beneficial. We also support the development of tools that can be easily used by Canadians to assimilate the various sources of retirement income to understand what they can expect to receive. 3 C A N A D I A N I N S T I T U T E O F A C T U A R I E S
6 R E T O O L I N G C A N A D A S A I L I N G P E N S I O N S Y S T E M N O W, F O R T H E F U T U R E Canadians Need Defined Benefit Plans Let s Save Them And Bring Them Back Although Defined Benefit pension plans are not the only means by which retirement income can be provided, we believe that they are particularly effective. Their demise is not in the best interest of Canadians both employees and employers. For Defined Benefit plan members, retirement income is more predictable, and this facilitates better retirement planning. As well, Defined Benefit plans help to insulate members from the risks associated with longevity, low interest rates, and market volatility. Because pension plan assets can be pooled in large amounts and a longer investment horizon can be considered, a member has a better chance to benefit from higher investment returns over time. For plan sponsors, Defined Benefit plans act as an effective workforce management tool that helps to attract and retain employees. As well, these plans provide the same retirement income more efficiently and at less cost than other retirement vehicles, and they do not need to be an excessive financial burden on employers. We acknowledge, however, that some changes are necessary and we recommend the following: 5. Introduce legislation that allows employers to set up 100% employer-funded Pension Security Trusts that would be separate from, but complementary to, the regular Defined Benefit pension funds. The contributions arising from going concern valuations would go into the regular pension fund, while additional contributions (including those required to fund solvency deficiencies) would be made to the Pension Security Trusts. Money in the Pension Security Trusts should be released back to the employer if a subsequent solvency valuation showed that it was no longer needed for the funding of the Defined Benefit plan. Amounts contributed into the Pension Security Trusts would be tax deductible, while amounts released back to the sponsor would be taxable. Defined Benefit plans can provide benefit security for workers and retirees provided the pension benefits themselves are adequately funded. As we have seen in the past though, underfunded pension plans can lead to benefit reductions in the event of a company s bankruptcy. This benefit reduction risk greatly reduces the security that Defined Benefit plans were designed to deliver. One element that can lead to inadequate funding is an adverse fluctuation in the value of the pension plan s assets. Prudent risk management would normally compel pension plan sponsors to develop a contingency margin so that these adverse fluctuations could be mitigated. However, restrictive tax rules and lack of clarity over the ownership of plan surpluses have created obstacles and disincentives for plan sponsors. In this regard, we recommend the following: 6. Assuming that the Pension Security Trust concept is adopted, the introduction of legislation would require that each Defined Benefit plan sponsor establish a Target Solvency Margin related to the risks in the plan s assets and liabilities and be funded by a Pension Security Trust, a Letter of Credit or the regular pension fund. Contribution holidays would not be permitted if the plan s surplus was less than the Target Solvency Margin. For example, a particular plan might have a Target Solvency Margin of 5%, so that the plan sponsor would have to make current service contributions, as long as the plan assets were less than 105% of the solvency liabilities. 7. The establishment of a task force with representation from the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and pension regulators to develop guidance on the required levels of Target Solvency Margins. The Target Solvency Margin for a particular plan should take into account the risks faced by the plan, which may include reflecting its member demographics, financial strength of the sponsor, investment policy and the extent of its asset-liability mismatch. C A N A D I A N I N S T I T U T E O F A C T U A R I E S 4
7 C A N A D A S A C T U A R I E S A D V O C AT E C H A N G E 8. Changes to the tax rules, which would allow Defined Benefit plan sponsors to make contributions to develop surpluses that are the greater of two times the Target Solvency Margin, or 25% of the going concern liability. In our view, Pension Security Trusts, Target Solvency Margins and the higher level of plan surpluses are designed to work together and as such, any enabling legislation needs to reflect this. Had the above changes been in place, the funding problems created by the recent market turmoil would have been less significant and might not have required the implementation of special funding relief measures. Nevertheless, the recent economic crisis has demonstrated that benefit security can be threatened by external events such as a significant downturn in equity markets. We believe that pension benefits should be granted protection in the event of a company s bankruptcy. On this subject, we recommend the following: 9. Legislation to protect underfunded pension benefits, possibly by providing them with treatment similar to that of unpaid salaries in bankruptcy and restructuring proceedings. We acknowledge that gradual implementation of such legislation would be required in order to fully assess the various implications of its adoption on our economy. 10.On a going-forward basis, legislation should be modified to better handle the determination of benefits when the unfunded plan of a bankrupt employer is wound up. Such legislation could contemplate a hierarchy in the entitlement of benefits, whereby plan assets are first allocated to a basic promise and subsequently to ancillary benefits. In general, we propose a more comprehensive risk management perspective when dealing with pension plans. Stakeholders need to understand the inherent risks within the pension plan itself, as well as the wider potential impact on the sponsoring employer. These risks need to be effectively mitigated, where possible. The risk to the plan member of reduced or foregone benefits needs to be kept at a reasonably low level to preserve adequate benefit security. We are committed to encouraging further research to develop methods that enhance risk management practices in pension plans. Conclusion We call on all parties to take immediate action on our retooling strategy, so that Canadians can benefit from a pension system that favours strong and secure pension promises, provides flexibility in plan design, and includes the necessary incentives for action. This will lead to a safer and more certain future for today s workers and retirees. 5 C A N A D I A N I N S T I T U T E O F A C T U A R I E S
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Real's Modric, Marcelo risk missing PSG visit through injury
Reuters , Tuesday 20 Feb 2018
Real Madrid could be without left back Marcelo and Croatia midfielder Luka Modric for their Champions League last-16 second leg at Paris St Germain in two weeks' time after the pair were diagnosed with hamstring injuries.
Marcelo was one of Real's best performers in the 3-1 win at the Santiago Bernabeu last week and scored the final goal of the game to give them a two-goal cushion in the tie.
He was forced off, however, during his side's 5-3 win at Real Betis on Sunday with a hamstring injury.
Real released a statement on Tuesday confirming the player had injured his right hamstring and said Modric, who played against PSG but was an unused substitute against Betis, had the same injury.
As is customary at Real, the club did not reveal how long either player would be out of action although Spanish newspaper Marca said there was a possibility both players could return in time for the second leg at the Parc des Princes on March 6.
Real coach Zidane told a news conference ahead of his side's Liga game against Leganes on Wednesday that he was optimistic about Modric.
"He has sustained a hamstring problem which is why he didn't train and he is focusing on recovering as quickly as possible," Zidane said.
"I think it's a small problem and as always I have every faith in everyone that works here, the doctors and physios, that they will ensure he returns quickly."
Modric and Marcelo have been ruled out of Wednesday's game away to Leganes along with German midfielder Toni Kroos, who is nursing a knee injury sustained after the first leg against PSG.
Real are fourth in the Liga standings on 45 points, 17 behind leaders Barcelona, but victory over Leganes would lift them above Valencia and into third place.
Leganes, who are 13th, are in their second season in Spain's top flight and knocked Real out of the King's Cup in the quarter-finals last month, before eventually losing to Sevilla in the semis.
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Sunday's News Links
[Bloomberg] China Factory Momentum Remains Intact Amid Smog and Debt Curbs
[Bloomberg] China December official services PMI edges up to 55
[Bloomberg] Trump Says World Watching Iran as Hardliners Hold Counterrallies
[WSJ] China’s HNA Group Uses More Valuable Assets to Borrow Money
[WSJ] Iranian Government Warns Protesters ‘Must Pay the Price for Their Actions’
[FT] Forecasting the world in 2018
Saturday's News Links
[Reuters] ECB's Coeure sees 'reasonable chance' bond buys will not be extended
[Bloomberg] Goldman Sees Crypto, Credit Shadowing Robust 2018 U.S. Economy
[Reuters] China to cap overseas withdrawals using domestic bank cards
[NYT] Why Are Mutual Fund Fees So High? This Billionaire Knows
[AP] New economic protests in Tehran challenge Iran’s government
Weekly Commentary: A Phenomenal Year
2017 was phenomenal in so many ways. The year will be remembered for a tumultuous first year of the Trump Presidency, the passage of major tax legislation and seemingly endless stock market records. It was a year of synchronized global growth and stock bull markets, along with record low market volatility. It was the year of parabolic moves in bitcoin and cryptocurrencies. “Blockchain the Future of Money.”
Yet none of the above is worthy of Story of the Year. For that, I turn to this era’s Masters of the Universe: global central bankers. 2017 was a fateful year of central bank failure to tighten financial conditions in the face of bubbling markets and economies. Fed funds ended the year below 1.5%, in what must be history’s most dovish “tightening” cycle. The Draghi ECB stuck to its massive open-ended QE program, though reluctantly reducing the scope of monthly purchases. In Japan, the Kuroda BOJ held the “money” spigot wide open despite surging asset markets and a 2.7% unemployment rate. As for China, the People’s Bank of China was an active accomplice in history’s greatest Credit expansion.
Loose global financial conditions fed and were fed by record Chinese Credit growth. After almost bursting in early 2016, the further energized Chinese Bubble attained overdrive “terminal” status in 2017. Importantly, another year passed with Beijing unwilling to forcefully rein in rampant excess. The situation becomes only more perilous, with global markets increasingly confident that Chinese officials dare not risk bursting the Bubble. Powerful Chinese and global Bubbles were instrumental in stoking Bubble excess throughout the EM “periphery.” In the face of mounting fragilities, “money” inundated the emerging markets. What is celebrated in 2017 will later be recognized as dysfunctional.
Coming into 2017, there was some concern for a tightening of financial conditions. U.S. unemployment was below 5% and consumer price inflation was on the rise. A U.S. tightening cycle was expected to support the dollar, while a strong greenback risked pressuring currencies and liquidity conditions in China and EM generally. As the year progressed, however, it became apparent that seemingly nothing would budge the Fed from their commitment to an ultra-dovish gradualist approach to rate “normalization”.
And with virtually all assets experiencing price inflation at multiples of financing costs (short-term rates and market yields), financial conditions only loosened further as the Yellen Fed hesitantly took three little baby-steps (boosting rates a mere 75 bps). A 70 bps 2017 jump in the two-year did not inhibit a four bps decline in 10-year Treasury yields. Of course, the flattening yield curve was interpreted as a warning against further Fed “tightening”. In reality, historically low global bond yields were an indication of extraordinarily loose financial conditions, along with perceptions that central bankers would ensure finance remained loose for years to come.
December 19 – Business Insider (Camilla Hodgson): “Corporate borrowing helped push global debt issuance to a record $6.8 trillion this year, according to… Dealogic. Borrowing by corporates — which accounted for more than 55% of the $6.8 trillion — and governments reached a new high in 2017… ’The debt issuance is pretty much off the charts everywhere,’ AJ Murphey, head of capital markets at Bank of America Merrill Lynch told the Financial Times. ‘Latin America had a good year. Asia had a great year. And yet we see money coming from other regions into the US and European markets,’ he said.”
December 20 – ETF.com (Drew Voros): “As of last Thursday, the amount of new assets flowing into U.S.-listed ETFs totaled $466 billion, putting the milestone of $500 billion in new assets for the year closer into view, which would be almost double the previous annual record of new ETF assets. What’s more, combined with performance, the asset inflows grew the ETF market to $3.4 trillion—almost $1 trillion bigger than where the market sat a short year ago.”
December 28 – Bloomberg (Patrick Clark): “Your home may not have made the same gains as stocks or bitcoin, but it still was a robust year for the U.S. housing market. The value of the entire U.S. housing stock increased by 6.5% -- or $2 trillion -- in 2017, according to… Zillow. All homes in the country are now worth a cumulative $31.8 trillion. The gain in home values was the fastest since 2013…”
December 26 – Bloomberg (Tom Metcalf and Jack Witzig): “It’s pretty simple: in three decades since the Cboe Volatility Index was invented, 2017 will go down as the least exciting year for stocks on record. There are three trading days left and the VIX’s average level has been 11.11, about 10% lower than the next-closest year. It’s tempting to say nobody thinks it will last, but that would be to ignore the walls of money that remain stacked up in bets that it will. Going just by the sliver represented by listed securities, about $2.4 billion is in the short volatility trade as of this month, the most on record. Hundreds of billions more are betting against beta in things like volatility futures.”
When the Fed initially adopted crisis-period QE to reliquefy financial markets, they were clearly on a slippery slope. After the Fed in 2011 revealed its “exit strategy,” I titled a CBB “No Exit.” What I did not anticipate was that the Fed would in a few years again more than double balance sheet holdings to $4.5 TN. In 2012, with Draghi proclaiming “whatever it takes,” I wrote that it was a “pretty good wallop of the can down the road.” I never thought it possible that the Germans would tolerate year-after-year of massive ECB monetary inflation. Yet when I ponder a historic failure of central bankers to tighten conditions in 2017, my thoughts return to chairman Bernanke’s 2013 “the Fed is prepared to push back against a tightening of financial conditions.”
The epic untold story of 2017: markets achieved high conviction that the Fed and the cadre of global central bankers would not tolerate even a modest tightening of financial conditions. No amount of stock market speculation would provoke tightening measures. Even as equities markets overheated, chair Yellen unequivocally communicated the Fed’s lack of concern. Greenspan’s old “asymmetrical” on steroids. To be sure, markets harbor no doubt that a 20% S&P500 decline would spark a robust Federal Reserve crisis response.
As such, booming equities put no pressure on bond prices. Market concern for a destabilizing fixed-income deleveraged episode disappeared. Indeed, the greater the risk asset Bubble the more certain the bond market became of an inevitable redeployment of QE measures. And with bond markets well under control and confidence in central bank market liquidity backstops running high, why wouldn’t the cost of market insurance sink to record lows? Writing flood insurance during a drought. Moreover, with cheap insurance so readily available, why not push the risk-taking envelope? Build lavishly along the beautiful coastline.
Throughout the markets, speculative forces became only more deeply entrenched and powerfully self-reinforcing. It was a veritable tsunami of “money” into passive equity index, corporate bond and EM ETFs. Why not? Markets are going up, while active managers might adjust to the risk backdrop and underperform index products. It was a year where it never seemed so patently rational to uphold faith in central banking and “invest” in “the market”.
Markets are dominated by Greed and Fear. When central banks banish the latter, one’s left with an overabundance of the former. I chuckle these days when thinking back to the late-eighties as “the decade of greed.” And when it comes to The Year of Greed, most would think of “still dancing” 2007 or “dotcom” 1999. But in terms of global excess across various asset classes, ’99 or ’07 Can’t Hold a Candle to 2017. Booming equities, strong returns in fixed income and still about $10 TN of global sovereign debt sporting negative yields. Phenomenal.
The S&P500 returned 21.8% (price and dividends). The DJIA surged 25.1%. The Nasdaq100 gained 31.5% and the Nasdaq Composite rose 28.2%. Facebook rose 53.4%, Amazon.com 56.0%, Apple 46.1%, Netflix 55.1%, Google/Alphabet 32.9% and Microsoft 37.7%. Tesla jumped 45.7%, Micron Technology 87.6%, and Nvidia 81.3%. The Nasdaq Computer Index gained 38.8%. The Semiconductors (SOX) rose 38.2%, and the Biotechs (BTK) jumped 37.2%. The Homebuilders (XHB) gained 32.7%. The Broker/Dealers (XBD) gained 29.2% and the Banks (BKX) rose 16.3%. Bank of America gained 33.6%, Citigroup 25.1% and JPMorgan 23.9%.
Globally, Japan’s Nikkei gained 19.1%. Asia bubbled. Major indices were up 21.8% in South Korea, 27.9% in India, 36% in Hong Kong, 20% in Indonesia, 48% in Vietnam, 18% in Singapore, 22% in China (CSI 300), 15% in Taiwan and 14% in Thailand. In Europe, Germany’s DAX gained 12.5%, Italy’s MIB 13.6%, and Franc’s CAC 40 9.3%. Notable EM gains included Turkey’s 47.6%, Poland’s 23.2%, Hungary’s 23.0%, Brazil’s 26.9%, Chile’s 34.0% and Argentina’s 77.7%,
This has been going on for so long now that it’s all accepted as normal. Three decades of financial innovation and evolution have witnessed virtually the entire world coming to be dominated by marketable finance. In the U.S., Total Securities (Debt and Equities) are approaching $90 TN, or about 450% of GDP. This compares to cycle peaks 379% in 2007 and 359% in early-2000. And the greater the inflation of this historic financial balloon, the more convinced the markets become that central bankers won’t dare take the punchbowl away. It was as if 2017 was the year that central banks convinced the markets the party doesn’t have to end. Let the good times roll. Roll the dice.
Not to be a party pooper, but it’s not a good idea to rouse a crowd of drunks with the idea that plentiful “hair of the dog” will be available to nurse through any potential hangover.
I miss former ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet’s “we never pre-commit.” Especially in a world dominated by marketable finance, central bank pre-commitments will be embedded in market perceptions, expectations and asset prices. Yet the world’s central bankers made the most outlandish pre-commitment ever – they committed to years of ultra-low rates, long-term yield control, liquidity abundance, and unwavering market backstops. Recessions and bear markets will no longer be tolerated. “Whatever it takes.” “Push back against a tightening of financial conditions.” Justify it all by fixating on (slightly) “below target” aggregate consumer price inflation – in a maladjusted globalized economic structure replete with extreme inequities and overcapacities.
Bull markets forever. Capitalism without downturns. Enlightened monetary management coupled with stupendous technological innovation. It all came together to ensure a Phenomenal 2017. Enjoy, but don’t for a minute allow yourself to be convinced it’s sustainable. The underlying finance is phenomenally unsound. Crazy late-cycle excess. Inflationist central bankers have actively promoted the greatest inflation and mispricing of financial assets in human history. Notions of endless cheap debt have manifested Wealth Illusion of unparalleled global dimensions.
Whether in U.S. equities, European fixed-income or Chinese apartment prices, Bubble psychology this deeply embedded is resolved only through pain, dislocation and crisis. I never bought into the comparisons of 2008 to 1929 - nor the “great recession” to the Great Depression. 2008 was for the most part a crisis in private Credit, with government debt and central bank Credit (fatefully) unscathed. In contrast, the bursting of the super-Bubble in 1929 unleashed a global systemic crisis of confidence in finance and policymaking more generally. In important respects, 2017 reminds me of reckless “caution to the wind” late-twenties excess in the face of darkening storm clouds both domestic and global.
And for those interested, please mark your calendars for January 18th, 4:30 pm Eastern (2:30 pm Mountain) for the Tactical Short Q4 Conference Call. Call details to follow.
For the Week:
The S&P500 declined 0.4% (2017 gain 19.4%), and the Dow slipped 0.1% (up 25.1%). The Utilities recovered 0.3% (up 9.0%). The Banks fell 1.1% (up 16.3%), and the Broker/Dealers declined 0.8% (up 29.2%). The Transports declined 0.6% (up 17.3%). The S&P 400 Midcaps slipped 0.2% (up 14.5%), and the small cap Russell 2000 declined 0.5% (up 13.1%). The Nasdaq100 fell 1.1% (up 31.5%).The Semiconductors dropped 1.4% (up 38.2%). The Biotechs added 0.5% (up 37.3%). With bullion surging $28, the HUI gold index gained 1.8% (up 5.5%).
Three-month Treasury bill rates ended the week at 135 bps. Two-year government yields dipped about a basis point to 1.89% (up 70bps y-t-d). Five-year T-note yields declined four bps to 2.21% (up 28bps). Ten-year Treasury yields fell eight bps to 2.41% (down 4bps). Long bond yields dropped nine bps to 2.74% (down 33bps).
Greek 10-year yields were little changed at 4.07% (down 295bps in 2017). Ten-year Portuguese yields jumped 11 bps to 1.94% (down 180bps). Italian 10-year yields rose 10 bps to 2.02% (up 20bps). Spain's 10-year yields gained 10 bps to 1.57% (up 19bps). German bund yields added a basis point to 0.43% (up 22bps). French yields rose four bps to 0.79% (up 11bps). The French to German 10-year bond spread widened three to 36 bps. U.K. 10-year gilt yields declined five bps to 1.19% (down 5bps). U.K.'s FTSE equities gained 1.3% (up 7.6%).
Japan's Nikkei 225 equities index declined 0.6% (up 19.1% y-t-d). Japanese 10-year "JGB" yields were unchanged at 0.048% (up 1bp). France's CAC40 fell 1.0% (up 9.3%). The German DAX equities index dropped 1.2% (up 12.5%). Spain's IBEX 35 equities index lost 1.4% (up 7.4%). Italy's FTSE MIB index dropped 1.6% (up 13.6%). EM markets were mostly higher. Brazil's Bovespa index rose 1.6% (up 26.8%), and Mexico's Bolsa jumped 2.0% (up 8.1%). South Korea's Kospi index gained 1.1% (up 21.8%). India’s Sensex equities index added 0.3% (up 27.9%). China’s Shanghai Exchange increased 0.3% (up 6.6%). Turkey's Borsa Istanbul National 100 index surged 3.8% (up 47.6%). Russia's MICEX equities index gained 0.3% (down 5.5%).
Junk bond mutual funds saw outflows of $240 million (from Lipper).
Freddie Mac 30-year fixed mortgage rates increased five bps to 3.99% (down 33bps y-o-y). Fifteen-year rates gained six bps to 3.44% (down 11bps). Five-year hybrid ARM rates rose eight bps to 3.47% (up 17bps). Bankrate's survey of jumbo mortgage borrowing costs had 30-yr fixed rates unchanged at 4.15% (down 22bps).
Federal Reserve Credit last week expanded $9.4bn to $4.418 TN. Over the past year, Fed Credit declined $9.5bn. Fed Credit inflated $1.607 TN, or 57%, over the past 268 weeks. Elsewhere, Fed holdings for foreign owners of Treasury, Agency Debt dropped $10.7bn last week to $3.362 TN. "Custody holdings" were up $182bn y-o-y, or 5.7%.
M2 (narrow) "money" supply slipped $2.9bn last week to $13.863 TN. "Narrow money" expanded $686bn, or 5.2%, over the past year. For the week, Currency increased $1.8bn. Total Checkable Deposits dropped $56.4bn, while Savings Deposits jumped $50.4bn. Small Time Deposits were little changed. Retail Money Funds were about unchanged.
Total money market fund assets jumped $9.4bn to $2.842 TN. Money Funds gained $113bn y-o-y, or 4.1%.
Total Commercial Paper added $1.0bn to a 19-month high $1.080 TN. CP gained $93bn y-o-y, or 9.4%.
Currency Watch:
The U.S. dollar index declined 1.3% to 92.124 (down 10.0% y-t-d). For the week on the upside, the South African rand increased 1.9%, the Swedish krona 1.6%, the Swiss franc 1.4%, the Norwegian krone 1.4%, the Australian dollar 1.3%, the Canadian dollar 1.3%, the euro 1.2%, the British pound 1.1%, the New Zealand dollar 1.1%, the Brazilian real 0.9%, the South Korean won 0.9%, the Singapore dollar 0.6%, the Japanese yen 0.5% and the Mexican peso 0.5%. The Chinese renminbi gained 1.08% versus the dollar this week (up 6.73% y-t-d).
Commodities Watch:
The Goldman Sachs Commodities Index surged 3.1% (up 11.0% y-t-d). Spot Gold gained 2.2% to $1,303 (up 13.1%). Silver surged 4.3% to $17.145 (up 7.3%). Crude jumped $1.95 to $60.42 (up 12%). Gasoline advanced 1.9% (up 8%), and Natural Gas surged 10.7% (down 21%). Copper added 1.9% (up 32%). Wheat increased 0.5% (up 5%). Corn slipped 0.4% (unchanged).
Trump Administration Watch:
December 24 – Wall Street Journal (Kristina Peterson): “While many Republicans celebrated the recent passage of their tax overhaul, some worry the party’s year in control of Congress and the White House has done little to rein in federal spending. Fiscal restraint has been a watchword for the party for decades. But various actions this year, including the tax rewrite, are expected to add to the federal deficit, with spending likely to increase in 2018. ‘Most of the drive upward has not been on the Democratic side, which is disheartening,’ Sen. Bob Corker (R., Tenn.) said. ‘It’s been on the Republican side.’ The new tax law, which President Donald Trump signed Friday, will add just under $1.5 trillion to the federal budget deficit over 10 years, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.”
December 28 – Reuters (David Brunnstrom and Susan Heavey): “U.S. President Donald Trump… said he had ‘been soft’ on China on trade issues and said he was not happy that China had allowed oil shipments to go into North Korea. ‘I have been soft on China because the only thing more important to me than trade is war,’ Trump said… Earlier on Thursday, Trump said on Twitter that China has been ‘caught’ allowing oil into North Korea and said such moves would prevent “a friendly solution” to the crisis over Pyongyang’s nuclear program.”
China Watch:
December 28 – Reuters (Li Zheng): “China’s banking regulator will further tighten the screws on the trust industry next year, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said, as Beijing steps up a campaign to clampdown on the country’s shadow banking sector. Trusts have been a key part of China’s shadow banking sector, which helps channel deposits into risky investments via products often designed to dodge capital or investment regulations.”
December 28 – Bloomberg: “The last day of a bitter year for China’s non-bank borrowers is proving to be especially painful: they’re now paying a record premium for short-term funds. As interbank lending rates climbed on Friday due to banks hoarding cash for year-end regulatory checks, the increase was especially significant for non-bank financial institutions, such as securities and insurance companies. A measure of what they’re paying for seven-day funds relative to costs for big Chinese banks surged to the highest level ever. The funding cost gap is reflected in the spread between China’s seven-day repurchase rate fixing and the weighted average rate, which expanded to almost 3 percentage points…”
December 27 – Bloomberg: “Recent economic data offer a ‘warning for 2018’ now that Chinese leaders are less motivated to prop up growth in the wake of their Congress in October, according to the China Beige Book. ‘Incentives to ensure the economy was growing smartly at the time of the Communist Party Congress do not apply as next year wears on,’ CBB president Leland Miller and chief economist Derek Scissors said… Fourth-quarter results already show some signs of a transition to slower growth, according to a private survey by CBB International, which collects anecdotal accounts similar to those in the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book.”
December 26 – Financial Times (Emily Feng): “Felix Tao still remembers how thrilled he was to receive one of his biggest orders: a Rmb1.6m ($244,000) deal to supply phone parts to Le Mobile, the mobile phone subsidiary of tech conglomerate LeEco. Almost two years later, however, the young supplier from the coastal province of Shandong says he is still waiting to be paid… The unravelling of LeEco, the tech group that once aimed to be the Tesla and Netflix of China, has devolved into a chaotic scramble for cash, providing a case study case into the shakiness of the country’s nascent corporate bankruptcy regime. This has sweeping implications for the country’s ability to allocate and manage debt. A dysfunctional bankruptcy system has allowed China’s insolvent businesses to continue with little pressure to restructure. It has also discouraged investors and banks from properly pricing credit risk into their lending, which spells trouble for a country with $18tn in corporate debt, equal to 169% of gross domestic product..”
December 24 – Bloomberg: “A Chinese central bank official said China should allow local governments to go bankrupt to help rein in regional authorities’ excessive borrowing. A case like the bankruptcy of Detroit would convince investors that the central government is really determined to dispel beliefs of an implicit guarantee for regional authorities, Xu Zhong, head of research bureau at the People’s Bank of China, wrote... Just a couple of days ago, China’s finance ministry pledged to break the ‘illusion’ that Beijing would bail out local governments’ hidden debt. Their calls for limiting local borrowings are in line with central government’s financial policy for 2018. President Xi Jinping said earlier this month that a priority for next year is to ‘effectively’ control leverage and prevent major risks.”
December 26 – Financial Times (Gabriel Wildau and Yizhen Jia): “Chinese stockholders are ramping up borrowing against shares, driving revenue for securities houses but creating risk of a chain reaction in the event of a sharp market downturn. Shareholders in 317 Shanghai and Shenzhen-listed companies had pledged shares worth at least 40% of those companies by December 18, up from 224 companies on the same date a year earlier, according to Wind Info. Share-pledging is especially common for small and mid-cap companies, where a single shareholder often owns a large stake. Controlling shareholders sometimes reinvest the proceeds into company projects or buy additional company shares on the secondary market to boost the share price. ‘Companies use ‘market-value management’ to push up the share price, pledge the shares to brokers and then take the money and run,’ said Hao Hong, head of research at Bocom International in Hong Kong.”
December 27 – Financial Times (Emma Dunkley): “A record number of companies have listed in mainland China this year as the market prepares to open the floodgates to foreign investment in the next six months. More than 400 companies floated in 2017 on the Shenzhen and Shanghai stock exchanges to reach the milestone, according to data from EY. A flurry of small and medium-sized enterprises have listed in mainland China this year, assisted by a streamlined process as exchanges have attempted to work through a backlog of applications, EY said.”
Federal Reserve Watch:
December 28 – CNBC (Rebecca Ungarino): “As equity markets in the U.S. look to cap off a stunning year full of record winning streaks, all-time highs and strong returns across multiple asset classes, investors are left wondering: What will 2018 hold? The ‘single most important’ trade for the market next year will lie not in the stock market, but rather in Fed funds futures, said Boris Schlossberg, managing director of foreign exchange strategy at BK Asset Management. The strategist told CNBC's ‘Trading Nation’ …that the apparent divergence between the Federal Reserve's expectations for interest rates' direction and the market's expectations for its tightening path will be of the utmost importance as 2018 unfolds.”
U.S. Bubble Watch:
December 28 – Bloomberg (Alexandre Tanzi): “The total value of all homes in the United States rose 6.5% in 2017 to $31.8 trillion, according to Zillow. Renters paid a record $485.6 billion this year. The Los Angeles and New York markets each account for more than 8% of the overall value of U.S. housing stock, worth $2.7 trillion and $2.6 trillion, respectively. The San Francisco market follows at $1.4 trillion and the Washington D.C. housing market is valued at just under $1 trillion.”
December 28 – Bloomberg (Katia Dmitrieva): “The U.S. merchandise trade deficit reached a more than two-year high in November, while inventories at wholesalers and retailers increased, according to… the Commerce Department. Goods-trade gap grew to $69.7b (est. $67.9b), the widest since March 2015… Exports of goods rose 3% to $133.7b on increased shipments of automobiles and consumer and capital goods Imports increased 2.7% to a record $203.4b.”
December 28 – Wall Street Journal (Kenan Machado and Saumya Vaishampayan): “Being passive can leave you with too much of a good thing. Investors who loaded up on U.S. and Asian stock-index funds might be surprised to learn just what they own now: technology stocks—a lot of them. Led by Apple Inc., Facebook Inc. and their peers, the weighing of technology stocks in the S&P 500 index has climbed to 23.8% as of Dec. 26, from 20.8% at the end of last year, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices. Three years ago, tech stocks had a 19.7% weighting in the widely used U.S. stock market benchmark, which is currently tracked by funds with more than $2 trillion in assets.”
December 26 – Bloomberg (Katia Dmitrieva): “Housing prices in 20 U.S. cities accelerated more than forecast in October, rising by the most since mid-2014 as lean inventories continued to prop up values amid steady demand, S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller data showed… 20-city property values index increased 6.4% y/y (est. 6.3%), the biggest gain since July 2014. National home-price gauge rose 6.2% y/y, the most since June 2014… All 20 cities in the index showed year-over-year gains, led by a 12.7% increase in Seattle and a 10.2% advance in Las Vegas.”
December 26 – Reuters (Eric M. Johnson, Richa Naidu): “The U.S. holiday shopping season is on track to break sales records on the back of surging consumer confidence and increased use of mobile devices, presenting an unexpected boon for retailers and the delivery companies they rely on. The holiday shopping season, a crucial period for retailers that can account for up to 40% of annual sales, brought record-breaking online and in-store spending this year of more than $800 billion, according to Mastercard Inc’s analytics arm. Stakes are particularly high this year for traditional retailers that have invested heavily in technology and free delivery and returns, determined to stay relevant in a market increasingly dominated by Amazon.com Inc.”
December 26 – Bloomberg (Alex Barinka): “IPO cheerleaders gave a collective sigh of relief in 2017 -- a comeback year for U.S. listings. Conditions were ripe for initial public offerings. Broader equity markets continued to rise, with the S&P 500 Index up almost 20% since the start of the year as December winds to a close. Meanwhile, the year’s volatility averaged less than the lowest point of all of 2016. Forty-nine percent more companies went public this year than last.”
December 27 – Financial Times (Jennifer Thompson): “Smart beta funds have hit the $1tn of assets milestone, testifying to the increasing popularity of the investment strategy. A hybrid between active and passive investment management, smart beta funds take a passive strategy but modify it according to one or more factors, such as favouring cheaper stocks or screening them according to dividend payouts, in order to generate better returns. Also known as strategic beta or factor investing, the funds’ growth has coincided with increasing criticism of the high fees charged by traditional active managers as well as heightened scrutiny of their performance.”
December 29 – Financial Times (Joe Rennison): “Securitisations of US car loans hit a post-financial crisis high in 2017, as investor demand for yield continued to provide favourable borrowing conditions across a range of credit markets. Wall Street sold more than $70bn worth of auto asset backed securities, which bundle up car loans into bond-like products, this year, the highest level since 2007… The boom in auto ABS comes as other structured credit products, such as deals backed by leveraged loans or credit card debt, have also seen a glut of issuance. Demand is being driven by investors who are seeking alternative assets as the premiums offered on corporate bonds and loans continue to decline. That investor appetite has helped push down the cost of funding for borrowers with less than pristine credit ratings.”
December 26 – Financial Times (Gregory Meyer): “Robots may one day steer trucks across America. But in winter 2017, US trucking companies are confronting a shortage of human drivers. Rates to hire long-distance trucks have soared as rising freight volumes and robust retail sales during the festive season drive up demand, just as a strong US jobs market makes drivers harder to come by… The ratio of loads in need of movement to trucks available is this month expected to be the highest on record, according to DAT, an online trucking bulletin board. There is ‘very little, if any, excess capacity in the system’, said Avery Vise of FTR, a consultancy. The situation could push up the cost of consumer goods.”
December 28 – Bloomberg (Brian K Sullivan and Jim Efstathiou Jr): “In the year that President Donald Trump pulled out of the Paris accord and downplayed global warming as a security threat, the U.S. received a harsh reminder of the perils of the rise in the planet’s temperature: a destructive rash of hurricanes, fires and floods. The country recorded 15 weather events costing $1 billion or more each through early October, one short of the record 16 in 2011, according to the federal government’s National Centers for Environmental Information in Asheville, North Carolina. And the tally doesn’t include the recent wildfires in southern California.”
Global Bubble Watch:
December 28 – Bloomberg Intelligence (Dragos Ailoae): “Global fixed-income ETF assets under management have climbed 380% since December 2010 to about $746 billion. That’s on net issuance of $567 billion of shares as of Dec. 20. By comparison, equities-focused ETF assets grew 250% to $3.2 trillion. Commodity ETF assets shrank over 10% to $127 billion during the period. Mark-to-market losses have taken a toll, despite $21 billion of inflows. Commodity prices have plunged almost 50% since December 2010, as gauged on the Bloomberg Commodity Index.”
December 27 – Financial Times (Kenan Machado and Saumya Vaishampayan): “Worldwide mergers and acquisitions activity has exceeded $3tn for the fourth consecutive year, extending an unprecedented wave of dealmaking that bankers say is set to accelerate in 2018. The final month of 2017 was capped by three blockbuster transactions sparked by companies taking action against the threat of disruption from the likes of Amazon, Facebook and Netflix, which are using their size and scale to push into new sectors. …The US’s biggest drugstore chain CVS Health agreed to acquire healthcare insurer Aetna for about $69bn. Meanwhile, Amazon’s effect on retail worldwide prompted Australia’s billionaire Lowy family to sell its global shopping centre business Westfield to France’s Unibail-Rodamco for $24.7bn.”
December 26 – Bloomberg (Tom Metcalf and Jack Witzig): “The richest people on earth became $1 trillion richer in 2017, more than four times last year’s gain, as stock markets shrugged off economic, social and political divisions to reach record highs. The 23% increase on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a daily ranking of the world’s 500 richest people, compares with an almost 20% increase for both the MSCI World Index and Standard & Poor’s 500 Index.”
December 27 – Wall Street Journal (Christopher Whittall): “Hellman & Friedman LLC and other investors sought last month to borrow money in the loan market to finance a takeover. The U.S. private-equity firm offered a yield of about 3%, but few of the protections once considered routine. Still, the investors bought. Rampant demand for leveraged loans is allowing private-equity firms to water down legal safeguards for investors. Many lawyers and bankers increasingly worry that such changes could result in higher losses for investors during the next downturn, as creditors find themselves with less protection… Investors are clamoring for leveraged loans as years of low interest rates and central banks’ bond buying have pushed down returns elsewhere. Trillions of dollars of sovereign debt, primarily in Europe, continue to sport negative yields… With ‘far too much cash trying to find too few homes,’ private-equity firms ‘can be more aggressive and lenders will take it,’ said Adam Freeman, a partner at Linklaters LLP.”
December 26 – Wall Street Journal (Sam Goldfarb and Nigel Chiwaya): “By almost any measure, corporate borrowers had it easy in 2017. Yields on corporate debt, which fall as prices rise, began the year at very low levels and ended the year even lower. Investors bought up pretty much every type of debt instrument, from investment-grade bonds to collateralized loan obligations. Many analysts expect more of the same in the early part of 2018. A test could come later in the year, as combined net bond-buying by the Federal Reserve and European Central Bank is expected to turn negative, removing a key support for fixed-income markets.”
December 27 – Financial Times (Nicole Bullock, Robert Smith and Emma Dunkley): “Global exchanges attracted the largest number of listings since the financial crisis this year, with a resurgence of activity in the US and a record number of Chinese deals belying concerns that companies are cooling to the idea of public ownership. Almost 1,700 companies floated in 2017, an increase of 44% over 2016 and the most initial public offerings since 2007, according to Dealogic. Proceeds rose 44% to $196bn, the largest amount since 2014, which had been boosted by Alibaba’s $25bn listing. In the US companies raised $49bn — double the $24bn of listings in 2016, which was the worst year for IPOs in more than a decade. European listings rose more than 40% and China marked a record number of deals, which helped to boost the global deal count.”
Fixed Income Watch:
December 27 – Bloomberg (Edward Bolingbroke and Brian Chappatta): “The U.S. yield curve is getting one final flattening push before calling it a year. The spread between the yields on 2-year and 10-year Treasuries narrowed to just 50.6 bps Wednesday, close to the decade low reached on Dec. 6. While a small part of the more than six-basis-point narrowing is a function of the market shifting to a new benchmark 2-year note, the move is nonetheless one of the biggest single-session shifts of 2017. The gap between 5-year and 30-year yields also contracted as long bonds staged their biggest advance since September.”
Europe Watch:
December 29 – Reuters (Joseph Nasr): “German inflation hit its highest level in five years in 2017, initial data showed on Friday, sowing the seeds of more discord among rate setters at the European Central Bank, where some policymakers want to stop pouring money into the euro zone. Consumer prices harmonized to make them compatible with inflation data in other European Union countries rose by 1.6% year-on-year in December, compared to the 1.4% forecast by analysts polled by Reuters.”
Japan Watch:
December 26 – Bloomberg (Leika Kihara): “Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said… it was important to scrutinize whether economic expansion was leading to excessive risk-taking in financial markets. ‘In the current recovery phase, there are no signs of excessively bullish expectations in asset markets and financial institutions’ behavior. But financial developments warrant close attention,’ he said…”
December 25 – Bloomberg (Yuko Takeo): “Japanese inflation unexpectedly picked up in November but prices are still rising at less than half the rate targeted by the central bank. The tightest job market in decades got even tighter. Core consumer prices, which exclude fresh food, increased 0.9% in November from a year earlier (estimate 0.8%). The unemployment rate fell to 2.7%.”
Emerging Market Watch:
December 27 – New York Times (Kirk Semple and Clifford Krauss): “A general with no energy experience has been installed as the head of the state oil company. Arrests, firings and desperate emigration have gutted top talent. Oil facilities are crumbling, while production is plummeting. As the rest of the oil-producing world recovers on the back of stronger energy prices, Venezuela is getting worse, the result of dysfunctional management, rampant corruption and the country’s crippling economic crisis. The deepening troubles at the state oil company, the country’s economic mainstay, threaten to further destabilize a nation and government facing a dire recession, soaring inflation and unbridled crime, as well as food and medicine shortages.”
Leveraged Speculation Watch:
December 26 - CNBC (Tae Kim): “Greenlight Capital's David Einhorn, who is known for his prescient short bets against stocks like Lehman Brothers, shared the top reasons for his stellar hedge fund career. The billionaire hedge fund manager was asked what he believed is the most important factor for his investing success during an Oxford Union event last month. ‘If I had to pick one, I think it is critical thinking skill. It's the ability to look at a situation and see it for what it is, which isn't necessarily what is presented to you,’ Einhorn said. ‘And when something makes sense to figure out what makes sense. And when something doesn't make sense to question it, to challenge it, to look at it from a different way, to often come to the opposite conclusion.’”
Geopolitical Watch:
December 24 – Wall Street Journal (Michael R. Gordon): “President Donald Trump’s decision to provide Javelin antitank missiles to Ukraine reflects the broad assessment of his national security advisers that the shipment of defensive lethal arms is needed to raise the cost to Russia of its aggression in the conflict-ridden country and provide the West with fresh leverage in negotiations over its future. But the decision is also noteworthy for those trying to divine where the White House may be headed next year in its policy toward the Kremlin. While Mr. Trump has talked about improving relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he went along with aides who see Moscow as a revisionist power that is prepared to upend the post-Cold War order, and one that needs to be deterred.”
December 23 – Reuters (Ben Blanchard and Hyonhee Shin): “The latest U.N. sanctions against North Korea are an act of war and tantamount to a complete economic blockade against it, North Korea’s foreign ministry said on Sunday, threatening to punish those who supported the measure."
December 28 – Financial Times (Charles Clover): “With international attention this year diverted by North Korea, China has been quietly making geopolitical gains further south. Throughout 2017, Beijing has been equipping its artificial islands in the contested waters of the South China Sea for potential military use. Aerial photos published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies… show new construction on islands built by China, which now bristle with bunkers, aircraft hangars and shelters for radar, aircraft, warships and artillery. The new infrastructure leaves China in a position to station fighter jets and warships on the outcrops in 2018, and to make ambitious claims to territorial waters and airspace around them if Beijing chooses, say analysts.”
[Bloomberg] U.S. Stocks Pare 2017 Gain as Dollar Weakens: Markets Wrap
[Bloomberg] Commodities End 2017 With a Bang in Longest Rally on Record
[Bloomberg] Gold Had Its Best Year Since 2010
[Bloomberg] A 2018 Wild Card That's Not Priced In: China-U.S. Trade Tension
[Reuters] Exclusive: Russian tankers fueled North Korea via transfers at sea - sources
[WSJ] The Year Everything Went Up: Markets in 18 Charts
[Bloomberg] U.S. Stocks Mixed, Euro Seeks Best Year Since '03: Markets Wrap
[Reuters] U.S. oil prices climb to highest since mid-2015 on surprise output drop
[CNBC] Fed could surprise markets with more interest rate hikes than expected
[Bloomberg] Commodities Ending 2017 With a Bang in Longest Rally on Record
[Reuters] Dilemma for ECB as German inflation hits five-year high
[Bloomberg] Six Charts Show Gold's Bulls and Bears Have Plenty to Chew Over
[Bloomberg] China Shadow Banks Pay Record Premium for Cash as Squeeze Bites
[Reuters] China targets trust industry next year in fight against shadow banking: sources
[CNBC] China asks itself a tough question: Can it accept slower growth?
[Reuters] The year in U.S. markets in five graphs
[Reuters] Trump says China's stance on North Korea influences his trade policy
[CNBC] Trump threatens China, says Russia inquiry makes America 'look very bad'
[WSJ] Another Record Inflow For ETFs in 2017
[WSJ] Berlusconi Poised to Play Pivotal Role in Italian Vote
[FT] Watch 10-year Treasury yields for signs of danger in 2018
[FT] Securitised auto loans hit post-financial crisis high
[FT] Beijing bolsters its islands in the South China Sea
Thursday Afternoon Links
[Reuters] World stocks rally with surge in metals prices, U.S. dollar retreats
[Bloomberg] Homes in U.S. Gained $2 Trillion in Value This Year, Zillow Says
[Bloomberg] Italy's President Dissolves Parliament, Triggering Elections
[Nikkei Asian Review] China Drives Asia's Record International Bond Issuances For 2017 - Dealogic
[Nikkei Asian Review] Asia led 2017's global rise in IPOs as China's prowess grows
[CNBC] Trump sends a warning after report of Chinese oil sales to North Korea
Thursday's News Links
[Bloomberg] Dollar, Treasuries Decline as Stocks Edge Higher: Markets Wrap
[Reuters] Gold hits 1-month high as dollar weakens further
[Reuters] Oil prices near 2015 highs on tight market
[Bloomberg] Bitcoin Tumbles Over Exchange-Closure Fears
[Bloomberg] U.S. Merchandise Trade Gap Widens to Largest Since 2015
[Bloomberg] U.S. Renters Paid a Record High $485.6 Billion in 2017: Zillow
[Reuters] China's leaders fret over debts lurking in shadow banking system
[CNBC] The 'single most important' trade in 2018 could be a tug of war between the Fed and the market
[Bloomberg] It’s Been One of the Worst Years Ever for Billion-Dollar U.S. Weather Disasters
[Bloomberg] Japan Industrial Production, Retail Sales Rise in November
[Bloomberg] Steinhoff Downgraded Deeper Into Junk at Moody's as Risks Rise
[CNBC] It looks like the India-China rivalry is spreading to another front
[NYT] Once a Cash Cow, Venezuela’s Oil Company Now Verges on Collapse
[WSJ] The Growing Peril of Index Funds: Too Much Tech
[FT] Global M&A exceeds $3tn for fourth straight year
[WSJ] Tillerson Discusses Conflict Zones in Call With Russia
[WSJ] With the New Tax Law, CPAs Enjoy Sudden Popularity
[FT] Italy braces for election test
[Bloomberg] U.S. Stocks Rise, Treasuries Gain as Dollar Falls: Markets Wrap
[Bloomberg] Flattening U.S. Yield Curve Nears Decade Lows in Final 2017 Push
[Reuters] U.S. holiday sales set to break records in surprise boon to retail
[CNBC] When the economic news is this good, history shows the gains are smaller for stocks
[Bloomberg] Five Key Challenges Xi Jinping Faces in 2018
[NYT] In a Complex Tax Bill, Let the Hunt for Loopholes Begin
Wednesday News Links
[Bloomberg] U.S. Stocks Rise With Treasuries as Dollar Falls: Markets Wrap
[Bloomberg] Copper Rallies to Three-Year High as China Plant Halts Output
[Bloomberg] China Beige Book Sees Signs of Shift to Slower Growth Already
[Bloomberg] China Industrial Profit Growth Slows as Factory Inflation Eases
[Bloomberg] Emerging Markets' Dream Run Could See a Reality Check in 2018
[Bloomberg] World's Wealthiest Became $1 Trillion Richer in 2017
[Bloomberg] Betting Against Boredom: A Field Guide to 2018 Volatility Trades
[WSJ] A Banner Year for Corporate Debt
[WSJ] White House Considers Former Bush-Era Economists for Fed No. 2 Job
[WSJ] Can Central Banks Keep Control of Interest Rates?
[WSJ] Yield-Starved Investors Giving In to the Demands of Bond Sellers
[FT] Number of IPOs at highest since financial crisis
[FT] China IPOs hit record number in mainland markets
[FT] China share pledges soar as founders seek new borrowing tools
[FT] Unravelling of LeEco leaves creditors scrambling for cash
[FT] Smart beta funds pass $1tn in assets
Tuesday Evening Links
[Bloomberg] Oil Surges Past $59 as Apple Drags on Tech Stocks: Markets Wrap
[Bloomberg] U.S. IPOs Bounce Back: Five Key Measures of 2017's Listings
[Bloomberg] Five Years of Abenomics: The Good, the Bad and the Sluggish
[Washington Post] America's trade wars are heating up as U.S. firms sue for relief from foreign competitors
[FT] Driver shortage sends truck haulage rates higher
Tuesday's News Links
[Bloomberg] Apple Drags Down Tech Shares as Gold, Oil Advance: Markets Wrap
[Bloomberg] Oil at Three-Week High Amid Reports of Libya Oil Pipe Explosion
[Bloomberg] Home Prices in 20 U.S. Cities Increase by Most Since 2014
[Bloomberg] iPhone X Shipment Forecasts Cut by Analysts Citing Tepid Demand
[CNBC] Amazon celebrates 'biggest holiday' as Prime members surge
[Reuters] BOJ Kuroda: Must watch for excessive risk-taking in markets
[Bloomberg] Japan Inflation Picks Up in November But Still Below Target
[Reuters] Japan's household spending jumps but BOJ seen keeping stimulus
[CNBC] Billionaire David Einhorn says the key to investing success is ‘critical thinking’
[CNBC] 2017 — a year of disaster
[NYT] China’s New Lenders Collect Invasive Data and Offer Billions. Beijing Is Worried.
[WSJ] Are Central Bankers About to Lose Control?
[WSJ] Retailers Feel Shoppers’ Christmas Cheer
[Bloomberg] U.S. Dollar Rises With Ruble Amid Holiday Lull: Markets Wrap
[Bloomberg] China Signals Slower Growth Is Acceptable to Tackle Debt, Smog
[Bloomberg] China Central Bank Official Says Bankruptcy May Benefit the Country
[Bloomberg] Analysts Cut IPhone X Shipment Forecasts, Citing Lukewarm Demand
[WSJ] U.S. Decision to Send Lethal Arms to Ukraine Signals Tougher Stance on Russia
[Bloomberg] Digital Coins Resume Selloff as Recovery Fizzles
[Bloomberg] The Year in Money
[Reuters] North Korea says new U.N. sanctions an act of war
[WSJ] Spending, Deficit Concerns Arise With New Tax Law
[Reuters] Oil producers to discuss exit plans from cuts once market near balance: Russia
[CNBC] California's monster Thomas fire becomes largest-ever wildfire in state history
[Spiegel] Merkel's Difficult Road to a Coalition
[WSJ] One Thing Tax Overhaul Won’t Do? Simplify Corporate Taxes
[PeakProsperity] Dave Collum's Year in Review
Weekly Commentary: Epic Stimulus Overload
Ten-year Treasury yields jumped 13 bps this week to 2.48%, the high going back to March. German bund yields rose 12 bps to 0.42%. U.S. equities have been reveling in tax reform exuberance. Bonds not so much. With unemployment at an almost 17-year low 4.1%, bond investors have so far retained incredible faith in global central bankers and the disinflation thesis.
Between tax legislation and cryptocurrencies, there’s been little interest in much else. As for tax cuts, it’s an inopportune juncture in the cycle for aggressive fiscal stimulus. And for major corporate tax reduction more specifically, with boom-time earnings and the loosest Credit conditions imaginable, it’s Epic Stimulus Overload. History will look back at this week - ebullient Republicans sharing the podium and cryptocurrency/blockchain trading madness - and ponder how things got so crazy.
From my analytical vantage point, the nation’s housing markets have been about the only thing holding the U.S. economy back from full-fledged overheated status. Sales have been solid and price inflation steady. And while construction has recovered significantly from the 2009/2010 trough, housing starts remain at about 60% of 2004-2005 period peak levels. It takes some time for residential construction to attain take-off momentum. Well, liftoff may have finally arrived. As long as mortgage rates remain so low, we should expect ongoing housing upside surprises. An already strong inflationary bias is starting to Bubble. Is the Fed paying attention?
December 22 – Reuters: “Sales of new U.S. single-family homes unexpectedly rose in November, hitting their highest level in more than 10 years, driven by robust demand across the country. The Commerce Department said… new home sales jumped 17.5% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 733,000 units last month. That was the highest level since July 2007… New home sales surged 26.6% from a year ago.”
And from Bloomberg’s Shobhana Chandra: “…The number of [new] properties sold in which construction hadn’t yet started increased almost 43% to 258,000 in November, the most since December 2006… Supply of homes at current sales rate fell to 4.6 months from 5.4 months.”
December 20 - Bloomberg (Shobhana Chandra): “Sales of previously owned U.S. homes rose in November to an almost 11-year high, indicating demand picked up momentum heading into the end of the year… The results show broad strength, with particular firmness in the upper-end market where inventory conditions are ‘markedly better,’ the group said. Forty-four percent of homes sold in November were on the market for less than a month. At the current pace, it would take 3.4 months to sell the homes on the market, the lowest in records to 1999 and down from 3.9 months in the prior month.”
December 19 – Bloomberg (Sho Chandra): “Groundbreaking on single-family homes proceeded in November at the strongest pace in a decade, driving U.S. housing starts to a faster-than-estimated rate… Single-family starts jumped 5.3% to 930,000, highest since Sept. 2007; South and West regions also were 10-year highs. The latest results make it more likely that residential construction spending -- which subtracted from economic growth in the second and third quarters -- will add to the pace of U.S. expansion in the October-December period, which is already shaping up as a solid quarter.”
U.S. and global growth surprised on the upside in 2017, explained by monetary conditions that somehow became only more extraordinarily loose. The Fed, with its dovish approach to three baby-step hikes, failed to tighten conditions. Led by the Bank of Japan and the European Central Bank, it was another year of massive global QE. Meanwhile, Chinese “tightening” measures couldn’t restrain record Credit growth. At the “periphery,” EM were the recipients of huge financial flows, spurring domestic Credit systems and economies around the globe. It’s been a huge year for Credit on a global scale.
December 19 – Financial Times (Eric Platt and Robin Wigglesworth): “A borrowing binge by companies and governments has reached a new high this year, providing bumper fees for Wall Street but raising questions ahead of a year of expected tightening of cheap money by the world’s most important central banks in 2018. Blue-chip corporate borrowers such as AT&T and Microsoft have led the way, as companies accounted for more than 55% of the $6.8tn raised in 2017 through bond sales organised by banks, according to… Dealogic. Countries from Argentina to Saudi Arabia also took advantage of an almost decade of low interest rates in developed economies, which forced investors to chase returns in the bonds of emerging market governments and their companies. ‘In 2017, there was such an influx of capital coming into high-quality fixed income. It’s a demand-fuelled story,’ said Gene Tannuzzo, a portfolio manager with Columbia Threadneedle. ‘If you are a sovereign or corporate, with interest rates where they are, you are supposed to borrow now.’”
Bloomberg’s Michael McKee: “Is the bond market telling the President he’s wrong about the potential for increasing the growth rate of the United States.”
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari: “Well, I think the bond market is saying a couple things to me. One, inflation expectations are drifting lower. They have drifted lower, and that’s in large part, I believe, because of the Fed – because we’ve been sending these hawkish signals by raising interest rates in a low inflation environment. Second, I think the markets are also pricing in a lower neutral real interest rate. So the interest rate that balances savings and investment in the economy is set by broader economic forces. It’s been trending down over the last few decades. I think markets are embracing that concept and pricing in a lower, what we call “r-star”, which then caps where bond yields are, and at the same time can explain some of the appreciation in the equities markets, as they’re discounting cash flows at a lower rate. So those are the signals that I take away from the bond market right now.”
Bloomberg’s David Westin: “…If you had your way, if you went from what the Fed is predicting now - three [rate] increases next year - to one, or maybe none, what would happen to the long-end of the yield curve, in your view?”
Kashkari: “In my view, I think that would take off some of the downward – the disinflationary pressure that I think the committee is putting on the long-end of the curve. In my view, by raising rates in a low inflation environment we are sending a signal that our 2% inflation target is not a target. We’re sending a signal that it’s a ceiling – that we’re not going to allow inflation to creep above 2%. And I think that’s putting pressure on the long end of the curve. If you look at how we’ve behaved – not at what we’ve said – we say it’s a target not a ceiling. If you look at how we’ve behaved over the past five or six years, we’ve been treating 2% as a ceiling. I think markets have figured that out and they’re pricing that in. So to me, the Fed is pushing up the front end with our rate increases and pushing down the long end by sending this very hawkish signal about the outlook for inflation.”
“Very hawkish signal”? It’s been a while since radical dovishness was an impediment to career advancement at the Federal Reserve (or prospering thereafter).
Central bankers over recent decades have repeatedly found excuses for leaving monetary policy too loose for too long. In the face of history’s greatest expansion of global debt, central bankers have since the early nineties justified loose monetary policy by pointing to deflation risk. When the economy and markets were turning increasingly overheated in the late-nineties, chairman Greenspan claimed a New Paradigm of technological advancement presented the U.S. economy with a faster speed limit. When the post-tech Bubble reflation was spurring record Credit growth and rampant mortgage excess, Dr. Bernanke and others proffered the “global saving glut” thesis. Apparently, it was out of the Fed’s hands.
Now we have a historically low “r-star” “neutral rate” – and Fed hawkishness supposedly pressuring long-term yields lower. I really struggle with the notion that the Fed has been hawkish “over the past five or six years.” Do global central bankers not appreciate that decades of loose finance have been a major force behind disinflationary pressures? Moreover, employing open-ended QE fundamentally altered expectations and market pricing for sovereign debt and long-term financial assets. With myriad Bubbles flourishing around the globe, debt markets now price in QE forever. I believe global long-term yields would move sharply higher in the event of a stunning outbreak of central bank hawkishness.
December 18 – Wall Street Journal (Michael C. Bender): “Declaring that ‘economic security is national security,’ President Donald Trump aimed to reframe a national debate over his domestic economic and trade policies by thrusting them into a national-security context. ‘Economic vitality, growth and prosperity at home is absolutely necessary for American power and influence abroad,’ Mr. Trump said… as he unveiled his new national security strategy. ‘Any nation that trades away its prosperity for security will end up losing both.’ Recounting a year of stock-market gains and unemployment-rate decreases, Mr. Trump alleged that his predecessors prioritized nation building abroad over economic growth at home. He said his new national security strategy… provided a needed contrast, and included plans for cutting taxes, rebuilding roads and bridges and building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.”
December 20 – New York Times (Keith Bradsher): “It’s Xi Jinping’s economy now, and he isn’t too worried about debt. China signaled its economic priorities on Wednesday at the end of a meeting of top Communist Party economic leaders with a statement indicating that President Xi is fully in charge. Labeled ‘Xi Jinping Thought on Socialist Economy With Chinese Characteristics,’ the statement called for trimming industrial overcapacity, controlling the supply of money and other moves that have been staples of China’s other recent declarations. Barely mentioned: China’s surging debt. Despite downgrades this year by two international credit rating firms and warnings from institutions like the International Monetary Fund, the statement issued at the conclusion of the Central Economic Work Conference called for controlling borrowing by local governments, but it otherwise glossed over a vast borrowing splurge in recent years, driven in large part by Chinese companies.”
President Trump is now wedded to the U.S. Bubble. President Xi Jinping is wedded to the Chinese Bubble. I’ve posited a global “Arms Race in Bubbles.” With Trump in charge and the Republicans now pushing through aggressive stimulus, perhaps Chinese officials are rethinking the geopolitical risks associated with efforts to rein in their Bubble excess.
It’s been a long time coming. Yet I wouldn’t be surprised if this week’s jump in yields proves the start of something. Tax cuts coupled with an increasingly overheated economy creates a backdrop conducive to upside inflation surprises. Nice pop in commodities this week. And look at the housing data! And what if Beijing indulges yet another year of double-digit Credit growth in 2018? And while on the topic of 2018, what are the prospects for the Trump Administration turning its attention to trade competitor China? It’s another campaign promise and where things could turn really interesting.
For a moment, ponder this: an overheated U.S. economy, a surprising uptick in worker compensation and rising import costs. It’s been awhile since bond investors had to be concerned with anything other than (predictively dovish) monetary policy. “R-star” trending down forever? Remember when the bond market used to intimidate?
The S&P500 added 0.3% (up 19.9% y-t-d), and the Dow increased 0.4% (up 25.3%). The Utilities sank 4.5% (up 8.6%). The Banks rose 1.6% (up 17.6%), and the Broker/Dealers gained 1.4% (up 30.3%). The Transports rallied 2.7% (up 18.0%). The S&P 400 Midcaps gained 0.9% (up 14.7%), and the small cap Russell 2000 rose 0.8% (up 13.7%). The Nasdaq100 was unchanged (up 32.9%).The Semiconductors advanced 1.6% (up 40.2%). The Biotechs rose 0.7% (up 36.7%). With bullion up $20, the HUI gold index jumped 4.9% (up 3.6%).
Three-month Treasury bill rates ended the week at 130 bps. Two-year government yields rose five bps to 1.89% (up 70bps y-t-d). Five-year T-note yields jumped 10 bps to 2.25% (up 32bps). Ten-year Treasury yields rose 13 bps to 2.48% (up 4bps). Long bond yields gained 14 bps to 2.83% (down 23bps).
Greek 10-year yields rose 15 bps to 4.08% (down 294bps y-t-d). Ten-year Portuguese yields were little changed at 1.84% (down 191bps). Italian 10-year yields rose 10 bps to 1.91% (up 10bps). Spain's 10-year yields slipped two bps to 1.47% (up 9bps). German bund yields jumped 12 bps to 0.42% (up 22bps). French yields rose 11 bps to 0.74% (up 6bps). The French to German 10-year bond spread narrowed one to 32 bps. U.K. 10-year gilt yields gained nine bps to 1.24% (up 1bp). U.K.'s FTSE equities jumped 1.4% (up 6.3%).
Japan's Nikkei 225 equities index rallied 1.5% (up 19.8% y-t-d). Japanese 10-year "JGB" yields were unchanged at 0.048% (up 1bp). France's CAC40 increased 0.3% (up 10.3%). The German DAX equities index slipped 0.2% (up 13.9%). Spain's IBEX 35 equities index added 0.3% (up 8.9%). Italy's FTSE MIB index recovered 0.5% (up 15.5%). EM markets were mixed. Brazil's Bovespa index surged 3.6% (up 24.8%), and Mexico's Bolsa added 0.6% (up 6.0%). South Korea's Kospi index fell 1.7% (up 20.4%). India’s Sensex equities index gained 1.4% (up 27.5%). China’s Shanghai Exchange gained 0.9% (up 6.2%). Turkey's Borsa Istanbul National 100 index rose 1.6% (up 42.2%). Russia's MICEX equities index dropped 1.9% (down 5.8%).
Junk bond mutual funds saw outflows of $1.112 billion (from Lipper).
Freddie Mac 30-year fixed mortgage rates added a basis point to 3.94% (down 36bps y-o-y). Fifteen-year rates rose two bps to 3.38% (down 14bps). Five-year hybrid ARM rates gained three bps to 3.39% (up 7bps). Bankrate's survey of jumbo mortgage borrowing costs had 30-yr fixed rates unchanged at 4.15% (down 21bps).
Federal Reserve Credit last week increased $7.5bn to $4.408 TN. Over the past year, Fed Credit fell $15.3bn. Fed Credit inflated $1.589 TN, or 56%, over the past 267 weeks. Elsewhere, Fed holdings for foreign owners of Treasury, Agency Debt sank $12.0bn last week to $3.373 TN. "Custody holdings" were up $201bn y-o-y, or 6.3%.
M2 (narrow) "money" supply surged $60.7bn last week to a record $13.866 TN. "Narrow money" expanded $695bn, or 5.3%, over the past year. For the week, Currency increased $2.3bn. Total Checkable Deposits gained $5.2bn, and Savings Deposits jumped $48.4bn. Small Time Deposits were unchanged. Retail Money Funds rose $4.6bn.
Total money market fund assets dropped $21.2bn to $2.820 TN. Money Funds rose $107bn y-o-y, or 3.9%.
Total Commercial Paper jumped $28.9bn to a 19-month high $1.079 TN. CP gained $113bn y-o-y, or 11.7%.
The U.S. dollar index slipped 0.6% to 93.347 (down 8.8% y-t-d). For the week on the upside, the South African rand increased 3.8%, the Swedish krona 2.2%, the Canadian dollar 1.1%, the euro 1.0%, the South Korean won 0.9%, the Australian dollar 0.8%, the Norwegian krone 0.8%, the New Zealand dollar 0.4%, the Singapore dollar 0.4%, the British pound 0.3%, and the Swiss franc 0.3%. For the week on the downside, the Mexican peso declined 3.2%, the Brazilian real 1.1% and the Japanese yen 0.6%. The Chinese renminbi gained 0.49% versus the dollar this week (up 5.59% y-t-d).
The Goldman Sachs Commodities Index jumped 2.3% (up 7.7% y-t-d). Spot Gold rose 1.6% to $1,275 (up 10.7%). Silver surged 2.4% to $16.444 (up 2.9%). Crude gained $1.17 to $58.47 (up 9%). Gasoline surged 6.5% (up 6%), and Natural Gas gained 2.1% (down 29%). Copper advanced 3.3% (up 29%). Wheat gained 1.6% (up 4%). Corn rose 1.3% (unchanged).
December 22 – Wall Street Journal (Louise Radnofsky): “President Donald Trump signed a sweeping tax overhaul bill into law in the Oval Office on Friday morning, as well as a spending bill to keep the government open through mid-January. Congress this week passed a tax bill that represents the most far-reaching overhaul of the U.S. tax system in decades, reducing the corporate tax rate to its lowest point since 1939 and cutting individual taxes for most households next year.”
December 19 – Bloomberg (Liz McCormick and Katherine Greifeld): “With the U.S. about to sell the most debt in eight years, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin may find himself relying on a buyer base that needs to see higher yields before loading up. Government debt sales are set to more than double in 2018, lifting net issuance to $1.3 trillion, the most since 2010… With the Federal Reserve shrinking its bond holdings and deficits poised to swell even before taking into account the tax overhaul, all signs point to higher financing costs. The challenge for Mnuchin is that some analysts predict buying by central banks -- a pillar of support this year -- may fade, in part as international-reserve growth stabilizes.”
December 21 – Politico (Kevin Robillard, Nancy Cook and Cristiano Lima): “Conservative groups are planning a multimillion-dollar effort to sell the GOP’s tax cut law, hoping the American electorate can learn to love the party’s signature — but massively unpopular — legislative achievement. ‘We have a public that distrusts anything coming out of Washington, especially anything from the majority party,’ said Tim Phillips, president of Americans for Prosperity…. ‘We have a job that's not that hard. We have to make sure people understand the benefits they're going to receive from this legislation.’”
December 18 – Reuters (Dustin Volz): “The Trump administration has publicly blamed North Korea for unleashing the so-called WannaCry cyber attack that crippled hospitals, banks and other companies across the globe earlier this year. ‘The attack was widespread and cost billions, and North Korea is directly responsible,’ Tom Bossert, homeland security adviser to President Donald Trump, wrote…”
December 19 – Wall Street Journal (Lingling Wei): “As China prepares to unveil its economic blueprint for 2018, people familiar with the plan say it will show that Beijing is finding it hard to cut debt without jeopardizing growth. In the blueprint to be unveiled on Wednesday, past talk of bringing down debt, the priority for the past two years, is gone in favor of a pledge to just control the rise in borrowing, according to these people. The softening of the goal, decided earlier this month by the Communist Party’s top leadership, is an official acknowledgment of how hard it is for Beijing to wean the economy off debt-driven growth. ‘Let’s face it,’ said an official involved in policy discussions, ‘it’s not realistic to reduce leverage when the whole economy relies on banks for financing.’”
December 17 – Reuters: “Growth in China's new home prices sustained its momentum in November, with increases seen in provincial centres and smaller cities in a sign policymakers may need to step up curbs to rein in speculation in the property market. China's housing market boom has lasted more than two years, giving the economy a major boost but stirring fears of a property bubble, with the government taking stern measures to curtail speculative buying.”
December 18 – Bloomberg: “Bond cancellations at Chinese conglomerate HNA Group Co.’s units are spreading, fueling concerns about financing strains after borrowing costs soared to records. The third such scrapped financing plan this month came Tuesday, as Tianjin Airlines Co. said it had set aside a planned offering of 1 billion yuan ($151 million) of 270-day notes… Concerns about financial strains at HNA Group are growing after a debt-fueled $40 billion acquisition spree across six continents that invited scrutiny from regulators across the globe.”
December 19 – Bloomberg (Alfred Liu): “A Chinese biotech company defaulted on a loan tied to an asset-management product, after the nation’s regulators last month moved to tighten supervision and break an implicit guarantee that’s driven investment into such vehicles… Shandong Longlive Bio-technology Co. failed to repay the first 138 million yuan ($20.9 million) installment on a 227 million yuan loan from Zhonghai Trust Co. on Dec. 7… The majority of the missed payment was packaged into an asset-management product issued by Datong Securities Co. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his top economic deputies have vowed to make controlling financial risks their foremost priority, a pledge renewed at the Communist Party’s twice-a-decade leadership congress in October.”
December 20 – Bloomberg (Richard Frost): “China’s campaign to cut risk in the financial sector this year has helped make the nation’s stock market the most divided on record. As investors worried about the impact of rising funding costs for companies, they rushed into the safest of stocks -- large-cap firms, mostly state-owned. The result is a performance gap of 27 percentage points between the FTSE China A50 Index of China’s biggest companies and the 1,400-member Shanghai Composite Index, the widest margin since at least 2003.”
December 17 – Bloomberg (Joanna Ossinger): “Investors have been underestimating the importance of U.S. economic growth for Federal Reserve policy, and giving too much relative emphasis to inflation and wage data that have tended to disappoint expectations, according to Goldman Sachs… If it starts looking more likely that U.S. growth will stay above its potential rate, that could boost the chances of a labor-market overheating that quickens the pace of Fed rate increases, Goldman economists led by Jan Hatzius wrote in a Dec. 17 note.”
December 21 – CNBC (Steve Liesman): “Larry Lindsey, a former top economic advisor to President George W. Bush and a one-time Federal Reserve governor, is being considered for the Fed vice chairman job, according to sources. The White House is looking for monetary policy expertise for the position, according to the sources and Lindsey would fit that bill. He was a governor of the central bank from 1991 to 1997.”
December 18 – Wall Street Journal (Andrew Ackerman and Nick Timiraos): “Mortgage-finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are here to stay. Lawmakers in both parties and the Trump administration are negotiating overhauls of the two companies—critical to home mortgages but in government conservatorship since the financial crisis—that could keep them at the center of the U.S. mortgage market for years to come, abandoning long-stalled proposals to wind them down... Bipartisan Senate legislation set to be introduced in early 2018 marks the clearest sign of this reversal and shows how the companies, entering their 10th year under federal control, have proven too risky to attempt replacing. The housing market has seen strong demand in recent years, driven in part by steady access for many Americans to 4% or lower 30-year fixed-rate mortgages, thanks in part to a government backstop of the companies.”
December 22 – Bloomberg (Manuel Baigorri): “Just as most people are packing up for Christmas, dealmakers across the world are rushing to finish up a slew of transactions in industries ranging from consumer to telecom and health care to gambling. Companies have announced about $361 billion of mergers and acquisitions this month, making it the busiest December in at least 12 years…”
December 20 – Bloomberg Businessweek (Stephen Gandel): “Some have been warning recently that a crash in leveraged loans, one of Wall Street's hottest debt markets, could do investors a lot more damage than in the past. Investors, though, show little signs of concern. Indeed, money has continued to race into leveraged loans. U.S. companies have raised nearly $1.4 trillion in the relatively risky lending market this year, up 46% from a year ago… The yield on the average leveraged loan was 5.4% at the end of November, which is nearly the same as it was in the month a year earlier.”
December 19 – CNBC (Steve Liesman): “Buoyant American attitudes on the economy look set to show up in plentiful, record-setting holiday spending this season. The CNBC All-America Survey found that average holiday spending intentions will top $900 for the first time in the 12-year history of the poll, eclipsing last year's estimate of $702 by a wide margin. The survey of 800 Americans nationwide… found a surge in the percentage of Americans planning to spend more than $1,000, to 29% from 24%.”
December 21 – Bloomberg (Arie Shapira and Kailey Leinz): “There’s a new leader in the sweepstakes for the zaniest name change in the crypto craze. Long Island Iced Tea Corp. shares rose as much as 289% after the unprofitable… company rebranded itself Long Blockchain Corp. It’s the latest in a near-daily phenomenon sweeping the stock market, where obscure microcap companies reorient to focus on some aspect of the mania sparked by bitcoin’s 1,500% rally this year. Long Blockchain, whose business has been selling non-alcoholic beverages, says it will now seek to partner with or invest in companies that develop the decentralized ledgers known as blockchain, the technology that underpins bitcoin.”
December 18 – Financial Times (Nicole Bullock and Robin Wigglesworth): “When shares in a company led by a self-styled ‘global techno entrepreneur’ and ‘financial wizard’ increase 10-fold on news that it has acquired a digital currency business, the echoes of the dotcom bubble are too loud to ignore. Analysts and investors said the excitement around bitcoin and blockchain technology was now reminiscent of the period almost two decades ago, when adding dotcom to a company name could drive a buying frenzy. The latest example was the surging share price of LongFin, a business specialising in trade finance that went public on Nasdaq... When it announced, just two days later, that it was buying a blockchain-related venture called Ziddu.com, LongFin shares jumped more than 1,000% — in a move that even its own founder called ‘unwarranted’.”
December 17 –New York Times (Matthew Goldstein): “Puerto Rico has had an awful decade — and it’s about to get worse. First came a brutal 10-year recession and financial crisis that drove businesses from this island and left 44% of the population impoverished. Then, in September, Hurricane Maria, a powerful Category 4 storm, shredded buildings, wrecked the electrical power grid and possibly led to more than 1,000 deaths. Now Puerto Rico is bracing for another blow: a housing meltdown that could far surpass the worst of the foreclosure crisis that devastated Phoenix, Las Vegas, Southern California and South Florida… If the current numbers hold, Puerto Rico is headed for a foreclosure epidemic that could rival what happened in Detroit... About one-third of the island’s 425,000 homeowners are behind on their mortgage payments to banks and Wall Street firms that previously bought up distressed mortgages.”
December 17 – Financial Times (Alistair Gray and Oliver Ralph): “Insurers are braced for another multi-billion-dollar loss from the fires in southern California, capping what is already shaping up to be one of the costliest ever years for the industry. Adam Kamins, senior economist at Moody’s Analytics, estimates that losses from the Thomas Fire alone — the most serious of several in the region — would come in at about $1.5bn. That could rise sharply depending on how much it spreads. The ultimate losses will depend in large part on winds in the coming days. Insurers already face claims of more than $100bn from a string of natural disasters this year, including hurricanes in the Caribbean and southern US, earthquakes in Mexico and wildfires in northern California in October.”
December 21 – Bloomberg (Gabrielle Coppola and Claire Boston): “Private-equity firms that plunged headlong into subprime auto lending are discovering just how hard it might be to get out. A Perella Weinberg Partners fund has been sitting on an IPO of Flagship Credit Acceptance for two years as bad loan write-offs push it into the red. Blackstone Group LP has struggled to make Exeter Finance profitable, despite sinking almost a half-billion dollars into the lender since 2011 and shaking up the C-suite multiple times. And Wall Street bankers in private say others would love to cash out too, but there’s currently no market for such exits.”
Central Banker Watch:
December 19 – Bloomberg (Jana Randow and Paul Gordon): “European Central Bank policy maker Jens Weidmann reiterated his call for a definite end-date for the institution’s bond-buying program, a refrain that looks likely to gain traction among his colleagues next year. Saying that domestic price pressures should strengthen as wage growth improves, he said they are ‘therefore on track toward our definition of price stability.’ While policy makers meeting last week reaffirmed their commitment to buy debt until September ‘or beyond,’ officials including at least half the six-member Executive Board have signaled they’re willing to rein in expectations for another extension… ‘A faster conclusion of net asset purchases and a clearly communicated end date would have been reasonable,’ Weidmann, who also heads Germany’s Bundesbank, told reporters…”
December 20 – Reuters (Simon Johnson and Daniel Dickson): “Sweden's central bank took its first baby steps toward reversing ultra-loose policy on Wednesday, holding rates unchanged and ending net new bond purchases. Coupons and maturing bonds will be reinvested, however, and the balance sheet will swell temporarily. As a result the central bank's holdings of government bonds will increase temporarily in 2018 and the beginning of 2019. ‘We are slowly normalising, but with emphasis on slowly,’ Governor Stefan Ingves told reporters.”
December 21 – Bloomberg (Sid Verma): “Lowflation drove global markets to dizzying highs this year. Inflation could drive them off a cliff. The risk for 2018 is that consumer price growth stages a comeback, roiling investor portfolios and corporate profits, according to investors and strategists. The consequent return of higher real interest rates would imperil bullish market psychology more than you might think. ‘A significant inflation shock would be just about the worst thing that could happen to today’s investment portfolios,’ Ben Inker, head of asset allocation at… Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co., wrote… ‘Unlike most of history, it seems plausible that a meaningful inflation increase from here would impose worse losses on portfolios than a depression.’”
December 20 – Reuters (Stanley White): “Business confidence among Asian companies rose in October-December to the highest in almost seven years due to robust consumption and global trade… The Thomson Reuters/INSEAD Asian Business Sentiment Index .TRIABS RACSI, representing the six-month outlook of 94 firms, rose to 78 for the December quarter from 69 three months before.”
December 20 – Bloomberg (John Bowker, Renee Bonorchis, and Franz Wild): “It could wind up being South Africa’s version of the Enron accounting scandal. Furniture retailer Steinhoff International Holdings NV captivated investors by growing into a global force, latterly under its billionaire chairman, Christo Wiese. Now it’s drawing attention for all the wrong reasons. Shares in Steinhoff crashed 80% in two days after the company reported accounting irregularities that stretch back to 2016. Wiese has stepped down, Chief Executive Officer Markus Jooste has resigned and the company is looking for leniency from its creditors.”
December 19 – Bloomberg (Renee Bonorchis): “Embattled furniture retailer Steinhoff International Holdings NV was pushed to the brink of collapse after it said lenders have started to cut off support in the wake of an accounting scandal that destroyed most of its value in a matter of days. As the owner of Conforama in France and Mattress Firm in the U.S. seeks a lifeline, it’s still unable to assess the magnitude of financial irregularities disclosed two weeks ago…”
December 20 – Bloomberg (Kana Nishizawa and Narae Kim): “It was a year for bitcoin, technology stocks and the power consolidation of China’s Xi Jinping. Those were some of the most popular topics for people boning up on issues important to finance and business through Google searches in 2017.”
December 22 – Financial Times (Robin Wigglesworth): “No one knows when the US credit cycle will keel over. But when it eventually does, the outcome is likely to be unusually nasty, brutish and protracted. The US corporate bond market has been on fire this year, with companies raising a record $1.14tn of debt. Even junk-rated companies enjoy average borrowing costs of less than 6%. That might look miserly, but corporate debt has been a welcome oasis of yield in a desert where close to $10tn of sovereign bonds still trade with negative interest rates. Yet when the economy inevitably turns, this oasis might look more like a sinkhole. Many creditors are likely to face more severe losses than they have in the past, and more arduous debt workouts. The debt boom has been accompanied by a sharp deterioration of the legal protection offered to creditors, as borrowers have taken advantage of desperate investors to weaken or scrap ‘covenants’ designed to help insulate lenders from financial shenanigans.”
December 22 – Bloomberg (Esteban Duarte, Maria Tadeo, Charles Penty, and Vidya N Root): “Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is meeting with allies this morning to plot his next move after a drubbing in Thursday’s Catalan election that saw separatists reclaim control of the regional assembly. Rajoy headed to a 9:30 a.m. cabinet meeting in Madrid and planned to sit down with his People’s Party leadership later in the day, with the resurgent Catalan independence campaign at the top of the agenda. The PP lost eight of its 11 seats in the region’s parliament as ousted President Carles Puigdemont’s party confounded projections to become the biggest group in a three-way separatist bloc.”
December 19 – Reuters: “The Bank of Japan's holdings of government debt rose to a record in July-September under its quantitative easing programme, which could deepen concerns its policy framework is unsustainable. The BOJ held a record 445 trillion yen ($3.94 trillion) in government debt at the end of September, up 7.6% from the same period a year earlier… The central bank held 40.9% of all government debt at the end of September, also the highest on record.”
December 21 – Bloomberg (Toru Fujioka): “The Bank of Japan left policy settings unchanged in the final meeting of 2017, retaining its unprecedented monetary stimulus as it waits for a pickup in stubbornly low inflation. With Japan’s economy continuing to grow at a healthy pace, and inflation at least moving in the right direction, there is little pressure on the BOJ adjust its interest-rate and asset-purchase targets any time soon. This sets it apart from its global counterparts, with the Federal Reserve hiking interest rates and the European Central Bank moving closer toward policy normalization.”
December 22 – Reuters (Tetsushi Kajimoto): “Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet endorsed a record $860 billion budget for fiscal 2018 on Friday, opting to keep the economy on a sustained recovery with aggressive monetary stimulus and putting fiscal reforms on the back burner again… The budget - a record high for the sixth year - got a boost from snowballing welfare spending to respond to a fast-ageing population and a record military outlay amid regional tensions related to North Korea.”
December 17 – Bloomberg (James Mayger and Masahiro Hidaka): “The pace at which the Bank of Japan is expanding its massive hoard of bonds will continue to slow in 2018, according to the majority of economists surveyed… The central bank will increase its Japanese government bond holdings by about 44 trillion yen ($392bn) next year, according to the average estimate… That’s well below the BOJ’s 80 trillion yen annual guideline and a considerable drop from the 61 trillion yen increase that was seen in the 12 months through the end of November… Under Governor Haruhiko Kuroda, the BOJ has come to dominate the government bond market in Japan, owning more than 40% of outstanding debt and depressing volatility and interest rates.”
December 18 – Reuters (Tetsushi Kajimoto and Stanley White): “Japan’s government revised up its growth projections for the current and next fiscal years, forecasting the economy to expand 1.9% and 1.8% respectively on the back of steady improvement in domestic demand, the Cabinet Office said…”
December 19 – Bloomberg (Natasha Doff): “It’s one of the most crowded trades for good reason. But dizzying returns and a surge of inflows have put emerging markets on a narrow precipice. After several false starts, economists are predicting next year will finally be the one in which borrowing costs get a significant leg-up. The International Monetary Fund is warning it could mark the tipping point for emerging-market bond funds sitting on the biggest annual inflows since the financial crisis… Investors piled into emerging-market bond funds this year as central banks delayed curbing monetary stimulus that’s pumped liquidity to developing economies over the past decade.”
December 21 – Bloomberg (Nyshka Chandran): “When it comes to territorial disputes in Asia, the South China Sea typically commands the bulk of attention. But the East China Sea, a lesser-known hotbed of tensions, might be more likely to trigger an international conflict. ‘Despite the lower profile, the dispute in the East China Sea may carry greater risk of drawing the United States into conflict with China than the various disputes in the South China Sea,’ Ryan Hass, David M. Rubenstein Fellow at Brooking's foreign policy program, wrote… Both China and Japan lay claim to a set of islands in the East China Sea that cover around 81,000 square miles. Called Senkaku in Tokyo and Diaoyu in Beijing, the area is near major shipping routes and rich in energy reserves.”
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English for Action
Learning language, making change.
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Migreat! A new EFA transnational project
Posted by Cait on 18 Nov 2019
From this Autumn, EFA London is involved in an exciting new project with three partners from Italy, France and Hungary.
The project aims to develop positive narratives around immigration, to counter the anti-migrant rhetoric that is on the rise across our national contexts.
“Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign. But stories can also be used to empower, and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people. But stories can also repair that broken dignity.”
—Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Author
The stories we tell have real life consequences. Over the last twenty years, anti-migrant narratives have become mainstream and migration has become a key political issue in the UK. When New Labour came to power in 1997, just 3% of the public cited immigration as a key issue. By the time of the EU referendum in 2016, that figure was 48%.1 During this period, mainstream political parties on the left and right did little to challenge anti-migrant rhetoric and most politicians actively reproduced the key tropes and basic tenets of this framing.
More recently, there have been some notable efforts to tell an alternative, positive story about migration. With this project, we aim to contribute to this movement.
We’ll do this by developing counter-narrative methods and tool. We’ll also be running free, in-depth trainings across our four countries to upskill educators, frontline workers, community organisers and activists in these counter-narrative practices. In this way, our project will have a ripple effect: training trainers and advocates, many of them migrants themselves, to develop and spread powerful, mind-changing stories that are a force for social justice.
“Narratives and melodramas are not mere words and images; they can enter our brains and provide models that we not merely live by, but that define who we are. Language is an instrument of creativity and power, a means of connecting with people or alienating them, and a force for social cohesion or separation.”
—George Lakoff, Cognitive Linguist & Author
More info on our trainings and a website coming soon. Watch this space!
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News > Article
18 days ago - 1/3/2020
Legendary Alushovski appointed as Vardar head coach
The beginning of 2020 has brought a new change at the helm of the defending VELUX EHF Champions League champions: Stevche Alushovski, one of the most legendary Macedonian players, has been appointed as HC Vardar’s new head coach.
Previously in October, due to Vardar's performances, David Pisonero was briefly replaced by Eduard Koksharov and now Stevche Alushovski will be the 'man in charge'.
“It’s a big honour but at the same time a responsibility to become head coach of the current Champions League winners. I’m aware what it means to be a head coach of this team and I’m happy to be back at the club where I spent 10 years. This offer also means a recognition for my coaching work in the previous two years,” said Alushovski.
Stevche Alushovski began his coaching career in 2017 in Bitola, at Pelister.
In February 2019, he took over at the helm of Eurofarm Rabotnik and competed in the Champions League.
However, with mutual agreement, the coach and club went their separate ways at the end of November 2019.
While his coaching experience is modest, Alushovski was an exceptional player for the Macedonian national team, scoring more than 350 goals.
As a player, he has experience from playing in the Champions League and spent 10 years wearing the Vardar jersey, where he also was a team captain. His medal collection includes 13 domestic league titles and 11 national cups.
“With Eurofarm Rabotnik, we debuted in the Champions League and I can say that we made a good result, although in some matches we lacked experience in order to achieve a better result.
"I can also say that there is a big difference between playing in groups C and D of the Champions League and playing in A and B. However, this was great coaching experience for me, which will certainly help me with my work in Vardar,” said Alushovski.
The freshly appointed coach will start his team’s preparation on 13 January with the local players that will not participate in the continental championship, and he expects to complete Vardar's squad after the EHF EURO 2020.
His first serious test in the VELUX EHF Champions League will come on 5 February when Vardar meet THW Kiel in the Sparkassen-Arena.
“This team faced many injuries in the previous period and due to Dissinger’s injury we will start the year with a deficit in the left back position.
"We can’t make any drastic changes, but we can change some details which I hope will be enough for a good result in the Champions League – as Vardar are Champions League winners and always aims high.
“We start with Kiel and then we have three matches left in the group phase and I hope Vardar will get back on the winning track soon,” concluded Alushovski.
Photos for this article were provided by Denis Dukovski (HC Vardar)
Author: Amina Idrizi / jw
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Category Archive: September ’14
ASMFC, MAFMC to hold joint meetings on new fluke quota management ideas
Events, Regulations, September '14
WASHINGTON, DC – The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) are working together to develop a “Comprehensive Summer Flounder Management Amendment.” Together, they are planning to hold at least 10 public comment sessions this fall to gather input on a scoping document that will outline potential changes to existing …
FISH-SAFE: Be sure your EPIRB is registered biennially
FISH SAFE, Safety, September '14
When you purchase an EPIRB, you can’t miss the instructions about how to register it with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Satellite and Information Service, but we sometimes forget that we have to re-register each EPIRB every two years. When mine came due, I received a notice from NOAA, and that was handy …
Fraun Martin: A life of love and laughter
People, September '14
Even when you know it’s coming, the news hurts. The CFN family got word on Aug. 1 that Fraun Cragg Martin had left this world, nearly three years after receiving a stunning terminal cancer diagnosis. And though we knew the end was near, it was – and still is – hard to accept that this …
ASMFC considers new FMP for Jonah, rock crabs
Jonah crabs, Regulations, September '14
ALEXANDRIA, VA – Fishermen will have a chance to speak out in September about whether or not the harvest of Jonah and rock crabs should be regulated and, if so, how. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) is proposing to develop a brand new fishery management plan (FMP) for Cancer crabs, which include both …
Butterfish plentiful: Mid-Atlantic council green lights 22,530-mt directed fishery
Butterfish, Mid-Atlantic Council, September '14
FREEHOLD, NJ – At its June 10-12 meeting, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council approved specifications for the butterfish fishery that will increase allowable landings by more than 500% for the 2015-2017 fishing years and allow for the re-establishment of a substantial directed fishery. The specifications, which were in line with those recommended by the council’s …
Kelly S latest scalloper to join Starvish fleet
Boats, Engines and Gear, New Bedford, September '14
NEW BEDFORD, MA – Launched last year, the Kelly S is life-long fisherman Ray Starvish’s sixth new boat and likely the last he will personally commission for his fleet. The 95-footer is identical to Starvish’s Defiant, which was launched in 2002. Why the new-build now? Starvish explained that there were three reasons: He knew his …
Pioneering yellowtail video surveys show promise for more accurate fish counts
Research, September '14, Yellowtail
Building on more than a decade of experience conducting video surveys for Atlantic sea scallops, researchers at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) are now bringing this innovative survey technique to a new frontier. Since the spring of 2013, with considerable help from industry, the SMAST team has …
Lobster stock ‘indicators’ provide preview
Lobster, Research, September '14
ALEXANDRIA, VA – Scientists conducting the 2014 “benchmark” stock assessment for American lobsters have given the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) a “preview” of the general condition of the resource based on a set of telltale stock “indicators.” The assessment itself, which involves computer models and a thorough analysis of landings, survey, biological, environmental, …
Arthur Hancock, 78, still loves the challenge
Business News, September '14
FALL RIVER, MA – Arthur Hancock owns four Buick Roadmaster station wagons. He’s owned 10 of them over the years, but currently only has four in his possession – some of them for parts. We’re rolling through the streets of Fall River in one of them, the nearly 18-foot-long wagon cruising like a big-bellied trawler …
GUEST COLUMN – Reject distractions; fix catch shares now
Guest Column, Regulations, September '14
by Brett Tolley Three years ago, I sat among a group of fishermen testifying before the New England Fishery Management Council that the new catch share program was not working and needed to be fixed. The fleet was consolidating, access was becoming unaffordable to owner-operators, and inshore fishing areas were coming under increased pressure. Several …
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>KOTOBUKIYA BLOG
>The Red Protector of the Crystal Reactors: AGNIRAGE is here!
The Red Protector of the Crystal Reactors: AGNIRAGE is here!
テーマ：Plastic Model
Check out this update on the latest Hexa Gear model from the Governor’s Guide.
Hi everyone, this is Yuki from Kotobukiya’s planning department.
Pre-orders for the newest Hexa Gear, Agnirage have started! The model will be in stores in December of this year.
Thank you to everyone who has waited so long for this kit.
The silhouette was revealed at our talk show at Wonder Festival back in February of 2017. That makes for almost two years between the initial reveal and the actual release. Not only did this model take a long time to plan, but our product development team also spent a lot of time with it.
With the completion of this model, it feels like season 1 of Hexa Gear has wrapped up. Now that it’s finished, all of the prototypes I came up with when creating the Hexa Gear series have been actualized. The series has been a hit so far and we’ll do our best to continue it!
As a “final boss” character that defends the crucial facilities known as Crystal Reactors, we had to make sure that the scale of the product matched its importance in the world, which required us to put a lot of time into developing it. From the CAD blueprints to revising the design drawings to revising the blueprints back to the design drawings again, it was a very lengthy process, but in the end I’m very pleased with the final result.
*The first image is the original silhouette. The one below it is a drawing that was created to explain the opening and closing gimmick for the head. The line of the jaw changed quite a bit after the initial silhouette. As you can see, the color scheme also changed.
For the molds, we used some of same designs as Voltrex. In spite of this, the cost of the molds for this model was more than twice the cost of the molds for Bulkarm α. The experience we gained from creating Agnirage will be invaluable as we continue to expand the Hexa Gear line with bigger and more complex kits.
I’ll hold off on talking about any new kits for now, but I hope you’ll enjoy Agnirage as an example of the range of kits we can create. Expect some updates from the All Japan Model Hobby Show in September. We’ve really put our all into it this time around.
I’m looking forward to sharing it with you!
Anyways, let’s move on to the standard model explanation. *Warning: long post ahead.
Model Summary
In an effort to push back against SANAT, the Liberty Alliance began installing KARMA into third generation Hexa Gear developed by Earthcline Biomechanics. Recognizing this as a threat, SANAT took control of the facilities preparing to manufacture Voltrex, stealing their Zoatex technology and swiftly adapting it for SANAT’s use.
These stolen Voltrex units became the trigger for an unprecedented series of events with dire consequences as they stolen units reappeared in the form of an entirely new Hexa Gear model.
This new Hexa Gear, which took the form of a red dragon, appeared in the battles that surrounded the crystal reactors as the ultimate protector, reducing even the most experienced Lord Impulse units to nothing.
AGNIRAGE
The Valiant Force’s Red Dragon and protector of the Crystal Reactors.
This third generation Hexa Gear possesses an enhanced form of Zoatex created from the data from stolen Voltrex units.
While the construction of Agnirage’s base frame shares many similarities with Voltrex, the capabilities of the unit have been transfigured to an extent that far surpasses the original Voltrex unit. In addition to flight capabilities that surpass Blockbuster and the defense force field that protects the unit, Agnirage boasts a number of features that distinguish the unit’s prowess on the battlefield compared to the other third generation Hexa Gear.
One of Agnirage’s primary weapons is a long-range, chargeable beam known as the “Imperial Flame.” The powerful weapon is used by Agnirage to defend the Crystal Reactors from attackers by burning them to ash by harnessing the “flames of hell.”
Upon sensing enemy forces in its vicinity, Agnirage will immediately take off and fire the Imperial Flame at the enemy attackers from high in the sky. After unleashing total devastation on the enemy targets, which often lack defense from aerial attacks, Agnirage will deploy drones to take out the remaining enemies. In order to accommodate the unit’s inferior armor defense in close-range land battles, Agnirage is equipped with a defense force field, allowing it to stave off attacks from the enemy’s foot soldiers. Agnirage units are typically used individually or in small groups in order to conquer enemy forces over a wide area with rapid precision, and are considered to be one of the biggest threats to the Liberty Alliance along with Para-Pawn Expander.
The exact timeline for the unit’s development is unknown. The unit’s existence was unknown until the initial attacks on the Crystal Reactors, and it is said that the unit already existed at the time of Demolition Brute’s appearance.
As a unit designed to defend some of the most crucial facilities for both armies, SANAT has dedicated its utmost effort to the development of Agnirage and loading the unit with the most advanced technologies. This highly advanced Hexa Gear which takes the form of a gigantic red dragon circles the sky around the Crystal Reactors, unleashing its flame on any enemies that dare to approach and reducing them to ashes.
Imperial Flame
Imperial Roar
Plasma Discharger
Crime Punisher
Multipurpose Dual Laser Cannon
Dual Plasma Cannon
Solid Wing
Hexa G-R.A.M Storage
Gravity Controllers
Plasma Talons
Hunting Hooks
Pulse Gun (Equipped to drones)
Sorry for another lengthy introduction!
Since the models don’t appear in an anime or games, the descriptions are the only place where you can see what they’re like, so they always end up very detailed.
This is the base form. The pre-painted parts haven’t arrived yet, so it’s easy to see that each different color in the picture above is a separate part made of colored plastic.
The orange cables that pass through the middle of the model’s neck give the internal frame a sense of depth.
Here’s a shot from the back that shows off the details in the extendible exhaust pipes and the flaps on the wings.
One of the things that differentiates Agnirage from the other models is that it has a mouth. Unlike your standard image of a dragon, the mouth opens outwards in order to fire the weapon inside.
These pictures have been edited to show what the pre-painted eye sensor parts will look like. The exhaust nozzles for the Imperial Flame on the inside of the mouth are made with clear plastic.
The chest pieces will have special pre-painted orange markings.
Finally, the Tail Blade will be made of red plastic like the armor, and the blade will be painted silver.
The reason we didn’t change the color of the plastic for the blade (despite the fact that it will stand out as the tip of the weapon) is that although it is a part from Voltrex that is silver on the original, by changing the color to red, the surplus parts can be used for other purposes.
On a similar note, for some parts that are in high demand, such as the thigh joints, we’ve included extra pieces even though they aren’t required to complete the kit.
When displaying prototypes at events, we have to be careful not to customize the models too much in order to prevent damage to the prototype and the paint. That being said, we were able to make a lot of interesting looking customizations with surprisingly simple changes.
Model Name: Agnirage Balrog
This model’s motif is a demon. It uses the Demon’s Symbol (skull face) from Bandit Wheel, giving it a completely different appearance from the standard Agnirage. The demon’s hands are made using the Overed Manipulators from Gigantic Arms 01 EX Darkness Guardian.
The Imperial Flame’s exhaust nozzles have been removed, but silhouette of the claws and wings maintain the model’s menacing appearance.
It’s a pretty big customization, so displaying it requires a lot of space.
Agnirage comes in a very large box that is almost the same size as the box for the Master Boot Record. The overall size of the kit is about twice as large as most of the other ones.
And most importantly, it’s known to be especially challenging to build, giving you a great sense of accomplishment when completed!
The total width of the kit (side to side with the wings fully expanded) is a massive 400mm!
Here’s the product page (in Japanese)
Agnirage Design：MORUGA
前の記事 2018.09.25 Pinhead BISHOUJO Introduction 次の記事 2018.09.25 ACE COMBAT INFINITY XFA-27 Sample Introduction
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Gerald Chukwuma at Contemporary Istanbul
This September we will be exhibiting a solo booth of works by Gerald Chukwuma at the 12th edition of Contemporary Istanbul, from 14 – 17 September 2017. The opening of Contemporary Istanbul will mark a week of collaborative artistic activity across the city, including the 15th Istanbul Biennial curated by Elmgreen & Dragset.
Find out more about visiting Contemporary Istanbul here.
crazinisT artisT covers CCQ Issue 12 / April 2017
Following on from crazinisT artisT’s Rituals of Becoming exhibition at Gallery 1957 earlier this year, issue 12 of CCQ leads with a collaborative set of performative images created exclusively for the magazine and a conversation with the artist and the curator of the exhibition, Maria Rus Bojan. To download the latest issue of the magazine, please click here.
Gallery 1957 supports the Curatorial Intensive in Accra, Ghana
Gallery 1957 is proud to announce it is supporting the inaugural Curatorial Intensive in Accra, Ghana (19 – 25 April 2017), organised by Curators International (ICI) and in collaboration with Foundation for Contemporary Art, Ghana (FCA).
The Curatorial Intensive, a weeklong professional development program, offers curators the opportunity to discuss, among colleagues, the concepts, logistics, and challenges of organizing exhibitions, public programs, and other curatorial models. The program is designed to immerse participants in a rigorous schedule of seminars, presentations, site visits, and one-on-one meetings that support the process of developing an idea for a project into a full proposal.
It is the fifth Curatorial Intensive in Africa since 2013, following past programs in Johannesburg, Addis Ababa, Marrakech, and Dakar.
Jeremiah Quarshie in residence at African Artists’ Foundation Lagos
Artist Jeremiah Quarshie is undertaking a three month residency at African Artists’ Foundation (AAF) in Lagos, Nigeria. AAF is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the promotion and development of contemporary African art under the direction of Azu Nwagbogu. Through exhibitions, festivals, residencies and workshops, AAF aims to unearth and develop talent, create societal awareness, and provide a platform to express creativity. Quarshie will be working on a new series of large-scale portraits that explore contemporary representations of historical African figures. Expanding on his earlier work, depicting ordinary civilians in Ghana, his new work will use subjects from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds to open up a dialogue about wealth, status and power in our time.
Financial Times explores the demand for African Art
FT Weekend has explored the increasing demand for African art from local and diaspora collectors, highlighting Art X Lagos and Gallery 1957 opening last year as evidence of strengthening local markets. Marwan Zakhem, Gallery 1957's founder, commented on the importance of local appreciation in developing art infrastructure. Read more here.
Another feature in the African focused collecting supplement reviewed the use of textiles and fabric in the practice of West African artists. The article included the works of Gallery 1957 artists Serge Attukwei Clottey, crazinisT artisT and Zohra Opoku. Read more here.
crazinisT artisT at Gallery 1957
On Sunday 26 February, Gallery 1957 will be hosting a series of events in order to celebrate the opening of crazinisT artisT’s debut solo show at the gallery: Rituals of Becoming. The day will start at 10.30am with a breakfast and discussion with the artist alongside international curator Maria Rus Bojan, moderated by CCQ Magazine editor, Ric Bower. crazinisT artisT will be performing at 5pm, followed by a drinks reception at the gallery from 7pm – 11pm.
If you are interested in attending any of these events, please RSVP to tsatsu@gallery1957.com.
Omenka Magazine meets crazinisT artisT
In an interview with Oliver Enwonwu for Omenka Magazine, crazinisT artisT talks about performance art in Africa, the thoughts that go behind his work and what he hopes visitors will see in 'Rituals of Becoming', his debut solo exhibition at Gallery 1957.
You can read the entire interview here.
Artsy includes Gallery 1957 as one of 15 Galleries ‘Putting New Cities on the Art World’s Map’
We were delighted to be profiled in Artsy’s recent feature on art galleries championing alternative art centers across the world - it is an honor to be listed alongside so many incredible art spaces including Laveronica arte contemporanea in Modica, Sicily, and Proyectos Ultravioleta in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Since opening on 6 March 2016 – Ghanaian Independence Day – we have continued to work towards cultivating the incredible creativity that comes from Ghana and Accra, which proudly remains our primary focus.
Serge Attukwei Clottey at Cape Town Art Fair
Next month we will be exhibiting a solo booth of works by Serge Attukwei Clottey at the fifth edition of Cape Town Art Fair from the 17 – 19 February. Gallery 1957 will feature in the TOMORROWS/TODAY section of the fair; a curated cross-section of the most exciting emerging artists from Africa.
Find out more about visiting Cape Town Art Fair here.
January’s issue of Interview magazine explores the art scene in Accra as an emerging market. Highlighting the cultural force of the city, the article includes comments from those based in Accra who are responsible for driving the movement: Gallery 1957 founder Marwan Zakhem, and artists Serge Attukwei Clottey, Jeremiah Quarshie and Zohra Opoku.
Osei Bonsu joins Gallery 1957 as Curatorial Advisor
British-Ghanaian curator and writer, Osei Bonsu, will be joining Gallery 1957 to oversee the expanding exhibition program. As a lecturer in modern and contemporary art, Bonsu has undertaken prestigious research residencies at various institutions including Para Site (Hong Kong), Hospitalfields (Edinburgh) and Nanyang Technological University’s Centre for Contemporary Art (Singapore). He has also previously worked on the development of a number of projects focused on international art, including Pangea II: New Art from Africa and Latin America(Saatchi Gallery, 2015) and 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair (2013 - 14). Bonsu’s primary research focus pertains to questions of progress and the conception of modernity in relation to social, cultural and economic transformation in the 20th and 21st centuries.
We are delighted to have Bonsu on board in light of the recent international attention and praise Accra has received as an emerging cultural capital. Next year Bonsu will be curating the 10th edition of Satellites series The Economy of Living Things - featuring new work by international artists Ali Cherri, Oscar Murillo, Steffani Jemison and Jumana Manna; he will also be curating exhibitions at Jeu de Paume (Paris) and CAPC: Centre for Contemporary Art (Bordeaux).
Nataal Media meets Serge Attukwei Clottey
With exclusive photography from Serge’s studio in Labadi taken by Rudi Geyser, Nataal co-founder Helen Jennings interviewed Serge Attukwei Clottey to discuss his artistic practice. Featuring comment from Gallery 1957 founder Marwan Zakhem, the essay charts Clottey’s artistic growth.
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Interview with Ilona and Andrew Gordon - well known as Ilona Andrews (Interview by Mihir Wanchoo)
We would like to welcome Ilona Gordon & Andrew Gordon, the maverick writing couple who go under the name of Ilona Andrews.[There might be mild spoilers for the series in the interview ahead]
1] Welcome to Fantasy Book Critic, so to begin with for someone who hasn't read any of your novels, how would you describe the type of stories that you write?
A) We write what is commonly called Urban Fantasy or UF, well the Kate Daniels series is at least, the Edge series might be more Paranormal Romance.
2] I have heard that your 1st book [Magic Bites] was originally written in 2002, who's idea was it originally [amongst the 2 of you] & what made both of you t0 decide to write it together.
A) It was totally Ilona's idea, I helped because we are a team and while individually we may be pretty good, together we are great. Well, at least I think so.
3] Your 2nd book [Magic Burns] was dedicated to David Gemmell in a very sweet and considerate way. Which one amongst you is a Gemmell fan or are you both fans? What was, in your opinion, in his books that make them such unequivocally addictive reads? Lastly which amongst his books is your favorite?
A) Ilona read his books first and when we were in the Army convinced me to read Legend. I was reluctant at first because the copy she had showed what looked to be Sean Connery with a sword on the cover. She was like read this it's great, this old guy goes to this fort and then dies. I was skeptical but since then I have read most or all of his books, usually multiple times. I think his formula of flawed but principled heroes, facing overwhelming odds and finding redemption, is what really intrigued me. Plus the sieges and the swordplay! For me it is a tie between Winter Warriors and The Quest for Lost Heroes. I love both of those somewhat similar books.
3] In your books the central antagonist is someone named Roland & it has been mentioned of his intentions/likes to build Towers over most places, it this a fleeting wink towards Stephen King's Dark Tower series or just something which I'm reading too much into?
A) Actually while we are fans of King, Roland's tower building has more to do with underlying mythology and his origins.
4] What are the books which both of you read & enjoy and also could you tell us about the books and authors who have captured your imagination & inspired you to become wordsmiths in your own rights? Similarly any current authors whom you would like to give a shout out to?
A) While Ilona turned me on to Laurel K. Hamilton and David Gemmell, I got her into Robert B. Parker's Spenser and Jessie Stone books. Ilona likes to read romances sometimes, while I enjoy mysteries and military fiction. One of my favorite series was Barry Sadler's Casca books.
5] Your journey towards publication is very forthrightly given on your blog, could you tell our readers enlighten our readers by giving us the Cliff notes version.
A) Sure, first we wrote the original Kate story but it was called Lost Dog, and submitted to several publishers, only to have it soundly rejected by all. Next we started sending it to agents, most of whom also passed. Finally, Jack Byrne took a chance on us, for which we will always be grateful. Anne Sowards looked at our stuff, and basically made us change everything but she was right. She is an excellent editor. Sometimes I think it is better to be lucky than good.
6] You currently have two vastly different series ongoing, how do you go about writing them[do you delineate different time periods for writing them or do you write depending on how you feel each day] could you tell our readers about your writing methods? And particularly about the discipline required to produce 2 books an year [roughly]
A) It really has nothing to do with how we feel, it is more like what is due next and what we have taken money to deliver. This is pretty much our job, how we keep a roof over our heads and how we feed our kids. We try and comply with the deadlines that our publisher and our afore-mentioned editor give us. It is nice to write something different from Kate once in a while. As far as our methods go, we sit next to each other on separate computers and usually if Ilona does a scene I will read and edit it. We plot stuff out, and argue over things until we agree. I guess as far a character go, I tend to work more on the male dialogue, while Kate and Rose really come from Ilona's head.
7] Your first three books have had elements of East European, Celtic & Hindu mythology utilized in the main plots so how do you go about choosing these various mythologies & enmesh them within your central plot structure. Do you pick these myths and then try to fit them within your plots or do your structure your plots around these mythical aspects?
A) Ilona is Russian and so naturally very familiar with the old Slavic myths, and my father was Irish and I have studied the Celtic myths and legends as an attempt to connect with my roots. I guess we wanted to use myths that we did not see a lot of in other books. While we are both great fans of Greek mythology, there are so other many cultures who have a rich history and amazing myths. The Hindu myths for instance are remarkable and the ancient Hindu art is beautiful. We usually will think of something we want to put into the books and then try to find a way to work a god or monster from that culture into the plot. For Magic Burns we wanted Celtic so the Morrigan was a perfect fit. Also a bit of an homage to Gemmell who used her in the Rigante series. For Magic Strikes we used Rakshasas because they seemed such good villains. You really do not see them a lot in popular culture, so we thought people might like them.
8] This is just something which I noticed about your blogging activities, Ilona's posts are tagged with a Wolf/Dog picture & Gordon's posts are tagged with a Panda… any particular reason for this choice[Besides being Cute J]
A) We actually don't remember that well. I think we were looking for "smiles'" to indicate the mood of the post and she asked me what animal I wanted to be. I like pandas and she likes wolves, so I ended up as "Lord Panda" with the our daughters sometimes called "the traitor panda children" when they side with me over her. Ilona loves wolves, so it makes sense for her.
9] As an Indian, it was amazing to find aspects of Hindu mythology used in your 3rd book [Magic Strikes] & what was especially even more rewarding was that you had gotten the tiny details correct as well. How did you go about your research & any chance you'll be exploring more of it in the future?
A) Glad you liked it. We have a bunch of books on mythology and one of them is Form of Beauty The Krishna Art of B.G. Sharma. The illustrations are breathtaking, another is Demons, Gods and Holy Men, from Indian Myths and Legends. We also used the Ramayana, which is really the source. I guess we just found books and studied the popular stories.
10] You had a very frank and illuminating take on the question of e-books and their future, have your thoughts changed with the recent Amazon & Penguin tussle[over pricing issues] and the different pricing issues caused by various companies.
A) We got a fair amount of hate mail when Amazon took Magic Bleeds off of the Kindle. We tried, repeatedly, to explain to people that it was not us, we did not make that decision. We are very glad that Penguin and Amazon kissed and made up. While both parties had a legitimate argument, their fight was bad for customers and may have sent a lot of people out to buy other electronic readers.
11] David Gemmell had a certain take on his beloved characters like Druss or Waylander, etc. he called them as "Rick's Bar characters" and described them in the following way:
"When authors talk of great characters, what they really mean is easy. Some characters are tough to write. The author has to constantly stop and work out what they will say or do. With the great characters, this problem disappears. Their dialogue flows instantly, their actions likewise. A friend of mine calls them "Ricks Bar characters," from the film Casablanca. Some characters you have to build, like a sculptor carving them from rock. Others just walk out of Rick's bar fully formed and needing no work at all."
What is your opinion about it & was this the case for you with any of your character/s?
A) For Ilona it would be Aunt B, and for me probably Nick from the Kate books, and William from the Edge. We always know what they are going to say.
12] When you started out did you have an overall plan for the books, as throughout the books there are hints given about Kate's origins and her possible climatic fight so now with the series set to run for seven books, will the series end after book 7? What are your plans for this series & how much can you reveal about them at this point?
A) When we started out our plan was to have a book published, to go into a store and see it there. That's it! Am I allowed to say that we sort of made it up as we went along? I don't know that the series will end at book 7 but I think Kate's story will. If the fans want more books, we may do sort of a spin-off with other characters. Maybe Derek and Julie for example or Andrea and Raphael as main characters.
13] You have continued to have a very active online presence via your blog & official Forums, also you are writing 2 different series. Could you share some light on the chaotic nature of these tasks which entails an author's life nowadays?
A) Well, the writing is like a job, the blog and the forum I think we do for fun and for the fans. Some authors blog very little or not at all, and that is cool, but we enjoy sharing some things about our life with the readers. Like funny stuff the kids or our giant dogs do. Writers are just normal folks, we work, we have kids and pets. We do fun stuff sometimes and struggle with other things that are all a part of life and have nothing to do with being an author.
14] How did you come up with the Magical apocalypse settings of your world? I quite loved the pendulum theory & the way you combined a post apocalyptic world with a magical [UF-ish) one.
A) We are both big fans of Post Apocalyptic settings, like in Fallout or Mad Max, but obviously it has been done, so we thought, "What if magic came back, what if throughout the history of mankind, magic and tech had usurped each other?" We are both huge fans of the old (80's) He-Man and Thundarr cartoons where magic and technology co-exist. We wanted to do something like that with the Kate books but more gritty and grim.
15] Kate is obviously the protagonist of your series, but you do a pretty good job with the supporting characters as well [Saiman, Derek, Andrea]. Which ones have surprised you the most and who should readers pay attention to in future volumes?
A) I was surprised how much people like Saiman. I happen to share Curran's opinion that he is a scumbag but some people really like him. Also, we got some comments on how little Derek was in Magic Burns, so we fixed that for Kate 5.
16] In closing, are there any final thoughts or comments that you'd like to share with your readers? What can we look forward to you both in the future?
A) Thanks for having us, we would both also like to thank our fans, who have been so loyal and have made the books a success, without you there would never have been a Kate series, and thanks to those who took a chance on the Edge series, the next one, Bayou Moon is really good, I promise. For the future, hmmm… Well, we are writing what will be third series based on the Alpha Menz, stories. It is a bit darker than anything we have done before, so that may be good or bad.
Nice, planning on checking out the Kate Daniels series soon. Already tried On the Edge, and it was OK in my opinion. It's a romance/love story so it's not something that appeals to me, and the mystery/thriller aspect of it didn't do it for me, but I thought the world was quite interesting and will give the sequel a try to see where it's heading.
But looking forward to trying Kate Daniels since that's more of my thing. And that Alpha Menz series looks interesting.
Awesome interview, thanks so much. I really like seeing the different mythologies that are in the Kate books and how well they are synthesized into the story.
@ Bastard - you will not be disappointed by the Kate Daniels series. It just keeps getting better with each book. The characters, the plots and the world building are top notch.
thanks for this wonderful interview!!!
Vickey R said...
I love ur books n this interview was great. Thank you 2 for sharing:). I can't wait till bayou moon n Alpha Menz will be great to! Well let's face it wat ever u two write is amazing n very entertaining :)
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New Research Foretells QE Domination
March 27, 2018 ffw21 CommentsBank of Japan, Ben Bernanke, Benoît Cœuré, Bill Dudley, Chicago Bears, credit growth, David Greenlaw, deleveraging, ECB, Eccles Building, Ethan Harris, event studies, Federal Reserve, FOMC, German Bunds, James Hamilton, Kenneth West, monetary policy, Paul Krugman, quantitative easing, U.S. Treasuries, University of Chicago
UPDATE (AND CORRECTION): Since I flavored this article with all things Chicago, let’s pretend that the University of Chicago hosted its conference at, well, the University of Chicago, not in New York City as I noticed on a belated reread of my sources.
The title refers to a consensus-shattering paper that was unveiled last month before a Who’s Who of economists and central bankers at a conference hosted by the University of Chicago.
Paul Krugman gave the keynote, but the meeting’s focus was on the paper’s authors—two Wall Street big shots, Morgan Stanley’s David Greenlaw and Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s Ethan Harris, and two academics, James Hamilton and Kenneth West. To keep it simple, I’ll call them GHHW.
The paper more or less shredded former Fed chief Ben Bernanke’s favorite defense of his quantitative easing (QE) programs—that QE lowered Treasury yields.
In fact, if you believe in the accuracy of the type of analysis GHHW conducted, QE may have actually increased Treasury yields. By parsing data and financial news more thoroughly than in prior studies, the authors found that yields rose, on average, when bond traders were presented with news about QE. (I recommend Hamilton’s blog write-up for a quick summary, although if you’re also looking for key charts, see Exhibits 4.11 and 4.12 on page 82 of the paper.)
But despite having the data to fully reverse the findings of other researchers, GHHW didn’t take it quite that far. (They were too polite for that.) Up against a strongly pro-QE crowd, they settled on the less ambitious conclusion that “the Fed’s balance sheet is a less reliable and effective tool than as perceived by many.” Between the lines, though, they painted a picture of QE being about as powerful as the host city’s passing game. (To save you the trouble of looking it up, Daaa Bears ranked last in the NFL.)
As far as pre-GHHW “perceptions,” the authors described a consensus that QE lowered 10-year Treasury yields by about 100 basis points, an amount they then refuted. That 100 basis point consensus is consistent with a few different literature reviews, as pointed out by GHHW, and also with claims by FOMC members. It went undisputed by the conference attendees who published their comments. (Three Fed regional bank presidents, an ECB Executive Board member and a few others delivered formal responses.)
The new research is important, in my opinion, not so much for academic reasons but because I think it foretells the future. Before I explain why, though, I need to insert a disclaimer about the likely accuracy of any study that attributes yield changes to QE news of one type or another.
That is, methods for establishing how much QE moved the bond market are essentially guesswork, even after GHHW’s improvements. Bond prices respond to traders and investors not only establishing new positions but also unwinding or rebuilding prior positions in combinations unknowable and for reasons derived from all past fundamental and technical information and ultimately also unknowable. Trades may occur because prices have gone up in the past, because they’ve gone down in the past, because the market is overbought or oversold, because a different market has become more or less attractive, because traders seek opportunities to lock in profits or cut losses, and for countless other reasons. As such, it’s easy to jump to the wrong conclusion by attaching a single fundamental cause to every price change—there’s no such thing as a sequence of single-cause price changes, and even if there were, we could only guess at the causes.
Why GHHW Upsets the Playing Field
All that said, let’s acknowledge that some researchers’ guesswork is better than others. I suspect GHHW are closest to the truth, partly because they were more careful than others, but also because a different type of result predicts their conclusions. I described that result in “QE’s Untold Story,” where I showed that commercial banks and broker-dealers extended credit between QEs by just as much as the Fed extended credit during QEs, and that the two sources of credit growth alternated depending on whether QE was “on” or “off.” Here’s the key chart from that analysis:
As I described last year, the Fed grabbed the credit-growth baton for QE laps and returned it to commercial banks and broker-dealers for QE pauses, and whoever didn’t have the baton stood still, creating the “argyle effect” shown in the chart.
Unlike GHHW, “QE’s Untold Story” didn’t separate short and long rates (the data didn’t allow for that), but it challenges the orthodox narrative from a different direction. Namely, it says if you draw a circle around banks, broker-dealers and the Fed, the amount of credit supplied to everyone outside the circle appeared to be unaffected by QE. Whereas the orthodox narrative holds that those outside the circle were forced to chase a restricted credit supply, the data tell a different story.
Or, another way to say the same thing is that banks accepted central bank reserves as an adequate replacement for assets transferred to the Fed—they didn’t seek to replace those assets on a like-for-like basis—and that decision would have diluted QE’s effects on yields. Some banks may have even welcomed the chance to replace long-term assets that were mismatched to their liabilities with different assets (central bank reserves) that carried no such mismatch risks.
Also, the federal government’s decision to lengthen its debt profile would have diluted potential QE effects as well, as noted by GHHW and others.
So plenty of other evidence shows why QE didn’t work as planned (it paints the bigger picture behind GHHW’s findings), it’s just that economists haven’t paid much attention to it. Macroeconomists, in particular, are known for reaching hasty and unrealistic conclusions, so it’s not surprising that they might paper over the holes in their QE studies or rely on theories that ignore the true mechanics of bank credit, which makes it difficult to grasp the relevance of the data in “QE’s Untold Story.” Getting banks right is especially important (see my articles “Learning from the 1980s” and “An Inflation Indicator to Watch” or for a fuller discussion, my book Economics for Independent Thinkers.)
As Hamilton wrote on his blog, “Our study raises a caution about the event study methodology. There is a potential tendency to select dates after the fact that confirm the researcher’s prior beliefs about what the effect was supposed to have been.”
In other words, economists tend to fit the “facts” to their theories rather than the other way around.
Who Might GHHW Have Been Thinking Of?
Hamilton didn’t name names, but consider that Ben Bernanke spent much of QEs 1, 2 and 3 selling the very conclusions GHHW debunked. Have a look at these excerpts from Bernanke’s speeches during his last few years at the Fed:
“Securities purchases by the central bank affect the economy primarily by lowering interest rates on securities of longer maturities.” (11/19/2010-1)
“The evidence suggests that such purchases significantly lowered longer-term interest rates in both the United States and the United Kingdom.” (11/19/2010-2)
“Purchases of longer-term securities have not affected very short-term interest rates, which remain close to zero, but instead put downward pressure directly on longer-term interest rates.” (2/3/2011)
“Generally, . . . research finds that the Federal Reserve’s large-scale purchases have significantly lowered long-term Treasury yields. . . . Three studies considering the cumulative influence of all the Federal Reserve’s asset purchases, including those made under the MEP, found total effects between 80 and 120 basis points on the 10-year Treasury yield. These effects are economically meaningful.” (8/31/2012)
“A growing body of research supports the view that LSAPs are effective at bringing down term premiums and thus reducing longer-term rates.” (3/1/2013)
“The preponderance of studies show that asset purchases push down longer-term interest rates and boost asset prices.” (1/3/2014)
To his credit, Bernanke was crystal clear in explaining what he was trying to achieve and why he believes it worked. That made him an easy mark when GHHW, whether they intended to or not, took direct aim at his published positions. Bernanke needed their meticulous analysis like the North Side Gang needed Al Capone.
And with that background in mind, let’s look to the future.
What to Expect in the Next Deleveraging
In the next severe economic downturn (whenever it occurs), central bankers are likely to embrace QE as readily as Bernanke did. They’ll first lower the fed funds rate as much as they can, but then they’ll feel the pressure to do more. (Sidenote: GHHW also disparaged negative interest rates.) They won’t say, “Look, the economy has too much debt and the best thing we can do is be patient and, well, do nothing more than we’ve already done.” That would violate the principles of today’s hyperactive interventionism—the chattering classes accept few excuses for policy inaction, and not knowing if a policy does more harm than good isn’t among them.
So the question is this: When tomorrow’s quantitative easers succumb to the pressure to act, how will they explain their actions? Actions require narratives, and with GHHW having toppled Bernanke’s narrative with Chicago-strength winds, policy makers will need a new one. So what will it be?
I would say one narrative is more likely than any other—that is, QE fell short of the objectives only because it wasn’t large enough, and to work properly it needs to be absolutely massive. Future Fed chiefs will argue that you can always bring yields under control if you just buy enough bonds, and to some degree they’re likely to be right. Their new motto will be “the bigger the better.”
Speculative?
Maybe so, but it’s also exactly what New York Fed President Bill Dudley told us to expect in his response to GHHW. He said, “If LSAPs are not as powerful as some of the event studies imply, the answer is not to simply discard the tool, but instead to look for ways to enhance its efficacy and use it more aggressively (emphasis mine).” Dudley then touted open-ended asset purchases, commonly known as QE infinity.
And that’s not all. Consider the charts and speech by ECB Executive Board Member Benoît Cœuré, also delivered in response to GHHW. Cœuré showed that the Fed’s QE left about half of total Treasury issuance in private hands after accounting for foreign central bank holdings, whereas the ECB has soaked up so many bonds that private investors are left with possibly less than 10% of all German Bunds. He then shared data suggesting that the ECB bossed Bund yields by more than the Fed bossed Treasury yields, as you might have expected. He argued that the key to QE success is to use the oldest trick in market manipulation—buy such overwhelming amounts that everyone else has to forage for a puny remaining supply. (Alright, he may not have called it market manipulation, but the rest is an accurate summary.) In other words, Cœuré’s GHHW response was to pen an ode to QE domination, which seems the natural endgame.
To be sure, the central banking gods may have written a bigger QE into our future long before the University of Chicago convened their emissaries, but now their plans are even more clear. Expect the Fed to follow the ECB and Bank of Japan in making sure the next time it expands its balance sheet, it’ll achieve total domination. You might imagine the Fed’s balance sheet blanketing the bond market in a thick, full-length coat (thick enough to withstand those Chicago winds), one that’ll make the current balance sheet look ragged and threadbare by comparison.
And you might also expect the irony to be lost on central bankers such as Dudley and Cœuré. Can the cautionary advice in a paper titled “A Skeptical View of the Impact of the Fed’s Balance Sheet” really lead to a more aggressive use of that balance sheet? In fact, I think it will.
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Greenfiled Intermediate K-Kids
Katie Creamer, adviser; Ellei Coleman; Angie Bishop, adviser; and Taylor Johnson.
Greenfield Intermediate K-Kids Club reported on their activities to the Kiwanis club on Tuesday. K-Kids clubs at Greenfield Intermediate and Maxwell Intermediate club have members in 4th, 5th and 6th grades. The Kiwanis also sponsor a Builders Club at Greenfield Junior High, and a Key Club at Greenfield Central High School.
The Greenfield Intermediate Club has about 20 members. They are sponsored by Angie Bishop and Katie Creamer. Taylor Johnson and Ellei Coleman members of the club reported on Pink Day, the canned food drive, coin containers for Leukemia, and their nursing home project. The Leukemia project raised over $1,000. The club made paper flowers for nursing home residents and will return next month to visit residents and play games with them.
Toastmaster of Greenfield
Dr. John Lebore with Kiwanian Benny Eaton.
Dr. John LeBore spoke to Kiwanis about Greenfield Toastmasters. Toastmaster International was founded in 1924. Greenfield Toastmasters is a local chapter of Toastmasters International, a non-profit organization which gives its members the opportunity to develop and improve their public speaking and leadership abilities through local club meetings, training seminars and speech contests. Toastmasters International includes more than 199,000 men and women in more than 9,300 clubs in more than 70 countries.
Toastmaster members learn by speaking to groups and working with others in a supportive environment. Each meeting gives everyone an opportunity to practice conducting meetings, giving impromptu speeches, presenting prepared speeches, and offering constructive evaluation.
Greenfield Toastmasters also sponsored a Youth Leadership program for youth aged 11 – 17. The program had 6 graduates this year. Greenfield Toastmasters meets on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at the Ameriana Bank at 1810 N. State Street in Greenfield, Indiana. For further information email info@greenfieldtoastmasters.org or see their website www.greenfieldtoastmasters.org
Relay for Life June 13-14
Brooke Melton and Nicole Roland of Relay for Life
Brooke Melton and Nicole Roland spoke to Greenfield Kiwanis about Relay for Life which will be held June 13 and 14 at Greenfield Central High School. The relay funds 80% of the needs of the American Cancer Society.
The Relay includes a Survivor’s Lap, Luminaire Ceremony, and food and games in a family friendly environment. The funds raised are used to fund cancer research. The American Cancer Society is the largest non-governmental funder in the United State. Road to Recovery® which provided cancer patients with transportation to and from treatments is also funded by the Relay. Look Good…Feel Better®, another program funded by relay, teaches women battling cancer beauty techniques to help them improve their appearance and self-image during chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
Last year, Relay for Life – Greenfield raised over $75,000. The goal for 2014 is $85,000. To become involved as a sponsor, volunteer, or survivor see www.relayforlife.org.
My Very Own Book
Grant Gellert, a Greenfield-Central Senior, told Kiwanis about his project, “My Very Own Books.” Grant is a member of the Student Leadership Academy at the high school. The academy requires that each senior have a project.
Grant participates in Project Read Up at Weston elementary where he tutors 3rd grade students in reading. Many of the students would like to take books home but the books must remain at the school. While working on another program to provide school supplies and back packs to at risk students, Grant realized that it would be good if each back pack had a book in it as well as the supplies. Last year, Grant raised money and donations from friends, Youth as Resources and the Kohls Cares programs to provide 262 books to distribute. They ran out of books about half way through.
Grant would like to expand the program this year so that all the eligible students in the county could receive a book. The books are purchased from Scholastic Books at a very deep discount. Contributions can be sent to Greenfield Central Schools, 110 West North Street, Greenfield, Indiana 46140. Write “My Very Own Books” on the memo line of the checks.
Past Presidents Remebrances
Front Row from left, Bob Gullion, Karen Kleine, Fred Applegate and Dan Riley
Back Row from Left, Steve Emmons, Scott Kleine, Carmen Hall, Bill Redmon, and Bob Bogigian
Nine past presidents of Kiwanis spoke to the club about their year as president. Bob Bogigian spoke about membership growth and the fun all had as we tackled new projects. Steve Emmons noted that during his term that the club members began donating a children’s book to the Hancock County Public Library on their birthday. Fred Applegate presided over the club the year that the K-Kids Club was chartered at Eden Elementary and sponsored a student to attend the People to People program in Australia.
Carmen Hall, the second female president of the club talked about the increase in membership from 64 to 95 members and the 4,000 carrots the club sold for $10,000. She also noted that the highway cleanup program began during her term. Karen Kleine noted the highlight of her year was getting to know the members and that the club helped make all of the projects a success. Bill Redmon noted that the J. B. Stephens Elementary K- Kids Club started during his term. Several past presidents mentioned J. B. Stephens who was an active member of the club until his death at the age of 100. Bob Gullion noted that his year was the vagabond year as we moved from Victorian Rose to the American Legion and later to Willies Restaurant. Scott Kleine noted that Randy Ollis, WISH Channel 8 weatherman was a guest speaker during his term. He also noted that efficiencies were made in setup for the Entertainment on the Plaza. Dan Riley noted that Bill Redmon brought school bus simulators to club and that the toilet paper drive for the food pantry began during his term. All agreed that the job was enjoyable and urged anyone who had an opportunity to agree to be President.
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Spell Bee Team
Kiwanis Spelling Bee Team; Patric McClarnon, Ellen Manolopoulos, Sandie Miller and Sue True
The Hancock County Adult Literacy Coalition had its annual adult spelling bee Sept. 17 to raise money for college scholarships. The Kiwanis Team spelled for three rounds and then allow Psi Iota Zi to win.
The coalition’s 31st Annual Spelling Bee will be held at the library’s Greenfield branch and is co-sponsored by the coalition and the library. Businesses, charitable organizations, churches, schools or any group of four people can form a team, which is comprised of three spellers and a coach.
Money from the spelling bee is used to fund the Peg Strickland Scholarship for students who have earned their high school equivalency diploma at the Hancock County Learning Center and are pursuing a secondary education degree. Students range from teens looking to get their education back on track to adults seeking help to re-enter the workforce.
The Hancock County Learning Center is operated by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development in conjunction Warren Township schools’ Walker Career Center. Instruction is offered in Adult Basic Education, reading, math, writing, high school equivalency
Mindfulness and Creative Imagery
Katherine Murray, Hancock Regional Hospital Hospice Chaplain and Bereavement Coordinator spoke to Kiwanis about using Mindfulness and Creative Imagery to reduce the effects of stress and enhance your sense of well being. Classes are offered on Mindfulness from 1-2 pm on the first and third Fridays of each month. A class on Guided Imagery is held from 1-2 pm on the second Friday of each month. For more information contact Katherine at 317.468.4124 or kmurray@hancockregional.org
Hancock County Community Foundation
Mary Gibble, President of the Hancock County Community Foundation, spoke to the Kiwanis club about the foundation. The foundation is 27 years old and has over 300 funds totaling over $40 million dollars. 100 of the funds are scholarships for Hancock County Students. The Greenfield Kiwanis club has three scholarship funds. In 2018 over $1.4 million was granted from various funds.
The Foundation also has unrestricted funds to take care of community needs. Three programs are currently funded by these unrestricted funds: Level Up for local non-profits; Excellence Academy and Y-GIVE (Youth _ Granting, Investing, Volunteering and Engaging), a youth program.
The foundation also is involved in education for all age groups. The foundation provides funds to each of the four school corporation educational foundations in addition to the 129 scholarships provided to the students The foundation provides non-traditional adult learners with scholarships in partnership with LINK. Early Childhood Literacy is accomplished through the Imagination Library program in partnership with the Dolly Parton foundation. The program provides high quality, age appropriate, reading materials to registered children from birth to kindergarten, They receive 60 books in conjunction with the Hancock County Public Library. An endowment fund will fund this program forever. Currently $1.9 million of the goal of $2 million has been raised for Imagination Library. 1,578 babys and toddlers are currently enrolled in the program. For more information on the foundation or giving to a fund go to
givehcgrowhc.org.
Fill a Truck Fill a Pantry
Bring canned goods or other non-perishable food items to club Sep 10 or 17.
Bring your food to the Walmart Parking Lot on Sep 21 from 10 am to 3 pm
Bring a cash contribution to buy food to club Sep 10
Volunteer to load, unload or sort food on Sep 21.
Click here to sign up to volunteer Sept 21 at Fill a Truck
and follow the directions on the sign up page
Brian Greer, 4-H Youth Development Educator with Kiwanis Vice-President David Spencer
Brian Greer, 4-H Youth Development Educator with the Purdue Extension spoke to Kiwanis about the programs offered and how they operate. Brian came to Hancock County from Blackford County in May of this year. He held the same position in Blackford County for 3 1/2 years.
Brian noted that most people upon hearing 4-H think of the Fair. He said the Fair is the showcase for what the 4-H youth have been doing all year long. He also noted many automatically think of animals and agriculture when hearing of 4-H. 70% of 4-Hers do not live on a farm The only requirement for membership is that you enroll in at least one project. There are over 60 projects to choose from including Arts and Crafts; Bicycle; Cake Decorating; Collections; Entomology; Legos; Rocketry; and Woodworking.
To find out more see @HancockCounty4HIndiana at Facebook, visit webpage purdue.edu/extension/hancock or e-mail greerb@purdue.edu
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Home/Forest For Children
Forest For ChildrenZuzka2017-10-07T14:45:33+00:00
THE RAINFOREST FOR CHILDREN ASSOCIATION
WHO THE RAINFOREST FOR CHILDREN ASSOCIATION IS, AND OUR ETHICAL VALUES
The Rainforest For Children Association is a nonprofit, non-governmental and non-humanitarian organization that focuses specifically on conservation and animal welfare. Our journey does not align with the current theoretical scientific system, but is directly linked to a personal perception of nature and animals as equal to human beings. We proceed with personal knowledge based on long-term learning about nature and animals in their natural environments. We recognize planet Earth and nature as having the highest earthly value, and that it is superior to human nature, and our self-destructive culture.
We are looking for ways to attain the knowledge and understanding of our true human values, those which correspond with our everyday life. We respect life as a supreme value, without the distinction of animal species. We believe that we are born to live in fullness and joy without suffering, and that we do not have any right to cause gratuitous suffering of other living beings. Our mission stands fully behind animal rights, and is to protect them from the greedy, spiteful, stupid, or characterless people who, around us, commit crimes against nature – of which very nature we are a part.
Our educational and pedagogical activity is focused on conservation and animal welfare, thus benefitting the conservation of wildlife. The protection of nature, animals and the environment is considered the pinnacle of health protection and an ethical human society, because people do not need the current achievements of human civilization, but we absolutely need healthy drinking water, clean air and safe food. All this gives us a healthy environment, which is directly linked to the existence of animals and plants. Our project is based on a respect for nature, to be humble, compassionate, and courageous to oppose despotism and the characterless and greedy people who only reflect personal benefit at any price.
WHO, WHAT, AND HOW WE ARE SUPPORTED
The Rainforest For Children Association does not receive any subsidies or grants. We are not supported financially by any government or systemic nature conservation organisations. All of our funds are received through the voluntary support of adults and children, and partner companies and sponsors. Sponsorship by corporate donations are subject to ethical scrutiny. Members of the Rainforest For Children Association (including its chairmen) receive no financial remuneration and work for the protection of nature and animals voluntarily, without pay.
The only resources utilised in the Czech Republic are the hire and production of promotional materials. Thus, the vast majority of financial support is purposed to aid the project Green Life in Sumatra. The RAINFOREST PROTECTION transparent account is implicitly designed to rescue and redeem rainforest land, as well as the TIGER WATCH (payment facilities and commando camera traps) and TIGER HOUSE (education and training, personnel, energy) accounts.
The main leaders of the Rainforest For Children Association, Milan Jeglík and Zuzana Koloušková, live on funds donated to support the Green Life project, and finance their basic needs in the Czech Republic on the basis of the successful school project NEPZ, which still supports the Green Life project.
Their 5-month stay in the Green Life project is financed by voluntary programs that they organise. The Rainforest For Children Association and the Green Life project are ethical ways to defend the highest values, which is the protection of wildlife, animal ethics and human life.
THE GREEN LIFE ETHICAL CODE
We respect life as a fundamental value without the distinction of animal species.
We are vegans. The reason for our veganism is love, respect and humility towards animals as perfect Earthlings.
We avoid products which contain palm oil as much as is possible.
We live a thoughtful way of life: sorting and minimising waste, using recycled paper, and buying products ethically, without unnecessary packaging.
Vehicles such as cars or aeroplanes are used primarily in connection with activities of protection, for exploring nature and animals, and education. We see it as a necessary evil that allows us to use time effectively, and to shorten the distances associated with operations concerning nature and animals.
We reject the manipulative media system, and attempt to minimize overall systemic crimes in supporting multinational companies that devastate planet Earth in the name of profit and unsustainable growth.
We reject any cooperation and communication with people involved in trophy hunting, livestock farming, and systemic unethical science. We reject the trade in tropical timber, trading with animals, and we do not engage in the systemic breeding of wild animal species, including for zoos and circuses.
We live within the joy of each beautiful day, when people, nature and animals live in harmony.
We honour and respect the laws of nature.
We are not afraid to express disagreement with the hurting of nature and animals.
We hold sacred the values of selfless love, honour, reliability, humility, courage, dedication and friendship.
We are all part of nature and the universe, without any right of superiority over other animal and plant species.
We respect that human awakening is a lengthy process, and we appreciate every single change made by a consumer to an ethical way of life. We are patient, but not indifferent and cowardly; we explain and set examples.
We inform people of the facts of the devastation of nature, about its importance, and our potential cooperative protection.
The highest value of our human behavior is ethical cooperation in the protection of nature and genuine humanity, which reflects the complexity of nature and the Earth as a priority that takes precedence over individual human interests.
We respect the freedom of all living beings who are not involved in keeping captive animals for personal pleasure, without exception. We do not accept a perverse love for animals, which is motivated by ownership and results in the lifelong captivity of living beings.
HISTORY OF THE RAINFOREST FOR CHILDREN ASSOCIATION
The original chairman was Pavel Bakovský, alongside vice-chairman Milan Jeglík.In 2012, we moved the SPD headquarters to Brno and Milan Jeglík, the founder of the Green Life project, became the new chairman alongside Zuzana Koloušková as the vice-chairwoman.
In 2013 there was one final change when we moved the SPD HQ to Hodějovice in Vysočina, the Czech Highlands.
Members of the SPD work actively and boldly for 6 months per year on the Green Life reservation in Sumatra, where we organise and finance the anti-poaching patrol the Tiger Commandos and the Tiger House, and we organise two volunteer programs, Green and Blue. The Rainforest for Children Association is seated at Šámalova 107 in Brno Zábrdovice.
The Rainforest For Children Team:
The Rainforest For Children Association funds operations on the Green Life reservation, and employs a five member team headed by Ali Rusli (Chairman YHUA), Zbynek Hrábek (manager reservation Green Life), Ayu (accountant), Aril (commander of the Tiger Commandos) and Donna (coordinator of the Tiger house).
The annual budget for the Green Life reservation is 26 000 Euro.
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Curbing a Skin Oil Might Help Curb Acne, Study Suggests
WEDNESDAY, May 15, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Acne is the bane of many teens, and even some adults. Now, researchers say they might have hit on a new approach to easing the condition.
The key lies in a naturally produced skin oil called sebum, explained a research team led by William Esler, a researcher with drug giant Pfizer in Cambridge, Mass.
Sebum is important to the skin's health because it helps regulate temperature and repel microbes, the team said. But an excess of sebum production has also long been thought to be a contributor to acne.
"Too much sebum can get trapped in glands, which cause it to swell and cause a bump under the skin," explained Dr. Raman Madan, a dermatologist with Northwell Health's Huntington Hospital in Huntington, N.Y.
So, it stands to reason that identifying "a target to decrease sebum production would be a novel approach to treating acne," said Madan, who wasn't involved in the new study.
The research involved a microscopic examination of the skin of 22 healthy volunteers. Esler's team discovered that skin sebum production relies on a specific molecular mechanism known as the de novo lipogenesis (DNL) pathway.
Most sebum was found to be produced by cells called sebocytes, which secreted the oil based on the ebb and flow of the DNL pathway, the researchers explained.
But nine people with acne showed one major difference: Compared to people with normal skin, they had a 20% higher rate of sebum production and a related rise in fluctuations of the DNL pathway, the findings showed.
Going a step further, Esler's group designed a compound that targeted an enzyme involved in the pathway. In healthy volunteers, application of the treatment cut sebum production by nearly half, according to the report published in the May 15 issue of Science Translational Medicine.
Of course, these experiments are early and it remains to be seen if such a compound might curb sebum -- and acne -- in a larger, more rigorous trial.
In the meantime, Madan said that the approach "has potential." But he cautioned that "this may be a treatment for acne, but not a cure, because the cause of acne is more than just sebum production. It has potential to be an addition to current treatments."
Dr. Michele Green is a dermatologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. She agreed that the findings "may offer promise to patients suffering with acne vulgaris."
There's more on acne and acne treatment at the U.S. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.
SOURCES: Raman Madan, M.D., dermatologist, Northwell Health's Huntington Hospital, Huntington, N.Y.; Michele Green, M.D., dermatologist, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City; May 15, 2019, Science Translational Medicine
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House Democratss, GOP unite to repeal Obama health care tax
July 20, 2019 01:58·
Here’s How Eager the House Was to Kill Obamacare’s ‘Cadillac Tax’ Mike Blake
We've got to pass the bill to find out what's in the bill...'
The Obama White House and its economists prized the Cadillac tax on the cost of health coverage above $10,200 for an individual and roughly $30,000 for family coverage, saying the high-value plans end up paying for more care than needed, driving up health costs for everyone. "The difference now is that Democrats want to repeal Obamacare and replace it with socialized medicine". "We hope Congress will repeal the device tax without delay".
The U.S. House of Representatives voted on July 17 to abolish the so-called "Cadillac tax" on employer-sponsored high-value health plans, set to take effect in 2022. However, it remains unclear when the Senate may bring the bill up for a vote. "We urge the Senate to voice its own overwhelming support for this legislation and send it to the president for his signature".
Voter Support. In a prominent new poll, 86 percent of voters believe employer-provided health care coverage should remain tax-free and - by a 4 to 1 ratio - voters are more likely to support a member of Congress that has voted to repeal the "Cadillac Tax". If implemented, the "Cadillac Tax" would impose a 40 percent tax on certain employer-sponsored health care plans. "It would add costs for both employers and employees".
"We are reentering an era of trillion-dollar deficits, and Congress is considering yet another massive tax cut - it appears there is no end to this madness", said CRFB President Maya MacGuineas.
Some health economists warned that repealing the tax would remove one of Obamacare's main tools for lowering health care spending. Politicians don't like the tax on health benefits, but almost every economist thinks the Cadillac tax or a similar measure is necessary to help slow the rise in health care costs and curb overuse of health services, he added.
Oppo announced limited Reno 10x Zoom FC Barcelona Edition
The device comes with a pre-installed Barcelona theme on the smartphone along with newly designed charging cable and earbuds. It has a shark-fin shaped pop-up selfie camera module that features a 16-megapixel lens and an LED flash.
"This is a tax on plans and the people in them, but it doesn't do anything to reduce health care costs and much of the health care cost increases", he said.
A House Democratic aide said Wednesday's vote didn't necessarily tee up future votes to roll back the health law's taxes - but lobbyists for the medical device industry said the vote on the Cadillac tax, which is more expensive than rolling back the device tax, shows lawmakers' openness to repeal votes.
"Passage of this bill will lift the shadow that overhangs employer-sponsored plans and stop the high-deductible problem from worsening", said Rep. Joe Courtney, Connecticut Democrat and the bill's sponsor.
The Alliance to Fight the 40|Don't Tax My Health Care is a broad-based coalition comprised of businesses, patient advocates, employer organizations, unions, local governments, health care companies, consumer groups and other stakeholders that support employer-provided health coverage.
As now projected: If the average plan cost to cover employees and dependents is more than $11,200 for individual coverage and $30,150 for family coverage, employers would pay the tax on plan costs for each covered person above these threshold amounts.
Lin-Manuel Miranda geeks out on 'His Dark Materials'
She said: "I like a challenge, I thought it was time for the books to be liberated in a space which could do them justice". The piece has a bit of a Harry Potter vibe, only a bit darker (and indeed, was scripted by Jack Thorne, who adapted J.K.
Brandon Routh Returning As Superman With Tyler Hoechlin
Routh himself got very positive reviews in his gig replacing Reeve, but the film itself was met with a more lukewarm reaction. How will the Arrowverse adapt these stories? The news is expected to be officially revealed at Comic-Con on Saturday.
The Walking Dead Movie Trailer is Here, Film Coming to Theaters
Gimple, showrunner Angela Kang, Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, David Alpert, Greg Nicotero, Tom Luse and Denise Huth. So, how do you write out a character like Michonne? "We've certainly put her through her paces this year".
Hongmeng OS is not for smartphones, Huawei VP confirms
The new operating system will also have extreme low latency compared with a smartphone operating system, she revealed. The HongMeng OS was confirmed by Huawei when the United States government banned the Chinese giant.
Flames, Oilers swap struggling veterans as Neal goes north for Lucic
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Former Giants O-lineman Petrus dies of heat stroke
In 2011, he started three games and played in the Giants' victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 46. His college program also tweeted its condolences: "We are deeply saddened by the passing of Mitch Petrus ".
President Trump says Melania told him about A$AP Rocky's Sweden arrest
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IEA does not expect 'huge increase' in crude prices: executive director
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At least 12 dead in Taliban attack on Afghanistan police
Scott Miller, the top USA commander in Afghanistan, was said to be present at the incident detailed below. The Afghan defence ministry had no immediate comment.
Second Try For Starhopper Hover Test Set For Next Week
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Athens residents flee as strong quake shakes Greek capital
Seismologist Manolis Skordilis told Greece's Star TV: "The quake was close to the surface, which is why it was felt so much". Athenians ran out into the streets and evacuated tall buildings as the tremor shook the capital for some 15 seconds.
Trump backs away from 'send her back' chant after rally
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Donald Trump Says Boris Johnson Would Do "Great Job" As British PM
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Jacob Trouba signs 7-year deal with Rangers
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Google Stadia Pro Streaming Plan To Include One Free Game Per Month
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Bayesian Estimates of Genetic Relationships between Growth Curve Parameters in Shall Sheep via Gibbs Sampling
Document Type: Research Articles
N. Ghavi Hossein-Zadeh
Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agricultural Science, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
The objective of this study was to estimate variance components and genetic parameters for growth curve parameters in Shall sheep. Studied traits were parameters of Brody growth model which included A (asymptotic mature weight), B (initial animal weight) and K (maturation rate). The data set and pedigree information used in this study were obtained from the Animal Breeding Center of Iran and comprised 4020 growth curve parameters of lambs from birth to 400 days of age during 1982 to 2012. Marginal posterior distributions of parameters and variance components were estimated using TM program. The Gibbs sampler was run 300000 rounds and the first 60000 rounds were discarded as a burn-in period. Posterior mean estimates of direct heritabilities for A, B and K were 0.13, 0.15 and 0.19, respectively. Estimates of direct genetic correlation between growth curve parameters were 0.41, -0.30 and -0.31 between A-B, A-K and B-K, respectively. Residual correlations between growth curve parameters varied from -0.57 (between A-K) to 0.62 (between A-B). Also, phenotypic correlations between growth curve parameters varied from -0.48 (between B-K) to 0.30 (between A-B). The low estimates of heritability obtained in this study implies that although genetic selection could be partially affected on the growth curve parameters, much of the improvement in these parameters could be attained by improvement of production environment rather than genetic selection in this breed of sheep.
bayesian methodology
fat-tailed sheep
genetic parameter
Gibbs sampling
growth curve
The Shall sheep is a local sheep breed of Iran with a population of more than 600000 heads. The breed is fat-tailed, large-size, predominantly black or brown with white spots in front of head, well adapted to the harsh climate and raised mainly for its meat that is most important source of protein in Iran and sale of its surplus lambs is the main source of cash income for farmers. The data on reproductive performance were collected from 2001 to 2007 at the breeding station of Shall sheep located in Buin Zahra city, Qazvinprovince of Iran. Ewes were randomly exposed to the rams at the age of 18 months and lambing occurred in one season, from mid-January to mid-March. Ewes were kept in the flock up to 6 years old. Rams were kept until a male offspring was available for replacement. During the breeding season, single sire pens were used allocating 20-25 ewes per ram. Ewes usually lamb thrice every two years. Lambs remained with their dam until weaning. The flock was mainly kept on range and was fed by cereal pasture, but supplemental feed, including alfalfa and wheat straw, was provided especially around mating season (Amou Posht-e- Masari et al. 2013). Studies focusing on growth curves have increased in recent years due to the development of new computational methods for faster and more accurate analyses as well as the availability of new models to be tested (Souza et al. 2013). Growth rate is related to rate of maturing and mature weight and these latter traits have been suggested to have relationships with other lifetime productivity parameters in sheep (Bedier et al. 1992; Abegaz et al. 2010). Growth curve parameters provide potentially useful criteria for modifying the relationship between body weight and age through selection (Kachman and Gianola 1984) and an optimum growth curve can be obtained by selection for desired values of growth curve parameters (Bathaei and Leroy, 1998). Non-linear mathematical models, empirically developed by plotting body weight against age, have been suitable to describe the growth curve in different animal groups (Malhado et al. 2009). Accurate estimates of variance components are important in animal breeding because genetic parameters are based upon (co)variance components, which must be accurately estimated (Schaeffer, 1984). Therefore, improved methodologies for estimation of these components are constantly evolving. The Gibbs Sampling algorithm (Magnabosco et al. 2000) enables estimation of random samples of parameter estimates based on a given data set, by generating posterior distributions of parameter values that are proportional to the product of the parameter probabilities and the observation probabilities (Ghavi Hossein-Zadeh and Ardalan, 2010). Estimates of variance components and heritabilities for growth curve parameters in sheep are very scarce in the literature. Therefore, the objective of this study was to estimate variance components and genetic parameters for growth curve characteristics in Shall sheep using Gibbs sampling algorithm in Bayesian methodology.
The data set and pedigree information used in this study were obtained from the Animal Breeding Center of Iran and comprised 4020 growth curve parameters of lambs from birth to 400 days of age during 1982 to 2012. Among a number of mathematical models, Brody function (Brody, 1945) has been found to be adequate for comparing individual differences in rate of maturing and mature weight (Gbangboche et al. 2008). Additionally this function has advantages of mathematical simplicity and biological interpretability (Abegaz et al. 2010). Therefore, Brody model was used to estimate parameters of the growth curve for each animal and is presented as follows:
y= A(1-Be-Kt)
y: represents body weight at age t (day).
A: represents asymptotic weight, which is interpreted as mature weight.
B: integration constant related to initial animal weight. The value of B is defined by the initial values for y and t.
K: maturation rate, which is interpreted as weight change in relation to mature weight to indicate how fast the animal approaches adult weight.
The data were screened several times and atypical growth curves resulting in out of range parameters were deleted. Also, lambs with incomplete records of parentage or with registration numbers lower than the numbers of their parents were left out. The characteristics of data used in this study are presented in Table 1. Also, the number of animals (in total), sires, dams, founders and non-founders in the pedigree of Shall sheep were 64964, 720, 18345, 31270 and 33694, respectively. The choice of fixed effects to be considered was made after testing whether the effects were statistically significant with a linear fixed effects model analyzed with GLM procedure of SAS (2002). Level of significance for the inclusion of effects into the model of analysis was declared at P < 0.05. The final model of analysis for A, B and K parameters included the fixed class effects of flock, birth year, birth month, sex, litter size and age of dam. All models of analysis included the random additive direct genetic effect of animal. The univariate animal model fitted for the genetic analysis of the growth curve parameters was as follows:
y= Xb + Za + e
y: N × 1 vector of records for each growth curve parameter. b: denotes the fixed effects in the model with association matrix X.
a: vector of direct genetic effects with the incidence matrix Z.
e: denotes the vector of residual effects.
From a Bayesian perspective, it was assumed that prior distribution for additive direct effects was multivariate normal distribution with mean 0 and variance Aσ2a:
A: additive numerator relationship matrix.
σ2a: additive direct variance.
Residual effects were assumed to be multivariate normally distributed with mean 0 and variance In σ2e:
In: identity matrix with order equal to the number of individual records, respectively.
σ2e: residual variance.
Bivariate or pair-wise analyses were carried out for every pair of the traits. The models applied in pair-wise analyses were those fitted for each of the traits in the univariate analyses.
Table 1 Characteristics of data set
A: represents asymptotic weight, which is interpreted as mature weight; B: integration constant related to initial animal weight. The value of B is defined by the initial values for y and t and K: maturation rate, which is interpreted as weight change in relation to mature weight to indicate how fast the animal approaches adult weight.
SD: standard deviation.
The prior distribution for the genetic and residual (co)variance matrices is assumed to be an inverted Wishart distribution. Marginal posterior distributions of parameters and variance components were estimated, using TM program (Legarra et al. 2011). The Gibbs sampler was run 300000 rounds, and the first 60000 rounds were discarded as a burn-in period (Legarra et al. 2011). A thinning interval of 100 rounds was used to retain sampled values that reduced lag correlation among thinned samples. The bayesian output analysis (BOA version 1.1.5; Smith, 2005) package was used to calculate the mean, standard deviation (SD) and 95% high posterior density (HPD) interval for all parameters from the individual marginal posteriors, under the free software R (http://www.rproject.org/). The HPD region provides the interval that includes 95% of samples and is a measure of reliability. Also, the HPD can be applied to non-symmetric distributions (Hyndman, 1996).
The posterior means, medians and modes of variance components and direct heritabilities and their HPDs for growth curve parameters obtained from univariate models of analysis are presented in Table 2. Posterior mean estimates of direct heritabilities for A, B and K were 0.13, 0.15 and 0.19, respectively. The low estimates of heritabilities for A, B and K parameters could be assigned to the high phenotypic variance arising from large environmental variation. This therefore implies that much of the improvement in these growth curve parameters could be obtained by improvement of environment rather than genetic selection (Van der Westhuizen et al. 2001; Ghavi Hossein-Zadeh 2011). It is important to note that the variation range of HPDs of the direct heritabilities are located at the region greater than zero. Hence, the probability of obtaining a zero estimate for these parameters was almost null. Posterior distributions of the direct estimates of heritabilities for different parameters of growth curve are shown in Figure 1. Estimates of variance components and direct heritabilities for growth curve parameters showed no or slight differences between median, mode and mean. Therefore, a normal posterior density was assumed for direct heritabilities. Abegaz et al. (2010) reported the estimates of heritabilities were 0.29, 0.18 and 0.14 for A, B and K parameters in Horro sheep, respectively. Inconsistent with the current results, Bathaei and Leroy (1998), Stobart et al. (1986) and Stobart (1983) reported high estimates of heritability for A parameter, but Mavrogenis and Constantinou (1990) and Näsholm (1990) reported lower heritabilities for this parameter in Chios sheep and Swedish Finewool sheep, respectively. The lower heritability for mature weight is probably due to maturity at a earlier age in Shall sheep, where the influence of environmental factors becomes large. In general, several factors such as breed of the animal, genetic variation within population, management and environmental conditions, the method of estimating parameter, etc., would have affected the differences between estimations (Ghavi Hossein-Zadeh and Ardalan, 2010). The heritability and genetic relationship between traits are needed for planning an efficient breeding system and development of effective genetic evaluation. The current estimates of genetic parameters for growth curve characteristics in Shall sheep could be used for designing future selection schemes in this breed. The posterior mean, median and mode of direct genetic, residual and phenotypic correlations between growth curve parameters of Shall sheep are reported in Table 3. Estimates of direct genetic correlation between growth curve parameters were 0.41, -0.30 and -0.31 between A-B, A-K and B-K, respectively. The positive and high genetic correlation between A and B parameters are evidence for common genetic and physiological mechanism controlling these traits. Also, positive genetic correlation between these traits suggesting that selection of sheep in favour of one parameter of growth curve would also improve other parameter. Positive genetic correlation between A-B indicated that heavy lambs at birth had greater mature weight. On the other hand, genetic correlations between A-K and B-K were negative and medium. It has been shown that a negative and high genetic correlation between direct and maternal genetic effects for a specific trait might be a product of both existing genetic antagonism and can be influenced by data structure (Maniatis and Pollott, 2003). It seems possible that the antagonism between the effects of an individual’s genes for growth and those of its dam for a maternal ability might be due to natural selection for an intermediate optimum (Tosh and Kemp, 1994). Negative genetic correlation between A-K in this study was consistent with the reports of Abegaz et al. (2010), Bathaei and Leroy (1998) and Stobart et al. (1986).
Table 2 The posterior mean, median and mode of direct genetic, residual and phenotypic variances and direct heritabilities for growth curve parameters of Shall sheep [standard deviations (PSD) of marginal posterior distribution of mean estimates are in brackets]
h2a: direct heritability; σ2a: direct additive genetic variance; σ2e: residual variance and σ2p: phenotype variance.
HPD: 95% high posterior density interval.
Table 3 The posterior mean, median and mode of direct genetic and residual correlations between growth curve parameters of Shall sheep [standard deviations (PSD) of marginal posterior distribution of mean estimates are in brackets]
ra1a2: direct genetic correlation between growth curve parameters; re1e2: residual correlation between growth curve parameters and rp1p2: phenotypic correlation between growth curve parameters;
HPD: highest posterior density at 95%.
The variation range of HPDs for the direct genetic correlations of A-K and B-K include zero which indicate there was a probability of obtaining zero estimates for these correlation estimates, but the HPD interval of genetic correlation between A-B did not include zero. Posterior distribution of direct genetic correlations between growth curve parameters are shown in Figure 2. There were generally slight differences between median, mode and mean estimates of direct genetic correlations. Therefore, a normal posterior density could be assumed for direct genetic correlations. Residual correlations between growth curve parameters varied from -0.57 (between A-K) to 0.62 (between A-B). Also, phenotypic correlations between growth curve parameters varied from -0.48 (between B-K) to 0.30 (between A-B). dard deviation.
Figure 1 Posterior distribution of the direct heritabilities for growth curve parameters of A, B and K
Figure 2 Posterior distribution of direct genetic correlations between growth curve parameters A, B and K
In general, the HPD interval of residual and phenotypic correlations did not include zero; therefore, these correlations were assumed to be different from zero. The negative residual correlation between A-K in this study indicated the provision of appropriate environmental conditions for early maturity could not have positive effects in mature weight. This negative residual correlation could result in negative phenotypic correlation between these traits because corresponding genetic correlation was near to zero.
Current estimates of genetic parameters for growth curve characteristics in Shall sheep could be applied in designing selection program in this breed. The low estimates of heritabilities for growth curve parameters could be assigned to the high phenotypic variance arising from large environmental variation. Therefore, much of the improvement in these growth curve parameters could be obtained by improvement of environment rather than genetic selection. It is important to provide good environmental conditions along with optimal management strategies in the flock to achieve a desired shape of growth curve through changing the parameters of model.
The author would like to acknowledge the University of Guilan for financial support of this research (Project No. 989). Also, author wishes to thank the Animal Breeding Center of Iran for providing the data used in this study.
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Malhado C.H.M., Carneiroa P.L.S., Affonso P.R.A.M., Souza Jr A.A.O. and Sarmento J.L.R. (2009). Growth curves in Dorper sheep crossed with the local Brazilian breeds, Morada Nova, Rabo Largo and Santa Inês. Small Rumin. Res. 84, 16-21.
Maniatis N. and Pollott G.E. (2003). The impact of data structure on genetic (co)variance components of early growth in sheep, estimated using an animal model with maternal effects. J. Anim. Sci. 81, 101-108.
Mavrogenis A.P. and Constantinou A. (1990). Relationships between pre-weaning growth, post-weaning growth and mature body size in Chios sheep. Anim. Prod. 50(2), 271-275.
Näsholm A. (1990). Mature weight of ewe as a trait in sheep breeding. Pp. 88-91 in Proc. 4th World Cong. Genet. Appl. Livest. Prod., Edinburgh, UK.
SAS Institute. (2002). SAS®/STAT Software, Release 9.1. SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC. USA.
Schaeffer L.R. (1984). Sire and cow evaluation under multiple trait models. J. Dairy Sci. 67, 1567-1573.
Smith B.J. (2005). Bayesian Output Analysis Program (BOA), Version 1.1.5. The University of Iowa.
http://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/boa. Accessed Nov. 04, 2014.
Souza L.A., Carneiro P.L.S., Malhado C.H.M., Silva F.F. and Silveira F.G. (2013). Traditional and alternative nonlinear models for estimating the growth of Morada Nova sheep. Revist. Bras. Zootec. 42(9), 651-655.
Stobart R.H. (1983). Genetic and phenotypic analysis of liveweight maturing patterns and their relationship to ewe productivity in Colombia, Rambouillet and Targhee sheep. Dissert. Abs. Int. Part B: Sci. Engin. 44(6), 1656.
Stobart R.H., Bassett J.W., Cartwright T.C. and Blackwell R.L. (1986). An analysis of body weights and maturing patterns in western range ewes. J. Anim. Sci. 63, 729-740.
Tosh J.J. and Kemp R.A. (1994). Estimation of variance components for lamb weights in three sheep populations. J. Anim. Sci. 72, 1184-1190.
Van der Westhuizen R.R., Schoeman S.J., Jordaan G.F. and Van Wyk J.B. (2001). Genetic parameters for reproductive traits in a beef cattle herd estimated using multitrait analysis. South African J. Anim. Sci. 31, 41-48.
Receive Date: 04 December 2015
Accept Date: 04 December 2015
Ghavi Hossein-Zadeh, N. (2015). Bayesian Estimates of Genetic Relationships between Growth Curve Parameters in Shall Sheep via Gibbs Sampling. Iranian Journal of Applied Animal Science, 5(4), 897-904.
N. Ghavi Hossein-Zadeh. "Bayesian Estimates of Genetic Relationships between Growth Curve Parameters in Shall Sheep via Gibbs Sampling". Iranian Journal of Applied Animal Science, 5, 4, 2015, 897-904.
Ghavi Hossein-Zadeh, N. (2015). 'Bayesian Estimates of Genetic Relationships between Growth Curve Parameters in Shall Sheep via Gibbs Sampling', Iranian Journal of Applied Animal Science, 5(4), pp. 897-904.
Ghavi Hossein-Zadeh, N. Bayesian Estimates of Genetic Relationships between Growth Curve Parameters in Shall Sheep via Gibbs Sampling. Iranian Journal of Applied Animal Science, 2015; 5(4): 897-904.
Publication Arrangement 2015-12-10
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Our Story - 50 Years of A...
The KOLARIDES INSTITUTE of ACCOUNTANCY is founded. At the beginning students can be measured in the fingers of one hand. The means are limited: blackboard, chalks, etc. Our persistence and focus on our goals bring good results and great experience is gained on perfecting the teaching method and the notes supporting it.
Our satisfactory results provide the strength to keep working towards our vision. More than five hundred exam successes leave a legacy of a decade that will be the basis for creating an accountancy Institute thet will be developed into a phenomenon in Cyprus.
We have hopefully entered the second decade of existence! A decade that meets us moving into new premises within a larger building with more classrooms and teach to a larger number of students. This can be regarded as a normal consequence of the even better results from our students in their exams.
By serving our mission of understanding our students' and customers' needs we upgrade our technology. We introduce the use of the overhead projector and we save time and have beneficial effects by properly use the available technological efficiency. We are recruiting full-time human capital and our teaching personnel increases, thus creating the teamwork atmosphere we envisioned from the beginning in order to bring together the Institute's goals.
Alongside KOLARIDES PUBLICATIONS are created, which may hereafter become one of the most reliable and applicable in their field in Cyprus. Written guidelines from curriculum, appropriate selected exercises. It is the piece that completes the puzzle of the successful teaching method of KOLARIDES INSTITUTE and differentiates it from the competition.
Following our organisation, progress and carefull work; the first awards and distinctions arrive regarding exceptional performance from students of the Institute in the LCCI Financial Qualifications examinations.
The third decade of our existence can also be described as 'the golden decade' of the Institute. We observe an expansion in classrooms, upgrade of the rest of the rooms and the teachers' and other staff's rooms. The party gatherings and dance event of the Institute in a known hotel and cinema of the capital, were the social events that accompanied these successful years.
Successes that really shocked. More than five thousand exam passes. Students of the KOLARIDES INSTITUTE win the most World and Pancyprian Awards than any other educational institution of private education in Cyprus. Performances which are unprecedented and unsurpassed even to date.
The Institute becomes the largest of its kind in Cyprus with the best results throughout the competition. KOLARIDES PUBLICATIONS become the most recognised of its kind with a very high demand from governmental and private educational institutions.
Forty years KOLARIDES INSTITUTE. Several and sufficient number of distinctions is the archive for the decade that arrived in 2010. At the same time we observe major changes primarily to the location and strategy of the Institute.
When an organisation hopefully completes a fourth decade of existence, this can itself can be considered a success. But for KOLARIDES INSTITUTE and the level of responsibility itself set, this was just a decade were great challenges have been met with drastic actions.
During 2008 the Management of the Institute is reinforced and a recast takes places on its strategy and forces in order to create in the forthcoming years the Branches suitable for fully covering the potential needs of our students and setup the Qualifications & Training suitable to meet our market's interests.
Pancyprian Exams Preparation:Accounting and Pancyprian Exams Preparation:Economics (Political Economy) are added in the Insitute's portofolio of Financial Qualifications & Training. The vision is the same. Offer the best accountancy education possible to its students.
2003 found the Institute moving from its historic location in Nicosia city centre and start offering its financial qualifications & training at the brand new Strovolos Branch. In 2007 Pera Chorio-Nisou Branch is established. To be continued...
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SUSE Linux bridges the gap between the server and the cloud
The new SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 Service Pack 1 is positioned as the operating system for servers, datacenters, and the cloud. By Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols for Linux and Open Source | June 25, 2019 — 19:49 GMT (03:49 GMT+08:00) | Topic: Cloud Business IT is heading for the cloud. But, as the saying goes, “The cloud is just other people’s computers.” It’s more complicated than that. SUSE knows that, and with its recent release of its flagship operating system, SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 Server (SLES) Service Pack 1, it’s created an operating system that bridges the distance between server and clouds. SUSE calls this Multimodal IT. What’s that, you ask? It means SLES 15 SP1 integrates cloud-based platforms with your enterprise systems; it merges containerized development with traditional development, and combining legacy applications with microservices. One operating system, many roles. “SUSE Linux Enterprise is a modern and modular OS that helps simplify multimodal IT, making traditional IT infrastructure efficient and providing an engaging platform for developers,” said Thomas Di Giacomo, SUSE president of engineering, product...
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MN.15.10.1992. Mediaraad Report & RTL Satellite
The programme starts with the voice of the late Paul Holmes, a New Zealand broadcaster who worked at RNW in 1980. I did shifts with him.
International broadcasters usually have friends all over the world, but few in their own country. That's because they don't target their own people - and politicians are often clueless as to what their role is, relying on hearsay. During its life as a broadcaster, Radio Nederland Wereldomroep would regularly become the subject of commissions. One of the most important reports was put together by the Mediaraad (Media Council) in 1992, and triggered a major reorganisation of the station in 1994.
Trans World Radio has hired airtime from Radio Tirana Albania..unthinkable a few years before. WRTH reports that Radio Czechoslovakia International may shortly change its name again as the country splits in 1993. Marcel Rommerts has problems hearing BBC Radio 1 on 1053 kHz. Russian separatists are jamming a station. Andy Sennitt makes me a cup of tea. Lou Josephs says the new transmitter in Costa Rica from Spanish Foreign Radio is difficult to hear. John Catlett of Radio Luxembourg announces the decision to end the English language programming on the great 208.
The programme concludes with an interview with Pat Gowen, G3IOR, who's fascinated by reception of satellites on the wrong side of the Earth. Pat passed away in 2017, a great loss to the Amateur Satellite community.
Show Archived Comments
almost five years ago
Thanks as always Jonathan! I will listen to these riding my bicycle to work tomorrow. 73, Jelle
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Trends in fetal indications for termination of pregnancy between 2002 and 2010 at a tertiary referral centre
10.5152/jtgga.2012.09
Aytül Çorbacıoğlu
Halil Aslan
Özgür Akbayır
Fırat Ersan
Verda Alpay
Hediye Dağdeviren
Songül Kısacık
Received Date: 07.02.2012 Accepted Date: 01.03.2012 J Turk Ger Gynecol Assoc 2012;13(2):85-90 PMID: 24592014
We reviewed the data of the termination of pregnancy (TOP) cases between 2002 and 2010 to evaluate the changes in fetal indications for both early and late TOPs in this period.
The data of 962 TOP cases were analysed in two groups according to the periods as in 2002-2006 and 2007-2010. The women were also subdivided into two categories according to their gestational age; <23 weeks' gestation (early termination) and ≥23 weeks' gestation (late termination).
Four hundred and fifty-eight (47.6%) of TOPs were performed between 2002 and 2006 (Group 1) and 504 (52.3%) were performed between 2007 and 2010 (Group 2). The number of early (<23 weeks) and late (≥23 weeks) terminations were 583 (60.6%) and 379 (39.3%), respectively. The vast majority of anomalies were central nervous sytem malformations (51.8%). They were followed by multiple anomalies (10.2%) and chromosomal anomalies (9.4%). Chromosomal and cardiovascular system anomalies were significantly higher in 2007-2010 in comparison to 2002-2006 (p<0.0001 and p=0.002, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference between the fetal indications that led to early termination compared to those that led to late termination.
The distribution of indications for TOP was influenced by the development in prenatal screening policy, resulting in a significant increase in terminations due to chromosomal and cardiovascular system anomalies. Cultural, educational, religious and legal factors cause differences in the indications for TOP as well as the gestational age that TOPS are performed.
Keywords: Termination of pregnancy, fetal anomaly, chromosomal anomaly, ultrasound, prenatal screening
Termination of pregnancy fetal anomaly chromosomal anomaly ultrasound prenatal screening
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AF meeting 26th May 2011
Fabrizio Furano, Sebastian Binet [REMOTE], Peter Hristov, Marco Clemencic, Pere Mato, Predrag Buncic, Gabriele Cosmo, Benedikt Hegner, John Harvey, Fons Rademakers.
Agenda (in indico)
Line Management Issues (John)
NeuroBayes license (Pere)
Planning Preparation (Pere)
Report from the LIM meeting (Benedikt)
News from projects
Experiments Feedback
version 1 (8/6/2011 @ 15:10)
The fellow for the AIDA project will be starting 1st July under the supervision of Gabriele Cosmo.
Action Items (see list in JIRA)
Start a negotiation with NeuroBayes for a new clause granting access to the source code under certain conditions (Pere)
No answer received after informing them that only LHCb will be signing the agreement.
AF meetings frequency (all)
Discussion and positions from the experiments:
CMS feels that the AF meeting is far too frequent. Dropping it to once/month or less frequently would be more appropriate.
ATLAS is happy with the current fortnightly meetings. A meeting every month would also be OK, but less frequent than this would be detrimental for the communication.
LHCb position is exactly the same as ATLAS.
ALICE is also in favor of one meeting per month.
Predrag mentioned that the current frequency was adequate for the R&D projects. They were supposed to report at the meeting and this was driving the progress in many occasions.
It was agreed then that the AF meeting will take place once a month on a fix time and weekday slot (Thursdays at 14:30) and a constant phase within the month. The proposal is to reserve the second Thursday of every month in everybody's agendas.
The e-mail channel will be used for urgent matters or decisions that cannot wait for the meeting to take place.
The frequency of LIM meetings will not change.
Plans for the completion of the ROOT schema evolution (Fons)
The work for the completion of the ROOT schema evolution has been broken down into a number of tasks, and their required effort has been estimated. Fons will send the list of tasks to the AF mailing list and will be also added into the minutes ==> Action Fons.
Fons claimed that the CMS use case is more a 'model evolution' than a 'schema evolution'. For this case what is needed are some handles in which to plug the CMS code that will perform the model conversion. The first task of the list to be implemented will be [number 6?] for the benefit of CMS and Fermilab will put the manpower for it. After this, Philippe will be working for the rest of items.
Pere asked whether there is a test case provided by CMS to validate the desired functionality. Fons said that this is not needed in this case since the ROOT and CMS teams will be working together on this.
The tasks will added to the JIRA planning to monitor progress. ==> Action Pere.
See the minutes of the last LIM meeting for details
The LCGCVS to CVS migration is considered done.
CMT. Benedikt complained that the release of the new CMT version was not done correctly. He will follow this with David R. Also LHCb didn't have any chance to give feedback before the release was done. ATLAS had a preview in the nightlies. It was felt that more transparency in the CMT development is needed.
SL6. A test cluster has been provided by IT. Questions such as how we do the migration, which compiler version has been started to be asked.
The system compiler is gcc 4.4 and is probably adequate, but this probably contradicts a previous discussion that we should go to gcc 4.5.
LHCb reports that a build with gcc 4.3 does not work in SLC6. What would be nice for them is to latch on a version of the gcc compiler that works on both OS versions. In this case gcc 4.4 would work fine for both SL5 and SL6.
The argument for gcc 4.5 was the better vectorization support. ... LHCb will like to start testing soon.
We should take a decision on the compiler version at next AF and we need to prepare for this ==> action Benedikt.
Benedikt will be collecting feedback on the SNOW (new CERN service support portal).
Python. Started to see the need for version 2.7, which would be useful for later migration to 3.x. LHCb is not planing to make a move.
CernVM (Predrag)
ATLAS distributed computing WS last week.
It was demonstrated Panda jobs on CernVM and having the output to EOS.
IT+ATLAS agreed on a plan for an evaluation including performance compared with more traditional methods, total cost of ownership, efficiency, I/O options, memory over commits. Timescale of a couple of months.
A new version of CernVM is under testing. It will be announced at the next AF.
LHCb with DIRAC is standing in the queue ...
CernVM-FS. Last week ATLAS started running production.
ROOT (Fons)
Next week a release candidate for 5.30 will be produced. Fons explained the new process that has been put in place: there will be two release candidates before producing the final production release.
The trunk will be copied into the release branch.
It was agreed at the LIM to start using the release candidates in the nightlies.
Most of the planned 'stories' are going to be there (e.g. new user guide, first version of CMake to build the windows version, etc.)
Review of the included 'stories' at the AF next meeting.
Preparing the monthly release. This will be the last one before the beta release in June.
Successful first running of the validation using CernVM-FS, currently limited to the CERN site.
In the coming weeks they will be asking for a new LCG patch configuration that would include a patch for ROOT with a fix of a floating point exception.
Initial SLC6 discussions are taken place in the collaboration. What will be needed to help them is some symlinks in the external area packages to allow them to move forward. ==> action Benedikt
LHCb
CERN and the C++ standards committee (John Harvey)
CERN is now a member of the Swiss Association of Standardization (SVN), which is the Swiss part of ISO IEC JTC 1 SC 22 (contains the C++ Standards Committee). Because it's CERN (and not a single person), we can send anyone we want, and we have a vote that can be cast by whomever CERN sends. This membership give us also access to documentation free of change.
Next meeting in 2 weeks on June 9th.
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Dragonmarks: Lightning Round 3/19
Posted on March 26, 2019 by Keith Baker
I’m just back from the JoCo Cruise and about to head off to PAX East, and I haven’t had an opportunity to write the next installment of the Dark Six series. Instead, I’m going to do a quick Q&A with questions submitted by my awesome Patreon supporters. These questions fall into two categories: some are questions that have canon answers, while others are essentially asking for speculation. What other failed secessions happened during the Last War, for example; none are mentioned in canon sources that I’m aware of, so any answers I give are me telling you what I might do in MY campaign. I’m marking these answers NC.
The current political map of Khorvaire is defined largely by successful secessions – Valenar, the Mror Holds, and the Eldeen Reaches, to name a few. What kinds of *failed* secessions happened during the Last War?
(NC) One of my main rules of worldbuilding is this: In adding a detail to the lore, can I think of three ways that it could play a meaningful role in a story? I’ve never made a comprehensive list of all the rulers of Galifar, because I’ve never been in a situation where someone needed to know who was king in 464 YK; if it came up randomly at my table, I’d just make up a name and make a note of it. I bring this up for two reasons. First of all, you’ve generally heard about the winners because they HAVE defined the present map; and second, that means in describing failed secessions, I’m only interested in coming up with ideas that COULD play an interesting role in a story… whether that’s driving adventure, creating a colorful NPC or villain, or being tied to a character’s backstory.
With that in mind, here’s one idea.
Faldren’s Folly. The drive to rid Breland of the monarchy didn’t begin with Ruken ir’Clarn. In 961 YK, King Boranex of Breland committed suicide after the deaths of his two eldest sons. While Prince Boranel had proven himself in war, he was seen as an adventurer and dilettante. Commander Rand Faldren sought to rally support within the Brelish army for an overthrow of the monarchy, placing power in the hands of the parliament. He stopped short of attempting a coup, and stood down when the majority of parliament condemned the idea. However, soon thereafter he seized control of Orcbone, the fortress by the Graywall Mountains. He proclaimed the fortress to be the heart of “New Wroat,” reclaiming the pre-Galifar name of the nation, and called on those who sought freedom to join him, following the model of Q’barra. Breland dispatched a small force to retake Orcbone, which failed; given that the region was strategically unimportant and there were pressing concerns on other fronts, Boranel chose to pull soldiers back rather than to devote a major force to bring down Faldren; essentially, he put it on Faldren to defend his new settlers. This proved a disaster. As numbers grew, Faldren encouraged settlers to establish themselves in the foundation of an old goblin city… the city we now know as Graywall. These settlers were prepared for minotaur raiders, and repelled a few attacks. But they weren’t prepared for the skullcrusher ogres and war trolls that came later—the first appearance of the elite forces of Sora Maenya. The force drove deeper into New Wroat and laid waste to Orcbone. Rand Faldren was dismembered and his head was never found; some believe Sora Maenya still has it.
Boranel responded swiftly to the destruction. Orcbone was reclaimed and fortified, and many settlers were safely returned east. While some were grateful, others felt that Faldren was a martyr to the principles of a democratic Breland—that he was driven to his fate by the outdated monarchy, and that Boranel left the settlers to die because they challenged his authority. Today any western cells of the Swords of Liberty call Faldren a hero, and demand that stronger action be taken against the creatures of Droaam.
As an idea, this is tied to existing principles—the rise of Droaam and the ongoing uncertainty about the fate of the Brelish Monarchy. It serves as a rallying point for the Swords of Liberty. And a PC could have lost family in Faldren’s Folly… perhaps still yearning for vengeance against Sora Maenya or the troll commander who slaughtered their parents.
In each country, what power group would be most likely to react to a planar invasion ? Assuming it’s more covert than just a giant portal opening and a massive horde coming through. The invasion starting under the radar but growing as major threat as time progresses.
First and foremost: Who should deal with a covert planar invasion? The player characters. Eberron has always been designed as a world where there aren’t tons of powerful benevolent forces and where the ones that do exist are often limited in some way. So I’m going to continue to talk about the forces that might come into play, but in an ideal story, these forces WOULDN’T just solve the problem on their own. Perhaps they’re crippled by infighting or corruption. Perhaps they’ve been infiltrated and compromised by the invading forces. Essentially, even if the Church of the Silver Flame is ultimately the force that would fight such a thing, in my campaign the question would always be How do the player characters play a central role in that defense?
With that said… most of the modern nations don’t have “Planar Invasion” agencies. On the one hand this is because they’re been focused on carrying out an actual war against very concrete, mundane enemies: Karrnath has been too busy fighting Thrane to devote much of their budget to the Xoriat Defense Initiative. However, part of the reason for this is that there’s a very well established and respected military force that is dedicated to protecting people of all nations from exactly this sort of threat: The Church of the Silver Flame. People often look at the Church of the Silver Flame through the lens of religion in our world. In OUR history, militant religions have often used that military force to impose their beliefs on others. But that’s never been the purpose of the templars. Instead, they are a volunteer army dedicated to defending ALL innocents—regardless of their nation or their beliefs—from the very real supernatural threats that exist in Eberron. At any time there could be a planar incursion, a horde of aberrations bursting out of Khyber, an overlord unleashed, or—just as a random example—a deadly surge in lycanthropy. And when that last one happened, who came to the defense of the people of Aundair? The Church of the Silver Flame.
I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: The Church of the Silver Flame has more in common with the Jedi and the Men in Black than with any religion in our world. The Silver Flame isn’t a traditional god; it is a force that holds demons at bay and that empowers champions who fight to defend the innocent from supernatural threats. Breland doesn’t need a Planer Defense Initiative because they know that IF such a threat arises, templars and exorcists from across the Five Nations will stand against it, and they DO specialize in dealing with this sort of thing. Again, when the Purge happened, Galifar as a whole said “Not our problem;” It was the Silver Flame that took action. Having said this: The Lycanthropic Purge shows that the best-intentioned plans can have terrible consequences. The Pure Flame sees the faith as a weapon to punish the wicked as opposed to a shield to protect the innocent. The rise of the theocracy has created opportunities for those who pursue rank in the church because they seek power as opposed to being devoted to defending the innocent. Part of the point of Eberron is that few things are entirely good or evil. But at its heart, defending the innocent from planar incursions is exactly the job of the Church of the Silver Flame.
The Gatekeepers are next in line as a force specifically trained and dedicated to protecting Eberron from planar incursions. However, they are a small force and lack the widespread recognition of the Silver Flame. If an exorcist of the Silver Flame shows up, presents their holy symbol and says “There’s a planar breach, I need you to get out of the way” many people would respond to their authority; whereas if someone says “I’m a Gatekeeper, I need your help” most people in Sharn will say “A what now?” The same holds true for the Shadow Watchers of the Kalashtar; while primarily dedicated to fighting the Dreaming Dark, they might uncover other planar agendas… but they lack resources or influence.
Beyond this, however, a covert threat is a covert threat. How different is this threat from one posed by mundane terrorists or spies? As such, you could get the King’s Citadel (note that the Blackened Book of Sharn and the King’s Wands are trained to deal with mystical threats), the Royal Eyes of Aundair, or the Trust of Zilargo engaging with such a threat.
Speaking of planar incursions, we know of the Daelkyr Invasion and the lycanthrope and shifter Lamannia exodus during the Purge, and feyspires being stuck in Eberron, are there any other historical en masse planar jumps either to Eberron from other planes and natives or a time when a significant group of Eberron natives went elsewhere in the cosmos?
(NC) This is back to noncanon speculation. The short answer? Yes, absolutely. The longer answer will have to wait, because it requires me to actually sit down and make some up. Just for a start, I’ll point you to my article on Mabar; there’s certainly regions that have been pulled into Mabar in the past.
There are no Daanvi manifest zones in any canon material. What would one be like, do you think?
(NC) Manifest zones channel some aspect of the plane. Daanvi is more subtle than some of the planes; per the 3.5 ECS, there are no effects when Daanvi is coterminous. Personally, I think it’s that there’s no physically obvious effects when Daanvi is coterminous, but that’s a subject for another time. The basic issue is the imposition of law and order. Here’s just a few ways I could imagine this manifesting.
Modrons manifest in the region, designing and maintaining a system of pendulums or some other monument to stability and order.
The region is permanently under the influence of a zone of truth.
Magic that seems inherently “lawful” could be cast at a higher spell slot in the region, with disadvantage to save versus its effects; magic that is inherently chaotic could have its effect minimized, and saves could have advantage.
The region could subtly push people to come together in groups, to embrace rules and laws or surrender freedoms. On some level, one could make a case that Korranberg could be in a manifest zone to Daanvi, which drove the original foundation of the Trust and enhanced people’s willingness to grant such brought authority to the institution.
Natural phenomena could manifest in ways that are unnaturally symmetrical or uniform.
Kalashtar: do you see most of them living in kalahtar communities, or more like a family secret that’s passed down through the generations, and you may or may not meet another kalashtar in your lifetime? And would an orphaned kalashtar simply believe themselves to be human, though with strange/unexplainable experiences?
Per canon, there’s a few factors here.
Kalashtar are described as mostly living in kalashtar communities.
Kalashtar lineage is very clear cut. If a human and kalashtar have a child, there’s a 50/50 chance of that child being human or kalashtar, and it’s 100% one or the other; either it inherits the bond and is kalashtar or it’s not and is entirely human. So it’s not like it lingers in the bloodline as a latent trait that can manifest in the child of two human parents.
By canon, kalashtar are close to human—in 3.5 they don’t have a penalty when disguising themselves as human—but they still HAVE to disguise themselves in order to pass as human. Kalashtar are kalashtar. Their body language, their features, the eyes-that-can-glow-when-they’re-emotional… if they aren’t hiding it, they’re just as distinctive as, say, an elf. Because they are rarer than elves, there are many people who see them and don’t know exactly what they are; but if they aren’t trying to hide it, it’s clear that they aren’t entirely human.
It is established in canon that an orphan kalashtar doesn’t inherently gain an understanding of what it means to be a kalashtar or of the true nature of their kalashtar spirit. So you can have a kalashtar orphan who doesn’t KNOW what they are… but they will CERTAINLY know that they are different from the humans around them. On the other hand, in a world with sorcerers and aberrant dragonmarks they may not assume “I am a different species,” but they will know they are different.
That’s all by canon. As with all things in Eberron, you can always do what makes a good story. Do you want to play the first kalashtar somehow born to two human parents? Then do it (with your DM’s permission, of course). But that’s definitely not normal.
Are the Kalashtar’s pale skin and black hair the general look for people from Adar? The Inspired are also fairly pale with (purple-blue?) dark hair, so is that region of Sarlona just known for pale people? Or is there a huge spread, dark skin, pale skin, in between, dark hair, fair hair, curly hair, straight hair, so that noticing a Kalashtar or Inspired from far away isn’t as cut and dry (ignoring that Disguise exists and they still look weird and have glowy eyes)?
Sarlona is home to a diverse range of ethnicities based on its highly divergent environments—the Tashana Tundra, the deserts of Syrkarn, the Corvaguran rain forests, the mountains of Adar. The Inspired were drawn from across Sarlona, appearing in ALL of the nations involved in the Sundering, so there should absolutely be a full spectrum; now you call it out, I’m disappointed that we haven’t seen any dark skinned Inspired in art and I’d like to see that change.
The same is true of the kalashtar. Despite the limited depictions in art, this is from the EPG:
The monastery where the sixty-seven humans became kalashtar was a place of refuge, so the humans who lived there were diverse. Kalashtar have thus retained a diversity of appearance, possessing the same variety of skin, hair, and eye colors found among humans. They are usually slimmer and taller than humans, although short or stocky kalashtar exist.
I also feel that while the quori bond doesn’t remain latent in the human side of the gene pool — a child either has it or they don’t — a kalashtar inherits physical traits from both its parents, So you could have three kalashtar who share the same quori spirit but are physically distinct from one another.
If you imagine Droaam has an Ithilid population beyond it’s mayor. What attempts could be made to reconcile their brain-eating needs the same way troll-flesh is used to reconcile the carnivorous population’s needs?
By canon, Droaam doesn’t have a significant Illithid population. Xorchyllic is called out as being a very unusual exception, found imprisoned below Graywall and working with the Daughters of Sora Kell for reasons of its own. In general I see mind flayers as being far more alien than most of the creatures of Droaam; while I have nothing against the idea of having a few more in the mix, in my campaign their motives would be VERY different from any other warlords.
So first of all, you’re only feeding one or maybe a few mind flayers, not an entire army of carnivorous creatures. So I don’t see an industry around it. My assumption is that Xorchyllic acts as judge, jury, and executioner in Graywall, and execution involves it eating your brain. If it’s especially hungry, then guess what, jaywalking just became a capital offense…
To what extent does Rekkenmark train officers, as opposed to elite troops or even standard troops. Is it primarily about tactics or skill? In 4e terms, is it training warlords, or fighters, or both?
Here’s a few quotes from Five Nations.
After the Kingdom of Galifar was established, military officers from across the land trained at the Rekkenmark Academy.
What if she washed out of the academy? A third of first-year officers don’t come back to Rekkenmark for the second year.
The vast majority of warlords and officers in the various Karrnathi armies graduated with honors from the Rekkenmark Academy and earned a place in the Order of Rekkenmark.
So: Rekkenmark ACADEMY trains officers. That could be 4E warlords; in 5E battle master fighters and Purple Dragon Knights could definitely be part of the Order of Rekkenmark.
The critical point here, though, is that Rekkenmark isn’t JUST an academy; it’s a city. And that city is also a central garrison and training center for the general Karrnathi military. So any sort of fighter might have “Trained at Rekkenmark.” The question is if you graduated from the Academy and if you’re part of the Order (which would be an interpretation of the “Military Rank” benefit of the Soldier background.)
That’s all for now! If you’re going to be at PAX East, I’ll be at the Twogether Studios/Table Titans booth. And if you haven’t seen it already, check out my recent release The Morgrave Miscellany on the DM’s Guild! And while you’re there, take a look at Rime or Reason, the latest installment in the Across Eberron adventure path!
This entry was posted in Eberron FAQ, Gaming Features, Uncategorized by Keith Baker. Bookmark the permalink.
28 thoughts on “Dragonmarks: Lightning Round 3/19”
Michael on March 26, 2019 at 6:23 am said:
Thank you for the Planar Invasion answer !
It relates to what my players are doing and I wanted your opinion on what groups could be involved in the mess that is about to be revealed.
It is gonna involve big numbers and they’re gonna need allies.
Jarrod Taylor on March 26, 2019 at 6:27 am said:
That always raises the question of what Xorchyllic did to earn imprisonment rather than execution.
Keith Baker on March 26, 2019 at 1:15 pm said:
Yes it does!
Nausicaä on March 26, 2019 at 6:39 am said:
I always assumed Xor’chylic just ate troll brains.
That’s an interesting question. My personal canon is that the physical substance of the brain is largely incidental and that what the mind flayer enjoys or takes sustenance from is the THOUGHTS of the victim. So it’s not like the mind flayer would derive any satisfaction from eating a dead brain; they have to consume it live. With this in mind, I’d personally think that a troll wouldn’t survive having its brain consumed. Mechanically, if the creature reaches zero hit points it dies instantly; I’d personally rule this as overriding regeneration. Even if the body regenerated, it would be vegetative. Of course, it could be that they use these comatose trolls for grist…
But to me, it’s not as those a mind flayer would get anything out of eating brain stew or brain sausage; it’s consuming the sentience that is the real source of sustenance, and that doesn’t regenerate once it’s gone.
Jarrod Taylor on March 26, 2019 at 7:02 pm said:
That inspires ideas of the mayor setting different challenges in the gladiator arenas or changing lanes periodically so it may sample new emotional meals from Graywall prisoners and criminals… Higher threats in arenas so the mayor can feast on a brain filled with rage, instilling a mid day curfew for a few weeks so the illithid can sample the erratic paranoia of someone who breaks that law and is caught…
Staffan Johansson on March 26, 2019 at 10:37 am said:
A thing I’ve been wondering about for a while: what is the role played by nobility in the various Nations?
The traditional setup is that nobles are granted authority over a region in exchange for (a) governing and taxing that region and sending most of those taxes to their liege, and (b) providing a certain number of armed forces to their liege. But in Eberron, armies appear to be more of a national concern. But do you still have dukes, counts, and barons governing the land via hereditary fiefdoms, or is the power of nobility mostly tied to being really rich?
This is a good question for a point when I have time for a longer answer. The short answer is that the Five Nations are technically feudal nations, and it varies in how that is enforced. Typically, this means that it’s the responsibility of the noble to govern a region on behalf of the crown. The army is a nationalized force, but it’s on the noble to make sure that their region contributes a minimum number of people to the army. The noble doesn’t personally administer justice, but it’s on them to make sure that there is a local court in place. They deal with issues of infrastructure. They are responsible for collecting taxes and then delivering those taxes to the crown. And so on. It’s less extreme than full medieval feudalism, but the echo is still there.
With that said, it varies by nation. In Karrnath, the feudal warlords ARE directly responsible for maintaining and commanding local military forces; officers may train at Rekkenmark, but they return to serve their warlord. Likewise, in Karrnath the warlord does hold the ultimate power of justice and can overrule a civilian magistrate. Meanwhile, in Thrane the nobility has largely been removed from any sort of governance and largely just maintains the title and family fortune.
So on a spectrum of most feudal to least, I’d say Karrnath-Aundair-Cyre-Breland-Thrane.
Chuck Huber on March 26, 2019 at 7:44 pm said:
You had previously mentioned in one of your posts on Cyre, that there are pre-Galifaran noble families and post-Galifaran noble families. I would imagine that the role and status of these would vary by region as well. Did the local ir’Wyvarn monarch seize the best lands or holds from the old nobles and award them to their favored vassals (in which case the old nobles might retain a title, but not much else like impoversihed nobles in a Jane Austen novel). Or did the new monarchs try to co-opt the old noble houses into the new structure, in which case they might hold key poistions in the nation?
Keith Baker on March 27, 2019 at 4:35 am said:
This is addressed in the Cyre article.
Galifar’s goal with Cyre was to create something new, a culture combining the best aspects of the other nations. In the newly forged Thrane, Aundair, and Breland, the people kept their old traditions and the ruling families were often incorporated into the new governing structure. But in the old kingdom of Metrol—which covered an area roughly the size and shape of the modern Mournland—the old systems and rulers were pushed aside to make room for Cyre’s dream. Some of the noble families of Metrol embraced this new path. Others were resettled by Galifar, granted authority over regions that had previously existed as independent frontiers.
Z on March 26, 2019 at 12:23 pm said:
About planar invasions, I always loved the idea of playing some kind of stranger things in Eberron. Aundair opening a gate to Khitry and unleashing a grey salad on a little city. Then trying to cover up the things (maybe they suspect a connection with mourning too?). Players have to deal both with the slaad assassin and with royal eyes.
This sort of thing happens ALL THE TIME, especially with manifest zones and coterminous periods. If I was doing Stranger Things, I’d have Aundair create an eldritch machine on a manifest zone that breaks the veil between worlds. But the point is that this is a very small scale, controlled example; when I see “planar invasion” I think of something more on the scale of the Xoriat incursion, with a full army coming through.
Also, I expect it’s due to autocorrect, but I love the idea of a “grey salad” menacing a small city!
Z on March 26, 2019 at 2:06 pm said:
Haha nice!
One of the things that you always pointed out is that Big Outsiders are not so interested into eberron. Xoriat is a kind of exception. So we could make it bigger (we a a grey SALAD killing around; but the gate is still open and they are not able to close it), but why should slaads and/or other immortal things from Khitry want to invade Aundair?
Nanashi on May 1, 2019 at 8:26 pm said:
One of the Dungeon Magazine adventures has the PCs save Sharn from such a threat. It’s not a very good adventure, being a linear romp in some lava caves against enemies that deal almost 100% fire damage (so any energy resistances renders the entire dungeon a non-issue) and the plot doesn’t work mechanically (the big bad has been living in these caves, but has no source of fire resistance except an item he has to hold). The idea was nice at least.
Matthew Brady on March 26, 2019 at 12:38 pm said:
I love love LOVE Faldran’s Folly because it’s precisely the kind of rebellion that Breland needs in their history.
On the subject of Kalashtar I’ve always wondered a couple of really small things about them.
Most pictures of them are pale with black hair (there was one with white-blonde hair that I saw in 3.5 in Races of Eberron, the Atavist) but I had a player asking to play a redheaded one and I went along with it. It seemed to fit because Elan (a famously redheaded race in Dark Sun at least) are said to be a sort of trapped Quori race in Eberron and if the Quori doesn’t affect the hair colour, then that at least points to red hair being enough of a thing in Sarlona to exist. Plus enough lucky breeding leaves the character still a Kalashtar but with enough old fashioned genetic lottery to get the red hair.
Note: I understand that it’s my game and I can do whatever I’m just curious
So with that said, my question is are the Kalashtar’s pale skin and black hair the general look for people from Adar? The Inspired are also fairly pale with (purple-blue?) dark hair, so is that region of Sarlona just known for pale people? I know that in Khorvaire skin colour isn’t that important but it seems Sarlona had distinct racial groups pre-Sundering so would you generally assume all the non-Elan “quori” humanoids are pale and dark of hair? Or is there a huge spread, dark skin, pale skin, in between, dark hair, fair hair, curly hair, straight hair, so that noticing a Kalashtar or Inspired from far away isn’t as cut and dry (ignoring that Disguise exists and they still look weird and have glowy eyes)?
Excellent question. I’ve put the answer in the main article.
Matthew Brady on March 26, 2019 at 2:45 pm said:
Thank you that was what I figured was the idea. It is too bad that a lot of people assume Riedra and Adar are simply Eberron’s “China/Tibet/Japan” area
Nausicaä on March 26, 2019 at 2:48 pm said:
Another question, now that I’m more awake — the primary villain-turned-ally of the campaign I finished Saturday was a rogue Inspired (also a great PC concept). How might that Inspired permanently bond to their mortal host, essentially becoming a new kalashtar? (My players suggested use of the *ceremony* spell to affirm that bond, but I’m interested to hear your thoughts.)
I think it would be more involved than ceremony, more on par with an eldritch machine. I’ll note that in Secrets of Sarlona, the Elan are called out as being the consequence of a quori spirit being imprisoned in a mortal vessel.
I bring this up because generally I’d see “becoming a new kalashtar” as a big step down for an Inspired. As Inspired, they’re in full control of whatever vessel they inhabit; they can return to Dal Quor whenever they want; and if their vessel is killed, they just jump to another. Just the fact that a particular quori can have lunch in Sharn and then switch to a vessel in Dar Jin for dinner is a very useful power. The sole advantange of being kalashtar is removing the quori from Dal Quor so it can’t be targeted by the Dreaming Dark. You’ve said your inspired is a rogue, so that may be exactly what they’re looking for; I’m just pointing out that it’s not something I’d expect a quori to be EXCITED about.
Micah on March 28, 2019 at 5:38 pm said:
Does the Church of the Silver Flame have missionaries? And what does conversion typically look like – Is it mostly seen as signing on for a kind of supernatural militia or is it seen as personal spiritual journey? Somewhere in between?
Keith Baker on April 3, 2019 at 1:44 pm said:
The Church of the Silver Flame does have missionaries. The primary point of conversion is Live a better life. If you have the skills, you can join the templars, or failing that, train to be able to protect the people in your community (which is part of the point of the archery practice). But beyond that it is that you should strive to live a virtuous life; show compassion to others; and inspire others to do better through your example.
Buziaczek on March 30, 2019 at 12:10 pm said:
A slightly-Riedra-related question: I have a player who *really* wants to play a Capoeira-using monk, who specifically learned martial arts as a dance. I suggested a Riedran resistance figther (which would justify some of the higher-level abilities as psionic powers). She’s not entirely convinced about being a total outsider on Khorvaire.
Another idea would be a member of a splinter group in Valenar, a half-elf who’s not a member of a caste of warriors, and is going to cooperate with Lyrandars to overthrow the actual Valaes Tairn.
Any idea for a reasonably noble freedom fighter group of legit oppressed minorities on Khorvaire?
I have a player who *really* wants to play a Capoeira-using monk, who specifically learned martial arts as a dance. I suggested a Riedran resistance fighter…
I’d suggest a kalashtar monk, or someone trained by the kalashtar. If you’re not familiar with it, here’s the description of the Kalashtar martial art:
The Path of Shadows: Many kalashtar practice sheshan talarash dasyannah – which roughly translates to “dancing with the shadows on the path to light”, or more commonly “the path of shadows”. This is a martial art in every sense of the word, and serves as a form of exercise, meditation, combat training, and artistic expression. The path of shadows is a soft, fluid art, full of smooth, sweeping motions that are both beautiful and hypnotic. A character that focuses on the pure movement of the dance is said to be “staying in the light”, while one who trains for battle is “facing the shadows.”
The Kalashtar Shadow Watchers of Khorvaire are especially concerned with the Dreaming Dark, but they will also stand against any form of oppression. And again, she could be from Khorvaire; she’d be part of a minority culture, but she wouldn’t be a complete outsider.
I could certainly see a Valenar monk following an artistic path perfected by patron ancestors. The idea of Lyrandar turning against the Valenar elves is against the general direction of canon, which is that the Valenar already essentially let Lyrandar run the country, and Lyrandar like having the Valenar as an army against outsiders while they build their power. And overall, the Valenar are supposed to be LESS oppressive rulers than the Cyrans who came before them. But it’s certainly a path you could explore in your Eberron.
Another option would be an assassin monk from House Phiarlan or House Thuranni. Remember that they are first and foremost entertainers, so a deadly art that combines dance and combat is a perfect tool for a Thuranni assassin, and the Way of the Shadow would also fit with that.
Pteryx on April 5, 2019 at 11:39 am said:
Was it intentional for House Jorasco to come across as a heartlessly capitalistic organization which only manages to remain on the Acheron side of the Acheron-Baator divide because it’s actually providing a service to people who can pay instead of pursuing some explicitly destructive agenda for its own enrichment? It seems like a brutal commentary on the American health care system, a way of bringing attention to the concept of discrimination by wealth in general, and a Nuremberg defense waiting to happen (“Of course I couldn’t have healed the only man who was holding the demon at bay, it’s against my oath”).
On top of that, in addition to the strictness of their oath, they’re also much more controlling than any other house according to the sourcebook Dragonmarked, arguably crossing the line from mere social pressure into forced labor. It seems like the House most likely to backstab someone for having a conscience.
House Jorasco has always struck me as one of the ugliest bits of Eberron. I do run with it since such ugliness can be an interesting source of conflict, but I find it hard to imagine a good-aligned Jorasco PC who doesn’t in some way chafe against their House, a chaotic-aligned Jorasco PC who isn’t an excoriate, or indeed much room for good-aligned or chaotic-aligned NPC Jorascos at all; again, was that intentional?
This is a good question, but I’m going to delay it for a new Q&A next week as opposed to answered it here. There’s a second good question that arose and I’d rather address both in a new post rather than have them buried in an old one.
Z on April 5, 2019 at 11:31 pm said:
As you say that you’ll do a couple of q&a question, here I have a couple:
1) what would happen in your opinion eberron if the turn of the age would finally come in Dal Qor? And (and this is a different question) what story would you drive out of such event?
2) ok, this could sound stupid, but: I love warlocks, but I find the idea of becoming a pc class making an agreement a bit weird and even weirder in eberrom. Is it that simple? And how exactly do you grow in power, if your power is essentially a gift?
3) could you shortly tell us the evolution of your Q’Barra campaign?
I love warlocks, but I find the idea of becoming a pc class making an agreement a bit weird and even weirder in eberron. Is it that simple?
That’s up to the player and the DM. I’ve offered a variety of suggestions in this article: http://keith-baker.com/dragonmarks-warlocks/, so if you haven’t read that you should. Essentially, the power could be a literal gift—because of your agreement you can channel the power of the action to produce a specific effect. But it can also be that the patron TEACHES you how to do a specific magical action; the gift is knowledge, and it took the character time to master it. There’s also the question of whether ANYONE could become a warlock by making a deal, or if it’s assumed that the PC has special qualities that make them ABLE to make the deal. In a campaign I ran, when the Archfey warlock had to switch patrons, we established that there were a lot of Archfey who WANTED to make a pact with her—that only special people have the potential to be warlocks, and they are valued as agents and envoys.
And how exactly do you grow in power, if your power is essentially a gift?
Either because your patron grants you new abilities (in general because as you’ve gained experience you’ve also been performing services for your patron); because they’ve taught you new things; or because you’ve learned how to use your existing powers in new ways, reflecting your personal experience.
I’ll address the other questions in a future Q&A post.
Great! I know this is a 3.5 question, but would you share even just a couple of examples of how reskin or justify a dragon adept in eberron out of argonassen?
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Russian Embassy in Cambodia Offers Condolences to Victims of Building Collapse 07/01/20 15:52
No Obstacles to Hinder Nation as Long as National Identity Preserved, Says PM Hun Sen 07/01/20 14:31
PM Hun Sen: Everyone Needs Peace, Except Terrorists (Video inside) 07/01/20 12:52
Forcing Cambodia to Not Implement Her Own Law is Unacceptable, Says PM Hun Sen (Video inside) 07/01/20 12:49
US Embassy in Cambodia Recalls the Tragedy of the Khmer Rouge 07/01/20 11:27
Read Remarks by PM Hun Sen at the Celebration of the 41st Anniversary of 7 January Victory Day 07/01/20 08:56
PM Hun Sen Encourages Bangladesh to Invest on Rice Processing in Cambodia 06/01/20 23:13
German and Japanese Embassies in Cambodia Offer Condolences to Victims of Kep Building Collapse 06/01/20 12:46
Chinese Embassy in Cambodia Expresses Condolence to the Victims of Building Collapses in Kep 05/01/20 12:37
BREAKING NEWS (Final): 59 Found in Rubble of Cambodia Building Collapse; 36 Dead 05/01/20 11:52
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Research and Writing: APA Format
APA Tutorial
Excellent tutorial from APA
APA Exposed
Tutorial available from Harvard.
The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association provides detailed guidelines for using APA style. The most recent edition of the APA Publication Manual is kept on Reserve at the Circulation Desk of the J.S. Mack Library. The APA Guide to Electronic References is also available.
What is APA?
Cite an Electronic Source Cite a Print Source
When editors or teachers ask you to write in "APA style," they do not mean writing style. They are referring to the editorial style that many of the social and behavioral sciences have adopted to present written material in the field.
Editorial style consists of rules or guidelines that a publisher observes to ensure clear and consistent presentation of written material. Editorial style concerns uniform use of such elements as
punctuation and abbreviations
construction of tables
selection of headings
citation of references
presentation of statistics
as well as many other elements that are a part of every manuscript
The American Psychological Association has established a style that it uses in all of the books and journals that it publishes. Many others working in the social and behavioral sciences have adopted this style as their standard as well.
APA's style rules and guidelines are set out in a reference book called The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
Please note that when researchers talk about APA style, they may be referring to APA's system of citations in text and reference format. If you are unsure, you should clarify with your instructor or editor how they define "APA style."
© 2008 American Psychological Association
APA's online resources for students of Psychology.
Wealth of information from another university.
<< Previous: Home
Next: Electronic Resouces >>
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About Deanship
Dean message
Electronic Library User Guide
Sub-libraries
Inauguration Ceremony of the Book Fair at the University
Professor Rashid Ahmad Muhammad, the Vice-chancellor, inaugurated the book fair which organized by the Deanship of Library Affairs. He spoke, saying that the university annually buys books from abroad fairs according to the needs of the colleges, noting that there is a dearth of some disciplines books such as radiology and engineering which were purchased from abroad.
In the same context, Dr. Awad Allah Tayfur Dean of Library Deanship spoke that one of the policy of the university to buy books from the international fairs noting that the university purchased 2840 books from international publishing houses.
© All Copyrights Reserved 2013
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Last but not least of this week’s round ups we have Brain of Britain. Third semi final time, and the line up was Michael Frankel – Alan Hay – Rob Milnes – Richard Peterson. Michael was runner up to Hamish in heat 5, where he scored 12. Alan won heat 11 with 10. Rob won Heat 8 with 18, and Richard the following heat with 19. A Rob v. Richard battle then ? Time would tell.
Michael kicked off well with 2 answers, but probably should have got that both Judge Jeffreys and Roy Bean were Hanging Judges. Richard opened his account with that bonus. Alan didn’t know that the treaty of Paris ended the Crimean War – Michael was happy to take that one off his hands. Rob took his own first two, but missed out on the German mastiff – the Great Dane to you and me. Michael took that too. Richard took his own first, but missed out on the fact that it was Sam Pepys who called Nell Gwyn pretty and witty.
It had been a good round for Michael, but that was as far as his luck went for the rest of the show. None of his questions were exactly gimmes. Mind you, he might have guessed that Elisha Gray launched a long and ultimately unsuccessful lawsuit against Alexander Graham Bell. Alan was glad for that one. He also managed his own first, but missed out on T.H.Huxley, which kept Richard ticking along. Rob, yet to really show his class, took one, but could have done better with Billy Batson, alter ego of Captain Marvel. That was another one for Alan.Richard didn’t know the rather chestnutty buteo buteo – Rob buzzed with buzzard. So at the end of round 2, Rob had pulled up to equal Michael on 5. Michael took his own first starter in round three, but nobody could answer which plant has seeds called crossbills – well, it was something like that anyway. Geraniums. Fair enough. Alan didn’t know that former presidents Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on the same day. Rob did, and then he took three of his own on the bounce. He might have gone on for a full set, but couldn’t bring to mind that it was Earl Stanley Gardner who created Perry Mason. Alan had that. Richard got one of those horrible questions that nobody can answer about the study of algae. So that meant that Rob now had a three point lead of 9 to Michael’s 6, as we entered the Beat the Brains Interval.
For those of us interested in Olympic History – and the Brains seemed certainly to fit into this category – the two questions were relatively gentle. Which was the first Scandinavian city to host an Olympic Games – being Stockholm in 1912. Which city was scheduled to hold the 1940 Olympics ? The answer being Tokyo. No book token there, I’m afraid.
Michael got a rather tricky one on a survey of the London poor. Well done to Rob for getting Charles Booth for that. Alan didn’t know that the name of Carthage was a Phoenician word – Michael took that. Rob took two, but didn’t know the Hebrew name of the Song of Solomon – and once again, full marks to Richard for knowing that one. Richard took one, but quoted the first line of the Move’s Flowers in the Rain leapt in with Blackberry Way. To be fair he did sound as if he was kicking himself. Rob had the bonus. That three point lead had now doubled, and it was looking like Rob’s win. Still a few rounds to go though.
Michael took one, but might have known that Count Vronsky was Anna Karenina’s lover in the novel. Rob accepted that one. Alan didn’t know that Douglas Hurd preceded David Cameron as MP for Witney. Almost inevitably Rob knew it. Rob took two, but then was stopped by a pig of a question about Golliards. As in golli – that’s ‘ard, I suppose. Richard took one, but didn’t know that the original Star Wars film is now called A New Hope. Popular culture – it’s funny how often it trips up some very good quizzers when it comes to BoB. Michael was tripped up by a question about artist G.F.Watts. Nobody knew it, nor did I. Alan made a brief spurt with two answers to take his score to 6, but the world conkers championship did for him, and the six he had now scored was to be his final total. Nobody knew Rob’s starter, a quote from Dickens’ Captain Cuttle in “Dombey and Son”. Finally Richard took one, but nobody knew that the world’s most reproductive marsupial is a bandicoot. Fancy that.
Two rounds to go, and Rob led by 9. It looked pretty cut and dried to be honest, and you had to say that Rob had shown the best all round knowledge in the contest so far. Michael didn’t know the old quiz chestnut that Shakespeare has Casca strike the first blow against Caesar. Richard took that. Nobody knew Alan’s question – that A Kiss For Corliss was the last film to star Shirley Temple – she quit the movies at the age of 21 . Or the movies quit her. Anyway Rob missed his own first, giving Richard a bonus with the Ram headed Egyptian God Amun. Richard, only one to increase his score during this round, added two more until he was stopped in his tracks by William Smellie. Well, quite. Going into the last round Rob led by 18, from Richard with 11. Theoretically, Richard could win. If Rob didn’t answer any, and Richard got bonuses on the other three, and a full set on his own he’d score 9. Well, that was ruled out when nobody could answer Michael’s first, about invar metal , an alloy used in clock manufacture. Alan’s first fell to Rob, who knew the german for late picked wine. He answered his first, but didn’t know that the aboriginal throwing device alluded to is the woomera. Richard finished off the contest with the Black War Leader. The brains suggested many Central American peoples, but not the Mayans, who were required.
A good win for Rob, then, who thus becomes a very credible finalist. It could be a close one. A small note too to say best of luck to my mate Rob Merrill, who goes for South Wales in the final semi on Monday .
Michael Frankel – 9
Alan Hay – 6
Rob Milnes – 20
Richard Peterson - 11
News 25th Feb 2012
Who or what are the following and why have they been in the news ?
1. Abdulaziz A-Hiiji
2. Jean Claude Baumgartner
3. Christian Wulff
4. Johan-Friso of the Netherlands
5. Mervyn Westfield
6. The Death of Leon Klinghoffer
7. Hoy Hill
8. Schmallenberg Virus
9. Stephen Farrow
10. Heidi Thomas
11. Petr Skyllberg
12. LOCOG
13. Skye Gyngell
14. Zach Avery
15. Peter Rippington
16. Derek Thompson
17. June Hautot
18. Ed Sheeran
19. Madamoiselle
20. Edinburgh Woollen Mills
21. Marie Colvin
22. Nikki Sinclare
23. Eric Joyce
24. Emma Harrison
25. Christopher Tappin
1. Which MP asked the official portrait painter to paint him looking a little taller ?
2. Heston Blumenthal will be making hot cross buns for Waitrose using which flavor ?
3. Which European politician admitted that David Cameron was right to veto the Euro Treaty ?
4. In which two team events did GB win gold medals in the Olympic Velodrome test event ?
5. Administrators were called in to which film studios last week ?
6. Which team knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup ?
7. Who is the new manager of Leeds Utd ?
8. Which former cabinet minister in the Heath Government passed away last week ?
9. Which two events at the Olympic test event were won by Sir Chris Hoy ?
10. Which lowly team drew in the FA Cup with Spurs last week ?
11. Who won the Welsh Open Snooker title ?
12. The first test tube what was created last week ?
13. What did a survey reveal to be the healthiest city in the UK last week ?
14. Team which scored 3 own goals v. Liverpool in FA Cup last week ?
15. What went wrong with the Brighton half Marathon ?
16. Who called the BBC a “Declining Empire “ ?
17. Which filesharing website has been declared illegal in the UK ?
18. Which country announced it will be officially free of polio by next year ?
19. Which boxer is facing an enquiry over his admission that he has gone easy on opponents in fights in order to help his family win bets ?
20. Which BBC set will be used as temporary housing ?
21. Who won the Brits for Best Female and Best Album ?
22. Who announced profits of £2.4 billion ?
23. Which comedian passed away aged 85 ?
24. To whom did Adele gesture with her middle finger when her acceptance speech at the Brits was cut short ?
25. ITV news apologized last week for using which word during a report ?
26. Man City beat which team 4 – 0 in the Europa League ?
27. Which popular TV presenter was hurt when she fell from a horse last week ?
28. The US Supreme Court rejected whose appeal against his murder conviction last week ?
29. An inquest into whose death finally opened in Australia last week ?
30. JK Rowling announced that she has signed a deal to write what ?
31. Who plays the Queen in a new TV drama based on the Michael Fagan intrusion incident in the 80s ?
32. Where did the new Blue Peter garden open last week ?
33. Who opened it officially ?
34. Man Utd were beaten 2 – 1 by which team in the Europa League ?
35. Which university’s Conservative association has been stripped of its recognition over an unpaid bill ?
36. Which airline asked a kidney patient to pay for a seat for his dialysis machine ?
University Challenge - Quarter Final Sudden Death - Match 1
Manchester v. Clare, Cambridge
While I was busy getting beaten in the Bridgend League again on Monday night, Manchester and Clare were getting on with the serious business of their sudden death quarter final match. The Manchester team of Luke Kelly, Michael McKenna, Paul Joyce, and captain Tristan Burke lost to UCL in their first quarters match, but then went on to survive an elimination match, knocking out a distinctly useful Newcastle outfit. The Clare team of Kris Cao, Daniel Janes, Jonathan Foxwell, and captain Jonathan Burley beat Homerton in their first quarter to earn two further bites at the cherry. They lost their first attempt to qualify in a thrilling match against Pembroke. On paper, an exciting match seemed to be ahead.
Luke Kelly knew that Live Aid came about as a result of a 1984 news report. Nicknames of politicians brought Manchester a full set of three. First blood duly taken, and then some. Daniel Janes buzzed too early on a series of historical figures with the forename Robert. This let in Michael McKenna , and a series of single name pseudonyms saw the team take another full set. Gresham’s Law escaped both teams. Kris Cao buzzed in too early for the pituatry gland, which again let the predatory Michael McKenna in. For the first time the team dropped a bonus on Egyptian Gods, but that gap was still growing. Neither team could identify a quote from Byron. Daniel Janes stopped the rot for Clare, knowing that Donegal is one of the three counties of Ulster situated in the Republic of Ireland. Bonuses on fishing gave a full set, and put them comfortably into the black. The first picture starter saw Daniel take a double , by identifying Baroness Ashton. Good shout, that. More of the same, female politicans and leaders, gave them 2 , and a near miss on Julia Gillard. Neither team knew Bramante was a chief architect on St. Peter’s Basilica. Paul Joyce, always an influential buzzer for Manchester, took his first of the evening with the famous bust of Queen Nefertiti. Ooh, matron. Innuendo overload. Another full set of bonuses on joules saw Manchester end the first ten minutes on a very healthy 95 to Clare’s 35.
Pandar from “Troilus and Criseyde” fell to Daniel Janes. The bonuses, on the Emperor Aurelian, yielded 2 bonuses. Luke Kelly answered that Nunavut is closest in size to Mexico. A UC special set of bonuses, involving arithmetic with numbers form the titles of books followed. It’s easier than it sounds – for example Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse ,multiplied by Bennett’s Towns = 25. Manchester managed two of these. Daniel Janes, who was having a storming game by this time, knew about the tonsure to earn bonuses on firs.A couple of bonuses were taken. That man Janes again took the next starter, knowing that Cher was a star of Moonstruck. Epithets from the Iliad gave them another full set. Both teams were mightily impressive on the bonuses in this first half of the contest. Kris Cao took the music starter, recognizing the work of composer Philip Glass. More music followed, with other avant guard composers. Clare impressed me by taking a full set. That was enough to push Clare into the lead. Daniel Janes recognized a DH Lawrence quote about Thomas Hardy. This brought up a set of bonuses on circuits and superconductors and that sort of thing. Stop me if I’m getting too technical. Luke Kelly knew that George III was the last King of Britain to claim the title of King of France. Well, he thought that a tree in Windsor Great Park was the King of Prussia, so what do you expect ? The following bonuses put Manchester 5 behind, and Michael McKenna correctly identified rhinoceros to bring up another UC special set. These were names of food and drink items where the first word ends with the first two letters of the second – eg orange gelato. Great set , and well done to Manchester for managing to get 2 of them. Neither team knew the sacral vertebrae, but Michael McKenna buzzed early and lost five. Paul Joyce put matters to right by getting the next starter, recognizing the line of succession to the throne. Bonuses on catalepsy brought Clare a 30 point lead at the 20 minute mark – with 170 to 140. All to play for.
Daniel janes won the buzzer race on The Affluent Society. Bonuses on sensory receptors bridged most of the gap. Paul Joyce recognized the style of Van Gogh for the second picture bonus. Works of art that were once stolen followed. Yet another full set. Just as the gap widened, so it narrowed, and it was Daniel Janes who did the business once again for Clare, recognizing that a quote from Shakespeare would be completed with the phrase “measure still for measure “. Fine work. Short story writers gave 2 bonuses. Tristan Burke wrongly zigged with Thomas More, allowing Daniel Janes to zag with Thomas Cromwell. Regnal names meant that Clare were first of the two teams through the 200 point barrier, With 5 minutes to go it was anyone’s game. Kris Cao buzzed in too early for a fungicide used in vineyards, but Manchester couldn’t capitalize. Skipper Tristan Burke , who’d had a quiet night, buzzed in with lacuna for the next starter. Indian states gave a couple of bonuses. Daniel Janes knew that Herbert Asquith was PM when Taft was President. Names for bones proved no match for Clare, who gobbled up the lot. Poor Kris Cao twitched on the next starter, and couldn’t answer how many black keys there are on a piano. Michael McKenna knew. Islands which can be reached from specific ferry terminals brought two bonuses, and the narrowest of leads for Manchester. Michael McKenna ran the buzzer race to identify monotremes as those mammals that lay eggs. Bonuses on scientific lines brought a welcome 10 points. Jonathan Burley took the next starter on the letter K. Cookery bonuses brought them 15 points. All square. Skipper Tristan Burke took the next starter on a priori reasoning. Common names of animals whose latin names contain domestica or domesticus passed them by. Luke Kelly took what looked like the last starter on fairs – and so it was. For the record Manchester won by 270 to 250, but what a match. Many many congratulations to both teams. I’m looking forward to seeing what the bonus conversion rate was – very good I should imagine. Hard lines particularly to Daniel Janes. I made it that he had 10 starters, a fantastic performance.
Is it me, or has JP been overdosing on his happy pills this series ? He was veritably chuckling when Daniel of Clare was so keen to get points on the board for the fishing bonuses that he didn’t hardly let JP finish any of the three questions. “Slowing things down a bit , “ he said genially as he moved to the next starter. When playing the John Cage Bonus – presumably from 4’33 – he added “I can assure you you’re hearing it correctly. “
He still doesn’t do words of consolation very well, mind. At the end he hailed Clare’s magnificent effort with,
“You nearly did it. . . but you didn’t.”
Interesting Fact Of The Week
David Starkey once described Thomas Cromwell as “Alastair Campbell with an axe. “ Brilliant, although I always thought that Mr. Campbell played the bagpipes rather than the guitar.
In the news – 18th Feb
Who or what are the following, and why have they been in the news ?
1) Dan Evans
2) Jean Dujardin
3) Bakers
4) Kisses on the Bottom
5) Ian Ayre
6) Dave Pearson
7) Andrea Masi
8) Les Ebdon
9) Moodys
10) Ali Dizaei
11) Derek Chisora
12) Uggie
13) Craig Whyte
14) Synchronised
15) Reverend John Suddards
16) Caroline Spelman
17) Nigel Keer
18) Lee Clark
19) Aaron Large
1) How old was Whitney Houston when she passed away ?
2) Whose newly finished lost symphony was premiered on Radio 3 ?
3) Which film won the BAFTA for Best Film ?
4) Who won the BAFTA for Best Actress ?
5) – and what did she lose on her way to the podium ?
6) What specifically were criticised by the National Trust last week ?
7) Which country won the African Cup of Nations ?
8) How many Grammys did Adele win ?
9) Which county council made headlines for replacing metal road signs with plastic ones in order to foil scrap metal thieves ?
10) According to figures released last week, how many drivers aged 100 or over are still driving in the UK ?
11) Who sang “I will Always Love You” as a tribute to Whitney Houston in the Grammys ?
12) Which company angered Venetians by revealing plans to build a megastore along the Gran Canale in Venice ?
13) Which monarch entered hospital for bypass surgery last week ?
14) A Belgian court refused to ban which book last week ?
15) Who returned to Man city last week ?
16) Which club threatened to go into Administration over a tax bill ?
17) Who scored 137 for England in the first ODI v. Pakistan ?
18) Cardiff Blues returned to play a game in which venue last week ?
19) British Olympic competitors had to sign an agreement preventing them from doing which 2 things ?
20) What did Barbara Hulaniki criticize last week ?
21) Where was it announced will become a caravan park during the Olympics ?
22) A manuscript by which composer was found in a council building ?
23) Where was it announced that Whitney Houston’s funeral would be held ?
24) Last week saw the 70th anniversary of the fall of which British garrison to the Japanese ?
25) Which country have GB been drawn against in the Fed Cup ?
26) How did actress Caroline Quentin describe the X-Factor last week ?
27) An advert for which series on Channel 4 was criticized last week ?
28) Prince Charles revealed last week that he is a supporter of which football team ?
29) Which team destroyed Arsenal 4 – 0 in the Champions League ?
30) Last week Alastair Cook became the first England captain to achieve which feat ?
31) Which University are facing a fine for over recruiting students ?
32) Whose trial date last week was set for March 2nd ?
33) Which welsh town was revealed last week as the most misspelled place in Britain ?
34) Which artist revealed his plans to build 500 eco homes ?
35) The new £5 coin commemorates the 100th anniversary of what ?
36) In which country was the world’s worst ever prison fire ?
37) Who signed a deal with Harper – Collins to write her story for a reported £2.5 million ?
1) Tennis player whose win in the final rubber against a player ranked 100 places above him brought an Andy Murray-less GB team a win over Slovakia in the Davis Cup
2) Star of The Artist, and winner of the BAFTA for Best Actor
3) Make of dog food. They made the first ever advert specifically for dogs rather than their owners. It was broadcast during Emmerdale last week, a pastiche of the Italian Job.
4) New album by Sir Paul McCartney
5) Liverpool Chief executive who issued immediate apology for Suarez’ refusal to shake the hand of Patrice Evra at the start of Liverpool v. Man Utd.
6) Referee blamed for calling off the France v. Ireland 6 Nations match in Paris.
7) Italian full back whose kick was charged down by Charlie Hodgson to give England a win in Rome
8) Nominated as government Universities Czar by Vince Cable, despite opposition from Cameron
9) Credit rating agency who warned the UK that they risk having credit rating downgraded from triple A.
10) Met Police senior officer jailed again.
11) British Heavyweight boxer who slapped Vitaly Klitschko at the weigh in
12) Dog – star of The Artist who won the inaugural Golden Collar Award – the Oscar for dogs
13) Owner of Glasgow Rangers
14) Horse given top weight of 11st 10lbs for the Grand National
15) Church of England clergyman murdered in his own home
16) Cabinet Minister who took out an injunction to prevent the papers printing a story
17) Naked rambler who kept a score of the number of times he got away with taking a walk in the nude
18) Sacked manager of Huddersfield Town
19) Street cleaner who handed in watches he found which were worth thousands of pounds to the police.
2) Schubert
3) The Artist
4) Meryl Streep
5) A shoe
6) Windmills
7) Zambia
9) Surrey
10) 121
11) Jennifer Hudson
12) Benetton
13) Emperor Akihito of Japan
14) Tintin in the Congo
15) Carlos Tevez
16) Rangers
17) Alastair Cook
18) Cardiff Arms Park
19) Criticise teammates or sell kit
20) The use of thin models
21) Windsor Great Park
22) Elgar
23) Newark, New Jersey
24) Singapore
25) Sweden
26) Psychologically Damaging
27) My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding
28) Burnley
29) AC Milan
30) Score centuries in two successive One Day Internationals
31) London Metropolitan University
32) Chris Huhne and Vicki Pryce
33) Betws – y – Coed
34) Damien Hirst
35) The sinking of the Titanic
36) Honduras
37) Amanda Knox
Mastermind - First Round - Heat 18
On with the second show. First into the chair was Joyce Wilson. Joyce was answering questions on The Human Body. Joyce had a low score of 4. Sometimes you see a contender fail to do as well as they would have hoped because there seems to be a difference between the contender’s understanding of what the subject entails and the question setters. This may have been the case in Joyce’s round. Without wanting to be horrible, though, I have to say that the questions seemed pretty fair to me. I managed 7 , just from general knowledge, and quiz knowledge. Ossicles and sartorius for example have both been asked in quizzes I’ve attended in the last couple of months. It may well have been nerves, and if the nerves get to you, then there’s nothing you can do. However it may have been a lack of preparation. Weeks and weeks of preparation for your specialist subject is no guarantee of success, but a failure to prepare is asking for trouble. Well, whatever the case, John certainly seemed to be feeling the pressure himself. When asked her last question , which was something along the lines of – what name is given to joints named after the fluid which cushions them, Joyce answered “joints “, and John even prompted her with “Which type of joints ? “ The poor man seemed very upset. Joyce on the other hand managed a smile at the end of the round, and I always salute people who manage to treat the two imposters just the same when they leave the chair.
Ian Jones offered the Life and Works of James Brindley. I had my lowest specialist score of the night with 2. Having said that , I scored a point on the question which saw Ian drop a point he could have had. Asked about the engineer who had also designed the Eddystone Lighthouse, Ian answered JAMES Smeaton, and didn’t get his point since the answer is JOHN Smeaton. Had he merely answered Smeaton, as I did, he’d have had his point, I’m sure. Remember, it’s first names for show, and surnames for dough. Still, 12 was a good score and gave him a chance, even if it did put the repechage threshold beyond anything but an excellent GK round.
My favourite SS round of the whole night came from Ewen McPherson. He was answering on the Soviet Space Programme. I’ve said before that as a nipper during the late 60s and early 70s I was a little bit space mad at the time, and a lot of this stuff has still stuck. As a result I was delighted with my 10 points on this round. Granted , some of these weren’t all that difficult. The second Russian in space – the name for the three man vostok – the name of the cosmonaut who was killed when the parachutes on his capsule failed to open – the first man to do a spacewalk – the first manmade object to hit the surface of the moon for example all could be got without real in-depth knowledge of the subject. Not that I blame Ian for this. He knew the difficult stuff as well. However as a small point of technique, when asked for names Ian insisted on giving the full three names , first name, patronymic and surname. This used up valuable time when I’m sure that just the surname would have been accepted. It might well have bought him the time for another question.
Our last contender , Chris Cummins, will have been recognized by many viewers for being a member of the Strategists, Grand Finalists in the 3rd series of Only Connect. “That’s the winner !” I confidently announced to no one in particular. Chris answered questions on the TV career of Victoria Wood. I managed 5 answers on the AS Seen On TV series, but although I remember watching Wood and Walters back in the day, I couldn’t recall any of the details which were asked for. Chris, who wouldn’t even have been born when that series was broadcast , I’m sure, had no such problem. He scored 15, and Gypsy Rose Clark for once looked to have made a pretty safe prediction.
Joyce, having gone first in the first round, had been sitting for a long time waiting to get back in the chair, and she could have been forgiven for brooding over her specialist . Not a bit of it. She kept a ready smile, and didn’t seem too upset at all, even though things weren’t honestly all that much better in the GK. She ended with 9, but kept an admirable calm throughout the whole experience. Now, I said that Ian needed an excellent GK round to make a realistic run at the repechage board at the very least. Well, that’s exactly what he produced. I found the GK round sin this show slightly easier than the previous, but it’s all subjective anyway. Ian kept his composure, kept the correct answers coming, and whacked in 15. A score of 27 and 1 pass certainly gave him the chance of a repechage spot at the least , provided that it wasn’t beaten by both of the remaining contenders.
Which was by no means a given. Ewen started on 12, as had Ian, and so needed to equal his score with no passes to go into the lead. Well, he passed on 4, and although he too had a fine GK round, it wasn’t quite as good as Ian’s. His 13 put him 2 points back on 25. For the record I scored a point more on Ewen’s than on Ian’s – 19 to 18. In order, then, to beat the Clark curse Chris needed to score 13. That was a challenging total, even off a two and half minute round. Chris has been in pressure situations on telly shows before , though, and he knows how to handle it. It wasn’t a better round than Ian’s, but it was pretty much as good – 15 points and 3 passes enabling him to reach the magical 30 point mark. Very well done Chris ! Well done Ian as well. I don’t know whether he’ll stay on the board until the end of the first round, but he certainly earned his place there for now.
Joyce Wilson The Human Body 4 - 1 5 - 1 9 – 2
Ian Jones The Life and Works of James Brindley 12 - 0 15 - 1 27 – 1
Ewen McPherson The Soviet Space Programme 12 - 0 13 - 4 25 – 4
Chris Cummins The TV Career of Victoria Wood 15 - 2 15 - 3 30 – 5
Yes, it was back to work for me this week, hence the fact that I haven’t had the time to post since last weekend. Apologies for that. Still, I’m here now, and so we can get on with the show.
Now, before you ask , I think I’d better say for the record that I didn’t actually take the wiki challenge myself yesterday. I was under a bit of time pressure for one reason and another , but I’ll be interested to hear if anyone else tried. For the record, with no preparation I found the specialists in the first show much harder than those in the second. I’m not talking about the relative difficulty of the questions – I don’t know enough about many of the subjects to comment on that – merely that in the first show all 4 contenders chose subjects about which I had no knowledge.
The first of these , the Life and Work of Thomas Jefferson-Hogg was tried by Nick Smith. I may be wrong, but I think that Nick was captain of the Bridge Players in series 4 of Only Connect. So I have to say that I was expecting a good round. I wasn’t disappointed either. Nick wisely avoided any passes at all, and supplied 13 correct answers. As we know, 13 and no passes is a competitive SS score, and will usually give you at least a shout at the halfway stage.
I must admit, I’m rather glad that I didn’t undertake the wiki challenge, for I think that if I had then I would have spent valuable time learning about the democratic egalitarian radical group which arose during the English Civil War for David Buck’s subject , The Diggers. Which would have been a complete waste since it wasn’t even about them. It was about the San Francisco anarchist collective of the mid 60s. I scored precisely zero on this round, and indeed my only point of the whole of the specialist rounds had already come and gone in Nick’s round. Just as Nick had done, David skillfully avoided scoring any passes, and his 12 was a good return.
Paul Jenkins earned the dubious honour of support from the Clark sofa when it emerged that he is from Penarth – about 30 odd miles down the road from LAM Towers. He was answering on the Life and Short Stories of Raymond Carver. Nope – never read any. Paul had, though. Alright, he sounded just a little nervous – understandably – but he too whacked in 12. Would he regret that single pass ? What a good first round this was turning out to be,
Finally Alan Clarke, who offered us Luton Town FC. I searched my meager store of facts about Luton Town – Eric Morecambe – David Pleat dancing across the pitch when relegation was avoided – but these yielded me no points whatsoever. Alan, however literally raced through the whole round. He hit top gear from the first question, and hardly relented until he had whacked in 15 correct answers, without conceding any passes. In a first round of this quality that 2 point lead looked a pretty useful advantage to have earned.
David Buck made the customary useful start to the GK round, but I’m afraid that the mid-round slump set in early, and it never released him from its vice like grip until the end of the round. His final score of 18 never looked as if it was likely to lead for much longer than another 2 and a half minutes. I managed 16 sitting on the sofa at home. I also managed 16 on the next GK round, from Paul Jenkins. Notwithstanding Paul’s nerves, which still seemed pretty much to the fore, he did what you have to do, by treating each question on its merits, answering correctly what he knew, guessing what he could guess, and passing when all else failed. This accrued a useful 12, to set the target at 24. It wouldn’t challenge for a repechage place, but it might just be enough.
Nick only had a point’s lead over Paul at the halfway stage, and after about 30 seconds I had a feeling that he wasn’t going to overtake Paul. He just wasn’t building up any head of steam. Having said that, he did manage to grit out the round to get into double figures. I have noticed that the extra half minute does seem to affect a lot of contenders. Rounds which, while maybe not world beating, are at least decent often tail off . Nick kept going, and achieved the satisfaction of getting into double figures for the GK. His 10 gave him 23. I did slightly worse on his round than the others with 15.
Alan, for his part , could afford not to get into double figures and still win if he kept his passes down to less than 2. He always looked comfortable. Of all of this show’s contenders his answering style was the crispest, quickest and probably most confident. This is not to say that his GK was better than Paul’s, but it was a good round of 12 nonetheless, which brought him the competitive total of27, and a win with daylight between himself and the chasing pack. Well done – good show.
Nick Smith The Life and Work of Thomas Jefferson-Hogg 13 - 0 10 - 4 23 – 4
David Buck The Diggers 12 - 0 6 - 6 18 – 6
Paul Jenkins The Life and Short Stories of Raymond Carver 12 - 1 12 - 3 24 – 4
Alan Clarke Luton Town FC 15 - 0 12 - 4 27 – 4
In case you missed Hugh's comment on the previous post, he mentioned that Rob Hannah - BoB joint runner up 2010 - has started a new blog called Quizzlepuzzle - which is well worth your time and effort checking out. Here's the link : -
Reappearing Contenders - Ageism
Over at Daniel’s Quiz Addict blog I was interested to read a post about Pat Baker, contender in Heat 13 of Mastermind last week. Daniel had linked to an article in Thursday’s Daily Mail. I’m not a devotee of that paper myself, and so I’d missed it. The article was pointing out that Pat had appeared on 3 BBC shows in the space of a week, even though the shows had been recorded months apart. For the record the other two shows were Perfection and Pointless.
Some of the comments afterwards were interesting in themselves, and indeed I noticed one by our own Brian Pendreigh. Despite what one or two of the other comments said, there really isn’t any need to read anything into the fact that Pat appeared in the three shows at virtually the same time. it’s just one of the quirks of scheduling. We already know that BBC schedulers rarely listen to programme makers . Why should anyone be that surprised that Pat was able to get onto the three shows in the first place ? The Mail article, with something of a lack of gallantry, printed Pat’s age, and I have to say that she does look very good for it. She has a certain wit and a confidence on screen that would definitely appeal to those who select contestants . The less money that’s available to be won on a show, the less it seems to matter whether a prospective contestant has ever appeared on TV before. Indeed, in the case of Mastermind it doesn’t even matter whether a prospective contender has appeared on Mastermind before, and thank goodness it doesn’t !
No, there’s no reason to get funny about people getting on to several different quiz shows. Whoever you are you have a right to apply to whichever show you fancy, and good luck to you.
What I think is far more worthy of angry comment is the apparent ban on over 30s appearing on Channel 4 big money quiz shows. Yes, the Bank Job is back for a second series. You might recall that my twins liked this show very much. We watched it later on last night on demand, and I predicted that all the contestants would be under 30, and that there wouldn’t be a ‘minger’ among them, to use the vernacular . Guess what ? I was right ! What were the chances of that happening ? Well, actually, probably 100%. Ah yes, you might say, but that’s only right considering that this 18-30 group are really channel 4’s target audience for this time slot. Let’s put aside the argument that I would have thought that a huge proportion of the target audience would actually have been out at 9pm on a Friday evening. What really annoys me is this. I just wish that they would come clean about their selection policy. I listened to the show fairly carefully, and I never once heard George Lamb refer to it specifically as a show for the under 30’s – yet that’s exactly what it is.
You can apply to get on the show by playing in an online tournament, and winning three games. Pretty much anyone can achieve this, since the vagaries of the online game with it’s £0 boxes, and it’s Steal boxes mean that the winner won’t always be the person who answers most questions. When you apply , there is absolutely NOTHING to tell you that if you’re over 30, then you have NO chance of getting on the show. I rather wish that once you enter your age – and you HAVE to do this when you register – a message box would flash up warning you that you are too old , and you won’t get on the show. Ah, but to come clean like this would leave the makers wide open to the charge of ageism. Yet the evidence of every episode of the show so far is that only the 18 – 30s will be allowed on, and anyone older will not even be considered. Although it seems as if nobody is going to tell you this officially. Which is cowardly , certainly, and some people would be forgiven for thinking this rather deceitful.
Would a show get away without being criticized for excluding either sex ? I doubt it. Would it get away with excluding people of a different race, religion or skin colour ? No.
Yes, but you may argue that it’s not aimed at a wide/family audience. The fact is though that once you take the external trappings away from it, the lights, the set etc. what you’re left with is a fairly standard quiz game show which need be no more exclusive to the 18 – 30s than any other age group. I’ll be interested to see whether a token wrinkly makes it onto the show or not before the end of the series, but I promise you that I won’t be holding my breath. So come on Remarkable Television – who I believe are part of Endemol, who make the show, come clean. Admit that you have no intention of allowing any older contestants on the show, and then take whatever flak you get for it, if any. Confession is supposed to be good for the soul.
1. Diamante Beach Hotel – Calpe
2. Joey Barton
3. MP4 27
4. Guerilla of Time
5. Leigh Halfpenny
6. Homs
7. Hannah Clayton
8. Lord Bannside
9. New York Giants
10. M.I.A.
11. Alberto Contador
12. Bradley Davies
13. Stephen Ferris
14. Florence Green
15. Mohammed Nasheed
17. Edie Richie and Evie Middleton
18. Rick Santorum
19. Matt Topham and Casey Charrington
20. Bridge End Inn, Ruabon
21. Baltasar Garzón
22. Jean Paul Guerlain
23. Mary Ann Ochota
1. Which two countries vetoed the UN rebuke to Syria ?
2. Which country have reused aid from the UK ?
3. Which sculptor created the London 2012 Orbit Tower – unveiled last week ?
4. In the 6 nations which was the only country to win at home last weekend ?
5. Who was voted the favourite Dickens character of all time ?
6. Which South American president pledged his readiness to go to war with the UK over the Falklands ?
7. Which team knocked Rangers out of the Scottish Cup ?
8. Where will England play against Italy in the 6 Nations this weekend ?
9. Which make of car was revealed to be both the most reliable new and the most reliable used car?
10. What is the first name of Amanda Holden’s baby ?
11. Which is the first town in Wales to become an official ‘bilingual town’ ?
12. Who won the Republican Primary in Nevada ?
13. What was named the most read children’s book last week ?
14. Who was the headline act in the halftime show at the Superbowl ?
15. Whom did Karl Lagerfeld call fat last week ?
16. Who is the ‘Oldie of the Year ‘ ?
17. Who retired from international rugby following last week’s Calcutta Cup match ?
18. After whom has Argentina named its current domestic football season ?
19. What is the name of Millie Dowler’s killer who has been refused permission to appeal against his sentence ?
20. Kimi Raikonen is returning to formula One with which team ?
21. Who received a £40,000 pay out over phone hacking last week ?
22. Who won the joke of the year ?
23. Who was acquitted of tax evasion ?
24. Which tennis prodigy of years gone by claimed that her parents cheated her out of her fortune ?
25. Which two teams won the semi finals of the African Cup of Nations ?
26. How long did last week’s eruption of Mt. Etna last ?
27. Which artist was fined for drunk driving in possession of amphetamines ?
28. Who denied that she had let Piers Morgan listen to her voicemail ?
29. Who is the England football team’s caretaker manager ?
30. Which Grand National winning trainer passed away last week ?
31. Which actress will play Princess Diana in the new movie “Caught in Flight “ ?
32. Which British actor has quit his hit US show after 8 years ?
33. Which supermarket chain has been criticised for stocking Monsanto GM foods ?
34. Who admitted eating wolf stew while making his latest movie ?
Who or what are the following and why are they in the news ?
1. Hotel where there was an outbreak of legionnaire’s disease
2. Being investigated over his tweets about John Terry
3. Brand new McLaren car
4. The autobiography of Fidel Castro
5. Kicked the winning penalty in the fantastic Ireland v. Wales match in the 6 Nations last week
6. Syrian city being bombarded by Assad’s government forces
7. British designer who has redesigned redcoat uniforms for Butlins
8. Rev. Ian Paisley , in hospital after heart attack
9. Winners of the Superbowl
10. Rapper artist who made an obscene gesture in the Superbowl half time show
11. Cyclist stripped of his win in the 2010 Tour De France due to drug offences
12. Welsh rugby player cited for tip tackle in last week’s Wales v. Ireland match
13. Irish rugby player cited for tip tackle during last week’s Ireland v. Wales match
14. Last UK veteran of World War 1 who passed away
15. Ousted president of Maldives
16. Real name of ‘Anfield Cat’ who invaded the pitch during Liverpool’s match against Spurs
17. The world’s oldest twins
18. Republican candidate who beat Mitt Romney in primaries in Minnesota, Missouri and Colorado
19. They won a £45 million lottery jackpot
20. Won the title Pub of the Year
21. Spanish Human rights judge disbarred for abuse of power
22. French parfumier accused of racism
23. Co presenter of Time Team at the centre of the row which saw Professor Mick Aston quit the show.
1. Russia and China
3. Anish Kapoor
5. Ebeneezer Scrooge
6. Hugo Chavez
7. Dundee United
8. Olympic Stadium Rome ( Not the Stadio Flaminio )
9. Skoda
10. Hollie
11. Wrexham
12. Mitt Romney
13. The Very Hungry Caterpillar
14. Madonna
15. Adele
16. Ken Clarke
17. Dan Parks
18. General Belgrano
19. Levi Bellfield
20. Lotus
21. Steve Coogan
22. Tim Vine
23. Harry Redknapp
24. Arantxa Sanchez – Vicario
25. Ivory Coast and Zambia
26. 5 hours
27. Jack Vettriano
28. Heather Mills
29. Stuart Pearce
30. Josh Gifford
31. Naomi Watts
32. Hugh Laurie
33. Waitrose
Mastermind - The Wikipedia Challenge - The Results are in.
If you read Malcolm Sumner’s account of his win in Heat 13 last week, you’ll have seen that he prepares to watch each show by spending 15 minutes on Wikipedia to prepare to see how many specialist questions he can predict, which has made the specialist rounds a lot more interesting for him. My original thought was – great idea, and I’ll definitely give it a try .
Then I had another idea. What if – I thought – I used this as an opportunity to test how well you could prepare yourself by just looking at the Wikipedia article on a specialist subject, on the same day that you’re actually on the show. I love this sort of speculation, so I immediately set about coming up with a set of rules for this challenge : -
• In order to be able to avoid the possibility that a successful round might be a one-off, or a terrible round might be a one off, I would select 4 categories from the 8 on offer last night- leaving the other 4 as a ‘control group’ against which to judge the results.
• As far as possible a cross section of subjects should be chosen- ones which looked wider, ones which looked narrower, ones which I might already know a bit about and ones about which I knew nothing.
• Mastermind began at 8pm last night. I began work at 4pm. Which gave me a maximum of an hour for each subject.
• For each subject I would read the article, and select 30 potential questions.
• I was allowed to go to other linked wikipages, but not other sites.
• I had to try to learn the answers before the start of the show. My written questions and answers were not allowed to be used during the show.
• Answers had to be given either before, or at the same time as the contender answered on the show. Answers given afterwards would not be counted, to avoid the temptation to cheat.
• My daughter Jennifer would act as independent referee.
All of which begs the question – how well did I do, and what do the results suggest ? The 4 categories I selected were : -
The Life and Music of Kate Bush. I felt this one would be probably the best for me. Potentially I reckoned in the normal run of things this would give me 2 or 3. Actually, I would have been able to answer just one of them without my wikiprep. Now, bear in mind that I have heard a lot of the singles, and I used to own The Hounds of Love, but that’s it. I haven’t deliberately listened to her music for years. Playing in real time, using no notes, I managed 10 points on the round.
The Franco Prussian War. I guessed that this would be a wider subject than Kate Bush. It’s one of the more traditional subjects , and through a general interest in History I reckoned that I might have had 3 or 4 anyway. Actually, when the questions came up I realized I would have had precisely two of them. Despite the width of the subject I was surprised that my wikiprep meant that I also scored 10 points on this round.
Passenger Liners 1939 – 1979. Yes, I couldn’t duck out of taking at least one really wide subject, and believe me, it wasn’t until I started that I realized just how wide the subject was. I only allowed myself to look at Wikipedia for the challenge, so this meant starting with the general ocean liners page , and looking at the pages about some of the most famous liners. I would have had none of the answers without wikiprep. As it was I only managed 4 anyway.
The Life and Films of Frederico Fellini. Another life and work subject this one, but one about which I had next to no knowledge to begin with. As far as I can recall I have never watched a Fellini film – which doubtless is more my loss than his. Bearing in mind that the rules of the challenge meant that I could only revise from the wiki page, I was very pleased with my 7.
I wanted to see whether it was possible to spend just a couple of hours before the show using Wikipedia to prepare for a specialist subject, and do well enough to get a competitive score. I take the two tens as competitive scores. I was also pleased with the Fellini score, considering that I was starting from a position of next to no knowledge at all. Having said that it would still not have made me very competitive in the show , a good GK score notwithstanding.
• It is certainly possible to use Wikipedia to help you gain a decent score with an hour or so of revision.
• It works a lot better for certain types of subject than for others. Life and work subjects seem to work better than others.
• The more finite and clearly defined a subject, the easier it seems to prepare for from Wikipedia. Hence the good score on the Franco Prussian war, which was a fairly clearly defined historical event which took place over the space of about 6 months.
• It didn’t work very well on a wide and slightly more nebulous subject like ocean liners. Having said that , though, it still provided me with 4 answers that I wouldn’t have had anyway.
• Most of my correct answers came from questions I’d prepared myself, but a small number did come from other remembered facts from the Wikipedia articles that I hadn’t turned into questions.
If anyone else ever fancies repeating the challenge, I’d love to hear how you get on with it.
I expect that the chairs were all still warm in the studio since the second show followed on with almost indecent haste after the first. Alison Rawlinson offered us Children’s Fiction by Rudyard Kipling, some of which is certainly exceedingly good. By way of comparison I thought that these questions seemed pretty much of a level with the set on Agatha Christie in the previous show, which was nice to see. The first two – what was Baloo, and who was ‘the friend of all the world’ were pretty much gimmes, but they were the only ones that I managed in the whole round. Now – if they’d asked about the lyrics of “The Bare Necessities “, then I’m your man. But apparently Kipling left the songs out of his novelization of the film. All of which chaff is just delaying me from coming to the point and telling you that Alison scored 8 points.
Euan McCulloch was answering on Passenger Liners 1939 – 79. Apart from being an interesting contrast to Ancient and Primitive boats in the previous show, this was one of the two subjects in this show which I selected for the wiki challenge, so I’ll tell you how I got on in the next post. As for Euan, well, he got on very well indeed. My goodness, but he had to know his subject in order to do well in this one – well, that’s how it seemed to me, anyway. 14 points and no passes was a finer performance on those questions, and mid teens in SS will always give you a fighting chance in the GK round.
Motorhead provided the popular culture option in this second show. I once met Lemmy at a gig . He said those immortal words to me “Who are you and get out of me way. “ No, he didn’t really. He said “Cheers mate. “ Which wasn’t actually the answer to any of the questions in Martin Smith’s round. I knew enough anyway to bag 4 points. Martin, on the other hand, knew enough to bag 14 . I suppose that the closest comparable round in the previous show would have been the Kate Bush round, and as far as I could see these two rounds were pitched pretty much at the same level. Martin’s performance gave him an excellent chance going into the GK round.
Finally to George Ferzoco. I’m not the world’s finest at pinpointing a person’s country of origin from their accent, but I’d be fairly confident that George is originally from the States. He was answering on the Life and Films of Frederico Fellini. This was the last of the 4 subjects I selected for the wiki challenge tonight. George seemed to be one of the more tactical players we’ve seen in quite a while. His answers were crisp, concise and quick. Moreover, if he didn’t know an answer at once, out came the stock answer – Smith. That’s good technique – no time wasted and no passes conceded, but believe me, it needs a considerable amount of concentration to be able to do it. Right at the end of the round George was asked for the name of a particular medical condition suffered from by Fellini. He almost, but not quite got the very long name of it right – but John announced that he would be given it anyway. I agreed, but I couldn’t help wondering whether it was really fair to give a question which had to be answered with such a long , tongue twisting answer anyway. Answers on a postcard to the usual address.
Only Alison seemed out of the contest at the halfway stage, so bearing that in mind you have to say that she did a pretty good job with her GK round. It certainly wasn’t the quickest GK round we’ve seen, but then her priority was getting the answers right, and as such 12 was a pretty good round . I only managed 14 on that round myself. George maintained his form from the SS round for the first 90 seconds or so, but started to lose momentum in the second half of his round. He kept going though, and gritted out 14 points, which looked pretty handy to me at the time. What it meant was that either Euan or Martin were going to have to match his GK round to beat him outright without having to refer back to passes. For the record I had my highest score of this show on George’s round, but I think it’s probably because he was going that bit faster than anyone else did, certainly for the first and last parts of his round.
Euan McCulloch fell behind the clock within the first minute of his round, and it was pretty clear that he wasn’t going to be able to really challenge George’s score. He too gritted his teeth, and pulled out 8 points, which gave him a final score of 22. Not a winning score, no, but perfectly respectable. Which just left Martin to challenge George. Martin kept his composure, and was probably just about neck and neck with George for the first part of the round. With 15 seconds to go you fancied he’d do it by one, but those seconds just kept ticking away, and in the end he’d scored one less than George, with 13. All of which meant that both of them finished with 27. Who had the fewer passes ? George - all of those Smiths paid off, you see. Well played both, though. That was a good show.
Alison Rawlinson Children’s Fiction by Rudyard Kipling 8 - 3 12 - 2 20 – 5
Euan McCulloch Passenger Liners – 1939 - 1979 14 - 0 8 - 4 22 – 4
Martin Smith Motorhead 14 - 1 13 - 4 27 – 5
George Ferzoco The Life and Films of Frederico Fellini 13 - 0 14 - 1 27 – 1
Well, I won’t lie to you, the wiki challenge certainly enlivened tonight’s two shows for me.The wiki what ? I’ll say a little bit more about that in another post, but I don’t want it to get in the way of the shows themselves. So let’s get started. James Cullen was first of tonight’s eight contenders, and he answered on our first popular culture subject of the evening, Kate Bush. Ahhh, Kate Bush. Sorry, I was miles away there. If you’re a chap who was an impressionable teenager when she first burst onto the scene, you’ll know what I mean. James Cullen was certainly not a teenager – in fact he can’t have been born when Kate Bush first burst onto the scene, but notwithstanding that he put in a fine round. 15 points and 1 pass was a very good return for 2 minutes’ mental effort.
Edwin Deady took the prize for the most unusual subject of the evening, with Ancient and Primitive Boats, which come to think of it was one of Sealink’s less successful advertising slogans, wasn’t it ? Yes, showing my age again. I was happy to take a point for knowing that the coracle men can be found on the Teifi, and that was it for me. Poor Edwin I think was expecting something rather different from what he was given in this round. I may be wrong, but it looked to me very much like a textbook case of the contender’s and the setter’s conception of the parameters of the subject being somewhat at odds. I think that Edwin was expecting a lot more about the construction of various ancient boats, and a lot less about the people who actually built them. He seemed so shell shocked by the time the first minute was up that he was probably missing stuff he’s known for years as well, poor chap. It’s not pleasant when it happens, I’m sure.
A good old, more traditional SS followed , as Jackie Heaton answered questions on the Detective novels of Agatha Christie. Everyone seemed to be on pretty solid ground here, as the setters posed questions which needed quite a detailed, in depth knowledge of the books for anyone to do well. I’m not a Christie fan, and I managed just the one answer myself. Jackie’s 11 was a good score, but it left her with some work to do in the GK rounds.
Anthony Barton was answering on the Franco Prussian War. This was one of the two subjects in this show I used for the wiki challenge. Once again, I will come to that in another post. So I won’t tell you how I did with it, but Anthony did just fine, picking off 15 correct answers and one pass, albeit that he always seemed slightly surprised when one of his answers was right – even though the vast majority of them were just that. So it maybe wasn’t quite a case of being a two horse race by the half way stage, but you fancied that the winner would be Anthony or James.
Spare a thought for Edwin Deady. It must be pretty horrible having to come back to the chair after you’ve had an SS round where it’s something you clearly know a great deal about, but for whatever reason it hasn’t worked out. You’re trying to cope with the disappointment of that, and you have all the pressure of 2 and a half minutes of GK, where a win is out of the question for you, and it’s going to be a hard slog just to get something like a decent score. So well done to him for keeping his head enough to get eight points to take him to respectability. Jackie did a little better with her own round, to the tune of one point, putting her up to a total of 20. That was never really going to be enough to win, not with 2 players still to come. One of them might have a ‘mare of a round, but surely not both of them. For the record I had my lowest score – 15 , on James’ GK round, my highest on Jackie’s with 19, and 16 on Edwin’s, and 18 on Anthony’s.
Well, James Cullen certainly won’t have enjoyed his GK round very much. He struggled, and passed a few, and became becalmed in the middle of the round. Having said all that, although his GK score of 7 was the lowest of this show, it was still enough to put him ahead of Jackie with 22. Which meant that Anthony needed 7 and no more than 3 passes to win the show. Surely he’d do it comfortably. Well, at the start of the round it didn’t necessarily seem that way. He took a long time to get into his stride, but unlike many contenders maintained his pace through the tricky last minute, and even picked up a little. His 11 wasn’t the most impressive GK round we’ll see all series, but in the context of what seemed to be a very nervous show, it wasn’t bad at all – certainly good enough to put daylight between James and himself. Well played, sir.
James Cullen The Life and Music of Kate Bush 15 - 1 7 - 4 22 – 5
Edwin Deady Ancient and Primitive Boats 4 - 0 8 - 6 12 – 6
Jackie Heaton Detective Novels of Agatha Christie 11 - 3 9 - 6 20 – 9
Anthony Barton The Franco Prussian War 15 - 1 11 - 5 26 – 6
Malcolm Sumner - Mastermind Heat 13 Winner
Just in case you missed this, the winner of Heat 13 of this year's Mastermind posted a detailed comment on my review of the show, which I think would be of much interest to regular readers, and so I've taken the liberty of reproducing most of it here .In case you forget, Malcolm answered questions on Bing Crosby in the first round of Friday night's first show.
"I was pleased to do justice to my musical and cinematic hero and even received a congratulatory message from the Bing Crosby Fan Club! As the filming took place mid-July (the day after end of term) my preparation time was limited to one weekend (quick reading of three biographies) so glad I’d chosen a subject where I had some prior knowledge – good enough for about half the questions. Bing starred in over 60 full-length films, usually playing interchangeable versions of himself with names like Jeff or Jim, so decided I would only memorise the big films or ‘character’ roles, which paid off with the question on Bing’s character in the ‘Stagecoach’ remake. Questions on the name of his chauffeur and the church where he married his second wife were obscure even for diehard fans and I was glad I’d filed them away under ‘unlikely-but-possible’.
I had no recollection at all of many GK ‘misses’ so the questions (and my answers) were as much a surprise to me as to the viewing audience! The Seikan Tunnel (Japan) and ‘A Man of Parts’ (about HG Wells) were both guessable, I’d forgotten the ‘Tornado’ (UK’s newest steam loco) and the Malcolm Arnold / film theme connection was new to me (though I pretended to JH – out of politeness – that it was on the tip of my tongue).
Fellow-contenders were lovely: Pat Baker is a telly quiz veteran but admitted this was the ‘big one’, Diana Muir was seriously jetlagged and could have won on another day as could Pat or John Tanner. A ‘charm’ of production assistants was the most appropriate collective noun, and the only Southerner-style gripe was the trek to Salford, although having the hotel literally next door to Media City made the day itself very convenient.
(Re the ongoing debate on the specialist subject round, I try to ‘prepare’ with 15 minutes on Wikipedia and see how many questions I can ‘predict’ – usually about 40%. Has definitely made first half more enjoyable, though I realise that this would appeal to quiz addicts, not ordinary punters! That’s why I personally chose specialist subjects with a broad-ish appeal.)
Was relieved on my recording that there would be no half-way ‘banter’ but in retrospect feel that this may put subject choices in some kind of context without the fatuous waffle of other quiz shows (excluding the witty and courteous preamble on ‘Pointless’!)"
Thanks Malcolm ! Here at LAM we wish you the very best of luck in your semi ! Oh, and I DO like the idea of what I shall call the wikipedia challenge. I'll be having a go at that myself on this coming Friday.
Lining up for yesterday’s semi-final were Hamish Cameron, Ian Clark, Angus Douglas and Brendan O’Connor. Our rough form guide put Ian Clark as favourite. Ian scored 21 in his heat, which actually was the second highest score of all the heat winners. Hamish Cameron had the 5th highest score with 17. Brendan Connor was in joint 9th on the list with 12. However it should be remembered that Brendan was actually runner up in the Brain of Britain equivalent of the group of death, and so his 12 was by no means a negligible score at all. Angus was the outsider for the contest, holding the 15th highest score of the qualifiers, although this was only 1 point behind Brendan's.
Hamish kicked off with a point, but nobody knew that a Kipps apparatus produces gases. Ian didn’t know of the recent stage show based on Roald Dahl’s Matilda, giving Brendan a bonus. Angus took his own first, but didn’t know which disease enteric fever is usually associated with. Ian did to break his duck. Brendan knew his first, but perhaps a little surprisingly didn’t know that the god Krishna is depicted with blue skin. That gave Angus another point. So in the first round the two outsiders took an early lead, with 2 each, to the others’ one. Hamish took his first two, but didn’t know the term quarter horse. Ian took that one. Ian then took two of his own, but failed to identify a quote about the American Declaration of Independence. Nobody took that one. Angus missed his first on Clement Atlee, which gave Ian another point, and the lead on the road, as it were. Brendan took two, but couldn’t link a babirusa with a domestic pig. Again, Ian was first in for the bonus. So in a reversal of fortune, Ian now led with 6, from Hamish with 5.
Hamish didn’t know that Prince Arthur of Connaught had served as Governor General of South Africa. Another point for Ian. Ian, though, couldn’t supply two occasions on which a 21 gun salute is fired. Hamish took a tit for tat bonus on that one. Angus took his first, but then got a typical BoB stinker on an Italian prize for literature. Nobody had that one. Brendan really should have known that Reims was the cathedral in which Kings of France were traditionally crowned. Hamish made no mistake with that one. This put him level with Ian on 7, with daylight between the pair of them and Angus on 5. Hamish took his first couple, but didn’t know the first group with which Midge Ure had a UK number 1. This was one of very few questions that I could answer that the Brains couldn’t. “It was Slik – forever and ever !” I shouted at the radio. Russell obligingly confirmed that I was right. Ian took his first, but didn’t know when the first Christmas stamps could be bought from Post Offices. Nobody did. Angus took one, but nobody knew that the cutis is the skin. Well, I’m very sorry, but moisturiser or not, my skin hasn’t been the least bit cutis for years. Brendan’s first was one of the others I knew that the Brains didn’t, that Palmerston was the Prime Minister during the American Civil War. Did you know that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert referred to Palmerston as Pilgerstein in private ? it’s a literal German translation of Palmer, which is an alternative word for pilgrim, and stone. Please yourselves. Hamish was tied with Ian at this stage on 7.
This brought us to the Beat the Brains interval. The first question didn’t. The Brains came up with a cracking answer to a question asking what linked about 50 villages in Britain – some examples being given. The Brains knew that they were ‘blessed villages’ , all of whose soldiers who went away to the First World War came back alive. However when asked which Suffolk town came into being when an established market had to be moved due to the Black Death, they zigged with Stowe Market when they should have zagged with Newmarket. Back to the show.
Hamish missed a gettable one, not knowing that Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets. No bonus for anyone. Not easy, but gettable, which is more than I could say about many of the questions I heard in this show. Yes, I know it’s all in the ear of the behearer, but I found this show to be difficult. Ian didn’t know Origen, neither did the others, and neither did I. Angus managed his first, but couldn’t give the chemical compound from which pearls are made. I don’t know if Ian was guessing with calcium carbonate , but if he was it was a good guess. Brendan missed his own first. It was incredibly tight, and it was due to get even tighter in round 6. Everyone missed their own first question. I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t have had any of them, although I probably should have known Pskov as the place where Nicholas II abdicated. Both Hamish and Ian ended the round on 8. It looked unlikely that there could be more than 2 rounds left, and I couldn’t pick a winner. Both Hamish and Ian were capable of getting a 6 pointer if they were given the sniff of a chance by the questions. But would either of them be given that chance ? It certainly didn’t look like it if the previous rounds were anything to go by. Hamish didn’t know that Washington state is nicknamed the Evergreen State. Nobody knew that. Ian took two , and it was looking good. Then he got another one nobody could answer, a piece of music which everyone recognised, but nobody could give the title of – Elgar’s Salut d’Amour. Fair enough. Angus didn’t know that the Battle of Kadesh was a scrappy away win for the Egyptians over the Hittites. Hamish took that to narrow Ian’s lead to 1 point. Brendan didn’t know that Hannah was the mother of Samuel, and Hamish took that to ensure that he and Ian were still tied going into the final round.
Hamish took his first, but missed the distinctly gettable fructose, which allowed Angus in for a bonus. Ian took two, but didn’t know that St. Nicholas’ Island, which had also been St. Michael’s Island, is now called Drake’s Island. Join the club. The arithmetic was simple. Hamish had to take bonuses off both Angus and Brendan to win. Ian needed one bonus off either to win. Nobody could answer Angus’ question, about Rupert Sheldrake. Ian had one foot in the final, but Brendan didn’t know off two people linked by the YMCA. Hamish came in first. . . and he had it. We had a draw. However, as we know , you can’t have a draw in BoB. So we had a tie break. Asked what was the significance of a gold stripe on uniforms of british soldiers from 1916, it was Ian who chanced his arm first. he told us that it denoted a soldier who had been wounded in action, and that was correct. On such small margins. Very well done Ian. A terrific display of nerve. Very hard lines Hamish. Getting that last bonus to tie the show demanded nerves and determination as well. A good show, albeit that correct answers from the Clark sofa were in particularly short supply during this show.
Hamish Cameron – 12
Ian Clark – 13 AET
Angus Douglas – 6
Brendan O’Connor - 6
University Challenge - Elimination Match 2
Balliol Oxford v. Homerton Cambridge
For the first time we found that we had a rematch on our hands at this quarter final stage. Balliol, who were Liam Shaw, Andrew Whitby, James Kirby and captain Simon Wood won their first round match against this same Homerton team by 5 points. They won an all Oxford second round clash when they squeaked past Merton, this time by 10 points. Then in their first match of these quarter finals they were well beaten by the much fancied outfit from Pembroke. As for Homerton, after that first round defeat by Balliol the team of Jack Euesden, Frances Conner, Thomas Grinyer and captain David Murray comfortably beat the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the repechage match. In round two proper they had another comfortable win against a team from Durham who had set the highest score in the first round. Then in their first quarter final match they lost a close contest to Clare. The form guide suggested that there really wasn’t a lot in it, and as always, whoever got their buzzing game together quickest would have an advantage.
James Kirby won the first starter, buzzing in to identify a group of people all linked by the surname Grey. A set of bonuses on medieval history passed without them managing to add to the score. Homerton hit back immediately with Thomas Grinyer who knew about the semaphore system. If Homerton were going to progress they needed Thomas Grinyer back to his best. He had consistently been the fastest buzzer on their team, but he had been surprisingly twitchy in the previous match, and buzzed too early on a number of occasions. One bonus on quotations about porridge put Homerton in the lead. Andrew Whitby knew that it was Graham Greene who came to regret his use of the word ‘seedy’ . Once again, though, Balliol missed out on the bonuses, this time on women’s organisations. Neither team were familiar with Feuerbach’s Theorem. No, of course I wasn’t either. Frances Conner put Homerton back in front, knowing that the new Olympic sport of 1996 which was being referred to was beach volleyball. Two bonuses were taken on French writers’ pseudonyms. The first picture starter was a good UC special. We saw a line from a Shakespeare play rendered in characters of the international phonetic alphabet. Liam Shaw identified the play as Julius Caesar. Balliol went on to take their first bonus of the night by identifying another play in the same way. Liam Shaw took his second starter in a row by giving us Newton, and this time Balliol managed two bonuses on spheres. It had been a fairly bright and breezy first 10 minutes, and Balliol had a narrow lead of 55 to 35.
Andrew Whitby took the next starter on Milton Friedman. Again, Balliol managed a brace of bonuses on varieties of the colour blue. Jack Euesden, trying to buzz Homerton back into the contest, twitched too early on the next starter on the Etruscan language, but Balliol couldn’t capitalise on the error. The next starter went begging as well, on a rather involved question about the relative difference between the weights of the heaviest oarsman, and the lightest crew member in the University Boat Race. Liam Shaw, who was having a good night, took the next with the website Chat Roulette. Fair enough. No bonuses could be taken though. You got the idea that Balliol had the measure of Homerton in this part of the contest, but they were only pulling out the gap relatively slowly. Neither team recognised a work by Mendelssohn for the music starter, nor did they know a starter about Mark Anthony either. However the impressive Liam Shaw knew that a series of observatories could all be found on Mauna Kea, a good shout that one. This brought one bonus on the music set. Jack Euesden managed points for Homerton with the term lawn. 2 bonuses followed on Medicine and Literature. Again, it was Liam Shaw who brought home the bacon on the next starter with inverse square law. One astronomy bonus was his reward. Andrew Whitby recognised a group of actresses, all of whom had played the role of Ophelia, and this time Balliol managed two bonuses on logic. Neither team recognised a painting of Madame de Pompadour. Well, to be fair the painter seemed to have deliberately left out the Doctor and the clockwork robots. This brought us up to the 20 minute mark, and Balliol had extended their lead to 135, as against Homerton’s 50.
In a low scoring contest you fancied that Balliol should close the match out fairly comfortably. However the fact was that it had been a low scoring contest, and if Homerton could switch into top gear that 85 point gap could be gobbled up relatively quickly. David Murray took the next starter on a set of definitions of the rhyming words – elope – Pope and horoscope. A full set of three bonuses on , erm, royal mistresses, was a step in the right direction for them. James Kirby supplied the term altruism for the next starter, and two bonuses followed on the city of Samarkand. David Murray took his second starter, recognising clues to a series of words beginning with – oz. Only one bonus followed on probability distribution. Probably. Neither team fancied a starter on chemistry, but Liam Shaw knew the word matrix. 2 bonuses on the US Department of Justice were enough to give Balliol a bit of security. Not that Homerton were going to lie down until the gong. Frances Conner knew that Hobsbawm said that the 19th century actually ended in 1914. 3 bonuses on homonyms in French were despatched over the boundary rope. Thomas Grinyer, subdued this match when compared to his performances earlier in the series, knew the Kalahari Desert. This brought two bonuses on words beginning with Kie. The gap was now down to 40 points. Theoretically it was just about possible that Homerton could still pull it out of the bag, but it was going to be a very close run thing. James Kirby lost 5 on the next starter, but nobody for Homerton could dredge up the word stigma. That effectively ended their chances. Jack Euesden took the last starter with the greek letter psi, but that was all we had time for, as the gong sounded before any of the bonuses were asked. In the end, Balliol lived on to fight another day with 170, while Homerton were bidden farewell with 145. Hard lines, but well played for your performances throughout the series. Well played Balliol. One more win will put them through to the semis.
I liked the way that JP accelerated his delivery to a veritable devil’s gallop in the last 10 minutes, which raised the unlikely possibility that Homerton might just claw their way back. Other than that I enjoyed his response to the term ‘chat roulette’ – “We’ll enquire no further”, and also his description of Lillie Langtry as “Edward VII’s main squeeze.”
Interesting Fact Of The Week That I Didn’t Already Know
The word matrix is derived from a latin word for womb.
I'll have a P please, Simon
Have you been over to check out this week's Weaver's Week yet ? If you're not in the habit, it's a habit well worth acquiring. It's a good read, and they always have interesting news. Like the fact that Simon Mayo will be the presenter of the resurrected Blockbusters. He's done a few game and quiz shows in his time, and he's a safe enough pair of hands who won't offend anybody, I suppose. Personally as a DJ I find him a little bit bland, but then on his radio 2 show, but I guess that's precisely the quality that the producers are looking for.
Who or what are the following, and why are they in the news ?
1. Sir Philip Hampton
2. Spanair
3. Victoria Azarenka
4. Crawley Town
5. Robert Rock
6. Andy Thomson
7. Sea Ceptor
8. The Cathedral of Middlesex
9. Colin Tarrant
10. Hugo
11. Gary Dobson and David Norris
12. Kweku Adoboli
13. Slav Mitev
14. Wukan
15. Sutton St. James
16. HMS Dauntless
17. Ed Lester
18. Suzanne Greenaway
19. Top Totty
20. John Randall
21. K’Naan
22. Ed Davey
23. Jacques Brunel
1. Senior executives of which newspaper were arrested last week ?
2. Women’s Institute jam has gone on sale in which supermarket chain ?
3. Which organisation has halted operations in Syria ?
4. Who won Celebrity Big Brother 2012 ?
5. Disneyland has announced that it will at last allow employees to wear what ?
6. Who was voted the UK’s most influential standup ?
7. This is the Chinese year of the what ?
8. What was England’s score in the second innings of the 2nd test against Pakistan ?
9. Which Oscar winner was announced as having gained a role in Downton Abbey ?
10. Who will captain England in the Calcutta Cup ?
11. Which of the teaching unions has backed down on the pensions deal ?
12. In a survey – which was chosen as the saddest song of all time ?
13. A wax cylinder has been found , with a recording of the voice of which 19th century statesman ?
14. Djibril Cisse has moved to which Premier League club ?
15. What was the result of the Florida Primary ?
16. Which formula 1 driver was given a suspended sentence for a nightclub assault ?
17. Where will Adele be making her comeback performance ?
18. Who will be the guest star on the 500th episode of the Simpsons ?
19. Andy Murray has dropped out of the Davis Cup tie against which country ?
20. 73 people died in a football riot in which country ?
21. Which French politician was attacked with a flour bomb last week ?
22. Where did the Duke of Cambridge begin a tour of duty last week ?
23. A goose cull will take place on which lake ?
24. What was the UKs most borrowed book in 2011 ?
25. Which hugely respected boxing coach died last week ?
26. What caused consternation when it was found on a Royal Navy helicopter last week ?
27. With which offence has Chris Huhne been charged ?
28. A report says that cars of which colour are more likely to have hidden defects ?
29. Which two teams are contesting this weekend’s Superbowl ?
30. In tennis, which team did GB beat in the Federation Cup ?
1. Chariman of RBS who turned down his £1.4 million bonus, thus putting pressure n the CEO
2. Spanish government funded airline allowed to go bust last week
3. Tennis player from Belarus who won the ladies’ singles at the Australian Open
4. Non league football club who knocked Hull City out of the FA Cup
5. English golfer beat Tiger Woods in the Abu Dhabi championship
6. Winner of world Indoor Bowls championship
7. New Royal Navy anti missile missile
8. Harmondsworth Barn, saved for the nation
9. Bill actor , passed away , possible suicide
10. Martin Scorsese’s Oscar nominated film
11. Appealing against their convictions for the murder of Stephen Lawrence
12. UBS trader accused of gambling away £15 billion
13. In court for making threatening phone calls to Paul Burrell
14. Chinese village holding free elections
15. Village in Lincolnshire with a lone gunman hold up
16. State of the art Royal Navy ship sent to the Falklands
17. Head of the student loans company allegedly helped to avoid National Insurance by government
18. Coroner for the Amy Winehouse inquest, supposedly underqualified – inquest may therefore be invalid
19. Beer withdraw from the Strangers Bar in the Houses of Parliament due to its un – PC name
20. Britain’s oldest hip replacement patient
21. US Rapper very upset that Mitt Romney has used one of his songs
22. New Energy secretary
23. Coach of Italian national rugby team
1. The Sun
2. Waitrose
3. The Arab League
4. Denise Welch
5. Beards
7. Dragon
8. 72 all out
9. Shirley Maclaine
10. Chris Robshaw
11. ATL
12. everybody Hurts – REM
13. Otto von Bismarck
14. QPR
15. Romney heavily defeated Gingrich
16. Adrian Sutil
17. At the Grammys
18. Julian Assange
19. Slovakia
20. Egypt
21. Francois Hollande
22. The Falklands
23. Lake Windermere
24. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
25. Angelo Dundee
26. A black widow spider
27. Perverting the course of justice
28. Yellow
29. New England Patriots v. The New York Giants
30. Israel
So then, thoroughly warmed up I was ready for the main event. What I wasn’t ready for was Gary’s T-shirt. Somehow ‘shocking’ pink seemed something of an understatement. I shouldn’t say anything myself. I was told to wear my pink shirt for the final of the 2007 SOBM, since which I have had to keep it as my ‘lucky’ shirt .
Gary, and the shirt, were drawn to go third. This meant that Catherine Goodwin took to the chair first, offering us a very traditional ‘life and work ‘ subject. In this case it was The Life and Work of Mary Wollstonecraft. “Ullo,” I thought, “slim pickings here, Dave.” I was right. My meager store of facts about Mary Wollstonecraft – married to William Godwin – mother of Mary Shelley – A Vindication of the Rights of Women – er , that’s it – didn’t bring me any answers at all. Catherine’s 11, then, looked a pretty good total.
Ebb Saxton, though, didn’t take a traditional subject. He offered us “Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads ? “ I remember this sitcom with a lot of affection, and when you look at it, it’s a thoroughbred. Great writers – Clement and La Frenais – and acted to perfection by James Bolam and Rodney Bewes, ably supported by Bridget Forsyth. All of which is just to distract you from the fact that I only had three of them right. Ebb did better with 10, but , I don’t know, if he’d prepared, and watched all 26 episodes and one Christmas special, then he should have done quite a bit better.
Now the main event. Gary, skipper of our Radio Addicts team who were runners up in Series 4 of Only Connect , semi finalist in Are You An Egghead ?, semi-finalist in Nancy’s series of Mastermind 2009, returned to the chair with a fantastic choice of subject – “The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World”. Now this is a subject I have a passing interest in myself – I answered the straightforward questions – Antipater of Sidon – Chares – Constantinople, but for all that I only managed 6 on the round , which seems about right for something I hadn’t prepared. Gary, though – well, Gary scored 17. Out of 17. A perfect round. John said that it’s rarely done, and he’s right. A fantastic performance, and you sensed that unless Eliot Wilson could throw in a great round of his own, then Gary was already home and dry.
Offering The Life and Career of Enoch Powell, Eliot Wilson managed a good round, certainly. Enoch Powell was certainly one of the most academically gifted as well as one of the most controversial figures in British Politics in the 1960s and 1970s. As I said, 13 was a good score. However it meant that even though he was in second place at the halfway stage, he was still 4 points behind Gary. Gary is a serious quizzer, and a very good quizzer, and I just couldn’t see anyway that Eliot was going to bridge that gap in the GK round.
Ebb and Catherine both struggled with their GK rounds., and neither of them managed to get into double figures. Still, at least they avoided the indignity of having their combined total outscored by Gary’s SS round – both pushed their totals up to 18.
Eliot Wilson started like an express train on his GK round. He took something like 8 points out of the first 10 questions. I don’t think there was a huge amount of difference between his and Gary’s questions, but of the two I preferred Eliot’s. I scored 19 on this round. Eliot himself managed 15. Now, 15 is a great score on a 2 minute GK round , and it’s still a pretty good one on a 2 and a half minute round. As an audience we could at least thank Eliot for setting a target and making it interesting.
Gary too started at full speed. He’s an old hand at this game now, and knows that the thing to do is just to keep answering as quickly as you possibly can. Hard lines on the pensée / pansy question - . As I mentioned earlier, I did think that Gary’s questions were a shade harder than Eliot’s - I scored 17 at home - and in such a case it’s easy to become discouraged and brood on dropped questions, and that way lies disaster. Gary kept on picking off the answers, and had passed the finishing line comfortably before the end of the round. His 14 pushed him through the 30 point barrier to a very fine 31. The only reason why I’m not making any pronouncements about Gary’s chances in the semis is that I don’t want to bring down the curse of the sofa upon him. But very well done. An impressive performance !
Catherine Goodwin The Life and Work of Mary Wollstonecraft 11 – 4 7 – 5 18 - 9
Ebb Saxton Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads ? 10 – 2 8 – 4 18 - 6
Gary Grant The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World 17 – 0 14 -3 31 - 3
Eliot Wilson Life and Career of Enoch Powell 13 – 1 15 – 4 28 – 5
Last night we had another double header, and I have to admit that I saw this first show as very much a curtain raiser to the return of our own Gary Grant in the second show. Nevertheless, let’s consider this first show on its own merits. Malcolm Sumner kicked off the evening with the Life and Career of Bing Crosby. I was disappointed that he wasn’t asked the old chestnut – what’s the difference between Bing Crosby and Walt Disney ? ( Well, Bing sings, but Walt does’nae. Say it in a Scottish accent. Very well, please yourselves. ) This was a fine round – alright, he was given the chestnut about White Christmas coming from the film Holiday Inn, but I have no problem with the odd chestnut in a specialist round. I managed 4 myself on this, which pales into insignificance against Malcolm’s 16.
Pat Barker interestingly described herself as a retired dogsbody. The subtitles only transcribed retired, funnily enough. Her subject was Eastenders. That’s one of those heads you win, tails I lose subjects. People who don’t know any better point to subjects like this as ‘proof’ that the show is dumbing down , and yet preparing properly for one of these is a hell of a slog, I should imagine. Yet even if you do well on such a subject, you possibly don’t get the credit you deserve anyway. Pat managed a good 12. It seemed to me that there were a disproportionate amount of questions about the last few years, but then that may just be my mind playing tricks on me.
Our next contender gave us a much more traditional sort of specialist subject. Diana Muir was answering questions on the Life and Work of Sir Joseph Banks. Banks was probably best known for his voyage with Captain Cook. As I expected, the Botany Bay chestnut came out, although not as the first question of the round. I managed a couple of others as well- the William Bligh question was a little bit of a gimme too. Overall, though, I felt it seemed like a difficult round, and Diana did pretty well to get into double figures.
Finally John Tanner, with the slightly macabre subject of the executioner Albert Pierrepoint. I make no bones about it, there were only two of these I could answer. One of these was Pentonville Prison. As for the other – well, towards the end of the round John was asked for the name of the Acid Bath Murderer. A bit of an old chestnut that. “John Haigh !” – I shouted. “Neville Haigh.” answered John, possibly using the christian name of Neville Heath by mistake, and missing out on the point. That’s a point for any aspiring contender to note. Had he just given the surname Haigh, I’m sure he would have got the point, although John Humphrys would probably have answered “Yes, JOHN Haigh.” Notwithstanding this, John still managed a highly competitive 14.
I found it difficult to assess the relative difficulty of the first two GK rounds. Without wishing to be horrible in any way, neither Diana nor Pat ever managed to gain enough of a momentum in their rounds to get through a large amount of questions. Diana did briefly take the lead with her total of 17, and Pat, who also scored 7 in her GK round, raised this to 19. John Tanner started very positively, but the mid round doldrums, which are so common in a 2 and a half minute round – saw him becalmed, and in the end he managed to cross the line with 11 points. That actually gave him 25 – not a massive score, but a pretty decent one. So anything in double figures would guarantee Malcolm Sumner the win. As GK rounds go I thought his was pretty gentle, and while it wasn’t the quickest that we’ve seen, he was always on target to achieve the 26 he needed with at least 20 seconds to spare. In the end he posted the highest GK score of the night with 12, to win with 28. For his last question, when asked who composed the theme music of the film “Bridge On The River Kwai “ he replied “Ahh. . . “ but couldn’t finish it with “. . . rnold “ which is what I think John was waiting for. Still, a good performance, even if it does mark him out as more of an outsider than a dark horse for the final.
Malcolm Sumner Life and Career of Bing Crosby 16 – 1 12 – 3 28 – 4
Pat Barker Eastenders 12 – 2 7 – 2 19 – 4
Diana Muir The Life and work of Sir Joseph Banks 10 – 0 7 -2 17 – 2
John Tanner Albert Pierrepoint 14 – 0 11 – 0 25 – 0
University Challenge - Quarter Final Sudden Death ...
Mastermind - The Wikipedia Challenge - The Result...
University Challenge - Qualification Match 2
Is it vulgar to want to win ?
Where's Only Connect ?
Brain of Britain - Heat 12
This Week's News Questions
Answers to last week's news questions
University Challenge - Quarter Final Elimination M...
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Eddington's Search for a Fundamental Theory : A Key to the Universe, C. W. Kilmister, (electronic resource)
The Resource Eddington's Search for a Fundamental Theory : A Key to the Universe, C. W. Kilmister, (electronic resource)
The item Eddington's Search for a Fundamental Theory : A Key to the Universe, C. W. Kilmister, (electronic resource) represents a specific, individual, material embodiment of a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in University of Oklahoma Libraries.
Kilmister, C. W., (Clive William)
Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1995
Title from publishers bibliographic system (viewed on 23 May 2011)
http://libraries.ou.edu/access.aspx?url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511608209
Eddington's Search for a Fundamental Theory : A Key to the Universe
Eddington's Search for a Fundamental Theory
A Key to the Universe
C. W. Kilmister
Mathematical physics -- History
Physics -- Philosophy | History
Also issued in print format.
UkCbUP
Kilmister, C. W.
digital, PDF file(s).
<div class="citation" vocab="http://schema.org/"><i class="fa fa-external-link-square fa-fw"></i> Data from <span resource="http://link.libraries.ou.edu/portal/Eddingtons-Search-for-a-Fundamental-Theory--A/ou65bwaXay8/" typeof="Book http://bibfra.me/vocab/lite/Item"><span property="name http://bibfra.me/vocab/lite/label"><a href="http://link.libraries.ou.edu/portal/Eddingtons-Search-for-a-Fundamental-Theory--A/ou65bwaXay8/">Eddington's Search for a Fundamental Theory : A Key to the Universe, C. W. Kilmister, (electronic resource)</a></span> - <span property="potentialAction" typeOf="OrganizeAction"><span property="agent" typeof="LibrarySystem http://library.link/vocab/LibrarySystem" resource="http://link.libraries.ou.edu/"><span property="name http://bibfra.me/vocab/lite/label"><a property="url" href="http://link.libraries.ou.edu/">University of Oklahoma Libraries</a></span></span></span></span></div>
Data Citation of the Item Eddington's Search for a Fundamental Theory : A Key to the Universe, C. W. Kilmister, (electronic resource)
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Медиа Форум
About Media Forum
"Walk with a Troubadour". Video Art premieres at the MIFF
Retrospective screening of Gary Hill works and premiere of the "Psychedelic Gedankenexperiment"
The "Great expectations" program. Special screening
The "Talking Cinema" program at summer movie theater MUZEON
XVI Media Forum of 37 Moscow International Film Festival, June 21—26, 2015
Organized by: MediaFest, MediaArtLab Centre for Art and Culture, Mediafest
Co-organizer: Park of Arts Muzeon
Partners: Mikhail Prokhorov Foundation, Swedish International Committee for artists support Iaspis, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Russian Federation, Embassy of the United States of America in Russian Federation
XVI Media Forum of the 37 MIFF (.pdf)
Media Forum in MIFF catalogue (.pdf)
XVI Media Forum of the Moscow International Film Festival is an annual parallel program within the film festival, which brings together contemporary artists and film directors working between the intersections of film, video and media art.
Exhibition, theater and movie theater spaces converge and expand their spheres of influence: contemporary video artists can be seen more and more within programs of film festivals, while film directors – at the museum spaces. Reflecting on this trend, this year's Media Forum rejects the usual exhibition format and places new works by internationally known video artists in the movie theatre space. Contemporary avant-garde art also falls within this research interest: multidisciplinary projects break standards of audience’s perception, reflect on artistic method and go beyond movie screens and exhibition halls.
The 2015 Media Forum is bringing several season premieres of international video art celebrities to Moscow, among them — Gary Hill, Yael Bartana, Johanna Billing and art group Provmyza. And works by artists Anri Sala, Santiago Sierra, Guido van der Werve, Bill Morrison and Anton Ginzburg who have been acclaimed by the leading film festivals and museums of the world, such as MoMA in New York, Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, film festivals in Locarno, Rotterdam, Manchester, and galleries of London and Berlin.
"Walk with a Troubadour": Video Art premieres at the MIFF
June 21—24, 2015
Multiplex Cinema “October”, Novy Arbat street, 24
Curator: Olga Shishko (Russia)
Participants: Anri Sala (Albania-France) together with Liria Begeja (France), Anton Ginzburg (Russia-USA), Santiago Sierra (Spain), Yael Bartana (Israel), art group "Provmyza" (Russia), art group “Boundless expanses” (Russia), Guido van der Werve (Netherlands), Aram Karsi (Russia), Bill Morisson (USA), Johanna Billing (Sweden).
Olga Shishko, art critic, author and curator of "Walk with a Troubadour" video program, artistic director of the MIFF Media Forum:
"At the moment it is impossible to draw the line between video art and cinema, as it had been shown in such Media Forum projects as 'Expanded Cinema', 'Towards to Tactile Cinema', 'Mockumentary: Reality is Not Enough', 'Transitland'.
In the 16 years of its work Media Forum has been demonstrating projects of artists who work with the mockumentary theme, creating visual hoaxes, who experiment with tactile video language, create a new narrativity in search of a 'smart' image and focus the viewer's attention on the transformation of our linear perception into spatial.
This year we shift our focus to the sound. By 'sound and hearing' we mean a kind of structure that reveals the relationship between people in the society, referring to the sound as one of the main tools in video art and cinema.
In the works selected for Media Forum sound appears as one of the universal means of communication. It enables different communities to understand each other when words become impersonal. It becomes an instrument shaping the internal states and ideas. Sound itself is already in constant motion on its own. It sounds, resonating, breaking boundaries and penetrating through all barriers. The performativity is the essence of the sound".
10 premieres by the world stars in the field of cinema and video art will be shown as a part of the Media Forum at the “October” cinema. The works focus on sound and create a visual orchestra on screen.
Video program “Walk with a Troubadour” is a first part of the long-running project (there are screenings, master classes and an exhibition ahead). The works assembled for Media Forum-2015 will reveal a hidden performativity of contemporary social and artistic processes. The pieces are created by the artists working on the borders of cinema, video art and music. The Troubadour is simultaneously a musician, a poet and a performer of his own works. The new troubadours invite the viewer to talk about the inner harmony of man and society in the contemporary world, about the attempts to find and not to lose your own voice, to come into your own tune and not to forfeit it.
The polyphony, improvisation, experiments with the process of creating a multiplying sonal and vivid layering, strung on the idea of the all-seeing and all-hearing, lead to the interesting formal breaks: incongruity of the hearing and dislocation of the listener; a search for the “dead spot”; dissection of the manners of sound, etc. Every single film is a creation of a resonant space, the expansion of sound, and of the cinematic or performative framework. Authors appear before the viewer as modern troubadours telling about invisible matters, of hidden, but inherent in everything around us musicality.
The new human, sounding universe is created by means of poetry, sound and rhythm: a nocturne by Chopin in the Guido van der Werve's video, sounds of the universe in Anton Ginzburg's soundscape, Mozart's Requiem in sync with the inner turmoil of Anri Sala and Liria Bégéja's heroine, resonant poetic dialogue by Gary Hill, signals from the past by Bill Morrison, Johanna Billing's improvisational orchestra composed of 60 cars, sound canons and eves by “Provmyza” group and “Boundless expanses” art-group.
Multiplex Cinema "October", Novy Arbat street, 24
Gary Hill still stands apart from the world of showy and entertaining art. Hill has worked with a broad range of media — including sculpture, sound, video, installation and performance — since the early 1970’s. His longtime work with intermedia continues to explore an array of issues ranging from the physicality of language, synesthesia and perceptual conundrums to ontological space and viewer interactivity. This artist does not appreciate media fads and technical innovations; however, he makes his technological works not for the technology itself, but plays with it. Video art for him is a way of thinking aloud. But we can see in his works a development of linguistic theories, modern poetry accents and associations to Gnostic apocrypha. His perception of the world comes through the literary text and images, which makes him close to the Moscow Conceptualism, and this is another reason we wish to present works of this remarkable artist to the Russian audience as completely as possible. This year Gary Hill comes to Media Forum again, not only with a retrospective screening of his works, but with a premiere of his new video — “The Psychedelic Gedankenexperiment”.
The retrospective screening combines projects starting from Hill’s early linguistic experiments 1977 till 1989. The viewer will get an opportunity to follow the evolution of Gary Hill artistic method and become a witness of practiced audio-visual experiments. Each of the works reveals a specific approach of dealing with image and linguo-acoustics. Hill appears here as researcher who performs experiments on screen again and again.
Summer movie theater MUZEON, Krymsky val, building 2
Curators: Olga Shishko (Russia), Elena Rumyantseva (Russia)
Participants of the Great Expectations Project: Antonina Baever, Evgeny Granilschikov, Elena Koptyaeva, Roman Mokrov, Sasha Pirogova,Tatiana Akhmetgalieva and Albert Soldatov (all — Russia).
The «Great Expectations» program is a project created by three institutions — MEA “Manege”, «MediaArtLab» Center for Art and Culture and «Triumph" Gallery. The new generation of artists has found itself in a very complicated historical context, when changes around them make them turn again and again to the search of identity.
June 23, 26, 30, July 7 and 14, 2015, 22:00
Curator: Alexey Artamonov (Russia)
Participants: Nicolas Rey (France), Alain Cavalier (France), Jonas Mekas (USA), James Benning (USA), Angela Ricci Lucchi & Yervant Gianikian (Italy).
Parallel Program of the XVI Media Forum will be held at the Summer movie theater MUZEON. Talking Cinema Program curated by film critic Alexey Artamonov consists of several outstanding pieces of contemporary avant-garde cinema, where authors experiment with possibilities of narration. The program will present films-essays "Differently, Molussia" by Nicolas Rey, "Le Paradis" by Alain Cavalier, "Out-takes From the Life of a Happy Man" by Jonas Mekas, "Pays Barbare" by Yervant Gianikian and Angela Ricci Lucchi and "Stemple Pass" by James Benning. The film directors work differently with tactics of the so-called talking cinema; their films-diaries, films-confessions, films-poems participated in programs of leading international film festivals — Berlinale, festivals in Rotterdam, Locarno, Toronto, Vienna and Torino. Artistic strategies of these films go beyond both traditional entertaining cinema and festival art mainstream, that is why their works remain virtually unknown to the mass audience. Screenings at the Summer movie theater MUZEON will provide the important film directors with a place within public space and give an opportunity to the mass Moscow audience to get acquainted with their work.
Multiplex Cinema “October”
Novy Arbat street, 24
karofilm.ru
Summer movie theater MUZEON
Krymsky val, building 2
muzeon.ru
Julia Grachikova
ididshe@gmail.com
© 2015 MediaArtLab Centre for Art and Culture
Olga Shishko, MIFF Media Forum Art Director
Elena Rumyantseva, Programme director
Julia Grachikova, International coordinator of MIFF Media Forum
division.ru, web design Multiplex Cinema “October” Novy Arbat street, 24
Summer movie theater MUZEON Krymsky val, 2
Media Forums:
MIFFMediaForum
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Upcoming Events in Digital Media: Oct. 30 Edition
by Bianca Fortis
Photo of West Virginia University campus by Via Tsuji on Flickr and used with Creative Commons license.
Each week, MediaShift posts an ongoing list of upcoming events in the digital media and journalism world. These will be a mix of MediaShift-produced events and other events. If we’re missing any major events, or you’d like to pay to promote your event in the “featured event” spot of our weekly post, please contact Mark Glaser at mark [at] mediashift [dot] org. Any non-MediaShift events in the “featured event” slot are paid placements. Also, be sure to sign up for our events email newsletter to get notifications about future MediaShift events. Note: Event descriptions are excerpts, edited for length and clarity.
Hack the Gender Gap: Women’s Hackathon on Diversifying AI at WVU
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has a diversity problem. The authors of algorithms that drive the majority of our every day interactivity, participation and decision making do not adequately represent gender, racial or economic diversity they intend to serve. That’s why MediaShift and the Reed College of Media at West Virginia University will convene college-age women from around the country to envision their role and influence in diversifying the emerging artificial intelligence market and conceptualize more inclusive AI entrepreneurial opportunities to meet the future needs of a diverse society.
Get more info and register here!
Digiday Video Anywhere
This Digiday summit will explore how publishers are tackling emerging challenges in digital video production and how to build business models that don’t just capture viewership, but also revenue.
More information and registration here.
Professional Journalism, Polarization, Post-Truth, & Post-Trump
Michael Schudson will present a brief history of false and fake news in American politics, the historical development of journalism as a profession, and its role in preventing America from entering a post-truth age. He will discuss how journalism has withstood the past onslaughts against truth and facts and the lessons of the past for the current struggle to maintain the visibility and legitimacy of facts. Leonard Downie and Bill Keller, the former executive editors of the Washington Post and the New York Times will provide commentary and perspective.
APME’s NewsTrain Digital-Skills Workshops: Social, Data, Mobile, Video and More
Nov. 11, 2017, Seattle
For $75, early-bird registrants get a full Saturday of digital training at APME’s three NewsTrain workshops this fall. Topics include social reporting and branding, data-driven enterprise, mobile storytelling and newsgathering, and smartphone video.
More information and registration for New England, Columbus or Seattle NewsTrains here.
Ethical Journalism with NPR and WHYY
As audiences seek the truth in news, journalists must uphold a steadfast code of ethics in their reporting. NPR’s VP of News Mike Oreskes, Senior Editor Mark Memmott and Public Editor Elizabeth Jensen will join WHYY’s Radio GM Naomi Starobin to discuss public media’s approach to journalism and how it ensures accuracy and builds trust in the age of “fake news.”
Dodging the Memory Hole
Plan to attend Dodging the Memory Hole 2017: Saving Online News at the Internet Archive headquarters in San Francisco. Speakers, panelists and attendees will explore solutions to the most urgent threat to cultural memory today — the loss of online news content. The forum will focus on progress made in and successful models of long-term preservation of born-digital news content. Journalistic content published on websites and through social media channels is ephemeral and easily lost in a tsunami of digital content. Join professional journalists, librarians, archivists, technologists and entrepreneurs in addressing the urgent need to save the first rough draft of history in digital form. The two-day forum — funded by the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute and an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant awarded to the Journalism Digital News Archive, UCLA Library and the Educopia Institute — will feature thought leaders, stakeholders and digital preservation practitioners who are passionate about preserving born-digital news. Sessions will include speakers, multi-member panels, lightning round speakers and poster presenters examining existing initiatives and novel practices for protecting and preserving online journalism.
News XChange:
The two-day conference brings together hundreds of media executives from all around the world. The conference features prominent guest speakers and panel discussions that explore the biggest challenges currently facing journalism.
Global Investigative Journalism Conference
GIJC17 will take your stories to the world and put global resources at your fingertips, with Pulitzer winners, digital detectives and top data journalism trainers.
Bianca Fortis is the associate editor at MediaShift, an independent journalist and social media consultant. She is a founding member of the Transborder Media storytelling collective. Follow her on Twitter @biancafortis.
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काँच की बरनी और दो कप चाय - एक बोध कथा
जीवन में जब सब कुछ एक साथ और जल्दी-जल्दी करने की इच्छा होती है, सब कुछ तेजी से पा लेने की इच्छा होती है , और हमें लगने लगता है कि दिन के चौबीस घंटे भी कम पड़ते हैं, उस समय ये बोध कथा , "काँच की बरनी और दो कप चाय" हमें याद आती है ।
दर्शनशास्त्र के एक प्रोफ़ेसर कक्षा में आये और उन्होंने छात्रों से कहा कि वे आज जीवन का एक महत्वपूर्ण पाठ पढाने वाले हैं...उन्होंने अपने साथ लाई एक काँच की बडी़ बरनी (जार) टेबल पर रखा और उसमें टेबल टेनिस की गेंदें डालने लगे और तब तक डालते रहे जब तक कि उसमें एक भी गेंद समाने की जगह नहीं बची... उन्होंने छात्रों से पूछा - क्या बरनी पूरी भर गई ? हाँ... आवाज आई...फ़िर प्रोफ़ेसर साहब ने छोटे-छोटे कंकर उसमें भरने शुरु किये, धीरे-धीरे बरनी को हिलाया तो काफ़ी सारे कंकर उसमें जहाँ जगह खाली थी , समा गये, फ़िर से प्??ोफ़ेसर साहब ने पूछा, क्या अब बरनी भर गई है, छात्रों ने एक बार फ़िर हाँ.. कहा अब प्रोफ़ेसर साहब ने रेत की थैली से हौले-हौले उस बरनी में रेत डालना शुरु किया, वह रेत भी उस जार में जहाँ संभव था बैठ गई, अब छात्र अपनी नादानी पर हँसे... फ़िर प्रोफ़ेसर साहब ने पूछा, क्यों अब तो यह बरनी पूरी भर गई ना ? हाँ.. अब तो पूरी भर गई है.. सभी ने एक स्वर में कहा..सर ने टेबल के नीचे से चाय के दो कप निकालकर उसमें की चाय जार में डाली, चाय भी रेत के बीच में स्थित थोडी़ सी जगह में सोख ली गई...प्रोफ़ेसर साहब ने गंभीर आवाज में समझाना शुरु किया - इस काँच की बरनी को तुम लोग अपना जीवन समझो.... टेबल टेनिस की गेंदें सबसे महत्वपूर्ण भाग अर्थात भगवान, परिवार, बच्चे, मित्र, स्वास्थ्य और शौक हैं, छोटे कंकर मतलब तुम्हारी नौकरी, कार, बडा़ मकान आदि हैं, और रेत का मतलब और भी छोटी-छोटी बेकार सी बातें, मनमुटाव, झगडे़ है..अब यदि तुमने काँच की बरनी में सबसे पहले रेत भरी होती तो टेबल टेनिस की गेंदों और कंकरों के लिये जगह ही नहीं बचती, या कंकर भर दिये होते तो गेंदें नहीं भर पाते, रेत जरूर आ सकती थी...ठीक यही बात जीवन पर लागू होती है...यदि तुम छोटी-छोटी बातों के पीछे पडे़ रहोगे और अपनी ऊर्जा उसमें नष्ट करोगे तो तुम्हारे पास मुख्य बातों के लिये अधिक समय नहीं रहेगा... मन के सुख के लिये क्या जरूरी ह? ये तुम्हें तय करना है । अपने बच्चों के साथ खेलो, बगीचे में पानी डालो , सुबह पत्नी के साथ घूमने निकल जाओ, घर के बेकार सामान को बाहर निकाल फ़ेंको, मेडिकल चेक- अप करवाओ..टेबल टेनिस गेंदों की फ़िक्र पहले करो, वही महत्वपूर्ण है... पहले तय करो कि क्या जरूरी है... बाकी सब तो रेत है..छात्र बडे़ ध्यान से सुन रहे थे... अचानक एक ने पूछा, सर लेकिन आपने यह नहीं बताया कि "चाय के दो कप" क्या हैं ?प्रोफ़ेसर मुस्कुराये, बोले.. मैं सोच ही रहा था कि अभी तक ये सवाल किसी ने क्यों नहीं किया... इसका उत्तर यह है कि, जीवन हमें कितना ही परिपूर्ण और संतुष्ट लगे, लेकिन अपने खास मित्र के साथ दो कप चाय पीने की जगह हमेशा होनी चाहिये ।
अपने खास मित्रों और निकट के व्यक्तियों को यह विचार तत्काल बाँट दो..मैंने अभी-अभी यही किया है.. :)
Labels: Culture, Hindi, Justalk, Social
An interesting read on rediff...
Taken from : http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/dec/10mumterror-8-things-india-inc-govt-must-do-against-pakistan.htm
The three-day-long terror strike on the country's financial capital was devastating in terms of its reach and impact. It has left Corporate India badly shaken and the elites numb.
It is no more about bombs being thrown at bus stations or trains getting blasted. It is no longer about only Nagpada or Govindpuri residents losing limbs and lives. Terror has now climbed up the value chain.
As the new age entrepreneur Kiran Majumdar Shaw told a Bangalore newspaper, "So far, the terrorists targeted common people. Now the society's elite, the business sector, is the target. What happened in Mumbai is a loud wake-up call for all of us to do something to protect ourselves."
Corporate India did not bat an eyelid when Mumbai train blasts took place, or when Sarojini Nagar was burning on a Diwali day, or Hyderabad was weeping two years before.
Light a candle for the fallen
Terror strikes at Mumbai's heart
But today, every corporate captain is angry, and so are the celebrities who people Page 3 of newspapers, due largely because the attacks on the three top hotels were directly aimed at those who frequent these places, for business or pleasure (contrast this with the scant coverage of the carnage at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, for example, where commoners were involved).
All the same, the bleeding-heart liberals would be back to their routine ways after a few days. They will lament that the captured terrorist has not been given his favourite food and not allowed to watch TV or use his cell phone; they will say his human rights are violated. Just wait for the chorus.
Of course, this time it will be between Page 3 and the jholawalas (activists) and that should be an interesting match to watch, but that's another story.
In the last ten years, not a single session of any seminar sponsored by the CII or Ficci or business/general journals has focussed on terrorism. When this writer once broached the importance of talking about it, a senior business captain said it is for the government to deal with.
Many of those seminars gave importance to Musharraf and now Zardari, as if they are going to provide any solution when they are a part of the problem.
Now, at least, terrorism is being realised as a problem facing the country.
Let us summarise what the real situation is and what the corporate sector should do if we are serious in fighting terrorism on our soil.
1. Recognise and treat Pakistan as a terrorist state. The state policy of Pakistan is terrorism and their single-point programme is to destroy India. This needs to be internalised by every business baron including the owners of media.
2. Now, the elite of Pakistan are more angry, since India is growing at 7% and they are given CCC rating and stiff conditions for borrowing from the IMF.
Many an academic from that country, who I have met in global conferences, has openly lamented that nobody talks about Indo-Pak relations anymore, but only Indo-China or Indo-American, etc. They want to be equal but they are in deep abyss.
3. Pakistan is the only territory in the world where an army has a whole country under its control. This is an important issue since studies have found that a large number of corporates in Pakistan are ultimately owned by the Fauji Foundation (FF), Army Welfare Trust (AWT) Bahria Foundation (BF), Shaheen Foundation (SF) all owned by different wings of armed forces (See paper presented by Dr Ayesha Siddiqa-Agha on 'Power, Perks, Prestige And Privileges: Military's Economic Activities In Pakistan' in The International Conference on Soldiers in Business -- Military as an Economic Actor; Jakarta, October 17-19, 2000).
Hence, do not try to think of Pakistan without its army, irrespective of who rules that country temporarily and nominally. At least 70% of the market capitalisation of the Karachi stock exchange is owned by the army and related groups.
4. There are three groups in India, who are obsessed with friendship with Pakistan. One is the oldies born in that part before partition and who are nostalgic about the Lahore havelis, halwas and mujras. The second is the Bollywood and other assorted groups, who look at it as a big market. The Dawood gang has financed enough of these useful idiots. The third is the candle light holding bleeding heart liberals (BHLs) who cannot imagine India doing well without its younger brother taken care of.
All three have been proved wrong hundreds of times, but they are also opinion makers. Shun them, avoid them and ridicule them.
5. We should categorically, unambiguously, unequivocally boycott Pakistan in all aspects for a decade or more. Be it art, music, economy, commerce, or other hand-holding activities. That army-controlled state has to realise that it has done enough damage to global civilisation.
More than 100 acts/attempts of terror recorded in the world since 9/11 have had their roots in Pakistan. More than 40% of the prisoners in Guantanamo are Pakistanis.
6. We should recognise that it is our war and nobody in the world is going to wage it on our behalf. What the Americans are thinking, or what the Britishers are going to do, will not help. A determined country should have a sense of dignity and independence to fight its war.
We should stop interviewing leaders from that country who mouth the same inanities that "you have not produced any proof." The Government of India should perhaps create a museum of proof between India Gate and North Block.
I am amazed that a country of a billion is required even to furnish proof. If one-sixth of humanity says that the terrorist state of Pakistan is the root cause of global terrorism -- it is factual. Let us not fall into the trap of providing proof to the culprits.
7. We should realise that a united Pakistan is a grave threat to the existence of India. Hence, we should do everything possible to break up Pakistan into several units. This is required to be done not only for our interest, but for world peace.
8. We have made a grave blunder by suggesting in the international fora that "Pakistan is also a victim of terror." That is a grave error and it will haunt us for decades. They are perpetrators and our government is in deep illusion if it tries to distinguish between organs of power in that country thinking it is like India.
There is only one organ, namely its army (with ISI as a sub-organ) in that country, which owns and controls at least 70% of the GDP in that country.
If we want the world to treat Pakistan for what it is, then we should start practising it. Always call it the 'terrorist state of Pakistan' and never have any illusion that it is going to be any different.
If corporate India, including electronic/ print media, starts practising this, we should see results in a few years. Are the elites listening?
The author is professor of finance and control, Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore, and can be contacted at vaidya@iimb.ernet.in. The views are personal and do not reflect those of his organisation.
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December thank you
Together in Paving the Way to a Brighter Future
Dear Residents of Long Grove,
We appreciate your grit and enduring patience in 2019. It’s been another year of putting up with red cones, construction trucks, and road closures. Yet we stayed the course and maintained our focus on the mission – bridging Long Grove’s timeless charms with updated amenities. As we approach the completion of the downtown renovation project, thanks to the big investments made by the Village and Lake County, we can see our promising future becoming just as evident as our storied past. Upgrades all around us including new streets, sewers, lighting, public water and sidewalks are paving the way for the next generation of business owners. A diverse commercial landscape investing in new and improved facilities and tax incentives is pumping fresh economic life. But the allure doesn’t stop with business prosperity. Long Grove continues to be considered one of the best places in the country to raise a family.
In 2019, the Historic Downtown Long Grove Business Association continued to fundraise through its annual Long Grove festival and community event programming continued – raising tens of thousands of dollars to benefit downtown revitalization projects and drive tourism and regional awareness. That said, we still need you, local residents, to support our business neighbors by shopping and dining in downtown Long Grove. They rely on your regular, ongoing patronage for continued growth and success. As we look ahead to 2020, besides some finishing touches to the new infrastructure, you can expect to see the resurrection of the iconic Long Grove Covered Bridge and a brand-new downtown park where we can sit back and relish in all the beauty and charm that surrounds us daily.
Through the rubble our “destination town” status has re-emerged. As we begin this new chapter of our century-old tale, we’re excited for the prospect of tomorrow. Again, thank you for a remarkable 2019, where cooperation and foresight have been vital. We’re all in this together…
The Historic Downtown Long Grove Business Association
With its colorful, vintage buildings and structures casting an ideal backdrop, historic downtown Long Grove proudly presented another year of its famous Irish Days festival to kick off September! All eyes were smiling over Labor Day weekend once again for the 3-day family-friendly celebration of Irish culture, music, merchants, food and of course, beer. Visitors strolled the town’s brand new walkways and enjoyed bagpipers, folk bands, and Irish dancers and contests.
This one-of-a-kind St. Patrick’s Day on Labor Day experience took place in the heart of town, Fountain Square, and included some of Chicago’s top Irish musicians and dance troupes, such as: The Tooles, Beamish, The Shannon Rovers Bagpipe Band, Trinity Irish Dancers, Academy of Irish Music, and many more. Thousands turned out to take in the sights and sounds at Irish Days. Those who attended were even privy to the infamous Irish Dog Competition, where pooches who dressed the part were crowned Irish Doggie King, Queen, Prince and Princess, and the Best-Looking Men’s Legs in a Kilt contest – always a crowd favorite!
Irish food vendors like Celtic Pretzel and Harrington’s Catering and Deli were on hand to fuel visitors with hand-made pretzels, hot corned beef sandwiches, fish and chips, and other traditional foods. Additionally, there was an area selling freshly tapped Irish-themed beers and non-alcoholic drinks to quench thirsts young or old. While the “Wee Ones” area hosted Irish-themed crafts and face-painting for kids, the Gaelic Tent promoted awareness of the Irish language and genealogy.
While its storied past still radiates, downtown Long Grove’s promising future is now just as evident as the town-wide restoration plan continues. New roads, sidewalks, and lighted streetscapes are paving the way for a new generation of businesses while rejuvenating beloved mainstays. Long Grove’s mission of bridging yesterday’s timeless charms with today’s modern conveniences were well represented at the 2019 Vintage Days market.
For the 4th consecutive year, Long Grove Vintage Days showcased all things vintage, reclaimed, hand-made, upcycled, antique and repurposed in an open-air summer marketplace this August. As always, Vintage Days gave everyone from the vintage collector to the admirer a plethora of enduring products they can’t find anywhere else. This year’s event was showcased along the newly renovated Old McHenry Road in the heart of downtown – giving record breaking crowds a feel for the new digs.
Guests perused 40-plus featured booths that began at Olivia’s Boutique and continued through downtown past the Visitor’s Center. Attendees also had their choice of vendors serving food, snacks and tasty beverages including local craft beer served by the Long Grove Lion’s Club. Helping set the retro vibe at Vintage Days 2019 throughout the weekend was live music, a penny carnival, complimentary tractor rides and great shopping!
Irish Days 2019 was great!
Read more- click here
Vintage Days 2019
https://www.dailyherald.com/submitted/20190813/long-groves-vintage-days-market-to-show-downtown-upgrades Read the rest of this entry »
Long Grove Events like Craft Beer Fest Help Improve the Experience
In case anyone wonders, proceeds that the Historic Downtown Long Grove Business Association raises from the special events it organizes each year goes to improving the full Long Grove experience throughout the year – things like lighting in the downtown, decorations, hometown festivals, and holiday promotions. Once such example of a fundraising event that contributes to enhancing Long Grove is the annual Craft Beer Festival.
With its deep-seated German roots, downtown Long Grove transforms into the suburb’s biggest biergarten on Saturday, April 27 from 12 pm to 5 pm. Situated in the parking lot in front of Lake County’s destination brewery, Buffalo Creek Brewing, Craft Beer Festival symbolizes Long Grove’s annual homage to its beer-loving, immigrant history. Attendees get a one-of-a-kind, authentic tasting experience with some of Chicagoland’s most talented beermakers outside under the spring sun with a vintage village as a backdrop. In addition to unlimited tastes of over 20 participating breweries, Craft Beer Fest also offers live music and local food options.
“Craft Beer Fest has become an annual tradition bringing together beer lovers from near and far,” said Mike Marr, president of the Historic Downtown Long Grove Business Association and owner/brewmaster of Buffalo Creek Brewing. “Whether you’re into Belgium Ales or American Lagers, Craft Beer Fest has it all. It’s the tasting experience of the year in one of Illinois’ most historic towns!”
Long Grove’s picturesque backdrop helps set this beer festival apart from other cookie cutters in Chicagoland. Organized by the Historic Downtown Long Grove Business Association, the event lets ticket-holders visit any brewer’s stations as much as they’d like to sample freshly-brewed suds and get brewing wisdom from the pourer. They can learn from beer-makers things like what goes into making a varietal unique, how to taste and evaluate like a judge, what sorts of ingredients go into production, etc.
Along with unlimited beers and local wines from participating vendors, Craft Beer Fest will feature live bluegrass from Anderlik & Otto. There will also be multiple eating options available by some local favorites, including Long Grove Confectionery, Three Legged Taco, and Signature Popcorn, to provide needed nourishment (for additional purchase) during this day dedicated to fresh beer. 21-and-over tickets are available in advance for $40 through EventBrite.
Reinvesting in our Past to Build a Brighter Future
This year, downtown Long Grove is investing $100,000 in the Park District to benefit the community for the next generation ahead. Updated, new parkland to complement the restoration of the historic covered bridge will help this hamlet reclaim and surpass its former glory. Bringing the old and new together, the Historic Downtown Long Grove Business Association is working with the Long Grove Historic Society on the plans for the infamous 100-plus-year-old bridge.
Last June, the National Park Service announced that the Buffalo Creek Bridge, more commonly known as the Long Grove Covered Bridge, was being placed on the National Register of Historic Places. This was the first property in Long Grove to receive this prestigious designation and only one of a handful or bridges in the State of Illinois. The bridge is Long Grove’s icon and its brand. The move to the National Register was supposed to put Long Grove on the map, federally. Sadly, just days after the National Register designation, the bridge was demolished by an errant box truck.
Achieving National Register status confirmed many beliefs in the bridge’s historical value, as well as the sentimental value locals, know it holds for their community. This source of pride for all of Long Grove will return soon once the Buffalo Creek Bridge is rebuilt as the shining gateway to town.
Cocoa Crawl Creates $miles for the Community!
One way the Historic Downtown Long Grove Business Association sends a jolt through the business community during the winter slow season is with the wildly successful Cocoa Crawl. Up to two dozen merchants team up to create this fun-filled, family-friendly day where thousands of visitors crawl out of winter hibernation to stroll around town and make memories over a hot cup of cocoa, or two or three!
“We were pleasantly surprised when a couple thousand turned out for the first Cocoa Crawl a year ago,” says Laurie Wilhoit, Marketing and Communications Manager with the Long Grove Visitor’s Center. “This year we’re anticipating more participants, more cocoa, and even more fun!”
The Cocoa Crawl celebrates the winter season and the vibrant retail scene in Long Grove. Guests who attend the free event from 12 pm to 4 pm will start at the Visitor’s Center where they’ll pick up a map of participating stores and restaurants before stopping by as many spots as they like for complimentary cocoa sampling. All Cocoa Crawl stops around town will be serving cocoa or chocolate-inspired drinks and treats – from hot chocolate bark to hot chocolate popcorn to hot chocolate Krispies. Before calling it a day, Cocoa Crawlers are encouraged to come back to the Visitor’s Center to vote on their favorite cocoa treat and be entered into a raffle for prizes donated by participants. To top it off, merchants will give visitors with more than just delicious cocoa; “they’ll provide a friendly face to help find a perfect treasure.”
December Press
Nostalgic Long Grove – Holidays
WGN Radio – The Opening Bell
Steve Grzanich focused on one Chicagoland area of Long Grove to look at what they are doing to compete, and Ryan Messner (Chair of The Historic Downtown Long Grove Business Association) explained how it took a long-term plan to build themselves up and feel ready to impress this holiday season.
Click Here for Interview (starts around 6:00-minute mark)
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No Sanctuary for Rashid Ghazi
[ Ali Behrooz]
[Source: Iran's Crises – English (ICE)]
<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> Looking back at the history of most countries, the Church and the Mosque have occasionally been used as a place for taking sanctuary from an oppressor or from the brutality of the governing authorities. Popular support for this tradition has given the Mosque a safe haven identity, for which its boundaries should be respected. During this decade, however, such a tradition has been ignored and disrespected by both ruling regimes and the radical Islamic forces. The Mosque and the religious Shrine have become instruments for flaring up the feelings of the masses, for stirring up a certain layer of the society, and for exploiting outrage, to arrive at some hidden objectives. The Islamic Republic of Iran’s agents exploded bombs in Imam Reza’s Shrine in the city of Mashad; the Israelis ignored the Palestinians’ taking refuge in the holy church of Bethlehem; most of Iraq’s holy shrines and mosques are either bombed by the multi-national forces, or destroyed by terrorists; and more recently we have had the Red Mosque incidents, in which the protection seekers themselves had little respect for the holy Shrine and the Mosque.
Let us be realistic; a mosque is a place for prayers and religious practice. In the ‘Islamic’ countries, this definition is considered simplistic and reactionary. Most Islamists have a more radical approach towards mosques. For them a mosque is a place to preach and mobilise prayers against the satanic rulers. I have no problem with this. In view of the dictatorial nature of most regimes in these countries, and in accordance with freedom of speech, freedom of expression and freedom to practise one’s own religion, perhaps the traditional definition should be reformulated. What I have issues with is when the radical Islamists misuse mosques as a place to train and arm terrorists. Such a misuse gives a green light to the authorities not only for further suppression of every day prayers, but also for using this as an excuse to extend oppression throughout society, which in turn breeds more radicalism.
Today Rashid Ghazi saved President Mosharaf’s political skin. General Mosharaf, by raiding the Red Mosque, once again confirmed that he belongs to the Western allies’ camp, while sending a strong signal to the Pakistanis that he would not recognise any boundaries, holy or otherwise, when it comes to his political existence.
The followers of Rashid Ghazi are also content. Their martyred leader is now sitting next to the prophet Mohammed. Can one hope for a better end, ask the radical Islamists, of the vulnerable street boy.
Ali Behrooz
<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />10 July 2007
Iran Crises
Also from: [Ali Behrooz]:
> Resurfacing Shock and Awe, why is this different?
> Mr President, Barack Obama,
> An Open letter to Mrs Hillary Clinton - signed by 96 sinatories
> اطلاعیۀ آیت الله منتطری دربارۀ حرام بودن مقاومت در برابر رأی مردم
> چند سرود تقدیم به شما
> لیست اسامی با حروف فارسی، تا تاریخ 08/09/08
> فراخوان در حمایت از حقوق قانونی مجاهدین در اشرف
> A Freshman’s Solution
> War of words, or words of war
> The Ayatollahs’ Choice?
> ‘With enemies like this…’
> Limiting Tehran’s Influence?
> The lesser of two evils
> Larijani Resigns
> The Warmongers!
> Chaotic, Disarrayed and Appeasing
> Intellectually Progressive
> Islamists, USA and Terrorists – Foes or Friends?
> No Sanctuary for Rashid Ghazi
> We are now at a juncture
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DOJ summons Colmenares, youth party-list groups over missing activist
Mike Navallo, ABS-CBN News
Posted at Aug 20 2019 07:18 PM | Updated as of Aug 20 2019 08:46 PM
Police wrongly identifies Villarin as Anakbayan Party-list rep
MANILA (UPDATE) - The Department of Justice (DOJ) has summoned former sectoral lawmaker Neri Colmenares and officers and members of youth groups Kabataan Party-list and Anakbayan over multiple criminal raps filed by the Philippine National Police (PNP) Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in connection with the case of a missing activist.
Assistant State Prosecutor Christine Perolino required Colmenares and 8 others to appear during the DOJ’s preliminary investigation on Aug. 27, September 10 and 24 in connection with the trafficking, child abuse and other complaints filed against them by the CIDG.
Named as respondents were Kabataan Party-list Rep. Sarah Elago, Anakbayan spokesperson Alex Danday, and all other officers and members of the two youth groups.
Tom Villarin was also included, mistakenly referred to as Anakbayan Party-list representative. Villarin was a former representative of Akbayan Party-list, and Anakbayan is not a party-list group.
Also named in the subpoena were Charlie del Rosario, Bianca Gacos, Jayroven Villafuente Balais, Vencer Crisostomo, and Einstein Recedes. Crisostomo is the Anakbayan chairperson while Recedes is Anakbayan secretary general.
On Aug. 1, the PNP-CIDG filed with the DOJ complaints for violations of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act; the Act providing for Special Protection of Children in Situations of Armed Conflict; the Revised Penal Code provision on kidnapping; the Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act; and the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide and Other Crimes Against Humanity.
Based on the investigation data form, the complainant was Relissa Lucena, who recently testified before a Senate hearing that her daughter, 18-year-old Alicia, was recruited by Anakbayan.
In the complaint, Lucena said her child’s behavior changed after joining Anakbayan as she became a “loner, hard-headed, aggressive and hot headed.” She also allegedly started contradicting her father, joined protest actions and expressed her “burning anger” towards the government.
Lucena said her daughter left their house in March and left a letter containing “strong messages against her mother and her policy at home.” She said she tried to convince her to go home during a meeting a few days later but Alicia refused. She identified Del Rosario, Gacos and Villafuente as Alicia’s companions.
But Alicia surfaced at a press conference at the House of Representatives on Aug. 14, accusing the military and the police of using her family’s problem in advancing their agenda. In a Facebook post, she denied being coerced and said she joined Anakbayan voluntarily.
NUPL REACTION
In a statement, NUPL denounced the inclusion of its chair, Colmenares, also former representative of Bayan Muna party-list, in the raps.
“How in heaven’s name could someone like Neri be even remotely involved, connected or liable for such inane and contrived charges that have been debunked? Totally absurd,” NUPL President Edre Olalia said.
“Make no mistake about it: they are lining and rounding up the most voluble and visible people who stand in the way and who fight back against repression and injustice. It is indubitably part of the legal blitzkrieg and assault against legitimate dissent and those who push back and stand their ground,” he added.
Olalia said the case against Colmenares is the third “incredible criminal charge” against NUPL lawyers since 2016, citing the dismissed kidnapping case against lawyer Kathy Panguban who assisted the minor survivor in the Sagay massacre case and a pending arson case against an NUPL lawyer-officer in Mindanao.
Meanwhile, Villarin took to social media to express his disbelief at being tagged as a member of Anakbayan.
"CIDG filing a case against me as Anakbayan party list rep?!? Where do you get your facts? Saan napunta 'yung billions of intel funds niyo? Kaloka (Where did your billions in intel funds go? Crazy)!" Villarin said in a tweet.
DOJ, Department of Justice, PNP, CIDG, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Neri Colmenares, Anakbayan, Kabataan, activism, recruitment
Read More: DOJ Department of Justice PNP CIDG Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Neri Colmenares Anakbayan Kabataan activism recruitment
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My Sollars | 1 Sollar = 1 kg CO²
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Educators in ActionOrganizing
January 7, 2016 • 10:56AM
Public Education Advocates Stall School Takeovers
By Brenda Álvarez
Photo: Joe Brusky/MTEA
In late November, students, parents, educators, and community members in Milwaukee, Wis. took a step toward victory when Amy Mizialko, a special education teacher and vice president of the Milwaukee Teachers Education Association (MTEA), urged Chris Abele, the city’s county executive, to commit to only one school takeover—which he did! Mizialko relentlessly asked, “Will you say tonight that you’re one and done?” (see video below) Abele plans to acquire one empty school building and convert it to a private Pre-K charter school. Mizialko wanted assurance that he would not take possession of other empty buildings and “bleed more population and dollars” from Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS).
“I’m not going to take away a school. I’ll do whatever I can to try to help MPS,” Abele said. Abele gave a firm “yes” to only taking one school.
The takeover plan was passed in July 2015 as part of the Wisconsin budget and mirrors similar efforts in Louisiana, Michigan, and Tennessee, which usurp local control as a way to transform struggling schools. Some of these strategies include charter conversion, indiscriminate staff and leadership removal, or school closures.
A recent report on school takeovers by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University and the Southern Education Foundation stated that “These state takeover districts have failed to consistently improve student outcomes, and failed to engage (and invest) communities and educators in any kind of visionary transformation that is needed in our public schools. Without such investment, even initial academic results will falter.”
A Tipping Point
The Wisconsin law transfers control to the county executive’s handpicked commissioner, Dr. Demond Means, superintendent of Mequon-Thiensville, to be the sole decision maker over takeover schools instead of the elected school board. Means is charged with curriculum and personnel, as well as selecting one to three schools to convert into privately run charter or voucher schools for this school year. He also has the authority to identify up to five schools for takeover each year after.
If enough schools are taken over, the school district can become insolvent. “We’re reaching a tipping point. If more of our schools are chosen for privatization, MPS won’t exist in three to five years,” said Kim Shroeder, an elementary school teacher and president of MTEA, to Campaigns for America’s Future.
While Mizialko may have pressed Abele to commit to a “one and done” deal in a public forum, organizations like MTEA have been long working with a coalition to prevent this plan from taking root and spreading. Schools and Communities United represents more than 25 organizations, including MTEA, and work to defend and improve public schools. The coalition is comprised of community, educator, civic, student, labor, and religious organizations.
The group has organized thousands of people across the city to show support for public schools by staging “walk-ins,” which are scheduled before the start of the school day and before educators, parents, and students walked-in to their respective schools. Participants of walk-ins celebrated public schools and provided information about how takeovers would hurt students.
While the takeover plan passed this past summer—despite mounting opposition from the community—the fight is not over.
Groups continue to voice their disapproval, saying it offers no new resources or support for students; leaves many students without services; and eliminates democratic local control and disenfranchises communities.
A Better Model
Martha Treder, Angela Riley, and Angela Walker are parents of children who attend Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) and reject the takeover plan. The trio penned an op-ed in The Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel saying, “Children living in poverty come to school hungry, cold and often ill-equipped to learn. This takeover does nothing to assist these children.” Special education students and English Language Learners stand to lose services, too.
The group instead proposed a community school model, which has seen much success in other cities, such as Cincinnati, Ohio. Here, the school district forged a partnership with the state, local taxpayers, and community allies to help create “Community Learning Centers.” These centers are in every school and are based on the needs of the individual neighborhood. The centers might offer after-care, English language classes, health care services, or arts programs. They serve parents and community residents, too.
Educators also have shown their frustration over the state of Milwaukee’s public schools. “When kids walked into Auer Avenue School 15 years ago [one of the schools considered for takeover], there was a full-time librarian, every day. There used to be full-time Physical Education, art and music teachers. We don’t have that anymore. So we don’t believe these are failing schools. We believe they’ve been failed,” said Mizialko to ThinkProgress in June.
The fight to keep Milwaukee public schools under public control will continue, says Schroeder. “Milwaukee is the birthplace of voucher programs, and our students and educators have paid the price for this unproven and misguided practice. We don’t need more experimental reforms and we’re not going without a fight—our students deserve better and the community schools model is a good way forward.”
The next Milwaukee walk-in is set for Feb. 17. Parents, educators, and students will gather in front of their schools before the day starts to picket in support of public education and community schools. Other cities, including Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Green Bay, and Boston will join in support on the same day.
For more information visit mtea.weac.org/tag/walk-in/.
Educators in Action: Organizing
Education Policy: School Privatization
POST TAGS: Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association, school takeovers
December 2, 2019 • Mary Ellen Flannery
November 1, 2019 • Tim Walker
Jobs Threatened By Privatization, Educators and Their Allies Strike Back
September 13, 2019 • Tim Walker
Educators, Parents Derail Charter Industry Scheme to Defy Will of Voters
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